So, January 2017 is finally here and whilst everyone else is reaching for their pen and paper, thinking of their New Year resolutions, I’m going to make it super easy for you, writes Evie Waxman.
Chuck away the processed garbage and concentrate on foods that aren’t processed and that can be eaten raw.
Why? Because if your Christmas was anything like mine, I’m sure your body needs a rest from the overload of sugar, food and alcohol.
Forget the ever-changing fad diets or the 30 days of starvation juice detoxing. Try out something a little more natural and good for the soul.
Ditch the protein bars and weight loss ‘shakes’ and pick up your spiralizers; get those courgettes spinning, because you are about to become courgetti obsessed!
So, for a few tips for getting a cleaner January ‘temple’: –
- Start by waving your hand to all the ‘white stuff’: breads, pasta, rice, sugar (oh… and caffeine, alcohol). Seems daunting? I’m not trying to starve you from all basic, staple foods in life, I’m just trying to change your outlook on must-have foods
- Take your time. No one is saying now you have turned this ‘raw’ corner that you must be the saint you’ve always envied, 24/7. Not at all, switching to 100 percent raw and clean foods is extremely challenging, and I think a balance and variation is more than enough to get those taste buds back into action.
- Tip for the packaged product – less IS more. The fewer ingredients an item has, the more ‘whole’ it is (as in less-processed). Try to purchase items that you can pronounce and can identify all the ingredients.
- Try out meals with fewer ingredients. For example, as an alternative to a mixed rice dish, blitz cauliflower into fine pieces and mix with fresh tomatoes, lemon juice, garlic and chilli flakes. Top with sliced avocado and you have something beautiful, light and simple.
Hopefully feeling a little more confident and interested, let’s get to the ’Raw’ essentials.
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Shopping list 2017:
– Spiralizer: Used for turning veg into noodles! I tend to use courgettes – mixed with home-made pesto…divine.
– Dehydrator: Used for making home-made sweet and savoury go-to snacks. Try it out with thinly sliced carrots and apples!
– Blender: Blend up your favourite veggies to make yourself that super green smoothie! Try out all the green veg in the world, with avocado for a creamier and more filling drink.
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So, what makes raw food better?
As raw food is kept in its purest and natural form, there is nothing artificial that your body will be harmed by. And, as we’ve poisoned our ‘temples’ with the amount of alcohol we’ve drunk and the chemically infused foods we’ve consumed, I think we owe it to ourselves to give our body the deep cleanse it needs.
When we cook things, we destroy the vital and essential nutrients that we need to stay healthy. Cooking food kills off many of the enzymes that our bodies NEED to naturally digest…. it’s a no brainer really.
Now, I’m not going to sit here and say I eat ’raw’ 24/7, because I don’t. But I do make a conscious effort to do so or to choose things that aren’t processed and full of rubbish.
Because everything we put into our bodies influences both our physical and mental state.
So, for January; Think more. Think Raw.
Love Evie x
