Juice FEAST Day 6!

Hello beautiful,
Bet you can't believe that it's Day 6 of my juice feast. I certainly can't! The days are flying by!

My brother had a swim meet a couple days ago and he did awesome! My mom and I have been encouraging him to eat whole fruits and vegetables instead of processed foods and sugars. We have prepared for him delcious snacks such as fruit salads, fruit juices, mixed veggies, and salsa! We can definitely see an improvement already in his complexion (his acne is going away) and his energy levels. He is enjoying the energy and stamina he has, especially for his races. He did 5 races the other day and did amazingly well!
Yesterday he had a girl over for the very first time! It's amazing, once you eat better you feel better and people can feel your love and energy. They want to be around you. You attract love and friendships. I was very excited for him!

This leads me to my lesson of the day...

Do I need to eat 100% raw to be healthy?

The answer, I'm sure to your surprise is no! If you are eating a standard diet of bagels, cookies, pizza, big macs, easy mac, ramen noodles, chips and crackers, canned vegetables and soups, white sugars or artificial sugars...you would benefit TREMENDOUSLY from an INTERMEDIATE COOKED FOOD DIET.

Cooked Food?

Yes, cooked food. It is more important what you LEAVE OUT of your diet COMPLETELY without exception! These foods are those containing REFINED SUGARS and PROCESSED STARCHES. These two drugs are what create food CRAVINGS and TOXICITY in our bodies. When we eat these foods we TRIGGER overeating and binging on more unhealthy foods. We become addicted and dependent on these foods. Our bodies are screaming out for nurishment and we continue to feed it a foreign substance it has NO USE FOR.
When we eat these foods OCCASIONALLY it is as if we are eating them everyday. The addiction to these foods remains in our bodies and we continue to constantly think about them. How many times can you say no to something before you finally give in?! This leads to the relapse of the OCCASIONAL cookie, slice of pie, etc.

Think of an alcoholic who is addicted to alcohol. What is the recommendation? To drink on occasion? NO, of course not...they are advised to stop drinking completely because with even one drink they may relapse into their addictive behavior.

You may be thinking..."If these foods are so bad for us then why are they in all the supermarkets and at most restaurants and cafes?"
Do you think the food industry wants you to be truly satisfied with a slice of cake every 3 years or do you think they are banking that you will occasionally have that cake say once or twice a week? Sugar and cooked starches are addictive and they know that if they slip a little of that in then you will be coming back for more. Another reason is that it is cheaper because sugar makes things more shelf stable. Sugar extracts water from food and therefore preserves it longer.

BUT how can I cut these things out...I need them!

You can do it! One small step at a time. Instead of having a bagel with coffee for breakfast try for a fruit smoothie or fruit salad with some honey sweetened granola and plain greek yogurt with herbal tea with agave or honey to sweeten.
Or some fresh fruit sprinkled with nuts and seeds and almond milk (1 cup of almonds, 4 cups of filtered water, blend in a blender and strain with a strainer or sieve, optional: add some vanilla)!

For lunch try to put your lunch meat on a lettuce leaf (romaine, boston lettuce, collard) instead of tortilla or bread.
Instead of sugary candies try eating dried fruits such as:
dates, turkish figs, raisins, cherries, cranberries, apricots, pineapple, pears, apples... Try to look for ones that do not have any preservatives or added sugars.

If you are ambitious to try some Raw foods, start small... with a salad with fresh veggies, sliced up avocado, olives and a vinegarette with olive oil and vinegar, season with some sea salt and fresh ground pepper and enjoy. If you go into my blog archive you will find a recipes for raw salsa and guacamole!! These have been my staple food since going raw and even before raw! After you have mastered the art of salads you can then venture into the exciting world of RAW DESSERTS...my juice filled stomach is growling with just the thought!
Tomorrow I will post a delicious raw fruit cobbler/pie that even the pickiest eater will "live" for.

If you feel sad, depressed and/or constantly hungry you may benefit greatly from these few improvements. I am here to help guide you if you have any questions along the way!


With Love,
Rawkn Yogini~