My favorite thing about Raw Food!

I was trying to figure out what my favorite thing about eating raw is. There are so many things that I love, but one thing that stands out for me. It is the fact that each meal is really an adventure. I can make a salad every night, but it always tastes different each time. The flavors of the food can change each time a recipe is made. For instance each different tomato that you eat may have a little bit of a different flavor. Also, your taste buds come alive and notice the little things in your food. Another example is when I eat the Super Food Snacks. Each bag that I open is a new experience. Sometimes I can taste a little more cayenne, sometimes a little more coconut, etc. Raw is NOT boring and it's NOT just lettuce!!!!! Just to see if I have any readers here I want to offer a complimentary 30 min phone coaching session to the first person who emails me at photoartbysuzi@comcast.net.

Getting my Greens!

My body wants and craves greens so bad! I have been starting my morning out with a large green juice. I usually put some water, 2-3 large green leaves (chard, kale, bok choy, etc), and an apple or some oranges in the blender. Then I run it all through a nut milk bag. Much easier than using the juicer and having all the mess. Other than that I have been mostly just eating large salads. I really want to make something, but not sure what yet. I really want to make some portobella mushroom fajitas. I know I have that recipe somewhere.

Dave is still raw. It's been about 5 weeks. He is still feeling really good. I just passed the 10 month mark last week. I can't believe I am coming up on my 1 year. I am really looking forward to Spring and Summer. The best time of year to be eating raw. All the fresh fruit and veggies and Farmer's Markets!

The kids are slowly eating more and more raw as well. I notice that when I make them a cooked vegan meal they only eat a little and then want some fresh fruit. I think over time they will get more and more used to eating raw meals. They really like some of the appetizers like the stuffed mushrooms and Garlic Toasts.

Let's see what have I had today:
10:00am Swiss Chard and Apple juice
1:00 Some SuperFood Snacks
About to go look for something for dinner!

Everything in moderation....um, no thanks!

I was talking with my sister yesturday, who I know thinks we are crazy because of the way we eat. She was saying that she thought people would be good if they could just do things in moderation. Like some meatloaf every other week, one beer a day, a candy bar here and there. After thinking on this for the last 24 hours I know why this sounds pretty ridiculous to me. Yes, there might be some 90 year old guy sitting in the bar/restaurant who has lived his life this way and is happy that way, but that is not what I want for me. I like EXTREMES. I want EXTREME healthy, EXTREME mental clarity, EXTREME physical fitness. I don't want a moderate life. I love this raw lifestyle. I have never felt better and I wouldn't go back. I want to honor the body I was given, I want to tap into the power given by my creator to be all that I can be. I have only just begun this journey and the excitement builds everyday! Won't you join me??????

Was God giving us hints?

I think these foods were created just for our bodies! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye, and science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Grapefruits, Oranges, and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.- anonymous

Raw Food Adventures and Fun!

3 weeks ago when I began juice feasting, my husband decided to eat only fruits and veggies for 2 weeks. He made it with flying colors! After that 2 weeks he added in nuts and seeds and is doing very well. I have been busy making food for the 2 of us. It has been nice to be able to eat with him. Now I just have to get the kids to eat more of it. They are completely onboard with the desserts, but they can't get used to the textures of the meals yet. They love these little truffles from www.superfoodsnacks.com. I am selling these now and they are sooooo good and give you good, clean energy! We have been eating lots of salads and taco salads. I love the Tortilla chips from Raw Food, Real World. I will post the recipe next time. We are making some for the superbowl!!!!
Today I've had:
One Thai coconut water and meat blended up with vanilla and frozen raspberries
Giant Romaine salad with Guacamole and Rawvolution's Taco Meat.

Healthy, yummy, raw food cupcakes!

Oh my gosh! This has to be my favorite dessert so far! I always say that, but these really blew me away. Made by my raw chef friend Heathy http://rawgoddessheathy.blogspot.com/2007/10/raw-choccie-cupcakes-anyone.html
These are definitely worth trying!

I met with my new raw food buddy Sara today and we are planning some awesome classes together. She is very knowledgeable and has been trained by Alissa Cohen herself! We are both super excited!

What I ate today:
9:00 Superfood smoothie walnuts, hempseeds, coconut butter, Pure Synergy, Bee Pollen, Agave, Strawberries.
1:30 Raw Trail Mix and a couple Goji Nut truffles
5:00 Giant Salad with Creamy Garlic dressing
9:00 2 Raw cupcakes (see above!)

Green Leafy Superfoods!

Green leafies! My favorite! Highly, highly recommended for weight loss. If you are trying to take off some weight I would say you should go heavy on the leafy greens. You can juice them, make green smoothies, eat salads, etc. They are so high in minerals that they can help curb your appetite and your cravings. I have noticed this to be true in the last week with all of the juicing. I have lost some of that last 5-10lbs that I have been waiting for to come off.
Populations who eat more green leafies have lower risk of heart disease and cancer.
What are the Green Leafies?
Arugula
Beet Greens
Sprouted Broccoli Seeds
Chicory
Dandelion Greens
Endive and escarole
Kale
Kohirabi
Lettuces
Mustard Greens
Parsley
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnip Greens
Watercress

What did I eat today?
Grapefruit Juice
Big Glass of Coconut Milk (young coconut water blended with the meat and a dash of vanilla) This tasted very much like a vanilla shake! YUM!
I am going to make some Apple/Kale Juice in a minute. That is my fav so far!

Super Sea Vegetables!

Seaweed is an incredibly powerful food. It contains more minerals than any other food source. They can contain up to 10x more calcium than milk and 8x as much iron as beef. It can be used to flavor all sorts of dishes, such as soups. You should try to incorporate sea veggies into your diet a few times per week. The different types are:
Arame
A brown stringy seaweed. Works well with cooked root vegetables.
Dulse
Red-purple in color. Has a mild taste so it works well in salads.
Nori
Nori is from Japan and best known for wrapping sushi. Very good added to soups or use it to make raw nori rolls!
Wakame
Has a sweet flavor and can be used on sandwiches instead of lettuce.
Hijiki
Black and firm seaweed that is very nutritionally rich, but quite strong tasting.
Kelp
Kelp is sometimes used as a seasoning. Can be taken in powder or tablet form from the health food store.
Kombu
Used for centuries as a flavor enhancer and a food tenderizer.

My favorite seaweed supplement is Modifilan. www.modifilan.com. I have been taking this for 9 months and find that when I go off of it I notice that I just don't feel as good.

Today I ate:
8:30 Grapefruit/Orange juiced
10:00 Water with MSM
12:00 Raw crackers
2;00 Juiced Kale and Apples
5:00 Juiced Tomato, celery, garlic, and chard
7:00 A couple of Superfood Snack Goji treats (these things are AWESOME!!!)
Go to www.superfoodsnacks.com. I am for sure going to have these in my store!

Herbal Health boosters!

The top herbal superfoods are:
Astragalus: This herb can really help with digestion. Also helps with the immune system and weight management.
Nettle: Nettle tea is a very good bowel cleanser. In the Spring you can eat young nettle leaves and they are very rich in vitamins and minerals. It is also good for iron, cleaning the blood and as a diurectic for uric acid buildup.
Aloe Vera: Aloe can be helpful for digestive problems such as bloating and gas. Aloe also contains polysaccharides, which are 8 essential sugars that the body needs. These are also called Glyconutrients. This is one of the things we focused on with our son for his recovery from cancer. Aloe contains Mannose, galactose, and arabinose which are some of the essential sugars.
Siberian Ginsing: Great energizing tonic used for thousands of years. Has anti-infection properties and can be good to combat jet lag when traveling.
Echinacea: This herb moves the lymph fluid through your body, similar to the effect of exercise. If you don't exercise everyday that fluid will not move through your body enough. Echinacea should not be taken all the time. Take it for 2-3 weeks and then take a break from it.

What have I been eating?????
Monday:
8:00am Glass of Rejuvalac
12:00 noon shot of wheatgrass
1:00pm Glass of carrot, celery, parsley, spinach juice
5:00pm Big glass of tomato, celery, garlic, basil juice
9:00pm Glass of water with MSM

Tuesday:
9:30 am Juice of 2 oranges and 1 grapefruit
11:30am Water from one young coconut
to be continued....

As you can see I have started a Juice Feast. I have always wanted to try this, but kept putting it off. Our church is doing prayer and fasting for the next 2 weeks so that gave me just drive I needed to give it a shot. So far so good. I have not really been hungry, just get that feeling like I want to bite into something! I definitely feel nourished and enegized though. We'll see how it goes. I will update as I go along!

The Healing Powers from Bees!

Bees give us lots of great substances with incredible healing powers! There is Royal Jelly, Bee Pollen, and Propolis.

Royal Jelly is what the queen bee lives on. She lives about 40x longer than the rest of the bees. It has alot of nutrients for energy and dealing with stress. Royal jelly has been found to have antibiotic properties and kill bacteria that cause acne and stomach bugs.

Bee Pollen is the most useful of the bee products. It is a substance produced by flowering plants that is gathered by the bees and is a nutritional powerhouse. Can be used to fight allergies, chronic infections, prostate enlargement, and nutritional deficiencies.

Propolis is the natural antibiotic. It is a sticky material from the buds and bark of mostly poplar and fir trees. It is used to coat the outside of the hive for sterilization. Helps with acne, skin ailments, cold sores and even arthritis.

Any of these bee products are available in the health food stores. If you have bee allergies you should not take bee products.

What did I eat today....
9:00 Met the school ladies for coffee and brought my own yerba mate tea with nut milk latte.
12:00 Smoothie: Pecan milk, cherries, hemp seeds, Pure Synergy, Coconut oil, Bee Pollen.
6:00 Salad with Romaine, olives, sprouts, tomatoes, gr onions, cucumbers, creamy italian dressing.
7:00 3 dates

The Green Superfoods

Alright, what's so great about Green Superfoods? Well, they have the greatest concentration of easily digestable nutrients, fat burning compounds, and vitamins and minerals to keep your body healthy. They also contain essential fatty acids, healthy bacteria to help your digestive system function properly, and protect against illness and disease.

What are they?
Alfalfa Grass
Green Barley Grass
Wheatgrass
Wild Blue Green Algae
Spirulina
Chlorella

Alfalfa, Barley, and Wheatgrass are great for maximum health. It is beneficial to rotate the 3 types. Alfalfa contains all the know vitamins and minerals, digestive enzymes, phytoestrogen, flavonoids, amino acids, and chlorophyll. Good for strengthening the blood and liver, weight loss, and aiding digestion. Barley contains about every nutrient needed by the human body besides vitamin D. It is very easy to digest. It has as much protein as meat, 11 times the calcium of cow's milk, 5 times the iron of spinach, and 7 times more vitamin C than orange juice. It helps protect against pollutants, radiation, cancer, ulcers, and digestive problems. Also helps lower cholesterol. Finally, Wheatgrass is very similar to barley grass. It cannot be digested and needs to be juiced. It is loaded with nutrients and also aids weight loss.

The algaes provide virtually every essential vitamin, mineral, amino acid, enzyme, and protein. Probably the single highest form of nutrition known to man. Blue Green Algae is 60% protein and has a more complete amino acid profile than beef or soybeans. It helps improve memory and has been linked with reversing the progression of Alzheimer's. Spirulina contains 60-70% protein versus beef coming in at only 25%. It is known to help curb cravings and can be used to assist with weight loss. Chlorella is good for the immune system, reducing cholesterol, and preventing hardening of the arteries.

These grasses and algaes can be found in powder and pill form in the health food store or online.

What did I eat today?
10:00 Superfoods smoothie: Pecan Milk, Acai berry, cherries, Pure Radiance Supplement, Hemp Seeds, Coconut Oil, Bee Pollen, Agave Nectar.
12:00 1 apple
2:30 A handful of pecans
3:45 A few handfuls of goji berries
5:00 GIANT salad with Romaine, Kale, Alfalfa sprouts, Olives, radishes, gr onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, with Creamy Italian dressing.
7:00 A couple of dates

Exactly WHAT are SUPERFOODS????

When I tell people what I eat I am often asked, "What are Superfoods?" In my opinion, Superfoods are foods that help us take our health to the next level. They really help to boost the immune system so that you can stay healthy, even when exposed to colds and flus. Recently, everyone in my house had a sinus infection, lots of coughing, ear pain, and sinus pressure. I am the only one in the house that didn't get and I am also the only one that eats mostly raw in our house! For the next few days I am going to focus on the different groups of Superfoods and why they are good for you.

Berry Superfoods
Green Superfoods
Bee Superfoods
Sea Veggies
Herb Superfoods
Leafy Superfoods

Stay tuned.......

What I ate today:
8:00am Yerba Mate tea with pecan milk (latte)
11:00 Maple Pecan Milk Smoothie
2:00 Banana
5:00 Sprout Salad with Creamy Italian dressing, olives, tomato, avocados, cucumbers

Turn over a new leaf!

Okay, so it is probably obvious that my new business name comes from the saying, "Turn over a new leaf"! That saying just really resonates with me lately because I feel like the leaf is constantly being turned over. Since my son's battle with cancer that started 3 1/2 years ago things have been changing in our house. Changing for the better. We changed our diets, changed our attitudes, changed our friends, changed what mattered most, and even changed our spiritual habits. I believe that God wants us to keep on changing everyday. Don't get stuck in a rut, but keep moving forward toward your goals and dreams. That is what I am trying to do! This blog will be here for me to keep track of those goals and changes as they happen. I know many people are afraid of change, but change is good. Nothing ever stays the same!

I will also be blogging about my journey with the raw food diet and about all the great food that I eat and also the challenges that may come up. Today I ate:
8am
1 1/2 cups water
frozen cherries
frozen acai
large handful of Kale
10am
Yerba Mate tea with cashew milk and agave
1pm
A few of my son's wheat crackers (one of my challenges!)
2-4pm
sipped on water with goji berries in it, then ate the berries!
5:30pm
Rawvolution's Tomato Basil Soup
Sprout salad
Planned for later!
Some Cinnamon Pecan Maple Milk from Raw Food, Real World book