Friday, January 27, 2012

Raw food Heals

Since I continue to be so excited about raw foods and its benefits for ALL people, but especially anyone living with or wanting to prevent cancer, I think I will be touching on this topic more often.  There are some fantastic cookbooks out there.  I just have bought:

-Ani's Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo
-RAWvolution by Matt Amsden
-Superfoods by David Wolfe

The Raw Foods Institute recommends dozens of titles, but these were the three I was most excited about.

To increase the amount of raw and living foods into our diets, to give us more enzymes, micronutrients, and cellular power, we need to make raw foods more interesting. You can't live on salad--it's just not interesting enough.  Soon enough you will be craving something bread-y, something chip-y, something dessert-y, something pasta-y.  These cookbooks provide us for recipes with all of these, to make our food dynamic & healing at the same time.

Because we have a sweet tooth over here, I made a raw dessert the other night: Chocolate Coconut Macaroons.  It was a huge hit.  They assemble in minutes and get eaten just as quickly...and they are actually good for you!





Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

3 cups coconut flakes (I use large and fine flakes, combined)
1/3 cup coconut butter
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup maple syrup

-combine in your Kitchen Aid, or with a mixer in a large bowl.
-form into small, tablespoon sized balls
-chill until firm, 30-60 minutes
-store in the refrigerator to keep firm

DELICIOUS!!!!!


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Raw Foods, part 2

I just spent a week at The Raw Food Institute in Washington D.C.  It is run by the fabulous Lisa Wilson, who has designed a 7-day curriculum, immersing you in raw foods preparation, and, of course, the WHY behind raw foods.  During the week you are only eating medicinal raw foods, and therefore fully detoxifying your body the whole time.  There is a tremendous range of doctors, healers, meditation leaders, and of course raw foods chefs to lead & teach you.  I highly recommend the program if you are healthy and want to learn how to prevent chronic disease, are in a "healing crisis," or if you love someone who is!

Raw food can cure chronic disease because they flood your body with enzymes, oxygen, and micronutrients.  When we cook our food, we lose 30% of the nutrients and 100% of the enzymes.  Eating raw vegetables, greens, nuts, seeds, sprouts and juices gives our body needed enzymes to absorb all that healthy food we are eating, and therefore reduces the cellular inflammation that causes disease.  Eating raw heals at a deep cellular level.

We met and heard the stories of a number of people who have healed their illnesses (cancer, type 2 diabetes, heat disease, obesity...) through switching to a raw food diet.  We drank green juices and wheat grass shots throughout the day.  And we ate delicious, real, nutritious food.

In lieu of a recipe today, I will show you pictures of my growing wheatgrass, and of the sprouts which I prepared (it is so easy!)


Mung bean and lentil sprouts, ready to eat! They flood your body with protein and energy.



Sprouted wheatgrass, JUST starting to grow. It will be another week before I can juice them.

Perhaps next time I will tell you how to sprout....or maybe I will share a raw recipe or two.  We'll just have to see.  Until then, au revoir!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Juicing--Get your Greens in!

If there were one message I could pass along to ANYONE--whether you be in perfect health, wanting to be more healthy, or fighting disease--it would be to incorporate more greens into your diet every single day.

I have said it before in this blog, but the point really can't be over-emphasized: eating an abundance of dark leafy greens equals better health.  You can reduce your risk of cancer by 60% by eating dark leafy greens every day.  Over 200 scientific studies have shown that dark leafy greens have the most consistent results of any food in reducing your cancer risk.

Dark leafy greens also are rich in iron, magnesium, zinc, calcium, and they raise the spirits and boost your immunity.

I have recently re-discoverd my juicer...long lost and stashed in the basement. You may have one, too, somewhere hidden away.  It is a great way to get the benefits of greens without incorporating them into a meal.  As you know, I am an advocate of including greens in any meal, but sometimes you just can't do it. Today, I needed a quick lunch, with a boost of protein, so I had 2 hard-boiled eggs, and some green juice to balance it out! It was delicious and satisfying.  And cleaning your juicer really isn't too bad...

When he drank this, Garth said, "THAT is like happiness in a glass!"

Green Ginger Juice

2 pieces kale
1 celery stalk, cut into pieces
1 apple, sliced in large chunks
3 1/2 inch slices of ginger


-Place all ingredients into the juicer, as per the manufacturer's instructions, and juice!
-Makes two small glasses juice.
-Leftover pulp is great for your composter!

REMEMBER: Every day, think to yourself, "When will I have my greens?"