So, here we are the day after our first preview and open discussion of  FOOD MATTERS and what a wonderful couple of hours it was.   We spent the first part of the afternoon listening to the incredible message of wellness and what we can do to feel and live better.  Then it was to sample some simple raw foods and some samples of spiced up NUTRIMEAL.

After “ahas” were shared by everyone we each chose one habit from the movie that we could integrate into our daily life.  How are you doing with that one change?  No worries if it wasn’t as easy as you thought.  You get a new day tomorrow to try again.  When I first made the commitment a couple of weeks ago to start my day with water, imagine before my coffee or fruit, I completely forgot.  But I have learned to be gentle on myself .  New habits can be just as hard to start as old ones are to stop.  Try again tomorrow.

If you have seen the movie I’d love to hear your biggest “ahas”.  The ones I scratched on my note pad were:

*fertilizer used on soil contains only 3 minerals.  Soil requires 52!
*51% or more of our food should be consumed raw
*food in the stores has only 40% of nutritional value
*taking vitamins is not about “beliefs”.  It’s about science
*ONLY 10 deaths in 23 years are attributed to vitamins.
*vitamins enable the body to fix itself
*a year, 106,000 Americans die from prescriptions
*in cardiac disease; the only to win, is to not play
*education NOT medication
*stop being patients and start being people
*be healthy…….why not
*80% raw diet is a massively valuable part of an abundant healthy lifestyle

As many of you were pleasantly surprised as to what “raw food” looked like, tasted like and realize how easy it really is, I have included the recipes here.  Firstly, the spruce ’em up shake add-ons.

NUTRIMEAL Vanilla:  with your powder, water and ice add one cooked carrot, a teaspoon of cinnamon and pinch of cloves.  Yes with the proper machine (VITAMIX) you can follow the FOOD MATTERS guidelines and use the carrot raw. For the second one we added 1/2 and apple, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with ice to the water and powder.  Now that’s raw!

NUTRIMEAL Chocolate:  both were very simple.  The first one had coffee in place of the water.  If you have a cup or two left from your morning pot, put it in a carafe in the fridge for when you want to use it.  The second one had a tablespoon of natural peanut butter. mmmmmm.  These two are so simple my 12 year old whips them up in a flash.

The Spicy Pumpkin Hummus can be found in a previous post “School Wellness – Perfection”.  Serve with your custom to your tastes bagel bites.  For those you’ll just slice them really thin.  Mix some olive oil in a jar with fresh garlic and your fav spices.  Spread them on a baking sheet and toast at 200 until crispy.  These freeze well.  And yes…….you can freeze hummus as well.

When it comes to salads, just think color &  local (as possible).  Cabbage, beets, kale, bok choy, etc.  If your salad is going to be a meal be sure to add protein; nuts, seeds, hard boiled egg or two.

And of course the hit of the day……raw cookies.  3/4 cup of almonds, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, pinch of sea salt for taste, 1/4 cup walnuts, 1 cup pitted dates, 2 tbs raisins, 2 tbsp sunflower seeds.  Whirl in a food processor until combined, not pureed.  HANDS ON TIP:  chop the nuts by hand a bit first.  Roll into balls.  These will keep for a week in the fridge (ya, like that happens) or longer if frozen.

Some other sources that are along the same lines as FOOD MATTERS, be sure to check out: Cut Poison Burn, Gerson Institute, Sanoviv.

In closing, I remind you to look over your handouts about the health loaded foods and herbs and ESPECIALLY the information about “Comfort Foods“

Let food be thy medicine
and medicine be thy food” ―   Hippocrates