RAW FOOD INTRODUCTION SESSION

A FUN WAY TO LEARN HOW TO EAT HEALTHY

On Sunday, January 24th I held another Raw Food Introduction session in Nanaimo, BC. I love introducing a variety of raw food dishes to people and sharing why adding more whole living foods into their diet is so crucial. My mission is to get across the importance of eliminating "fake" food and feeding the body "real" nutritious food.

Our society is so fast food driven and because our lives are so busy it is easier to grab packaged and prepared food than to prepare healthy "real" food. But...what is the consequence of doing this? More and more people are being diagnosed with with diabetes, cancer, obesity, arthritis and many other conditions, diseases and illnesses. North America is not a picture of health.

Healthy food is out there and available to everyone. People need to buy it and use it. That is where I come in and why I do these classes and sessions.

Here is a picture of the group I had with me on Sunday:

As you can se, I even had a young attende and she LOVED the food and the green smoothies!

Here are some pics of what was served:

Of course what is a raw food class without veggies! To spread on these veggies we had:

Cashew Cheese, Date/Cashew/Carrot Pate and Sunflower "Refried Beans" Pate (with no beans). These pates are all dairy free. Everything is gluten free and dairy free.

The pates are great because they are high in protein and good fats. They are also filling!

We also enjoyed zucchini pasta with marinara sauce, a green smoothie consisting of spinach, lettuce, kale, apples, mangos, lemon and water.

Kale and cabbage salad full of nutrients.

The chocolate pecan pie was absolutely delicious!!! Hard to believe it is also nutritious! The icing is avocado, raw cacao powder, vanilla and dates.

I wish I had more pictures of the food. I have to admit we were so busy eating it and enjoying it that I forgot to take pictures - next time I promise!

ACID and ALKALINE BALANCE

Testing your acid / alkaline balance

There is a lot of information out there about acid / alkaline balance within the body. I think this is absolutely crucial. All the information can be confusing because some people agree with this and others do not.

People ask how they can test their levels to see where they are at.

I had bought some litmus paper to test my saliva ph. I didn’t really know what I was buying and when I tried the paper it didn’t change color at all so I am not sure what was wrong with it. Once I thought about it, testing the saliva is probably not a real good indicator since it probably changes drastically throughout the day according to what you eat.

We know that to change your acid / alkaline balance within your body you change what you eat and drink. So basically, if I write out what I have eaten and drank in the last few days I should have an idea of where I stand.

Above is a picture of a great salad I had on the ship I was on last week. This is definately a high alkaline lunch.

Below is a picture of what I was faced with at the airport on the way home.

These sandwiches are high acid foods. They really contain no healthy nutrients and are filled with white flour, preservatives, sulphites, chemicals, etc - the lunch meat and cheese in them are probably closer to resembling plastic then food. How can you feed your body with stuff that isn't even real food!

I am reading a great book called “The pH Miracle” by Robert O. Young and Shelley Redford Young”. They also have a newer book out now called “The pH Miracle Diet”. Both are talking about the importance of having a balanced pH (not too acidic and not too alkaline). This book is loaded with great information and I feel anyone who is interested in their health and well-being should read it – AND THAT SHOULD BE EVERYONE!

We should ALL BE TAKING THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR HEALTH. PREVENTION IS THE KEY.

Back to the eating……Eat more alkaline foods and less acid foods.
Seems simple and basic and it is.

Acid Foods: Dairy, meat, wheat, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, some nuts and oils
This is very basic and you can find lists on the internet that give a detail listing of the foods.

Alkaline Foods: Vegetables, fruits, sprouts, herbs, seasonings and spices, apple cider vinegar, sea vegetables, etc, etc.
Yes, even lemons and tomatoes are alkaline.

You can see that the alkaline foods are the healthy foods and the acid foods are things you already know are not that good for you. Just eat LESS of them.

Your plate should be 75% full of alkaline foods and then if you like – 25% of acid foods.
Grains and beans are acid as well as olive oil so we do still require acid foods and not all acid foods are necessarily bad for you.

Every day you have a choice. MAKE IT A HEALTHY CHOICE!

HEALTHY EATING ON A CRUISE

Ah....The Good Life.....

I have just returned from 1 week cruise through the Carribean. It was a working holiday but time away is always good and I met some truly fantastic people.

The pic is me in Cozmel with a couple of young coconuts. I was so happy to see these coconuts being sold on many of the stops we made along the cruise.

Young coconut water and meat is so fantastic for you and just what I needed with all the fatty and unhealthy food being served on the ship.

Once you finish drinking the delicious coconut water, they will split the coconut for you so you can enjoy the wonderful meat of the coconut. The amount of meat and water in the coconut is determined by how old the coconut is. The younger the coconut, the more water and less meat.

Coconuts are now finally receiving the recognition they deserve and the respect they have always received by the inhabitants of the islands and regions they grow in.

In Ayuvedic medicine they are considered to have medicinal qualities. Coconut water is a great natural electrolyte drink high in potassium, calcium and magnesium. Coconuts are great for digestive problems and a fantastic immune booster. I use the coconut oil on my face and my body for a natural moisturizer.

It is anti-viral and anti-fungal - how great is that!! I had it whenever I could while on this 1 week cruise. The food on the ship was not my idea of health food. But...there are always healthy alternatives when faced with what to eat on a trip. I did try and always choose healthy alternatives.

I loved the food on the islands we stoped at. Take a look below at our fantastic lunch we had while on Cozumel. And the view - just to die for!!!

This is a picture of our meal at an very cool spot on the island of Cozumel in Mexico. (Usually at home I eat about 85 - 90% raw, but on this vacation, I had to add some cooked food or I would have lost a lot of weight I cannot afford to lose).

Seafood Ceviche, tortilla hips with salsa (freshly made), guacamole (so good) and beef tacos that were prepared beautifully (my friend ate, plate on far right/back). The food was fresh, tasty and full of goodness. I do still eat some seafood. I took advantage of it while we were in these tropical destinations.

The picture on the left is me during that lunch. Just take a look at the view! It was a great day.

There are always healthy (or healthier) alternatives to eat while you are traveling. What I also do is look at the full menu, see all the food they offer and then mix and match. I don't often order a meal exactly as they serve it. I change it up. They are fine with this and I rarely have a problem.

Skip the meat, add more veggies, add some avocado. People are always amazed at what I come up with, I am able to find something healthy to eat pretty much every place I go. Try it! Make up your own dishes from the foods that exist on the menu. It really works and it gives you healthy options wherever you go.

On the cruise ship the options for high fat, over-cooked, processed and food that is devoid of nutrients are numerous. It is not a place to go if you are on a diet. It is very overwhelming. Thank goodness for the salad and fruit options available at every meal. That is what I chose. I basically ate almost all raw for breakfast and lunch on the ship and for dinner I would request more steamed veggies with my meal and I would order 2 salads (they are small). They also let me mix things up and I just had to ask.

So, while on vacation, or even at any restaurant you go to, look at the menu, order a combination of healthy foods at are available. Mix it up! Hopefully you won't have any problems doing so and you will enjoy the good food. Just think of how much better you will feel after and you won't waste food on the plate that you didn't want.