A few posts back I mentioned the lecture I attended at Almond Blossom Cafe where Dr. Craig Sommers spoke about the content from his book: Raw Foods Bible. I learned so much that I wanted to share, but it was a lot of info so I will break it down into each topic he discussed.
Raw food is alive with enzymes. Here is why this is so important to every living being. Excuse my sloppy video-taking, I was trying to eat with one had and record with the other.
Let's go off the raw-food path and take a hike with nature. That's what I did today with my husband. After his 7 mile run on the bike path, he joined me for a nice leisurely hike at Graham Swamp (that is, except for all the stops I made to take photos, hehe).
The sights were so calming, the sounds so soothing, the air breezing on by, and the sun shining through the foliage. What an instant energizer after a trip to the farmers' market! Give me some vitamin D on a gorgeous day and I'm all smiles!
This was also a great way to get back into fitness after being sick. Even in Florida, you can find these treasures hidden where you can escape the world and find some solitude. I'm really looking forward to going back with my manual camera and some black & white film—a hike with just myself looking through my viewfinder and getting in touch with my inner-being. These moments are like boosts to my battery, while keeping me calm like a placid ocean.
Even though this blog is about raw foods, I don't want to skimp out on the other important aspects of life, because this is a lifeSTYLE. We are all so busy with the things that must get done, we often forget to take the time to connect with mother nature and enjoy the beauty she gives us. It sounds so simple, yet it can be so difficult to commit to doing. Well, today's experience has made me realize this needs to be a ritual. It won't have to be a hike each time, but every day we should open our eyes to this beauty under our feet—surrounding us, protecting us, feeding us and nurturing us with life. It's a precious thing to waste when all it takes is seeing what is already there.
So next time you go outside, take a deep breath before you get in the car and look to something green and be grateful for all you have. Our time is so limited, but our potential is limitless. Let us meditate upon this.
Now that you’ve got an abundance of resources (of which I continue to add to) to learn from, the next step is to start reading, watching, and trying. Give the detox a shot if you feel compelled to do so. If you’re not that adventurous yet, commit to having one raw meal or snack a day and work up from there. The more determined you are, the more will power you will have, and the faster you will be able to say goodbye to processed/cooked foods and say hello to the energetic, full-of-life you!
You don’t have to be 100% raw, even 50% will give you benefits that will make you feel so wonderful that you’ll aim for more naturally. Whatever you decide, keep in mind that you will be most successful if you set goals for yourself and don’t get disappointed if you make mistakes. It’s only natural in this transitional state. Not every plan works for every body. No one knows you more than yourself, so be realistic and use the strategies that work best for you. It will take some trial and error, but the journey is worth it. Joining online communities can help give you the support you need to stick with it. And don’t forget, I’m here for you too, so don’t be shy ;)
A raw foods lifestyle is like an addiction—the better you feel, the more empowered you become in life. It clears your head, not just your body. Now that I’m over my cold, I am ecstatic to get started on some of my goals to help me move into this field as a career. When you find your passion, doing so really is a pleasure and sparks so much positive energy around you that you can’t help but attract your desires into reality. In fact, my video is already featured on another blog and I will be doing a guest blog post as well. Thanks The Green Smoothie Blog team!
Here are some key points to help you succeed:
I’ll get further into these points in future posts, as they are keys to my success and I want to share and help you as much as possible. So off you go… What is/was your first goal when you took this endevour? I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes (not sure who wrote it): You don't have to get it right, just get it going!
I got sick. I'm still a little sick. Last time I got sick it was after I had fallen off the raw wagon, so it made sense. But to get sick after getting back on the wagon has me baffled. I prevented many colds last year by eating mainly raw so I was certain I wouldn’t have to deal with this again. I've been so anxious to post on my blog, but I decided it was more important to take care of myself and get extra rest, just doing what I needed, not alll the things I wanted to do. I've stayed about 90% raw, with lots of tea and some soup. Here are a few of the things I've prepared since my last post.
Red cabbage salad with avocado-cilantro dressing
Mexican nori roll and pablano pepper
Asian chow salad
So my question remains: how could this happen to me? I will confess that I had alcohol and cooked food (vegan) in celebration of my friend's birthday. Maybe I put my body in shock... But then again, I have been around quite a few sick people at work and out-and-about. Here's the raw cake I made for her birthday, I call it strawberry heaven:
What I'm thinking is that stress lowered my natural ability to ward this off and keep my immunity strong enough to defend myself. Whatever the cause, I was able to treat most of my symptoms with natural remedies consisting of tea, honey, lemon, sleep and lots of nutritious foods. One thing I have not been able to heal naturally is a stuffy head and runny nose. Any suggestions?
Stay tuned, as I'm super excited to post about some of your questions. I also want to thank all of my new followers and those of you who've led them to my site. Since my video seems to be a big hit, I think I'll be posting more of those in the future. Check out twitter, it's alive and fresh with so many interesting people I've connected with. And from those connections, I found some other great sites, so be sure to look at the new links and blogs I'm following. I’ll be back when I kick this cold in the butt for good!
I apologize for not posting as consistently lately. I've been working on a tactic for this blog based on responses and questions I've received. I've also been dedicating some time to researching so I can give you good information. Most of you have been asking about where to start so this post is about tackling the first step: learning.
First, I want to say congrats on making the first step, even if it's simply becoming more curious. Some of you are ready to try raw foods, some of you want to learn more so you can be educated about your choices, and that's great! I started out the same way. I spent (and continue to spend) numerous hours online reading about this lifestyle and I would like to share some of my favorite resources with you today.
I still recommend starting with the 7-day detox and reading all the great info that gets delivered to your email. You can also check out the links on the left rail of this blog, which I will continue adding to. My profile has links to the blogs I'm following if you enjoy blogs. For those you who like videos, YouTube has many channels you can watch, these are my favorites. I look forward to having my own channel in the future as well.
What really worked for me was signing up on various sites for emails. You'll get great bits of info on a regular basis that help you stay current with your health and keep you motivated. Here are the ones I recommend:
For book lovers out there, I've got a few favorites too:
Well, I think that's plenty to get you started. If you find anything along your way, please post a link in the comments below so we can all learn together. Part 2 will cover some of the transitional steps you can take, what to expect from your body, and a bit of mental/spiritual advice too.
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