Here is the continuation to my previous article with the second title for the four letters S.A.L.T. (You can read part one HERE.)

SOLUTIONS – We can find many solutions or no solutions to life’s challenges.  We can live on the sidelines and do nothing at all and just let life unfold or else TAKE CHARGE!  and make a “life” for ourselves.  How do you go about doing this?  Start listening to your “inner self.”

Here is a personal example for you to understand what I mean:  when I was a child, my family and I attended synagogue and after the services they sometimes had a luncheon.  At home, we did not have any soda to drink, but at the synagogue they did have and I decided to try some.
I did not take the dark cola, rather the Sprite, thinking it was better because it was a clear color. Of course, as the story unfolds, I was completely wrong!  After I took a sip or two, I had to burp from the carbonation and I still remember to this day how it made me feel.
I had a burning sensation come out of my nostrils and felt a tightness in my chest.  Then and there I decided on my own to NEVER drink it or any carbonated beverage again!  Other people let themselves get accustomed to it and then it’ll go away.  I refused to do that.  I found the solution because I did not like how it made me feel physically.

There are many other reasons not to drink soda and that is for another article.  One thing I can tell you, if you don’t know by now, you can put a nail or a tooth in a cup of soda and it will dissolve.  What does that tell you about what it’s doing inside your body?  You decide!  I know that for me the option was clear.  The best liquid you can drink is coconut water (pure unadulterated from the tree and not wrapped in plastic) or the structured water in your fruit, such as in cucumbers, grapes, watermelon, tomatoes and the like.

If you still don’t know the solution, then try to find someone with the information that can help you achieve the health and happiness in
life.   Your body is made to be self-healing and simply needs the
tools to achieve it on your own (I believe, as well, that there is a Higher Power that works with us and knows what is best).  I have been blessed by G-d to discover this healthy lifestyle and am available to educate others, as well.

LIFEFORCE -  What is life force?  There can be numerous ways to explain this word.  What first comes to mind for me are the following
words: energy/spirit/soul, being alive, vitality, being fulfilled, having an electrical charge/frequency.  All the words I mentioned relate to the same thing.  The opposite would be dead force and that doesn’t sound very good to me.  The idea is to keep things positive, balanced and in a state of health (relatively speaking).  We can achieve this is through proper nutrition (eating living/raw vegan food), healthy relationships (with family, partner, friends, etc), emotional clarity, laughter, exercise, etc.  It is not always easy to get all the areas of life working symbiotically and it is a continual process that takes time and effort.  The benefits are worth it though!

LONGEVITY – Another great word that can mean different things.  What “pops” in my head first are:  quality of life and long-term existence.
This word again relates to our choices in life.  There are consequences to everything we do.  Remember the story about “The Boy Who Cried Wolf?”  Now relating that here, if after 30 years of eating unhealthy fast foods you wonder why you have all these ailments and dis-eases it is nobodies fault but yours!  If you could go back in time and before you took that first bite of a ———- and think to yourself “is this the right choice?  Will I regret this in 30 years from now when I am sick?  I can get a BIG salad or even two and feel good about myself?”  The unfortunate thing is that most don’t do that.

Who says that you can’t enjoy life and eat healthy?  I have been vegan for over 22 years and love my life and will NEVER go back to eating animals or animal products.  When you know the truth, why would you choose to still consume food that has been proven to cause harm to us, the animals and the Planet Earth?  I have a difficult time myself understanding this!  If some one can explain it to me, please, be my guest!

I see how much the world has changed and how children are getting the illnesses that in previous generations were only known to happen to adults  in their later years.  Doesn’t that tell you something? The vast majority of people are “consuming” for pleasure and not for health.  They don’t care about the future, only the “here and now.”
Most of them will likely not live very long and also be in a “poor”
state of health and have to take pills, see doctors, take sick days from work/school.  To me this is not life or living!  I choose to stay away from doctors because they lack the knowledge about health (they are good for emergency situations).  I want my life to be measured by a higher standard of excellence and am proactive in achieving and sustaining it.

TODAY – I am “cheating” with this word (actually stealing from myself, if that is possible, by using my explanation from the previous article, as I feel it is important to reiterate – the last paragraph is new, though).  Today is the only thing you have at this very moment!  Forget about yesterday and tomorrow.  Don’t put off what you can do right now to improve your health.  Even if you change one thing, especially removing something from your food consumption that is not beneficial.

For some baby steps work best to transition into a new lifestyle and for others they sometimes have no choice because it is their last chance/hope to be alive.  For me it is so easy and simple because I
have been living as a vegan for many years.   I have always been
self-motivated and self-disciplined.  When I decide to do something it happens (unless I take on too many projects at one time, then I have
to delegate what is most important right now).   I commend each and
every one of you who has taken charge of their own life today by seeking out the truth and journeying on the “road less traveled.”  We are in the minority (especially us “vegans”), but don’t let that discourage you ever!

Begin your journey TODAY and you will never regret it ( I have not and know that even with the ups and downs and bumps along the way – that all depends on YOU and how many years you have been putting “junk” in your body – including physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, psychological, etc.  All that has to come out and you may have some pains/symptoms /detox along the way that is normal and expected – be aware that “slow and steady” wins the race).

Read more of my articles, interviews, product reviews and 42 day coconut water cleanse, etc.  www.rawsomegal.wordpress.com

I also have a YouTube channel with product reviews and recipe ideas www.youtube.com/TheRawsomeVeganGal

For more information about my services as a vegan chef and educator please post a comment on my blog.

Women ignore it because they’ve been conditioned by urban legends that as soon as they do any form of weight training (weight lifting), they’ll end up looking like this:

Yet, there’s no risk for any of my female readers to start looking like a monstrosity, bulging with unnecessary muscles. Women just don’t produce the sorts of growth hormones necessary to pack this kind of unnatural muscle.

Instead, weight training, more than any other activity, will lead you to the kind of body most women would like to have: firm legs, low body fat, and good muscle tone. More like this:

Women typically focus on what we commonly call “cardio” (running, swimming, biking, etc.), and yoga. While these two exercises are good, they will fail to maintain your muscle mass as you age. And this can lead to some of the worst consequences as you age.

If You Don’t Maintain Muscle, You’ll Get Fat

Maintaining muscle mass as we age is so important for one important, oft forgotten reason: metabolism.

If you don’t build and maintain a good amount of muscle mass, you’ll inevitably gain body fat as you age because your base metabolism has been lowered.

Let me explain. Your body needs calories to function. In fact, at rest, your body needs a certain amount of calories, even if all you do is stay in bed and watch TV. This is called base metabolic rate.

If your base metabolic rate is 1500 calories a day, that means that you need at least this many calories to maintain your weight. On top of that, you would add any calories needed for your daily activities. So if you don’t stay in bed and watch TV all day, and walk around instead like a normal person, and maybe do some exercise, you will add let’s say 500 to 800 calories a day to your needs.

So in this case, your total caloric needs will be 2000 to 2300 calories a day.

Any calorie beyond this will inevitably be stored as body fat!

Now, most people try to fight this caloric deficit by eating less, or by exercising more. Generally, they fail. Why? Because they haven’t done anything about their base metabolic rate, which keeps on declining as we age.

We all know that the brain uses calories, but a big chunk of our caloric needs are diverted to maintaining muscle mass. Each pound of muscle burns a certain number of calories at rest. Some estimate it at 25 or even 50 calories per pound of muscle.

That means that a person with 10 pounds more muscle on their frame will burn 250 to 500 more calories per day, doing nothing.

It also means that as we lose muscle mass as we age, which is inevitable if we don’t weight train, we also lower our base metabolic rate, and it becomes harder and harder to lose weight.

Some researchers have doubted the calorie-burning ability of muscle at rest.

But keeping muscle mass has its advantages. First, it improves insulin sensitivity, making it much less likely that you’ll develop any problems related to blood sugar.

Muscle also helps you keep proper posture, and helps you reduce the risk of injury as we age.

And I do think that muscle at rest DOES burn more calories. Since I’ve added over 10-15 pounds of muscle to my frame, I’ve noticed that I can eat much more food than before without gaining weight. The same can happen to you, if you just add some weight training to your weekly routine.

And it doesn’t have to be complicated. Which leads me to…

The Most Important Exercise for Health

While there’s not ONE exercise that will do everything, there’s certainly one that you can prioritize above all others.

It’s commonly called the squat.

And it’s the most fundamental exercise you need to do.

Why?

1) The squat trains more muscle groups than any other single exercise.

2) Because legs are the most powerful muscles on the human body, the squat is the most powerful anabolic exercise you can do. Because you can lift more weight with the squat than with any other exercise, doing regular squats (with weights) will trigger the release of testosterone and human growth hormone, which will help you grow muscle in the rest of your body. And don’t worry ladies, the amounts released are just right for your gender. There’s no reason you’ll start looking like she-hulk!

3) Squats burn fat like crazy. While squats with weights will be powerful exercise that will help you build muscle throughout your body, simple squats without weights will help you burn body fat, because they are so intensive and will raise your metabolism, helping you burn fat throughout the day.

4) Squats help strengthen all sorts of ligaments, stabilizer muscles and connective tissues, helping your balance and coordination and your posture. This will in turn greatly lower your risk of injury, increasing your life expectancy and lowering your risk of dangerous accidents as you age.

Finally… squats will greatly help your appearance! Think of tight butt and abs

Squats are also easy to do. There are basically two types of squats you can do:

1) Squats without weight
2) Squats with weight

Although squats without weight are great to get started, they won’t lead you to all of the benefits above (unless you can’t do more than 12-20 squats without weight).

Squats with weight can be performed with dumbbell or a barbell, the former being the ultimate goal.

Start by doing squats using only your own body weight. Once you’re able to perform 25-50 squats at a time, and 100 squats a day (in several sets), then you’re ready to add weights to your squats.

Although, even when you practice squats with weight, you can also throw in some squats without weight as part of the mix.

How to Perform a Squat

1) Make sure your body is warmed up

2) Stand feet shoulder width apart, or in a slightly larger stance.

3) Bend down to a 90 degree angle or deeper. One of the best ways to learn how to squat is to keep a chair behind you. Your goal is to go down to the level of the chair

4) Raise your body. Keep your back straight.

Remember to breathe as you lower, and breathe out as your raise your body back up.

You can find all sorts of videos on YouTube on how to perform squats, but to do a squats with a barbell, you should ask the help of a fitness trainer to show you the proper movement.

Practice squats at least once a week, but ideally twice, and you’ll transform your body! If you go to the gym and you don’t have much time, at least do squats. It’s the most fundamental exercise you can do, and one you can’t afford to ignore!

In my next article, I’ll talk about the second most important article for health.

Can’t wait to get started? Check out Roger Haeske’s Lightning Speed Fitness for a complete fitness program you can do at home, without any equipment! 

Guest Writer, Joanna Slodownik – GreenReset.com

I’ve just received the Raw Freedom package, and – after I’ve been reading through the chapters that caught my attention – I’d like to share a few thoughts with you.

First, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I’ve followed Frederic’s career for many years now. I found him after I read the 80/10/10 diet and I was searching for more information about the high fruit, low fat raw food diet. Over the years, I really enjoyed reading his blog, and I appreciated his honesty and directness. Also, I’m passionate about living an internet lifestyle doing what I love, so I’ve been following his advice in this area– writing ebooks, building audience, etc. (I recommend Frederic’s course “How to write your ebook” – if you’ve been stuck and overwhelmed, it will surely get you going).

Although I’ve been interested in raw foods and the benefits of eating a high-raw diet for health, I’ve never been 100% raw. After I discovered green smoothies, I’ve been drinking them religiously every day – and lots of them, but other than that I’ve been eating a pretty average diet (although, definitely on the healthy side, when compared to the American standard).

I’ve been trying to reduce the cooked foods, experimenting with raw recipes, but in the end, I decided it’s not practical or feasible – especially if you have kids and a husband who wants to eat “normal” food. So, I’m very much in agreement with Frederic about incorporating cooked foods in a healthy diet.

Where I somewhat disagree with Frederic is on the issue of veganism. Let me explain.

Reflections On Being Vegan

I’d been debating the issue of eating meat for many years. I’d been curious about being vegetarian and tried several times to go off meat completely, but it just never happened. The idea of being vegan was not even on my radar until I started experimenting with raw foods – it just seemed too hard, complicated, and even…weird. Because of the pressure of those around me, as well as the lack of strong motivation – I always succumbed to the temptation of a piece of meat, a slice of pizza, or a bowl of ice cream.

However, I kept digging deeper and deeper. I really needed some definitive answers; for myself and my readers, as people started to come to me for advice on what to eat.

After lots of research and soul searching, here is the conclusion that I reached.

Framing the issue only in terms of health, taste and convenience, is why a lot of people are still stuck in the “animal food” mode, even if they may be ready to make a shift to more compassionate living and eating.

I know, because I was stuck for 46 years. Deep down, I knew there was enormous suffering associated with animal foods, but I was dismissing this issue, blocking it from entering my consciousness. After all, this is what everyone else is eating. Not eating these foods is inconvenient and makes you different.

But then, something began to shift. I started reading more about the environmental impact of raising animals for food, as well as the terrible conditions that most of these animals have to endure their entire lives. I still wasn’t convinced. I started buying “humanely raised” animal products and organic dairy. Then I read “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Fowler and that was it. I mastered the courage to watch some of the footage on the websites of Mercy for Animals, Vegan Outreach, and Meet Your Meat. That is also when I found the inspiring podcast “Vegetarian Food For Thought” by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, The Compassionate Cook (highly recommended!).

Even though I’ve been vegan for only a year (and some of you may dismiss me as a “new vegan,” and say, that I’ll probably go back to eating meat soon); there is no going back for me. It’s been such an incredible experience, spiritually uplifting and transforming all the areas of my life and how I view the world and the animals that share this world with us.

I too believed that the change is hard. I too was doubtful about the safety of this diet. I too read about people who failed on vegan diet and went back to eating meat. I was afraid to even try. I didn’t believe I could make it work.

But I’m doing it, and it’s so worth it.

For those of you who are still debating the issue, I want to offer the following points to consider:
Vegan diet is a healthy diet for humans. As you’ll read in Frederic’s book, this diet is sustainable and health promoting. Even the American Dietetic Association says so, and this is not an institution that supports “fad” diets. Our bodies don’t require animal foods to get the nutrients we need. And if we need to take a few supplements, that’s fine too. (Ever wonder, where do cows who are not fed on grass get their calcium? They get it from supplements, because otherwise their milk would be deficient in this important nutrient. So why not skip the “middle cow” and go right to the source – plant foods. Or simply take the supplement, and leave the cows alone.)

Meat is not unhealthy (if eaten in moderation); however, to frame the issue in terms of personal choice or personal preference is not enough. It implies that there is no “other” being hurt for our culinary pleasure or convenience.

Animals are not here for us to exploit them. They feel pain and suffering, just as we do, and they want to live. Even the so-called humanely raised animals, still suffer. (Do you know what happens to the male chicks on egg farms, whether organic or conventional? They are either milled alive, or left to suffocate in garbage bags.)

The fact that there has never been a vegan culture in the world (Frederic talks about it in his Raw Freedom – as plant foods are not available year-round in many places), is indisputable, but it doesn’t mean that we cannot make it work in the modern world. We have the resources and technology. I mean, I’m drinking green smoothies with bananas, berries and greens year round, and I’m in New Jersey, US. There are no banana trees here or berries in the winter.

You don’t have to sacrifice your deepest values of compassion to stay healthy. You also don’t have to sacrifice taste. (Although you may have to sacrifice convenience a bit.) Eating a diet of mostly raw, as well as cooked vegetables, greens, fruits, mushrooms, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains provides enough calories, micro-nutrients, as well as variety – that making compassionate choices is easy. These days, you can find vegan cheeses, meats, burgers, ice-creams and cupcakes – not the healthiest foods, but much more compassionate choices, if you want them. (I’m not loving vegan meats or cheeses, but the cherry-chocolate soy based ice-cream I buy at Trader Joe’s is to die for).

If there are health issues that arise, it’s now possible to find a health practitioner who understands plant-based nutrition enough, to be able to help us in a way that would not sacrifice our values. I highly recommend books by Dr. Joel Fuhrman if you want a doctor-prescribed diet.

Change is slow and unpopular. There are many examples throughout the history. Just a few hundred years ago, slavery was viewed as normal. It does take time and determination, but as more as more people make the switch, the choices will only increase, making it easier for everybody else.

As Frederic says in his book: “Would be vegans and raw foodists have never had it better. But they should consider themselves pioneers and experimenters, and remember how unusual our modern food situation is in the historical context.”

We are so proud of our progress in other areas, so why not put compassion back into the equation. Once we know better, we can do better, so let’s!

About Joanna. Joanna is a green smoothie enthusiast and the founder of GreenReset.com website, dedicated to spreading the message about how healthy and compassionate food choices can help heal our body and the planet.

http://www.aheartthatblesses.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-single-step.html

It’s midnight, and for the fourth night in a row, I can’t sleep. The nasty head cold I snagged during spring break has moved to my chest, and I hack up mucus for a few hours before falling into an exhausted stupor for a few hours before it’s time to wake up and go to work.

I would feel sorry for myself, but it’s my own fault. I knew better, but I made a choice last fall to have dairy at Bunco, which made it easier to have it for the holidays, and the next thing I know I am eating lasagna and ice cream on a regular basis again. After being dairy-free and gluten-free for around ten years now, I forgot what it was like to have so much mucus in the chest and throat, and I don’t like it.

Same thing goes for the skin allergy rash I developed from eating gluten again. I don’t like it at all, and it’s no fun.

Seriously, I don’t remember having a much of a cold in the past ten years. Perhaps I had a bit of a sore throat for a night, or maybe I had a fever for a day; however, since giving up wheat and diary, I am rarely sick. Once or twice a year, I might feel off for a day or two, but I bounce back fast.

The reason I cut wheat and dairy completely out of my life all those years ago was because I felt better without them and felt crappy with them. Trust me, it’s better to go cold turkey with these two because, otherwise, you become hooked again. Once you start eating gluten or dairy, your body craves them, which makes it even more difficult to resist.

For instance, the cold started last Wed, and the last day I consciously ate dairy was on Friday when I ate the steak and rice at a Japanese steakhouse even though I watched them cooked in butter in front of me. And I ate gluten a couple of weeks ago, even though I still had the itchy skin rash.

This time the cold is lingering, and nothing has completely cleared up the congestion. I’ve tried over the counter medicine, including the Musinex that three people recommended, but it didn’t do the trick.

I’ve surfed the web late at night during coughing sessions that chased away sleep to find natural remedies and tried gargling both apple cider vinegar and salt water, drinking tea with honey, lemon, and cinnamon, and most recently swallowing garlic capsules. All of those things are healthy and helpful, but it takes awhile to clear out dairy once it’s in our bodies.

The best remedy for a cold (or how to lose a cold in ten days or less): don’t get one in the first place!  And not eating gluten and dairy is one giant step in that direction.

I have given up gluten and dairy again. Gratefully. Thankfully. I would rather be healthy than eat wheat and dairy. It’s a choice that I am happy to make. Plus there are so many yummy substitutes nowadays.

It’s a challenge knowing what to eat these days, but I know I don’t want to eat gluten or dairy products. They are not worth it.

Rachel Rinehart Johnson writes narratives, poems, and children’s stories, and her work has appeared in publications such as Florida English, New Plains Review, Circa Review, Lumina, Rocking Chair Reading: Family Gatherings, New Madrid, and Country Extra. She earned an MFA in creative non-fiction from Murray State University in Kentucky. Rachel and her two daughters reside in Florida, where she teaches composition, creative writing, and English as a second language as an adjunct Instructor at Brevard Community College and Florida Institute of Technology. Her other passions include nature, photography, and travel.

Mindy Goldis, www.rawsomegal.wordpress.com

How did I come up with the title for this article?  Well, I was thinking that I am not a fan of using salt because it isn’t a necessary mineral for the body (more on that later), but I wanted to come up with something positive based on the letters that make up that word and came up with the acronym.

I thought of two titles for the same 4 letters (with a few words for some of the letters).  I am sure there are many others you can think of and are welcome to include your suggestions in the comments below.

What does any of this have to do with health? Raw foods?  Lots!

We get so wrapped up in what we are eating and forget that there is more to life then eating.  If you walk down the street and eavesdrop on others conversations to each other and on the phone, they are usually talking about where they will eat, what they will eat, going on a diet, is this food good for you, this doctor says to eat this and another says something else, etc.

Food consumption is a minuet part of a healthy lifestyle.  What is the healthiest food to eat is debatable, to a certain degree, but overall it has been proven by many reputable authorities, including Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Joel Fuhrman that Whole Food Plant Based is ideal.  Whether you eat 100 percent raw vegan or not, isn’t the issue!  If you want to arrest or avert the diseases that are rampant in our society today, there is no doubt this is a very important part of how we live.

I, myself have been vegan for over 22 years and have educated many people over the years who are interested in making changes to improve their lives.  One very important person who I have helped over 20 years ago, is my Dad.  He celebrated his 80th birthday on April 28, 2013.  That may have never happened after his heart attack, if he had not given up the animal foods/S.A.D. Diet.

So what else matters to our health besides the food we consume?  Going back to title of this article though it may seem vague to you what I mean with the words I choose, but I will explain.

STOP- Take a break from the day-to-day grind of life.  Clear your mind.  Take a walk on the beach without any distractions (cellphone) and enjoy nature.  Shut off all electronics for a few hours or a day – a sabbatical (I celebrate the Sabbath once a week and shut everything off for an entire day – no phone, no TVs, no computers, no cars, no writing, no cooking, etc).

SEEK – If you don’t have all the answers, that is ok.  There are many great sources for information.  Make sure to do your research diligently so you are not wasting your time or money.  We learn by doing and sometimes make mistakes.  Hopefully we learn from then and help ourself and others to not repeat it again.  On my site, I have reviews of companies who are of the highest quality and integrity.

You are also welcome to send me a comment if you have an other questions.

SELECT – How do you know what is best for you?  With all the information there is also overload and misinformation.  Don’t settle for the path of least healthy results or a fad diet (like Atkins) because they are popular in the news. The government pushes and promotes what they can make the most money from and is the worst for you.  How is it that we got so far away from the basics?  It isn’t “rocket science!”  We all know what types of food are good for us and yet there are so many “sick” people who opt for pharmaceuticals with numerous side-effects and then never get well.  They are usually afraid to go against their doctor (although statistics show that there is a large percentage of the population that is opting for alternative/holistic medicine because they are not getting the results from the drugs/treatment they are receiving from their MD) or think that the doctor has all the answers (that is the farthest from the truth, except for the ones I mentioned above who have crossed the “picket line,” so to speak, and live and promote a whole food lifestyle).

SLOW DOWN – This goes back to the first word mentioned above, but I feel it needs to be emphasized more.  We don’t do enough to take a break and do nothing.  Have you ever been in bed looking up and stared at the ceiling?  Have you ever been “turned off” and not “turned on?”

This is a loaded question, but I am referring to getting out of your head and into your body.  I know the mind is always working even when we “do nothing,”  yet we can give ourselves the opportunity to do something else to slow ourselves down.  Find something you enjoy doing that relaxes you so you forget all your cares and worries – such as knitting, arts and crafts projects, watching the waves, etc.  it is amazing what a little “time out” can do to renew yourself for the rest of the day.  If you can do it every day and be “selfish” you will do more to help others in the long run.

LISTEN – Pay attention to your intuition because it is usually right.

Don’t let others influence your decisions of you feel strongly in your gut that this is the best direction for you (with work, relationships, where you live, food choices, etc) .  Trust that even if you all of your family and friends think you are “crazy,” find others who are like-minded to turn to for assistance.  You will likely find people who will hear what you are saying and will to give you encouragement and support with what you are doing.

LIVE – Life is about living, but what kind of life do we have, if we aren’t truly alive?   Life isn’t only about feeding our physical entity.  Their is a deeper part to us that we can’t see that is spiritual in nature.  Life is a gift that we have to be thankful for every day because it can be taken away from us in an instant.  This is not a far-fetched notion that I have just come up with myself.  Do some research yourself on the Internet from legitimate sources who believe that life is much more then just the tangible.

TODAY – Today is the only thing you have at this very moment!  Forget about yesterday and tomorrow.  Don’t put off what you can do right now to improve your health.  Even if you change one thing, especially removing something from your food consumption that is not beneficial.

For some baby steps work best to transition into a new lifestyle and for others they sometimes have no choice because it is their last chance/hope to be alive.  For me it is so easy and simple because I have been living as a vegan for many years.   I have always been self-motivated and self-disciplined.  When I decide to do something it happens (unless I take on too many projects at one time, then I have to delegate what is most important right now).   I commend each and every one of you who have taken charge of their own life today by seeking out the truth and journeying on the “road less traveled.”  We are in the minority (especially us “vegans”), but don’t let that discourage you ever!

The next title I came up with for the same four letters will be explained in a future article.  Stay tuned!

Part 2 of this post can be viewed HERE

Read more of my articles, interviews, product reviews and 42 day coconut water cleanse, etc.  www.rawsomegal.wordpress.com

I also have a YouTube channel with product reviews and recipe ideas www.youtube.com/TheRawsomeVeganGal

For more information about my services as a vegan chef and educator please post a comment on my blog.

Raw foods is now semi-mainstream, but back then it was only a small community of genuine health seekers interested in this. We were like a small family!

Jay and I were discussing the raw food scene and how it’s changed. And at some point, we talked about the fact that pretty much ALL of the people who were seriously doing raw foods 10 or 15 years ago now eat some cooked foods.

Jay said, “I’m grateful for this raw food experience. Raw foods are still the backbone of my diet. But I also eat other things now.”

This is the case with almost all of the raw food authors, gurus, and serious raw foodists that I knew 10 or 15 years ago. Back then, they were eating 100% raw foods. Now, they all eat cooked foods.

This include almost ALL of the authors that have written books on the topic.

There are some exceptions. Some people have maintained a raw food diet for all those years, and say they have never deviated from it. Upon closer look, most of these people were not as 100% as they claimed for all those years. But to their credit, they did stick with it for the most part.

Yet, some of these people, the 100%-ers, will often look down upon people who are no longer eating a 100% raw diet, claiming they didn’t do the diet properly, or didn’t have enough motivation on discipline to do it.

Yet, if went to a raw food conference, organized by a 100%-er, and surveyed everybody, I’m almost certain that if we were to follow the attendees who eat a100% raw diet now for the next 10 years, you’d discover that more than 90% of these people would no longer follow the diet.

Eventually… they all eat cooked foods.

A recent article published in Psychology Today suggested that around 75% of people who follow a vegetarian diet eventually go back to eating animal products. The average time a person will stay vegetarian is 9 years.

For raw foodists, my experience leads me to think the percentage of “failures” is much higher, and the time people stay on the diet much shorter. 95% of the people I knew 15 years ago who were eating a 100% raw food diet back then are eating some cooked foods today.

Why is that?

One could claim that most raw food diets are not sustainable, and you need a particular kind of raw food diet to succeed. For example, a low fat raw food diet.

But the truth is that even the low-fat raw food dieters eventually go back to cooked foods. Some even have built entire websites dedicated to the topic!

Plus, the low fat raw food diet, mainly promoted by Dr. Doug Graham with the 80-10-10 Diet, hasn’t been popular for many years. It’s certainly much more sustainable than other kinds of raw food diet, and the type I would recommend for someone considering a 100% raw food lifestyle.

But from the many 80-10-10 dieters I’ve met… many of them eventually went back to cooked foods.

Is it that the addiction to cooked food is so strong that even under the best circumstances, most people eventually can’t resist the urge?

Some famous raw food promoters, who ate 100% raw at the time and had been for many years, told me that they still had dreams about eating cooked foods. And those were people following a perfect kind of low-fat raw food diet.

Is it that 95% of people have no true discipline and can’t stick with anything? Is it that the addiction to cooked food is too strong?

The addiction to cigarettes is one that is recognized as very difficult to break. Yet most people who quit smoking don’t go back to eat, once they’ve made a definite move.

Cooked food is not an addiction.

It’s not a drug… it’s not “poison”… Cooked food is just… food!

Some cooked foods, of course, are unhealthy. But so are some raw foods.

Most people can’t stick with a 100% raw food diet because it’s a very difficult, inconvenient, expensive, restrictive, unsatisfying and unsustainable diet for most people. And the key word here is “most people.” As in everything, there are exceptions. Some people do quite well on 100% raw for life. But they are the exception, not the rule.

For the vast majority of people, eating 100% raw is something that should be done as a temporary diet. A ”cleanse.” Something you do for a few weeks, a few months maybe. It’s a great reset button. It’s a great detox tool. But it’s not a diet most people can realistically follow for the rest of their lives. It’s also not a diet that’s been proven to work in all phases of life: pregnancy, childhood, and so on. In fact, there’s quite a bit of evidence to suggest that a 100% raw vegan diet is not  appropriate in some of those situations.

And if you don’t believe me, I would reply that the proof is in the pudding. Even under the best circumstances, most people don’t stick to 100% raw for a long period of time. Even the best gurus can’t prevent their disciplines from going back to the evil world of cooked foods…

Now… does that mean that the choice is between eating ALL raw and ALL cooked? Of course not.

There are nuances. It’s not black and white.

The key in life is balance. It’s about finding a sustainable balance for you, between raw food and cooked foods, but also between “rules” and “exceptions.”

If you’re currently happy with a raw food diet, then maybe there’s no need to change. Keep doing what you’re doing if it works for you.

But if you’ve struggled, go back and forth and fail… then maybe it’s time to stop blaming yourself and being so hard on yourself. Maybe you can come to the conclusion that the diet you’re holding as an “ideal” is just too darn difficult to follow… and simply does not work. You need to find a balance again to make it work.

As a high-percentage Fruitarian I receive a mixture of opinions in the circles I mix with. Amongst SAD dieters, people say ‘Aren’t you concerned that you’re getting too much Vitamin C from those oranges’ (a far cry from the old concerns of ‘Where do you get your protein?’). Raw food enthusiasts say ‘Oh no, I don’t eat much fruit because of the sugar content’. Everywhere I go, people are so concerned for my health because of the large amounts of fruit I consume! (even though my health has never been better since starting a high-raw diet back in 1998). So, let’s get this clear, I am one of the few people who actually follow Government recommendations clearly and consume a minimum of 5-7 portions of fruit per day. Fruit sugars do not cause diabetes, indeed a high fat diet is the leading cause of diabetes according to recent research papers. Fruits are combined with fiber which will slow down sugar release and fruit sugars will only become a problem if they are poorly combined, e.g. mixed with fats. Indeed, my body is more than able to deal with high doses of water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C if necessary, by eliminating it out through my kidneys, just the same as it will do from excess potassium, etc.

However, I, equally, on the other hand, am very concerned about their health! Most people consume far too much protein and fat and salt in their diet, much of which is the animal variety which has been linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, etc., etc.

How can you have an easily digestible healthy (high or all) raw food diet without eating lots of fruit? There are indeed many raw foodists who feel guilty after eating an orange or a few grapes. In my opinion, this is crazy and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be eating fruit (and lots of it) unless you are of course poorly combining it with other foods. That’s where Toxemia sets in. Toxemia is the saturation of the bloodstream by poisons, often caused by a SAD diet, or a lack of sleep, drug taking, alcohol, etc, etc.

So, how do these raw foodists maintain their weight without lots of fruit? The answer appears to be by eating lots of fat. Healthy? In a word ‘No’! A high fat diet, even on a high plant based diet is not conducive to health and will use up your energy in the digestion of food, and the body will have to convert the fat into glucose in order to fuel the brain cells, etc. This is a complicated process and it is far better to consume your calories from simple carbohydrates like fruit. So, are you looking for a raw food meal which will tick all the health boxes? Then look no further than your pineapple, mangoes, strawberries or melon.

Coconut water is Nature’s perfect refreshment in hot weather, but also during exercise. It’s low in calories but contains just enough natural sugar to give you a little boost. It’s also very rich in electrolytes (sodium, potassium), but in jus the right quantities.

In some countries, coconut water was used to replace IV fluid in intravenous rehydration. In fact the medical literature documents quite a few cases where coconut water was used for that purpose, usually in remote places with little medical technology.

What are the benefits of coconut water?

************
Announcement: Spring Cleanse on Monday

Before we get into that, I just want to remind you that next week I’m organizing a free Spring Cleanse.
Anyone can join! Tell your friends. To sign up, just go to:

http://goo.gl/3UPNd

—

First, it’s loaded with potassium. It’s got just enough sodium to maintain electrolyte balance. So it’s the perfect drink to use as a refreshment in tropical countries, and for light physical activity. For really heavy physical activity, such as running under the hot sun for long period of time, more sodium would be needed than what is found in coconut water. This is where a sports drink such as Gatorade would have an edge, in terms of rehydrating the person and preventing heat strokes.

However, in most cases, coconut water is the bomb.

First of all, most people need to take in more potassium because their diet is pretty high in sodium. Potassium balances out sodium intake.

Then, coconut water is low in calories compared to other refreshments. A can of coke contains about 140 calories, while the same can filled with coconut water contains about 60 calories. A huge difference.

So when should you drink coconut water?

- During exercise: it’s the perfect rehydrating fluid, containing just enough sugar to keep you going. However, like I said, if the exercise is very intensive and you sweat a lot, slightly more sodium would be needed.

- As a great “Pick me up” drink. The dose of potassium and the little natural sugar is great for energy.

- To avoid dehydration, in hot weather, and when doing light activity.

Now, how does coconut water compare to Sports drink such as Gatorade?

Let’s use a “can” of 330 ml as a reference. In this case, let’s compare:

Coconut Water

- 60 calories
- 40 mg. sodium
- 680 mg. potassium
- A significant quantity of magnesium (10% of your daily needs)
- Source of vitamin C

Gatorade

- 70 calories
- 42 mg. potassium
- 153 mg. sodium
- Not a source of any other nutrients

So as we can easily tell, coconut water is nature’s Sports Drink, but is heavier in potassium than sodium. In fact, we could consider it a very rich source of potassium. It contains slightly less calories per ounce than Gatorade, which has been formulated to contain more sodium.

Although completely artificial, a product like gatorade would only be more effective, as mentioned previously, in cases where more sodium is needed. But most people already get far too much sodium in their diet already. Unless you exercise like crazy, more is generally not needed.

What About Bottled Coconut Water?

In the past, coconut water wasn’t trendy. In fact, it only started being marketed recently by companies such as:

- Vita-Coco
- ZiCo
- O.N.E.
- Amy and Brian’s Coconut water
- Etc.

In the past, the only way to drink coconut water outside of the tropics would be to buy young coconuts from Asian markets. But as we’ve learned, these coconuts are treated in a very toxic solution before shipping, so there’s a risk of contamination from that.

The main difference with bottled products is that they’ve been pasteurized, and sometimes vitamin C has been added. Is that a big deal?

I don’t think so. It’s much better to get coconut water that’s been pasteurized than “raw” coconut water of dubious origins where the coconut has been dipped in a toxic solution for shipping.

The little pasteurizations doesn’t affect the nutritional qualities (such as electrolytes) of the coconut water.

I’ve tried many brands. At the moment I enjoy the Vita-Coco water because its taste is very close to fresh coconut water, and it’s easy to get. Even Costco now sells it by the case.

If you decide to buy bottled coconut water, make sure it only contains coconut water (and perhaps vitamin C), but no added sugar. Most Asian brands of coconut water will contain added sugar.

In summary, coconut water, whether fresh or bottled, is a great drink to enjoy for rehydration or as an alternative to other sports drink. Only someone doing very heavy exercise, especially in the sun, might need more sodium than what is found in coconut water. Then, adding a pinch of salt to the coconut water will do the job!

Enjoy your next coconut!

Frederic

PS: Don’t forget to sign up for next week’s Spring Cleanse. Anyone can join. It’s a great way to get back on track with a healthy lifestyle… and yes, coconut water is allowed during the cleanse Go to:

http://goo.gl/3UPNd

By, Bill Kranker

www.wildsexyhealth.com

The other day I was watching an old episode of a TV show called “Magnum PI” which stared Tom Selleck.  In many of the episodes Tom’s character was shown doing some type of athletic thing like jogging or swimming or running a marathon which is all really great but often he would also be shown reaching for a beer just after a run or as he was drying off after a swim.  Back in the 1980′s, when the show was popular on TV, I would have thought nothing of this as I was not much better myself. I would go for a run or workout and then have a steak and potato dinner with ice scream for dessert.   The theory back then was that it did not matter much what you eat because you could just work it off later.  But is this really the case?  Can you just work off any type of food that you put into your mouth?  Let’s look at a few facts:

First, what about working off those excess Calories?  According to runnersworld.com, running uses up about 105 net calories per mile (this is net calories over what you would use just lying on the couch. For women it would be about 74 calories net).  I have seen people (Including myself!) easily consume over 800 excess calories per day on a regular unhealthy diet. So using the above formula we would need to run about 8 miles in order to burn up those 800 extra calories.  In reality how many of us are really going to do that much running every day?  Or maybe, you think that just walking will burn off that extra indulgence.  Walking only uses up about 52 net calories (43 for the ladies) so you would need to walk the equivalent of a half-marathon in order to remove the caloric excess!  That is a good amount of exercise for the average person.  And as for Mr. Magnum he would need to run about an extra 2 miles just to work off that 200 Calorie beer.  (Calories of beer courtesy of beer100.com)

Second: Not all calories are created equal.  When people take in too much it is usually the fat calories that they add in excess.  800 Calories of fat such as animal foods or even healthy fats like avocado are much harder for humans to use up because we are not very well equipped for digesting fat (we lack the required digestive enzyme) so any extra calories from fat will get set aside (around our waist and hips) for later disposition while the body concentrates on the useful carb calories it needs for energy.  So a run on the treadmill is likely not very effective against these fatty calories.

Third: a lot of the calories we take in are pure chemical junk and will have to go through a much more complicated process than simple digestion and conversion to energy.  Often these bad calories are stored in our fat layer or diluted with water for later disposal when more energy is available.  Often this extra energy does not become available and these bad chemicals just hang around in our padding.  In essence, we become a storage unit of toxic waste! So what are these junk calories?  How about “artificial flavors” or anything on those ingredient labels that you can’t easily pronounce. Again, this type of calorie is not easy to “Work Off!”

So if you are really interested in becoming healthy I would start with making the necessary dietary changes first as you will get much more accomplished by changing your diet than you will with all of those hours spent on the treadmill!

So what are some of those dietary changes you ask?  The following are my basic rules for food:

1)      Stay away from packaged and processed foods as much as possible.  If it comes in a can, box, bag or bottle you should probably try and avoid it.  Also if it has a nutrition label on it, don’t bother reading all of that fine print, just pass it by!

2)      Make the majority of your food intake from fruit.  Fruit has the highest calorie to weight ratio of all of the fresh unprocessed foods.  Fruit is also composed of healthy carb calories that provide us the cellular energy we need.  In this case these calories are the good calories!

3)      Make sure to also get some greens and healthy fats into your diet.  Greens, such as spinach, collards or kale, have the minerals you need and the fats such as avocado and nuts provide fuel for your brain.  Just keep the fats to a minimum though (about ½ avocado or a small palm full of nuts per day average at most)

Don’t just take my word for it.  Keep studying and researching.  A good place to start is with some of Frederic’s great books that have a wealth of healthy info and recipes in them.  It is better to learn from the success and failures of others than by trial and error yourself!

So change your diet first and then let the workout begin!

Until next time make at least one change for the better each and every day!

Bill

I’m now ready to announce the three winners of my book “Raw Freedom”… you will all get a free copy as soon as the book is ready!

The three winners are:

1. Melinda says:
   
   March 12, 2013 at 11:55 am
   My reason is simple. The struggle. When I first found the raw foods lifestyle, I lost weight easily, didn’t crave bad food, and did great. I ate too much fat to begin with, but still lost weight easily. Juice fasted for a month and never had more energy in my life! Since then it’s been a seesaw back and forth between cooked and raw never finding the balance I need. The weight came back, unless I’m 100% raw my body does not want to release the weight. I also feel unwell when I eat any cooked food and am interested to see how you solved that issue for yourself. I’d love to have a chance to see how your book balances the two and would be honoured and grateful to receive it.

melissa says:

March 12, 2013 at 11:58 am

Hi!! Congratulations on the new book! I have been vegan for over a year and veg most of my life. I was super strict and thought I must adhere to all these “rules” in order to call myself a true vegan. I have recently discovered this is a journey and I will discover what works for me! There are no rules or regulations; I just have to listen to my body. I do cheat sometimes when it comes to sweets and am learning to forgive myself and move on– tomorrow is a new day. What I like about your info is that there is a combo of raw, cooked and lots of different suggestions for whichever way you choose to eat!
Keep up the good work and keep the blogs coming!!

1. Scott says:
   
   March 12, 2013 at 12:13 pm
   I’m a big fan Frederic! Glad to see you are still pumping out great material and that you are consistently open to sharing the facts, even if it makes waves in the raw community.
   I have been striving for balance within my diet for years. I would love to check out your new book to see if it provides the answers I have been looking for.

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