Fiber is essential for proper digestion and nutrient assimilation, and is seriously lacking in the Standard American Diet (SAD).  Animal products have little to no fiber and are harder to digest than plant foods, taking nearly three times longer to digest.  Fiber helps to move digested food through the digestive tract and keep the colon clean.  Not enough fiber in our diet can easily create toxic waste in our system making us more vulnerable to diseases, while excess waste in our system can increase our weight as much as 25 pounds.  Cooking fruits and vegetables will reduce and change the quality of the fiber, reducing its ability to ‘sweep’ the colon clean.  Blending fruits and vegetables into a fresh, revitalizing empowering drink will help break down the fiber in the plant, improving both the digestive process and nutritional assimilation.

All uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds come with their own digestive enzymes to assist the body in digesting protein, fats and carbohydrates.  For example, the avocado is rich in the enzyme Lipase, the fat dissolving enzyme.  These plant enzymes help to pre-digest the food in the early part of digestion thus improving the digestive process and bioavailability (the absorption and assimilation) of nutrients.  Cooking foods at high temperatures can dramatically reduce the quality and quantity of these enzymes. 

Plant foods are also rich in phytochemicals (including antioxidants) and healthy fats to support optimal health.  Antioxidants fight free radicals – free radicals are known to accelerate aging and contribute to diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  Phytochemicals found in whole plant foods number in the 100,000’s and;

Perform anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral activities;

Fight Macular Degeneration, cataracts and Alzheimer;

Have anti-inflammatory activities;

Help bone density (reduce risk of osteoporosis);

Help prevent and rid body of carcinogens (anti-cancerous activities);

Prevent blood clotting, lower cholesterol, strengthen blood vessel walls and fight heart disease;

And enhance Immune Function.

The process of heating foods can significantly reduce the phytochemical content of most foods.  To receive the enormous benefits of these health promoting nutrients eat your fruits and vegetables as Mother Nature grew them – whole, fresh, and uncooked.

Healthy fats are necessary for food absorption, healthy skin, lubricating our joints, protecting our internal tissues and organs, and to providing satiation (that feeling of ‘fullness’ which helps eliminate ‘over-eating’).  Healthy fats can be found in coconuts, olives, avocados, and raw nuts and seeds.  The unhealthy fats (i.e. saturated fats and trans-fats) are found only in animal products, never in fresh plant foods.  Eating healthy fats have an added benefit  -  the same ‘fat dissolving’ Lipase enzyme found in raw plant foods like avocados, nuts and seeds, will help to dissolve saturated fat from the body.

Take your diet and health a notch higher; feel like the ‘reset’ button was pressed and your body ignited with new energy.  Eat whole fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds in their natural raw/uncooked state and reap the benefits!  You’ll be amazed how your body responds to those added antioxidants, phytochemicals, enzymes, fiber and healthy fats!

The first time I entered a kidney dialysis unit with my husband, an ‘uncontrolled’ diabetic, I was shocked by the number of people in the waiting room and in the numerous beds and chairs tightly packed in the unit, each one hooked up to a dialysis machine. There were elderly people, children, teens, and people of almost every ethnicity I knew. I was appalled at the ‘sign of the times,’ and I shook my head in disbelief, aghast that the “the numbers are increasing!”

Statistics indicate the number of people (between the ages of 30 and 39) with diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate, as high as 70% over the recent 10 years! Currently over 20 million people in the United Sates alone have diabetes. Are you diabetic? Have you been checked? Many diabetics don’t even know they’re diabetic – yet. Diabetes often has no symptoms or warning signs, but the symptoms include: feeling tired, feeling irritable, urinating more than normal, being very thirsty and/or hungry, unexplained weight loss, and/or blurred vision.

My husband like so many other diabetic patients believed a ‘miracle drug’ or ‘miracle procedure’ would be developed that would cure his condition; he paid little attention to dietary guidelines or the need for physical exercise. Then neuropathy (a condition where the blood no longer circulates to the extremities or other organs, including the stomach) set in and his pain level in his hands and feet worsened with each passing year. Before his passing, he often held his hands up away from his body to protect them from being hit, any pressure on his fingers was excruciating. He could no longer eat most foods because his stomach no longer functioned properly and the muscles to move his food lay dormant – the toxins were killing him. His kidneys didn’t work. His will to live ended when he no longer could pet his dogs, hold his wife, or hold cards in his favorite game of Sequence. His vision was blurred to the point that reading was impossible and watching TV was his only outlet.

You ask me, ”How did diabetes change MY life?” I took care of this man I love and watched his decline and suffering. I urged him to try the aggressive raw food diet as explained in the SIMPLY RAW: REVERSING DIABETES IN 30 DAYS video, a ‘proven’ method of reversing diabetes. Though he started eating more raw food his love for eating animal products, fast food, and all time favorite junk/processed food continued. He doggedly believed a ‘cure’ would come soon. It didn’t, not the cure he was looking for. It is not in a pill, it is not a surgical procedure.

The miracle my husband was looking for was right there in front of him, it was in the raw foods. The healing power of whole fresh foods in their natural state has been proven to cure or control most diseases, and Dr. Gabrielle has proven it can reverse diabetes. For those people seeking to be free of this disease, this is the ONLY proven program that works. Yes it requires discipline, yes it requires changes……………yes change is uncomfortable………….but not nearly as uncomfortable as neuropathy I assure you.

No, I didn’t suffer from diabetes, I suffered through it………….through my husband. He’s now dead and yes, my life is changed. After 32 years of sharing my life with this man, a part of me died that day too. I think of all the families of all those people in the dialysis unit and shed tears for every one of them, and those who have yet to be diagnosed.

I urge you to view the video, no other program has proven to reverse diabetes. Dr. Gabriel has proven the raw food diet program can.

If you keep doing the same thing but expect different results, you’re fooling yourself. There are no ‘miracle’ breakthroughs in the medical community. You have to take the initiative – the raw food diet works. Please don’t become a statistic.

- Beth Wilke, Raw Food Chef

The raw food diet is not an ‘all or nothing’ diet.  Without question, the more raw fruits and vegetables you eat the healthier you’ll be as all plant based foods are extremely high in easily assimilated nutrients that feed the body at a cellular level.  “Fruits provide the highest percentage of vitamins per calories consumed with vegetables coming in second.  Vegetables provide the highest percentage of minerals per calories consumed with fruits coming in second.”* With a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds to choose from in the raw diet, nutrients such as bone-strengthening calcium, protein, iron, vitamins C, D, E, and B’s to name a few can easily be obtained.  “Almost every vegetable that can be eaten whole, fresh and raw contains all eight of the essential amino acids and therefore provides us with complete, usable, easily assimilated protein.”*  Processing nutrients from whole foods to sell as supplements is the most costly way to improve your nutritional balance.  Most nutrients are known to interact symbiotically with at least eight other nutrients, WHOLE fruits and vegetables provide a superior complete source of vitamins and minerals.

Fiber found in plant-based foods is lacking in a meat-based diet; fiber is important to keep the digestive tract clean of waste products which can lead to disease. 

Plant-based foods are alkaline in nature, as apposed to animal products and grains which are acid forming.  A highly acidic bloodstream pulls minerals from our muscles and bones to neutralize the acid content.  

Most animal products have been treated with antibiotics, steroids, coloring agents, flavor enhancers, growth hormones and other chemicals that humans ingest when eating these foods.  How healthy is it to eat THAT?  Whole fresh organic fruits and vegetables are free of any of these treatments. 

Cooking foods changes its atomic structure, creating a toxic food where up to 80% of the nutrients can lost in the cooking process.  Cooking foods at high heat (such as steaming, boiling, and grilling) creates carcinogens that can lead to cancer and auto-immune diseases.  The body’s first line of defense is the white blood cells; research has proven the white blood cell count increases almost 300% after consuming cooked foods.  The body perceives cooked food as toxic and rushes to its defense.  Cooking is a process of destruction, not of ‘construction’.  If you placed your hand on a hot burner, within seconds the skin would reflect how destructive ‘cooking’ is.  It matters little if it is ‘slightly’ cooked or blackened………..the result is the same. 

Switching to a raw food diet, high in low calorie nutrient dense fruits and vegetables increases your energy and unwanted pounds melt away as you are no longer consuming food that is made up of processed sugar, processed flours and grains, and cooked foods – all foods that put on the weight and drain you of energy.  With there being over 150 varieties of available fruits and vegetables to choose from, meals are seldom boring.  Couple this with learning HOW to prepare these fruits and vegetables into great tasting familiar recipes (e.g. pasta, desserts, ice cream etc) you’ll soon be experiencing a higher level of health and energy, beyond anything you dreamed possible.

It is interesting that people think little about the quantities and health quality of prescription drugs, supplements, or processed foods they consume and yet shy away from eating whole fresh fruits and vegetables as being ‘radical’ and ‘difficult’.  It couldn’t be any simpler.  Sometimes we’re looking so hard for the dietary cure-all, we don’t see the bright colored jewels in our produce markets beckoning us to ‘just try me!’   

Is the raw food diet a healthy diet?  It is all that and then some!  It is a diet/lifestyle that fits everyone, whether you’re consuming 20% more fruits and vegetables or 100% more, with every bite you’re improving your health.  Who can argue the benefits of THAT!

Bon A Petite’

Beth

 ——————————————————————————————————————————————-

*Dr Douglas N Graham, On Nutrition and Physical Performace: A Handbook for Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts

Question:

What is the best way to get calcium in a raw diet? I’m at risk of osteoporosis.

My answer…

CALCIUM:

Most people believe osteoporosis is caused by a lack of calcium and by increasing the intake of calcium (including direct supplementation) osteoporosis will be avoided.  This does little to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis or to counteract the effects of a predominantly acid forming diet and lifestyle. 

The actual cause of osteoporosis is typically due to excessive calcium loss from an overly acid bloodstream.  Animal proteins, tobacco inhalation, caffeine and drugs contribute to an acid bloodstream.  The body maintains a blood pH that is slightly alkaline and when the blood is too acidic, the body brings it back to a more alkaline state by leaching calcium (an alkaline mineral) from the bones and boron from muscle. Boron helps prevent calcium loss and is found in raw fruits and vegetables, milk has little, meat and eggs have none. 

Studies have shown a direct correlation between eating animal proteins (e.g. meat, eggs and dairy) and calcium loss.  Fruits and vegetables are alkaline foods which help maintain your blood at the correct pH.  Easy to assimilate calcium (and boron) is found in abundance in most leafy greens (e.g. romaine lettuce, spinach, dandelion greens etc), in seaweeds (e.g. Nori, Arame, Dulse) and in sesame seeds (1 oz. has 276 mg).   By eating large, green leafy salads with dressings made from Tahini (ground sesame seeds), you’ll get more than enough calcium (along with all the other elements your bones and muscles need) to satisfy the body’s need. 

Most raw fooders eat mostly fruit and vegetables and have no bone weakness.

Beth

Our life begins with our first breath in, and ends with our last breath out.  Without breathing we survive only a few minutes.  Unless we have a problem, we take the act of breathing for granted and don’t realize its significant affect on the quality of our life.  Its affect on our body, mind and emotions is tremendous.

Proper breathing benefits your:

• Respiratory system, which can reduce mental and physical fatigue, as well as relieve symptoms of asthma and bronchitis
• Blood Pressure, much of hypertension is controlled by the way you breathe –  breathing exercises are an excellent tool to control blood pressure.
• Circulatory system; improving blood circulation and cell oxygenation throughout your body
• Nervous system, relaxes the body and calms the mind.
• Digestive system, by acting as a pump to massage internal organs, improving digestion and elimination; helps relieve constipation.
• Endocrine system. The action of your diaphragm helps push lymph throughout your body, which helps eliminate toxic waste and strengthen your immune system
• Urinary system, by helping to eliminate fluids and massaging your kidneys
• Skin. Toxic CO2 waste is eliminated more directly through your breath, and your skin can also be positively affected by improved blood flow and oxygenation

Breathing techniques can be practiced anywhere, at any time throughout the day.

“Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.”  - Dr. Weil 

Good breathing techniques help reduce the need to overeat by balancing the metabolism and calming the mind as well.

DR. WEIL’S 4-7-8 BREATHING TECHNIQUE TO ENHANCE YOUR HEALTH

or  Relaxing Breath Exercise.  – Dr. Weil

The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise

The key to this exercise is to remember the numbers 4, 7 and 8. It’s not important to focus on how much time you spend in each phase of the breathing activity, but rather that you get the ratio correct.

1. Sit up straight
2. Place the tip of your tongue up against the back of your front teeth. Keep it there through the entire breathing process
3. Breathe in silently through your nose to the count of four
4. Hold your breath to the count of seven
5. Exhale through your mouth to the count of eight, making an audible “woosh” sound
6. That completes one full breath. Repeat the cycle another three times, for a total of four breaths

Perform this exercise as frequently as you want throughout the day.  It is recommended you don’t do more than four full breaths during the first month or so of practice; eventually working your way up to eight full breath cycles at a time.

With proper breathing you are oxygenating your body, correcting your internal and energetic balance and nervous system. Your entire body, its countless cellular functions, and all your systems are positively affected.

For even more information on breathing practices, read Breathing Exercises and Self Healing,  by Roger Jahnke, O.M.D., or see Dr. Weil’s website for additional exercises.

Until next time…

Bon A Petite’

Beth Wilke, Raw Food Chef and Instructor

In his era, “Babe” Ruth (George Herman), struck out 1330 times and became known as the “Strikeout King.”  Today “Babe” Ruth is considered one of the greatest players of all time holding the major league lifetime home run record for almost four decades.  He focused on his successes and learned from his failures.

Michael Jordan, a basketball champion extraordinaire, says he is not the player he is because of natural talent but because of all the hours and practice and ‘failed’ shots he made, well over 1,000!  Nobody watched that!

Behind every success are lots of practices, hard work, and numerous failures.  Behind every ‘winner’ is someone who has been a ‘loser’, many times over!  “Babe” Ruth, Michael Jordan and successful people worldwide do NOT focus on their failures (if they did, like most people they would have quit, given up).  They viewed their failures as merely learning tools to take another step forward toward their goal. They already saw themselves achieving their goal, it was just a matter of WHEN they would actually excel.  Through lots of hard work, determination, commitment, and most often ‘failures’ they reached a level of excellence and success we all see and remember today.

We too can achieve our own personal goals by emulating these athletes. I personally learned this lesson when HEALTH became my highest priority, my goal. If I was going to change my health around, I needed to do things differently. You’ve heard that definition of stupid: when you keep doing what you’ve been doing and expect different results.  I needed to get smart.  

I started changing my habits one step at a time (not easy, but doable).  I spent hours studying health, learning as much as I could through classes, lectures, books, and tapes.

I practiced success strategies (staying focused, visualization, positive talk, and meditation).  I made the time – not easy when you’ve got a ‘to do’ list that never gets ‘done’. 

I listed out as many reasons WHY achieving this goal was important to me.  Not only did this serve to motivate me, but it inspired me.  I read this list every morning.  I tried, not always successfully, to keep my thoughts, words and actions directed toward my goal.

I PRACTICED healthier:

Food selection:  choosing whole fresh plant foods (preferably organic) for their superior nutrient content and low calorie composition

Food Preparation:  preparing the popular dishes I like (very important – focus on the foods you like and eat most often) in a way that didn’t compromise its nutrient value – in its raw, natural, ‘uncooked’ state.

Learning to prepare food this way took time, LOTS of failure, but I kept plugging away while keeping focused on my goal and soon I was preparing dishes effortlessly, even enjoying myself!

Food Consumption:  I learned…..yes LEARNED…to chew my food thoroughly.  Our stomach does not have teeth. Did you know that most digestive enzymes are found in your mouth and that the more you chew, the more enzymes you initiate? There’s ‘motivation’ to chew! 

We’re a fast food nation, with a fast food mentality and we often overlook the most important part of food consumption: chewing. 

You’ve heard of the ‘big gulp’, well this also applies to our eating habits. We ‘super-size’ everything because we rush through the eating process.  Eating in big gulps we never thoroughly ‘taste’ the food or allow it to stay on our tongue long enough to ‘savor’ the flavor.  This leads to overeating and subsequent weight gain and stomach distress.

Keep your meals simple:  The simpler your meal, the more satisfying it is.  With every new ‘taste’ you introduce to your pallet when dining, you’ll be stimulated you to eat more.  If you sat down to eat bananas, as many as you wanted to feel comfortably full, it would take few to satisfy you.  If however you added granola, then raisins, then milk, then coffee to your meal…well, not only do you pack on more calories and feel inclined to eat more, but you’ve just initiated the ‘abundance’ principle.  The more you eat, the more you want to eat. 

I read somewhere that to achieve any goal you desire, you have one of two ways to go: there is the hard way, and then there is the harder way! Making changes require EFFORT.  The REWARDS however are worth every bit of it!  By developing better habits, making better choices, developing successful strategies, and practicing healthier activities, I exceeded my HEALTH goal in ways unimaginable. Honestly if I can do it, you most certainly can!

Set your goal(s)……..…embrace failures, as well as successes……..move forward one step at a time………..Be a Champion!

Just like “Babe” Ruth or Michael Jordan.

Bon A Petite

Beth Wilke, Raw Food Chef & Teacher

What a simple exercise, yet how profound its impact!  Creating a habit of choosing ‘Excellence’ as your mantra will have you reaching goals you never dreamed possible.

We are who we associate with.  We are what we eat.  We are who we think we are.  We do what we say we can do.  Imagine applying ‘Excellence’ to all of the above!  WOW!  Can’t you just FEEL the ENERGY rising in you?

Let us assume you wish to start practicing healthier habits and choose to focus on your diet.

Who We Associate With:  Are you spending time today surrounding yourself with people who are healthy, trim, energetic, and practicing good eating and exercise habits?   People who motivate you by their thoughts, words and/or actions?

Or, has your friend/co-worker/sibling just called you and said, “Let’s go grab a coffee (you know donuts or a pastry automatically attach itself to the cup when being served) and catch up.”

Though the social opportunity is fulfilling, bad food choices and inactivity will not support your higher goal.  Did you know by choosing the coffee, our body’s NATURAL inclination is to create balance – therefore the desire for something sweet and creamy to balance the bitterness, and thinness of coffee propel us to make unhealthy readily-available choices.

What we eat:

By keeping poor quality food choices in our pantry, our cabinets, our refrigerator (‘just in case…..’) we do more harm to derail our dietary goals than just about any other action we take.  Do not bring anything in to the house that does not support your goals, that you know will set you up for failure. 

Excellence means having high quality, superior nutrient food in your kitchen, on your counters, and more specifically in our bodies!  You can’t achieve excellent health by consuming inferior fuel.  John Robbins recently said, “Our mouths are dumb, they’ll accept anything we give it.”  Choose EXCELLENCE!

Who We Think We Are:

By keeping our thoughts focused on SUCCESS (not on failure, the past, or negative experiences) and practicing being the EXCELLENT person we are (Yes, even if you don’t feel it.) you’ll soon BE that person.  If you focus on being a healthy, fit, lean, powerful machine then you will soon be that person you see yourself to be.

“I AM who I say I am, I can DO what I say I can do, and I can BE who I say I can be!”  If you’re thinking ‘Excellence’ then you:

ARE who you say you are;

Will DO what you say you can do;

Will BE who you say you will be;

A person of Excellence!

Practicing Healthier Habits

“Actions speak louder than words.”

“What you DO speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say!” – Anonymous

In practicing excellent healthier eating habits you will experience excellent health.  Therefore, don’t just go ‘through the motions’ of trying to eat healthier.  Do you honestly think a smaller helping of poor food choices is making you healthier?  At best it is going to make you hungrier!    

What if, instead, you practiced filling your plate full of whole, fresh foods that are packed full of nutrients, learned to prepare your favorite dishes using these high quality foods, and searched for NEW recipes to meet your demand for healthier dishes.  What you do today will have an impact on tomorrow – take control.  Seek out Excellence! Take a raw food preparation class.  Attend raw food potlucks (enjoy sampling healthy foods and finding new favorites).  Raw whole plant food is the highest quality, supreme fuel for the body.

Eventually you will be eating healthy food that tastes so good you’ll forget what bad food taste like.  Your desire for it will have disappeared.

The result: you’ll experience new levels of energy, lose unwanted weight, discover new levels of well-being – you’ll be inspired!

Surround yourself with EXCELLENCE. 

Bon A Petite!

Beth Wilke, Raw Diet Chef

The customer left and as the cashier started ringing my groceries up I waited to finish emptying my basket until there was room on the belt.  Finished, I wheeled my cart to the end of the counter where I helped a store employee fill up the numerous cloth bags I had brought for that purpose.  The amount of produce I purchase requires durable, strong bags – lots of them. I eat a LOT of fruits and vegetables on my raw food diet!

The cashier looked at all my bags and said, “Wow, all that for so small a bill!” My total bill was less than half that of the customer ahead of me! My cart was full!

Eating the raw food diet is extremely economical – I’m not buying meat, dairy, manufactured foods (did I also mention the packaging, advertising, marketing, and processing costs rolled in to these foods?)

There is no need to purchase supplements as the raw food diet is an extremely healthy and nutrient-rich one that provides a vast array of vitamins, minerals, phtyo-nutrients, antioxidants, enzymes, and natural fiber.

While 1) eating healthy foods that support the body, improve overall health, and provide higher levels of immune, kidney, liver, and digestive function; and 2) NOT eating those foods associated with most major diseases – meat, dairy, processed foods, etc the need for medication is eliminated.  What does it say about our current standard American diet when bottles of supplements and medicine are as typical to your grocery list as is the food you eat? Associated doctor visit, health insurance, and lost work costs are also eliminated.  That means more money in your pocket! 

There’s little ‘overhead’ to market fresh whole foods………..they “sell” themselves.  They’re fragrant, beautiful in a rainbow of bright, vibrant colors and hues, and they come in all kinds of sizes, weights and interesting textures – their variety is endless.  Fresh fruits and vegetables also come in their own environmentally friendly “packages” in the way of skins and shells.  While at the same time you’re saving money you’re also leaving your ‘green imprint’ on this earth.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

When people tell me that it is expensive to do the raw food diet, the expense is usually incurred in trying to initially set up a raw food kitchen – new equipment, new whole natural ingredients and, of course, trying to do everything at one time – including preparing a multitude of dishes.

Unlike the traditional meal, a raw food meal is simple and uncomplicated.  The traditional dinner for example could be bread/butter, soup (maybe), salad (maybe as a side dish), meat, starch, cooked veggie and likely a dessert.  Is it any wonder our digestive tracts are all amuck?!  A raw food meal is simple.  It may consist of one dish – lots of it, or maybe two.  Because of its simplicity (and digestive ease), no additional money is spent in preparing all those other dishes – it is easier and cheaper to prepare a raw meal, and it is healthier!

We’re all feeling the pinch of today’s economy and tightening our budgets.  Eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies, and a LOT of it, will help take the burden off your body and out of your wallet.      

Bon A Petite

Beth Wilke, Raw Food Chef & Teacher

I recently sat down to give this comment some serious in-depth consideration.   How could something so simple be complex?

I guess this way of eating can be difficult if:

      you were

-  trying to prepare a wide “variety” of recipes

-  preparing ‘gourmet’ type recipes

-  using elaborate preparation methods

-  lacked the tools to efficiently prepare the food

-  using hard-to-find ingredients

-  pushing yourself to 100% raw too quickly

This way of eating could be difficult for the person who is  used to purchasing large quantities of food and storing them indefinitely in the pantry – but gosh, food left on the shelf gets old!  I prefer to have food that is fresh, aromatic, and ‘bursting with flavor’ in my kitchen, on my table, and in my body!  If what I eat is not fresh, is preserved with chemicals, is not nutrient rich, and is not free of harmful substances, what’s the point?

I guess it could be difficult if you’ve been ‘conditioned’ to run out to one of the fast-food franchises for ‘fast food’ when hungry. If you haven’t tried something as simple as grabbing a handful of berries, a large apple or several bananas to ‘fill that void’ then I highly recommend you do so.  It’s not only faster, cheaper, lower in calories, higher in nutrients, but you can eat lots of it and still not come close to the calories found in fast food meals.  I like to eat, and though I eat a lot of food I remain slim, healthy, and full of energy! 

HOW EASY IS IT?

Most raw food recipes are prepared under 15 minutes (5 minutes if you’re a veteran of eating this kind of food), and use 5 ingredients or less.  With the use of just a couple of handy appliances such as a high-speed blender (the Vita-Mix for example) or a food processor your meals are typically cut, combined, mixed, and finished in one easy process.  If there’s a better example of ‘easy’ I haven’t discovered it yet.

Cleanup is even easier. With just a drop of liquid dish soap and a quick rinse under hot water your equipment is cleaned and ready to be used again!  How easy is that?  No baked on food residue, no oily/greasy mess to dispose of, and no cooked-on hard gunk to scrape off your dishes or pots/pans, no burned meals! 

Keeping raw food preparation uncomplicated makes this diet simple to do. Save the ‘gourmet’ dishes for special occasions or when you have the time, inclination, and need to make them.  In the meantime, save yourself:

-     Time

-     Money

-     Stress

-     Extra Work

-     Confusion

-     Waste

by keeping things “SIMPLE.”  

Let YOUR new motto be:  “KEEP…..IT….. SIMPLE”

Bon A Petite

Beth Wilke, Raw Food Chef & Teacher