Practical in a Raw Lifestyle

Add comment February 8th, 2009

The Raw Food Diet is simply a means of incorporating more raw fruits & vegetables into your diet.  Raw fruits & vegetables are highly alkalizing and offer more nutrition than cooked food because cooking destroys most many of the vitamins & nutrients in your food.  Raw foods cover all your nutritional needs and more!  Although eating a high raw food diet is very beneficial, beiing 100% raw is not practical or easy to do for most people, especially in colder climates, areas that are less “green” and beiing surrounded by a Standard American Diet.  Eating raw is not an all or nothing deal.  Sometimes people are close minded and negative to raw foods and do not understand the concept, or consider the great taste &  wonderful  dishes & desserts that are created with raw foods and the benefits that follow.  Others may also be a victim of The Standard American Diet as it is highly concentrated and addictive, including processed & packaged foods, fried foods, refined sugar, flour, caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol and cooked dead foods.  Beiing open to new possibilities and change is what gives us Life.  Although some may ridicule or comment on this healthier lifestyle one may want to consider those who eat more raw fruits & vegetables are the ones reaping the benefits.  Benefits are great and may include more energy, no more sore joints, a happier you, a slender physique, beiing allergy free, clearer skin, preventing or reversing illness or DIS-ease in the body, faster recovery from colds, illness or surgery, a stronger immune system, overcoming the taste & desire for addictive foods and naturally desiring a taste & craving for healthier foods and more!     

Whether you want to eat more raw, having warming raw foods or eat healthy non-raw cooked foods, it is all do-able whether it is cold outside and you crave comforting warming foods, you are goiing to a restaurant or have a family & friends that want more of the Standard American Diet.  Raw foods can save you time while also creating meals that are more delicious than cooked!  Interested in learning more about RAW, beiing practical and making it do-able?  Come to a “Why Raw” talk Feb. 10^th  and/or sign up for a class and take your dining pleasure to a new level RAWliciously, for a tasting & learning experience.   For a class schedule, check out my blog at www.blogs.e-rockford.com/goodforyou.  You may also call 815-543-1207 or email me at myrawenergy@yahoo.com for questions & details.  Pre-registration required for all “Why Raw” talks & RAW ENERGY classes.

The “Why Raw” talk will be held at Our Saviors Lutheran Church located at

.  7:30pm.   This event is a monthly meeting for Vegetarians in Motion.  The cost is $4.00 for nonmembers of VIM or $2.00 for members.  You may come at 6:30pm and bring a vegetarian dish or just come for the “Why Raw” talk that starts at about 7:30pm.  If you are interested in raw food classes, you qualify for a discount if you take all 4 classes between Feb 11^th & March 4^th.

Goiing Raw with Family

Add comment February 8th, 2009

Some may believe incorporating more raw fruits & vegetables into your diet is difficult when you have a husband, wife and/or kids who aren’t necessarily on board with you.  Some of the easiest things one can do for yourself and/or your family is breakfast.  Smoothies are fast, portable, filling, very nutritious and easier on the digestive system which gives you more energy.  Including greens into your smoothie enables you to get more of those nutritious greens into your diet, cuts the sugar content, while also adds additional substance to your smoothie, you won’t even notice the taste of the greens.   If you need something that is more substantial, try raw oatmeal or cinnamon rolls or take it to go for that mid-morning break.  Pack a salad for lunch with a pate’ or pizza flax crackers  for fun and it fills you up.

If your family likes to get involved in preparing food there are always things to learn and they may find it to be enjoyable and enlightening.  Kids love to make noodles with the spirooli and get there hands into mixing the food.  Pretty bowls and little kitchen gadgets can also make food prep more enjoyable. 

Goiing to a farmers market with your spouse & kids or perhaps signing up for a weekly organic vegetable box exposes you and your loved ones to new vegetables and also encourages you to try new things while also getting food that may be fresher and nutritious than what is found in stores.  These are great ways to share with your loved ones the benefits associated with raw foods. Mindful ways to encourage more raw foods is to not make a big deal out of it.  Keep food conversation positive instead of expressing negative comments.  Try not to force raw food choices.  Incorporate a raw food dish into the evening meal.  Although your family may still want the standard American food choices, be sure to include a raw vegetabe dish.   The person who chooses to eat more raw can make this raw vegetable dish his or her main course and a have a taste of the other foods, while the family may select to make the raw entrée as a side dish.  Alternatively serving a hearty raw dish like lasagna, (no meat, dairy or pasta noodles), can be served as the main dish and then offer a side of garlic bread.   It’s a family pleaser!  Whatever version you choose, it is a great way of being a good role model and making it clear how enjoyable your food is.  Be sure not to forget dessert when the mood strikes!   It’s easy to replace traditional desserts with raw versions and many of them may not only save you time in preparing them but can also be frozen and are filling and rawlicious!  Chocolate mousse tort, fruit pies, ice creams, cookies, truffles and cheesecake are wonderful and are all raw and do not include any dairy, flour, eggs, cream or butter!  Raw food classes available.  See my class schedule at www.blogse-rockford.com/goodforyou.  You may also call Brenda at 815-543-1207 or email her at myrawenergy@yahoo.com for more information.