Smoothies for Optimal Health

My 30-day cleanse has been interesting so far.  I find myself craving raw foods and head to the market daily to stock up with copious quantities of fresh vegetables and fruits.  I come home with arms full of fresh produce and nuts and quickly realize that my kitchen is short on storage space.  The cupboards are full of pastas I no longer eat but keep on hand for my honey-man.  The pantry is full of the canned soups he likes to eat and multiples of things like pancake mix that he always comes home with on the rare occasions he heads out to the grocery store (we have three unopened boxes of pancake mix in the pantry!).

So I set to re-organizing my kitchen.  For the next 30-days (at minimum) canned foods and pancake mix have been banished to the downstairs kitchen.  Pastas have been moved to make room for a few mason jars full of nuts and seasonings.  And the coffee maker that does not get any use has been stashed away to make room on the counter for my blender.  Ah… I feel better already.

If you’re experimenting with the raw diet or just want pointers on how to better organize your kitchen, the following article by Karen Knowler will help get you started.

Your Raw Kitchen Checklist
By Karen Knowler

Setting up a raw food kitchen is exciting and uplifting, especially when you are new to raw foods or taking your diet to a new level.

The following check points, taken from my “How to Get Started with Raw Foods” eBook, will help ensure that your raw food kitchen is as easy and functional to use as possible, making your chances of staying with the lifestyle much more likely and much more simple.

1) Keep your key pieces of equipment in a prominent and clear position, next to a plug point, plugged in and ready to go for whenever the need strikes!

2) Next to each piece of equipment keep the relevant foodstuffs and/or ingredients that you are going to be using with that appliance. For instance, I keep all my smoothie ingredients and a big bunch of bananas next to my blender, my fruit bowl next to my juicer and a chopping board next to my food processor (which is next to my juicer so serves them both).

3) Keep as much of the counter space completely clear as possible. This not only looks and feels better, but it means there is never an excuse not to make something because of lack of space or having to clear up first!



4) Group your foods into different places. For instance, I keep all my dried herbs, spices, sea veg and misc. other in one cupboard, my superfoods, flavourings and sweeteners on a shelf next to my blender, my salts, oils and sundried tomatoes in another corner where I may go to season dressings, dips or salads, and all of my nuts, seeds and dried fruits are kept in my “Lazy Susan” (the rotating half- moons that sit behind cupboard doors and are usually used to keep saucepans on!). Any cooked food items that I keep for my son or visitors I keep out the back in my utility room, so that they’re there for emergencies but are never the first things I see or easy to get to. All the rest of my food is kept in the fridge, with a few frozen fruits and/or raw ice-creams kept in the freezer.

5) Keep a good clean supply of water in a prominent location so it’s always close to hand. There are many ways to obtain good quality water, but this is probably something for later on. For the short term I advise NOT to drink tap water and at the very least invest in a basic jug water filter or investigate other more effective pure water systems.

6) Keep your sharp knives in a drawer, a knife holder or on a magnetic wall hanging as close to your chopping board as possible. This way you are always ready to chop and go!

7) Keep a notepad and pen, chalk board or pinboard with blank paper and pen attached close to hand so that when you start experimenting you can make notes or write down your new recipes as you go. Also great for making sure you know what to buy or order in when you run out of a certain ingredient, of course.

Keep your bowls, jugs and Tupperware containers all in one cupboard so that you know exactly where to find them when you need some containers.

9) Keep one drawer purely for housing miscellaneous tools such as salad servers, a hand held citrus juicer, your zester and grater, you measuring cups and your spatulas and any other utensils that you use as part of your fresh food prep.



10) Find a safe and a clean place to house your favourite recipe book/s and any other useful literature, but avoid the temptation to create clutter. Best to choose one or two frequently used books and keep the remainder filed safely elsewhere.

When you have made the necessary changes to you kitchen taking all of the above into account, run it past the all-important final check…

Final Check Questions



* Is my kitchen functional?

* Does it look spacious?

* Are things easy to get to?

* Are my most important accessories and appliances in clear view and/ or super-easy to reach for?

* Is my food well organised?

* Are my cupboards clear, clean and well organised inside?

* Are my “less healthy” foods and kitchen appliances harder (if not impossible!) to get to?

* Does my kitchen inspire me to take care of myself?

* Does it look beautiful?

* Have I made the most of this space?

* All things considered, have I set my kitchen up for success and does it inspire me to get creative?

This is just a tiny fraction of what you can do with your kitchen for making it the best it can possibly be. If you want to be hand-held and given my latest and most potent raw food kitchen secrets than Let’s Get Rawganized! will give you all you need and more!
© 2009 Karen Knowler

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes “Successfully Raw” - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you’re ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

My honey-man woke up this morning feeling as if a cold were coming on.  So I grabbed my sneakers and headed downstairs to my homegym to get in an extra long workout as my preferred method of cold prevention.  He popped a few vitamin C pills and crawled back in bed.

Preventing the common cold is not merely a case of consuming large supplemental doses of Vitamin C. While it’s true that getting enough Vitamin C is vital for maintaining health, studies have shown that vitamin C in amounts greater than 200 milligrams – that’s more than double our recommended daily requirements - did not have an effect in boosting the immune system and/or preventing the common cold.

On the other hand, exercise has a proven, powerful effect. Every time you exercise (even exercising at a moderate intensity), the immune system starts functioning at a higher level - and remains elevated for about three hours. So exercise helps stimulate the body’s first line of defense against bacteria, viruses and other invaders.

I’m living proof.  My honey-man will be ill with a cold or flu three times this season.  I haven’t been ill since my bout with food poisoining in November 2007.  So regular exercise works as a method for avoiding a cold.  But to be on the safe side, I think I’ll eat more greens and fruits today.

Frederic Patenaude is the publisher of the Green for Life Program.  He is currently giving away free subscription to his online mini-course on the benefits of greens. Visit this website while charter subscriptions last.  Just click here

According to many survey results, less than 5% of people on a “healthy diet” eat sufficient quantities of green leafy vegetables (greens).

I have a confession: I belonged to that category for a very long time!  Even though I knew greens were good for me, I just didn’t eat enough of them (and didn’t realize it!).

We know greens are good.  We’ve heard we need to eat more of them.  But we don’t do it.  And here’s what’s even more amazing: those who *think* they eat enough greens, rarely do!

So today, I’m going to give you my:  Top-5 Ways to Eat More Greens

1- *Make Green Smoothies*

I’ve talked about it a lot before.  Green smoothies are great!  Blend fruit and greens for a surprising result.

Here are some recipes from my book Instant Raw Sensations.  (To order the book and get more green smoothie recipes, click here)

Basic Winter Green Smoothie

1 apple
1 pear
2 bananas
1 and 1/2 cups kale
1 stalk celery
Water

Dice the fruit or cut in big chunks.  Blend all ingredients together with about half a cup (up to 1 full cup) of water.

Romans Gone Mad

4 bananas
1 to 1 and 1/2 cups water
2 cups romaine lettuce

Blend bananas with water.  Add romaine lettuce progressively.  Blend until smooth.

2- *Make Blended Salad - Tasty!*

Once you’ve experimented with green smoothies on a daily basis, you can “graduate” to making blended salads.

Brand new blended salad recipes will be found in my book, “Green Power Recipe Guide” which comes with the “Green for Life Program” (for more information, click here).

Here is one recipe from my book, “Raw Soups, Salads & Smoothies.”

Keep in mind that blended salads are NOT for raw-food beginners.  If you want to get started eating more greens, start with Green Smoothies.

*Blended Salad*

2-3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 ribs of celery
4 leaves lettuce (big)
1 big handful spinach
1 green onion
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup parsley
2 Tbs. dulse flakes
1 Tbs. nori flakes (optional)
Water if needed

Blend the tomatoes together, and add the rest of the ingredients progressively.  Use water only if you need to.  A blended salad should be quite thick.

3- *Find One Good Healthy Salad Dressing*

At some point, you might enjoy a plain salad without dressing.  But I know the first question people ask me when they find out olive oil isn’t as healthy as they thought, is “how do you make a good salad dressing?”

Here’s one recipe to get you started.

2 tomatoes or cucumbers
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup fresh dill
4 Tbs. tahini (or 1 small avocado)

Blend tomatoes and add other ingredients progressively.  Blend until smoothie.  Add other seasonings if desired.  Use more water if necessary.

4- *Don’t Force Yourself*

Don’t force yourself to eat more greens if you don’t like them!  You’ll get sick easily.  Instead, let your innate hunger for greens come back naturally, by slowly incorporating more greens in your diet in the form of green smoothies, blended salads, etc.

5- *Know the Reasons Why*

Unless you know *why* you need more greens, understand their benefits, and have a clearer idea of things like; what greens to eat, which greens are the best, in what quantities should I eat greens, etc., all this talk about greens may not convince you to modify your diet.

Learning more about the “green side” of the raw food diet will inspire you to include more greens in your diet!  Reaping the benefits of having done so, will reinforce your enthusiasm to take your health to the next level.

Well we made it!  It’s 2009.  The action and activity of 2008 are already starting to become memories.  I’m excited to be sitting here in the early days of 2009 and dreaming of what I want the year to bring: more time with my honey man and my family.  More time at the gym and a leaner and more toned body.  More balance in all aspects of my life.  Better work, eating and sleep habits.  The list goes on and on. 

I know that many people make resolutions for the New Year - I am one of them.  I don’t call them resolutions - preferring to name them goals which I find is a word that frees me from the pressure of a resolution and reminds me that every goal I identify needs to be followed by some serious action steps or I will never reach them.  If this is an area that you have trouble with, then I recommend that you get some coaching in this area.  The best free tools are available through Mark Joyner’s Simpleology website.  The Simpleology 101 course is free and I highly recommend it if you’re stuck in a particular aspect of your life - whether it’s personal relationships, your health or your business. 

If you’re not the techie type and prefer non-computer based tools, I highly recommend the book Getting Things Done by David Allen.  One of my clients uses his method and has gone on to double his productivity since he first started following the techniques in the book.  Personally, I prefer Mark Joyner’s method as it allows me to track things online.  I tend to be a bit of an internet junkie so computer based methods work best for me (since I spend 90% of my life in front of the computer LOL).  But I know many people who have had great success with David Allen’s method too.  If you have goals to achieve in 2009, you won’t go wrong with either of these methods.

As for me, I’m already hard at work on one of my health goals for the year - and believe me, it’s hard work!  Last summer, I was diagnosed with a cold allergy - I break out in hives when my body temperature drops too quickly.  It’s not an allergy I’ve had my entire life but it has developed over the past three or four years.  The allergist and my doctor both recommended staying warm as the cure.  I live in Canada - we have winter here and I like to walk every where so that really isn’t the best strategy for me. 

Being an internet junkie, I turned to the world wide web for a solution and have discovered a link between gluten intolerance and cold urticaria.  As luck would have it, I have a friend who was diagnosed as a celiac a few years ago.  I phoned him up and asked if he ever had any problems with skin allergies before his diagnosis and it turns out that he would also break out into hives when he got cold.  Now that he’s been living gluten free for a few years, he hasn’t had any problem so I’m hoping that a gluten free diet will help bring my body back into balance. 

I recently listened to an interesting interview that my client conducted with an expert on gluten and she suggests that living gluten-free for six months may resolve any issues that your body is having with gluten intolerance. 

January 1st was Day 1 of my gluten-free life.  It’s been a bit challenging to make the adjustment.  There are a lot of hidden sources of gluten in our diets so it’s going to take a little bit of legwork to figure out what foods I can and cannot eat for the next few months as well as finding gluten-free products to replace some of the staples in my household (pasta, bread, pizza dough to name a few).

I’m not sure what to expect by removing gluten from my diet but my hope is that it will resolve my cold allergy.  We’ll see how it goes.  I’m really looking forward to giving it a try.  You can follow my progress here on this blog.

Happy New Year!

The scariest part about Halloween is not the witches and ghosts and goblins, but the ingredients in the treats your kids bring home to Eat!

I just heard about a wonderful new book that I think you’ll like.

I don’t know about you, but after all I’ve been learning about how much food effects my health, and all the dangers of processed food, bad fats and artificial colors and ingredients, it scares me to think about how much candy and processed food everyone consumes on Halloween. 

If you’re serious about being healthy and keeping yourself from serious illness, like cancer, heart disease and diabetes, then check out this new e-book.  It has alternatives to Halloween candy that taste amazing and make you healthier at the same time.  The e-book is called “Healthy Halloween Treats”  by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo.  The author is one of my colleagues.  She’s dedicated her life to helping people heal themselves from illness and become strong, energetic and healthy.

The book is 100% guaranteed.  If you don’t find it valuable and worth more than the very reasonable investment she’s asking, she’ll refund your money…no hassles, no quibbles.. for up to a year!  So it’s really a no risk proposition.  And, the book is an e-book, which means that you get to download it immediately on your computer.  You don’t have to wait for it to be mailed to you!

I’d love you to check it out:

http://tinyurl.com/5kwz3f

I find it scary to think about all those kids walking door to door collecting all that sugary, artificially colored candy.   When Dr. Ritamarie, explained to me that our T cells, the part of our immune systems that protect us from disease, become half as effective for up to 6 hours after eating a couple of teaspoons of sugar, I was shocked.  I got scared when I thought about how paralyzed our immune systems will be on Halloween and throughout the week afterwards if we eat all that candy again.

To order the book, go to 

http://tinyurl.com/5kwz3f

I hope you sign up!  I think the book is awesome.

~ Deborah

Smoothie stands are popping up like espresso bars all over the country, but these refreshing drinks are a cinch to make at home.  It takes just minutes to whip up a smooth concoction of succulent blackberries, sweet blueberries, chilled grape juice, and rich vanilla yogurt. Or to savor a juicy mango combined with ambrosial buttermilk, zesty fresh ginger, and tart lime juice.

Smoothies is bursting with tempting suggestions for adventurous mixtures of fruits, flavorings, sorbets, yogurts, soy milks, and other deliciously healthful ingredients zinging with energy.

I never get tired of trying new smoothie recipes.  I never get tired of drinking smoothies.  In fact, I work in a Smoothie Day once a week (where I “eat” nothing but no-fat smoothies).  Tons of smoothie books line my shelves and I’ll randomly pick a recipe each time I reach for them.  I’m also not afraid of just tossing in various ingredients and creating on the fly - or the whiz as the case may be.   

Order Smoothies: 50 Recipes For High-Energy Refreshment from Amazon today.

One of the first healthy cookbooks to enter my family home was one compiled by Joseph & Bernie Piscatella.  It may have even been this book which has been updated with a new cover so that I do not recognize it.  My mum “discovered” healthy eating in her mid-forties.  Like many others, she was already experiencing health issues.  Like many others, she did not do much to change her habits.  It’s not easy to change, especially if you are trying to implement changes without the support of your spouse or a network of like-minded individuals.  That’s where The Raw Divas can help!  Even if you’re not raw, they have built an amazing supportive community and they’re passionate about helping you live your best life. 

Joseph C. Piscatella’s five ground-breaking books on eating and health have sold nearly 2 million copies collectively. At long last, he has combined his hundreds of diverse, easy-to-follow and good-for-you recipes into this one new volume. And as a smart cook is a well informed one, this generous collection includes nutritional information with every recipe, plus an extensive nutritional guide featuring fat grams, calories, and other information about the widest array of foods and ingredients.

This mammoth cookbook has mouthwatering surprises on every page, and is a great step toward a longer, healthier, and happier life.

Earlier this summer, I led a group eCoaching program. The coaching program was based on Frederic Patenaude’s Living Naturally Coaching Program. For eight weeks, we focused on implementing positive habits. More specifically, we focused on implementing one positive habit and incorporating it into our lives. 

As group leader, I went through the program with everyone. The healthy habit I chose to adopt was to reduce the number of hours I spend in front of the computer, and thereby reduce my stress.

Why the focus on stress?
Stress is the number one cause of chronic illness in our country today. Believe it or not, we’re affected by stress at almost every turn. Food can cause stress through impurities and the chemical processes inherent in the production of our food. We’re affected by stress through toxins in the air we breathe. Then there’s the emotional stress, which for some is daily - problems with spouses, or children or parents or even co-workers. There’s work related stress caused by long hours, or working in an unfulfilling job or even wearing too many hats. And finally, illness or prescription medications or even over the counter remedies and supplements can cause stress.

Each of these factors has the ability to influence our bodies and create stress on our nervous system, which in turn stresses our internal organs, which in turn affects our entire body. With so many potential sources of stress, it’s important to have stress relieving and stress protecting exercises to help alleviate the effects of stress from our bodies.

There are many different methods and models you can follow to reduce stress but one of my favorite techniques is a simple breathing exercise. No fancy equipment is needed, just a few focused, quiet moments and you’ll be well on your way to easing stress.

Sit up straight in a chair with your feet on the floor and a long spine. Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath. Start by inhaling for a count of seven seconds. Inhale through your nose and breath into your diaphragm. Feel your spine get longer and taller. Fill your lower abdomen with air. Visualizing your body filling like a balloon. Hold your breath for a count of nine seconds. Visualize floating. Feel the feeling of lightness that springs from the balloon in your belly. Then exhale through your mouth for a count of twelve seconds. Visualize the moments of your day melting away and moving out of your body. Picture letting go of your balloon and any negative feelings floating away with it.

Focus on the Exhale
Erica Rodefer of Yoga Journal writes: In the yogic practice of breath control (or pranayama), the exhale has a special function. While the inhale is stimulating, the exhale is relaxing. While the inhale is about bringing energy into the body, the exhale is about releasing stress, toxins, and pain.

Because of this, you can use conscious breathing as a break in your day. By focusing on your exhale, you can let go of the past and come into the present with a renewed commitment.

Try this for a few minutes anytime you need to let go of something. It can have a profound effect on your emotional and physical health.

“How to Completely Succeed With Your Diet and Fitness Program… Even If Everything You’ve Tried Before Has Failed”
	Presenting a no nonsense system for succeeding with a healthy diet and fitness program in an unnatural, stressful world. Finally overcome cravings, lack of motivation and bad habits… and learn to easily stay on track and motivated, without willpower or “all-or-nothing” propositions that don’t work! Click here to find out more

My friend and raw food expert, Frederic Patenaude, is doing something special to celebrate the 6th anniversary of the publication of his book The Raw Secrets. 

But before I tell you what he’s doing, let me share the story behind The Raw Secrets.

You see, Frederic didn’t set out to write the book. The Raw Secrets actually started as an article entitled “100% Raw or 100% Healthy?”, where he vehemently criticized the stupidity and fanaticism of the raw food movement at the time.

But as the article grew and started expanding into new articles, he realized that he would soon have a book.

And that’s how “The Raw Secrets” was born. It was the first book written from the perspective of an insider of the raw food movement to openly criticize it while at the same time promoting a rational version of the raw food diet that
worked.

It was the first published book to really point out the fact that *most* people do NOT succeed on a raw food diet, and explained exactly *why* that is so. It was also the first book to expose the dangers of the high-fat, “Hollywood” version of the raw food diet promoted heavily since the late
nineties by almost every single modern raw food “guru”. 

As you can imagine, the book created quite a stir.

And here we sit six years later, after severl re-printings and one major re-write, and still not much has changed in the modern “raw food movement”.

They are still promoting the same old “Hollywood” diet that doesn’t work, and beginners starting out are more confused than ever before and faced with dozens of new contradicting theories.

Are you tired of being confused?

Don’t you want to end your confusion about health and nutrition, once and for all?

That’s why Frederic is doing something special to mark the 6th Anniversary of The Raw Secrets.

He has a great product called “The Raw Health Starter Kit”, which includes his book “The Raw Secrets” as well as over $350 of additional material.

But for the next 24 hours, he’s offering a special, “Raw Secrets Anniversary” Package.

In addition to all of the material you will find in the Raw Health Starter Kit, if you order in the next 48 hours you will also receive:

- “70 Healthy Salad Dressings You Can Make in 2 Minutes or Less”
- “Living Naturally in an Unnatural World” — which shows you exactly how to succeed with a raw food lifestyle and exercise program in spite of social commitments and other “hurdles”
- “7 Gourmet Raw Food Recipe Everyone Should Know”
- Frederic’s special report on “Anti-Aging and Perfect Health Through Seasonal Cleansing”

And some surprise bonuses as well!

To find out more, go immediately to:

http://tinyurl.com/2ax2a9

Dr. Joe Vitale has an inspirational post on his website about his former guitar teacher, Todd Silva, and his quest for prosperity.  The story on Todd’s website is truly inspirational and I just had to share it here.  I’m inspired to “give away a dollar a day” starting tomorrow though I must admit the prospect of doing so fills me with anxiety.  But that will be my challenge - to commit whole-heartedly to the simplicity of the concept and the joy that will be shared by both giver and receiver.

You may read the full post by Joe Vitale by clicking here.

You may find out more about Todd and his story by clicking here.