NATURAL FOOD, SUPERFOODS & JUICES
“There is no love sincerer than the love of food”
We need the best possible nutritional resources to renew, to repair, to rejuvenate and to thrive physically and mentally. To naturally achieve your ideal weight, look younger and radiate vibrant energy we have to look at a natural diet. In this chapter let’s look at a more “Raw Food” type of lifestyle and a selection of some of the healthy versatile raw foods and superfoods out there that help you to go happily a long way.
You do not need to completely change your current eating lifestyle, but I’m advocating to add in as much as you can of raw plant foods; organic foods from the Earth in uncooked form. Basically all living plant life under the sun, on the earth and in the sea, which still have the vibrant life-force, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in it. To be eaten in uncooked form (not heated over 38-42 degrees Celsius). Raw food excludes any animal products such as meat, fish or dairy.
To create a raw type of meal, at least 60% to 90% of the meal should be raw vegetarian food. If you still insist on some cooked foods and want something warm in the meal you could for example have cooked potatoes as a base and add raw food to it, so you gradually move from pre-dominantly cooked meals to pre-dominantly raw meals and eventually more often 100% raw meals.
Tip:
If you want something cooked, fried or from the oven which is vegetable protein but looks and tastes like a type of minced meat or specifically like chicken, try out Quorn. Quorn is a mycoprotein, low in fat, high in protein and can be used as alternative to meat in any cooked dish. You could use that as a base and then add all the raw plant-based ingredients as discussed throughout the book. Or warm up a vegetable type of “gravy”, without cooking it, and add that as a warm supplement to the meal. Just experiment, there are plenty of stimulating, tasty and satisfying healthy options.
Eating the most beautiful, vibrant, tastiest and nutrition-rich foods Mother Earth has to offer is also the easiest way to digest food, because plant-based food works in the best possible harmony with our biological functioning. You get the best energy & health result possible with the least waste remains possible.
Raw food is not just mixing a piece of lettuce with a carrot, the types of dishes you can make are endless when you start exploring the raw (un)cook books available and the real fun begins when you invent your own raw recipes. I used to hate cooking and it took way too long for me to prepare and cook. Putting together a raw meal is much quicker and more fun and it just feels better dealing with fresh living foods.
Soon enough you get a good idea of what foods are rich in proteins, carbohydrates, good fats, sugars, chlorophyll and so on. Sometimes it might take a bit of extra time preparing and organising depending on where you shop and if you use juicers, blenders, dehydrators and perhaps make your own nut milk.
A purer diet will make a purer you. Once you change towards a more pure plant-based diet, you will notice how your energy field and thinking will change as well. You will become more energetic, cleaner, more light in weight and lighter in your thinking and being. Your thinking will change for the better, more tuned-in, clearer, more positive and sharper.
A raw plant-based diet is the most natural way of life, embracing the “simplicity” and straight forwardness of nature to achieve optimum health and vitality. As opposed to processing and cooking food to making it more complicated for the body to digest, absorb and to get vital results. Switching to raw living foods and superfoods is one of the fastest ways of transformation on a path to achieve optimum health and unlocking ones potential. You save energy bills due to less cooking, you will have less packaging waste and most of the food remains can go straight into a composter which is great if you have a garden. Think about it, throw away an apple or some seeds and a new tree might grow…
What to eat? Very few people go 100% raw over-night, so I would suggest to begin with just trying to add in some more fruit and vegetables than you are used to doing. Shop a bit more for organic foods which have no pesticides or grown without synthetic fertilizers. Then gradually increase the amount so that you have more than at least half of your diet as raw versus cooked to start feeling the benefits.
Look up on the internet for the long list of thousands of raw food recipes and ideas available and order a raw recipe book online or you may find one in your local book shop (somehow there are not many raw food books in the mainstream bookstores yet). Then just start experimenting with all types of fruits and greens, legumes, sprouts and so on that are plentiful in most shops. Follow your instinct, smell the flavours, feel the textures, see the colours, taste the variety of sensations and create your own feast as you go along to create your own versatile meals.
A few examples of what to “add in” to your meals, to get you going:
Add in any type of fresh fruits, vegetables, berries or dried fruits. Use the wide range of various grains such as buckwheat, oats, quinoa and legumes, like beans, chickpeas, lentils, mung beans and you can also sprout them. Add in more seeds, such as flax seed, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, sunflower and hemp seeds. Then there are a whole range of incredible healthy seaweeds, such as dulse, kelp, nori, wakame and micro-algae such as marine phytoplankton, spirulina and chlorella. Use healthy oils and fats like coconut oil, cold-pressed virgin olive oil, rapeseed oil and cacao butter.
There is also a large variety of nuts to add in to meals; such as almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, pine nuts, walnuts and my favourite cacao beans.
TIP:
Soak nuts (and seeds) for a several hours first to “unlock” the enzyme inhibitors and to allow for better mineral absorption.
Avocados, I have to mention them again, they are a great source of protein and good fat, they also offer great substance to any meal and are good to use as replacement of meat and cheese for example. Not only do they offer good substance as a meal “filler”, but they are bursting with vitamin E, they have double the amount of potassium than bananas and a good amount of healthy essential fats which are good for brain function. Furthermore, avocados help in digestion, help to stabilise blood sugar levels, lowering cholesterol and this type of food combines well with protein and starches, so mixes well in a meal combination.
And finally, all kinds of dressings can be made with plant oils, Bragg Liquid Aminos, Celtic sea salt or Himalayan crystal salt. To top this up you can add all kinds of herbs which you can easily grow at home inside or in a garden, such as coriander, chives, basil, oregano, mint, parsley, rosemary and sage. Small growing kits and seed bags are widely available in shops and online.
Herbs, freshly picked from the garden; basil, mint and parsley
By adding in a large variety of the foods mentioned above you will get all the essential proteins, carbohydrates, fats you need. Combining these also works best to balance the energy release in the body. Make sure that at least 60% of the meal is raw food and most of what you eat should be green leafy vegetables so that your diet is predominantly alkaline.
Herewith a short summary as an idea of plant-based foods for varied meal planning. In order of quantity required from bottom upwards. However, you can adjust quantities yourself as much as you like. For example put superfoods at the base of this “pyramid” or at the top as you feel you are drawn to do, flexibility and variety is just as important. Where I mention fruits, that’s not just apples and pears but also avocados, an avocado is actually also defined as a fruit.
Superfoods
Essential fatty acids
Spices, herbs, sea salt
Legumes, seeds, beans, nuts
Fortified dairy substitutes such as;
hemp milk, rice milk, coconut milk,
oat milk, nut milks, or non-gmo soy milk
Whole grains; rice, quinoa, potatoes, muesli, (spelt) bread
The basis is plenty of raw green leafy vegetables, Salads, sprouts and a variety of fruits and green juices
Note; plenty of clean, filtered water and trace minerals between meals is essential for optimum body function and core digestive functions.
As you become a more experienced raw food enthusiast you will eventually start looking for more specialized equipment to enhance the whole experience of preparing raw food meals.
A few examples are a juicer, blender, food processor, dehydrator, seed sprouter, cutting boards and if possible ceramic knives (preserves taste and vitamin content better than with metallic contact). When it comes to juicers, that is great to get all vital nutrients of fruit and greens straight into the cells within the shortest possible time. There are different types of juicers such as centrifugal and masticating juicers. My recommendation is a so called masticating juicer which slowly presses the juice out of the fruit and preserves more of the life-giving enzymes as opposed to a centrifugal one. A masticating juicer is very effective, easy to clean and more silent than a centrifugal juicer. Brands such as Greenstar or Matstone are great but do require some more investment.
When it comes to a blender, some people can go a long way with a cheap hand held blender and a jug but the ultimate is a powerful heavy duty blender such as for example a Vita-Mix blender. There are many more brands available on the market so do your comparative research online for juicers and blenders. Use a blender to mix in all the foods you like and green powders, herbs, berries and natural sweeteners like agave or organic honey.
Another amazing kitchen tool is a dehydrator, to leave fruit, vegetables or seeds in it overnight while it is being dehydrated in a low heat so as not to affect the enzyme and health properties of the food. With a dehydrator you can still get some “warm” raw food, and make your own cookies, flax seed crackers, pizza base, nut burgers, dried fruit and snacks. Food that has been in a dehydrator still retains all its nutrients, the taste gets more concentrated and the foods can be kept longer as most of the water content has been removed to prevent it from going bad too soon. A food dehydrator is especially handy when you have a lot of fruit that is soon about to go off, then by dehydrating it you make dried fruits that can be preserved for much longer. A popular brand that has been on the market for a long time is the Excalibur food hydrator and again do your comparative research to get the type that suit your needs and wallet best.
Sprouter trays, as mentioned before in this book, are great to grow sprouts at home with seeds from, for example, alfalfa, chickpeas, broccoli, radish, clover, lentils and so on. The result is a delicious protein and calcium-rich addition to your salads or as a snack on its own.
TIP:
A tasty and filling snack which is easy to make are “Apricot Cacao Chewy Yum Yums”. It is as simple as just blending small pieces of dried apricot together with cacao and oats into a paste. Divide the paste into chunks which you flatten into shape as separate slices and the put them into a dehydrator for 4 hours to become solid. Enjoy them as a snack at home or on the go.
Last but not least: Presentation. As you work with raw living foods, you will notice how much fun it is and it becomes a natural habit that you want to present the food in a beautiful delicious looking way. You become your very own food artist, placing fruit and vegetable slices in a specific pattern on the dish, on a bed of green lettuce or red cabbage and then sprinkling some chopped up nuts and seed on top with some amazing colourful dressing to finish it off. When you sit down to eat make sure you take a deep breath to relax first to fully enjoy and appreciate what you eat and become one with what you eat.
This is not a recipe book so I’m not going really into all kinds of possible recipes, but I hope I have now given you a bit more insight into the raw food concept and inspired you to do some more research yourself. Next, I would like you to stretch your imagination a little bit more and add in the so called “superfoods”.
Superfoods are natural plant-based foods which are not just healthy food choices like the commonly known fruit and vegetables, but foods which are “super-packed” with vitality, nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes fatty acids, life-force giving energy and with nature’s consciousness still very vibrant in them.
These foods have that something more extra than the normal fruit and vegetables to help improve a person’s all-over well-being, to help you go that extra mile. They are excellent to add in to complement any diet you choose to have. They are easy to digest, to absorb and to assimilate. These are wholefoods that send the body a clear message of nature’s intelligence, growth and aliveness. They stimulate the immune system, and many of them are adaptogens which strengthen and regulate body functions without any side effects to correct any imbalance where needed in the body. Increasing vitality, cell activity and keeping degeneration and aging issues as much as possible at bay. They give you that extra life-force energy that no pharmaceutical, chemically-created laboratory pill can ever give. Think about that for a moment. Whereas with normal foods you have to eat large quantities to get some useful quality for the body, with superfoods it is the other way around, you only have to eat a small quantity to get large quality use for the body.
Many of those superfoods are still little-known on the main markets and many come from amazing areas like the Amazon. These health-beneficial foods are now fast growing in popularity; you may be concerned about sudden over-demand or mass production but in truth the growth and production of these foods is much better for the environment than all the heavy burden the beef industry has on Mother Earth.
- A report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture organization suggests that the world’s surging cattle herds are the number one threat to climate, forest and other wildlife. Cattle raised for beef cause more damage to the planet than car emissions. –
When we stimulate let’s say, producing superfoods such as cacao beans, then we help the local indigenous people in sensitive areas like the Amazon to grow produce that grows in harmony with the rainforest without a need for cutting down the rainforest. As the local people become farmers in line with the forest, that then also helps to keep out the big tree logging companies.
“At least 80% of the developed world’s diet originated in the tropical rainforest. Its bountiful gifts to the world include fruits like avocados, coconuts, figs, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, bananas, guavas, pineapples, mangos and tomatoes; vegetables including corn, potatoes, rice, winter squash and yams; spices like black pepper, cayenne, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar cane, tumeric, coffee and vanilla and nuts including Brazil nuts and cashews”
“At least 3000 fruits are found in the rainforests; of these only 200 are now in use in the Western World. The Indians of the rainforest use over 2,000”
source-www.rain-tree.com
Many of the superfoods grow very fast and assist the environment in keeping a natural balance. Look up hemp, which is one of the fastest crops to grow and so resistant to insects it just does not need any pesticides whatsoever and does not burden the Earth in any way. Hemp is the optimal crop of the future for food, clothing and building materials, the only thing standing in its way in many countries is still an old limiting “belief” of it being linked to recreational cannabis, but that is a different strain of hemp. Many traditional crop producers are not being stimulated to change their choice of crop production due to existing governmental agricultural subsidising structures being in place. However, growing evidence of its uses and benefits and consumer demand will definitely make it more popular in future.
Many celebrities and famous high-performing people are now living a lifestyle incorporating raw and superfoods. An exciting raw food movement has started and is going around the world. Interest in raw foods, superfoods and natural living are captivating more and more people increasing interest in true healthy living and care for the environment.
New vegetarian, vegan and raw food restaurants and health shops are opening everywhere with great names like “Café Gratitude”,” Euphoria”, “Rawvolution”, all expressing their joy for live food and aliveness and abundance, check out their websites. The first time I went to a raw food restaurant was during a holiday to the States when we stopped in Seattle at “Thrive Café”. My eyes and taste buds opened and my taste buds got a treat they had not experienced before. The variety and the presentation of the foods were just amazing and unseen to me up till then. The biggest surprise to me was the speed of it being served, because in normal restaurants you have to wait for a long time for everything to be cooked, but here they just put it together and serve it straight away, just the way I like it!
Then after my first full raw dining experience, I felt full in a satisfied manner and not full as in heavy, bloated and overeaten as I often felt after having a big traditional restaurant meal. Traditional cooked meals quite often would leave me with some unexplained cravings afterwards? After this restaurant meal, I left the place calmer, lighter, happier, feeling elevated. The raw food meal made me feel like I wanted to Thrive!
Now back to the versatility and benefits of the amazing superfoods, there is a long list of superfoods in nature and more and more are being uncovered or re-introduced into our modern world, so let’s have a look at a few of them which are available in most health food shops today.
The idea is to add them in to your regular meals, cereals, salads, juices, smoothies or just on their own as snacks, be creative and have fun with them, whatever feels right. They will not only taste great, but make you feel great and give your body & mind just that extra which a normal diet cannot give you.
“When one has tasted it he knows what the angels eat”
One last warning, these superfoods are very potent, so start easy on them because in the beginning your body might react strongly to them. This could be a detox reaction as the new superfoods can create a shift and release old waste stuck in your body which can give a temporary adverse reaction or the superfoods could give a sudden burst of energy and clarity of mind which you might not be used to. Myself I once had strong reaction to maca and mucuna, making me over stimulated, restless and on the edge because of adding in too much too soon, so make any change gradually to get the intended positive benefits. It can also take some time to get a liking to certain new foods because your taste buds may not be familiar with the new sensations and flavours after years of having been bombarded by chemical additives in processed foods which are intended to make you addicted to processed, fatty, sugary, salty foods.
Just go easy on all the new things you try and all will be well, some people take huge amounts of superfoods and are almost practically flying on it. Even though these superfoods are great, it is recommended to shift around now and then in what superfoods you are using and take a break for a week or so. To change the mix and take a break once in a while will actually enhance the efficacy of the superfoods.
As with any dietary changes, please check with your medical health professional if you have any specific health condition, are pregnant or are on any medication.
Next, we take a look at some amazing superfood examples.
Aloe Vera; this is a plant vegetable, with thick green leaves filled with a mucilaginous gel. The plant grows usually in deserts and subtropical regions. Its leaves contain a gel full of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Aloe vera was probably made most popular as Cleopatra’s beauty secret. Aloe really nourishes everything related to the skin and digestion, it nourishes from the inside and the outside. MSM powder and aloe vera together is great beauty combination. Aloe vera gel is also a demulcent which is easy on the digestion, a digestion healer and helps silica to go deep within the system to help to rebuild and strengthen connective tissue. The gel from the leaves works on the inside to reduce inflammation and has antimicrobial properties. On the outside it is very effective as a topical skin application against for example sunburn, skin infections allergies, eczema and so on. Its benefits have been extensively researched and proven. We can now buy aloe vera in drinks, lotions and cream and powders, but best is to get an organically grown aloe vera plant and strip out the gel to use internally or externally. With this plant it is not so much about the taste of it but purely for the amazing benefits of it. Just add some gel of the inner leaf into a smoothie or rub into the skin and let it draw in for a few hours. Any dosage should start small like one teaspoon or try out a little bit on a small skin area first to test skin sensitivity.
Aloe Vera plant at home
Bee products; bees play a big part in our world food supply by pollinating many crops and at the same time providing us with wonderful superfoods such as Bee pollen, Royal jelly , Propolis and Honey. Just make sure it is from a well-managed organic source as the wild bee population is having a significant drop worldwide. Bee products are rich in B-complex vitamins, minerals and amino acids and many beneficial enzymes. Bee products as a whole are probably one of the most complete nutritional sources available today. Bee pollen consists of yellow-brown type of granules. Royal jelly is a very potent milky-white substance that make the queen bee grow bigger and live longer than other bees. Propolis is like a brown resin which has high immune-boosting properties and the honey is anti-bacterial, immune-boosting, full of nutrients and great as a general sweetener. Medicinal honey is even being used to heal wounds that normal medication cannot heal. All-in-all-together, bee products taste great when added into for example breakfast cereals to top up your nutrition with a wide range of extra, amazing benefits regular foods just don’t have.
Coconut; coconuts are very versatile, they can be added into foods and drinks or consumed directly on their own by drinking the coconut water or eating the inner “flesh”. The water is full of electrolytes which act as an aid to the body in its internal communication. The coconut water is so close to our blood plasma that in emergencies it has been used in blood transfusions. Coconuts are very high in nutritional value and even have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. In ancient India they had a saying that the Coconut palm is the tree that provides all that is needed to live. Coconut can be used as food, as drink and internally for good digestion. Externally it is known as one of the best things you can give your skin. Myself, I eat a lot of coconut oil and have to be careful not to eat too much all of the time because it is so nice! No matter how good something is, everything in balance and in the right proportions is best. One note to mention; coconuts are high in saturated fats and people generally think that this is a bad thing. Yes, animal saturated fats are bad for the health. However, medium-chain fatty acid saturated fats in coconuts are good for health, good for digestion and even help regulate cholesterol and weight. A coconut is a true health and beauty product from nature.
Cacao; also referred to as “the food of the Gods”. Most people think of cacao as being just the chocolate which we find in the (processed) chocolate bars in the shops, but here we refer to the organic, raw version as the original bean itself or as nibs or in powder form. Raw cacao is a health food, it has a hundred times more antioxidants than a kiwi fruit. It is very rich in magnesium (helps in good calcium absorption) and high in sulphur which has detoxifying properties. Perhaps it is best known for its uplifting “love” or “bliss” type of chemicals which naturally stimulate the body, mind and emotions. If you buy a chocolate bar in the shop look out for dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao solids to get any benefits of the cacao. Real cacao with at least 70% solids is also much more satisfying and fulfilling than the common highly processed sugary chocolate bar.
The ancient Aztecs and Mayas traded cacao beans as gold and lately raw cacao beans are emerging on the food markets as health snacks aiding in weight loss, and as energy, immune and mood boosters. It seems that the secret is out of the box and there is no way back anymore….
Organic hand peeled Arriba Criollo Cacao beans, part of my “writers mix” snack food. These cacao beans help me to get the creative thoughts flowing.
Goji berries; they traditionally grow in China, Tibet, and the Himalayas but I put two Goji berries in a garden pot in Ireland a year ago and the Goji seeds started to sprout within a week or so and now the plant is still growing. This small plant managed through a cold winter and adapts very well to its environment. The only risk now is that birds try to eat the leaves as they must have figured out how nutritious the leaves are - you can also add Goji leaves to your salads as a healthy addition. Goji berries are the number one fruit in Chinese medicine and probably the best known fruit when it comes to longevity and vitality, this is probably why they have nicknamed it the “longevity fruit”. The Goji berry is small in size but huge in providing amino acids, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, immune boosting components and even improving cardiovascular and neurological health. It is in the top 3 of highest anti-oxidant containing foods after cacao and acai fruit. Due to its high nutrition capacity you only need to eat small amounts of it, so it is often being marketed as an aid to losing weight. But the biggest reason for it being so popular is because it is said to have anti-aging capacities, and to enhance vitality and well-being. It has many different health benefits and acts as a true adaptogen, it invigorates and strengthens and balances the system. You only need to eat a handful a day for its benefits. They are usually eaten in dried form and available in most health food shops today. Great to mix in cereals, salads, smoothies, on its own as a snack, on the go or add into your home-made chocolate or cakes, the uses are endless.
I planted a few seeds from my dried goji berries in a little pot and this is the result after less than 10 days. A true “goji berry forest” bursting out of the ground, that’s life-force energy in food!
Green grasses; grasses are the foundational food for most land-based life. Barley grass and wheatgrass are two grasses that are one of the most healing land-based nutrition sources available to us and are easy to juice and very easy to absorb into the human body. Barley and wheat grass juice offer you a real health punch, they improve all body functions, increase energy, cleanse and detoxify the body on the inside and improve the skin on the outside and oxygenate the blood. Grasses make the body more alkaline when you are acidic and a balanced pH will improve all body (enzyme) functions. Barley and Wheat grasses are a complete protein source, have a wide range of essential minerals and enzymes and if you compare wheatgrass for example with a spinach salad, then wheatgrass has 10 times more nutritional value. These grasses have more vitamin C than oranges and more vitamin A than carrots. It is good to make these green grasses part of your daily diet to aid in optimizing your blood, for total body cleansing, for added amino acids (proteins) for cell growth, and as a general tonic to protect against any illnesses. Both Barley grass and Wheatgrass are sold in powder form in virtually every health shop now, but you can also grow some of your own (even in a pot in your window sill) and make your own fresh daily juice (wheat grass juicers are widely available to buy in most health shops or online). Whichever you prefer Barley or Wheatgrass, have a shot a day and keep the doctor away. Go green!
Hemp; this is probably one of the most versatile crops on the planet. Hemp can be used as a food source, as clothing and as a building material for houses. It is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, does not need pesticides and all of the plant can be used. Hemp has many uses as a food source. It’s also popular to be used as an oil for because it is rich in omega 3 & 6. The shelled hemp seeds can be used as addition to cereals and salads or whatever you like to add it to. It has a nutty flavour and almost a pasta like texture. Hemp is also used in powder form as and additional protein source for athletes who need extra protein top up. Furthermore, hemp milk is used as an alternative to dairy, low in saturated fat, cholesterol free and easy on the stomach. Do try this amazing natural product and add it into your diet
Lucuma & Mucuna; they sound similar, but Lucuma is a fruit from Peru which once was famous as “Gold of the Incas”. Mucuna is a legume from the region of Africa and India also known as “velvet bean”, a popular herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Lucuma is becoming more popular in health shops but mucuna, (mucuna pruriens) is still a bit difficult to get. Both are sold in powder form to add into any foods you like. Lucuma is mostly used in smoothies, cakes, ice creams, yoghurts, cereals as a healthy alternative to more sugary sweeteners. It is very nutrient-rich, has a sweet taste but at the same time it has none of the damaging type of substances that white refined sugar has and gives slow-burning carbohydrates for long lasting energy. Currently a lot of interest is also going into lucuma due to its skin-healing properties.
Mucuna is not so much used for its taste, more bitter than sweet, but has been used as a popular Ayurvedic herb due to it health benefits. Mucuna is in particular rich in L-dopa. L-dopa is a direct precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine. When natural dopamine function in your body system has been worn out due to stimulating substances such alcohol, nicotine and drugs, then L-dopa helps to restore the natural balance. Furthermore Mucuna pruriens is known to stimulate mood, movement, motivation and sexual function. Currently the focus on mucuna is especially on the fact that it seems to help to ease and achieve recovery from Parkinson’s disease. It is a little known herb in the western world but a real super nutrient that is gaining rapid interest. You can add it in to any of your favourite juices, smoothies or breakfast cereals but as with any super food, start slowly with small dosages, mucuna pruriens in particular can cause overstimulation.
Maca; this is a root vegetable from Peru, high in the Andes mountains, used since the times of the Incas. Just as the other superfoods it is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals, especially protein, calcium and iron. But mainly it is known for its power to increase energy and stamina for athletes and as an aphrodisiac for men and women and to aid in fertility and relief of menopausal symptoms. Just as many other superfoods it acts as an adaptogen tonic which has the ability to regulate the hormonal or nervous system or energy where the body needs it the most for optimum functioning. This root is usually ground into a powder and added with other foods and into smoothies. Maca is also referred to as the Peruvian Ginseng. It needs to be increased slowly from one teaspoon to a tablespoon daily, too much in one go might upset your emotional and energy balance because it is so powerful.
Medicinal Mushrooms; Chaga & Reishi, as highlighted before, are the King & Queen of the mushroom Kingdom, the mushrooms of “immortality” to promote vitality and longevity. Medicinal mushrooms are probably the most powerful medicine in nature. These mushrooms seem to have an intelligence which science cannot fully comprehend yet and adding them to your diet is like giving your immune system the latest anti-virus “software package” update. They act as an adaptogen and a tonic to assist where the body needs it the most. They regulate blood sugar, reduce inflammation, provide antioxidants and improve physical and mental energy; they really are the real deal when it comes to all the goodness nature can offer in one nutrition package. A lot of modern synthetic medication is based on these types of medicinal mushrooms because they are so amazing in what they can do.
An interesting fact about one of the abilities of Reishi is that it can fight off other types of fungi such as candida. Reishi is at the top of the mushroom / fungi chain so it can push out all lower types of (harmful) fungi from the body.
It is only recently that these mushrooms are becoming known to the mainstream public to boost your immune system and appearing as capsules in health food shops. The ideal would be to have access to the real mushroom (if you are knowledgeable in dealing with mushrooms) and then steep strips of mushroom to make a tea.
My teapot to mix herbs and Reishi mushroom
Seaweeds & Algae; Jacques Cousteau already said it, that…” the future of nutrition is in the oceans”... The most complete food sources are actually at the beginning of the food chain in the seas. Marine phytoplankton, seaweeds, sea vegetables and algae are amazingly rich in all the essential nutrients which our body needs for optimum functioning. These food sources are extremely abundant and sustainable and several new food companies in this area have emerged. Not only are these ocean food sources highly nutritious in the full spectrum of food requirement but they also seem to regulate inefficiencies in the body. And they also enhance biochemical processes. If you eat fish for its benefits then you might want to think about that the fish in the oceans nowadays build up more and more toxins from environmental pollution in their tissues and organs. This does not get built up in the source which the fish eat, such as marine phytoplankton and krill.
Plankton and krill are one the most abundant food sources in quantity and health benefits on the planet so it makes sense to go directly for that food source. Phytoplankton and krill are produced in a sustainable manner and are becoming more available in shops, still expensive but it is the best your body and brain can get as a food source.
Try out some Kelp powder from seaweeds, it might taste a bit strong, as it tastes like the sea, but it is a great source of calcium, magnesium, iodine , iron and many more vitamins and minerals. Just add in a teaspoon of it in regular meals. Or start taking a similar product such as chlorella powder. Chlorella algae is probably scientifically the most researched food source in history and the most nutrition-dense with all the ingredients you need to boost your health. Chlorella is one of nature’s green superfoods, a micro algae and available in virtually every health shop. Not only is chlorella healthy but an important benefit is that it has cleansing and detoxifying properties that draws out heavy metals and impurities from processed foods, all in all , I would say it is a must to include chlorella in a balanced diet.
By the way, did you know that taking a bath in seaweeds has great healing and detoxifying effects on the body? Try to get some seaweed form an approved supplier who knows what seaweeds to use and have a wonderful relaxing and skin-smoothing bath.
Last but not least, a good breakfast is usually a great way to start the day. Breakfast cereals or muesli type of mix, are great to add in a variety of health-boosting things. Some people follow the ads in the media and think cornflakes are great but really, there is nothing “life-giving” in processed corn flakes. Even Kirlian photography - a type of photography which can register energy fields - does not show anything in processed cornflakes as energy, you probably just get a rush from the sugar on it. What actually will serve your better is to make your own breakfast mix. Buy some basic muesli or oats as a base and then add in all types of extras you get from the health shop. Examples sold in bulk or prepared bags, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, cacao nibs or powder, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, shelled hemp and dried berries.
Throw it all together in one big jar and take a scoop from that jar every morning as your breakfast source with some fresh fruit. Straight away with your breakfast meal you get a full range of proteins, carbohydrates, good fats, omega 3, 6, 9, vitamins A, B, C, D, E, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium, antioxidants and fibres. Top it up with a non-dairy alternative, such as coconut, almond, hemp, oat or rice milk and you get your best possible start of the day!
All the natural health foods can be combined in juices and smoothies. Just throw it all in a blender, use water as a base or nut milk or herb or the mushroom tea I mentioned before. Then add all the various bit and pieces together with superfoods, powders from grasses, like barley or wheatgrass, chlorophyll-rich sea greens like spirulina to create your own unique, tasty, super “boost” of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins & minerals.
The smoothie will be filled with plenty of body & mind rejuvenating, restoring and stimulating elements which at the same time cleanse, detox and draw out heavy metals and toxins from the body, especially when you add the chlorophyll-rich powders. Basically all the vital energy and life-giving nutrients which a standard diet of cooked processed food can never give you.
“Milk”, one note I need to make; when you make a smoothie, I advise not to use normal dairy as in cow’s milk. Cow’s milk might be good for calves but not for humans, milk causes many health problems (have a look at notmilk.com). It is much better to use other type of milk alternatives as mentioned before. You can even make your own milk from nuts and coconuts. There are many tasty alternatives in health shops and supermarkets. Soy milk however has become more questionable recently due to the all the genetically modified soy beans, the fact that they have some of the highest percentages of pesticides on them and especially the high amount of phytoestrogens and enzyme-inhibitors, and for this reason many people have decided to let go of the GM soy products.
Regarding juices, make sure you make more vegetable juices than fruit juices because too many fruit juices will give you a too high content of fructose (fruit sugar) which will not be beneficial for the acid-alkaline balance, your insulin level or your liver. Fruit is great for the body, without a doubt, just make sure to use more vegetables in balance. If you would like to add some extra sweetener to your juice or smoothie, then use honey, agave syrup or honey but no refined sugar as highlighted earlier in the book.
Every time I make a fresh vegetable and fruit juice or smoothie, then I also think they look so amazing, every time it is a different colour and the vibrancy just oozes out of the glass. Then I just want to keep it and kind of freeze the moment by taking a photo of it, but that never happens as I just want to drink it and experience it. No photo or words will do a fresh juice justice, but here is one photo which I took of a juice because my camera was close by, not that it is the best juice photo but probably my first and only juice photo, I prefer drinking it in instead of looking at it.
My one and only fresh juice photo
Before closing off this chapter, I just have to mention a very tasty extra special chocolate birthday cake. The ingredients include Cacao butter, Cashew nuts, Nut butter, Carob powder, Cacao powder, Cacao nibs, Orange juice & peel, and dried Blueberries. All these natural ingredients were blended together, the chocolate and butter were melted with low temperature and then set in the fridge in a serving dish. No dairy, sugar or flour or any form of cooking involved. Before serving we just sprinkled some bee pollen on top and added a few rosebuds and birthday candles as decoration. Try for yourself, experiment with such “raw” types of cakes and be amazed! Various raw chocolate cake recipes can be found on the internet or read the book “Naked Chocolate” by David Wolfe and Shazzie.
Mmmmhhh…
Next we look at our versatile planet, what else other than food is beneficial to our health.