Transitioning to Raw Foods: Why to Transition, and How to Make the Change

The Raw food movement is gaining more popular appeal as people are becoming more aware of the connection between health and nutrition. If you are considering transitioning to a diet of raw foods I would like to impart a few facts and suggestions to help you on you way.

The first thing you may wonder might be: why should I consider raw foods in my diet? By and large, people don’t eat the recommended serving of fresh fruits, nuts, and veggies. One trip to a supermarket and it’s easy to see that the bulk of what is on the shelves is highly processed, pre-prepared products. These products have lost a great deal of their nutritive value in processing, cooking, shipping and preserving. Many of these products are grown with pesticides and antibiotics and are preserved, processed, and colored with chemicals. The net result is a toxic, nutrient poor, desiccated food product. If you top radioactive fallout, chemtrails, and air pollution on top of this it leads to a cumulative toxification of the human biological organism known as bioaccumulation.

Cell malnutrition and cell toxicity lead to a whole host of degenerative diseases and some would state to all disease. Whole, raw foods are high in water, fiber, and nutrients that can help detoxify the system. This cleans the cells free from toxins so that nutrients can be taken up and regeneration can take place. Raw food also contains live enzymes which aid in digestion, allowing the body to utilize its own enzymes for cell maintenance. In 1941, Dr Linus Pauline, a nobel prize winning scientist concluded that mental and physical illness are brought on by nutrient and enzyme deficiency. In 1930, Dr. Paul Kouchakoff completed a study on the effects of raw food on white blood cells. He found that the body has an immune system response called leukocytosis when a person ate a diet of more than 50 % cooked and processed foods. Leukocytosis is a surge in white blood cells that attack the body itself. In 1958, Dr max Gerson published a book call A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 cases in which he explains his method of curing cancer with a diet of juices and raw living foods.

It stands to reason that raw foods were in the diets of our ancestors in that they were simple. No preparation was needed. By and large, indigenous people eat a diet of roughly 50% raw or more. There are no examples of 100% raw diets in indigenous culture however, the Hunza people of the Himalayas are perhaps the closest. The Hunza are also renowned for their health and longevity. Inuit peoples ate large quantities of raw and fermented meat.

As one considers transition to raw foods be very aware of your body’s internal signals. A 100% raw vegan diet may not be for everyone. Certainly a basis of 50 % raw fruits, nuts,and vegetables is advisable. Depending on your blood type, personal lifestyle and genetics you may need to incorporate meats or other foods. Just take it easy and take it slow. A diet of processed foods is very easily digestible. It takes time to clean out and rebuild the intestinal flora and to adjust to the added fiber in the diet. Be gentle with yourself. Some people can jump in to a 100% vegan diet without any problems. I, took a full year to transition. I began by buying a vitamin and incorporating a green smoothie as my breakfast. In time, I added more snacks of fruits and nuts. Eventually, I rotated a salad into the mix. All the while I was eating whatever else I wanted to. After awhile I started experimenting with fancier recipes. I found that I needed raw goats milk and cheese with the active lifestyle I live as a professional gardener.

I suggest the additive approach. As you add more live foods many people find their tastes change and they crave more nutrient and enzyme dense foods. If you find the need to eat meat eat light meats like fish or poultry or purchase locally grass fed beef or bison. Taking supplementary enzymes with a heavy meal aids in digestion. If going 100% vegan be sure to get equal servings of fruits, veggies, and sprouted nuts and grains. More than anything it pays to be mindful of what you eat and to allow yourself to love yourself enough to take in only the highest quality foods you can afford. After all, you are what you eat!

How to Find the Best Travel Deals

If you’re looking to find the best travel deals when planning your next vacation, the Internet is your greatest and most convenient resource, offering a wealth of information right at your fingertips-including a wide array of great travel packages and deals, helping you to save a substantial amount of money simply by booking online.

Most everyone wants to save money while vacation planning, and with some time, careful planning, and thorough online research, you’ll be able to find the best travel deals, and make your vacation plans accordingly.

If there is somewhere in particular you would like to go, plan in advance as much as possible. Use the Internet to research airline ticket prices and discounts for that destination, accommodation options, as well as attractions and facilities, and find out what kind of deals they have. Some people find that using a very targeted search (i.e., specific destination) helps them find the best travel deals.

However, if you have a more open mind as far as destinations go, you may be able to find even better travel deals. Using this method, you look for what types of special deals and discounts are being offered for various travel destinations-domestically and internationally-and then you make your decision accordingly.

One great vacation money-saving tip is to plan your vacation for the “off-season”-you are almost guaranteed to find better travel deals-for airfare, accommodations, rentals, and activities-if you go this route. Many vacationers actually prefer booking their holiday for the off-season for additional reasons, as well, such as avoiding the crowds and tourist craze.

Timing is important in another respect. Sometimes, if you book online well in advance, you can save a lot of money; on the other hand, with some travel companies and their online deals, it pays to book much later, where you can snag last-minute deals.

Sometimes, you can save money by researching all-inclusive travel package deals online. It certainly is the more convenient route to planning your vacation, and it’s true that same all-inclusive plans are money-savers to a certain extent.

However, many people don’t know that by booking everything separately-flight, accommodation, rentals, activities, insurance-it really is possible to save a great deal of money; in fact, sometimes significantly more than if you would go with a travel agent and an all-inclusive package.

Booking all the elements of your vacation online and separately can in fact be the most cost-effective thing you do with your travel plans. The Internet allows you to quickly and conveniently compare the costs and discounts offered by hotels and airlines, so you can find and secure the best price. It certainly is worth your time (and money) to go online and research the costs involved in book separately rather than going with a package deal in order to find the best travel deals.

Besides booking individually, make sure you take the time to do enough cost comparison online. Every online travel company will claim they have the best travel deals you can find on the Internet, but you are the one that is going to have to take the time to find out who really has the best deals and prices. The other thing to keep in mind when researching online travel deals is that a particular travel company may have great deals for domestic destinations, but not for overseas. So don’t assume that because one company has the best deal in one area, that it necessarily will in another. Research, compare, and research and compare some more.

 

Finding the Best Airline Travel Deals

We are all hearing some pretty strange stories about how the airlines are charging people these days. I just recently heard about an airline that is considering laying their passengers and pricing their tickets accordingly. That’s pretty drastic stuff in my book, but then again, maybe it is justified. In any event, booking airline tickets can become a pretty expensive proposition.

But we as customers of the airlines have a way to fight back. And what I mean by fighting back is shopping smart and saving money. Whether you’re traveling on business or for personal reasons there is no excuse not to be able to find the best airline travel deals. It is a simple matter of knowing where to look and then actually doing your homework by searching out the best airfares. It is not at all difficult and in my opinion, well worth the effort.

I personally like to use the Internet to shop and compare airline travel deals. There are literally dozens and dozens of websites that are independent of the airlines and are therefore not beholden to them. What that means is that it is in their best interest to show you the very best airfares available.

Some of these websites can be a little bit intimidating at first but you will soon find that they are actually quite easy to navigate. They can actually be quite enjoyable once you get the hang of them. I see travel websites as treasure maps and it is up to me to find the treasure, which in this case are exceptional airline travel deals.

What you will find is that these travel sites usually offer a whole lot more than just airline tickets and information. Many of them offer package deals that include hotels, car rentals and visits to attractions such as theme parks and museums. Actually makes perfect sense doesn’t it? The bottom line is that you can get great airfares as a part of a travel package.

Another excellent alternative is booking last minute flight reservations. Usually to find the best deals you have to book your flight well in advance. But a little known secret is that if you are flexible enough and can travel at the last minute there are some great deals to be had. Airlines faced with last-minute cancellations will price their tickets to sell as opposed to having those seats go empty and the airline not making any money on them.

If you do find a great deal on last minute cheap flights then you must be prepared to travel at odd times. Usually what happens is that the airlines have most of their empty seats during their red-eye flights. But for my money, traveling at odd hours of the morning and night is an inconvenience that is more than compensated for by the savings enjoyed for the airline tickets.

I have personally had great success and save a lot of money by doing my comparison shopping online and taking advantage of those great airline travel deals that are available. They are out there believe me, you just need to know where to look.