Health is your greatest asset.
This book was written for two reasons. Since the 2009 publication of my book Raw Energy: Raw Food Recipes for Energy Bars, Smoothies, and Other Snacks to Supercharge Your Body, an introductory guide to the amazing realm of raw food nutrition, I’ve received an incredible number of e-mails from readers asking me for advice on how to get their kids, spouses, or elderly parents or friends to eat more raw fruits, veggies, and greens, in ways that taste good and are quick and simple to create.
These queries made me think that a recipe book dedicated to raw food drinks and the benefits of incorporating them into a daily diet would be a terrific follow-up, as it would be an expansion of some of the popular raw beverage chapters. What better way to consume more healthful foods than to drink them? Even raw beet greens and kale can be made slightly sweet, creamy, and yummy when mixed with a bit of raw almond milk, hemp seeds, and a banana!
I wanted to create and share raw beverage recipes that are perfect for people on the go, too. Almost all of the recipes, with the exception of the raw shot and mocktail recipes, can be put into a thermos and enjoyed as breakfast on the way to work or as a post-workout pick-me-up, a snack, or even a light lunch or dinner.
Regular consumption of blended raw drinks can help ensure a sustained level of energy and vitality; promote a visible glow to your hair, skin, and nails; give the immune system a boost; help you lose weight; improve your visual acuity; build strong bones; and increase your nutrient intake, among other benefits. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, well or infirm, athletic or sedentary: simply including one fresh, raw blended beverage a day will do your body good! Be an active participant in the care of your health. “Health is wealth,” as the saying goes.
The second reason for writing this book is a very personal one. In 2012, the year of my fiftieth birthday, life dealt me a poor hand of cards. In January, my loyal gardening companion and confidant, Mainie, a huge Maine Coon cat, died after being hit by a car right before my eyes. My heart broke. Next, on a frigid, mid-February morning, I banged the top of my head extremely hard on an aluminum scaffolding platform while helping my husband re-side our old house, resulting in neck spasms and a bruised skull that took weeks to heal. Then, in late February and again in late March, I fell down our steep hallway stairs, both times injuring my left hip and knee, then landing face-first on the hard kitchen floor. Being clumsy is not my nature; go figure. By April, my left hip began to hurt and I gradually began to limp. By mid-June, I was nearly wheelchair-bound due to the pain and was unable to walk normally. Several X-rays and an MRI later, I was told that I had advanced osteoarthritis (also known as the wear-and-tear form of arthritis) of my left hip joint. That diagnosis hit me like a ton of bricks! I was even told by two orthopedic surgeons that I would need a hip replacement soon as my quality of life would continue to deteriorate.
Just when I thought I couldn’t hurt anymore, my marriage of 22 years fell apart.
Needless to say, the first half of 2012 started off on a miserable note. I didn’t feel emotionally, physically, or spiritually healthy or whole. Instead, I felt beat up, sad, angry, run-down, weak, depleted, and deeply fatigued, plus I constantly suffered from ever-worsening bone, nerve, and muscular pain. I didn’t have much of an appetite, either, and quickly dropped 15 pounds. My nutrient intake was far from sufficient. Never in my life had I experienced such uncomfortable chaos within my normally vibrant, energetic, resilient, relatively peaceful self. I wanted a better, more joyful life for my future, and I wanted my flexible, strong body back. Pain had become the center of my universe. Focusing on pain, no matter what the source, was no way to live. Life without my health and happiness was depressing.
Thus began my healing journey. I recalled a Bible verse that I used to read when I was down or confused, and I meditated on that every morning and evening. The verse was from Matthew 7:7-8 and it read, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Being a deeply spiritual woman, I asked God for help.
I sought out the best practitioners of complementary medicine — chiropractors, osteopaths, acupuncturists, physical therapists, massage therapists, an energy medicine practitioner, and even a Passamaquoddy Indian herbalist. In July 2013, after investing over a year of my valuable time and scads of hard-earned money on various modalities, receiving only temporary pain relief at best, I finally decided that it was time to search for an orthopedic surgeon. I was popping over-the-counter pain medications like candy, wincing with each step I took, and looking and feeling older by the day, and I could barely lift my leg. The pain had become both excruciating and exhausting. After interviewing several doctors, I found a fabulous hip specialist who performed a complete, anterior-lateral, left hip replacement.
My road to wellness began one day after surgery when I arrived home from the hospital. A lifestyle adjustment was in order. I needed slow and steady rebuilding of my mind, body, and spirit, and due to my tender postsurgical condition and out-of-shape body, obviously, I could not resume my five-day-per-week, rigorous, aerobic weight lifting and power yoga routine that I had performed prior to initially injuring my hip. I began to treat my body more gently than I had in the past decades by observing a gentle, daily yoga and meditation practice that stretched and strengthened my atrophied muscles, soothed my soul, and calmed my mind. As my body grew stronger, I incorporated slow walks along woodland paths and local beaches and began tending my organic gardens again. I made plenty of restorative sleep a top priority. I reorganized my working hours to be saner, and my job became less stressful — joyful even. Plus, I made an effort to seek the company of like-minded, uplifting friends who made me laugh. My journey back to wholeness also included work with a wonderful life coach who is now a dear friend.
While on this healing path, I reassessed my dietary intake, knowing that I needed nourishing foods that were easy to assimilate and would help me regain my strength and rebuild my sad, damaged body. I ate bowl after bowl of home-cooked soups made with organic vegetables, seaweed, and wild rice; every day, I drank three cups of mineral-rich herbal tea made from a combination of stinging nettle, oatstraw, alfalfa grass, and horsetail; and I enjoyed restorative meals that included local, organic eggs and fresh, raw, marinated seafood.
I also formulated dozens of recipes for nutrient-packed raw food smoothies, frappes, and shakes, and other health-promoting beverages. I included these in my daily diet and still enjoy them often. They played a large part in my recovery and were a quick and easy way for me to eat my daily quota of fruits, veggies, greens, nuts, and seeds. I craved the wholesome, concentrated goodness that soothed my inner being and rejuvenated my cells deep down. These raw drinks became my breakfast each morning and a luscious snack every afternoon. As I healed, I shared my story and raw-beverage recipes with people suffering from arthritis, fibromyalgia, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, inflammatory pain, obesity, indigestion, and lack of energy, and others recovering from accidents. Their positive feedback encouraged me to compile these yummy recipes and share them with you, my health-seeking readers.
Today, my life is good, whole, and happy again, and I am truly grateful for every day I’m allowed to walk this beautiful earth. Never take your health for granted, because when you lose it, even if only temporarily, as I did, you’ll soon realize that it is indeed your greatest asset. Life is challenging enough without sickness and discomfort. Take care of yourselves, my friends. You’re all you’ve got. Here’s to your best health ever!
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
Abraham Lincoln