A Living Food diet cleanses your system of any toxic chemicals that formerly played a part in controlling and dulling your emotions. Many people report that eating a diet that is free of toxins makes them hypersensitive to their feelings & of those around them. Since the body no longer has to remove food toxins, you are more open to experiencing other parts of life & this can open the door to in-depth emotional healing.

In such a powerful & transformational time it is becoming even more important to support ourselves not just physically but mentally, emotionally & spiritually as well. And choosing foods which have a much higher vibration will do this.

Eating totally raw is not for everyone of course, but I want to inspire you & invite you to look at some of the cooked and other not-so-healthy foods you may have addictions to and why?……

It’s not necessarily about eating only raw food all the time. You may choose to eat a 50% to 80% raw food diet. It’s about learning about what our bodies need to perform optimally so that we have the energy and vitality and clarity we need so we can continue to grow in a positive way.

What I find interesting is that the majority of people would consider a raw food diet, that consists of eating fruits and vegetables , nuts and seeds grown in the earth, to be a radical diet, yet they would not consider eating pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and other manufactured chemicals found in everyday foods to be radical…….curious!

So what’s happened in our culture to make us believe that eating these crazy ingredients is good for us? Or what are the emotions driving these choices within us?

Interesting question isn’t it?

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a little while now, you’ll know that I consider myself more an agent of personal revolution than social change but every now and then a cause comes along that captures my heart and imagination and sends little sparks of excitement all over!….. and the Raw Food movement is one of those causes……..

Firstly if you’ve not yet seen the film ‘Raw For 30 days’ I highly recommend you check it out, it’s really inspiring:

www.rawfor30days.com/index4.html

Most people know that they should be eating better or exercising or doing other things to take better care of their health but they don’t. The truth is we all get busy with our lives and sometimes it’s just a little too convenient to turn to the comfort foods that aren’t good for us.

This is a film that makes it so much easier to make better choices about what you are putting into your body, because you just can’t watch the film and not be inspired to make better decisions about your health. After you see it you will just WANT to be healthier and you will look at the food you eat and what’s possible for your health in a whole new way.

Many have found this film incredibly moving & wonder why this information isn’t more publicly known. The reason is simple…the drug companies don’t want this information to be public because it would cost them billions of dollars a year.

Check it out:

www.rawfor30days.com/index4.html

This is only the first of many amazing stories in the book of miracle cures effected by the coconut and its oil for all kinds of diseases of the skin, the digestive system, the liver and gallbladder, and the kidneys, as well as diabetes, hypothyroidism and other hormone problems, gingivitis, AIDS, cancer, Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia, a wide range of infections, heart disease, ulcers, macular degeneration, and arthritis.  Coconut oil has also been very effective for weight loss, for detoxification, for relief of pain and as a general tonic providing energy, beauty and well-being!

Here are some examples of its uses:

Gallstones  – the Mayo Clinic and the University of Wisconsin Hospital now use coconut oil to dissolve gallstones.

Environmental Illness/Detoxification – Fife himself once developed a chronic headache, dizziness and fatigue after moving into a new house.  Realizing that these were due to toxic fumes, and knowing that coconut oil has detoxifying capabilities, he put a couple of tablespoons in a cup of hot herb tea and drank it down.  Within a few hours his symptoms began to disappear and by the next day he felt great.  He was able to keep himself symptom-free with daily coconut oil.

Prevent pregnancy stretchmarks by massaging coconut oil into the abdomen daily during and after pregnancy.  It can also be massaged into the breasts to soothe pain caused by nursing. The kind of fats that predominate in coconut oil, Medium Chain Fatty Acids, are found in mother’s milk, where they serve to both nourish the baby and protect him or her from infection as their immune system develops.  The more MCFAs an expectant mother consumes, the healthier her baby will be.

To reduce fevers, massage coconut oil over the entire body.

For any kind of skin problem, including psoriasis, eczema, rashes, blemishes, lumps, cysts, moles, even skin cancers, rub in coconut oil and keep the affected area moist with oil (the book describes how to bandage the area).  The same for cuts, burns, blisters and poison ivy.

H. pylori causes ulcers and low stomach acid leading to digestive problems.  Coconut oil kills H. pylori and other infectious agents without harming beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Use coconut oil in place of toxic sunscreens.  Not only are sunscreens toxic, but they prevent absorption of the UV rays that produce Vitamin D.  Coconut oil protects your skin from both sunburn AND cancer.  At the same time, it doesn’t block UV rays.  It is also a mosquito-repellent!

It can be used for cooking (it is the only oil that will not oxidize into harmful fats when heated), melted over steamed vegetables or spread on crackers instead of butter or margarine.

There is a false belief that coconut oil is bad for the heart due to its saturated fat content, however in truth it is all about the quality of the fats. Studies show, on the contrary, all the wonderful benefits for heart health it possesses.

But You Must Get the Right Coconut Oil…..

Most coconut oil has been refined and deodorized with bleach and solvents at high temperatures. Both the flavor and the nutritional quality have been degraded, and toxins have been introduced.

Often coconut oil is produced in unclean environments. Even good oils can be ruined by exposure to metal in ships’ hulls, pipelines and pumps due to free-radical formation and loss of nutrients.

…..so make sure you only purchase Food-grade, unrefined varieties which can be purchased from health food stores.

One of the first things that I teach people about is changing to a whole foods diet, that if the food is not in the form as nature intended, then it is best to avoid it.  If a human’s has mucked around with it, you don’t need it.

If we are looking for optimal, vibrant health, then we need to eat living, vibrant whole food – and that is not found in a carton of processed pasteurised plant milk, and especially not in pasteurised homogenised animal milks.  All of these are dead foods that don’t supply the body with the nourishment that it needs for optimum health.

The casein protein in dairy is highly allergic and can also cause mucous build-up in the ears, nose, throat and digestive tract.  In laboratories it has been shown to stimulate the growth of cancer cells, and can contribute to deposits of calcium crystals in the joints, and the build-up of atherosclerosis in the arteries.

Just about every dairy product today is pasteurised, meaning the living enzymes and good bacterias that naturally aid it’s digestion are eliminated. Milk is also homogenised, spreading tiny particles of fat throughout the milk which are absorbed into our bloodstream creating congestion &  imbalance.  If any dairy products are going to be a part of the diet, then ensuring it is raw and unprocessed will be better than the junk found on supermarket shelves.

There is a vast difference between mass-produced dairy, full of antibiotics and hormones which is then pasteurised and homogenised and turned into the poisonous product you see on the supermarket shelves – and raw, organic dairy products. I am not a huge fan of raw dairy personally, because of its contribution towards many disease conditions and the inability of many people to digest it well.

A small amount of fermented raw milk – kefir – is the healthiest option if you do choose to have dairy in your diet, and there are positive benefits to having a small amount of cultured raw butter regularly. But on the whole, for most those who are buying litres of milk, cheese slices, sugary yoghurts, processed chocolate and chemical laden ice-cream, they are far better off without dairy products completely.

So What are the Options?

• If you like to use animal milks, then my suggestion is to only use totally raw, unpasteurised unhomogenised milk the way it comes straight from the animal.  And even better than plain raw milk, is fermented raw milk.  Fermented food is an essential part of a holistic lifestyle, that is often found in other cultures, but is missing in western diets.
• You can also make fresh nut and seed milks simply by soaking whichever nuts and seeds you like overnight, blending with the soaking water, and then squeezing them through muslin to create a fresh milk.  The pulp can be used in many raw food dessert recipes or put into tahini balls.  Almond milk is absolutely delicious done this way!
• Another way is to just not use any milks at all and make green smoothies.  They taste great and are a simple and easy way to increase the amount of dark leafy greens in your diet.
• Replace Yoghurt with a home-made blend that tastes great. Of course this type of yoghurt is not fermented and doesn’t contain any good bacteria – so we would need to look to other fermented products for that – such as sauerkraut or non-dairy kefir – but more about those another time! Using fruits such as paw-paw, banana and berries, with a small amount of water so that it blends together into a creamy mousse-like texture, blend for about a minute, and pour over fruit or raw muesli. To firm it up for a “set” yoghurt, you can use a tablespoon of psyllium powder.
• Replace Cheese with spreads such as Cashew Cheese and other delicious spreads based on raw ingredients.  Most raw food recipe books contain cheese substitute recipes, although I have never found one that replaces “block cheese”  That is one item that is probably best put in the “gone forever” basket.
• Replace store bought chocolate with yummy Raw Cacao recipes!  We don’t have to give up chocolate when we give up dairy, so get experimenting with recipes from any raw food book. Try the delicious ‘Heavenly Cacao Slice’ to get you going. Although be aware that Raw Cacao can be addictive too (I am speaking from experience!) and can be over-stimulating for some people.
• Eliminate processed and packaged food – there are very few processed foods that don’t contain dairy, milk solids, milk powder or casein.

Being dairy free doesn’t have to be chore, it is a new adventure, of simply learning a few alternative choices which will improve the health of your whole family.

As I feel into these underlying emotions as they come up, I am no longer feeling driven to act on every impulse. I am learning to breathe deep into each compulsion & feel the feeling that is driving it, rather than acting on it. Mindless instant gratification just doesn’t feel like a healthy or happy choice to me anymore. I want to make choices that better support my health and soul condition in the long-run, rather than compulsively munching and continuing to suppress the emotions under it.

Food addictions are just one of the things that keep us from embracing our true selves, your true soul essence & true desires & passions, from living this wonderful life fully.

Here are some other things that can keep you from being the real authentic you… I believe they are all addictions….

Overeating

Over-intellectualization

Constant doing

Addictions to certain emotions like feeling approval, powerful, validated etc to avoid feeling what is driving the addiction which are emotions stuck deep within us like feeling unworthy of approval & validation, powerless etc.

Caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol and drugs

Hot drinks

Comforts & security

Perfectionism

Workaholism

Blame

Doubt & procrastination

Self-punishment

Try stopping the pattern & allow the emotions to come up when you don’t act on the compulsion, believe me they will! Breathe deeply & let yourself feel into these feelings so that you are releasing the stuck emotions creating the addictions. Be patient & each time the compulsions will lessen until you no longer feel that you have to have it/do it to feel ‘ok’, or ‘normal’ and, in most cases, couldn’t possibly imagine doing that ‘un-loving’ pattern anymore!

Start loving yourself more by trying this months raw recipes – these have become 2 of my favourite dishes!

We all have wounds and distorted beliefs about ourselves in our lives. Authenticity is looking at ourselves with growing awareness & sorting through these ‘untruths’ that have held us back from being who we truly are. When you take the time to strip this away, you’ll get back in touch with that person you were ultimately created to be. Going there takes bravery, courage and perseverance and this step is one that is necessary on your journey towards wholeness.

When we start striping back all the fakeness – what we think we should be and what everyone expects of us – all that surface stuff, like the mud on top – once we start washing that away we can see who we really are. We tend to define ourselves by our injuries, that we are a certain type of person because of what we are doing. The injuries are there to make us feel a bit more powerful or a bit more feminine or masculine or whatever it is that we feel we are missing within ourselves, so we focus on the injuries & hold onto them for dear life!

The key is to not hold onto them anymore. We don’t have to go looking for our true selves, but once we start releasing the injuries it will be revealed automatically, and you will find who you truly are.
How can you begin to get real with yourself about living a life that is in alignment to who you REALLY are?

“Faith is the power to stand up to the madness and chaos of the physical world while holding the position that nothing external has any authority over what heaven has in mind for you...” ~ Caroline Myss
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson/Nelson Mandela