I like the idea that we can be responsible for our own health.  Even if only a little bit. We can make choices – organic or standard, veggie or meat, to enquire further or to accept what we’re told.  One of the issues with the conventional medical model is that some of that can appear to have been taken away from us. We’re part of a procession to be prodded, poked, cut and healed in someone else’s way.  I’m not saying this is wrong, or to go against convention, but to take some power back too along the way.

There are choices we can make that can enhance our health.  We can support ourselves with listening therapies, taking time out for a massage to complement our wellbeing, or even make simple food choices.

I’m here today to talk a bit about food.  It’s something we’re all deeply involved in – and can be used to help our bodies help themselves.  We can set up a situation where we’re able to assist in providing healthy conditions for healing to happen.  I don’t believe that nutrition heals, chemotherapy heals or homeopathy heals. Our bodies heal themselves – and what we can do is help to provide the basis for them to do this from.

I decided to switch my diet earlier this year to a whole food, plant based, nearly 100% raw food diet – really as a bit of an experiment, but also with the knowing that if I had been given a serious diagnosis of illness this is the way that I would eat.  I’m not going to suggest that everyone goes 100% raw – although it can be a great way to eat. 

However there is increasing and strong evidence around animal based foods causing detriment to our health.  My personal belief is that no one should be consuming milk (known to contain an incredibly potent cancer promoter), eggs (coming in about second behind milk), meat or fish if they’d like to improve their health in one quick and easy step. 

Studies around animal based proteins have shown that consuming more than 10% of your diet from animal based proteins, the risks of cancer greatly increases.  Reverting back to less than this, or ideally cutting it out altogether, has often helped with reducing tumours.  Eating at less than 10% for research animals, usually showed no development of cancer growths, even with exposure to known carcinogens.

The adoption of a whole food, plant based diet has been shown in many instances to improve health, reduce risks or relapse and has knock on health benefits – such as reducing risks of heart disease, stroke, obesity, diabetes and certain autoimmune illnesses.

Whole food, plant based? It means no processed (or minimally processed) foods, and from plants.  It might sound initially as if it will be restrictive, but realisitically you’re talking about enhancing the one thing that you really need. So even if there is a small sacrifice – and I know just how addictive cheese can be! – it’s potentially a big gain.  And ultimately as you discover more you find out just how much choice there really is.  My parents have adopted this way of eating and eat more varied meals with more choice than they ever have.  Granted, eating out is slightly harder but learning to ask for what you want really helps along the journey.

It doesn’t have to be all raw. It doesn’t have to be raw at all – although I would suggest that you did incorporate more raw foods into your diet.  To make gradual changes – depending on your state of health – and cut things out at a manageable rate. Mum, for example got rid of milk one month, cheese the next, overt butter the following one and covert milk products after that.  Whilst you’re removing things, remember to add them in.  The UK suggests we all eat our 5 a day.  I like the Japanese suggestion better – the 17 a day campaign.  Japan suggests people eat 13 portions of vegetables and 4 of fruit a day.  I probably average around 17-20.  So add in an extra fruit snack, more steamed vegetables with your dinner, a big salad at lunch and see how easy it can be to get towards 17 instead of our measly recommended 5 portions.

There’s some brilliant resources out there – it’s great to discover more around the why – I always think anyway. So if you’re a reader then The China Study is a brilliant place to start.  If you cook then The China Study Cookbook is fantastic.  Forks over Knives (the film, cookbook and book) is worth a mention, as are the books by the Gerson’s around cancer and their work with nutrition.  The web is a fabulous resource to have at our finger tips – and I also give recipes, thoughts, tips and more on my blog and within the website under the nutrition tab.  I also have a newsletter which you can sign up to and share information on my facebook business page as well as on twitter.

Feel free to get in touch to find out more. I love my work with Homeopathy, Food Intolerance testing and supporting clients to eat a more Whole Food, Plant Based diet and do offer free 15 minute consultations to discover a little more.

Have a great day!

Juicy video:

4 apples
1/2 cucumber
1/2 lime
1-2cm fresh ginger
2 handfuls spinach
2 carrots
1 beetroot

Juice. Drink. Feel amazing.

Green smoothies are simply awesome IMHO.  However for those people who dislike bananas you do tend to find that most of them use it or at least often find so.  So I thought it was time to share some banana free smoothies for people wanting to get started.

Smoothies are often mentioned as a weight loss tool and whilst I agree to some extent the can be used to this end, it isn't what I would consider their main potential by any means.  I feel they can be a great weight regulator.  They provide a brilliant way of getting vitamins and minerals into the body without having to sit and chomp through a lb of spinach, a pineapple, 3 bananas.  I think they're as valuable for anyone whether they be under or over weight, or at their ideal place to be.  And whilst we're on the weight thing - I think partly because you're satisfied with genuinely good food you're less likely to snack on 'bad' stuff.  Winning all round really.

Without further ado - a couple of smoothies I've loved for all the banana less than lovers out there:

2 cups pineapple, (about half a medium pineapple) cubed
2 mangoes peeled and pitted
1/2 avocado
4 cups baby leaf spinach
1 cup water

Put everything in the blender except for the spinach and blend until mostly blended, then add the baby leaf spinach and blend until smooth.

3 peaches
1 mango
4 cups baby leaf/spinach
3/4 to 1 cup water

Blend the peaches and mango with the water til nearly smooth then add the spinach and blend until smooth.

1 apple, cored
2 cups pineapple
2 cups kale or spinach
3/4 to a cup of water

Blend the apple, pineapple and water until nearly smooth - add the kale or the spinach (newbies I'd advise to start off with spinach and move onto kale once you're more used to green smoothies) and blend.

1 cup strawberries
1 mango
1 peach
1 orange
2 cups spinach
1 cup water

As before, blend everything except for the spinach until nearly smooth then add in the spinach and blend until deliciously smooth and yummy!

Enjoy!  My last tip - unlike juicing there's so little to wash up but I do always try to wash the blender first then I can really relax and enjoy my smoothie with nothing (haha) left to do!!