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So, where to start?

Eating locally grown, fresh organic foods has many benefits for health and weight loss. When we get healthier, the weight usually adjusts itself.

Local, fresh, organic food that has been ripened on the tree or vine is packed with salvestrols that have natural cancer-fighting properties and more nutrients. For example, Vitamin C and sulfur are two critical nutrients that are very fragile and that often get damaged in storage, packing, and transport

Our bodies are meant to have seasonal foods. Fruits with high water content are perfectly suited for the summertime, whereas a warm, savory root veggie soup is more comforting in cold winter months.

As the growing season blossoms, foods in season are: arugula, asparagus, blueberries, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, greens, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, peaches, radishes, and strawberries.
Find a local farmer’s market and enjoy a weekend outing to stock up on fresh food for the week and meet a local farmer.

You can look up Farmer’s Markets near you by using the Local Harvest website: http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/” and the National Resources Defense Council’s Local Food. The NRDC website: https://www.nrdc.org/issues/local-food-systems“>https://www.nrdc.org/issues/local-food-systems“>https://www.nrdc.org/issues/local-food-systems to see what markets are near you.

If you want to see what is in season in your area each month, check out the Field to Plate’s Seasonal Lookup Guide ­ http://www.fieldtoplate.com/guide.“

By eating more fresh, whole, organic food in its natural form, you can restore your health, vitality, and a healthy weight.

This can be as simple as having a diet that is 80 percent whole, raw unprocessed food. It can have life-changing results.

Whole, raw foods will feed the body on a deep, cellular level without stressing it as much as cooked food does. This food really feeds the cells in the body.

People who consume fresh, uncooked foods find they don’t need to eat as much and they feel more satisfied. I think it is because their body is truly getting what it needs.

Cooked and processed foods are dead. They don’t supply any live enzymes. When foods are devoid of living enzymes, it means that the body has to work much harder. and it also has to supply more of its own stored enzymes to digest the foods.

I look at people who live on processed foods. Many have terrible weight problems, diabetes, or cancer. I feel they are quite literally “starving” to death. Their body is not getting the nutrients it needs to function properly. They always feel hungry, and they always have strong cravings for more food. Their body is crying out for nourishment. 

Consuming more raw fruits and vegetables, which are naturally low in calories and rich in nutrients, can make you feel really satisfied.

I just took a group down to Nicaragua for a Rejuvenation Retreat that Charlotte Ammerman and I hold a few times a year. It includes healthy cooking classes almost every day.

A couple of the people told me they had worried about being hungry on the seven-day trip. One person even brought food, just in case! 

But they were all amazed at how delicious the food was, and how full and satisfied they felt on the trip. Some participants lost more than seven pounds without even trying.They simply ate fresh, locally grown plant-based foods, prepared in the healthiest way.

If you are wondering what a vegetarian meal would look like, my internatonal, multiple award-winng book, second edition of How to Be a Healthy Vegetarian has more than 115 easy recipes.

One big reason that fresh, whole plant­-based foods are so beneficial to health is because they are high in fiber. Fiber adds bulk to your diet and fills you up more effectively than refined, processed foods.

Eating more fiber rich foods can help control your appetite so you take in fewer calories. Studies show that a diet that is high in fiber, made up of fresh fruits and veggies, can also help the body reverse diabetes (including type one!).(1)

So, buy a rainbow of colorful, fresh, organic fruits and veggies for your meals this month. Give your body the nutrients it needs to create the health and vitality you desire.

Our body is our temple. Let’s honor that temple and give it the quality food it truly deserves. In this way, you will have radiant health from the inside out!

Sources:
[1] Anderson, James W. (Dec., 1990). “Dietary Fiber and Human Health.” HortScience,

25(12):1488­1495. http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/25/12/1488.full.pdf

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Raw and living foods are foods that have not been heated over 105–118°F. It’s basically eating food in its whole real form, without damaging the true nature and nutrition of the food. The enzymes in the food retain much higher nutrient levels in this form.

We need enzymes for digestion and nutrient absorption. Live enzymes in foods help us digest efficiently and completely. Remember, the key to health is a clean and nutrient-rich body.

Raw and living foods are the best form of foods for optimum health and wellness. These foods will feed the body on a deep, cellular level without stressing it as much as cooked food does. Cooked foods are dead. They don’t supply any live enzymes.

When foods are devoid of living enzymes, it means the body has to work much harder and supply more of its own enzyme store to digest the foods. Pulling enzymes from storage and using them to digest enzyme-empty food makes the body work harder compared to eating foods that supply their own enzymes ready for digestion.

In addition, raw and living foods have more nutrients available for the body during digestion. One of the most vital nutrients is sulfur, which is often overlooked. Sulfur is critical to our body’s metabolism, specifically the catalytic function of large numbers of enzymes. Without the proper levels of sulfur, our bodies can’t build good healthy cells, and this leads to illness.

Although sulfur is present in most organically grown fresh food, it is mostly found in fruits, vegetables, and some grains. Due to its unstable nature, the sulfur is quickly lost from food when it is processed, cooked, or stored. That’s another reason having a diet high in freshly picked, raw, unprocessed, whole, organic food is vitally important.

Raw, living, unprocessed foods are also highly alkalizing. The body’s pH (acidic balance) should ideally be 7.2–7.3. However, most people with chronic or acute diseases usually have overly acidic bodies with a pH well below 7.3. Eating foods that are highly alkalizing can help the body maintain a healthier pH.

Our well-being depends on the quality of our food. Food starts to die the moment it is picked. Food we buy at the supermarket is probably at least five days old. The fresher the food, the more alive it is. The enzymes will be more vibrant and rich in nutrients. Locally grown or home-grown, fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains will give the body more nutrient-dense, enzyme-rich food to process, absorb, and turn into the body cells. It is all about energy. Fresh food is more vibrant.

A diet with a ratio of about 80 percent raw to 20 percent cooked food will work for most people throughout most of the year. I say this because, I think taking anything to extremes aren’t always the best way.

If you add warm foods to your diet in the cool months, this can be supportive to certain parts of the body. For instance, the thyroid is better supported when cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower are lightly steamed or sautéed instead of eaten raw. This is because these foods—as well as yams, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage—contain natural chemicals called goitrogens that can interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis. Lightly steaming or cooking these vegetables deactivates these chemicals. Adding foods like cooked whole, sprouted grain rice can work as a tonic for the spleen and pancreas.

Enjoy your raw foods, but listen to your own body and be mindful of how they affect it. Your goal is to create balance in your health, your diet, and your life, too.

We are, after all, what we eat.

by Nancy Addison CHC, AADP
copyright@nancyaddison2012

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