Top 5 Raw Food Myths & Misconcepts

Myth No. 1
Raw Food is too strict, like a Religion

It can't be further than the truth! Raw Food is NOT a religion & it should not be treated or cause people to behave in any of that direction. It is about a way of eating to sustain our best possible health as well as for the best of our Mother Earth. Nurturing & protecting Mother Earth is crucial for our survival because it is our natural habitat, and we are so connected to it that mankind will perish if Mother Earth gets destroyed.

There have been different views and theories in the Raw community, and there are also some groups with stronger opinions. I respect all of that, and I also respect that every individual has the right to choose his/her own pace. As long as the awareness is created, and we continue to make the information & skills available, we should allow everybody to progress at their own level. In fact, just adding more salads & vegetables will make that person's diet healthier for that day.

Personally, I choose to eat this way because I perform at my best on it! There are days when I eat steamed vegetables because I get really hungry outside. Its no big deal actually - just that I could have enjoyed my meal & gotten much more nutrients if I were to eat a raw salad. You can always make up for that by eating extra raw veges when available later.

There were a few occasions which I deliberately ate some meat, cooked roots, and even bread, just to see what difference it made to me. Well, it definitely did not knock me out, so don't worry! I just did not feel as good - when I ate meat I could feel the meat sitting inside my stomach taking hours to move, & the next day there was an obvious odour in my perspiration which shocked me! When I had the boiled roots it was just discomfort & grumpiness for a few hours after the meal, next day was ok. When I ate bread, I felt all sleepy and the next day, I wake with lesser energy & slight body stiffness. For all 3 occasions, I felt determined not to touch them again the next day. So, I would say that I choose to eat raw because I eat whatever that makes me feel good!

Myth No. 2

Raw Food is Medicine

It is food we are talking about, food we use to nourish our cells, repair our bodies & organs so that all's well under the roof. The real magic is not in the Raw Foods; it is in The Human Body. Our intelligent body system have the ability to heal & repair itself, IF you respect it & treat it properly. That includes a clean diet, clean water, adequate rest, adequate exercise, love & laughter! When you embark on Raw Foods, you are freeing your body of the years of abuse delivered from over-processed foods void of nutrients & enzymes, AND at the same time, supplying it with vitamins, minerals & enzymes! When treated kindly, the body automatically performs magic to heal & becomes at its best!

Myth No. 3

Raw Food is Boring/Unpalatable

What's that again? I always cannot understand this comment about being "boring". It is possible to create a new raw dish every single day of your life - if you choose to ;) You can almost achieve that just by combining 2 different fruits together every single day - and we are talking about nothing else besides fruits. Till today, I continue to be amazed at the creative power of human beings, how more raw chefs are springing up from all across the continents & joined the

movement, making available all the amazing new recipes!

Technically, it is not exactly raw like you take pluck a leaf and eat it straight. You process it in a blender to break it down so that our bodies can digest it, and also season with some quality ingredients like sea salt, miso, vinegar etc. There are also dehydrated foods like crackers & breads & cookies, where the food is heated to a max of 115 degrees F. These are especially great when you are travelling.

Myth No. 4

Raw Food is unsustainable

I am living proof that it CAN be done, even on the beautiful island of Singapore. Just because you are different from the rest does not mean you are not doing the right thing. I can write a whole course on eating this way sustainably for as long as you want to - there are so many ways & its such a fun, interesting & inspiring journey!

Myth No. 5

Raw Food is Impractical

Some people think that this lifestyle is expensive. Well guess what, in the long run, you actually save alot more. There are no gas bills to pay for cooking. Instead of blowing a regular fortune at the restaurants, you use the money to buy better quality foods from the supermarket; you save so much from just cutting out meat, dairy & processed stuffs - they cost more than fresh produce because you are actually paying the manufacturers, distributors, advertisers etc in between. If you buy fresh produce, you are only paying for the farmers' labour, transport and a small margin to the supermarket. You also save in terms of medical bills because your natural immunity system is higher and you are less prone to common illnesses. And oh yes, did I mention the energy already? You will have the energy to accomplish more than what you could before. Personally, I get more things done than most of my peers in a single day than they can in 2 days or more. Now what does that mean to you? Simple, more energy = more work done = better productivity = promotion & bonus = money.

That's all for today folks. There will be more related, value packed posts coming up on this subject, so stay with me!

Yours in The Best of Health!

(c) Copyright, 2008 Linda Loo

Raw Food Diet: Top 10 Benefits of Eating Raw Foods Diet!

I had always preferred the name Live Foods rather than Raw Foods. The name Live Foods is self-explanatory: We are alive, so eat live foods!

Instead of a lengthy explanation of the molecular structure of a sprout, I prefer a more layman & straightforward of live foods. Put simply, live foods are “living” foods which contain life forms and are capable of growing. Before you eat something, ask yourself, will this food grow if you plant the seeds in the ground & water it? If yes, that food is a living food. A fresh apple will grow; but a bag of apple chips, apple pie/strudel will not!

Some of the comments I get from people on the Raw/Live Foods diet are: "Boring, unpalatable, bland, unsustainable etc". Personally, I think it is just a question of how to, and whether you want to make an effort towards better health. After you take action to start, its impossible not to carry on because you taste the sweetness & power of superior Health, Energy AND Clarity!

There is an endless list of the benefits of going raw......When we first start on a clean & fresh diet, our magnificent body goes into the healing & re-building mode, where millions of chemical processes are carried out to rid our toxins, nourish our cells & heal the impaired organs for a maximum performing body. Behold the magic of our body!Just for the fun of it, I always like to notice the positive benefits, list them down, and then think about how much I would love to share that with everybody I know :)

Today, let's just list 10 of them:

1) You literally jump out of bed every morning feeling vibrant, alive & totally awake.

2) You have more energy than you can remember before, AND you are more energetic than most people your age.

3) You have clear sparkling eyes. If you already have large, sparkling eyes, than eating live foods will give you the most beautiful pair of shutters!

4) You drop excess weight naturally, AND you maintain your ideal weight effortlessly. Ladies, imagine that! (Seriously, the benefit of weight loss & maintenance is a "by-product" that is good to have. People who have gone raw before will know exactly what I am talking about!)

5) You have clear, dewy skin that is the envy of all your friends. If your skin is already in good condition before, than eating live foods will give you young, firm skin which is irressistable to touch! Another bonus for the ladies ;)

6) You are already taking a road AWAY from the top killers like diabetes, cancer & heart diseases on a live foods diet, because the diet excludes all the causal factors by default. Goodbye to diseases & Hello to good health!

7) You have better stamina than before, even if you do not exercise that much. The first time i went raw, I could run 10 km all the way breathing through my nose. And if you are a weight-lifting fanatic, this is something you definitely want to try because you will have so much more energy to train and build your dream body!

8) This is my favourite: after about 4 months, my grey hair started turning black! I have personally come across people who was bald before had their hair grow back after 6months on raw, and some others who reported disappearing of grey hairs after 30 - 60 days.

9) You feel happy, smiley & peaceful. There are countless raw foodies who experiences a natural & lasting "buzz" or "high" all the time!

10) It is fun & you get to eat a large variety of foods. Mother Earth has presented to us such a large array of fuits, vegetables, nuts & seeds that you can create new tasty dishes for every day of your life! Have you ever noticed how good a durian or mango taste the moment you cut it up & devour it? It does not need seasoning, cooking or additional ingredients to make it edible because that is what nature has given us.

Live today!Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is Mystery, Today is a Present.

Cheers to Your Best Health & the Greatest Laughter Possible ;)
(C) Copyright, 2008 Linda Loo

Should We Go Organic?

Global organic food consumption has doubled over the period 2002 to 2006. Standing at an impressive US$40b as at 2006, it is one of the fastest growing sectors in the food industry. In Singapore, we have also seen rapidly climbing sales where in 2007 alone, distributors & retailers reported a doubling in sales of organic foodstuffs, skincare & baby products.

So what then is organic food? Put simply, they are food stuffs grown and produced without the conventional use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers, genetical modifications & food additives. Organic livestock typically refers to animals raised without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones.

Why eat organic food? Besides freeing our body the burden of cleansing & detoxing these harmful chemicals & artificial additives, organic food also contains more nutrients then their commercial counterparts. A 4 year study funded by the European Union showed that organic fruit & vegetables contained more than up to 40% more anti-oxidants than conventional equivalents.

Is it possible & sustainable in Singapore? Organic foods are generally more expensive than conventional ones. Fortunately, due to world-wide awareness & collective action taken to increase organic productions, prices have not been inflated as much as conventional foods. This was one of the reasons for increased consumption in Singapore last year when inflation was at an all-time high & people started to switch to organic foodstuffs.

Although price remains a consideration, it is definitely possible to incorporate some organic food consumption based on an individual's affordability. The following are 2 famous quotes which you may find interesting, or familiar:

Let thy food be thy medicine,
and thy medicine be thy food.”
- Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, 460 - 376 B.C.


If we eat wrongly,
No doctor can cure us;
If we eat rightly,
No doctor is needed.”
-Victor G. Rocine, a Norwegian homeopath circa 1930

Personally in Singapore, I find it challenging to get organic versions of everything. So what I do is to try my best possible to buy organic whenever possible. Of course, it is so heartening & delightful to see more & more imported & locally grown organic produce!

The following is list of foods which are best consumed in organic versions. I hope it helps you in making marketing decisions for you & your family!

Fruits:
Peaches, Nectarines, Strawberries, Cherries, Apples, Pears, Grapes, Tomatoes

Vegetables:
Spinach, Lettuce, Celery, Sweet Bell Peppers


Note: To all the great organic farmers, producers, distributors, retailers (& anybody else who makes it possible)whom happen to read this, we want to say a huge Thank You in appreciation of your efforts in enabling us to have nutrient dense, clean & nourishing foods! Cheers to Love, Joy, Peace & Abundance!

(C) Copyright, 2008 Linda Loo

What Are Raw/Live Foods?

"It's not the Food in your Life; it's the Life in your Food...."

The Raw Food, or Live Food Diet as commonly termed, is a diet made predominantly of uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds. In fact, all the foods that we humans consume everyday were once raw & living foods - it just depends on how long ago & how much it has been changed, that's all!

The secrets of live foods lie in their intact & unadulterated enzyme content. Scientific experiments have proven that enzymes start to degrade at 106 degrees F (appr. 40 degrees C), and are completely destroyed when foods are heated to 212 degrees F (appr. 80 degrees C). Certain cooking methods (like deep frying) also changes the molecular structure of the food which may be toxic for the body.

So what are enzymes? Enzymes are "The Elixir of Life", "The Life Force" or "Energy" of food. The dictonary defines enzymes as: "Any of the various complex organic substances, as pepsin originating from living cells and capable of producing certain chemical changes in organic substances by catalytic action (as in digestion)"

In layman terms, enzymes are vital for daily body functions & optimal health. They are the guys that tell Mr Vitamin C to mend our skin, breaks down fat into soluable fatty acids for our vital organs & many more functions which contribute to our well-being. Basically, vitamins, minerals & hormones are not able to perform their work without enzymes. They cannot communicate with our body unless the enzymes are present. When we eat Live foods, with all the enzymes intact, it literally breaks itself down and goes to where it is needed inside our bodies, all on auto-pilot!

Of course, we also have natural occuring enzymes inside us to assist in digestion. However,they are limited, and recent statistical reports show that we have enough enzymes to last us till our 40s. When these are gone, many people start to be less energetic, & this is probably the reason for a diminished immunity as well as ageing.

"Enzymes may be the key factor in preventing chronic disease and extending the human lifespan,"
Dr Edward Howell

(C) Copyright, 2008 Linda Loo

The Truth About Milk & Dairy

"Media, Media on the Wall. Who's the most deceptive, of them all?"

It is so heartening to see fellow mankind waking up gradually to the misrepresentations of society. 2 years ago, when I tell my friends that milk & dairy may not be so good for us, they tell me to "relax, everyone is consuming it so it should be fine!". Now, when I tell them the same thing again, they go "really? I read that somewhere too, maybe there's some truth..."

There must be a reason for Japan to refuse dairy & meat products from US. When I researched on this, my mind went back to the time I visited Japan for a holiday, and I don't remember seeing anything imported from US in the dairy section! Well... even if they are a pro-homebrand nation, I could at least see some US imported products other than consumables (I mean shoes & bags).

Personally, I had a challenging time giving up dairy. 2 years ago, after discovering that one of the major yogurt brands actually contained a coloring (this coloring was made from crushed beetles' legs!!), there was a huge internal dissonance. I finally settled on plain, uncoloured yogurt.

My love for milk probably started where all of you started too - when we were babies. The familiar taste of warm, comforting milk. Please don't be mistaken, I think if we live in an organic farm and we have a goat, I have nothing against the occasional glass of fresh goat's milk. (Provided our goat is cared humanely & free of vaccines or GMO feeds). Unfortunately, living on an island, we no longer know what constitutes our food & drinks by the time they reach our table.

While 'weaning' off milk (at 28 years old!), I comforted myself that its okay to drink occasionally for enjoyment & its better than drinking alcohol! After that, whenever a close friend or loved one told me they drink milk because of the calcium, I will share with them what I have researched. You can actually get so much more calcium from spinach! And best of all - the calcium is absorbable by your body.

In 1994, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that the absorbtion rate of calcium from vegetables are usually more than 50% (while that of milk is about 30%; another question is can the calcium in milk be digestable by humans - this is another story altogether!) Leafy greens like spinach, collard, kale can give you more calcium than milk, and for those who dont like greens, try to snack on dry figs.

The biggest hurdle for me was cheese. Being a hard core cheese lover, it took more than awareness. It was only until the discovery of self-made Raw cheese, that I finally succeeded! Now, I delight myself in whipping up a bowl of creamy, rich nut cheese anytime I feel like it. Its so easy and beats commercial cheese anytime!

The BIGGEST reward I could ever receive from giving up dairy was - my morning sinus which had been following me ever since I could remember, was gone! In the past, I used to have running nose for the first 3 - 4 waking hours almost every other day. Miraculously, it went away just like that!

Dairy & meat products are acidic forming - ie our body forms an acidic ph level when digesting these consumables. Perhaps I may post a short summary about that sometime soon.

2 years later, from the shocked looks on the faces whom I share the 'beetles legs' story with, it is obvious that this is still a pretty much unknown fact. But, it is so heart warming to see more global awareness on milk & dairy. More and more doctors are coming forth with their secret research (they must have been previously secret for a reason) and publishing them in books, newspapers, magazines, internet etc... all except for television of course. It would be hilarious to have a doctor's clip on the truth of dairy right after we see our favourite celebrity drinking a glass of 'calcium rich, low fat & delicious' milk on TV. ;)

(C) Copyright, 2008 Linda Loo

Raw Ba Cho Mee!

As I write this, I'm staring proudly at my invention today - Raw Ba Cho Mee with Ketchup! This must be the first raw version of Ba Cho Mee in Singapore & Asia!

Seriously, it does not make alot of sense to be emotional over a bowl of noodles.... except for the fact that:
1)It is raw
2)It is organic vegan (yes even the ketchup)
3)It is the first Raw version of a local dish!!

Because the Science of Live Foods is so relatively new, there has been a lack of recipes which resemble our familiar Singapore hawker fare. But there will be alot more coming up in the near future - as myself (and other fellow live foodists too) continue to invent new dishes!

I looked back at 2 years ago when I first stumbled onto the Raw Food Diet. At that time, information was rather limited; but nonetheless enough to make some DIY trials at home. My initial reaction was skeptism - chewing on raw broccoli weren't too appealing; however, curiousty soon got the better of me. Then and there, I started my first encounter with Raw Foods.

For 3 days, eating nothing else but fruits, raw vegetables & avocados, I dived totally into raw foods! The first day was pretty normal, except that I was constantly hungry. The first wierd thing happened on the morning of the second day. I woke at 5 am - this was 3 hrs earlier than my usual wake time. Even wierder than this was - I felt pretty fresh and the grogginess lasted only a few minutes.

I went about my day as usual, still sticking to raw foods, but getting quite sick of bananas & fruits. I did not prepare any recipes simply because I didn't believe in the theory yet. However, my energy level seemed to be uncommonly high for a shorter sleep time.

By the third day, there was so much energy that I didn't know what to do with it!! I became so bored after accomplishing all my usual stuff that I literally sat down & watched if I could catch my fingernails growing. At that time, there was also a wierd & unfamiliar feeling. It was not fear, not joy, not sadness... none of the usual feelings we have.

After telling my friends about it, they thought I had gone insane. Well, it could have been possible to tell them to try it for themselves, but at that time, it felt silly for even bringing it up! So I kept it to myself, and unfortunately, I fell off the diet.

It was only 2 years later that I realise what that 'wierd' emotion was about.

It was mental clarity - after living a good 27 years of mostly an unconscious life. It was a combination of joy, empowerment, revelation, sadness & sense of responsibility (yes - in this particular order!). It was only during the Teachers' training on Raw Food Chef (in Kittery, Maine) that all these were put into perspective.

And right now, while I write this Blog, I'm so clear that I'm headed in the right direction. It is my desire to share all that I know with everyone else who has made this choice, to help & motivate one another, not only in Singapore, but all over the world especially Asia!

Binaural Sound Therapy


Cheers!
To Abundance, Love, Joy & Peace :)

(C) Copyright, 2008 Linda Loo