Foods That Give Us Energy

Guest Author:  Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
             URL:   http://rawforenergy.com

It’s really unfortunate that the vast majority of the population turns to stimulants instead of looking to whole foods for a boost of invigorating energy. I guess part of the problem is that humans are generally lazy and would rather take the “magic pill” to fix all their problems.

But when it comes to having more energy the irony is that the stimulating foods such coffee, sugar, and energy drinks actually fatigue your body in the long run. Sure they give you a quick jolt of energy but then their real effects are felt as they wear down your adrenal glands, disrupt your blood sugar, and create a huge crash after the initial high. Essentially they are drugs. They are not foods that give us energy.

Ok, then, what are some natural foods that will give you long-lasting energy?

Well, you may want to consider that no single food will give you more energy than your overall diet. Sure you could add in some of the energy foods I describe below, but if your diet is horrific to begin with, then you will not see the sustained level of energy that you want.

Instead of searching for “miracle” energy foods your goal should be to eat a diet that consists of foods that are vibrating at higher energies. This means eating more raw living foods. When a food has not been cooked, it maintains its natural energy properties (not to mention all of its other nutrients). Thus, when you eat raw foods, you’re giving your body direct energy from the ultimate source – the sun – as most of these foods will be plant-based, and the sun is where they get their energy.

The closer you eat to the bottom of the food chain, the more nutrition and energy will you acquire. Think about it – it takes more of your energy to digest animal meat than it does to digest a green vegetable, right? Plus, this green veggie will have the maximum amount of living energy versus a dead animal carcass.

Thus, to have more energy, you need to follow a high energy diet. After that, you can start to knit pick and see which specific foods give you more energy, if at all.

Wheat Grass

To help you get started, here is a list of some my favorite energizing foods:

- wheat grass – if you haven’t tried wheat grass then you’re missing out on some big time energy and nutrition. Growing it and juicing yourself can be a bit of a pain but you can easily get a “shot” at most health food stores or juice bars. 1 oz of wheat grass juice packs more nutrition than 2.5 lbs of green leafy veggies!

Cacao Nibs

- raw cacao (nibs or powder) – incredible source of magnesium, antioxidants, and life force. These give me a natural high that can last for hours without the subsequent crash like you would get from coffee and caffeinated beverages.

Goji Berries

 

- goji berries – another incredible source of antioxidants and polysaccharides that improve cell-to-cell communication. I actually combine these with my raw cacao nibs and complementary tastes work really well together.

Remember that although these foods provide incredible nutrition they are the like the healthier version of coffee and other quick fixes. The key still remains to follow a raw foods diet, as much as possible, that will provide you with tons of life force, alkalinity, and nutrients to help your body thrive.

Yuri Elkaim

 

About the Author:

Yuri Elkaim is one of the world’s leading holistic nutrition and health experts. If you want to lose weight and live your healthiest and most energetic life ever, then you can learn more about his raw food diet book, 'Eating for Energy'  Check it out today. You won't look back.

You also might like to check out his FREE 6-part e-course 'Raw Food 101'  for a great overview of his common sense approach to diet and better health.

Edible Wild Plants

Edible Wild Plants

In Your Backyard

Edible wild plants are raw super food! They have incredible energizing and healing powers and they are absolutely FREE!!! This is a great cost saving and personal energy tip for raw food enthusiasts! In this article you will find an overview of some of the more popular and readily available wild edible plants.

So what plants can you safely eat? The wild edible plants I will list are all great in salads and juices and you can find them anywhere. Most people know these plants already and they are very easy to recognize and find. It should be noted that it is a very bad idea to eat any plant that you are not completely sure is edible.

If you don't know them, these days the internet can help you tremendously. Wikipedia is a great resource. It shows great pictures and describes how the wild plants look and where to find them. If you study this recourse you will become very knowledgeable on this subject and easily be able to find the various plants.
Wild plants are free, delicious and nutritious. And it can be lots of fun to look for them (much more fun than the usual trip to the super market). Bring your kids along, they love it! What a great and educational way to get a raw food meal!

Fragaria Vesca 

Wild strawberries

The wild strawberries are rich in vitamin A, C, and K; in minerals calcium, iron, potassium, and silicon. They are great for fever, diarrhea, dysentery, liver, kidneys, and much more. You can eat the strawberries, the young leaves and the flowers. Don’t eat the leaves if they are wilted as some people will get an allergic reaction to them.

Taraxacum Officinale

Dandelions

Dandelion leaves are great in salads and juices. You can also eat the unopened buds raw (great in salads) Raw leafs have a slightly bitter taste. The leaves are high in vitamin A, vitamin C and iron, containing more iron and calcium than spinach. This should give you a new way to look at those dandelions in our yard now. I wouldn’t suggest eating them from your yard if you use chemical fertilizers or pesticides, though.

The flower petals, along with other ingredients, are used to make dandelion wine. The ground, roasted roots can be used as a caffeine-free dandelion coffee. Dandelion was also traditionally used to make the traditional British soft drink dandelion and burdock, and is one of the ingredients of root beer. Also, Dandelions were once delicacies eaten by the Victorian gentry mostly in salads and sandwiches.

Chenopodium Polyspermum

Lambsquarters

You can eat the leaves of Lambsquarters, also known as Goosefoot. The seeds of this well known weed are high in protein, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. The Lambsquarters or Goosefoot is closely related to the popular super food Quinoa. There is increased interest in particular in Goosefoot seeds today, which are suitable as part of a gluten-free diet.

Goosefoots have a history of culinary use dating back to 4000 BC or earlier, when pitseed goosefoot (C. berlandieri) was a staple crop of the eastern Native Americans, and white goosefoot was apparently cultivated and used by some early European cultures.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)

Nettles

This is a great wild edible plant with a twist. The adult Nettle can sting you if you’re not careful. In many places this is a notorious weed. You can find it everywhere. The plant is so strong! It survives both the hot sun and temperatures well below freezing.

Nettle juice tastes surprisingly good and did you know that the plant has even more minerals than wheat grass? It is good for arthritis, tissue regeneration, calms allergies, lowers cholesterol and high blood pressure and even acts as a blood sugar stabilizer.

You can eat the very young leaves in a salad, but the older ones sting so you may not like to eat them raw. When you juice them, the stinging disappears. The fresh or dried leaves of the nettle can be used to make a tea.

If you do happen to get stung, the juice of the plant will relieve the sting or rub the leaves of a plantain against the sore spot to relieve the pain.

Clover Flower (Trifolium)

Clovers

This is a wild edible plant everyone knows. The clover leaves are delicious in salads or juices. Clovers are a valuable survival food, as they are high in protein, widespread, and abundant. They are not easy to digest raw, but this can be easily fixed by juicing them. Dried flower heads and seed pods can also be ground up into a nutritious flour and mixed with other foods. Dried flower heads can also be steeped in hot water for a healthy, tasty tea.

Alliaria petiolata

Garlic Mustards

The leaves, flowers and fruit are edible as food for humans, and are best when young. The chopped leaves are used for flavoring in salads and sauces such as pesto, and sometimes the flowers and fruit are included as well. These are best when young, and provide a mild flavor of both garlic and mustard.

Garlic Mustard was once used medicinally as a disinfectant or diuretic, and was sometimes used to heal wounds.



Daisies

Bellis perennis

You really can eat daisies! In many countries, they grow everywhere. Daisies are from the Sunflower family. Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked, noting that the leaves become increasingly astringent with age. Flower buds and petals can be eaten raw in sandwiches, soups and salads. It is also used as a tea and as a vitamin supplement.

In ancient Rome, the surgeons who accompanied Roman legions into battle would order their slaves to pick sacks full of daisies in order to extract their juice, hence the origin of this plant's scientific name in Latin. Bandages were soaked in this juice and would then be used to bind sword and spear cuts. Daisies are still used in homeopathy for wounds and after certain surgical procedures as well as for blunt trauma in animals. Typically, the plant is harvested while in flower when intended for use in homeopathy.

Plantago major

Broadleaf Plantains

The leaves of this strong and common weed are edible and used in herbal medicine, but can be somewhat tough. The taste is that of very bitter salad greens with a lingering aftertaste like spinach. Broadleaf Plantain is also a highly nutritious wild edible that is high in calcium and vitamins A, C, and K. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw, and the older, stringier leaves can be boiled in stews and eaten. The leaves when dried make a great tea. Some studies have shown that plantain extract has a wide range of biological effects, including wound healing, anti-inflammatory, pain relief, antioxidant, weak antibiotic and it’s beneficial to the immune system.

Other plantains are considered wild edible plants also but they don't have as much nutritional value as the Broadleaf Plantain.

Wild Grasses

Zoysia grass flower

Did you know that all wild grasses are edible and that there are more than 400 different kinds of grasses? Grasses are super healthy and you can find this super food for free. Wheatgrass, for example, contains most of the vitamins and minerals needed for human health. It's a whole meal and complete protein with about 30 enzymes. It has up to 70% chlorophyll (which builds the blood). It's an excellent source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. Wheatgrass cleanses the body. It is a natural raw detoxifier and it eliminates body and breath odors. The natural value of wheatgrass juice is so high that many people don't feel the "cravings" that lead to overeating. It's great for the skin and first and second decree burns.

Of course fruits and vegetables can be purchased at the grocery store as well. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of a healthy diet and how one guy managed his health and fitness challenges, follow this link and check out the short video.

If you know you need a change but your not sure exactly what that might look like, check out this FREE 6-part e-course 'Raw Food 101' to get you started in the right direction. I bet you'll never look back.

The Benefits of an Alkaline Diet

The alkaline diet is specifically designed to help you restore and maintain the pH balance in your body. You may have heard the saying “You are what you eat.” Your body’s pH should be slightly alkaline with a healthy balance in the vicinity of 7.4. In order for it to be in balance your food intake should be approaching 75% to 80% alkaline forming foods.

Most fresh fruits, vegetables and spices have an alkaline effect on your body. Whereas, animal proteins, sugar, processed foods, alcohol and caffeine are all acidic forming and an acidic pH in your body creates a favorable environment for diseases to form because harmful bacteria are able to rapidly grow and multiply. Knowing this, it is easy to clearly see why, over time, the health benefits of the alkaline diet are numerous.

 The Benefits of an Alkaline Diet

One of the first benefits that you will notice after transitioning to an alkaline diet is that it will be much easier for you to begin to lose those excess pounds even without crazy amounts of exercise. This is because the high fiber content in fruits and vegetables will begin to clean your whole digestive system and increase your metabolism so that you can begin to lose that excess weight.

Another almost immediate benefit of the alkaline diet is an increase in the amount of energy you will have. Once your digestive system is able to function properly, you will no longer be weighed down with heavy toxins which cause you to feel lethargic and fatigued, as these toxins will be removed from your body much more quickly.

Excess toxins in your body are the number one cause of premature aging. As they build up, your cells begin to deteriorate which causes wrinkles to appear. When the beneficial antioxidants in the fruits and vegetables release the toxins from the cells, they begin to come back to life, slow down and even reverse the signs of premature aging.

Find Out How an Alkaline Diet Can Benefit You

Naturally when your body’s pH is too acidic, your body’s systems will do everything in their power to restore that pH balance. To do this, the body takes the minerals which are stored in the bones and breaks them down and passes them into the bloodstream. Some of these minerals are calcium, potassium and magnesium. This causes your teeth and bones to become weak and eventually this can result in osteoporosis and tooth decay.

Studies have shown that Alzheimer’s is caused by a toxic buildup of metals around the brain. The high amounts of antioxidants which are consumed with the alkaline diet help to remove those harmful metals and other toxins in order to restore clarity back to the brain. Attention deficit disorders (ADD), anxiety, nervousness and depression can also be prevented and reversed with the correct diet.

Hydration is Key

Proper hydration will also help to balance your pH levels. It is recommended that you drink 8 glasses or more of water each day. Once your pH is balanced you should continue on a healthy diet in order to prevent disease.

Inflammation is where many problems start. There is a wide range of conditions and diseases that are linked with chronic inflammation or that have an inflammatory component. When your body goes into an inflammatory process, your defenses are weakened, which wears on your resources, leaving you susceptible to other diseases. According to many experts, consuming more alkaline foods than acidic foods may help to reduce low-grade inflammation, thereby reducing your vulnerability to other diseases or conditions. When your body does not have to work as hard to stay in balance, it will remain healthier and able to fight off inflammation and disease. It should be noted that stress and environment can also be important factors in all of the major inflammation based diseases, but assisting your body in staying healthy and in balance, instead of forcing it to work harder, can only benefit you and decrease your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, arthritis and many others.

Did you know that cancer cells can only form in an acidic environment? When there is an alkaline environment in the body, the malicious bacteria which cause cancer and other diseases will rarely be able to grow or multiply to the point where the body can no longer fight them off. That is one reason why the alkaline diet helps to prevent cancer, heart disease, asthma, diabetes, arthritis and many common ailments associated with the typical western diet.

Juicing and Blending Are Beneficial

Consuming foods that are alkaline forming is especially important for your heart. Not only can you reduce low-grade inflammation, but because alkaline foods consist of vegetables, fruits, and certain proteins that are all heart healthy anyway, you are getting twice the benefit. This is not to say that eating high-alkaline foods will totally prevent or cure heart disease. 

Another benefit of eating high alkaline foods is that it may help fight the onset of type II diabetes. Again, the list of foods high in alkaline, includes vegetables and fruits. Acidic choices are processed foods and foods high in simple sugars. Vegetables and fruits may not only help reduce low-grade inflammation, but they will release glucose slowly from the liver, keeping your blood sugar levels within a tighter control. Most experts maintain that you still need to eat a variety of foods, but your alkaline selections should be substantially higher than the acidic choices in your diet. Many feel that the best goal to set is 80% alkaline to 20% acid forming.

Find Out How You Can Start Improving Your Diet Today

If you would like to know more about the benefits of an alkaline diet you can sign up for the FREE Alkaline Diet Newsletter Here.

Transitioning to a Raw or Alkaline Diet

A raw or alkaline diet is part of a healthy lifestyle

An important part of a healthy lifestyle is the diet you choose. You may want to consider transitioning to a more alkaline diet as it is the diet which best supports your body’s natural pH. An alkaline diet is one in which the overall balance is approaching 80% alkaline-forming to 20% acid-forming foods based on volume. You don’t need to get out the measuring cups and scales but rather, just kind of visually check your plate and realize the more alkaline-forming foods there are the better. Alkaline foods include most fruits, vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables) and many nuts and seeds. Foods that are acid-forming include dairy, red meats, alcohol, processed foods like cake, cookies and chips and soda. A diet that is high in acid-forming foods can mimic allergy symptoms, reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood and lower daily energy levels.

First take a look at your current diet. Evaluate the way you typically eat. You can use a chart or list, many of which are readily available, that details which foods are acid and which foods are alkaline. Write down your food intake under two columns, one for acid and one for alkaline, to see what your current consumption looks like in terms of balance. If you consume a lot of processed foods, your overall balance will be somewhat acidic. If you consume a lot of vegetables and fresh food, your balance will, more than likely, be a bit on the alkaline side. How you make that transition is the key to your ongoing success.

    Juicing can add enjoyment as you

       transition to a more alkaline diet.

Choose some foods to add and some foods to subtract. I like to begin by adding beneficial alkaline foods. Come at this from a positive, adding point of view and then think about what to delete. You know which foods are bad but it can be difficult to let some things go without first developing a taste for some of the better foods. Take your time. Trying to completely change your diet all at once may be setting yourself up for failure. There are some people that can do it and you probably know it if you are one of those people. For the rest of us, attempting a task like that cold turkey can be overwhelming and is more likely to produce negative results. When transitioning to a healthy, more alkaline diet, start with a few key foods. Replace one snack of cookies or chips every day with a raw vegetable plate or with fresh juice from your juicer or blender, for example. Did you know that when you eat a steak and potato dinner you will be digesting that food for 8 to 12 hours? If you replace that potato with a fresh salad, the time in your stomach would be reduced to 4 or 5 hours. Then, later on, maybe replace the steak with wild salmon. While the fish is still a meat, it is much healthier than the steak. These are great beginning steps. Small changes will allow you time to find enjoyment in new, more alkalizing foods and provide you with even more motivation to keep making healthy changes.

Pay attention to how your body feels. If you are aware of the positive changes taking place with regard to your comfort level; ie improved digestion (less gas and bloating), increased energy and reduced sluggishness, you will feel you have accomplished something positive and you will be motivated to add to those positive feelings. Write down how you feel after eating acidic foods and compare it to how you feel after eating alkaline foods. Notice that an acidic diet often produces allergy-like symptoms, including runny nose, brain fog and unexplained tiredness. Even as you transition, some people report there can be a brief detoxification period where mild flu-like symptoms may occur but overall you should expect to feel much better.

Hydration is key. You should drink as many as 10 – 15 glasses of water a day Also once a day drink lemon juice water by adding ½ lemon in 1 cup of water. This helps in cleaning the digestive system and reduces excess acid in the body. Believe it or not, the citrus fruits, although they may be acidic themselves, are alkaline-forming in your body upon digestion.

It is always important to stay hydrated when

you are transitioning to a raw diet.

Exercise is also important for anyone who wishes to have a healthy lifestyle. A little bit of exercise goes a long way to making your transition to a raw, more alkaline diet and a healthy lifestyle a smoother, more enjoyable one. Good exercise is will increase blood flow and help with digestion and elimination. Our bodies were not meant to be sedentary. We were meant to move.

Set realistic, reachable goals for yourself as you transition. Decide on a time frame in which you would like to have converted your diet but be flexible. You are doing something positive for yourself. There is no failure here if you just don’t quit. Three to six months is a reasonable length of time in which to make incremental dietary changes on a weekly or bi-weekly basis but be flexible. Changes in diet that happen slowly and produce tangible results are more likely to become healthy lifestyle habits that stick with you for the long term.

A raw, more alkaline diet is arguably the best choice for regaining your health and energy. If you would like a little more information on what is involved in transitioning to a raw more alkaline diet, you might like to check out this FREE 6-part e-course called 'Raw Food 101'. There is also a great book available called 'Eating for Energy' to take you step by step through the transition and really set you up to win. Check it out here.

You can enjoy your food while you are

transitioning to a healthy diet