Sleep, baby, sleep.

Did I mention that initially when you start eating raw food you might find yourself wanting to sleep a lot? No, I mean really. While this can be a little bit worrying - I mean hello what happened to the energy levels? - it is actually a very good sign.
On a day to day basis while we are eating processed foods and dead flesh, we are actually poisoning ourselves. But our bodies are such magnificent things, that they just deal with it. We keep shoveling it in and our bodies just carry on, like little worker ants, and keep trying to combat the toxins and the poisins. And of course, when our bodies realise that they are unable to move the sludge through our systems fast enough, they start packing it away.
What do you do when you see a cockroach or some other creepy crawly? I am unable to kill them - the thought of hearing that 'crunch' causes gooseflesh to run - but also will not have them running loose in my home. So what do I do? I find a bottle or a pot and I trap them. And I keep them there until someone more suitably qualified to deal with pests comes along. This is exactly what our bodies do.
Those toxins and chemicals all get packed away in fat. Our bodies surround them with fat and put them on our hips and across our bellies in an attempt to keep us safe.
Stress of course plays a huge role in all of this, because when we experience stress our digestive system actually shuts down because our bodies go into full fight or flight mode, but that is a topic for another time.
Can you imagine what it must be like for our bodies when we start eating raw food? You must keep in mind that your body is the biggest workaholic you will ever come across and never, ever takes a break. I imagine that on the first day of raw food, all our little worker cells are busy gossiping like mad with each other.
"Can it be? Did you see that? OMW that was a carrot!" and so on. I imagine that the moment your body is over the shock of your new eating regime, it gets down to some serious work.
(Ask any new raw foodist about the second day runny tummy.) It gets rid of all the sludge that has been backed up for days, weeks, months and ... gosh I hope not so long back! And then, round about day 3 or 4, your body realises it has got time on it's hands. Because it's such a workaholic, it immediately starts fixing, repairing and healing. It fetches those pockets of fat surrounded toxins and throws them out. It has time to start working on those muscles and joints that have been aching. Those cells that have been riddled with all sorts of horrible things get a good scrubbing and a polish. All of these repairs, healing if you like, is exhausting. For you and your body.
So when you hit that I can't stay awake stage, do the sensible thing and go and sleep. Spread out, close the curtains, make sure you're warm and take the phone off the hook. Close your eyes and let your body do what it does best.
Wake me up for supper.

Stress Kills.

Stress kills. Unfortunately, it really does.

From heart attacks, diabetes and certain cancers to a myriad of psychosomatic illnesses, a close examination of personality type and lifestyle, will show an individual who is unable to cope with the various stressors in his or her life.

Like the finely tuned machines that they are, if we do not make changes to enable ourselves to deal with our stress, our bodies will.

The busy executive who won’t slow down long enough to smell the roses? Bang! A heart attack for you. The wife who turns a blind eye to her husband’s infidelities? A dose of cancer is just what you’ve ordered The mother who tries to be super mom, a career woman, a friend and a lover too – how about a side helping of depression?

Learning how to manage, cope and remove stress is not a simple process. Taking a pill can help initially, but for real and lasting relief you need to undergo a Lifestyle Assessment. However, that is another topic for another time.

Alleviating stress is not a single approach, rather it is a multi-pronged approach that will have the greatest benefit. In an ideal world we would quit the job we hate, start a regular exercise routine and never allow a glass of wine or that dreaded nicotine to ever cross our lips or lungs again! Yeah right. No doubt we will win the lotto next week too!

So for many of us the problem is that we are human. And fallible. So maybe we try. We tell ourselves that this week we’re going to go for a walk at least three times. We make it twice and then something happens. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. If you’re anything like me a little bit of rain will do it.  And then we stop trying because we have failed. But really, the only time we have actually failed is when we stop trying

 I believe that every little bit helps and regardless of whether your effort is directed at your diet, exercise, or lifestyle changes you are to be commended for making the effort!

So let me show you the effort I made today. All sorts of raw goodies! Because they are raw they contain no eggs, flour sugar or anything else that is toxic to your body and your emotions. They do contain a lot of love! This is what they look liked before going into the dehydrator – I’ll add pics of what they look like when they are ready for tummies!

These are pumpkin seeds which have been soaked and have been covered in a carob and date mixture. They are going into the dehydrator and when they come out they are going to be a chocolatey snack that kids and adults will love! And of course it is super healthy! The health benefits of pumpkin seeds are so vast that they should be a staple part of your daily diet. The chocolate disguises them beautifully!

These are definitely adults only! They are spicy, hot and will bite you!

These are Jam Bites. Totally raw cookies with a totally raw jam filling. They are absolutely delish!