My Freshmen year of college is when I became particularly interested in healthy eating, yoga, supplements etc. It was the first time in my life that eating wasn't purely a mode of survival amongst 8 other family members, or my meal choices limited to whatever was in the house. We ate very healthy growing up, but I now wanted to experience not so much consumption, but rather nourishment. In my quest I read everything I could get my hands on, college libraries and nutrition courses were great educational resources, and I would sometimes spend over an hour in the health food store just exploring the shelves. I learned most of what I know from experimentation, free literature, the internet, and nutrition lectures. There is one lecture in particular that really influenced my perception of eating. I remember picking up a flyer from the checkout counter at Whole Foods advertising for an upcoming Raw food lecture. I wasn't exactly sure what Raw food was, and I wanted to learn more about it. A beautiful woman named Kristen Suzanne gave a great presentation and non-cooking food demonstration of what is still one of my all time favorite Raw treats (Avocado Pudding). I have since incorporated more raw foods into my diet, mostly just through not cooking what doesn't need to be cooked, and lightly cooking what does. The purpose of this is to preserve enzymes, which are the "breath of life". When any living organisms lose enzymes, they can no longer assimilate nutrients so they turn in to dead organisms. A completely Raw food lifestyle is very demanding and time consuming (although worth it), but incorporating raw food into a typical diet is sometimes more simple then you would think. For example, rather then cooking your oatmeal over the stove, save yourself some time and electricity by soaking your oats in milk, cinnamon and raisins over night in the refrigerator. In the morning, just drizzle with (real) Maple Syrup and enjoy. The raisins and oats were never heated above 115 degrees F. so you just ate something Raw! That is just one example of the many ways to un-cook your life. You don't want to look parched so don't do it to everything you eat! Kristen now has a great blog, which you can visit at http://www.kristensraw.com & She is currently having a free giveaway too:
http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/2010/05/kristens-raw-23rd-awesome-giveaway-free.html#more
Hi Josie, I just discovered your blog through Becky's FB. I really like how you write and of course the content. I like this post about Raw Food. Now, I want to learn more about it. At home, we have become very conscious about what goes into our bodies. We care a lot about the quality and nutritious value of the foods we eat. Remember, my 3 girls, Tina, Bianca and Grace? They all love cooking and we make great dinners at home. We make our own bread, pizza and sometimes noodles.
ReplyDeleteNext time you are in Seattle, please come by our house and we'll make a feast! Keep up the good writing! My daughter just started her second blog. You might like it:
http://ramblingsofacollegestudent.wordpress.com/
cool!
ReplyDeleteCarmen!
ReplyDeleteHey thanks for reading (: I vaguely remember your girls, but I do remember they were beautiful just like you... we definitely need to get together so I can get to know you all better. That is fantastic that you are striving to live naturally and healthfully in your home. I truly believe that many of our health, emotional, and economical issues could be lessened and/or resolved through healthy families. Making brad and noodles and pizza is a great way to spend time together and a great way to learn to appreciate food. I would love to get together for some great homemade grub! I will have to check out her blog (: