January 2010 Newsletter

Want to become healthier and reach your weight loss goals? Here are some helpful hints from The Raw Food Revolution Diet: Feast, Lose Weight, Gain Energy, Feel Younger by Cherie Soria, Brenda Davis, and Vesanto Melina.

Achieve Permanent Weight Loss with the Raw Food Revolution Diet
While there are many things we can do to improve our food choices, there are few that are more powerful and effective than incorporating more whole, raw plant foods into our diets. When we choose more raw foods, we also choose fewer foods that are at the root of our obesity epidemic.

Cut back on foods you that keep you hooked, such as white sugar, cooked starches, fried foods, salty condiments, chocolate, coffee, and alcohol.

While you may feel very apprehensive about removing these foods from your diet, it's absolutely amazing what happens when you replace addictive foods with those that promote health and healing - your body restores its balance and you begin to feel a sort of freedom that is inexplicable. When you fill your body with foods that provide everything you need for optimal health and well-being, you feel completely satisfied - there is no sense of deprivation. Your body is better able to handle the occasional "addictive food," but you are far less likely to crave it. You may not even realize how many foods you eat that are in direct contrast to your health and weight loss goals.

Keep a three-day diet and lifestyle record.

Write down everything you eat and drink and try to include at least one weekend day. The following pieces of information need to be included in the record:

· type and amount of food consumed
· time of day you ate the food
· place the food was eaten
· preparation method used
· reason for selecting the food
· degree of physical hunger felt (0 being not hungry; 5 being famished)
· how you felt before eating the food
· how you felt after eating the food

Also keep a record of all addictive substances that you take in (chocolate, alcohol, cigarettes, or recreational drugs). Note your sleeping patterns: the amount of time you sleep each day, when you sleep, and where you sleep. Note your physical activity patterns and record any fitness activities. Also take note of anything special you did for yourself - enjoyable social activities, massages, meditation, pedicures, prayer time, or yoga classes. Keeping a written record heightens your awareness and, in the process, increases your motivation for making positive changes.

How can I get the nutrients I need when I am on a weight loss diet?
Article and recipes from The Raw Food Revolution Diet, by Cherie Soria, Brenda Davis RD, and Vesanto Melina MS, RD

Our bodies rely on the food we eat to provide an assortment of nutrients; this is no less true while we're losing weight. To achieve and maintain vibrant health, our cells require a steady stream of carbohydrates, essential fats, protein, minerals, and vitamins. Raw diets can be superbly designed to support health and meet our nutrient requirements.

A key attraction of raw and near-raw diets is that they help people shed excess fat while providing antioxidants, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Vegetables provide more vitamins and other protective nutrients per calorie than other foods. Furthermore, unprocessed raw foods take time to chew, giving the body more time to feel full. By enjoying whole plant foods, fresh from nature, you can get the nutrition you need with relatively few calories.

Until now, you may not have considered veggies or seeds as significant sources of protein. Prepare for a shift in perspective! In both ground beef and broccoli, 33% of the calories come from protein. (In the beef, all of the remaining calories come from fat, whereas in broccoli, 58% of the calories come from carbohydrate and just 9% from fat). The calories from protein in asparagus, bok choy, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, and zucchini are found in a similar proportion to broccoli. When you add a seed-based dressing to meals made with these vegetables, you increase the protein content, while the fat content of seeds increases the feeling of satiety.

When you are not trying to lose weight, your diet should provide at least 10% of calories from protein. While you're trying to lose weight and your caloric intake is somewhat low, you will have the best success if at least 12-20% of your calories comes from protein.

Here is a delicious recipe using broccoli and tahini that you can enjoy even when you want to shed those extra pounds.

Broccoli with Bon Bon Sauce
Yield: 5 cups/1.25 L (4 servings)

When broccoli is at its peak of freshness, it's crisp and mild in flavor. When refrigerated for more than three to five days, it may look fine, but it becomes fibrous, woody, and strong tasting. One way of countering this aging process is to shock the broccoli with hot water. This softens it, brightens the color, and creates a milder flavor. The hot water just slightly warms the broccoli and then is poured off, so the broccoli is still crisp. It's divine with Bon Bon Sauce, although it is also delicious plain or in a salad once it has been shocked in this way.

Nutrition Note
One serving of Broccoli with Bon Bon Sauce provides over 75% of the RDA for vitamin C, almost 50% of the RDA for thiamin, and over 25% of the RDA for zinc. It also provides a healthful dose of folate and trace minerals, as well as carotenoids and other antioxidants.

5 cups (1.25 L) small broccoli florets
2 cups (500 mL) boiling purified water
1 cup (250 mL) Bon Bon Sauce (see recipe, below)

1. Place the broccoli in a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Keep the broccoli submerged for 1 minute, just long enough to remove the chill and turn the florets a brilliant green. Remove the broccoli from the water, immerse it in cold water, and drain well.
2. Pour the sauce over the broccoli and serve immediately.
3. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, leftover Broccoli with Bon Bon Sauce will keep for up to 2 days.

Note: Peel any leftover broccoli stems and use them blended in soups, diced in salads, or sliced for Crudités.

Bon Bon Sauce
Yield: 1 cup/250 mL (3-4 servings)

This Asian-style sesame sauce can be used on just about anything. If you thin it with water, it's a tasty salad dressing; if you use less water, it's a great vegetable dip, spread, or filling for celery sticks. Enjoy it as a dipping sauce for Vegetable Sushi Vietnamese Salad Rolls, or use it instead of mayonnaise for cabbage slaw. However you serve it, Bon Bon Sauce is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

1/2 cup (120 mL) raw tahini
2 tablespoons (30 mL) grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30 mL) agave syrup or sweetener of choice
2 tablespoons (30 mL) wheat-free tamari
1 clove garlic, crushed

1. Combine of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add a small amount of purified water as needed to form a thick sauce.
2. Stored in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator, Bon Bon Sauce will keep for up to 1 week.