The Seven Day Raw Food Challenge #1

Hello all. I have just delved into the lively and energetic world of Raw food in my program and it is very interesting. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Raw Food diet and what it is all about, I will explain. A raw food (also called living food, live energy) diet is an uncooked vegan or vegetarian diet, which consists of berries, fruits, vegetables, roots, nuts, flowers, sea vegetables, germinated seeds, sprouts, and sometimes raw dairy products (for maintenance, not cleansing). It is essentially about eating plants that are in their live and natural state. Raw foodist believe that living plants create living bodies which create an enthusiasm for living life.

Why Raw UNCOOKED food?
Raw foodists do not eat food that has been heated to over 120 degrees because heating destroys most of the anti-oxidants, B vitamins, Vitamin C, D and E, as well as, minerals such as sulfur, which is necessary in delivering minerals in need to the cells. The cooking process also destroys live enzymes present in that food, which raw foodists believe is the life force of the body and the key to good health.

Well, why are enzymes so important, you may ask?
We are all born with a finite amount of metabolic and digestive enzymes. These enzymes are needed for every chemical reaction in the body, and are also the labor force that builds the body. Enzymes also tell the body where to deliver nutrients and is the key factors in preventing chronic disease. When we eat raw food the enzymes in that food, as we chew, begin to digest that food. The more we incorporate raw food wth their active enzymes, the less our bodies have to pull from our finite supplies.

So, How does this benefit us?
The enzymes that we don't need to digest the raw food can be used to help the body in detox, immune support and other areas. Enzymes are "the delivery truck" of nutrients to our body, without them your body has to work that much harder to figure out what the nutrient is and where it is supposed to go. Since so much of our energy is taken up by digestion of cooked foods, we have less energy to live life and get things accomplished.  In short, the more raw foods you incorporate into your diet, the higher your enzyme supply, the less likely you are to get sick with cold, flu or allergies. Other benefits are elevated awareness, less need for sleep and more time to get things done, wider and brighter eyes, vibrant skin  and a more flexible body.

After learning all of this, my friend Anna and I came across The Seven Day Raw food Challenge, and boy am I ready for it! After all the unhealthy holiday eating and drinking my body is in desperate need for a cleanse. We have decided take the challenge starting on November 1 to November 6. It will be tough since I have a wedding, a friends birthday and other events but I figure there will always be an event or occasion so I might as well just see it through now. I will keep you posted as to how things are going and what I am experiencing. If any of you are interested in doing this with me, there is still time! Email me and I will send you The Seven Day Raw Food Challege E-book. It outlines everything you will need for the challenge including shopping lists and recipes, in addition to some more information about the raw food diet and it's benefits. Let me know..

Intro to "Our Deepest Fear.."

                           

The above quote by Marianne Williamson, was taken from her book, "A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles."  When working with clients, we start  a six month program discussing this quote and what it means to them. Why? Because my role as a Health Coach is to not only support my clients to make healthier food choices, but to support them to fulfill their goals and to live the life they have always imagined for themselves. That means helping them face the fear that has been getting in the way of their goals. Like my clients, I have been riddled with fear my entire life. I fear that I am not pretty enough, smart enough or good enough. I fear that I will not be accepted or loved if I show the world my true colors - and my biggest fear is that I can actually succeed at whatever I set my mind to. It is a priority of mine to face these fears so that I can be the best Health Coach as well as role model to my clients. Today, I would like to delve a little deeper into my own personal fears and how I have been facing them:

In the past, when an opportunity came along to face my fear, I  backed away thinking I wasn't strong enough to handle it. A good example of this would be dropping out of medical school. Yes, I got married the same year I started Medical which in hind sight was not a good idea, but the real reason I dropped out was because I truly did not feel I was good enough or smart enough. Who was I to be in the same class as other students who were a lot older than me and had multiple degrees? After all I was only a 20 year old pip squeak who graduated from Brooklyn College. I have come to realize that I will never achieve anything in my life or come even close to reaching my full potential with this unhealthy mindset. I am done feeling sorry for myself. NO MORE!  I know that I can be a stronger version of myself because I can envision it, and if I can see myself being a stronger, happier and more confident Nelly then it must be that I can manifest it and make it my reality. To accomplish this I have been looking deep within myself  and analyzing the source of my fear and the thought processes and experiences that have caused me to be so fearful, which has not been an easy process. To my delight, however, I recently had an experience that made me feel like I was on the right path towards overcoming my fear.

This past week, my family and I were celebrating my brother's thirteenth birthday, or Bar Mitzvah. Traditionally, speeches are made at big events like this one and since nobody in my immediate family stepped up to the plate, I volunteered. I have always feared public speaking, probably worse than death, and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to overcome my fear (even though I was doubting myself every step of the way and wanted to back out of my decision until the very last second) So there I was, standing in front of a room of 200 people about to give the speech. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest and was so nervous that I was literally shaking. I could feel the redness in my cheeks and my palms were sweating. However, once I started talking I realized it wasn't so bad. Not only was it not as scary as I envisioned in my mind but something came over me and I really got into the ideas that I was trying to convey, after-all, it was for my little brother, and I wanted it to be as meaningful as possible. By the end of my speech, I got a huge applause and people commended me for doing a great job through out the night.

I am here to tell you what ever you think you can not do....YOU CAN! You wouldn't even ponder the idea of  'IT' if you weren't capable of conquering it. The day of my brother's Bar Mitzvah will be etched in my mind forever because it is the day that I finally overcame my fear of public speaking. Triumph over our darkest fears gives us an internal strength that is priceless, and when I look back at my initial fear it seems so small and insignificant.

I encourage you all to go out there and do the thing that you are afraid of.  If you can't do it on your own then seek out the support of your friends and loved once. Share your fears with people you are close with and you will be amazed at the support you will receive because everybody is afraid of something. I am sending you positive and loving vibes for a very fulfilling future, one which you have always imagined for yourself!

Ingredient Exposed #1 - Tempeh is Delicious!

Marinated Tempeh with Brown Rice and Steamed Veggies

Once in a while I will be blogging about a new ingredient I have explored from the health food store, either on its own or in a recipe. I will be introducing these ingredients under the title Ingredient Exposed with the recipe if there is one. 

For my first Ingredient Exposed piece I would like to focus on Tempeh, and by the way it is pronounced temp-ay, who knew? What is it you may ask? Well, before I actually experimented with it, I assumed that it is similar to tofu but somehow different. When I finally tried it out in a recipe I realized how different it truly is!!

Tempeh is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s and n-u-t-r-i-t-i-o-u-s!! When I went to the health food store I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of different flavors of tempeh available. I decided to go with Litelife's Organic Three Grain Tempeh. My husband and I are huge whole grain fans and the tempeh covered in whole crunchy grains of millet, barley and brown rice just spoke to me. Other flavors produced by the same company include Smoky Tempeh or Garden Tempeh.

Tempeh is made from soybeans. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean gives it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. Tempeh is a significant source of Vitamin B complex and folate, as well as, phosphorus, potassium and even calcium. So it taste good and it is really good for you!

The texture is very similar to a firm vegi-burger and takes almost no time to cook, unlike tofu. Now, I mentioned Tempeh is delicious and it is. Besides for the amazing honey mustard marinade I prepared to go with it, tempeh has a yummy nutty, mushroom-like, and meaty flavor. I CANNOT wait to try another flavor of Tempeh. This has really opened up a world of possibilities since I can mix and match various Tempeh flavors with marinades and come out with different results. I decided to serve my Tempeh with a side of whole grain rice and steamed broccoli with carrots (because that is what I had in my fridge), but you can literally serve it with anything. Food is about fun and creativity!

Here's the recipe:

Marinated Tempeh

Prep time: 5 minutes

Marinade Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

serves 2

1 8-ounce package Tempeh

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons honey (agave or maple syrup will also do if your a vegan)

1 tablespoon soy sauce 

3 tablespoons of your favorite mustard (I used a classic grainy Dijon)

1 teaspoon garlic

1/4 tsp pepper

• Mix ingredients (except olive oil) for marinade
• Cut tempeh into 1" chunks
• Marinate the tempeh for 30 minutes
• Heat skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil and quickly stir fry tempeh until golden brown, about 5 minutes each side.

Enjoy :)