A lot can be learned by watching animals in nature. When I take the time to sit on my front porch and watch at the animals grazing in our pasture I am always amazed at their beauty. As the horses gallop through the now growing grass I stare at their very large, strong muscles. I wonder- how are they so healthy? How are those strong perfectly shaped huge mucles along their back side so beautiful? They don't eat all of this animal protein that is so common among the american diet whom many, many individuals say is the key to strong muscles. I have been atop a horse that has not been ridden for over a year up the side of a mountain trail, and the horse is strong, swift and able to move easily. I have pondered with wonder how this could be. In part my answer to this is LIVE ENZYMES. I am not talking about the kind you take out of the bottle. I am talking about the kind you eat. Humans seem to be the only living creatures that eat very little raw food. Can you imagine an animal gathering up food, then cooking it over a fire before it is eaten? It seems somewhat preposterous -yet is is exactly what WE do. As if what God created for us wasn't good enough. I wonder again- why do we think we know so much more than the very being who created us?
These Enzymes are literally responsible for all bodily functions. We are All enzyme starved from not eating raw foods. Our bodies are endowed by our creator with limited enzyme producing potential. When we run out of these enzymes we die! Food that has been cooked is dead food. Thus, if this dead food is all we partake of we become what we eat-DEAD . I am not promoting an All Raw food diet, although I think if you can do it and you are trying to over come sickness this is truly the best and most natural way for your body to heal. For the rest of us, our ultimate goal should be at least 60 percent of all we eat to be raw! Fruits and vegetables are the best anti-oxidants available. Anytime we raise the temperature of our foods to over over 118F, we kill all enzyme action in that food and it can no longer be considered raw.
ENZYMES ARE LITERALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL BODILY FUNCTIONS! Again we came to this life with only so many enzymes in our body. Yet if we continually eat nothing but cooked food, and add into this picture the plethora of processing and chemicals that laden our food, we are looking at a recipe for disaster! One may ask- how on earth do I eat 60 percent raw. Admittedly, it does take a lot of work. But I think it is well worth the effort. Don't start cold turkey with 60 percent as your goal the first day. Start with 40 percent for one meal for a few days or weeks, and work up from there. Once your body is use to it, it will cry for it when you are unable to eat this way. Lots of raw food will be by far your preferred method of eating. Another thing I do to get my family to eat more raw is I always make raw salads to go with our main dish. I am not talking about just green lettuce salads, - I make a lot of these as well- but I also make lots of different kinds of raw sides.
Here are a few of our favorites.
Quinoa and Bean Salad
2 c cooked quinoa
2 c fresh or frozen corn
1 large colored pepper
1 small red onion
1 14oz can red or black beans
3 oz chopped cilantro
Dressing
1/4 dried ground oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
juice of one lime
4 Tbs extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
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One of my kids favorites
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
2-3 stalks broccoli, chopped
3 stalks celery
1 12oz bag frozen peas
Dressing
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup healthy mayo
3 Tab raw honey
1 Tab apple cider vinegar
dash of salt
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Of course there is the popular broccoli salad, my kids LOVE that salad I put the same dressing on it as above.
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Coleslaw
add equal amounts of red and green cabbage
a grated carrot or two
Then make the same dressing as above only mix in a 1/2 teaspoon or so of celery seed and add it to the cabbage mix.
My six year old will eat gallons of this salad. I love it because he is getting his probiotics with the yogurt and raw apple cider vinegar, and he is getting his raw enzymes for the meal.
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I will often make a big platter of veggies and have them sitting on the counter when my kids come home from school, If I have some homemade ranch dip to go with them I won't even need to say anything, pretty soon we are all standing around the counter eating and dipping veggies. What a great memory for our kids!
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Fresh Salsa with chips
or Fresh Guacamole with chips
And don't forget about the green smoothies! These are one of the best ways to get in raw nutrition packed foods. Happy raw eating! Now is such a great time of year to eat more raw foods! I love it!
