Raw food has become very popular these days and for some very good reasons. I will attend several of them in this article. Raw food is a vegetarian food which is not baked, cooked or heated over 48 Celsius, about 120 Fahrenheit, degrees. Raw food can be categorized into four main groups vegetables and fruits, sprouts of all kinds, dehydrated breads and fruits, and fermented food with friendly germs. In this article I will discuss how one should start to consume raw food for healthy raw food diet.

It is a known fact that since 1500 BC famous people consumed raw food among them you can find Leonardo de Vinci, Russo, Hippocrates, Tolstoy, and many more. Today many famous people follow their footsteps and consume raw food as a healthier way of life and maintaining great appearance as a bonus.

Before we start consuming raw food we need to better understand the biggest advantage in eating living food. In one word Enzymes. When the food is heated over 48 degrees all enzymes died and we loose their blessed work. Enzymes are created by our body to support it in some of the most crucial tasks our body performs. They help in adjusting the food and consume less food but enjoy better feeding. Unlike heavy cooked food which is less nutritious.

One of the most important side affects of consuming raw food is maintaining balanced body weight. This is not the subject of this article but over weight problems are well known blood pressure, heart disease, etc. We can benefit from the following if we keep in normal weight improved immunity system, better night sleep, higher energy, and better digestion system, avoid skin disease, less fat in your blood, and live longer.

Another important element is consuming the correct blend of foods without mixing wrong types of foods. It is important to avoid mixing of vegetables and fruits, sweet fruits and sour fruits, fat and fruits. The reason is that every food group is digested by a different enzyme. The mixing could relate to a swollen stomach and unpleasant heavy feeling and an urge to take a nap while you have just eaten and should feel a live and energetic.

I hope that by now you are convinced that consuming raw food could change your life for the better. But how should you start consuming raw food? Here are few quick tips on how should you start to change your diet
Instead of taking foods out, start with adding raw foods to your diet.
Drink only natural squeezed juices. Especially green juice made from celery, cucumber, and green leafs. Try cucumber, celery, green leafs, some ginger, and of lemon.
Start your lunch and dinner with a big salad. Add nuts and seeds.
Start eating nuts, almonds, and seeds as snacks. Or some fruit.
Start to remove slowly processed food. At start 20 percent raw and 80 percent not and slowly change the relation.

Please note that in time when you start consuming only raw food your body will start to clean all toxics and it could be accompanied by bad breath, gazes, etc. This is normal and a sign that your body is getting one step closer to a healthy clean state.

Please consult your doctor before performing any change to your diet to make sure your diet fits your medical condition.

Did you know that the food you eat could be prematurely ageing you? Science has made some amazing discoveries in the last decade in nutrition. We really should be taking note of what we put in our mouth because more than ever, “we are what we eat”. Do you know the impact of what you are eating? Probably not. It’s time to find out because over-indulgence in certain types of food cause the body to prematurely age.

Would you like some more free radicals with your lunch…? There is frequent mention these days about ‘free radicals’ and how they are constantly attacking the body, causing potentially serious damage.

A free radical is the name for a molecule that has an unpaired electron. They are a normal by-product of metabolism and without them you would die.

To put the record straight, it’s the over-production of free radicals that causes damage to the body. We are advised by nutritional experts to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.

This is because they are rich in antioxidant phytonutrients…substances that neutralise free radicals and so help protect the body.

One of the essential tasks of free radicals is in producing energy from the food you eat. Every time you eat, free radical activity is intense. The more food you eat, the more free radicals are formed, and the more antioxidants your body needs to neutralise them. Big meals are big trouble!

Effective Antioxidants include vitamins A, C, E; minerals such as selenium, zinc, and herbs such as aloe vera and grapeseed extract.

The Reality of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are root vegetables, pasta, rice, bread, grains, fruit, pastries, cakes, biscuits, crisps, sweets etc. They are easy to prepare, filling, tasty and cheap. Most meals are dominated by carbohydrates, as most of us ‘full up’ on them. When you eat carbohydrates you’re eating a form of sugar.

Carbohydrates are converted by the body into glucose, which is either used immediately for energy, or stored in fat cells. Carbohydrates make up an excessive proportion of the diet, add together a lack of exercise and excess sugar and the inevitable result is excess weight.

By reducing your overall carbohydrate intake and reducing the size of your meals, you reduce your body’s exposure to free radical activity, and, the amount of excess food that meals, you reduce your body’s exposure to free radical activity, and, the amount of excess food that gets stored as unwanted fat. A double bonus!

Big meals are too much stress

Food is in abundance – look around the supermarket shelves at the food mountain! Fill your trolley, take it home and fill your kitchen cupboards – fill your plate and fill your stomach till you can barely move. How many times a week do you overeat? How many free radicals are attacking your body and accelerating the aging process? You could choose to eat less.

Think about your meals over the last week.

Better still, keep a food diary for the next week, record each meal by drawing a plate divided up showing how much protein, carbohydrate, fat, vegetables and fruit you eat at each mealsnack. After a week you’ll be able to see for yourself how much sugar you are eating.

Let me ask you something. What do Tyra Banks, Camille Grammer and Cybil Sheppard all have in common? They all suffer from irritable bowel syndrome along with about 20 of the rest of the population, according to recent studies.

Im the IBS Diva. And I say having irritable bowel syndrome doesn’t have to be a death sentence. There are ways not only to cope but to thrive and live a happy, healthy life. Yes, I know, it can be a bit embarrassing at times always searching for the nearest bathroom whenever you go out, getting up in the middle of movies and only eating certain foods.

The IBS Diva doesnt let that get in the way of her good time, though. And you shouldnt let get in the way of yours, either.

Here are the IBS Divas three simple pieces of advice for coping with irritable bowel syndrome.

1. Youre still fabulous, honey. Act like it. Change your mindset about this functional disorder. Youre not an outcast. Youre a tough, no-nonsense leader. Believe it.

2. Dont stress just rest. Just like the IBS Diva, you need your beauty sleep. Make sure you get at least eight hours per night. Let your body rejuvenate and heal during the night. Then you can wake up fabulous like the IBS Diva.

3. Keep searching. Even the IBS Diva searches for solutions for irritable bowel syndrome. Lets face it. Having this disorder is no walk in the park. But there are ways to cope and live a happy, healthy life. Search for them while youre on your journey to self acceptance. It can only help.

Honey, you have to look at irritable bowel syndrome as a challenge that you must overcome, not as a death sentence. With the proper mind set and a willingness to try new and effective dietary changes and medical solutions, you can live a healthy and happy life with IBS.

Losing weight doesn’t have to be boring when you focus on living foods. What does this mean? Simply by making sure your plate reflects a range of colours, you’ll naturally create more balanced and healthful menus complete with a range of living foods.

What are living foods? They are re live, colourful, fresh and raw – fruits, vegetables and salads!

Let’s Look At The Positives

1. Colourful foods have no preservatives and no added colour!

2. Provide an abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre, water and trace elements.

3. Have a high water content – an excellent source of hydration for the body.

4. Are visually appetising.

5. Their firm textures demand a good chew, so we eat them more slowly and feel full afterwards.

6. Are quickly and easily processed and assimilated by the body – less work for the digestive system.

7. Are safer – contain less undesirable man-made chemicals.

8. Are as nature intended unlike processed, pre-packaged modern fast foods!

9. Are pure energy – living food.

Consuming Cooked Foods

1. Heat destroys the vitalising nutrients in colourful foods. So much so that sometimes, you may as well be eating cardboard for all the good it does your body!

2. The effectiveness of fibre in cooked fresh foods is reduced – vegetables that are floppy and overcooked pass through the body with a reduced ‘cleansing’ action.

3. If you cook vegetables, always steam them lightly and aim to retain their ‘crunch’!

4. Cooked vegetables tend to turn out soft and therefore require less chewing, which means they are usually eaten more quickly, so are less satisfying.

5. Heat also destroys the enzymes in fresh foods, which are essential for digestion. This means the body has to tap into its own precious supply of enzymes to support the digestive process.

6. Heat also destroys the enzymes in fresh foods, which are essential for digestion. This means the body has to tap into its own precious supply of enzymes to support the digestive process.

Please bear in mind that I am not a dietician, or a physician, and my opinions are those of a Yoga teacher and life-long student of Ayurveda. Always consult your family physician before changing your diet.

It may be generally agreed that eating wisely and weight loss do not often agree. Just look back that the parade of fad diets that didnt seem to work over the long term and, in retrospect, were not wise from the onset.

This article will be a union of ideas from Ayurvedic principles, modern fitness concepts, and overall strategies for better health.

It goes without saying that a vegetarian diet is healthy. Only a decade ago, there were many reservations, among local physicians in New England, in regard to this concept. How rapidly knowledge, insight, and opinions change.

Marie, my wife, exposed me to the vegetarian diet. Before that, I ate what is now called the Mediterranean Diet. The diet I eat, to this day, is a combination of the two. The combination of these two, classic diets, are easy for me to live with and it is not an effort, at all, for me.

That is the biggest hurdle for most people. Many of us take on a radical dieting change that we cannot live with. Most of us can afford to make a few small changes at a time, instead of changing everything at once – unless you are dieting under the guidance of your doctor or dietician.

Therefore, I propose a few small changes to your eating habits that will make sense. You do not have to change them all at one time.

Sit down and focus on eating your meal.

Avoid television, reading, heated conversations, etc.

Thoroughly chew your food at a slow pace and do not put more food in your mouth until you have swallowed the previous bite.

Be aware of how hungry you are before your meal.

Try to avoid too much time between meals, as this leads to over consumption and your stomach should never be more than three quarters full, after a meal.

Exercise tip Some of you practice Yoga and understand the many benefits of Sun Salutations, but have you ever tried weight resistance?

Strength training increases energy expenditure during a weight resistance training session. The high intensity of strength training indicates a high utilization of carbohydrates during a training session.

During the post-exercise recovery period, energy expenditure is elevated for a period ranging from two to fifteen hours 1. The increased energy demands are obtained by burning more calories, and a good portion of the calories are coming from fat stores.

Reference 1 – Melby C, Scholl C, Edwards G, Bullough R. Effect of acute resistance exercise on post exercise energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate. Journal of Applied Physiology 754 1847-1853, 1993.

Even if you work every body part just once a week, this method of cross training will effectively burn calories. When you combine this with any aerobic activity, you have a powerful combination. Rowing and bicycling are good substitute forms of resistance too.

Strategies for results Get help from a qualified Personal Trainer, Dietician, or a Life Coach. You could do it all yourself, but how much time do you have to spin your wheels. without any progress? These services exist for those who dont want to waste time and want solutions now.

Almost 108 million Americans were overweight or obese in 1999. Until now, obesity continues to be a serious problem and is predicted to reach epidemic levels by the year 2020.

One way to prevent this scenario is to make people aware of the risks of being overweight or obese.

Here are some diseases that you are putting yourself in risk of if you are carrying a lot of extra pounds

1. heart disease
2. stroke
3. diabetes
4. cancer
5. arthritis
6. hypertension

Losing weight helps to prevent and control these diseases.

The quick weight loss methods which have spread like fire these days do not provide lasting results. More often than not, dieting methods which involve dietary drinks, foods and supplement or pills do not work. If they do, the results are just temporary.

It is better to rely on a healthy weight loss option which will provide lifetime results. You have to set realistic goals and not expect to lose a lot of pounds in a short span of time.

Here are some tips on how you can lose those unwanted pounds the healthy way

1. Do not starve your self.

The key to a healthier way of losing weight is Do not diet.

You may seem happy and feel that you are losing those unwanted flabs on your belly and thighs by skipping meals. But remember that this would not last long. Your body cannot tolerate having insufficient food to fuel the energy that you use up everyday.

If you get used to skipping one or two meals a day, your stored calories will be used up instead of the energy that should have been provided by your meals. So if you just eat one huge sandwich in one day, it will end up straight to your problem area i.e. highs, buttocks, hips.

2. Start your day right.

Mothers always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have a healthy meal in the morning to jump-start your metabolism.

Your food intake after you wake up will be used to burn fat all day long.

3. Eat small, healthy meals frequently.

Five small-serving snacks per day is better than three hearty meals. Eating more frequently, and in small servings, can prevent over-eating. This will also increase your metabolism and make calories burn faster.

4. Decide on how much weight you want to lose.

Keep your goals realistic. In the long run, it is virtually impossible for you to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Have a mindset that you want to eat healthy to stay healthy for the rest of your life.

Once you have decided on a weight loss plan or program, stick to it and make sure that you follow your own set of dieting rules.

5. Drink lots of water.

Your body needs sufficient water to burn fat and keep your cells hydrated and healthy.

6. Avoid too much sugar.

Plan your meals around lots of fruits and vegetables, some bread, rice or pasta for that carbo fix that you need, plus lean meat and protein rich-foods. Sweets, sodas and pastries should be once-in-a-while indulgences only.

7. Watch your fat intake.

Fat is not the culprit to being overweight. You need this to keep your weight at the proper level.

There is such a thing as healthy fats. Olive, peanuts and canola oil have them. Tuna, salmon and mackerel have omega-3 fats which is good for the heart.

8. Exercise.

Leave your car if you are only going a few blocks from home, take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog, cycle or skate. Use these activites and other home chores if you are too lazy to go to the gym and take exercise classes. Make sure that you do this regularly and you will not even notice that you are already shedding pounds with these mundane activities.

It does not matter how much weight you plan or need to lose. What is important is that you set realistic goals for yourself.

Go slow. If you have already lost 5 or 6 pounds, give yourself a break then try to lose the next 5 pounds.

Eat healthy, drink lots of water, have enough sleep and exercise. This will give you a higher chance of losing weight and improving your health, which would result to a new, healthier you.