Quotes? I love them! They are a great way to get an intellectual piggy back ride from someone much cleverer than yourself. For todays entry I just had to bring up a quote I have found recently:
"We hardly ever realise that we can cut anything out of our lives, anytime, in the blink of an eye." - Don Juan Matus, Journey To Ixtlan.
I absolutely love the idea of this. How many people hang onto stuff that just isn't working for them anymore, completely unaware that the only thing stopping them from changing their lives is their limiting beliefs. What about all those people with unremittingly negative attitudes to life. The people people full of resentment and self pity, going through their lives unhappy and dragging down everyone who is unfortunate enough to become entangled. The people so negative that their personalities repel others, even turn others into antagonists. The people who ignore the good and only focus on the bad.
Could they cut the negativity out of their thoughts? How long would it take? My answer to this is that it would take as long as it takes to reach the decision! Don Juan Matus is right. The blink of an eye!
I wish more people realised that they are in control. Their happiness, their life, it's all their responsibility. I wish more people took responsibility for themselves.
I hope this doesn't sound like a whinge on my part! It just makes me sad seeing people unhappy, especialy people who have enough to eat and a roof over their heads. I'd much rather see these people happy. Maybe they don't realise that they are in control and have chosen to be unhappy, nobody ever told them they had a choice.
This principle can relate to everything in your life. How you treat others, how you treat yourself, the thoughts you permit your mind to dwell upon. Yes, even the way you approach your own health and well being.
Everything begins with a thought, and your thoughts are the seeds of everything you will experience in life. Take care to plant positive seeds, then you will reap positive experiences.
Well, if you've read this far, you know! There are no excuses. There is nothing in your life that can't be changed, by you. Everyone needs reminding of this sometimes. All it takes is to reach the decision to take action, and that can be achieved in the blink of an eye...
I love quotes!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Feeling good again
Ok so since writing my very first blog entry, I seem to have undergone something of a change in outlook. I'm basically finding that I'm much less drawn to foods that I know are gonna make me feel less good than I do right now. Who knows, maybe writing it down and geting it clear in my own mind was all I needed, but at this rate the Alive Alive Alive blog could soon start to get very boring... Endless posts from yours truly going on and on about how flippin' marvellous he feels!!!
Anyway, first news is regarding Sam actually. After just 2-3 weeks of returning to eating dairy produce, milk, butter, cheese etc she has elected to remove it from her life once again. To cut a long story short, she was experiencing pain in her joints since starting to eat dairy again and knew from previous experience that the best way to remove that discomfort was to can the dairy. Easy! Sam & I have been talking about food a fair bit since my last post, and I think she's starting to feel that a lot of cooked food is pretty dissapointing compared to how she builds it up in her mind. Maybe my last postings prediction is gonna come true more quickly than I was expecting. People who've never eaten a high raw or 100% raw diet have nothing to compare their current state to, but once you've lived the raw lifestyle the feelings of aliveness and vitality it brings are always in your memory. Returning to cruddy processed food and the attendant sluggishness will leave you feeling... dissapointed. I think that's where Sam is at right now.
As for me, I'm feeling pretty cool right now, it seems I am back in control of my own mind and body. Once again I can see the health and happiness that is everyones birthright. I'm still eating some cooked food, today I had some gluten free pasta with a big fresh salad for lunch (felt absolutely fine afterwards so I'll be eating that again!) and later on I had a Russian salad - Brown rice with boiled peas, sweetcorn, swede etc. ( didn't feel so good after eating that I must admit, felt heavy and mentally fogged) . Next time I'll just go for a green smoothie;-)
Also today I felt some detox symptoms, a slight headache, a sudden tiredness, feeling like I had a cold coming on. It passed after about an hour, I know lots of other people have it much worse when they begin eating more cleanly, I'm quite lucky in that I've been a relatively healthy eater for a long time (my coeliac thing has left me no choice in that, funny how a serious autoimmune disorder can be something of a blessing too eh?) Anyway, those symptoms have passed and I'm right now feeling like I never want to eat anything fried ever again, and I have no interest in alcohol at all. Last time Sam had some wine it smelled awful to me!!!
I know I said in my first post that I wouldn't go on about the physical aspects of eating raw, but a couple of things have happened to me in the past couple of days that I'm quite excited about. Both of them are things which occured last I did this time too: 1.My eyes have become a brighter more vivid colour, almost like I'm wearing electric blue contact lenses. Quite different to the usual grey / hazel colour. 2. I need much less sleep now. I can stay up late and still be awake at dawn, feeling good when I wake up too. Quite a contrast to my cooked food life when I needed 9 hours sleep at least and never ever really felt fully rested. 3. My coeliac disease ridden bad skin is actually starting to look pretty damn good, I'm very happy about that indeed!
... Actually, I thought it might be a good idea for me to state here and now exactly why I am writing this blog. Basically, I think that by writing this down, I am helping myself sort out my own feelings about what I am doing and helping myself stay focussed. The act of publishing it for anyone to see acts as a moderating influence to me. No lieing to myself, no talking rubbish, I have to stay true to the facts, and thoroughly check the things I am going to say to make sure they are true and not just kneejerk reactions. So there you go. That's me.
Not sure what else to add today so I'll just say "Over and Out!"
Rick
Anyway, first news is regarding Sam actually. After just 2-3 weeks of returning to eating dairy produce, milk, butter, cheese etc she has elected to remove it from her life once again. To cut a long story short, she was experiencing pain in her joints since starting to eat dairy again and knew from previous experience that the best way to remove that discomfort was to can the dairy. Easy! Sam & I have been talking about food a fair bit since my last post, and I think she's starting to feel that a lot of cooked food is pretty dissapointing compared to how she builds it up in her mind. Maybe my last postings prediction is gonna come true more quickly than I was expecting. People who've never eaten a high raw or 100% raw diet have nothing to compare their current state to, but once you've lived the raw lifestyle the feelings of aliveness and vitality it brings are always in your memory. Returning to cruddy processed food and the attendant sluggishness will leave you feeling... dissapointed. I think that's where Sam is at right now.
As for me, I'm feeling pretty cool right now, it seems I am back in control of my own mind and body. Once again I can see the health and happiness that is everyones birthright. I'm still eating some cooked food, today I had some gluten free pasta with a big fresh salad for lunch (felt absolutely fine afterwards so I'll be eating that again!) and later on I had a Russian salad - Brown rice with boiled peas, sweetcorn, swede etc. ( didn't feel so good after eating that I must admit, felt heavy and mentally fogged) . Next time I'll just go for a green smoothie;-)
Also today I felt some detox symptoms, a slight headache, a sudden tiredness, feeling like I had a cold coming on. It passed after about an hour, I know lots of other people have it much worse when they begin eating more cleanly, I'm quite lucky in that I've been a relatively healthy eater for a long time (my coeliac thing has left me no choice in that, funny how a serious autoimmune disorder can be something of a blessing too eh?) Anyway, those symptoms have passed and I'm right now feeling like I never want to eat anything fried ever again, and I have no interest in alcohol at all. Last time Sam had some wine it smelled awful to me!!!
I know I said in my first post that I wouldn't go on about the physical aspects of eating raw, but a couple of things have happened to me in the past couple of days that I'm quite excited about. Both of them are things which occured last I did this time too: 1.My eyes have become a brighter more vivid colour, almost like I'm wearing electric blue contact lenses. Quite different to the usual grey / hazel colour. 2. I need much less sleep now. I can stay up late and still be awake at dawn, feeling good when I wake up too. Quite a contrast to my cooked food life when I needed 9 hours sleep at least and never ever really felt fully rested. 3. My coeliac disease ridden bad skin is actually starting to look pretty damn good, I'm very happy about that indeed!
... Actually, I thought it might be a good idea for me to state here and now exactly why I am writing this blog. Basically, I think that by writing this down, I am helping myself sort out my own feelings about what I am doing and helping myself stay focussed. The act of publishing it for anyone to see acts as a moderating influence to me. No lieing to myself, no talking rubbish, I have to stay true to the facts, and thoroughly check the things I am going to say to make sure they are true and not just kneejerk reactions. So there you go. That's me.
Not sure what else to add today so I'll just say "Over and Out!"
Rick
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Changes!
Changes to the blog!
Actually there is only one change really and that is the fact that I have taken it over. Every post written before this point was the work of my girlfriend Sam. Everything after this point is me Rick!
So why the change?... Well as you can see, Sam hasn't posted anything in ages. The main reason being that she is no longer following the raw food lifestyle. She's decided to eat a primarily cooked food diet, meat and dairy included. As to why she's stopped the raw lifestyle, I'm guessing she swung too far towards raw food at a faster rate than she was ready for emotionally. Crisps and bread can have quite a hold on people, and right now the emotional satisfaction they give her cancel out the negative effects they have on her. She's a naturally enthusiastic person and reading her posts may make you wonder why on earth she'd give up feeling so good with raw food in favour of the dull lethargic feeling that comes with the baggage of cooked food. In reality, only she can answer that, we all move through life developing at the pace that suits us. I have a feeling she'll come back to the raw lifestyle in time... Maybe in a few months, maybe in a few years. She'll get the wakeup call in whatever form it takes, and she will know what to do.
Until then, that just leaves me! All alone in the house, the sole raw food person.
In all honesty, with Sam doing all this cooking I've been eating some cooked stuff too. Veggy stews, baked potatoes, chips etc. I've even discovered some gluten free pasta which I can eat in one of the local shops ( I have coeliac disease). It's been interesting to say the least. I've seen a direct correlation between my last meal and how I feel. I eat a raw meal and I feel energised and positive, I eat cooked food and I feel groggy and miserable. I think my Coeliac disease is partly responsible for the severity and speed at which the way I feel changes, but I make an interesting case study!
Right now I'm in the process of consciously trying to eat more raw, less cooked. I'm going to lay it on the line here because this is a struggle which anyone who is trying to improve their health will face.
I feel more drawn to cooked food than I do raw food. Given a choice between a raw smoothie and a plate of chips (fries for you USA folk out there!!), I'm drawn towards the chips!
This doesn't entirely make sense as when I do eat the chips, they don't actually taste that nice, they are something of a greasy dissapointment, and to top it off they leave me feeling heavy, bloated and tired. When I have a smoothie, it tastes genuinely nice, fresh, vibrant & sweet. I enjoy it immensely and feel like I could just go and grab another one, no problems. On top of that, the smoothie leaves me feeling energised and ready to face anything.
So why does this crappy cooked food have this hold? It's got to be something emotional, cause my body sure as hell doesn't want it!
That's my situation right now! I know exactly what the right course of action is. It's in direct opposition to the habits of almost my entire life. It's in direct opposition to the habits of almost everyone around me.
So I'm going to attempt to document the changes I go through. The psychological impact of changing your diet. The physical effects of eating raw food are well documented all over the web: Lose weight. Cure diabetes. Improve skin. Improve eyesight. Reverse signs of ageing. etc etc etc yada yada yada... You can read all about that stuff elsewhere. I'm gonna be the guy who writes honestly about the emotional struggles of someone making changes. Every tantrum, every moment of self pity, every moment of clarity. You can read about it here!
Actually there is only one change really and that is the fact that I have taken it over. Every post written before this point was the work of my girlfriend Sam. Everything after this point is me Rick!
So why the change?... Well as you can see, Sam hasn't posted anything in ages. The main reason being that she is no longer following the raw food lifestyle. She's decided to eat a primarily cooked food diet, meat and dairy included. As to why she's stopped the raw lifestyle, I'm guessing she swung too far towards raw food at a faster rate than she was ready for emotionally. Crisps and bread can have quite a hold on people, and right now the emotional satisfaction they give her cancel out the negative effects they have on her. She's a naturally enthusiastic person and reading her posts may make you wonder why on earth she'd give up feeling so good with raw food in favour of the dull lethargic feeling that comes with the baggage of cooked food. In reality, only she can answer that, we all move through life developing at the pace that suits us. I have a feeling she'll come back to the raw lifestyle in time... Maybe in a few months, maybe in a few years. She'll get the wakeup call in whatever form it takes, and she will know what to do.
Until then, that just leaves me! All alone in the house, the sole raw food person.
In all honesty, with Sam doing all this cooking I've been eating some cooked stuff too. Veggy stews, baked potatoes, chips etc. I've even discovered some gluten free pasta which I can eat in one of the local shops ( I have coeliac disease). It's been interesting to say the least. I've seen a direct correlation between my last meal and how I feel. I eat a raw meal and I feel energised and positive, I eat cooked food and I feel groggy and miserable. I think my Coeliac disease is partly responsible for the severity and speed at which the way I feel changes, but I make an interesting case study!
Right now I'm in the process of consciously trying to eat more raw, less cooked. I'm going to lay it on the line here because this is a struggle which anyone who is trying to improve their health will face.
I feel more drawn to cooked food than I do raw food. Given a choice between a raw smoothie and a plate of chips (fries for you USA folk out there!!), I'm drawn towards the chips!
This doesn't entirely make sense as when I do eat the chips, they don't actually taste that nice, they are something of a greasy dissapointment, and to top it off they leave me feeling heavy, bloated and tired. When I have a smoothie, it tastes genuinely nice, fresh, vibrant & sweet. I enjoy it immensely and feel like I could just go and grab another one, no problems. On top of that, the smoothie leaves me feeling energised and ready to face anything.
So why does this crappy cooked food have this hold? It's got to be something emotional, cause my body sure as hell doesn't want it!
That's my situation right now! I know exactly what the right course of action is. It's in direct opposition to the habits of almost my entire life. It's in direct opposition to the habits of almost everyone around me.
So I'm going to attempt to document the changes I go through. The psychological impact of changing your diet. The physical effects of eating raw food are well documented all over the web: Lose weight. Cure diabetes. Improve skin. Improve eyesight. Reverse signs of ageing. etc etc etc yada yada yada... You can read all about that stuff elsewhere. I'm gonna be the guy who writes honestly about the emotional struggles of someone making changes. Every tantrum, every moment of self pity, every moment of clarity. You can read about it here!
Monday, July 20, 2009
How do you put on weight on raw food?
My partner is worried about losing too much weight, he does not look bad at all but his 28" trousers are falling down! so I am on a mission to help him bulk up a little the raw food way.
For breakfast I made us a huge and I mean huge smoothie it was probably about a pint and half each, I was so full but it was really good.
Huge breakfast feast smoothie
2 apples
2 bananas
2 kiwi fruit, skinned
2 peaches
good handful of greens, beet, kale, spinach
juice of 2 large oranges
Chop everything and chuck into the blender, add a little water if needed and blend until smooth
Serves 2 to the max!
Lunch was a raw green soup
1 apple
1/2 avocado
3 tomatoes
handful of greens, beet, kale, lettuce, mustard greens
Chop everything and blend with a little water, add more of needed.
With all the extras we usually have like salads and snacks he should be fine and start building up again, but this could easily become a problem and I have noticed that if your looking online for info it is really difficult to find and pretty much none existent.
I guess I am going to have to research a lot more and come up with some more recipes for this type of thing.
For breakfast I made us a huge and I mean huge smoothie it was probably about a pint and half each, I was so full but it was really good.
Huge breakfast feast smoothie
2 apples
2 bananas
2 kiwi fruit, skinned
2 peaches
good handful of greens, beet, kale, spinach
juice of 2 large oranges
Chop everything and chuck into the blender, add a little water if needed and blend until smooth
Serves 2 to the max!
Lunch was a raw green soup
1 apple
1/2 avocado
3 tomatoes
handful of greens, beet, kale, lettuce, mustard greens
Chop everything and blend with a little water, add more of needed.
With all the extras we usually have like salads and snacks he should be fine and start building up again, but this could easily become a problem and I have noticed that if your looking online for info it is really difficult to find and pretty much none existent.
I guess I am going to have to research a lot more and come up with some more recipes for this type of thing.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Busy Bee
I haven't blogged for a bit and I am sorry about that, I have had trouble with my wisdom teeth and so have not felt much like eating or working on any recipes.
The good news is that I am all better now and am ready to get cracking on some stuff again!
I have been in the garden a fair bit recently and have got ridiculously over excited about the development of my Honeydew water melons, it is the first time I have ever been able to grow them and now they are taking shape I had to take a picture.
My partner has been busy too, he made a lampshade out of some twigs and paper!, it is a bit mad, but we think it is fun and that is what counts here!
The good news is that I am all better now and am ready to get cracking on some stuff again!
I have been in the garden a fair bit recently and have got ridiculously over excited about the development of my Honeydew water melons, it is the first time I have ever been able to grow them and now they are taking shape I had to take a picture.
My partner has been busy too, he made a lampshade out of some twigs and paper!, it is a bit mad, but we think it is fun and that is what counts here!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Why eat raw food? 10 Reasons
1 You will have more energy
2 You will reach your ideal body weight
3 You will reverse the signs of aging
4 You will feel sexier and happier about yourself
5 Your eyes will sparkle like never before
6 You will be more resistant to disease and allergies
7 Your skin will glow
8 You will care about what you put into your body
9 You can have your cake and enjoy it
10 You will live longer
Monday, June 22, 2009
Creamy tomato soup
The thing I love most about raw food is that it is so easy to get great tasting results without a lot of hassle, this soup which I found the recipe for from here is a perfect example.
I tweaked it a little as I love experimenting with things and it came out really well.
Creamy tomato soup
6 Tomatoes, chopped
2 Cloves of garlic
1/2 an avocado
10 Basil leaves
pinch of sea salt
Place everything into a blender and add a little water then blend until smooth and creamy.
This was enough for 2 generous servings.
Enjoy
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