The benefits of raw living foods.

After a successful Raw Food workshop on Saturday I would like to provide some of the information on this blog for those of you who couldn't make it.  There was a lot of information presented so here is a snippet.

Raw foods are anything that is not heated above 48 degrees Celsius.  Eating predominately raw foods puts less strain on your digestive system as there are an abundance of enzymes found in raw food that assist in the digestive process.  This has endless benefits on our body, such as slowing down the ageing process!  Eating predominately cooked food on the other hand puts a tremendous strain on your body because your body needs to work harder to produce these enzymes to break down the food you are eating.  Also, when cooking food you loose a large amount of vitamin C which is so beneficial coming into Winter!

Dr Edward Howell, the father of the food enzyme concept, explained that when your body is busy digesting food, it is unable to divert the necessary energy to make the type of enzymes needed to do other tasks such as cleansing, healing and building.  There is a tug-of-war between the demands of your digestive system for a constant supply of digestive enzymes and the other needs of your body.  Without adequate supply of enzymes you can suffer symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, bad breath, constipation, Candida, depression and many other symptoms.  

Some of the benefits of eating raw foods are:

•  Raw foods contain much more water, fibre, nutrients and general bulk that they fill you up faster than cooked food.

•  The enzymes in raw food are active as they have not been deactivated through the application of heat.  This benefits us when digesting.

•  Increased energy because raw foods are digested easily & quickly, in 24-36 hours as opposed to 48-100 hours for cooked food.  Your body’s vitality won’t be sapped from breaking down hard-to-digest foods and you will therefore have more energy.

•  Raw foods can bring body weight to equilibrium or to its optimal range.  You can expect to get healthier and more toned with raw foods.  If weight loss is a goal eat less of the sweet fruits (bananas & dates) & more of the cleansing foods (apples and carrots).

•  Minerals, vitamins and hormones cannot work and perform their job except in the presence of enzymes.  Therefore breathing, sleeping, eating, digesting, thinking, moving, immunity, excitement, etc all depend on enzymes and is therefore enhanced when eating more raw foods.

•  Your eyes become brighter.  The more living enzymes you consume the more you eradicate disease and cleanse your body.  Your glowing eyes reflect this internal improvement.  A raw diet filled with antioxidants from brightly coloured fruits and vegetables can help improve vision and even prevent future diseases.  For instance, if you have a family history of cataracts, eliminating cooked fats from your daily menu rids the capillaries in your eyes of clogs.

•  Ageing process slows & therefore degenerative diseases can disappear.

•  Memory and concentration can become sharper. 

•  Reduces inflammation.

•  Eating a larger percentage of raw foods will decrease the trans fats and saturated fats in your diet, it will also lower the sodium and sugar in your diet.  Potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber, vitamin A, and health-promoting antioxidants will be increased.  These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. 

•  Over time your ‘pipes’ become cleaner because the food you are eating is assisting in cleaning your ‘pipes’.  This also aids an increase in energy.

•  You achieve a greater sense of peace.

I say ‘can’ for some of these because it always depends on many factors such as how much food are you eating (portion size)?  Is it organic?  Are there emotional factors or stressors to consider at the same time?

Disease and illness is the body’s method of cleansing, repairing and restoring itself.  Live and raw food helps us to allow our body to cleanse and clean itself.   Therefore when starting out, a detoxification can take place.  You may feel worse before you feel better, depending on how much cleansing your body has to do. Signs of detox may include cold or flu like symptoms, fatigue, white coated tongue, phlegm, low libido, headache, bad breath, depression, darkened urine, irritability, skin breakouts, body odor, etc.  Enemas and colonics can help toxins leave the body through the bowels rather than the skin. 

Ideally if you can incorporate 80% raw and 20% cooked foods into your diet, you are doing yourself a HUGE favour.  Listen to your body.  You may feel the need to enjoy nourishing warming meals during the winter months.  Just remember the more raw in your diet, the less enzymes your body has to work to produce.  Start with a salad today, or enjoy munching on my latest sweet treat - Goji Berry Slice.

I have recently updated my website & you can now book online for a Naturopathic consultation!  I am encouraging people to book Wednesdays first and them am happy to organise other days if this is not suitable.  www.seedsofhealth.com.au

Have a great week!

Janelle Twine.

Delicious Goji Berry Slice

I did mention in my last post that I would include a Goji Berry Slice recipe that I'm sure the whole family will enjoy!  So here it is:

A sweet treat :)

Goji Berry Slice

(Makes 24 small pieces.)

Ingredients:

2 cups nuts (almonds, walnuts, macadamias, etc)

1/4 cup cacao powder

1/4 cup carob powder

10 dates destoned

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 cup goji berries

Add either 2-3 drops peppermint essential oil or grated rind of 1 orange.

Optional: 2 tbsp chia seeds (if harder slice is desired).

Method:

Process nuts until smooth.  

Add the rest of the ingredients & process.

If coconut oil is solid, place in bowl & place in another bowl of just boiled water to melt.  When all is blended, stir in 1/2 cup goji berries.

Press into pie plate. 

Refrigerate before cutting.

Add 2 tablespoons chia seed if harder slice desired.  

This is a high energy, high protein sweet.  A friend of mine recently used it for a 24 hour race.  This slice also stores really well in the freezer, so make a double batch and freeze some for later.

Janelle Twine.

Lunchbox idea No.2

Hi everyone!

I thought I would start the week off with a lunchbox idea.  I know with busy lives it is often easier to buy packaged lunch box treats for your children, but please consider the nutrition in them!  Sometimes a large batch of healthy muffins, seeded slice or mini quiches can be made on the weekend so that all you have to do is pull them out of the freezer the night before and they are ready to slip into your child's lunchbox by the morning.

Here is a nutritious Oat Cookie recipe for your child's lunchbox...

1 cup oats

just less than 1 cup Spelt flour

3/4 cup coconut

3/4 cup sultanas or chopped dried pears, etc.

1/4 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

2 heaped tablespoons of tahini (sesame seed paste - very high in calcium!)

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp honey

1/3 cup coconut oil

Preheat oven.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and place in balls on a lined tray.

Cook in the oven for 20-25mins at 180 degrees celsius.  

Let cool, then enjoy.

*Play with this recipe - you could add cacao powder, raspberries, etc.

There are many benefits of coconut oil...

Coconut oil is a healthy plant source of saturated fat and it contains lauric acid which is known as the natural germ fighter (strengthening the immune system, getting rid of toe fungus, fighting Candida, etc).  It is fantastic when used both internally and externally as it has antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.

I look forward to sharing a slightly more adventurous recipe next week for those of you who are keen.  Has anyone made raw desserts before?  I've got a delicious raw Goji Berry Slice recipe that I'm sure everyone will enjoy!

Don't forget to make use of lunchbox idea No.1 - Raw Cacao Balls.

Have a fantastic week!

Janelle.

Sugar alternatives

Hi everyone!

Isn't this weather just perfect at the moment?!  I actually climbed The Pyramid in Gordonvale with some friends this morning and soaked up the green lush views of Cairns from up high.  The rain has brightened everything up.

So, the topic for today's post is sugar.  

Sugar is actually a poison to the body.  When I speak about 'sugar' is this broad term I am actually referring to refined white sugar.  The sugar found in a large portion of processed foods.  Do you read the labels on EVERYTHING you buy?  If not, you should.  You need to become conscious of what you are putting into your body.  So many products on shelves have sugar, fructose, sucrose, etc added to them.  

Sugar depresses our immune system for a period of time following us eating it.  Our immune system is responsible for fighting off bacteria and viruses as well as working to heal cuts, abrasions and so much more.  If you would like to support your immune system you need to consider the health of your gut and digestive system.  70% of our immune system sits in our gut, which is why it is so important to feed our body nutritious whole foods which are unprocessed.

Some sugar alternatives include:

•  Fruit (Use fruit such as bananas to sweeten cakes, or blend fruit and freeze it to make nutritious ice blocks.  Fruit by itself is a delicious sweet snack).

•  Honey (Raw honey available for health food shops is the best source, however from beehives in our local area is also fantastic.  This source of honey contains lots of antibacterial properties).

•  Agave syrup (This is a sweetener from a cactus - great for baking and sauces).

•  Maple syrup.

•  Dates can be used to sweeten green smoothies, cakes, or simply eaten to satisfy your tastebuds.  A whole food which your body recognises.  A great choice!

•  Stevia (A sweetener from a plant.  Extremely sweet so only a small amount is needed, however some people enjoy it in their tea or in baking).

•  Xylitol (A sweetener from fruit and vegetable fiber.  Often found in 'healthy' toothpastes as it is known to fight tooth decay).

•  MOST IMPORTANTLY...STAY AWAY from artificial sweeteners that contain aspartame!  These can have a negative effect on your brain!

Remember the addition of green smoothies in to your diet assists in regulating your cravings for sugar and also adjusting your palate so that over time you begin to realise just how sweet sugar really is.

If you are wanting to learn more about sugar and its impact on our body, have a read of Sweet Poison by David Gillespie.  Another fantastic resource which EVERYONE should see is the Food Matters dvd as well as the recently released sequel Hungry For Change.  The Food Matters dvd is available at www.foodmatters.tv/ and Hungry For Change is available at www.hungryforchange.tv/ - they provide an understanding of the obesity crisis and how we as a civilisation need to correct our understanding of what food is.  Whole foods are the key!

I've also got my new website up and running so feel free to take a peek and gain a greater understanding of what my approach to health is www.seedsofhealth.com.au 

Have a great Easter!

Janelle.

Delicious raw cacao balls PLUS an avocado salad!

My sincerest apologies for taking so long to post my first blog.  Life has been very busy.

I thought I would start with a raw, delicious and healthful recipe for kids lunches, as well as a simple salad for mum’s ‘lunchbox’ or as an addition to dinner.

RAW CACAO BALLS

1 cup almonds (Soaked overnight and rinsed, or raw)

2 tbsp Cacao powder (This powder is different to cocoa powder as it’s not processed and therefore very high in magnesium)

5 fresh dates (the juicy plump ones), or 10 smaller dried dates from a packet

1/4 cup coconut, desiccated

Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and add tablespoons of coconut oil to moisten the mixture to a consistency perfect for rolling into balls (depending on whether the almonds are soaked or not, I can use no coconut oil or 2-4 tablespoons).

Roll into balls & refrigerate or freeze.  

Delicious!

Almonds are particularly healthy when soaked, as well as providing both protein and calcium to our diet.  Cacao powder is a fantastic source of magnesium and fresh dates contain iron.  These delicious raw balls are perfect for all ages!

ROAST PUMPKIN, GREEN BEANS AND AVOCADO SALAD

1 small pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tbsp olive oil

200g green beans (top and tailed)

100g baby spinach leaves

2 avocados cut into 2cm cubes

100g chopped macadamia nuts, toasted or flaked almonds

Dressing:

1tbsp honey

2tbsp Tamari (wheat free soy sauce)*

¼ cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

•  Preheat the oven to 200degC. Line an oven tray with non stick baking paper. Place pumpkin, cumin and olive oil on the tray and toss to coat.

•  Roast the pumpkin in a preheated oven for 20-25mins. Toss occasionally, or until cooked through and coloured on the edges. Place in a large serving bowl.

•  Meanwhile, bring a medium pan of water to the boil over high heat. Add beans and cook for 2-3 mins. Drain and refresh in cold or iced water.  Add to serving bowl.

•  Add spinach, avocado and nuts to the bowl and drizzle the dressing over.

*Tamari is available from health food shops and supermarkets in the health food section.

Avocados are super foods.  They are fantastic for women, in particular pregnant women, as they assist in balancing hormones.  Surprisingly, they actually take 9 months to grow from blossom to ripened fruit.  We have both good and bad cholesterol in our bodies - avocados lower our bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise our good cholesterol (HDL) which assists in the manufacture of our hormones.  Avocados balance blood sugar levels and regulate blood pressure due to their high concentration of potassium (twice as much as bananas).  Natural oils in avocados also help to improve dry skin and brittle nails.

For my first post I thought I’d get the ball rolling with some delicious and healthy recipes.  I look forward to sharing more healthy knowledge soon.  If you haven’t read my article on green smoothies in the latest edition of Cairns Parenting Companion, grab a copy now!  Everyone can benefit from delicious green smoothies!  

Happy healthful eating!

Janelle.