Eating RAW

I remember years ago when I heard that there were people who ate a plant based diet but it was also totally raw. As someone who loves fruits and vegetables raw, I still thought that a totally raw diet was extreme and I could not imagine that it could be tasty and seemed dull and boring. Today as a vegetarian on the verge of being a vegan, I now realize that meat eaters look at me as extreme, somone out of the ordinary and of course I must be eating boring and unexciting food.

I thought it was time for me to know and understand eating raw. I called raw foodist and expert, Michele Marie Jeppson, the founder and editor of Super Raw Life Magazine. Michele is not some crazy extremist. She lives and works in Utah with her husband and children. Other than having a raw diet, she is just like many American women.

Michele had no intention to become a raw foodist. In 2009, she joined Strength From Within, a 21 day raw food healing and cleanse retreat. After the 21 days, she felt so good. She was able to lose a drastic amount of weight, the pounds literally dropped away. Since that time,Michele has maintained over 100 pound weight loss utilizing the raw vegan lifestyle.

 

Michele, Before and After …. WOW !!!

Benefits of Eating RAW

Weight Loss and Enzymes -Raw food is considered food that is eaten without being cooked or heated at temperatures over 116 degrees Fahrenheit. Raw foods contain enzymes which are destroyed when cooked at temperatures over 116 degrees Fahrenheit. Enzymes are crucial in the body and help with digestion. Enzymes help you body take the nutrients out of food before it passes out of your system. You can survive without enzymes but you won't get the maximum nutritional potential from your food. You will have to eat more food to get the same amount of nutrients with cooked food than eating it raw.

Focus - Eating raw helps focus on the things that are important and make you more emotionally in tune with yourself and others. You will feel like a wall of fog has been removed in your mind. It’s easier to think clearly and focus for longer periods of time

Eat All You Want -.You never get that uncomfortable full feeling eating raw. You can eat as much as you want. You will feel full but you don’t feel tired or weighed down.

Less Cleanup -There are few dishes, utensils and no pots and pans to wash when you eat fresh fruit and vegetables.

Less Trash - Eating raw means less packaging.This means less trash in landfills.

More Regularity -You should naturally have around two to three bowel movements a day. If you’re going less than that, it probably means your intestines are unhealthily clogged. A raw diet gives you enough fiber to keep you regular.

Connect with Nature - Eating fresh food just makes you feel different. You feel more connected to the earth and nature. Eating lots of processed foods — frozen, canned or from a box creates more of a gap and leaves you feeling disconnected from the earth that sustains you.

You don’t have to go 100% raw to see the benefits of eating this way. You can transition to a raw diet. Start eating vegetarian style and then eliminate dairy slowly.. Any increase in raw foods in your diet will give you noticeable and immediate results.

Like many people, Michele is an emotional eater.....food was and is an addiction. She said that eating raw one must be prepared. You must have the right equipment such as a good juicer and dehydrator do make preparing raw dishes easier, but they are not necessary to begin a raw lifestyle. Being prepared also means stocking your pantry and your refrigerator with foodsto create your raw meals and snacks.

Suggested Items To Have In Your Pantry
* Assortment of nuts and seeds, sunflower, pine nuts, pecans, walnuts,
macademia nuts, coconut flakes (large and small flakes)
* Nutritional Yeast Flakes (To give your recipes that Cheesy Flavor)
* Redmond Sea Salt
* Psyllium Husk
* Flax seeds (powdered and whole)
* Chia Seeds
* Raisins and dates
* Legumes for sprouting
* Cacao Powder and Cacao Paste
* Cacao Butter
* Coconut Oil (great for puddings, soups, to sprinkle over salads)
* Sun Dried Tomatoes and tomato powder
Suggested Items To Have In Your Refrigerator
* Miso
* Coconut aminos, Tamari(Wheat Free) or Namo Shoyu (Soy Sauce Taste)
* Assortment of fresh fruits and veggies (carrots, celery, peppers, items for juicing
cucumbers, lettuce, celery, ginger, lemons)
Michele loves mushrooms and when she finds a good deal, she will stock up and
dry them in her dehydrator.She stores the dehydrated mushroom in glass jars and uses the mushrooms in salads and other recipe5a4e6aeef7views. You can find many delicious nutrient packed recipes for free on:

http://mail.google.com/u/0/?ui=2&ik=c5a46aeef&view=pt&search=inbox&th=13d42b7e6d4ed236

Meal Examples

Breakfast

Make a living granola.The night before, soak sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds) 1 cup of each. Then in the morning blend them with 6-8dates and 1/2 cup of raisins, stir in 1-2 cups of
coconut flakes and fresh berries. Make your own fresh nut milk- 1 cup nuts to 4 cups water with vanilla and dates. Blend till smooth and strain.Reserve nut pulp for cookies and other recipes.Juice citrus and smoothies are great .Keep frozen fruit on hand. Green juice for breakfast is a great way to start the morning

Snacks

Fruit, Crackers and Dip, Trail Mix

Lunch and Dinner

Big Salads dressed with a peanut sauce, almond butter,lime juice, coconut oil, sea salt
and ginger. And the ever popular pizza using portobello mushrooms for base of quick pizzas.

Here is the link to Michele's favorite Raw Vegan Pizza recipe:
http://www.immerwachsen.com/2011/09/21/mozzarella-sun-dried-tomato-pizza

Raw foods opened Michele’s mind and really got her creative juices flowing. She made the choice to transition out of the mortgage industry; it was a natural transition to do the magazine and focus on her photography. November 2010 was the first issue of Super Raw Life Magazine. The magazine is also a writing platform for other to share their ideas related to this RAW lifestyle. You can get a FREE digital subsciption to the magazine. Many people like the print version which is also available. Tne Fall issue will be in stores across the country and venues are opening up in Canada, Australia, Singapore, Brazil and selected countries in Europe.

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"Raw food is not limited it is limitless"

Michele Marie Jeppson

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