Well, summer’s here and the living is easy… or that’s what they all say, right? We’re vacationing here in San Luis Obispo, California, our hometown. Came out for a family reunion, and it has been fun although VERY hot… record breaking heat of 110 degrees so far. Extremely unusual heat for this part of California. We thought we’d be out here cooling off from the heat and storms in the midwest!

So how do we stay on our raw vegan food lifestyle while on vacation? Well, to put it bluntly, it’s not easy!! Seeing our family is more important than our food, so we have to relax a little bit about what we eat. But our first challenge started on the airplane!! Going through security was no picnic (no pun intended) and we were not allowed to bring in our own water, only water that was bought inside security (for about $3!) so we waited until they offered beverages to get some water. Of course, they don’t serve meals anymore unless you want to cough up $6 for something that looks like it was rolled over by a freight train first then slopped on a plastic plate. We brought fresh fruit, raw trail mix, and my Raw4Healing Energy bars. That worked out just fine for us… but it’s important to remember when traveling by air or car to keep meals light. The stress of traveling causes my system to tighten up, and so I just have to live with the gas and bloating for awhile. I learned that this is true for most people. Trying hard to avoid IBS issues, we both kept it pretty light, but I still had to deal with some IBS that took a couple of days to pass.

Needless to say, keeping true to our raw vegan food diet has it’s moments and challenges while staying with my in-laws, who love food, and love to eat. Thankfully, they are very supportive of our healthier food choices, and have given us both lots of opportunities to share the benefits of a raw food lifestyle. There are quite a few family members here who are not yet ready to give up their favorite foods. I brought my blender and make green smoothies, which everyone enjoys. And I’ve also made a few dishes that have been well received, but it’s always a side dish, they still like their main meat or chicken dish and other cooked foods, and that’s fine. We didn’t come out here to force our healthy beliefs down everyone’s throat, because it’s a personal choice. Each person has to do what they feel is right for them. What’s more important is our precious time with our beloved family and friends, and catching up on all the new members (lots of marriages lately) and new babies. We can only try to be an example and let them decide. After all, as I always say, it’s your body, and it’s your choice. I just know what works for me.

Larry, of course, is surrounded by Mom’s cooking, in the house he grew up in. Kind of hard to break that tradition. He knows he’ll have some detox to deal with when we get home, and of course he doesn’t want to be rude either. I’m glad to say that he has been more disciplined about cutting back on his portions and filling up on salads and fresh fruit. He also told me that his system is starting to ‘bark’ at him a little due to eating more cooked and processed foods. Oh well, it’s only for a couple weeks… he’ll be back on track when we return home.

I made some really yummy raw cacao balls for our reunion potluck. I’m trying to think of a better name for them. Sounds like ‘cow balls’ which doesn’t quite sound right LOL! Maybe Cacao Coconut Balls? That’s better… here’s the recipe I made up:

2 cups soaked cashews and almonds
6 large dates, soaked
1/4 cup raw honey
2 tbsp raw agave
2 heaping tbsp raw cacao
1 cup raw shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla

Drain the water from the nuts and dates. Blend the dates and some of the nuts in a high speed blender til the dates are all pureed. Add the rest of the nuts, honey, agave, cacao, coconut, and vanilla and blend on high, stopping it to push everything down towards the blades. This takes a while, just keep blending on short spurts of high speed, and pushing it back onto the blades until it’s all blended well. It should be stiff and sticky. Empty into a bowl and begin rolling into balls. Dip the balls in shredded coconut and finely chopped almond. Refrigerate for a few hours. Eat and enjoy!! I like this because it is quick and very simple, and very good too! A big hit!

It’s always easy to share raw food desserts since they are so good, and people cannot believe that there is no sugar, no flour, no unhealthy fats, etc. And it tastes delicious! I have heard that some of the raw food gurus were introduced to this lifestyle from trying the raw desserts first. We were invited to Larry’s brother’s house for dinner later this week, and he asked if I would bring a salad… sure I said. Then he was asking if rootbeer floats were okay, and I’m like, uh, no, don’t do soda, don’t do dairy, and I saw this didn’t help him at all… I said we don’t have to do dessert, but that didn’t fly, after all, Larry’s folks ALWAYS do dessert!! So I said, hey, instead of me bringing the salad, I’ll bring dessert. So I get to decide what to make. Thinking about my triple layer Raspberry Cacao NutCheese Pie with walnut crust? It’s so good… Here’s the recipe, you decide!

Raspberry Cacao NutCheese Pie
Crust:
2 cups walnuts soaked several hours and rinsed
1 ripe banana
1 cup raisin
1 Tbs. orange juice

Blend in the food processor until you get a sticky ball consistency. Press into your pie plate with wet fingers.

Candy layer:
2 Tbs. raw cacao powder
1 Tbs. coconut oil
1 Tbs. flax oil
1/2 tsp. raw honey
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Mix well until smooth by hand and pour onto your pie crust. Place in the freezer while making the fillings.

Cashew layer:
2 cups cashews soaked 1 hour and rinsed.
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. coconut oil
1 Tbs. raw honey
1/2 tsp. salt

Blend ingredients in your vitamix or high speed blender only adding water if needed to blend smooth. You want this thick and creamy. Pour and spread over the candy layer.

Raspberry layer:
1 pint Mashed raspberries.

Spread over cashew layer.

Chocolate cream layer:
2 small avocados
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. raw cacao powder
2-3 Tbs. raw honey
2 Tbs. coconut oil
Just enough nut milk to blend (use your favorite)

Blend in the Vitamix until creamy and smooth. Spread chocolate cream over the raspberry layer and refrigerate the pie for several hours or until set up. You can also freeze it for 30 minutes for a quicker serve time. Do not totally freeze this pie because it will killl some of the enzymes.

Eating a dessert this rich may feel like a dietary sin, but it is ALL good! Eat, drink, and be truly merry!

Well, I don’t know if you have heard of Bill Maher, but he’s very vocal about how our food and water supply are deteriorating, and the increase of sickness and disease, along with rise of pharmaceutical use. This YouTube video has been around since September, but watching it again made me realize how right on he is. Hopefully it will help others recognize their dependencies on the pharmaceutical drug system, and make an effort to break free by changing to a healthier diet and lifestyle.

And to continue the topic about the medical and pharmaceutical industries, I came across this excellent video by Olivia Hadassah based upon her own personal experience. She studied to be a nurse and graduated with honors in 1990. In her profile on YouTube she writes: In 1990 I graduated from one of the top 10 nursing schools in the US with honors. Now I refuse to medicate patients and my blog exposes the Illuminati’s use of modern medicine to drug, poison and control millions in their pursuit of a New World Order.

Discover the truth about dangerous prescriptions, tainted vaccines, fluoride and chemtrails, and how to reclaim your health. Below is her expose on pharmaceutical drugs vs. nutrition and healing.

Check out her blog here: http://redpillreich.blogspot.com/

Recently, I was asked “What is a raw foodist?” Larry and I are both what is considered ‘high raw’ foodists. Which means, that we are vegan, in that we don’t eat any animal products which includes all dairy, eggs, yogurt, cheese, etc. And about 80-90% of our diet is raw vegan food. I enjoy creating dishes that taste like some of our favorites such as raw tacos, raw pizza, raw lasagna, all made with nuts and vegetables, and other ingredients that pull it all together. You’ll find these recipes and more when you subscribe to my my weekly Raw4Healing recipes.

Now some raw foodists will disagree with me on this point: I do not feel it is necessary to be 100% raw all the time, in fact, often times it simply is not realistic for most people. But I definitely feel that the benefits of an 80% to 100% raw food lifestyle far outweigh any other dietary choices out there. We enjoy some things cooked, like yams, brown rice, black beans, Lima beans, whole grains, etc. Larry still enjoys eggs occasionally and I’m not super strict about what he eats.

Basically, after having gone through detox, colon cleanses, etc. it’s okay to ‘fall off the wagon’ so to speak once in a while. Sometimes it can’t be helped, like when we go to the kids’ house for dinner, or family and friends get together. And if that’s the case, we’ll bring something from our kitchen to share. People have to do what is right for them, what works best for their lifestyle, and their families. But bottom line, it is important to look seriously at what is in our food, the quality of it, the chemicals, pesticides, preservatives, food colorings, artificial flavorings, MSG, GMO, hormones, etc., etc., and how it affects our health after eating this way for 10 - 20 years. That’s why so many chronic diseases occur in the 40 and over age group. We’ve been programmed to eat this way, and society constantly tells us to eat these processed foods. It’s on TV, newspapers, billboards, magazines, everywhere.

I’ve been a health nut all my life, I learned a lot from my grandparents, who took vitamins and were considered ’strange’ in their day. They became vegetarians back in the ’70s after my grandfather read about how animals are inhumanely treated and slaughtered, and the hormones, and pesticides that are in the beef and chicken. This all ends up on the table or in a restaurant. He immediately became a vegetarian, I remember it vividly. I was in my 20’s and it was pretty radical for our family that always had traditional turkey for thanksgiving and roast beef for Christmas, and ham for Easter!!

But they both lived to be 93 and 94 and would have lived longer if the doctors and prescriptions had left them alone, thanks to medical intervention.

Both my parents died from medical intervention, my dad of leukemia, and my mom from a rare debilitating paralyzing disease. My dad’s cancer went into remission when he started doing some natural treatments, holistic and nutritional therapy. But his doctor said it wasn’t going to work and insisted he go back for radiation and chemo… he died soon after that. My mom had a stiff neck, and some tingling in her legs, and the doctor wanted to do exploratory surgery on her neck at the famous Stanford Univ. hospital. She almost died on the table there twice. When they sent her home, she couldn’t walk, was paralyzed on her left side, and suffered that way the rest of her life. She was only 30 at the time, and lived to be 71, much longer than any of us kids expected.

After my grandparents and parents died, I started to do a lot of research. I didn’t want to be another statistic… and I knew I had some genes to fight against. This was back in 2005 right after my mom died, and I became a full blown vegan, having already been vegetarian most of my life. Last year, in researching for one of my other health sites, I learned that raw food was the next best step toward optimum health and healing. Thus, raw4healing.com was born.

Since then, my husband has lost over 40 pounds, and I have lost 20 pounds… and so many little health issues that we generally attribute to getting old are gone. Gone are migraines, hypoglycemia, arthritis, skin rashes, sleep disorders, mood swings, went through menopause without a hitch, constipation, joint pain and stiffness, all gone… we both have increased energy, and feel like we’re in our late 20’s.

Before attempting a food switch, it is important to find some books to read about it, or articles, but I like Dr. Mercola’s books. I also like David Wolfe’s, and my other favorite is Gabriel Cousens, “Conscious Eating”. The internet is LOADED with tons of free info, testimonies, etc., just Google ‘raw food’ and you’ll find all you need to know, plus what I have too, but don’t stop there. Plus, I should add it is best to check with your doctor, preferably a holistic practitioner, or a nutritionist who knows you and your health requirements.

Also, most people eat the SAD (standard American diet) and as a result, need to first go through a detox program. If constipation is a common health challenge, then ‘juice feasting’ helps to regulate elimination. This is what killed my mother. She was always constipated, trying all kinds of laxatives and in time, the toxins in her blood reduced her immune system, causing her heart to work harder, and she died of a heart attack. Part of it was because she was unable to be active due to her partial paralysis… but she almost always complained of constipation and I didn’t know enough at the time to help her.

So I started my detox program with fresh wheatgrass juice and carrot juice several times a day. This was before I learned about ‘juice feasting’ (consisting of fresh fruits and greens, like spinach, kale, romaine lettuce), which I also recommend but it requires a high speed blender, OR a food processor, then transferred to a regular blender. Two quarts a day for a week, to two weeks, or more and drink plenty of filtered water. Some people are very toxic and during the detox will experience headaches, cramps, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, but usually for only a few days… Then transition over to solid food, but only organic all natural fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Preferably 100% raw for a few months… after that, it becomes a personal thing, you learn what works for your own body. Like I can tell right away if something I ate is going to agree with me or not.

People complain that it is hard to give up the foods we grew up with, often times considered comfort foods. Dietary changes are a personal thing, each person needs to do their own research, and do what works best for them. Many people cannot or will not give up their favorite foods, but refuse to face the fact that they may actually be addicted to them. Thanks to scientific food engineering, they have done an excellent job of brainwashing and hooking the masses for profit, and certainly not for health!

What keeps me on the natural, vegan and raw path are the major conspiracies in our government and secret world organizations that control the quality of our food and water, and that our food is processed without any regard at all for our health, in fact it is designed to make us want it all the time, with artificial flavorings, colorings, etc., (consequently we have an extremely HIGH obesity rate nowadays) and also designed to destroy our health so that the medical INDUSTRY and pharmaceutical industries, and the major food corporations (yes, they are all in this together), can stay in business - stay rich… because if people get healthy, then they don’t make any money… and our government, the FDA, etc. all support this scheme. I urge people to do their own research about what is really happening behind the scenes with regard to the deliberate contamination of our food and water supply.

Many people reject what I say about our food being ‘designed’ to make us sick, either because they trust their government (after all we’ve been programmed to believe them, right?), or they feel helpless and powerless, which isn’t true. There are many activist groups that are more public and out in the open about these issues, marching in the streets with signs to protect our health freedom, before the cops come and take them away… and you won’t hear about it on your evening news.

A long time ago, I studied to become a nurse, only to drop out after learning that much of the training is about how to treat with drugs, etc. No nutritional training, and that is true for doctors, too. My sister in law is a charge nurse in a hospital, and she agrees with me 100% - we have great discussions. She said it is true that pharma reps come in with stacks of pizzas for the doctors and nurses, and they are trying to ’sell’ their drugs and literature to the nurses - and if that doctor or hospital ’sells’ enough of their drugs, they get kickbacks and dinners, and vacations, etc.

Needless to say, the raw vegan lifestyle is so much more than a dietary change. First, I feel it is following what God ordained in the beginning, in Genesis 1:29: “And God said, “See, I have given you every herb (vegetables) that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” And second, it’s more than just improving our health; it involves every aspect of our lives, our relationships, our families, our environment, and what is going on behind the scenes that is never allowed to be made public. News and information that never makes it to the national TV networks, or newspapers. If you want to know, you have to dig, and be ready for surprises.

I think of John Lennon’s famous song: “Imagine”. Imagine world peace. Imagine global health. Imagine if everyone followed a high raw vegan diet. There would be no sickness and disease. No need for doctors and pharmaceutical drugs. Babies would be born healthy and grow up to be healthy and high functioning adults. People would be at peace with each other, there would be no wars because they would not be consuming foods that contain excitotoxins and high amounts of sugar and other chemicals that cause mood swings, aggressive behavior or mental health issues. There would be no need for raising beef and chicken, or for slaughterhouses, or dairies. The land would be cared for and fed organic natural compost fertilizer and used for growing crops that feed people, not cows or other animals. Our air quality would improve if we didn’t have methane gas that come from cattle farms. There are at least a hundred human and environmental benefits if everyone followed a high raw, vegan lifestyle. Maybe someday I can research that aspect of it and post it here.

Blessings!
Larry and Lauren

Larry writes: Hey everyone, thanks so much for hookin’ up with our Raw4Healing blog. I wouldn’t be here today sharing my personal testimony if it weren’t for my wife, Lauren. She is not only the best personal trainer, coach, and health advocate a guy could have, but also inspires me because of her passion for a raw vegan food lifestyle. I personally have been fighting the battle of the bulge in excess weight of around 30 plus pounds for several years now. It has been very hard and nearly impossible to accomplish this weight loss.

But today, is my day! I am proud to share with you that I have not only lost the weight, but feel healthier than I ever have ever felt before! I have a secret I want to share with you: raw vegan food is sustainable energy and good energy equals good health! It’s really that simple.

I want to start by saying click to read more…

Food Matters is a documentary film informing you on the best choices you can make for you and your family’s health. Helping you save time, money and effort.

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We invite you to join the World’s Leading Authorities on Nutrition and Natural Healing as they uncover the true cause of disease. Find out what really works, what doesn’t and what’s killing you.

Becoming informed about the choices you have for your health and wellbeing can save your life! Click here to check out the Food Matters DVD!

	A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye…and YES science now 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 cells 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.

From Maria Treben’s Book:
Health Through God’s Pharmacy (English Edition)

As a vegan raw foodist, one of the hardest things to do is find high quality, organic supplements to enhance our existing diet of fresh organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains. There are so many products available, all of them touting their benefits to your health, etc. Personally, I think the only one that really benefits are the manufacturers and distributors that sell these products. Sure, many companies offer affiliate opportunities with their products, but they generally only pay about 5 - 10%, and requires the marketing person to continuously sell that same product over and over again.

Recently, as part of my business, I’ve aligned myself with a company that endeavors to produce only very high quality and organic nutritional supplements. Since I’ve done extensive research and have seen almost everything that is out there, I am proud to represent their products here on Raw4Healing.

BioGenX Global offers several nutritional products, but I am only going to feature just one of them here today. “Live Greens” is a nutritional raw greens powder that can be mixed with water, juice or added into your smoothie. Below are the ingredients of Live Greens.

Q: What makes the BIOGENX GLOBAL’s Live Greens so nutritious?

A: Each individual ingredient in the BIOGENX GLOBAL Live Greens are in themselves, nutrient rich, superfoods. When the ingredients were combined by our Master Formulator, he scrutinized each potential ingredient, to be sure that nutritionally, every need was met. Not only were they met, but they were exceeded. This is because each ingredient chosen to go into the Live Greens formula was nutrient dense, and had multifaceted nutritional value. Look at wheatgrass alone, it is considered to be a complete food in itself. The fact is that one pound of fresh wheatgrass is equivalent in nutritional value to 23 pounds of choice garden vegetables! Wheatgrass, Kamut grass, barley grass, and oat grass are just the beginning of this amazing formula. Besides the grasses, grains and seeds, we have included highly nutritious micro-algae, like cracked cell chlorella, and spirulina, which contain many B vitamins, chlorophyll, and minerals such as calcium and iron. Live Greens also contain seaweeds like Kombu and Wakame which are not only extremely nutritious, but also help to rid the body of toxins and heavy metals, while boosting immunity. The fruits and vegetables contained in this super nutritious formula were chosen because of their high antioxidant level, and their ability to provide many vitamins and minerals. Our Master Formulator also created a unique herbal formula, to support the assimilation of the nutrients. BIOGENX GLOBALs’ Live Greens contain many nutrition packed herbs, such as ginseng and olive leaf, to help the body heal and to boost the immune system. Last, but not least, included in the formula are enzymes, Omega fatty acids and probiotics to ensure that the body is able to assimilate the nutrition provided.

Q: Why are BIOGENX GLOBAL’s Live Greens So Unique and Powerful compared to similar products on the market?

A: Again, it is because of the structure of the formula. BIOGENX GLOBAL has gone out of our way to bring the most nutritious ingredients along with the most powerful herbs, and fruits and vegetables, regardless of cost to us. Many other Green products are made with the majority of the ingredient being the cheapest ingredients, such as alfalfa, which is a very cost efficient, and nutritious, but not as nutritious alone as it is when combined with many other nutrition dense foods, which over-lap each other nutritionally, guaranteeing you the most nutrition possible, per tablespoon, of whole food goodness.

For more information about Live Greens, click here.

Hints for Creating Raw Foods ‘on the fly’

Sometimes, when I haven’t made time to plan my raw food meals, make a list and shop for the ingredients, and ‘have it all together’, I find it hard to throw something together that’s quick, satisfying, and still 100% raw. I’m tired, hungry, and don’t feel like thinking, let alone, preparing a time intensive gourmet feast. Sometimes, it’s easier to just rely on the same old boring recipes we’re used to and grew up with. Do you ever feel that way? Yet, for me, I almost would rather go hungry or just have my juice instead of eating the ‘old way.’

There are so many great, yet simple, recipe ideas that make a lot of difference in helping us to stay on our raw path. I’m sure many of you have a full collection of recipe books that produce wonderful and tasty meals, but require many ingredients, days of preparation and aren’t very helpful when you want something quick and fast.

I’ve heard that most people really only use about 7 to 10 recipes on a regular basis! I raise my hand, that’s true for me. I have my favorites, like raw enchiladas, raw lasagna, raw tacos, etc.

The beauty of raw food, is that it can be as simple as it can be complex. It’s always easy to put together a few ingredients and have a lovely meal. We just need to think outside the box, and look at what’s in our vegetable/fruit bins, in our freezer and pantry to come up with quick, simple ideas and yet taste delicious and satisfying.

So here are 6 quick and easy recipe ideas that work for a snack or a meal.

Zesty Orange Smoothie

I love fresh-squeezed orange juice. Have you ever just peeled the oranges and dropped them into your blender? It makes for a delicious and very satisfying quick snack. Of course, use organic Navel oranges, they are the sweetest.
Simply peel the oranges with your knife, keeping some of the “white” pith, cut into quarters and blend them whole in your blender. If necessary, add a little water.

This drink tastes milky and sweet. And you can add other fruit too, if you want. But sometimes it’s best to just keep it ‘mono’ fruit. Orange ‘smoothies’ like this are more nutritious that way too! You get all the fiber and all the goodies in the white pith. That’s where all the calcium is. Orange juice is a joke, in comparison, in terms of taste, satisfaction, and nutrition.
Note: if this drink tastes too bitter, then it means you’ve not cut the oranges properly. Avoid any of the peel. Also, find the juiciest, sweetest seedless oranges you can find.

Frozen Berries

I always make sure that I have some frozen strawberries and blueberries. You can make any smoothie taste amazing by throwing in some berries. Especially my favorite: blueberries!

I generally use frozen berries all year round, but when seasonally available, you can use organic fresh berries, if they are not too expensive! Check out your local farmer’s market for a great deal on organic berries, you can freeze them to use in your smoothies. Or simply buy frozen berries (or even frozen wild blueberries) at your market or health food store.
Keep in mind, I recommend buying fresh organic berries, because you have to remember that berries are often the most sprayed fruits, so by buying organic frozen berries, or freezing them yourself, or buying wild berries, you avoid that pesticide exposure.

Berries are also the richest fruits in natural anti-oxidants, which are compounds that protect against cell damage inflicted by molecules called oxygen-free radicals, major causes of disease and aging. It’s been found that most berries rank higher in antioxidant activities when compared to other cultivated fruits and vegetables. The USDA Human Nutrition Center ranked blueberries the #1most antioxidant rich berry. Strawberries came second on the list. The antioxidants are usually found in the pigment that give berries their color. They help protect us from cancer naturally.

Berries also contain a higher amount of phytochemicals than most other fruits. Phytochemicals are components of plants that have been shown to help prevent certain diseases, or at least influence our health in a positive sense.

Berries are generally high in vitamin C. For example, a cup of strawberries contains as much vitamin C as a cup of orange juice. Without having to go through the list, let’s just remember that berries, especially wild ones, contain plenty of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytochemicals, more than most cultivated fruits.

A quick word about freezing: although freezing is not ideal, it’s still better than cooking or drying, and preserves most nutrients. Some people experience problems when eating frozen fruits ice cold. So you may want to thaw your frozen berries before adding them to smoothies.

A Berry Good Smoothie:

1 cup water
2-3 bananas
1 1/2 cups blueberries
A big handful of greens, or 1-3 stalks of celery

Blend an enjoy!

Need a Quick Salad Dressing?

It’s easy to get stuck when trying to come up with a quick and easy salad dressing, because we grew up with making the dressings with oils or artificial ingredients.

Try this delicious salad dressing from whole foods.

Raw French Dressing:

Start with tomatoes. Take 1 - 2 tomatoes, and put them in your blender, with the juice of half a lemon or some apple cider vinegar. Add in some sort of fatty food such as avocado. Then throw in some herbs of your choice (dill, chives, etc.), and some of your favorite seasonings (if desired).

This makes for an incredibly tasty dressing that only took all of about 2-1/2 minutes to prepare!

Here’s another quick salad dressing recipe.

Mango Tango Dressing:

In your blender, blend 1 cup of tomato (in chunks), 1 cup of mango (flesh only), 1/4 cup of water, and 2-3 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
Let me know how you liked it!

And I have one more dressing for you…. My favorite quick and easy salad dressing:

Avocado Dream Dressing:

I never really measure anything, just kind of ‘eyeball’ it - that’s the beauty of raw food preparations, it’s all based on taste, not exact scientific measurements!
1 – 2 avocadoes
2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice or Apple cider vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic
Dash of sea salt
1 2 tsp Italian Seasoning (to taste)
Enough water to smooth it out
Blend and enjoy on your salad. Keeps refrigerated for a couple days.

Most raw foodists always keep plenty of bananas on hand, and if they don’t get used up before they start turn black, peel them and freeze them for delicious smoothies. Bananas and chocolate (or cacao) are just about one of my most favorite combinations. It’s always so satisfying and very yummy!

Banana Cacao Shake

1 ripe banana, peeled
½ cup raw coconut flakes (soak until softened)
2 tsp raw chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
4 tsp cold-pressed hemp seeds
1 tsp of cold-pressed hemp oil or flax seed oil
1 tbsp raw honey or raw agave (I prefer honey, tastes better)
handful of ice cubes
Blend and enjoy!

In Summary
I’ve just given you some of my easiest and quickest recipe ideas. I love simple recipes because when our days get full of other obligations, sometimes there just isn’t enough time to plan ahead. Most of us are busy and having some easy recipes up your sleeve to whip up will help to us to stay on the raw path!

Look for raw food books that offer recipes that are easy to prepare, ready to eat in a few minutes, and use simple, easy to find ingredients. Steer clear of recipe books that only end up gathering dust on your top bookshelf somewhere in your home!

This is from Raw Family monthly news letter for March/April 2008

Ode to Organic Farmers

Dear Friends,

We like shopping at stores that carry organic foods. The organic industry is a fast- growing industry in the United States. We’re not the only ones who notice that - large corporations do too. Recently I ran across a unique website created by assistant professor of Michigan State University, Philip H. Howard, PhD. From this website I learned that my favorite frozen fruit company, Cascadian Farms, is in fact owned by General Mills. I contacted Dr. Howard and he graciously gave me permission to publish his research link.

You will find out many more connections:

Odwalla - owned by Coca Cola
Naked Juice - owned by Pepsi
Spectrum Organics, Garden of Eden, Celestial Seasonings and others - owned by Heinz
Boca Foods and Back to Nature - owned by Kraft
Dagoba Chocolates - owned by Hershey
Morningstar Farms - owned by Kellogg
Horizon and White Wave - owned by Dean
Nature’s Farm- owned by Tyson
Annie’s Naturals- owned by Solera Capital
Maranatha- owned by American Capital Strat. Ltd.
Power Bars- owned by Nestle
Seeds of Change- owned by M&M Mars

You may see for yourself; look for your favorite companies at this link:

http://www.msu.edu/~howardp/organicindustry.html

One can imagine how difficult it is to maintain small organic food factories. A lady I knew once ran a raw food bakery with piroshkis and scones and was only able to survive four weeks before they got stuck in debt and had to close down. Since learning of her experience I consider all organic farmers and health food companies to be heroes, as they are competing with those who sell sugar and white flour products. Even though the prices of organic products seem high to us, very often they earn as little as a charity.

I completely understand how the smaller companies often feel forced to crawl under the wing of larger corporations. The good news is that we have a way to support small corporations: by buying locally grown food.

Below are two amazingly comprehensive websites that will help you find organic sustainable farms, stores and restaurants in your area.

http://www.localharvest.org/… and http://www.eatwellguide.org/

We have a weekly farmer’s market from the end of April till the middle of November. I go every Saturday and depending on the season, purchase anywhere from $40 to $80 worth of produce. Then I don’t have to go to the grocery store for my fruits and vegetables. I receive great benefits in buying from local farmers:

~ I save quite a bit of money
~ My produce is of the best quality
~ I support my local organic heroes
~ I receive the enjoyable experience of communicating with the people that grow my food
~ I help save gasoline and the environment by buying food that wasn’t shipped thousands of miles
~ I feel connected to nature and the seasons, even though I spend my life in front of a computer.
~ It tastes so good!

To better understand what it takes for small farmers to make a living, I invite you to watch this heroic video, in which Jaime Jones, owner of The Date People (www.datepeople.net), climbs a 60 foot ladder, to reach the tops of high date palms.

Turn on the volume, listen to the funky music and enjoy!

Check out this Youtube video of The Date People.

The Date People

I hope you’ll be inspired to get to know and support your local heroes.

This awesome video is a must need for ALL people that are clueless that the food they eat is connected to their health and general feeling of well-being. The raw food lifestyle eliminates most all debilitating and chronic health issues, helps in losing excess weight, and gives you so much energy, it is absolutely unbelievable!

This video below is from Raw for Life and Raw for 30 Days. I urge you to seriously consider getting a copy to share with family and friends. Learn all you can about how you can improve your health, save money on health bills, and live a long, productive and high quality life.

Make it Fun!
By Frédéric Patenaude

The scene looks like this: you’re hungry, you’re alone, and you’re going to eat another meal of romaine lettuce, tomatoes and avocados. And you’re bored. And these avocados are starting to be less interesting than ever. And it’s raining outside, and cold, and damp. And you’re wondering, is the fun of eating raw gone? Will I be able to eat like that forever? Can this really be healthy?

As pure and as simple as our raw meals can be, there comes a point for most of us where boredom can set in, when we require more variety or friends to share food with, else we will might face one thing: lack of enthusiasm.

I’ve told people that simplicity is best. That a simple meal of ripe mangoes when you’re hungry beats the best raw or cooked pie you’ve ever had. That making a great salad doesn’t necessarily involve putting everything but the kitchen sink in it and that, too often, raw recipes are too complicated and, as a consequence, difficult to digest. However, I did not mean that it is better to be a sad ascetic than a merry epicurean.

It may be because I’m a bit of an epicurean myself. I love food and, since I seem to be endowed with a few culinary talents, I get never bored. I like to vary my diet and introduce new fruits, new nuts, new vegetables and new recipes. And I encourage you to do the same for two things. First being bored isn’t fun. Second, it might not be healthy either.

I’ve noticed a few things in raw foodists. They don’t seem to vary their diet a lot. They often stick with the few foods that they like. I’ve noticed for example that many raw foodists eat avocados everyday. Others eat almonds everyday. Many raw-foodists told me that they eat a meal of romaine lettuce, avocados, sprouts, and tomatoes everyday. Sometimes they add some red bell pepper. Others bananas for lunch and nothing else almost every day of the year. Is this supposed to be what simplicity is about? Always eating the same thing? Is this natural?

Chimpanzees are known to eat over 120 different varieties of plant food in a year. While carnivorous animals always eat the same and never get bored, frugivores seek variety. Most of us, too, have been raised on a varied diet. When someone only eats porridge and potatoes every day, we know that things are not going well for him. As human beings we are used to variety and, if we don’t have variety, it’s usually because of a lack of means or sheer incapacity to cook (many divorced men find themselves in that situation!).

On a raw food diet, variety is even more important because raw fruits and vegetables provide nutrients in a less concentrated, more diluted form. Thus, a certain vegetable may lack in many important nutrients, which are compensated by what other vegetables can provide. It is not enough to look at the charts and calculate our nutritional intake because these numbers are wrong. A tomato grown in a farm in California doesn’t have the same nutritional value as another tomato grown in a local garden or one grown in a hothouse. The only way we can insure proper nutrition on a raw food diet is by constantly varying the foods we eat according to the season. Let’s review a few pieces of advice and add some more:

1) Vary the fruits — It’s easy to get stuck eating one food that we like and forget everything else. I know, personally, that when mangos are in season, I eat mangos. But fruit is fun. Fruit is what makes the raw food diet a lot of fun, especially when we include exotic fruits in the menu. So I suggest constantly varying the fruits that you are eating and discovering as many tropical fruits as you can. A durian cure once a year is allowed.

2) Eat according to the seasons — When I tell people to eat seasonally, most of them don’t understand. They think, if something can be bought in a store, it means it’s in season, right? Partly. It’s in season somewhere, but not necessarily in your hemisphere! Let’s consider the following: cherries are in season during the summer, but in our side of the world. So the cherries you may buy may be imported, but they are in season for you. If you find cherries in the stores in the middle of the winter, this means they have been imported from a far away country like Chili, which is situated in the southern hemisphere where the seasons are reversed! It is not only completely un-ecological to import foods from that far away, but the fruit is also picked way too early and eating it at that time doesn’t follow our own biological rhythm.

3) Eating simply doesn’t mean eating just one food at a meal — I don’t believe in mono-eating in the sense that every meal should be ideally composed of one food alone. I think this way of eating leads to abuse. For example, pineapples and oranges are acid. If we eat only these fruits at one meal, we’ll likely eat too many of them to satisfy our hunger and introduce too much acidity in the system. Dates are too sweet. Plums contain a particular acid which can give you the runs if you eat too much. Melons and papayas are rich in water but a meal of them doesn’t satisfy. So I recommend, when eating fruit, eating 2-3 varieties, ideally not more than that. And if you like, you can eat them one at a time like a true mono-eater.

4) Vary your vegetables — Your mum told you “Eat your vegetables!” And she was rights. But the chances are that even as a raw-foodist you may not be listening to her. First you may not be eating enough vegetables, and second you may not vary them enough. To eat enough vegetables, you have to be creative. A salad can get boring. So put your salad in the blender and make a raw soup sometimes! Check out some raw soup recipe books for ideas. Green vegetable juices are also extremely beneficial, and I recommend to drink some every day, if possible. I like my green juice to be tasty, so I mix enough celery juice in it and sometimes add a little bit of carrot and beet juice too. And as for variety, the key is to make the base of your salad out of a different vegetable every time and discover the unknown varieties.

5) Don’t eat avocados everyday — This is my advice for raw-foodists. Most of them tend to eat too many avocados and too often. Consider the avocado as one type of fatty food, not the staple of a raw food diet. I suggest eating avocados no more than once every other day. Try to eat some nuts instead, and discover new varieties. Seeds are also excellent. Hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and sesame seeds should be added to the menu more often. This will help provide a wider range of nutrients that avocados alone could not provide.

6) When in doubt, blend it up — Why shun all modern developments and insist to eat only whole fruits and vegetables when we have diabolical machines such as the blender that can transform them into liquid meals of unsuspected nutritional power? Hey, a little technology is good. One of my friends says, “I love my car.” With the same unabashed mien I say “I love my blender,” which just happens to be a Vita-Mix that I use almost everyday. Smoothies and raw vegetable soups are great ways to vary your diet and avoid boredom. And when we add young coconuts, soaked nuts, avocados and carob powder to the blending orgy, the possibilities for fun creamy treats are almost endless.

7) When wondering what to eat, go to the Chinese — The Chinese themselves like to say they’ll eat anything with four legs except a table. We‘ll close an eye on some of their unscrupulous ways and concede that they have helped us get out of the dark ages of raw eating in northern countries, when no durians were available. Chinatowns are full of surprises waiting to be discovered. I even found durian toys. Then you can learn to say “thank you” in Chinese (shiay shiay), or in whatever language the store owners happen to speak.

I gave you some basic recommendations on varying the diet. However, I didn’t tell you exactly how you can make your raw meals fun and exciting. I will now give you some ideas for quick and fun raw meals, which will hopefully open your mind to try out more.

A friend of mine, for whom I was un-cooking, told me with a shrewd look one day, “It’s all salad anyway.” I was probably preparing a raw spaghetti from zucchini lasagna with eggplant, and he told me, just like that, “It’s all salad anyway.”

Okay, it may all be vegetables, but first it doesn’t look like salad, and second it doesn’t exactly taste like a salad. The difference between a salad that looks like a salad and a vegetable mix that looks and tastes like something else is, as Mark Twain once put it, “the difference between lightning and the lightning bug!”

Here are some ideas:

1) Take a nori sheet. Spread some mashed avocado on it or one tablepsoon of tahini. Add grated courgettes and rinsed dulse. Roll up like and eat like a sandwich. Everyone will think you’re a genius.

2) For a great smoothies, blend some papaya and two whole ripe mangoes. Add any other fruit in season. Blend with some water and beware of flying socks if you have your friends try it out.

3) Soaked sun-dried tomatoes really add flavor. Put them in everything that is not sweet and be ready to discover great combos.

4) Blend frozen durian with other fruits. Let it thaw for a few hours and then blend it up with coconut water, mangoes, or other fruits. You can even blend it with some carob powder, coconut water, and a few dates for an “out-of-this-world experience.”

5) For a quick nut spread, blend in your food processor raw tahini and carrots together. Use more vegetables than nut butter. Add your favorite seasonings.

6) An easy dressing idea: blend 1-2 whole oranges with a small avocado. Add other herbs or vegetables if desired. Simple and delicious.

7) Here’s an easy soup that will surprise many: blend tomatoes with celery. Use 2-3 stalks of celery per tomato. Add diced tomatoes or cucumbers to the mixture. This will take care of any salt cravings you might have.

These were just a few ideas to vary your diet and avoid boredom. My motto is it should be tasty, healthy, and easy to prepare. When I open some raw cookbooks and find a recipe with a page long worth of ingredients I ask myself, “Do they really expect me to spend that much time just to eat?” Then I think of all of the time it will take to wash all the dishes and I give up. Are they kidding? I can prepare something in 10 minutes and it will be just as good, easier to digest and will leave me enough time to do the things that I really like to do, such as writing articles for Get Fresh!

So in conclusion, varying your diet doesn’t have to get complicated. It doesn’t involve becoming a raw gourmet genius. It just means having the attitude of, “Hey, I’m going to have fun with this and try something new everyday.” It’s about being open to try new foods you’ve never tasted before, and making sure you don’t eat the same thing every day.

And remember, the cure for boredom is curiosity. But there is no cure for curiosity.

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Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

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Instant Raw Sensations
by Frederic Patenaude

“Frederic Patenaude, is the author of the best-selling e-book “The Raw Secrets”. He is currently giving away fr*ee access to his private library of over 100 exclusive articles along with a subscription to his newsletter Pure Health & Nutrition. Visit http://www.fredericpatenaude.com while charter subscriptions last.