Karen Knowler * The Raw Food Coach

Upgrade, Upgrade, Upgrade!

When we first get into raw foods and we go through the "Oh my God, this is so amazing!" phase, it's pretty common to shut out other aspects of our lives so that we can focus 100% on revamping our diet, kitchen and everyday eating habits, and get fully immersed in our exciting new awareness, food-related experiences and insights.

While this is pretty much par for the course (it takes a lot of time and energy to completely rethink this part of our life, after all), it's not going to be long before that laser-like focus starts to work against us, rather than for us.

Why?

Because we need to keep feeding and nurturing ALL aspects of ourselves - not just our mind, not just our body, and not just anything else for that matter!

I honestly believe it is VITAL to upgrade other areas of our life at the same time that we upgrade our food choices. Because when we don't, the gap between our physical energy and where we find ourselves located emotionally, spiritually or mentally in our lives can feel so great, that the rest of us lags behind and eventually pulls us back. This is why the Go Raw!-then-Binge pattern is so unceasingly prevalent.

Raw Food and Weight Loss

Many people are attracted to raw foods as a tool for weight loss; in fact that was one of my own most compelling personal motivations back in 1993. After all, to eat a diet that was mostly fresh fruits and vegetables can only mean a lean, mean fighting machine surely?

Well, yes and no.

This week’s article is an insight into how raw foods can help you lose weight, but also how you, no matter what you eat (yes, even raw), can also keep weight on.

My own raw food/weight loss story is probably the best way I can illustrate what’s possible (and isn’t) with raw foods. I’m sure if you are struggling with weight loss, or have struggled in the past something about my story will help or resonate with you and hopefully give you more insights into your own weight loss journey.

How to Clean Up Your Whole Life Using Raw Food

Transitioning to a raw food lifestyle will lead to a transformation, not just in your physical body but in your emotions and even in your spiritual life. You will look different, feel different and even think differently – you simply won’t believe how much better your life can become on every level!

That’s borne out by experience. I and many others are living proof of what’s possible. So why, at the start of their journey, do some people feel so awful that they’re tempted to give up?

Well, as you put more raw foods – the “good stuff” – into your body, it has to compete with the “not-so-good stuff” that’s already there, and you will feel the shift. Your entire physical make-up is being upgraded and replaced with superior building materials. You’re displacing the old stuff with the new and it will show itself as it leaves.

Your First Week Raw (Or Raw Again!)

Going raw, whether it’s for the first time or the "next" time, ideally needs some thought and preparation. As with anything in life, your likelihood of being successful at something is seriously improved when you take some time to get planned and prepared so you don't just rush in blindly! The tips I'm about to share with are easy, fun and most importantly enjoyable!

The Kick-Start begins with the all-important...

The 3-Day Prep Zone

For most people it's usually unrealistic to think that you can dive straight into going raw (particularly after Christmas!), so I always recommend that you decide upon a 10-day period (starting as soon as possible) where you feel that you will have a good chance of following a plan and have minimal interruptions in your diary.

When you've found your 10-day window, mark it off in your calendar and commit to giving it your best, knowing that this could very well be the start of something rather special!

The Top 5 Ways To Social Success During The Party Season

So, we’re right in the thick of party season now – the time where all the food-related “stuff” starts happening. Are you all planned out and ready while feeling cool, calm and collected about the whole affair, or are you starting to feel something resembling faint panic as you realise that in just a few days the big day itself will be here and it may be nut loaf or nothing unless you get your thinking cap on?!

This week’s article covers the top 5 aspects of socialising this Christmas raw-style – that means: food, drink, fun, family and the je ne sais quoi that can only be uniquely yours.

Hopefully after reading you’ll feel inspired to do things in a way that truly feels good to you – on every level - and that you go on to have a truly authentic and very merry Christmas whatever you do.

KAREN'S CHRISTMAS PUNCH

This is a truly lovely drink, perfect for when you feel just a little bit chilly or in need of a comforting hug. And what's more, the ingredients are super-simple and super-cheap - hurrah!

 

SERVES: 2-3 makes about 1 pint of punch

 

EQUIPMENT

Juicer, Blender

 

INGREDIENTS

3 apples
4 oranges
½ lemon
Cinnamon (to taste)
Five spice (to taste)
Slices of lemon and orange for decoration

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Juice the apples, oranges and lemon (including lemon peel) and pour into a blender jug.
2. Add in the cinnamon and five spice to the jug and blend until spices are thoroughly mixed into the juice.
3. When fully blended, pour into pretty glasses and serve with fruit pieces floating on top.

 

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• If you'd like to, you can gently heat this drink in a pan on a very low temperature. It won't necessarily make it taste any better, but if you're used to hot drinks or love them, then this will really perk you up!

© 2012 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.

Should *You* Be Eating Raw This Christmas?

There are no end of possibilities about what we could eat this Christmas Day, however, what my concern is, in this article, is Should *You* Be Eating Raw This Christmas?

Read on to discover why my question is as layered as the festive trifle!

Now what's the first thing you think about when you hear the words,"a raw Christmas"? Be honest!

If it sounds like music to your ears then that would suggest that to have a Raw Christmas this year is what's right for you, both at the below surface level and ideally in real life. If, on the other hand, it makes you think of isolation and standing out like a sore thumb from your companions, then it will be worth reading on. And if it sounds like something truly awful that really isn't on your agenda, then you're definitely in the wrong place (at least as far as this article goes) and I congratulate you on your clarity!

So this article is really for those of you who *think* that you'd like to be raw, but at the moment are yo-yoing all over the place between being ruled by your heart, your head, your eyes, your beliefs, your worries, and your belly! Which I think, if I know you at all, dear readers, is where most of you are going to be right now... 

Stocking Up For Winter

It's only natural that at this time of year what you put in your shopping basket is going to be very different to what you put in it during the summer. But what exactly IS good to buy and eat during the colder months when you want to eat raw but the fruit in the shops has never been less ripe and the salads somehow just seem too watery and unsubstantial? And how on earth do you avoid the classic raw foodie error of relying daily on the good ol' dried fruit and nuts combo which only ends up knocking you off balance, fills you up on too-sugary- too-fatty snack foods and never truly satisfies you?

For those of you now wondering what to put in your kitchen store cupboard and refrigerator now that the cold dark nights are well and truly here, this is for you.

What Role Is Food Playing In *Your* Life?

Do you ever find yourself eating for reasons other than nutrition or hunger? Hmmm...

If you feel as if food has become about more than the "imbibing" of fresh, clean burning, deliciously satisfying but non-addictive fuel for you, then what follows might just offer a little guidance about how to steer your ship a little more in the direction of health, vitality and freedom by asking a few probing questions of yourself and your food choices. Feeling brave? Read on... 

What Lays Beyond Raw?

For many years I have been playing with various thoughts in my mind around the “real” nature of food.

Without a doubt, getting from eating a mostly cooked diet to a high or totally raw one takes a great deal of patience, attention, courage, self-love, self-respect and so much more, but what next? Does the journey end at "all-raw forever"? Is one huge ticked box (labelled RAW) all that it takes to be truly healthy and vibrantly alive?

The more I have “studied” foods, and I mean this intuitively rather more than intellectually, the more I have come to the conclusion that raw is really only half the story – if that.

Now, I don’t want to freak you out if you’re already thinking, “What…..???? Do you mean to say that if I go fully raw I’m missing the point? Are you saying that I’m wasting my time?” No, not at all… In fact, what I’m about to share with you may actually be of great comfort and even speed your journey to raw foodism up, so here goes with what I’ve been thinking…