Karen Knowler * The Raw Food Coach

The Importance of Environment - Part 1: Your Inner Terrain

Be prepared for an article written with passion, because this is a subject very close to my heart and one that, I hope, will impact you and your life forever.

Environment: The surroundings we choose to place ourselves in. (Yes, we do get to choose!)

So, how much of your environment is created consciously and how much of it fills you with glee?

Ideally the answer to both of the above should be "all of it", but my guess is that in more than a few ways it may very well not be? If this is the case, don't fret, it's “normal”.

But the purpose of this article is to bring home to you two things:

1) Why you should only ever make your environment "a ten"

2) How you can do that

To begin this foray into all things environmental, for today and for the purpose of this article, we're going to bring the subject very close to home. So close in fact that we're going to start with the internal and then, in the next article, extend just beyond that to our immediate everyday surroundings.

Ready?

Reader Question: Weight Loss & Late Afternoon Munchies

Dear Karen,

I am writing as a person who has been taking advice bit by bit from your fantastic website for about a year now, but a few things have been puzzling me and as I'm attempting over the next few weeks to get more seriously raw. I have never followed the raw food diet 100%, usually staying about 50% raw, unless I feel I need to lose a few pounds - like now! I wondered if you would be able to help me?

Firstly, I eat fresh fruit and some almonds for breakfast most days and I generally stick to salads with some oatcakes for lunch, but a few months ago I started a new job where I am working at a higher stress level, for longer and walking further there and back to get there! The result has made me far hungrier than I used to be, and despite my efforts I absolutely am desperate to eat anything by about 5pm when I have at least two hours to go before I get home. I eat lunch early due to my working day's hours and I try to eat breakfast after my walk to work, so that I'm not eating two breakfasts! I wonder if you could suggest anything that would really see me along and satisfy to stop me eating bad biscuits - which I never, ever used to do!!

Secondly - I need your advice on dried fruits. I really love these - dates, raisins, sultanas, apricots etc - but I can find myself being extremely greedy with them - I think because they're sweet, sometimes I get a very bloated stomach if I've gone too far! I've checked your website and some others too, they all seem to suggest that dried fruits are part of the raw food plan - am I mixing these up with the wrong thing? Are packaged ones bad? I do gain wait if I eat too many of these!

I'm so sorry for this very long e mail, I realise how busy you must be, but a little advice on this would really, really help.

Many thanks, Anna Higginbotham

*   *   *   *   *   *

Hi Anna, thanks for writing, and, I hear you! I totally understand these late afternoon munchies, I used to get them myself. From what you share with me, eating lunch later is not an option for you right now. Of course, either way, I would recommend that you eat more for lunch – or at least some kind of fresh fruit dessert within the hour, but I think that will only go so far in relation to the hunger pangs occurring later in the day.

My recommendation is any or all of the following. I’m guessing that you should be able to put any of these into action; it’s just which ones appeal most and work best for you.

• Keep a stash of fresh fruit, raw snack bars, dried sweet treats, kale chips and any other dehydrated goodies in your desk drawer - or in a secret box under your desk : )
• If at all possible, make either a big flask of green smoothie, or a nut milk based smoothie, before you go to work, keep it in the office fridge and enjoy that around 4pm.
• Even better, if this option is possible for you, take a bunch of fresh/raw ingredients into work, keep them in the fridge or in a bag under the counter, take in a blender or “Magic Bullet” type blender and make your own smoothies during the afternoon break. (You can bet your colleagues will want a piece of the action!)
• Finally, you could make some nut-cheese or pâté, take that into work and spread it on crackers, nori sheets (to make nori rolls) or whatever else you like to spread things on.

These are all just starter ideas. I recommend that you have a scout online for anything that you can take into work that will be delicious, nutritious and filling for you. Also check out any establishments local to you that could help in terms of raw food drinks, snacks or take-aways. You never know what’s out there until you go looking!

The secret to success for you here is falling in love with whatever you add in to your new routine. You can feel great about the walking already. How fantastic would it be to feel that you are doing all of that walking powered by delicious, satisfying raw-food fuel that will set you up beautifully for the night ahead?

Now, onto your second question.

Dried fruit – I’ll keep this brief.

Dried fruit generally speaking is to be eaten in moderation, if at all.

First off, usually the dried fruit you buy commercially is NOT truly raw, owing to the way it has been dried at very high temperatures (yes, even if it says “sun dried” – which sounds very idyllic – the reality usually is that it’s been dried in the sun within massive metal containers that intensify the heat and effectively cook the fruit). So, that’s myth #1 busted! That said, there are some super-conscious food producers out there who make a point of getting this right and keeping the temperatures low, but you will certainly know about them when you find them because they’ll make a POINT of saying that their dried fruit is truly raw. (If such a producer is reading this, or you know of one, please go ahead and share resources in the comments box below).

Second, because the water content has been reduced dramatically or completely, a lot of what you end up eating via dried fruit is actually condensed sugar. Yes, it’s fruit sugar, but to the body it’s still sugar and it treats it as such. This accounts for the compulsion that you and many others often experience around dried fruit – once you start it’s hard to stop! And yes, weight gain can absolutely be a side effect of too much dried fruit consumption as it’s high sugar and high calorie. It was a significant factor in my own weight gain about three or four years in to my raw food journey when I started experimenting with different “raw” foods.

Personally, I recommend that you:

1)    Avoid dried fruit as much as possible and replace with more savoury snacks such as kale chips which are super-delicious and much lower calorie.

2)    If you do buy dried fruit, pro-actively seek out the organic, truly raw varieties and then eat in moderation. This means no more than a couple of times per week.

To be crystal clear, while dried fruit can be considered part of a raw food diet (when it’s raw!) it’s certainly not a necessary component and you won’t lose out by omitting it entirely – unless your diet lacks variety.

Personally I only eat dried fruits about once per month now, if that. The only exception is Medjool dates which I use in smoothies two or three times per week, but I consider these one of the better quality of dried fruits, as they are not totally dried. But even then I eat and use way less of those than I ever used to.

It does get easier with time, Anna. Just make sure that in either case you are really giving yourself options that you LOVE – this is vital. This will not only make it easy and pleasurable for you to make the switch, but also ensure that your success is inevitable.

Good luck and please let me know how you get on!

Karen

Eating Raw in Europe

This week reader Megan from the US asks the question:

Dear Karen, thanks for the information on flying raw! I live in the United States and will be studying abroad this July in Madrid, Spain. I am really nervous because I have no clue how much vegan, let alone raw, foods I will be able to maintain in a different country! At least I know I will be set for my flights. Any tips about staying on a vegan or raw diet in Europe? Thanks so much, Megan Ellis

Karen: Hi Megan, how very exciting to be spending some time in Spain – lucky you! Of all the European countries, Spain is one of the easiest countries to eat raw in because they have an abundance of fantastic and delicous fresh produce available. Like anywhere, you have to be choosy about where you buy from, and the regular restaurants are generally not great at all in my expereince (probably the worst I have ever eaten in), but if my memory serves me correctly they have fantastic watermelon and mangoes! I would recommend that you gen up a bit on the exact area you will be staying in by making contact with other raw foodies in Spain and particularly Madrid of course. Likely you will find some people at giveittomeraw.com who can assist, or who might even become new lifeliong friends. Also, I googled “raw food madrid” and came up with this very handy article and as well as being an interetsing and helpful read, if you scroll down you’ll see the news that a totally raw food restaurant has recently opened in Madrid! It’s called Crucina and the photo here is one of its recipes, so I’m sure you’re not going to want to go (!!) but just in case you do, you can read more about it here.

Happy travels!

Banoffee Pie

This Banoffee Pie recipe was created by our in-house raw chef and teacher, Nina Dench, who as many of you know by now has a real talent for creating delicious raw desserts and other sweet stuff. Having tried this recipe myself (and made it) I can vouch for its complete scrumminess – it even wowed a junk-food eating teen, and we know how tricky that can be!

Equipment: Nut/coffee mill and Blender.

Serves: 8-10

TO MAKE THE BASE

Ingredients:

• 4 cups oat groats – blended to a fine powder
• ¾ cup maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon almond butter
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In large bowl mix ingredients together.
2. Place ingredients in bottom of dish and pat down using hands or spatula.
3. Slice banana circles onto base. Use 3-4 bananas.

TO MAKE THE TOFFEE

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup maple syrup
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Mix together until smooth. Pour over base and bananas.

TO MAKE THE CREAM TOPPING

Ingredients:

• 5 bananas
• 1 cup almond butter
• Maple syrup to sweeten (optional)

Directions:

1. Blend. Pour on top of toffee.

RAW COACH'S TOP TIPS:

• Shop bought oat groats are highly unlikely to be raw (they will have been steamed to clean and preserve them), but raw oat groats go rancid very quickly. As oats are a great health food – low in fat, high in nutrition, they are a great ingredient to use if you are not hung up on being strictly raw.
• Decorate your Banoffee Pie with dried or fresh banana rings and/or grated raw chocolate. Yum!

© 2011 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE 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.

Raw Food & Money

It’s a strange phenomenon alright, and one you may not have heard discussed before, but my understanding is that the more raw you go, the more you either want to totally put money out of your life and wish that it didn’t exist OR the more you want to earn/create/gain financially, instead. This might sound contradictory, but what both scenarios have in common is one big and very important thing for raw food visionaries … FREEDOM.

Perhaps you have discovered this for yourself. The fact is that the more you clean out your body and get in touch with yourself, the more you realise that you want to create a different life, a life that is more in keeping with your true self, the Self that you are becoming more of as you detoxify on every level.

It’s not news that this “raw transformation” occurs, and I’ve been speaking about it and marveling at it for many many years now, but what is news – at least to me, now that I’ve finally become aware of it – is how this plays out in our financial life.

After almost two decades of watching people take one of two paths (“conscious poverty” or the pursuit of prosperity), it’s clear to me now why taking stock of your relationship with money, and really thinking about it and mastering it, is critical to your raw food success and quality of life.

Raw Thai Curry

One of the most common "If I went raw I'd miss ...." examples has to be "CURRY!" Well, my first raw curry was self-designed in January 2002 - I remember it well as a week later I found out I was pregnant and had one of those "oh, so that's why!" moments. Since then I've gone on to create a curry sauce that would work wonderfully with just about any raw veggie concoction you care to chop up! (See end for suggestions to work with, including how to create “rice”). So if you fancy something fresh and raw but "substantial" this weekend, bag yourself a Thai curry kit (available from most supermarkets) and stoke up your inner fire with this hot and saucy recipe!

Equipment: Food processor or homogenising juicer.

Ingredients:

Makes enough sauce to accompany 2 large helpings of veggies.

• 2 avocados
• 2 (dried) lime leaves
• 1/4 - 1/2 fresh chilli
• 1 teaspoon of lime juice
• 2 cm of lemon grass stem
• 1.5cm cube of fresh ginger
• 1/2 loosely packed cup of fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 1/2 - 1 cup of pure water (depends on how creamy and thick you like it)
• 1/2 Tablespoon of curry powder

Directions:

1. Simply blend all ingredients together, either in a blender or food processor until everything is fully blended. Taste test. Add more water if you'd like it runnier. Add more lemon, a tomato and/or avocado if it's too hot.

RAW COACH'S TOP TIPS:

• Great veggies (all finely chopped or cubed) to pour the sauce over include: Cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, green beans, peas, sugarsnap peas, courgette (zucchini), asparagus tips, tomatoes, cucumber.
• To improve/soften texture of your veggies you can either marinade them for a while in olive oil, lemon juice and a little Himalayan salt and drain before coating with sauce, or, after marinating for a short while, dehydrate them at around 110°F for a few hours to get them soft, warm and slightly mushy.
• To make "rice" simply put in a couple of parsnips or some cauliflower into your food processor and process until rice-like pieces are formed. Even if you don't like either on their own (I am *really* not a fan of raw parsnip!), by the time you have added your veggies and sauce, you won't even be able to tell what the rice is and you'll feel as if you're eating a much "rounder" meal.

© 2011 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE 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.

Warming Raw Foods

Whether the weather be hot, or whether the weather be cold… if you’re new to eating raw foods chances are that you may occasionally miss warmed or hot foods, especially in the early days, and it may well be regardless of the temperature outside. Eating hot food is after all something most of us have done the majority of our life and have come to seem very “normal” and almost a pre-requisite to eating a “proper meal”. Funny when you think about it isn’t it?

Heating food also represents emotional warmth – think “bowl of hot soup”, or a “thick warming stew” and it’s not hard to see why we view hot food as a source of love and comfort.

There are a couple of ways you can warm your foods gently so that you don’t have to cook or boil them (and lose the nutritional value) but of course if you’re finding it really difficult to go without hot food then you should go more gently on yourself and not force yourself to eat salad huddled by the fire as I did once upon a time! By all means listen to your body and eat some hot food as and when you feel you need it.

Remember, this is a whole person approach and it is emphatically not about suffering or denial! This is about working with your body and giving it the space and time it needs to adjust according to its own wisdom. Over time as your body gets used to a new way of eating you will find that your desire for hot foods will become less and less until you reach the point where cooked and hot food tastes really quite strange and almost repulsive. (This process took about 3–4 British winters for me, so we’re not talking overnight.)

Almond Hummous

Traditionally hummous is made with chickpeas. In raw food cuisine it's made with sprouted chickpeas - or at least it is by those who like it! For those that don't (and I sometimes do, sometimes don't...) then here's a fabulous alternative.

By swapping the chickpeas for almonds and adding in a few fresh herbs, here's a recipe that you'll find delicious, will fill you up, will be good in a salad, wrap or spread on crackers and will keep in the fridge for about five days.

Equipment: Food processor or homogenising juicer.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups soaked almonds
• ½ cup tahini
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 large lemons, juice of
• ¼ to ½ teaspoons Celtic sea salt (to taste)
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon basil

Directions:

1. Break down the almonds using your homogenising juicer with the blank plate, or, even better a high-powered food processor such as the Cuisinart. If you have neither, with sufficient time and patience you could use a hand blender, but take care with it as this is hard work.
2. Put the broken down almonds into a food processor along with all the other ingredients. Try to achieve a smooth consistency. Add a little water if necessary.
3. Process until you have it the way you like it. Some people like chunky bits of nut to remain, while others like it smooth - or you could take half out while chunky and process the rest to smoothness - they actually do taste a little different!

RAW COACH'S TOP TIPS:

• Serve with green vegetables, such as lettuce, cabbage, and kale, or spread on flax crackers. Also good, of course, as a dip – great for taking on board a plane as it remains stable on a long flight, and good for car trips.

© 2011 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE 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.

Flying Raw

One of the biggest dilemmas of eating raw on the move is what to do when it comes to travelling by air. After all, it’s no secret that airplane food is on the whole pretty hideous, but getting a healthy option and specifically a raw food friendly option is far from easy.

When I fly, my trips are usually from the UK to the USA and I use British Airways. Like a few other airlines, they offer something called a “fruit plate” – it’s not impressive and it comes with a fairly dodgy brown roll, butter and a not-at-all-raw chocolate bar usually (!) but at least the fruit is fresh, pre-prepared and it’s something…

However, “something” is not really a strategy is it? When you’re spending nine or more hours in the air, and especially during the day time, you can get pretty hungry. For this reason in this week’s article I’m sharing with you some of my top tips for flying raw and loving it! 

Papaya and Ice-Cream Boats

Mmm papayas. Pick an unripe one and they're as bland as cardboard. Pick a big, fat, juicy ripe one and then you can understand what all the fuss is about! (Small ones can be good too, depending on who your supplier is).

Papayas make a delicious breakfast or snack; they can also make a truly delicious dessert - if the food combining police don't catch you first! Here follows one of my most simple but delightful recipes ever, that I’m recommending to you today as a fabulously indulgent but super-healthy breakfast meal that is just about as "no brainer" as you can get! Enjoy.

Equipment: Food processor, ice-cream maker or homogenising juicer.

Ingredients:

• 1 small or half a large ripe papaya
• Frozen fruit of your choice

(Pick one or two of the following: Bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, mango.)

Directions:

1)     Take your frozen fruit and process in your food processor or juicer with homogenising capabilities (I personally use my Champion) until a thick creamy ice-cream is created.

2)     Cut your papaya in half and spoon out all of the seeds. Place the halve/s on a plate or in a bowl with the seedless hole face up.

3)     Spoon your ice-cream into the hole (you may wish to combine two different flavours here if you're feeling flash!) and top with anything you fancy - see below for some starter ideas.

RAW COACH'S TOP TIPS:

• Great toppings for your ice-cream boats include: Grated coconut, cubed fresh fruits of your choice, mesquite powder, cacao nibs, a dusting of raw chocolate powder, banana slices, a sprinkling of vanilla pod seeds, fruit puree made from processing fresh fruit in the same way you processed your ice- cream, frozen cherries... oooh, just too many to mention! You will ADORE this!
• How do you tell a ripe papaya? Give it a gentle squeeze and it should give a little, but not give way completely (over ripe). Also look for a nice rounded out shape, this is a good sign too.

© 2011 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE 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.