Improve your Digestion with Raw Food!

Hello nutrition-minded foodies and wellness lovers! 

Today I have invited raw foods enthusiast Daisy Hernandez from the Wellness {Pulse} to share her knowledge and expertise about the benefits of raw foods for digestion! She also has an excellent recipe for a zucchini dill spread, made entirely with ingredients that are beneficial for improving digestion! 

Almost everyone has heard of the raw foods diet by now, and I have a feeling that many of you have actually experimented with the living foods lifestyle in one way or another.

While it's highly debatable and individual as to what percentage of your diet needs to be raw to enjoy the many benefits of living foods, I am 99.9% sure that there isn't a single intelligent person who would disagree that adding more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds (provided you are not allergic), would have anything but a positive effect on your overall health and wellness!

"The Benefits of Raw Food for Digestion"

by Daisy Hernandez

"When I hear the word raw I immediately picture an image that hasn't been retouched or enhanced, it's in its purest form - just how you shot it. The same rings true to what we eat, the less 'enhancements' we do to our foods - the more natural goodness we’ll be putting into our body.

Eating raw foods is the most natural form of eating and how our ancestors back in their cavemen years used to eat. Back then, there weren't any stoves, microwaves or toaster ovens. It was all raw. It wasn’t until we began introducing unnatural foods into our lives that we started to come across epidemics such as diabetes, cancer and chronic digestive issues.

As of now, over 8% of the population in the United States is suffering from a digestive disorder and in Canada close to 20 million a year. Supplements and other products are shelved in grocery and health food store aisles carrying an extreme amount of sugar and other things I can’t even pronounce that can have our system working overtime and clogging things up anyway.

The problem with digestion is that when it's not running properly, not only do we begin to notice other issues such as constant headaches, acne, low energy, but we also feel uncomfortable. The food we've ingested from over 24 hours ago hasn't passed, our system is lagging. Just think of a rundown car struggling to start up, can you hear its drowning sound?

There are 3 types of enzymes that get our motor running in our overall digestion:

• digestive enzymes
• metabolic enzymes
• food enzymes

By eating  more raw-inspired goodness, we begin to bring in more active enzymes into our bodies that help digest and absorb nutrients into our cells.  The food enzymes are the ones that start the food digestion and guess where they can be sourced? Raw fruits and vegetables!

By heating our food to over 110 degrees we begin to kill off these enzymes and the nourishment we are looking to bring into our body is much less.

All raw foods are rich in enzymes, however, sprouted seeds, grains and legumes have the powerful punch. Sprouting can be done by soaking these foods, once they being to sprout their enzyme content has increased substantially.

For our digestion, it’s important to figure out what the problem is. If it’s bloating, sprouting of black, kidney or garbanzo beans could make matters worse. Start small then increase to see how you feel. What's most important it's to listen to your body, it knows what it needs.

I love incorporating raw foods into my day-to-day but I don't go extreme, I like to cook with whole foods as a way to balance things out for myself. Remember, what works for one person may not work for another. This way of eating works for me!"

Recipe: Zucchini Dill Spread

Ingredients:

2 cups zucchini, chopped

1/4 cup dill, chopped

1 garlic clove

2 tbs tahini

2 tbs lemon juice

sea salt, to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients into food processor and pulse until smooth.

Add sea salt to taste.

Serve as a dip or spread to make a wrap.

Daisy is a designer gone rogue who’s own designer lifestyle led her to find healthy alternatives to living lighter. Inspired by her findings, she has become an integrative wellness coach and raw foods chef working with ladies in creative professional roles who love their craft but are searching to find their unique wellness potential. 

Website: www.daisyhdez.com

Twitter: @DaisyHdez




Have an amazing day!
xoxo,
Ashley

Avoid the Flu this Winter

Greetings! I came across this article today with some excellent tips for staying healthy this winter, and I wanted to share it with you!

By Frank Lipman, MD on November 11, 2011 

"Flu season is headed our way and in a few weeks many will suffer, but you don’t have to be one of them if you start boosting immunity now. Here are 10 simple ways to prep your body so it’s strong enough to repel viral invaders all winter long:

1) Do your D’s. Adequate levels of Vitamin D are essential for our immune systems to function the way it is designed to. Unfortunately, there are no significant dietary sources of Vitamin D – most of our intake comes from exposure to sunlight. To optimize your vitamin D levels, you’ll need to take a Vitamin D3 supplement daily. This is the most important step you can take to prevent the flu!! To find out how much vitamin D you’ll need, get your 25 hydroxy Vitamin D level checked by your doctor. If that’s not an option, you can self-test your level with ZRT labs. For optimal health, you’ll want your level to be between 50 and 70ng/ml. It may require several months of taking 5,000 to 10,000 IU of Vit D3 daily (especially during winter) under a doctor’s supervision to achieve this – but it will be well worth the effort. Monitor your 25 hydroxy vitamin D status every 3 months until you are in the desired 50 and 70ng/ml range, then cut back to a maintenance dose of at least 2,000 IU a day.

2) Do take a probiotic daily. A strong immune system relies heavily on having a healthy, well-functioning gut – and probiotics help keep your gut engine humming. A recent study confirmed that probiotics could help fight off colds. Look for a probiotic with 10-20 billion organisms and take one every day.

3) Do stock up on antiviral herbal supplements. Immunity –boosting antiviral herbs contain thousands of medicinal compounds that attack viruses with a full spectrum of synergistic substances – and without creating resistant viral strains. Four great antivirals are andrographis, olive leaf extract, grapefruit seed extract and elderberry extract. Use one or several in combination as a prophylactic measure, particularly if you spend time in high-traffic areas such as airports, offices, theaters, etc.

4) Don’t eat crap. In other words, avoid sugar and processed foods. Sugar is a poison which, among other things, dramatically decreases immune function – so lay off the stuff. And processed foods? Virtually all of the nutrients get processed right out of them so they do nothing to strengthen immunity. Talk about empty calories!

5) Do get your greens. Colorful salads and dark greens are loaded with flu-fighting phytonutrients, so pile your plate high.

6) Do garlic. Not only does garlic repel vampires, it also has anti-viral properties and is a known immunity booster. My advice? Dig in!

7) Don’t skimp on sleep. One key to a strong immune system? Sleep! Get plenty of it to allow the body to restore and repair itself while you rest. Shoot for at least 7 hours a night and try taking a 20-minute catnap if you’re falling short.

8 ) Do break a sweat. Adequate exercise helps keep your immune system healthy and robust, so keep moving throughout the winter.

9) Do chill out. Reduce stress, particularly during flu season. Do breathing exercises, yoga or simply things you enjoy, to help boost immunity, relieve tension and enhance physical and mental resilience.

10) Don’t wash with antibacterial soap. Instead, wash hands frequently with good, old-fashioned hot water and chemical-free soap. Skip the antibacterials as they are loaded with toxins and increase the risk of creating resistant bacteria. They also over-dry and crack the skin, making transmission of viruses that much easier. Best wishes for a flu-free winter!

For more information on how to optimize your health, visit DrFrankLipman.com."

Photo credit

Question:
What are your thoughts on the flu vaccine? (Personally, I don't get them.)

Enjoy your weekend!

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower & Lemon Tahini Sauce

Happy Tuesday! I hope you are having a great week!

This morning I was definitely not feeling 100%... but after a nutritious breakfast of oatmeal, almonds, and a fruit smoothie... and then a 30 minute run, I felt much better! Healthy food and exercise can do amazing things! ♥

Anyways... tonight I finally got around to using the head of cauliflower that has been waiting patiently in the fridge.

Little did it know... it was about to get roasted with garlic, olive oil, and parsley!

And then dipped in Lemon Tahini Sauce! :)

And... guess what?! It was so easy to make!

How to Make:

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower & Lemon Tahini Sauce

(serves 4, as a side dish)

Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut cauliflower into florets. Mince 3 cloves of garlic. Toss cauliflower florets and minced garlic with the olive oil and parsley in a large bowl. Spread flavored cauliflower onto a pan (I used parchment paper, but it probably is not necessary). Roast for 25 minutes.

Lemon Tahini Sauce

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons tahini

Mix lemon juice and tahini together in a blender. Serve as a dipping sauce, or drizzle over roasted cauliflower.

Even though I enjoy cooking... I have little patience when I am already hungry. So I am glad this was so quick & easy!

Do you have any favorite ways to enjoy cauliflower?

P.S. Has anyone ever made cauliflower "mashed potatoes?" I think that is going to be the fate of the next head of cauliflower that comes my way. :)

The day I made hummus...

Greetings! Do you like hummus? Have you ever made it yourself?

The other day... I had a hummus craving, so I bought the roasted garlic hummus from Trader Joe's. Even though it was quite delicious and addicting, I couldn't help but fantasize about freshly made hummus... mmmmmm.

I thought to myself... "Tomorrow I am going to make homemade, fresh, and custom hummus!"

For whatever reason, I've been wanting to find ways to use cumin. (Don't ask me why! Because I do not know...)

Anyways, I thought to myself "Is there such thing as cumin hummus, I mean, would that combination even work?" So I googled "cumin hummus"... and apparently there is such a thing. But even if there wasn't, I would probably try it anyways. :)

Here is what I came up with! It is purely delicious... and can obviously be customized in many ways.I am excited to experiment with variations of spices!

 Homemade Cumin Hummus

-1 c. chickpeas
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 clove garlic
-1 tablespoon tahini
-1/8 teaspoon sea salt
-1 teaspoon cumin
-1 tablespoon lemon juice

There is no comparison when it comes to hummus. Homemade wins in terms of taste, ingredients, freshness, and saving $! 

Do you enjoy store-bought or homemade?

Mmmm... Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Soup

Happy Thursday! Does anyone have any exciting plans for the upcoming Halloween weekend?

Aside from working, I plan on making plenty of yummy treats, watching Halloween movies by the fire with my significant other, Jon, and passing out candy to trick-or-treaters!

Speaking of making yummy treats, I cannot believe how much pumpkin has been getting devoured lately!

Pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin butter, pumpkin spice coffee, & now pumpkin soup with pumpkin seeds!

Oh, and stay tuned for pumpkin pie ice box cake! (It's vegan & raw, by the way!) It's a good thing that pumpkin is healthy!

The pumpkin soup was inspired by this recipe.

 
















Ingredients

• 1 small "sugar" pumpkin, seeded & diced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1.5 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1.5 cups water
  cumin to taste
• sage to garnish (optional)

Directions
1. Roast pumpkin and garlic in oven at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes.
2. Once roasted, puree pumpkin, garlic, vegetable stock, & water together. (I used a blender)
3. Bring to a slight boil on the stovetop.
4. Add cumin to taste. Serve with  garlic roasted pumpkin seeds! (see * below) Garnish with sage if desired.

Simple, Easy, Quick! (I did steps 1-2 in the morning, and then had nearly-ready soup in the evening!)

* To make garlic roasted pumpkin seeds: wash leftover seeds from the pumpkin, toss with garlic power, and roast in the oven at 400 degrees while the pumpkin & garlic are cooking... but only for 12 -15 minutes!