The Benefits of Raw Nutrition.  

I am not a fan of diets. The first 3 letters say it all to me! However, we live in a paradox where we are all on some kind of DIEt - conscious or not!

I had my fill of the diet culture from a very young age, after seeing many of my close family members struggle with their weight. Counting calories and restrictions just didn’t ‘feel’ right to me. In my early years there wasn’t many diets that I didn’t try, I even did the cabbage soup one!

I turned vegetarian at a relatively young age, which suited me. The thought of eating another body for my own pleasure or nutritional gain felt fundamentally ‘off’ to me. My family thought I was nuts so I went on a mission to research as much as I could about why killing and eating animals and animal products wasn’t ethical or nutritious. I also experimented a lot and went with the guidance system of my own body, which I am highly tuned into. 

When I went to California I saw people healing from terminal disease through juicing, cleansing, raw vegan food, and sprouted foods, I went a few steps further and started to experience the benefits of raw nutrition.  My thoughts were clearer, my energy soared, my skin changed, I felt super connected to myself, I lost weight, cellulite vanished and so much more. I felt I had hit the jack pot in so many ways! Now please bear in mind that this was over 20 years ago when there was hardly a vegan in sight and everyone I knew thought I had joined a cult!

The simplest way to explain the benefits of raw food is; they are full of enzymes. It is said that you were born with 50 years of enzymes in your body and every time you eat processed food, sugar, alcohol, meat, dairy you use up some of those enzymes. So, if you eat those enzymes in your diet, you use less of your own natural resources and you stay healthier for longer. Those enzymes help you to fight disease and stay vibrant.

So, raw vegan food is full of healthy enzymes and organic raw food is even better!

The hardest thing that your body does is digest. Raw food is easier to digest than cooked food. Reducing the digestive process gives your body the chance to heal. This is why fasting is good for your body, doing a juice/smoothie fast really helps the healing process.

-Getting more raw nutrients into your body will help to:

-Improve your immune system

-Boost energy

-Give your digestive system a well earned rest

-Improve your skin

-Stimulate digestion

-Reduce your weight

-Overcome bloating

-Help mental clarity and focus

Easy ways to add more raw nutrition in your diet;

-Juice veggies in the morning and set up your day in the best way possible – pure celery juice is amazing for inflammation but you can also do cucumber, celery, courgette, apple and limes.

-Make tasty smoothies to have for snacks – I use a mix of fruit and veg and avocado so they don’t spike your blood sugar.

-Eat at least 1 salad a day.

-Snack on nuts and fruit.

-Choose raw fruit bars over processed chocolate.

What many don’t realise is that what you eat has a direct impact on your mental and emotional health and this is something, as you know, I feel passionately about - you can actually reduce the amount of stress and anxiety in your body by changing what you consume.