Radiant on Raw Blog: Raw and Living Foods, Holistic Health, Latest News and Reviews

5 Easy Steps to Staying Super Hydrated

2009-09-04T10:23:00-04:00

You have most likely heard that our bodies are not capable of lasting more than two to three days without water, though that you would be capable of going weeks without food. Water is required for very basic physiologic functions such as regulating blood pressure and body temperature, hydration and digestion (the body requires about 1.5 milliliters of water to absorb every calorie ingested).

Not Drinking Enough Water Can Be Dangerous

Did you know that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated? In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3% (a huge contributor to weight gain). Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. A mere 2% drop in body water is capable triggering fuzzy short-term memory trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

According to a survey, nearly three quarters of Americans are aware of the recommendation of drinking eight 300ml servings a day, though only 34% actually drink this amount of water each day. Most humans consume only about 6 servings of water a day and nearly 10% declared that they do not drink water at all.

Chronic dehydration has been implicated in Attention Deficit Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Alzheimer' Disease. If you consider the brain as an electrical energy producer like a battery, which is 80% water, it does not require a leap in consciousness to understand how a lack of simple, elemental water would compromise its most basic function. Much like a car battery that dries up and dies.

I don't know about you, but this information makes me run for my water bottle!

Water Truly Is the Source of Life

Crucial to numerous functions in our body, water:

    * Transports vitamins, minerals, amino acids, glucose, hormones, enzymes and other substances throughout your body.
    * Assists chemical reactions such as the burning of glucose and the breakdown of fat for energy.
    * Carries digestive juices.
    * Lubricates joints, eyeballs, nasal passages, and the intestines.
    * Is a shock absorber for your eyes and spinal cord.
    * Maintains your body temperature - cools it by evaporation from the skin and lungs, throws off heat   when blood is circulated near the body's surface - helps retain warmth in winter.
    * Removes wastes through the kidneys and helps solid waste pass through the intestines.

Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day is capable of significantly easing back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. According to studies done at the University of Washington, just one glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it is capable of slashing the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Water assists to prevent bladder infections. Studies indicate that men who consume more than 10 glasses of water per day are less likely to develop bladder infections than those that did not. Water also helps keep your heart functioning.

Unfortunately, we lose water all day long. We do that in 2 ways: through normal bodily functions (urination, breathing, perspiration) and by consuming foods and drinks that are dehydrating our bodies (dried and processed foods, coffee, black tea, sodas).

Hydration's "Enemies"

Coffee, black tea, and carbonated beverages are very acidic, especially colas. In order to neutralize a glass of cola, it takes 32 glasses of high pH alkaline water. It is clearly known by the medical profession that disease loves acid. In fact, a physician from Loma Linda University declared in a speech that if we were capable of getting our cells to maintain a normal pH (slightly alkaline), cancer would not be capable of growing in the human body!

A three-year study of over 1,000 men with a history of kidney stones showed: "There was a clear-cut difference in the group's experiences, with much less renal colic in the men who had avoided soft drinks. Of those who continued to use soft drinks, there was also a big difference in outcome depending upon the nature of the soft drink consumed. Soft drinks acidified with phosphoric acid were the worst offenders. Colas of all kinds, of course, are well known for their high phosphoric acid content."

Coffee has over 1000 chemicals per cup of coffee, and 500 of them are known carcinogens. Caffeine is a "pesticide" given off by the bean to keep the bugs from eating it. Each cup of coffee contains about 120 mg of caffeine. Caffeine's harmful diuretic effects appear to outweigh any potential performance benefits. To protect themselves from the caffeine, women's bodies use calcium to neutralize it. You lose about 5 milligrams of calcium for every 165ml of coffee, or two cans of caffeinated juice.

So Now What?

To replenish daily water loss, we need to drink plenty of water. To discover your optimum water intake, divide your total body weight in ounces by 2. The result is how many ounces of water you need to drink each day. So, for example, a 140-pound person would need 70 ounces of water per day. Keep in mind that exercise and climate conditions make the amount go up so you will need to drink even more water.

Making sure you stay well hydrated throughout the day is not difficult. Here are my 5 easy steps to staying super hydrating all day long:

Step 1: Starting the morning right

Getting hydrated first thing in the morning is the smartest thing you can do for your body. Start by drinking a liter of water upon awakening. This will help you flush the toxins accumulated during the night out of your system and also will re-hydrate your cells after a good night's sleep (after all, you haven't been drinking any water for at least 6-8 hours!).

Step 2: Drink your water all day long

The easiest way to create a habit of drinking lots of water throughout the day is to drink one or two glasses each hour on the hour (you can even set up your computer calendar to pop up reminders for you). This way you will insure a constant supply of water to your body's cells and vital organs.

Now, I don't want you to be glued to your clock or feel bad if you miss a couple of hours, this is just an idea to help you get started.

Step 3: Vegetable juice

Let's face it - drinking lots of water can be boring, no matter how important hydration is. So what is the best way to add variety to our day?

Drink vegetable juice! Especially one with celery and cucumber as the base - these two are nature's most water-rich, alkaline, super hydrating veggies you can find. It is highly recommended to drink a glass of celery juice daily for maximum cellular satisfaction!

Step 4: Green smoothies

Short on time to make the juice? Well, green smoothie is another hydration winner. Not only you get lots of life-giving nutrients into your body, but you also help your body stay hydrated with the help of juicy, high-water content fruits. Green smoothies are a great way to add greens into your diet, which are rich in minerals that may not be easily available in fruit, and also more water to your daily intake.

Word of caution: some people believe that if they drink lots of smoothies and eat fruit they don't need additional water - this is not so, because pure water serves a lot of purposes in the body and we still need to drink more of it (particularly for cleansing and detoxification).

Step 5: Good quality water

I hope by now you know that drinking bottled water is not the best for your health. The plastic from which the bottles are made is very toxic and negatively effects our adrenal system. Plus, bottled water isn't any better in quality than tap water (in most cases), and most of bottled water is very acidic.

You can make your water more alkaline (structured, more "wet") by doing one of the following:

Squeeze fresh juices into the water (lemon or lime)
Add a few pinches of Celtic salt or Himalayan pink salt
Add MSM powder crystals
Put water in a glass jar outside under moonlight for the night (especially on full moon)
Run water through a water ionizer

Drinking plenty of water each day will help you stay healthy and feeling vibrant and energized.

© 2009 Radiant on Raw

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Alina Vladimirova, Raw Food and Lifestyle Coach, publishes "Radiant on Raw" - a free bi-weekly eZine for anyone who is ready to look great, feel amazing, and rediscover passion for living. Interested? Then sign up at www.RadiantonRaw.com".

The Living Link Missing From Our Diets

2009-07-27T07:30:00-04:00

Here's a great article I found on benefits of probiotics in our diets and wanted to share with you.

For millions of years, our ancestors hunted for meat and gathered fruits, nuts and other plant foods. They followed the food supply, so there was no kitchen sink to wash it in.

Instead, they brushed the dirt off the foods they gathered. Or rinsed it in a nearby stream.

Today, factory farms add thousands of tons of pesticides and herbicides to our food. Even if we wash our fruits and vegetables thoroughly, we run the risk of slowly poisoning ourselves.

This modern dilemma means that our ancestors received a benefit from their food that we don’t. I think of that benefit as “living foods” — the good bacteria that inhabit our guts.

Living foods aid digestion. They hold dangerous bacteria in check. And recent research has revealed an amazing variety of other benefits. Here are just a few of the health benefits connected to these living foods:

They support normal growth in infants¹
They help protect against early childhood infections²
They improve your body’s defenses against food-borne toxins³
They may be useful in the treatment of ulcers⁴
They can reduce the discomfort of diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome⁵
They can reduce the damaging effects of alcoholism⁶

We have these healthy bacteria growing in our guts, too. But many of us have far fewer than we need.

I’ll show you why you need living foods. How an entire industry has misled consumers about them. And how you can enjoy the healthy benefits living foods offer.

Protection from Disease-Causing Bacteria

There wasn’t much interest in the good bacteria in our guts until the early 20th century. Then a Russian scientist named Metchnikoff had an idea. He believed that replacing the “bad” bacteria in our systems with “good” bacteria could slow aging.

Mechnikoff’s early theories were a little off. But his work led to many discoveries about the bacteria living in our digestive systems. In the 1970s, these living foods were named “probiotics.”

I like that term. It directly counters modern medicine’s dependency on “anti” biotics, which focuses on killing biological organisms rather than on supplying them.

The word “bacteria” makes most people think of germs and infection. But trillions of good bacteria live in our digestive systems. These good bacteria promote better health in several ways.

Your intestinal wall is like a parking lot with billions and billions of individual “parking spaces.” Many disease-causing bacteria can only make you sick if they find an open space on the intestinal lining.

If good bacteria have taken up all the available parking spots, the bad bacteria can’t adhere to the intestinal lining. Instead they pass through the gut. And you don’t get sick.

If bad bacteria take over, the bacteria can migrate throughout your body and cause a host of diseases that you would never associate with your gut.

There’s a good reason bacteria thrive in our intestines. There’s plenty of food. Probiotic bacteria compete against bad bacteria for this food supply.

Your digestion works a lot like natural decomposition. And that’s a perfect environment for bacteria. Bacteria don’t have complex digestive systems. So they take advantage of the free meals available in our intestines.

But probiotics give us plenty in return. Because they’re more efficient feeders than many harmful bacteria, they can crowd bad bacteria out.⁷ And a UK study found that probiotics lower the toxin levels of a bacteria that causes a form of colitis.⁸

Add these to the benefits I mentioned earlier, and you can see how probiotics promote good health.

But don’t run out and fill your fridge with cultured yogurt products. That’s because most of the so-called probiotic foods on your grocer’s shelf aren’t that useful. In fact, neither are most of the probiotic supplements I’ve seen.

And a pair of product tests help explain why.

Make Sure Your Probiotic Gets Past These Two Obstacles to be Effective

In 2003, ConsumerLab.com tested 25 probiotic products. Some were supplements. Others were foods with bacteria added. Nine products failed their tests. Almost a third contained “too few live bacteria to be effective.”

ConsumerLab.com’s second round of tests didn’t do much better. In their 2006 study, five of the 13 products they tested flunked.

But there’s still a problem. Even if a product contains “enough” bacteria, those bacteria still have to survive two attacks in your body.

First, they have to survive your stomach acid. Then, they have to face the bile salts in your upper intestine. Up until now, survival rates have been less than exciting.

The food industry has spent a fortune on special coatings to protect probiotics from stomach acid. But a research paper presented at the Israel Institute of Technology found they’re not having great success.

They tested three of the most common coating processes and found the coating process itself killed up to 60% of the bacteria.⁹ So, even if the bacteria make it through your stomach, most of them could already be dead.

Getting through your stomach is a challenge. But even the latest double-coating process is no match for bile salts. The new process worked well with stomach acid. But researchers found the double-coated capsules didn’t provide any extra protection against bile salts.¹⁰

What this all boils down to is that most probiotic products simply don’t deliver on their promises. And even those promises are being called into question.

Yogurt giant, Dannon Corp., recently agreed to settle a $300 million class-action lawsuit out of court. The reason for the suit? Evidence that health claims for Dannon’s probiotic yogurt products may not be true.

Dannon says it stands behind its claims. But the fact they’re settling the suit seems to say something else. And this isn’t the first time they’ve been called out on probiotic claims.

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) asked Danone, Dannon’s parent company, to pull “misleading” ads in both 2006 and 2008. Danone also ran afoul of the ASA in 2003. Then it was for ads for its “Shape” yogurt product.

Danone isn’t alone. The U.S. National Advertising Division claimed General Mills was running misleading ads for its Yoplait “Yo-Plus” product. General Mills pulled the ads in December 2008.

So you’re faced with a dilemma. Probiotics are good for you. But getting enough of them can be a challenge. And you may not be getting what you think you are anyway.

What do you do?

Getting Probiotics’ Benefits

There are several ways to get more of these healthy living foods into your diet.

The first is to grow your own organic fruits and vegetables. Fresh, organic produce from your own garden doesn’t require the scrubbing that factory-farmed veggies do. And you’ll have the bonus of tastier meals.

I’ve been growing my own organic garden for years, and I rarely get sick. In fact, I’ve been known to just pluck a tomato off the vine, dust if off, slice it up and eat it. No washing required.

If you don’t have room or time for your own organic garden, buy organic when you shop. Your local farmer’s market is a great place to find organic fruits and veggies. You should still wash this produce. But, like homegrown, it doesn’t need the kind of thorough cleaning commercial produce does.

Plus you can give the healthy bacteria in your gut a better chance of surviving. Simply cut out the foods that bad bacteria thrive on.

Sugar and refined carbohydrates are bad bacteria’s favorite meal. These “foods” aren’t natural to your body anyway. So giving them up — or even cutting down — offers a whole range of health benefits, including weight loss.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears is Chairman of the Board of Total Health Breakthroughs. He has written over 500 articles and 7 books in the fields of alternative medicine, anti-aging, and nutritional supplementation.]

References

Scalabrin DM, et. al. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2009 Mar 4.
Rautava S, et. al. Br J Nutr. 2008 Nov 6:1-5. [Epub ahead of print].
Gratz S, et. al. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2007 Jun;73(12):3958-64.
Lam EK, et. al. Probiotic Eur J Pharmacol. 2007 Jun 22;565(1-3):171-9.
Gawronska A, et. al. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2007 Jan 15;25(2):177-84.
Forsyth CB, et. al. Alcohol. 2009 Mar;43(2):163-72.
Wilson KH, Perini F. Infect Immun. 1988 Oct;56(10):2610-4.
Plummer S, et. al. Int Microbiol. 2004 Mar;7(1):59-62.
Semyonov D. Dry Microencapsulation and Enteric Coating of Probiotic Bacteria. M.Sc Thesis, Department of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Israel Institute of Technology.
Ding WK, Shah NP. J Food Sci. 2009 Mar;74(2):M53-61.

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.

Menu Planning for Raw Food Beginners Made Easy

2009-07-25T10:07:33-04:00

If you have been on a diet before, you must be quite familiar with the concept of menu planning. It is a great tool that helps you keep on track, allows you to make sure you are getting all the nutrients that you need and enough calories to get you through the day, and also makes sure you get a good variety into your raw food diet.

Having a menu can help you make sure that you are always prepared and will never find yourself in a situation where you open your refrigerator and see empty shelves; it helps you see at a glance if all your nutritional needs are being met; it makes the whole process of eating raw foods easy and straightforward.

But first, let's cover the basics on a truly healthy raw and living foods diet:

1.   75% of what you eat must be fresh fruit, vegetables, and greens. Many people fall into the trap of eating lots of dehydrated, nut-rich, "gourmet" recipes and end up failing because they are not getting the results they desire and actually get the opposite results: feeling tired, sleepy, gaining weight, and overeating.
2.   Eat as many greens a day as you can - that can be easily achieved through making green smoothies, green vegetable juices, and eating at least one big salad every day. And don't forget sprouts, the most nutrient rich foods on earth!
3.   Drink plenty of clean, preferably alkaline water - 6-8 glasses at least: hydration is the key to good health!
4.   Your last meal should be no later than 3 hours before your bedtime or 7 pm if you tend to stay up late (remember, even though your mind is up and running, your body still follows its natural rhythms).
5.   Eat only when hungry - that is the most important advice I can give you to avoid overeating.
6.   Keep your diet interesting - try new recipes, discover new fruits and vegetables, bring as many raw food groups into your diet as possible (I cover at least 20 of them in my Raw Food for Beginners Class).
7.   Remember, raw and living foods are about pleasure, not deprivation or forcing yourself. If you don't like something? Don't eat it! Find some other food that will bring you the same kind of benefits but you will also enjoy eating it.

Now, keeping these basic guidelines in mind, let's dive into menu planning.

Here is your easy and simple step-by-step guide to creating a menu that will work for YOU:

1) Take a sheet of paper, and list down all of your favorite drinks and meals - cooked or raw, anything allowed - just write them down without any judgment.

2) Now take a look at your list and cross out any food and drink that you definitely no longer want in your life. Be very honest with yourself here! In the case of comforts such as coffee, bread, alcohol, chocolate or whatever, be realistic: these things may take weeks or months to let go off, however, they will fall away in good time, when you are ready.

3) Now, make a list of foods that you would like to bring INTO your diet (or know you should, such as greens, sprouts, sea veggies, etc), things you want to try or eat on a regular basis.

4) Looking at the lists you have created, come up with a new list of recipes that will incorporate all those foods and drinks that you love and enjoy. If your list of recipes is not very big, go explore the world of Internet - there are thousands of raw food recipes now available online and you can definitely find easy ones to make that will include your foods of choice.

5) Now take a page out of your weekly planner (or just make a table on a blank piece of paper, which will outline every day of the week, with three main meals and two snacks on it). Start filling out the grid with the recipes you have chosen.

A good rule of thumb for breakfast is fruit (unless you have candida) - however much you want, whatever type/s appeal, until satisfied. If you have high metabolism and process fruit really quickly, then try a green smoothie smoothie or nut mylk. A green smoothie is a particularly great way to start your day since it meets your "consume lots of greens" criteria as well as tasting delicious and being easy on your body.

For lunch, your choice will depend on whether you are going high raw or 100% raw. In any case, make sure most of your plate is a big green salad with lots of vegetables, the rest call be a healthy cooked food or a raw dish such as nut pate, sun burger, crackers, zucchini pasta, or whatever else you chose for your list.

For dinner, again, same rule applies. You can also bring a desert on your menu, however, keep in mind that fruit should be eaten before a meal or at least an hour afterwards.

6) When you're done, make sure that your menu meets the following criteria:

Inspiring - you should be getting excited just by looking at it!

Easy and doable - you know you won't follow your plan if it means hours of soaking, sprouting and dehydrating are required, so choose recipes that are quick to make and/ or that will last for days in the fridge. Leave those complicated recipes that take days to prepare for special occasions.

Nutritionally sound - you don't have to have a degree in nutrition, but do check that you have a good variety of foods that will meet your needs for cabs, protein, and fats, as well as all essential vitamins and minerals. Also think in terms of different colors as well as different food groups - try to eat all the colors of the rainbow, ideally every day - this is a classic guideline to go by for ensuring variety in any diet. Also make sure you eat greens every day and don't forget plenty of clean water.

If you are trying to lose weight, make sure to concentrate more on greens and veggies since they are low in calories; fruit and nuts are calorie-dense foods so keep a healthy balance here. If you want to make sure you are getting enough calories but not overeating, you can use an online food journal FitDay.

7) The last step now is to check in with yourself about "life happens" stuff - eating on the run, in the car, while traveling, when hungry and in the middle of nowhere - that kind of thing. What can you make or pack that will help you out in those kinds of situations? Consider making or buying flax crackers or raw snack bars. These travel well and are more calorie dense than fruits and veggies so will keep you going longer. As time goes by you'll soon discover where and when your vulnerable moments are and in time you can become better and better prepared for them.

When you have your menu all filled in and are 100% happy with it, all that remains to be done is to go shopping and have your kitchen stocked and ready for the week ahead!

Have fun!

© 2009 Radiant on Raw

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Alina Vladimirova, Raw Food and Lifestyle Coach, publishes "Radiant on Raw" - a free bi-weekly eZine for anyone who is ready to look great, feel amazing, and rediscover passion for living. Interested? Then sign up at www.RadiantonRaw.com".

Natural Ways to Overcome Depression

2009-07-01T14:09:10-04:00

Conventional medicine tells us that depression is caused by an imbalance of a neurotransmitter in the brain called serotonin. Most pharmaceutical advertisements claims that drugs that flood the brain with serotonin are the answer to depression. However, some studies found that dramatically increasing serotonin levels in the brain failed to relieve depression.

So why do doctors persist in prescribing medications with side effects ranging from mood swings to suicidal or homicidal behaviors when those drugs may not even work?

Many of the symptoms of depression can be directly linked to vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the standard American diet. Depression, mood swings and fatigue often have a common cause: poor nutrition.

Avoiding depression or recovering from a depressive episode is often as easy as changing your diet and boosting your consumption of key foods that deliver brain-boosting nutrients and help regulate brain chemistry.

So if you, or someone you know, are struggling with depression, here are key elements that must be added to the diet.

Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids

Research has shown that depressed people often lack a fatty acid known as EPA. Participants in a 2002 study featured in the Archives of General Psychiatry took just a gram of Omega-3 fatty acid each day and noticed a 50-percent decrease in symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disorders, unexplained feelings of sadness, suicidal thoughts, and decreased sex drive. Omega-3 fatty acids can also lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. Get omega-3s through walnuts, flaxseed oil, hemp oil, blue green algae, and chia seeds.

Magnesium

Called the "anti-stress mineral," it aids in relaxing nerves, relieving tension, assisting digestion, activating enzymes important for protein and carbohydrate metabolism, and modulating the electrical potential across all cell membranes.

Magnesium has a calming effect on the nervous system. With this, it is frequently used to promote good sleep. Nervous fatigue, tics and twitches, tremors, irritability, hypersensitivity, muscle spasms, restlessness, anxiety, confusion, disorientation and irregular heartbeat all respond to increased magnesium levels. A common phenomenon of magnesium deficiency is a sharp muscle reaction to an unexpected loud noise.

Without sufficient magnesium the nerve cells cannot give or receive messages and become excitable and highly reactive. This causes the person to become highly sensitive and highly nervous. Noises will seem excessively loud and person will jump at sudden sounds like a door slamming and will generally be nervous and on edge. Lights can appear to be too bright. Magnesium deficiency can cause insomnia (inability to sleep).

Great sources of magnesium are dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts (Brazil, walnuts, macadamia, and cashew), brown rice, bananas, and avocados.

B-Complex

Vitamin B3 (niacin) has been shown to elevate depression symptoms in the matters of days. Bill William, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, discovered that giving a patient 3000mg of Niacin (B3) was effective in treating depression and getting people off alcohol. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies pushed this research out and replaced it with prescription drugs.

Natural vegan sources of B3 are brewers yeast, brown rice, blue green algae, potatoes, peanuts.

Low levels of Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) have been found in clinically depressed patients. It has been shown to aid in serotonin production through enhancing convesion of an important amino acid, tryptophan, into serotonin.

Natural sources of B6 are avocados, bananas, hazelnuts, lentils, blue green algae, potatoes, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ.

Vitamin B1 (thiamin) aids our brain in converting glucose to energy. Oftentimes, clients who have boosted their B1 intake found that it was easier to cut out excess sugar and still have energy. Thiamin has been shown to reduce depression, fatigue, improve appetite and mental alertness.

Natural sources of Vitamin B1 are raisins, wheat germ, peas, brewers yeast, potatoes, garbanzo, kidney, and navy beans (cooked), oranges, peanuts, and algae.

Good Bacteria

Probiotics are defined as "living micro-organisms, which upon ingestion in certain numbers exert health benefits beyond general nutrition".

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, the author of "Gut and Psychology Syndrome", did an extensive study on how our mental condition is directly related to our gut and diet. Minerals aren't properly assimilated without a good gut balance of bacteria.

Below are highlights from a few other interesting studies that looked into the role that probiotics play in promoting mental health.

    * In the December 2006 issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a study was presented that found that a probiotic milk drink could improve mood in a group of depressed older adults. The results were apparent in as little as 10 days.
    * A different healthy strain of bacteria, Bifidobacteria infantis, helped to lower inflammation and increased the levels of serotonin precursors in a group of rats. Both functions are known to be associated with an anti-depressant effect.
    * Other research is beginning to illustrate a communication pathway between microbes residing in the gastrointestinal tract and various regions in the brain that control emotions.

The most ancient way of replenishing good bacteria in the body is through fermented foods. Fermented foods have been eaten in most cultures. Yogurt, sauerkraut, miso, kimchi (fermented cabbage) and kefir are all traditional foods that are naturally dense in healthy bacteria. The key is to ensure that these foods have not been pasteurized, as the process of pasteurization kills off the good beneficial goodness.

Things to avoid

If you feel you are depressed or at risk for depression, you also need to avoid certain foods and substances.

Some commonly prescribed drugs -- such as antibiotics, barbiturates, amphetamines, pain killers, ulcer drugs, anticonvulsants, beta-blockers, anti-Parkinson's drugs, birth control pills, high blood pressure drugs, heart medications and psychotropic drugs -- contribute to depression. If you are taking any of these, don't quit them without talking to your doctor; but be aware that they may be contributing to your condition by depleting your body of depression-fighting vitamins and minerals.

You should also avoid caffeine, smoking, alcohol, and foods high in fat and sugar.

Other non-food things to do

Although nutritional support is the first step to success, there are other things you can do to elevate depression symptoms:

Get plenty of sunshine. Natural sunlight is a proven cure for depression.

Engage in regular exercise at least three times per week. Exercise lifts the mood and alters brain chemistry in a positive way

Use herbal supplements, such as St. John's Wort that has been widely used in Chinese medicine to improve mood and diminish depression symptoms (warming: St. John's Wort may increase sunlight sensitivity).

Get plenty of rest.

Drink lots of clean water - hydration is the key to optimal body functioning.

Laughter is the best medicine. Spend time with friends, watch your favorite comedy, play.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Alina Vladimirova, Raw Food and Lifestyle Coach, publishes "Radiant on Raw" - a free bi-weekly eZine for anyone who is ready to look great, feel amazing, and rediscover passion for living. Interested? Then sign up at www.RadiantonRaw.com".

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Raising Healthy Kids

2009-06-19T10:08:34-04:00

Mark your calendars! Starting Monday, June 22nd you are invited to join in on a one of a kind discussion about raising healthy children with raw foods!

The Raw Mom Summit is an online event starting on June 22nd and ending on June 30th. For 9 days and 9 nights the wisdom, experience and understanding of over 30 passionate health pioneers and some of the world's leading experts in alternative health, are bringing their voices together in the name of building healthy families and empowered leaders of the next generation.

Learn from top experts…

• What to do about fertility, ovulation and conscious conception?
• How to prepare for a healthy pregnancy, labor and childbirth?
• What is attachment parenting?
• Which natural remedies to use when your children are sick?
• How to feed a meat-eating partner if you are vegetarian or vegan?
• What should you feed yourself when you're overwhelmed with cravings?
• How to get kids excited and involved in their own food-prep?
• What to do when our kids rebel against our healthy diet?
• What is going on with the bees and why is it so important?
• How to shrink our carbon footprint?
• What is sustainability and permaculture?
• What superfoods are best for kids?
• Exactly what is the healthiest diet?
• What are the best ways to raise children naturally?
• What are the lesser-known common pit-falls of a raw food diet?
• Which foods help or hinder our hormones?
• What are the issues around veganism, B-12 and protein?
• What do raw children eat?
• How to get picky eaters to crave their veggies?
• Which foods help kids transition and stick to a healthier diet?
• What are the other top lifestyle factors besides diet for longevity?

Raw Mom Summit - Register Now!

With this many of the world's top health and wellness experts gathered together in a mom-friendly format, can you afford to miss out?

Dental Care for Raw Foodists Made Easy

2009-06-04T12:53:30-04:00

These days it's almost impossible to find a person with perfect, cavity-free teeth. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in America, anywhere from 75% to 95% of all people are prone to periodontal diseases.

Unfortunately, in the raw food movement, there's a higher incidence of dental decay. This is typically due to high fruit consumption and incorrect dental care. And there are still, unfortunately, some people who believe that if they just eat clean diet, they do not really have to take care of their teeth, that the food will do it for them (a "rumor" started by natural hygienists a while ago). And it's a pricey mistake to make.

Taking care of our teeth is crucial. If we learn how to take care of our teeth, not only can we prevent problems, we can also heal damage that is already done. There can be healing.

First, let's look at the cause of dental decay.

According to Tom Cornwell of www.oramedia.com, dental decay is caused by an infection, whether it's decay in the enamel due to strep mutants or decay underneath the gum line caused by other pathogens like T. forsythia, T. denticola or P. gingivitis. These are different bugs. An average person has about 500 to 600 pathogens in their mouth. Of that, about 10% of them are actually dangerous.

The bacteria get into an area, colonize and create a biofilm. This is a housing project. This housing project is well fortified. If you're not mechanically removing that biofilm with a brush, floss or some good irrigation, then the pathogens are allowed to grow and duplicate at great speed.

We have to understand what causes decay. Once the bacteria find the food to feed on (and it finds plenty with fresh and dried fruit, nuts and seeds), they excrete lactic acid and that's what does the damage, that and the body's immune defense response to that acid byproduct. Once that happens you've got a mess on your hands.

Now, I am not saying you should stop eating fruit altogether, not at all - eating a variety of fruit daily is very important. However, you have to have a good, daily dental care routine to make sure that your food does not destroy your mouth. So let's get back to the basics and review what is required (and yes, I know we all know them, but do we do them?).

Brush. No matter what, always brush first thing in the morning upon awakening and right before going to bed. You should also brush after each meal, especially after eating sweet fruit, nuts, and dried fruit (if you work at the office, don't be caught without your toothbrush - keep one at your desk and one in your purse/car; I used to do it when I was in the corporate world).

We have five surfaces to each tooth-inside, outside, two sides that are between the teeth and then the crown. If a person has 30 teeth, that's 150 surfaces he has to be responsible for every day, several times a day. With proper brushing, you want to clean all surfaces possible. This means that to thoroughly clean your teeth it will take you at least 2-3 minutes of brushing.

If it's absolutely impossible for you to brush after a meal, take some water and swish it around in your mouth. You will loosen up debris from the teeth. Then brush at first opportunity.

Avoid commercial toothpastes - they are loaded with dangerous chemicals, including fluoride. Although some studies showed that fluoride can help fight cavities, don't forget that fluoride is a toxic chemical, so while helping you with cavities, it can cause irreversible damage to your body's other organs (you can read more about it at here). Natural toothpastes are really not that much better. For best results, use ToothPowder or ToothSoap.

Floss and use oral irrigators. This must be done at least once a day. Floss allows you to reach places your toothbrush wouldn't. It removes food particles trapped between teeth that bacteria are feeding on. For best results, use dental tape - it's wider than floss and has better cleansing action.

Oral irrigators help you remove debris and bacteria lodged deep between teeth and below the gum-line that is hard to reach with a toothbrush or floss and they are a significant oral health benefit for people who wear braces, have diabetes, and periodontal pockets. Once you clean bacteria and debris out, the pockets will heal.

There are various brands and models, my favorite are WaterPick and Quickbreeze.

Don't ignore your tongue. A lot of people don't realize that you can have bacteria and other pathogens on your tongue. You have to brush your tongue or use a tongue scraper. Brush the insides of the cheeks and the roof of the mouth. If you brush your teeth and they come right in contact with a filthy tongue or cheeks, you kind of defeated the purpose.

Eat a healthy diet. Our body is an amazing, self-cleansing, self-healing machine. Your body WANTS to be healthy. When you create a healthy environment, the body will heal itself. The body re-grows new healthy gums, calcium and phosphorus are deposited in areas of soft enamel and dentin, thus healing cavities. Cavities can be made to heal, new bone will grow around the necks of loose teeth, and brand new gum tissue will grow to replace diseased and receeded gums.

However, you have to help your body in this process. Follow a good, well-balanced diet, high in greens and rich in trace minerals. You may also choose to take additional vitamin C and vitamin E, some A and D. For the people with stress problems, vitamin B complex, C and E are recommended. If you can, get hair and blood analysis. If you are low in zinc, iron, copper, potassium, magnesium and manganese, make sure you eat foods rich in these minerals.

Dr. Nara, the author of "Money by the Mouthful", explained, "A person has to have sufficient calcium in his system so that the saliva contains a fair amount of calcium. A person who is on an extremely low-calcium diet would not get any remineralization, and the saliva would not be such as to prevent decay." So eat those greens!

Get Your Stress Under Control. According to WebMD Health News, researchers found 57% of recent studies reviewed showed a positive relationship between gum disease and stress and related psychological symptoms like distress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

Although it's difficult to pinpoint the negative effects of stress on your gums, researchers say the studies suggest that elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol may be involved.

In addition, stress may make people more lax about their oral health habits. "Individuals with high stress levels tend to increase their bad habits, which can be harmful to periodontal health. They are less attentive to their oral hygiene and may increase their use of nicotine, alcohol, or drugs," says Preston D. Miller Jr., DDS, president of the American Academy of Periodontology, in a news release.

Researchers reviewed 14 studies published between 1990 and 2006 on the relationship between stress and gum disease in adults. The results, published in the Journal of Periodontology, indicated that most showed a positive relationship between stress and psychological factors and gum disease.

These steps are very simple and easy to follow. All you really have to do is commit fully to your own well-being, to your body, and your health.

© 2009 Radiant on Raw

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Alina Vladimirova, Raw Food and Lifestyle Coach, publishes "Radiant on Raw" - a free bi-weekly eZine for anyone who is ready to look great, feel amazing, and rediscover passion for living. Interested? Then sign up at www.RadiantonRaw.com".

Why Grow Your Own Food

2009-05-04T17:16:12-04:00

"The only way today we can guarantee our foods are not pesticided, irradiated, herbicided, or GMO is to grow our own food."

- Rabbi Gabriel Cousens, MD

Gabriel Cousens, MD, the creator of Tree of Life Foundation in Arizona and the author of such wonderful books as "Conscious Eating" and "There Is Cure for Diabetes", states that learning to grow your own food is absolutely essential. With constant food recalls, salmonella contamination, and now Swine Flu, learning why we need to grow our own food is of utmost importance.

Here are just a few reasons why growing our own food is an important step towards great health and also independence:

Food is grown in nutrient/ mineral deficient soils (even organic)!

It's a fact. Our soils are depleted and depleted soils do not produce healthy, nutrient-rich plants. It's also a fact that crops produced in depleted soils are more prone to the invasion of insects, viruses, fungi, etc. Much of the modern world is now aware that our industrialized methods of farming have depleted the soils and created a cycle that requires pesticides to protect the unhealthy crops grown on depleted soils.

Prior to the 1800s, farmers fertilized their crops with organic substances. But modern, economic-based agriculture has virtually replaced all of the critical organic complexes with inorganic fertilizers, which cause toxicity in water runoff and further imbalance the delicate nature of our soils.

The commercial applications of agriculture have not only depleted the soil of precious trace minerals but also have broken down the ability of plants to utilize those elements. That means our food is nutritionally deficient right from the source. Then our food is refined and processed, which further degrades the nutritional value.

Unfortunately, organic produce, although guaranteed to be free of chemicals and pesticides, is still deficient. Many organic farms are established on soils that were previously used for "traditional" farming and are already depleted; it may take years of hard work and commitment from a farmer to restore the soil.

Loss of nutrients and energy in the food due to transportation, processing and irradiation issues

As soon as you harvest fruits and vegetables, their life span eventually begins to deteriorate. These days much of our food comes from various parts of the world, which means it stays in containers for days and sometimes weeks. Then it sits of store shelves even more, losing its nutrients all this time.

Irradiation practices harm our food even further; so now it's almost a guarantee that our food will be nutrient empty by the time we consume it.

Agricultural businesses & Corporations dilute the organic standards to allow mass distribution and profit

Five or ten years ago, when the major food producers saw that organic food was coming into vogue, they smelled higher prices charged for less product, and started producing organic crops. Nearly all organic crops in the United States are either grown, distributed, or sold by exactly the same companies who produce conventional crops. They don't care which one you buy.

Michigan State University's website published charts that show just what corporations are behind organic brands. Curious where YOUR money is going?

Many people I know buy organic thinking they support organic farmers and not corporations. Unfortunately, unless you buy your food at farmers' markets, you are most likely supporting the very system you thought you were fighting.

Food Poisoning Scares

In 2009, U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalled thousands of various food items from the market.

We saw salmonella contamination of spinach, chili peppers, tomatoes and now alfalfa sprouts. Every time there is a fresh produce contamination alert, we are forced to look at the options of cooking our foods to avoid the poisoning (not a god option!). Organic food is safer, of course, but there is always a chance of organic produce being contaminated in the future, especially with water pollution from animal farms.

Food costs rising due to fuel and ethanol issues

According to Market Skeptics , the world is seeing a rapid increase in food prices, which is very likely to continue. Prices for food in US grocery stores jumped 6.6% last year, the biggest spike since 1980. The reasons that food costs more are simple: most of what we eat is shipped great distances, and gas is becoming spectacularly expensive. Also, crops sometimes get lost due to excessive heat, lack of sufficient rainfall, or rapid drop in temperatures (similar to what happened in California in 2007 when millions of pounds of citrus froze).

Well, I hope you get the picture. However, this information is intended to awaken you to new possibilities, not to make you feel like the world is coming to an end.

Once you know WHY growing your own food is important, you can now look at HOW.

The first and probably easiest step to take is to begin sprouting. I have already spoken about the importance of sprouting in my previous ezine issues and wrote about it on my blog.

If you are lucky to have a garden space, instead of having it all dedicated to beautiful flowers (not that I have anything against flowers), create space for growing vegetables and planting fruit trees. Anthony Anderson, aka "Raw Model", is a wonderful example of what one can achieve with intention and dedication. Check out his blog for inspiration on permaculture, planting fruit trees, and growing vegetables.

Even if you live in the big city and have little to no space available for creating a garden, it's time to discover Square Foot Gardening. Anthony, while living in New York City, was able to grow his own food on a tiny balcony (check out this post). Yes, you can grow your greens, herbs, veggies in a comfort of your small home if you know how to do it. "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew is one of the best books you can read to learn more about this technique. Of course you don't have to grow every single item you consume, but the more you grow, the better off you would be in a long run.

The most inspiring video on this subject is "Homegrown Revolution" - the possibilities are endless!

And if growing your own food is completely out of the question for you, well, the next best thing I would recommend is to visit your local farmers' markets as much as you can and get to know organic growers so you know who grows your food and what practices they use.

© 2009 Radiant on Raw

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Alina Vladimirova, Raw Food and Lifestyle Coach, publishes "Radiant on Raw" - a free bi-weekly eZine for anyone who is ready to look great, feel amazing, and rediscover passion for living. Interested? Then sign up at www.RadiantonRaw.com".

Diabetes Awareness Day - Take Action and Change Your World!

2009-04-25T10:49:18-04:00

Do you know what happens when you bring together 53 experts from the raw food world in support of The Movement to Reverse Diabetes Naturally?

YOU get a lot of cool stuff!

Get Your Bonuses Now

These 53 experts are giving away a TON of goodies in support of Reversing Diabetes Action Day and the film "Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days." There are 11 E-books, hours of audios, hundreds of recipes, an entire magazine, valuable coupons and more!

This film is a must see for diabetics AND non-diabetics. If you haven't yet seen this film NOW is the time!
Just click on this link to learn more about the film and all of these goodies:

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days

If you have picked up a copy already then get another copy of the film for a friend, neighbor or your local library so that you can get all of these bonuses for yourself! :)

This film is SO powerful in opening up people, both diabetics and non-diabetics, to the importance of raw and living foods and we need to get it out to more people!

Help us spread the word!

Check it out right away and make sure to support The Movement to Reverse Diabetes Naturally. It is doing some important and powerful work!

Related Posts:
Diabetes Total Cost: $218 Billion!
The Raw Food & Diabetes

Paul Nison's Advice on Eating Healthy and Going Raw

2009-04-24T16:44:10-04:00

Two days ago I had a pleasure of attending Paul Nison’s lecture in New York City hosted by www.beamgreen.com for Earth Day Celebration.

Paul has been traveling and promoting the raw food lifestyle for over 15 years. New York native, he now resides in Florida with his family.

What follows is my cliff notes from his lecture. The topic was the Daylight Diet, a new insight on how to be healthy, to stay fit and energized. Paul’s book with the same title is due this July.

The biggest contributors to obesity and poor health are overeating and eating last at night (9 pm through 5 am are the best hours for good quality sleep).
No daylight animal in nature eats after dark.
Get up with the sun. This is important because you are in better position to go to bed early and not stay up late overeating.
Eat your first meal during the 3rd hour of daylight.
Stop watching TV late at night, especially stimulating shows. TV is loaded with commercials of food and they motivate you to overeat. What is more important – your health or a TV program? Pay attention to the word “program”.
Do your best not to eat after the sunset. However, it gets dark late during summer months, so it would benefit you the most not to eat after 6 – 7 pm.
Two meals per day are ideal, but you can eat three if you have a demanding schedule. Eating more than that is unnecessary. Snaking is considered a meal.
Drink plenty of filtered, ionized water for optimal hydration.
The three things Paul recommends to everyone: probiotics, digestive enzymes, and B12/Vitamin D supplementation (both are abundant in blue green algae).
Don’t take supplements just because you think something is missing – do a blood test and then see what needs to be added.
Eat lots of salads – find dressing recipes that appeal to you and use them to avoid boredom.
Take time to relax in the evening – listen to classical music, go for a walk, drink herbal tea.
If you are really hungry in the evening, have a glass of green juice.
Sleep with windows open.
To make sure you are having a well balanced diet, 75% of what you eat should be greens.
The worst thing to put into your body? Raw Chocolate! Yes, you heard right – raw or not, chocolate is still a stimulant that overburdens the adrenal glands.

Paul will be back in New York at the Raw Food & Yoga Expo on May 29th through May 31st and then in August promoting his new book.

Earth Day Celebration

2009-04-22T07:52:11-04:00

Today is the Earth Day, a perfect opportunity to be reminded that this planet is our home and we need to take proper care of it.

So here's my 10 easy ways to be more green:

1. Turn OFF the lights when you leave the room, simple.

2. If you work in an office, do turn off your computer at the end of the day and on the weekend - if you are not there, there is really no reason for your equipment to be working (plus you'll save on electric bill, your boss will appreciate it).

3. Don't charge your cellphone overnight - these days most cellphones only take a couple of hours to charge so don't keep your phone connected to an outlet all day (and you'll save the battery life).

4. Replace light bulbs with long-lasting fluorescent bulbs in areas like hallways, storage rooms, and garage (many people say they are sensitive to fluorescent lights and get headaches so don't install them in rooms where you spend a lot of time, just a precaution).

5. If you are still getting it, cancel the phone book delivery. I mean, seriously, when was the last time you looked anything up in a phone book? Google it!

6. Sign up for getting your bills electronically to eliminate paper statements. Most banks and credit card companies already provide such services. Also, embrace online banking to cut back on paper and postage.

Quick Fact: Approximately one billion trees-worth of paper are trashed each year in the U.S., and hard copy bills alone generate almost 700,000 tons of waste and almost two million tons of carbon dioxide. Both you and the planet will be happier without the excess garbage.

7. Fight junk mail with all your might: cancel magazines you never read, catalogs you never look at, credit card promos you don't really need. Here's a wonderful website that gives you all the information on how to do that - Stop Junk Mail

8. Recycle. I can't believe how many still don't do it. Shame.

9. If you are going to buy groceries, bring re-usable bags with you to use instead of plastic: most big chain supermarkets now sell them and some (like Super Stop & Shop here in NY) even pay you back for every bag you use.

Quick Fact: Amount of plastic bags used in the US annually - between 500 billion to a trillion (according to Environmental Protection Agency). Amount of oil it takes to manufacture 100 million bags - 430,000 gallons!

10. Finally, my personal favorite and the easiest tip of the day - while you are brushing your teeth, turn off the water! If you do what the dentists recommend and brush for 2 minutes, well, you just used 18 gallons of water. It adds up to 547 gallons per month, just from leaving the water on while brushing your teeth! Think about it, people!

And if you are curious how much water you consume on a daily basis, here's a fun calculator - Water Consumption Calculator.

Check out EarthDay.gov for more helpful tips on how to reduce your environmental print.

Happy Earth Day!