Archive: July, 2010

Not Milk

White as Milk. The spider too...

I was a milk addict before I became raw. Every day I made a quart of  delicious creamy yogurt, I had milk with Ezekiel as breakfast, was a huge fan of French cheeses. Leaving out milk of my diet seemed an impossible task. But not after feeling the difference in about one week. I was less tired and my muscles stopped hurting in no time.

Milk of raw seeds or nuts is so easy to make! Delicious. Fast. Nutritious. You won’t miss the ‘real’ thing and will feel better. You can use any nut or seed and the proportion is always the same. If you use brown nuts, soak overnight to release the enzyme inhibitors. You also will have to strain them to get rid of the brown peels and have a white color. Almonds are the best choice because they are alkaline. But if you are looking for a fast solution in the chaos of getting ready in time in the morning, cashew nuts or hemp seeds are the way to go. Blend and go!

HEMP SEED MILK

Hemp seeds are one of the most nutritious food sources on earth. They contain the highest quality of Omega 3 and 6. Hemp is packed with 33 percent pure digestible protein. Those little seeds have all eight essential amino acids and essential fatty acids needed to sustain health. One glass of hemp seed milk provides you most of the proteins you need in one day and charges you with lots of vitamin E and iron. Also children love this milk and have many benefits from drinking this fresh made non diary product.

TOOLS YOU NEED

A blender or a hand mixer

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for Hemp Seed Milk

  • 1 C hemp seeds or cashew nuts
  • 3 or 4 C water, depending on how thin or thick you like the milk
  • 1 date or 1 TBS honey  to sweeten a little bit

All in blender

Place all the hemp seeds, water and the date into the blender. Blend until smooth, usually a matter of seconds with a high speed blender. With another blender it might take fifteen to thirty seconds…That’s it! It takes longer to write this down. No straining because the seeds are so soft that the texture is smooth as… milk.


One Day On Raw!

Last night I was wondering how I can convince more people of the power of rawfood. There is only one way. DO IT! Let me make it easy for you, if you are still hesitating because of practical questions. What can I eat in the morning? How do I start this? What am I gonna have next? Well, today you won’t have to think, just take action. How does a raw day looks like? Let me give you an example of how easy and delicious your FIRST RAW DAY can be.

YOUR ONE DAY RAW TRIAL!

  • Start your day with a GREEN SMOOTHIE. Try out the recipe I gave in the post SMOOTH HEALTH and enjoy being green! In my next post I will teach you how to make nut milk and a very simple muesli in a few minutes that will convince you this is so much better than ‘the real thing’ you buy in the supermarkets. Drink lots of water, herbal teas or fresh juices in between and you will be fine, fine, fine!

    Your daily health in a bottle.

  • It is summer so what is easier and faster than making a nice, colorful salad? Check out my COOL SUMMER SALAD and you will feel fresh and satisfied. You have to work? Prepare the salad after breakfast in the morning and take it with you in a sealed container. And yes, you can take what is left over of your morning smoothie too…

    Cool summer salad

  • You are longing for a snack? Make a TRAIL MIX. Grab a handful of cashew nuts, mix them with some cacao nibs and Goji berries, throw all in a small container or zip bag and you are ready to go on again.
  • To make it a perfectly raw day, make the ZUCCHETTI and you will be delighted and think: “Now, that wasn’t that hard was it?”

    Cool Zucchini Tower

    Cool Zucchini Tower

  • Dessert? That CHOCOLATE LOVE BAR will bring you in the mood for love…

    Pure Temptation Within Reach

    Pure Temptation Within Reach

  • You feel like having a glass of wine or alcohol in the evening? Make a FRESH JUICE of  4 green apples, 1 lime and a piece of ginger of about 1/2 or one inch and you will think you are drinking some fancy cocktail.

Yes, it can be this easy… enjoy and let me know if you liked it!

HOW do I start?

Why do you want to go raw?

What is your ultimate goal?

When would you like to be there?

Do you FEEL ready to go for it?

Going raw is not as difficult as it seems to be. Once you found your reason WHY, excitement will take over from your doubts and fear. Simply because eating raw will open new possibilities, a new world, your new YOU. And just admit that you want CHANGE, so why hesitate one more minute? You need one more push in the back? Just think of the sparkling energy that will lift you up, think of the new body you will receive, think of losing pain and complaints, think of your “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” moment, think of looking radiant, think of feeling ravishing, think of living longer and HEALTHY!

Freshly Picked...

Freshly Picked...

Being raw is not about being 100 % raw overnight. It is about adding as much healthy, ORGANIC food as possible gradually and leaving out the food that takes away your energy and health. Many, many issues or complaints will disappear as snow in the sun as soon as you eat 50% raw. From the moment on that you can reach and hold on to 80 %, your body will renew its cells and blood. It will become strong enough to heal itself from illness or uncomfortable symptoms you are suffering from but don’t know what to do about them.

Let’s have a look at what will make you feel so much better in no time, just by LEAVING OUT of your current diet what slows your body down. If you do this one by one, you will feel very clearly what has been affecting you all these years without realizing. Simply because we are brought up in need of our daily bread, that comforting sugar, milk as our white motor, alcohol to loosen up at parties, fish and meat for proteins, coffee as socializer in the company of a cigaret and cookies.

Don’t be scared. You won’t miss anything. Well you will at first, mentally, but when you dive into raw food you will be surprised by the great tastes and the wealth of nutrients that makes a difference in only a week. So yes, leave out following products and your healing process will start that very moment by a natural cleansing. In this transitioning phase, start incorporating as much green, organically grown, living foods and your body will ask for more soon and reject what is not good for you.

Raw Muesli with Almond Milk

Raw Muesli with Almond Milk

  1. First start to eliminate DRUGS, ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, SUGAR, WHITE FLOUR, SALT, MEAT & FISH, COFFEE, all processed foods. It might seem as an impossible thing to do and very radical. But you can take it slowly so you won’t experience the transition as “What is there left for me to eat?” TAKE THE TIME YOU NEED. For instance, if you eat meat every day, start skipping every other day and replace your usual menu by  vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruits. Then decrease to two times a week and so on. Do this with each of these products and you will get there sooner than you think. The cleaner your body gets, the cleaner you WANT it to be. And remember that you are not giving up anything, but changing for the better, you are choosing for a gorgeous body and for your health!
  2. Now that you came this far, you will certainly want to leave out MILK, BUTTER, EGGS, YOGHURT, CHEESE, ALL ANIMAL DERIVED PRODUCTS. Why? All dairy products are mucus forming foods. Moreover milk is delivering more chemicals to your body than calcium. “But I love milk and yoghurt! I can’t give that up!” You will still be able to drink milk, eat yoghurt. But they will be made of raw nuts and seeds. You can make the most delicious milk in one minute! It will deliver you all the proteins and calcium you need for that day. So don’t worry. You will find easy, fast, delicious alternatives for every one of them AND feel better.
  3. If you are really motivated to GET RID OF TOXINS and you want to expedite elimination of toxins in your body, now is the time to start a DETOX WEEK on juices, smoothies, simple salads and mono fruit meals. No, you won’t be hungry because you will receive more nutrients than ever who will feed your cells and blood thoroughly.
  4. Now you can eliminate grains, crackers, bread and pasta, granola, stop cooking your foods by adding raw meals. An easy way to go is: START EVERY DAY RAW AND HOLD ON TO EATING RAW AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. Dinner is usually the meal that you will leave out as last one. But each day you have come that far is a great day already! You can’t hold on to raw at dinner? Start with a lovely varied salad before you eat your cooked food.
    Asparagus

    Asparagus

I bet you will feel energized already next morning. A FEW MORE TIPS to go through your transitioning phases smoothly…

  • The GREENER you start you day, the easier it is to hold on to your healthy lifestyle! The first taste or food your body receives is the one it will be craving and asking for during the rest of the day.
  • If you cook or steam vegetables, do it as short as possible.
  • Take the time you need and don’t force yourself. It has to feel comfortable, nice, challenging, encouraging, motivating. It has to be FUN!
  • Make some juices and/or smoothie(s) every day. It is the best way to get used to all the greens, receive more nutrients you ever had and to detox your body in a very natural way.
  • If you want to eliminate toxins faster, fast a few days on fresh juices (as many as you want or need) and add a simple but yummy salad to every drink as a meal.
  • If you want to take it slower but still effective, fast one day a week on juicy juices.
  • Make your meals as nice as possible, make them pretty, sit down in peace, and take your time to chew very thoroughly.
  • Have fun with looking for recipes that can tempt you.
  • Make some lovely chocolates and have them stored in your refrigerator so when you are craving, you won’t be drawn to old habits but to your very own creations.
  • When you feel hungry, eat a raw chocolate: it will satisfy you and stop your hunger.
  • Throw out all junk food and replace it by lovely fresh greens and fruits.
  • Always have enough healthy ingredients in the house.
  • Make a little bit more of special treats and store them in the refrigerator so they are within reach on difficult moments.
  • Try to read and gain knowledge as much as possible.
  • Start finding out about food combining (also on this blog) and use more foods that are easily digested.
  • It would be just GREAT if you would schedule some colonics to get rid of many pounds of lifelong plaque in your intestines. It will clean your colon, energize you, make you feel lighter (lose weight) and make you leap forward in this great adventure!

YOU NEED SOME SUPPORT TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN?

If you think you can’t make this on your own but YOU DO WANT THIS VERY BADLY, I will be very happy to help you. Find out more on the ‘About You!’ page on this blog and feel free to email me for an appointment.

Ravishingly Yours,

Marie-Claire

Where do I start?

Ramson

After some tempting recipes I would like to write more about what Raw food is really about. Going Green is a challenging and life changing action. At least if you are convinced that this is what you want. But how can you know for sure?

There is a reason why you are reading this raw food blog. You might have been going through certain issues lately for which you are looking for a solution, although you aren’t sure yet where to look or what to look for. You have come to a point where you have felt and thought: “Enough is enough!” This is your moment, the point of no return. And no matter how frustrating or sad or angry this moment might have felt for you, it is the best thing that could happen to you right now. It is not healthy to live a life that doesn’t fit you. And it sure isn’t healthy you are eating food that doesn’t feed you. So this is one reason why and how you can be sure you want CHANGE. But what change? And…

“How can food change my whole life?”


Rejuvelac With Lime & Mint

Raw food is so much more than a diet. It is not about counting calories, not about guilt when you eat a dessert that you are really enjoying, not about doubts when you had a wonderful meal. Raw food is much more than the food you are eating. It is a lifestyle and a personal journey that takes you much further than you would have ever expected. Becoming aware of yourself, taking responsibility of your body and soul will open many new doors and opportunities to live your dreams. So let’s go…

In 5 steps from S.A.D. to RAW


  1. Your starting point is the most important step. To find the right commitment you have to know why exactly you want to do this. Knowing where you are starting from is your motivation that will support your engagement throughout your raw journey. WHY do you want to eat raw? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to feel energized as never before? Are you fighting disease? Do you want to live healthy and more consciously? Do you want to feel more connected to yourself? Find out and write it down.
  2. A very EXCITING step is finding out more about raw food and seeing all the possibilities you never expected. Discover this new world of ravishing food and read, read, read. The more you know the more you will be drawn to living your life healthy. Knowledge will guide you through your transition.
  3. It’s time to take ACTION and MAKE YOUR KITCHEN COME ALIVE! Throw out everything that might tempt you or can sabotage your raw food track. Find out which equipment you need first to make your whole kitchen set up successful. Reward yourself by investing in quality tools that make it easier and real fun to work with. This is a step you will really enjoy and makes your thoughts and search much more tangible!
  4. PLAYTIME! Plan your menu’s, try out recipes, create your very own, soak & sprout and make your own living foods, surprise friends and family with your first chocolates or raw pie -of which they will never even suspect it hasn’t seen the oven-. Enjoy and have fun with these ravishing foods that makes YOU come alive!
  5. You gained so much ENERGY, you are getting the GLOW, you are feeling amazingly STRONG. Raw food brought you to a new level in your health, physically and mentally. But this is just the beginning. There are many levels you can go through and it is all up to you how far you want to go. Each level will bring you higher up in your raw journey with each its own challenges and surprises. You have now the STRENGTH to make the things happen you always dreamed of. Your transformation has started.

These are the five steps that will bring more clarity on where you can start. There is much more to come. Now you know WHERE to start, you will certainly want to know HOW to start. Keep an eye on my blog. I will tell you soon. Meanwhile, take some time to think about what I wrote, prepare your journey and enjoy your thoughts that will bring you closer to your radiant health!

Step-By-Step

Cool Summer Salad

Cool Summer Salad

What can be nicer than a cool, refreshing summer salad on a hot I-can’t-move-summer day? I made this lovely salad the first time in spring, when I was in the middle of a juice detox combined with mono meals and pure salads. The Forsythia’s were blooming and some of the Japanese flowers ended up in my salad.

Forsythia Spring Salad

While puffing myself through this extremely hot day, I thought back of the freshness of the fruits, the acidity of the orange and pineapple. Luckily I had a fresh pineapple so I could start right after the thought struck me. You can use any fruit you like, but this combination is so surprisingly fresh that I can recommend it warmly. When you start experimenting yourself, there are a few rules to keep in mind though.

First of all, yes! you can combine fruits with vegetables. But only when they are leafy greens. Why? They don’t contain starches. Fruit and leafy greens are doing just fine together and won’t give you a bloated feeling after consumption. This is also the way to go when you are making your smoothies: only use leafy greens with fruits, don’t add starchy vegetables such as squash or zucchini.

Fruits don’t combine well with other types of foods because they digest much faster. They only take a half hour. Other foods are taking several hours. This is another cause of bloating. If you apply these simple rules, your tummy will be thinner in one or two days without going on a frustrating diet. As long as you are combining your foods badly, you will bloat and have a pot belly at the end of the day.

The second rule may seem more complicated at first. But you will learn quickly, you will see. There are three groups of fruits; acid, sub-acid and sweet. Combining the wrong groups will slow down digestion and make you feel bloated. With this list and know-how you can avoid a lot of trouble in your stomach and colon.

Don’t combine Acid with Sweet Fruits. What you can combine are Acid with Sub-Acid fruits and Sub-Acid with Sweet Fruits.

SWEET FRUITS

Bananas, raisins, prunes, durian, dates, dried fruits, persimmons, figs

SUB-ACID FRUITS

Apples, blueberries, cherries, kiwis, mangos, nectarines, plums, pears, fresh figs, papayas, peaches, apricots, cactus fruit, guava

ACID FRUITS

Blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, lemon, lime, tangerine, pineapple, orange, grapefruit, tomato, sour plums, pomegranates, kumquat

MELONS

Cantaloupe, watermelon, honey dew, muskmelon…

“Eat them alone or leave them alone!” is what Dr. Ann Wigmore said firmly. Melons contain much more water than any other fruit and are digested very rapidly, so it is better to enjoy them on their own.

FRUIT RULES

Listen to your body; it is your best guide.

Eat fruits by itself on an empty stomach, in the morning or three/ four hours after another meal. Always wait half an hour before you eat something else.

Eat melons on their own.

Eat fruits independently from vegetables. You can combine only with leafy greens.

Lettuce, Celery and Fruit make a GOOD food combination.

Acid and Sweet Fruits are POOR food combinations.

Acid and Sub-Acid fruits are GOOD food combinations.

Sub-Acid and Sweet Fruits are GOOD food combinations.

You will find the recipe of this delicious salad in my FREE eBook “Raw For 3 Days!”

If you sign in with your email address I will send you the link where you can download and enjoy it!

    Forsythia Spring Salad