The Fresh Network Blog

You in the New Year: Making Health Resolutions that You’ll Stick With

 

Those of us who are on a health conscious path are totally aware that eating lots of raw living plant foods and exercising daily will lead to a long, healthy life.

But what about other lifestyle factors we can adjust toward health goals for the new year?

5 Tips for Getting Your Kids to Eat Their Leafy Greens

by Karen Ranzi

I teach a bi-annual class titled "Raw Food Fun for Kids," a fun, lively workshop to provide children and their parents with a supportive framework for incorporating more fresh raw foods into their diet. Every class includes parents who are frustrated with their spouse and/or children who have an aversion to green leafy vegetables. I came up with 7 tips so that kids will come to enjoy those nutrient-dense, goul-colored friends from the plant kingdom.

Celery - from hate to love

by Helen Kirby Roach

Myself and celery have always had a hate/hate relationship going on. It started early in life as I had a Mum who was a bit ahead of the times and 'into' health foods when not many other people were. I was not impressed. We had a salad every single day come rain or shine, Winter or Summer.

Of course I thank her now and have in fact turned into more of a nut about health than she was. Those genes always get you in the end! I did a fair bit of rebelling first though.

I was given an apple a day to take to school, these got flung away as soon as I was out of sight of the house. I was given garlic pearls which I did try to swallow but more often than not I couldn't and they burst in my mouth and, well, it was not pleasant! So I used to push them down the kitchen plug hole. I was under 10 at this time but then as I grew older the juicer came to stay. This hateful machine that spewed out beetroot juice...I tried my hardest to object but in the end it was simpler to pretend to knock it back and send it the same way as the garlic pearls. My Mum was very trusting ; )

Yet the one thing I hated the most was that smelly stick of celery. I loathed the smell that clung to the kitchen and the fridge, and whilst I grew up (eventually) to be able to face beetroot (love it raw in a soup) and can eat raw garlic most happily, the celery revulsion never abated. Once I was 19 and left home it never entered across my threshold for 30 years. I am not fickle!

Janey talks fats

There aren’t many issues of Get Fresh! that don’t feature a recipe containing coconut or one of its many fabulous derivatives, yet it won’t have escaped your notice that there’s some controversy and debate as to their health benefits. In her ‘Don’t be Fooled by….health foods that aren’t really healthy’ column in the Daily Mail recently, Angela Dowden declared: "An 80 gram portion of fresh coconut flesh can count as one of your five a day, but, very unusually for a fruit, it’s astonishingly high in saturated fat… A typical serving of 80 grams supplies 283 calories and 24 grams of saturated fat, more than the guideline daily amount of 20 grams a day."

I’m not a nutritionist, but I’d like to dispute just about every word there! For starters, most of us know that the whole ‘five a day’ concept is severely flawed. We need probably more like ’15 or 20 a day’ of 100% natural fresh fruit and veg.

I believe fats are vital for us and ‘good fats’ are not as villainous as the media would have us believe. Fats found in ‘real’ food (that’s 100% whole foods without processing) are essential. Even olive oil, well documented to be a good monounsaturated fat, is 14% saturated fat. The myth has arisen because most anti-fat arguments are really referring to

The wonders of fermented foods

Let’s not lose the age old art of preserving foods by fermentation, argues Philip Weeks. It’s a brilliant way to boost vitamin C and other important bacteria

There is a worldwide tradition of eating foods, which have gone through a fermenting process. Creating fermented foods is an ancient practice. There is good reason why they have featured as an important part of almost all traditional diets around the world.

For medicinal reasons we are interested in foods that have been fermented. These foods go through transformation with the presence of bacteria, and have significant health benefits. Fermented foods are a treasure trove of beneficial bacteria or micro-flora. Although most of these support digestive functions, others actively support immunity.

Many fermented foods are high in vitamin C and have been a valuable source of nutrients. In the age before refrigeration, fermentation was a way of preserving vegetables.

The micro-flora in bacteria-fermented foods support digestive function and have other protective effects such as reducing the incidence of diarrhea.

Fermented foods also increase the absorption of minerals in food. Phytic acid, present in grains and especially in soya, prevents the absorption of many nutrients. However, fermentation breaks down the phytic acid present in soya and other grains, making them much more digestible and increasing their nutrient benefit.

Our bacteria-obsessed society is making us less prone to some infections but ultimately we are developing more chronic conditions such as asthma and allergies. Utilising this ancient food and medicine is relatively easy.

Interview with Anthony Anderson

Performed by Vitality Planet especially for The Fresh Network Blog

As he delved deeper into the holistic lifestyle, Anthony Anderson discovered the joys and profundity of gardening and realized that this just may be the panacea that will help heal humanity and planet Earth. Anthony's mission is to inspire others to plant paradise on the planet once again. He has founded www.GrowParadise.com to help inspire others to do just that: to grow their own food and create a paradise planet here and now. 'Grow Paradise' inspired projects are already underway internationally.

Cherry picked for modelling at 18, Anthony Anderson has been in constant demand as an international model since the age of 23. In his quest to hone his physique for his profession, Anthony came across Raw Food Nutrition - a huge change from the diet of processed foods he was raised on.

Delighted with the immediate positive physical changes, Anthony was also astonished to experience profound bursts of energy, happiness and mental clarity through his change of diet. His ongoing experience and success is documented on his hugely popular website www.rawmodel.com; his videos, which to date have been viewed 517,073 times on YouTube, and The Anthony Anderson show. He is also available for modelling ethically produced clothing.

Anthony now interweaves modelling with his greatest passion: spreading ideas and awareness about sustainable living and the growing of Paradise on Earth, through his project 'Grow Paradise' (www.growparadise.com).

Describe what you do in 2-4 sentences if that is at all possible?

Being based primarily in NYC, I use modelling and acting to help me raise funds for my three passions in life - eating amazing organic food, travelling the world, and planting forest gardens. I founded www.rawmodel.com and www.GrowParadise.com to help spread that passion of green living and paradise creation via the web through blogs and videos.

The raw world's top 5 most dangerous myths

Avoid some common pitfalls and you can really ramp up the results you get on your raw regime. Full of information on just that is Get Fresh! magazine editor Sarah Best's article "The raw world's top 5 most dangerous myths", posted on her new website a few days ago.

Here's an excerpt:

"Heat damages the delicate macronutrients, micronutrients and enzymes in food, as well as its subtle yet all-important energy field.

It begins its demolition job on all of these – and in many cases finishes it – at a fraction of the temperature at which most food is cooked.

In addition, heat causes the formation of substances which can damage our cells when they come into contact with them – and as these substances are not naturally occurring they add to our toxic load.

These are just some of the reasons it makes sense to eat as much of our food raw as possible.

But unfortunately there are a number of dangerous myths circulating in the raw food world. Get taken in by any of these and they can really diminish the results you get on your raw or high-raw regime.

At Get Fresh! magazine and its parent company, The Fresh Network, we've been well aware of these myths for many years and we resolutely keep them out of the magazine. We're the folks people call when it all goes wrong, so we witness first-hand the consequences of bad dietary advice. We're committed to ensuring that our readers get only the very best and most effective health information, and we're grateful there are so many ethical, knowledgeable raw food experts out there to join us in delivering it.

But back to those myths that are doing the rounds... Today I want to share with you the five I consider most dangerous, and why."

Go here to continue reading "The raw world's top 5 most dangerous myths"

Sprouting made simple, by Karen Knowler

One of the most healthful, economical and fun things you can bring to your daily diet are the nutritional superstars otherwise known as “sprouts”. To be clear, the term “sprouts” is not short for Brussels sprouts, but is a generic term which covers sprouted beans, nuts, seeds, grains, pulses and legumes – i.e. germinated, living foods.

When I first got into raw food back in 1993, sprouted beans and seeds quickly became one of my dietary staples, simply because that’s what the few books I had on raw food were talking about! Sadly, over the past decade or so, sprouts have become regarded as “hard work”, “boring” or “bland”, and most raw foodies are missing out on what I (and many other long-term raw and living food proponents) consider to be one of the most powerful food groups on earth.

I’m here today to inspire – or re-inspire – you to fall in love with one of the most potent sources of nutrition you can bring into your body. Far from being “dull”, these small but powerful bundles of pure life-force energy have the ability to help you feel vibrantly alive and full of energy like you have never known before.

Not only that, but by bringing more sprouted beans, seeds, grains and pulses into your diet you will automatically take care of one of the most common problems encountered in raw food diets today – that of an over-dependence on nuts and other fats to satiate you. Great news for those who don’t want to eat nuts and/or are trying to lose weight.

London has a new raw hot spot

By Sarah Best.

The UK capital lags obdurately behind major American cities when it comes to raw dining options - and vegan dining options in general, for that matter. But fans of healthy plant-based cuisine will be delighted to hear that Phong and Mui - founders of the highly popular Vita Organic on Wardour Street - have just opened a new, and much larger, restaurant - Vantra. (Vita Organic continues at the same location under new management, and a new name - Vitao).

So what is different about the new place? Well, it is a lot bigger - it seats 90 to Vita Organic's 20. You can find the same innovative selection of fresh raw juices, smoothies and salads, and Phong and Mui's trademark smorgasbord of vegan food from Asia, India, Africa and the Mediterranean (no frying or microwaving, no harmful fats, all pulses sprouted prior to cooking, and everything heated to the lowest temperatures possible).

What Vantra will offer in addition is:

• a vastly expanded menu of raw gourmet foods, including a sushi counter
• a selection of packaged raw foods
• a dessert bar which will be 100% vegan, and which will offer many raw choices
• a selection of wines and other alcoholic drinks and a "Vespresso" bar - a vegan coffee bar offering a wide selection of coffees and healthier substitutes (choices include Rooibos Chai Cappucino and Maca Ice Latte).

We tip this to be London's top raw dining spot by the end of the year. Why? Because the food is as good as it gets, yet also healthy and energising. Phong and Mui's approach to raw food is firmly rooted in offering gourmet delights without sacrificing on health principles, so here is a place you can enjoy raw restaurant food that is not loaded with nuts, oils, salt and agave. It is ideally located in the heart of W1, and it's a fantastic space for a long lunch or an evening with friends.

Vantra quietly opened its doors just a week ago and when we visited, the following day, the food on offer was its sumptuous vegan buffet, with choices including several delicious raw salads. For just £7 per (very large) plate there is no cheaper, nor healthier, feast to be found in the capital.

As they are still getting up and running they are not yet offering the raw menu - that is planned for next month. They are also not set up to do juices and smoothies, but we enjoyed something even better - fantastic fresh young coconut water. The dessert bar is not open yet, either, but they had two fantastic raw desserts on offer - chocolate cake and apple cake.

Vantra is currently open from 12 to 8pm but once they're in full swing it will also be open for breakfast and for dinner.

Vantra, 12-13 Soho Street, London W1D 3DJ (two minutes walk from Tottenham Court Road tube)
Telephone: 07834 535999

Dairy didn't work for me, says Debbie Took

2010 has been a year of fierce debate among raw food fans about whether or not our optimal diet is a vegan one. We first chimed in on this topic in January with our article Why the shift away from veganism in the raw world?, and again in February when Doug Graham and Thomas Billings debated the topic in the article Is 100% raw vegan our optimal diet? Later that month we revisited it in Are YOU getting enough vitamin D?

Popular raw food blogger Debbie Took contributed interesting material to the debate in March and April when she announced that she had tested below the normal range in vitamin B12 - B12 being one of the biggest deficiency risks among vegans. 

A raw vegan for around three and a half years at the time, she was forced to choose between taking supplements - something she didn't believe in - and compromising on the vegan part - something else she was dead set against doing. She tells the full story around this tough decision in her articles Debbie Does B12 Part 1 and Part 2.

She eventually decided that compromising on the vegan part was the lesser of two evils - largely because it was the more natural solution of the two - and she added a little soft cheese to her diet. However, she found raw cheese near impossible to source, and as for ethically produced - that unfortunately does not exist at this time. So she was forced to compromise not only on (1) her vegan diet but also on (2) her raw diet and (3) her strong desire not to cause suffering to other sentient beings. Nonetheless, for a while this decision still seemed to be the best option available to her.

However, Debbie privately emailed me an update recently, and I asked her permission to share this information with you, as it is written with such honesty and openness. At a time when there is still so much we don't know about optimum nutrition, all such accounts have something to teach us, and I know this one will resonate with many of you. Debbie kindly agreed to have her comments made public, and you can read them by clicking below. Thank you, Debbie, for sharing your experiences with me, and with our readers.