The Benefits of Raw Food

Here's a little something I stumbled upon this week that is so delicious, easy and healthy!

It's a combo of chopped fresh produce ~ mainly colorful stuff like chopped purple cabbage, red and green peppers, carrots, broccoli, red and green onion, cilantro; and black and garbanzo beans. My husband put it altogether in a bowl and set it in the fridge after we had watched a DVD on eating raw foods.

A small cut of salmon or other meat, and it's a meal!

But meat isn't in the raw foods plan, you may say. True, but it is in most people's diets. So if you have a heaping serving of the vegetable dish I just mentioned, you won't be able to eat a large portion of anything else because it's loaded with fiber. A note ~ don't ruin what it has to offer by dousing it with dressing from the supermarket. Instead use lime or lemon juice, or balsamlc vinegar and olive oil.

I don't have health insurance, and so I consider eating fresh fruits and vegetables a major part of risk management. I'm not always good about avoiding sweet treats, but I have to say it's much easier the more vegetables and fruit I eat. And it's less costly and less time consuming, so there's the added benefit of reduced stress.

We can choose to nourish our bodies, and we can choose the most effective way of doing that! Healthy eating is affordable healthcare!  

Awareness Is Your Ticket for Change

A nugget to consider...When you are aware of what you are really hungry for, your relationship with food will never be the same.

That's because once you've paused long enough to notice what you are choosing and why you are choosing it, that awareness will always be there.

With awareness comes change, because regardless of what we choose from that point, the awareness in and of itself is transformational.

So there's no reason to be too cerebral about the whole food thing. Just relax and notice!

What Do You REALLY Gain From Coupon Shopping?

I caught a few minutes of that food coupon show on one of the cable channels today.

I've taken a stab at it a few times during those years when my kids were small. But I'm not so sure you gain much with all that bargain quantity.  I have to question the nutritional value of  a stockpile of all those boxes and cans ~ unless it's stored for a major disaster when grocery shelves are empty.

But barring that, my belief is you can still save a ton of money by just eating more simply and wasting less.

I made a meal for myself this evening with less food than many people throw out. I diced a quarter of a yellow squash, half a red bell pepper, a few slices of yellow onion and some fresh spinach and sauteed it in a bit of olive oil, along with some salt, pepper and basil for seasoning. Then I tossed that with some cooked linguini. It was quick, cheap, delicious and nutritious!

The remainder of those veggies can be tossed into the crockpot, along with some broccoli, carrots, celery, mushrooms and vegetable broth for a tasty soup for my granddaughters tomorrow. Not only that, with more fiber, they'll crave less later on in the afternoon. When they're hungry, they'll get some apple slices dipped in peanut butter.

I buy some canned stuff, but generally it's an array of beans when I don't have time to pressure cook them for soups and salads, diced tomatoes when they're not in season, and canned broths. I also stock my pantry with pasta, oatmeal, olive oil, peanut butter, raisins, salsas and several kinds of vinegars.

So with some fresh produce from the fridge, I can prepare a lot of different meals. If I want to incorporate some fish, or other meat for guests, I generally buy it that day, and the serving sizes are small. Why? Because we don't need that much protein to be healthy.

In fact, we don't need that much food to be healthy.

Want to save money? Instead of clipping coupons, spend your time planning meals with plenty of fiber, and drink plenty of water.

It's money in the bank because it's an investment in your health! 

Eating Right Includes Supplements!

It's a fact.

That's because we're not eating our great-grandmother's vegetables!

Yes, there are plenty of those who will say if you eat right, you don't need supplements. And there is that concern that with the plethora that's out there, you may pick some that could interact badly with prescription medications you may be taking.

But to keep it simple here, my readings convince me that if you're eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, a good quality multi-vitamin and extra vitamin D3 is a great combination. There's lots of research out there supporting taking vitamin D3 because most of us don't get enough sunlight exposure to provide what our bodies need.

And the case for a multi vitamin is a no brainer because the mineral quality of our soils has been seriously depleted as a result of large scale growing practices. That's the reason why buying organic is mainly to avoid harmful pesticide levels, as opposed to a product that's as nutrient rich as what was grown decades ago.

Look for a whole foods vitamin, rather than those that are synthetically produced, because your body will metabolize them more efficiently.

If you are dealing with a serious health issue, however, consult a nutritionist for advice on higher levels of supplementing.

You Have to Feed Your Soul

Gary Smalley wrote a book called Food & Love, and in it he postulates that relationship issues can fuel food cravings ~ and food issues can create struggles in our relationships.

It certainly makes sense. Geneen Roth says much the same thing in her book, Women, Food & God. Solve your relationship with food and you'll clear up problems in other areas of your life.

The key here is to know which hunger needs to be fed ~ physical or emotional? Most people confuse emotional hunger for physical hunger, but despite their choices, the solution for emotional hunger isn't food.

We all crave connection ~ especially with our own hearts. Barring that, we end up looking for love in all the wrong places. Like in the refrigerator!