Raw Living Foods Lifestyle Training - chiDiet.net

How to Have an Easier BM

Most people eating a conventional, modern diet composed predominantly of processed foods will rarely experience a normal bowel movement.

That's a shame because a really good b.m. leaves you with the same feeling you'd get if,
say, the Publisher's Clearinghouse award van pulled into your driveway.

This will probably sound odd to many, but you can have a better and more complete evacuation of your intestines every day if you put a footstool in front of the toilet. Then, when you sit down to make a deposit, put your feet on top of the footstool.

As most of the rest of the world knows, the easiest bowel movements come when the human body is in a squatting position. Using a footstool with an American toilet helps to more closely get the body in the natural position.

It's even better to put the seat in the up position on the toilet and to then squat on the rim of the commode. I don't recommend this technique for those with balance problems, and I've also heard of a postal worker (no kidding) who was fired because he refused to take his shoes off when balancing on the rim of the commode at work. I don't know how he was ever caught in the act, so don't ask.

Seriously, the footstool technique works wonders for constipated people, and most Americans are seriously constipated. 

From http://chetday.com

[ While Raw Living Fooders don't generally have problems moving a BM, Dr. Ann Wigmore taught the same method that Chet is describing, and at Creative Health Institute we have a footstool in every bathroom for just this purpose. - Jim Carey ]

Five Healthy Choices

Many factors play a part in determining if your cholesterol levels are healthy. You have little control over some of these factors, such as how old you are, whether you're male or female, or whether you have a family history of high cholesterol. But other factors, like what you eat, how much you weigh, how active you are, and even how much alcohol you drink and how you handle stress, can very much influence your cholesterol levels, and you have the option of working toward reducing their impact.

Here are five healthy choices you can make right now to help manage your cholesterol levels.

1. Maintain a Healthy Body Weight
Excess weight tends to increase your LDL ("bad" cholesterol) level. If you are overweight and have high LDL cholesterol, losing weight may help you lower it. Weight loss also helps lower triglycerides and raise HDL ("good" cholesterol) levels. Maintaining a healthy weight is especially important for people who have additional health factors that increase heart disease risk, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Maintaining your weight and body mass index at a desirable level can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.

2. Stay Active
Regular physical activity may lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol, helping reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke. It can also help you lose weight if you are overweight, which may provide additional benefits to your heart. Please check with you doctor before starting an exercise program, especially if you've been inactive or have heart or other health problems. Need a quick, easy, and effective exercise plan? Try the RealAge 20-Minute Workout.

3. Kick Out Saturated Fats
Saturated fats and trans fats that increase cholesterol may have a negative effect on your heart. Learn how to find these fats on nutrition labels.

Trans fats are found in baked goods, such as cakes and pastries, and in fried foods. Saturated fat and dietary cholesterol are commonly found in foods of animal origin. Meat, egg yolks, whole-milk dairy products, butter, and lard are particularly high in saturated fat. However, saturated fat is also found in some plant-based items, such as cottonseed oil, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil.

Reducing your intake of these foods or replacing them with lower-fat alternatives can help improve your cholesterol levels. Read this article to learn some healthful substitution options.

4. Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Although moderate alcohol intake may increase HDL cholesterol, there are risks to drinking too much. It can damage the liver and heart muscle, lead to high blood pressure, and raise triglycerides. In general, women should have no more than one drink per day; men should limit themselves to no more than two drinks per day.

5. Take Time to Relax
In several small studies, stress has been shown to raise blood cholesterol levels over the long-term. One way that stress may do this is by affecting your habits. For example, when some people are under stress, they do not take time to eat healthful meals. Indulging in comfort foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol can contribute to higher levels of blood cholesterol. Try these relaxation strategies when you’re feeling stressed.

Although you can't control the way your genes affect your risk for heart disease, you can control other factors, such as your diet. So focus on what you can do for your heart -- eat right, stay active, and maintain a healthy weight.

From www.RealAge.com

John Tilden Week Part 4

Starch Causes Gas in the Bowels
by: Dr. John Tilden

Dr. Tilden was a late 19th century and early 20th century medical doctor who turned to Natural Hygiene to help his patients recover from a wide variety of diseases.

Today we'll learn how the quick eating of starch causes gas in the bowels.

"When digestion of starch is not started in the mouth by thoroughly mixing it with the mouth secretions, fermen- tation results, and gas fills the stomach and bowels, causing much discomfort. The bloating will in time cause constipation. When the bowels are distended with gas, persistalsis (compulsory action) is overcome, and obstinate constipation follows."
J.H. Tilden

In other words, chew your food thoroughly, especially if you're having a starchy food.

For food specifics, see: http://chetday.com/hbprogram.html

John Tilden Week Part 3

Dr. John Tilden was a late 19th century and early 20th century medical doctor who turned to Natural Hygiene to help his patients recover from a wide variety of diseases. Today we'll look at the last five of Dr. Tilden's suggestions for food combinations.

6. Finish the thorough mastication of the starchy foods before taking any fluid, and then fluid must be sipped slowly.

7. Have a raw vegetable or fruit salad with every protein or starch dinner.

8. Do not take a protein dinner oftener than four times a week, unless specially instructed to do so by some authority on diet.

9. Raw fruit and starch can be taken in the same meal by most people; however, the cooked fruit, and especially that cooked with sugar, when combined with starch is inclined to start fermentation in the stomach.

10. Remember that the mineral elements are necessary; and these cannot be secured through iron tonics, etc.

They can be utilized by the organism only when secured from natural foods. http://chetday.com/hbprogram.html For a list of the different types of foods, i.e. starch, acid, etc.

Summary of Brian & Anna Marie Clements' Talk

Subject: Just in case you missed the lecture tonight, here's a very brief summary of Brian and Anna Marie Clement's talk (2 December 2007)

Never mix fruits and veggies (watermelon is a veggie, so it and greens are ok)

Don't mix proteins and starches because if makes gas and alcohol - nuts and crackers are a good example - your body will make alcohol in 20 - 45 minutes

no proteins and starchy carbs - root vegetables

If you have cancer bacterial infection, lyme disease, fungal disease, diabetes - no fruits until you get well. Afterward, just 15% of your diet should be fruits.

In CA, oranges are picked green and sprayed orange ('color enhanced'); in FL they ripen in April but are picked in November and are acid.

Children can eat up to 40% ripe fruit

80 oz. of fluid (that includes smoothies and energy soups) a day for a 160 pound person is necessary

Put distilled water in a window for 20 minutes after you add some minerals (a little dulse is ok - I use a tablespoon and blend it in a cup of water and then pour it back into the glass pitcher and put it in the window.

Do saunas to sweat

If you can't get distilled water, organized molecule water/living water by Dr. Higgins in CA

Pure (not flavored) Smart water is good and alkaline

Penta water is not good

MPCE from gasoline is in all water supplies

Send out happy, loving thoughts and within 5 minutes there is a positive chemical and hormonal healthy change that will be visable in a blood sample.

Eat local food, which has 10 - 30 times more nutrients in it than imported

95% of supplements are dangerous/damaging. Whole food supplements are not.

Brian at 20 weighed 240 pounds and smoked 3 packs a day as a drummer. If he walked up 3 or 4 steps, he had to stop to get his breath.

eat 80 - 90% of your food raw, eat all organic

After disease is healed, you may eat up to 25% of cooked food

millet or tempe

He is adamantly against water fasting. - dementia from that lack of B-12

sunflower greens, pea greens, cucumber and celery for a green drink.

Use no beets or carrots because there is too much sugar and it feeds cancers, viruses and molds..

Do use parsley,kale

2 oz. of wheat grass juice = 7 pounds of juiced vegetables

clover sprouts are great

Peace and love,
Flora

John Tilden Week Part 2

Tilden Suggestions for Food Combinations

Dr. John Tilden was a late 19th century and early 20th century medical doctor who turned to Natural Hygiene to help his patients recover from a wide variety of diseases.

Today we'll look at the first five of Dr. Tilden's suggestions for food combinations:

1. Do not mix starches and protein foods in the same meal.

2. Take but one kind of starch at a meal.

3. Take but one kind of protein at a meal.

4. It is better not to mix starch, fruit, and milk. The triple combination is very hard on most people, especially those with impaired digestion. Milk and fruit make a good combination; also starch and fruit.

5. If we wish to combine ideally we will not take starch and milk in the same meal. Why? Because it is a protein and starch mixture. Raw milk is an ideal food within itself, but heating or pasteurizing kills the life or vitamin element.

For a list of different types of starches and so on, see: http://chetday.com/hbprogram.html

John Tilden Part 1

The Four Tilden Rules for Health

Dr. John Tilden was a late 19th century and early 20th century medical doctor who turned to Natural Hygiene to help his patients recover from a wide variety of diseases.

This week I thought I'd share with you some of Dr. Tilden's common sense advice about diet and life and health. I've always been fond of Tilden's four rules for health, and I think you will be too.

1. Never eat unless absolutely comfortable in mind and body from the previous meal or meal time.

2. Never eat without desire and a keen relish for the plainest and simplest foods; and not then, if to do so will cause the breaking of the first rule.

3. Avoid overeating. This is best accomplished by observing the fourth rule.

4. Thoroughly masticate and insalivate all foods.

Following these four simple rules can make a big difference in how you feel. Try them out and see what you think. They're free and easy to do!

From http://chetday.com

Wellness by Natural Means

Your life can be radically redesigned by involvement in natural wellness through discipline, diet and the practices that create and maintain wellness using the fifty-year-long program established by Dr. Ann Wigmore, and now practiced in many countries.

The old sayings "You are what you eat," and by Hippocrates, "Let your food be your medicine," stands for us as guidance, and many have come to Creative Health Institute with what has been ruled incurable or terminal dis-ease and found their way back to wellness.  In our twenty-six years of conducting the program we have come to agree with Dr. Ann that there are no incurable diseases, just some incurable people.

We have had trainees sponsored by hospitals do the three month program in search of ways of introducing elements of Living Foods Nutrition into hospital settings.  Indeed, catching the truth of our time, and being involved in facilitating it is imperative, if we ae to check the disease patterns, extant.  What everyone learns in alternative connections is what is on the leading edge of change.

The eroding paradigm and cultural collapse is seen by all thinking people and institutions as very serious.

We can exploit this or concentrate on helping to correct the erosion.

Wonderful to say that concerned people in positions of influence are joining "The Way, the Truth, and the Life" that works for improvement in Wellness by Natural means.

Think about it.

Don Haughey, co-Founder
Creative Health Institute

Don's Vacation

To my friends,

My two weeks with family in Tarpon Springs was great. I did my flipper and snorkel run to the beaches every day and some the lingering restrictions caused by my broken leg responded to the excercise.

Communication with you all was limited, but will come back up to speed, as soon as I settle back into my routine.

Kathi, Rose, John, Dominic, Jean and Susie kept things in line at CHI.  James pressed on the Internet work of the Lord, and Jan maintained the heart beat at the mill and fed and exercised the critters.

Everything looked different on the fast track. The population crush of Florida compared to things in Hodunk were very different, making Hodunk seem very special, even from afar.

Teaching 'Wellness of the Body, and Wellness of the Spirit' will continie by the blessings of the Lord and those who come to participate and serve.

The Lord's blessing extant is real for those who Praise the Lord and live in His Will.

I write this heading home anxious to see the garden progress and give Sara, and all, a big hug.

Love,

Don Haughey
Founder, Creative Health Institute

The Key to Good Health

THE KNOW IT ALL KEY TO GOOD HEALTH
By Elizabeth Neumaier

pH or the presence of hydrogen is one of the best measures of your health. It is also a very easy tool you can use yourself to test the presence of minerals in the body. Testing your pH will show how fast or slow your metabolism is running at a cellular level before symptoms appear. This includes how fast or slow food is utilized, waste is eliminated, hormones do their jobs or lymph is functioning to fight illness. It is a barometer to forecast future health ailments rather than a lab test that shows the body in the present. So you can see it is an incredibly important tool to read how well you body systems are functioning.

Good pH is 6.2 - 6.6 for urine or saliva. The lower your numbers the faster you are running internally and the more acid you are. When you are more acidic enzymes do not work as well, cells do not function properly allowing disease to take hold. Low acid numbers over a long period of time can lead to nervousness, strokes, high blood pressure, colitis or bloating or diarrhea, yeast infections, liver problems and all kinds of nasties. Vitamin C, Iron and B12 are low. What causes your levels to go high? Three things and three things only, diet (meat and grains), negative emotions (now that’s a biggy) and the biggest stress. Movement also causes acid, but is easily eliminated through respiration. When your body is more acid minerals are stripped to help alkalize this environment. The first mineral to go is sodium then calcium, magnesium and potassium. Can you get an idea of where osteoporosis comes from? Our bones are stripped of calcium to balance our high acid diets of grains and animal products. Literally holes form in our bones from calcium depletion due to your bodies desperate need to alkalize due to diet and life style.

Slightly higher pH numbers, over 6.6, are OK if you really are on a diet of 80% fruits and veggies. If you have not been on a diet like this then the high numbers mean pretty much all your minerals are gone and your body is using ammonia to alkalize itself. All body systems have slowed way down and are struggling to divert disaster. That’s why nursing homes have that strong smell of urine, it’s the ammonia. Most of the residents there have used up all their minerals, as seen by the dementia and disfigured bone structure.

You can test yourself for pH levels very easily. Most pharmacies carry pH test strips, ask the pharmacist. Pee on a strip first thing in the morning. After 2am is first thing in the morning. In other words if you wake up at 3am to go to the bathroom, check your pH then. The color the strip turns can be matched to a chart that will give you your pH number. There are some others ways to test your pH over a series of days too. If you are interested in this get Fell’s Official Guide to Health and Wellness. This is an excellent and easy book to learn all about pH. What is also fun is to test the pH of fluids you drink. Stick a strip in you green tea, distilled water or god forbid, coffee and look at the color that registers. It’s quite eye opening.

You can also test your saliva pH, but this is slightly more complicated and needs the guidance of a naturopath or get Fell’s book.  There are also many other connections to pH and heath not discussed here.  Email me if you have questions.

There are some simple, but not easy, ways to remedy bad readings. Meditation, prayer, laughter and a positive outlook help enormously. Slow your life down, have fun, help someone in need. Eat 80% fruits and veggies, millet is the only grain that is alkaline. Retest you pH each week and if you gradually start these changes, you will gradually see improvement. If you go off the program you will see your pH start to slide.

That’s it. Sounds too simple doesn’t it? Putting these changes into action is a life time commitment. Start one day at a time. Maybe tomorrow have no grains or animal products for lunch and tell a joke, or help an animal or person in need. You are on the road to a better and healthier life already

You are smart enough to learn how to become free of illness.

Remember sickness is not a natural byproduct of life.

Benefits of the Raw Living Foods Lifestyle

We have numerous testimonials from students who credit the Raw Living Foods Lifestyle with their recovery from:

• Arthritis
• Diabetes
• Breast cancer
• Cancer of the larynx
• Cervical cancer
• Malignancies, including uterine cancer
• Colitis
• Leukemia
• Hepatitis
• Gangrene
• Heavy metal poisoning
• Tuberculosis
• Peritonitis
• Pyorrhea
• Hemorrhoids
• Asthma
• Sinus infections
• Burns
• Cuts
• Menstrual irregularities
• PMS
• Constipation
• Headache
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Halitosis
• Acute anemia
• Vericose veins
• Metastatic malignant melanoma

PLEASE NOTE: that we offer no cures - we treat and heal no one. We simply share information, developed by Dr. Ann Wigmore, about how a Raw Living Foods Diet and Lifestyle can benefit everyone, and how the body often cures itself with a proper diet.

Things the Program Can Do for You:

• Weight Loss
• Alleviate pain
• Prevent disease
• Combat disease
• Increase energy
• Cleanse the body
• Improve digestion
• Recharge your immune system

Visit chiDiet.com for more information.

Holiday Turkey - Serving up Science for Dinner

PETA video on turkey farming: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=shirley_jones&c=weekly_enews.

Long-term Veganism

James,

One way to adapt to long term as a raw food vegan is to live with common sense.  Excessive will power, based on the supposed knowledge we aquire, can make life miserable and create a PMES [Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual] imbalance that throws off the body, blood, and brain chemistry.

Dr. Ann Wigmore gave me the basis of the lifestyle that saved my life. I experimented with her position and that of Arnold Ehrets and that of Dr. Christopher, Dr. Jenson and others, and never found better simple advice than hers.

Fortunately, kinesiology let me tap into body, mind, and spirit wisdom to test what is good, bad, and in between.

"You got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative"  became my favorite song.

Don Huaghey
Co-founder, Creative Health Institute

New York KFC - Kentucky Fried Rats?

So you like fast food, do you? Check out this short video clip:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_3hHp23geM.

What the first humans ate

What the First Humans Ate
by Victoria Boutenko

          Once, when I was a little girl, my father took me to an archeological site located near the Azov Sea. There, scientists were excavating the ancient Greek town of Tanais from 5th century B.C. We were surprised to discover that this ancient town was positioned so deep in the ground. During the past 25 centuries, it gradually had become covered by almost 30 feet of dirt. We had to climb down many steps to reach its narrow streets and tiny stone homes surrounded by stone fences. Tanais was so well preserved, that it was easy to imagine it full of people. I was mesmerized by my feelings of physical closeness to prehistoric life.

In addition to wandering the streets of Tanais, we were permitted to touch some newly excavated artifacts. Many small, broken, and other nonessential pieces were left at the site after they were thoroughly studied by the scientists. We found many small fragments of broken ceramic dishes, covered with curious patterns. I especially remember a very unusual looking petrified fish, which looked as if it had recently been dried. I immediately made plans to bring this 2,500 year old fish back to school with me, but as soon as I touched it with the tips of my fingers, it collapsed into powder.

          Not long ago, I found myself equally mesmerized when I read about recent archeological discoveries. The article talked about the thirteen oldest human skeletons unearthed in East Africa[1]. The scientists dated them at 3.6 million years and named them “the first family.” These hominids* had curved phalanges, or finger bones, which means the creatures were agile tree-climbers. Also, they had very thick enamel on their teeth; and their molars were large and square, similar to other creatures that chew lots of greens[2]. Scientists believe that the first humans spent the majority of their time in the branches of trees because that habitat offered much-needed protection from predators and supplied fruit and green leaves, and thus the tree-climbing adaptation developed.

          The earliest humans, known as “Australopithecus,” dwelled in East Africa about 3.6 million years ago. At that time, the land of East Africa was covered by tropical rainforest. It made sense to me that they lived in the tropics because heavy annual rainfall, high humidity, and hot temperatures year around ensured an abundance of food for all the inhabitants of the rainforest. I have heard amazing stories from people who traveled to the tropical rainforest about the countless varieties of fruits, all of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some of these fruits even grow directly off the trunks of the trees. The variety of fruit-bearing plants in the tropical rainforest reaches almost three hundred different specimens, very few of which have been cultivated.

          Sweet fleshy fruits attract not only birds and mammals but even fish, when the fruit rolls into the water. Due to the wealth of fruit, most of the animals in the tropical rainforest live in the canopy, which is the upper part of the trees. There is so much food available up there year round that some animals never descend to explore the forest floor. (I could definitely live like that if only I could get my computer up there!)

(This is a long chapter and I cannot publish it all here. Victoria)

Copyright 2007 by Victoria Boutenko. www.rawfamily.com

Deaths from prescription drugs on the rise

According to the CDC, deaths resulting from prescription drugs have risen to become the second-largest cause of unintentional deaths in the United States. Such deaths increased by 61 percent in 1999, growing from 4.4 per 100,000 people in that year to 7.1 per 100,000 people in 2004.

Deaths from psychotherapeutic drugs, such antidepressants and sedatives, nearly doubled, jumping from 671 deaths to 1,300.

The biggest jump among any age group was for those aged 15 to 24, which may be related to a rise in recreational prescription drug use. However, all age groups, except for those over 75, experienced increases of more than 35 percent. Those aged 45 to 64 saw a jump of more than 90 percent.

The data the report used did not separate intentional drug-overdose suicides from unintentional deaths.

Read more: http://www.mercola.com/2007/mar/13/accidental-deaths.htm.

How do you find a good doctor?

Here's Dr. Mercola's opinion of how to go about finding a good physician:

http://mb.mercola.com/QA/How-Do-You-Find-a-Good-Physician--2109.aspx.

Living to be 100

According to this fascinating video segment aired recently on Nova, only one in 10,000 of us will live to see 100. But scientists are working on finding ways to increase that number.

Researchers found cutting the food intake of just about any organism by up to 30-40 percent extended its life by as much as 60 percent.

Calorie restriction reduces insulin levels and triggers the production of sirtuins, which are produced as part of an intricate stress response that kicks an organism into survival mode (which beefs up DNA repair and prevents cells from dying).

13 minute video: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3401/01.html.

You Don't Need a Drug to Make it to 100

Researchers have discovered that a molecule called nicotinamide, a component of vitamin B3 (niacin), binds to a sirtuin protein and prevents it from unleashing its renowned anti-aging effects.

A drug that prevents the niacin-sirtuin interaction could therefore help counteract age-related disorders, including obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Two Massachusetts-based companies are already working to develop drugs that affect sirtuin activity. Elixir Pharmaceuticals has filed more than 20 patents or applications related to a sirtuin class of compounds: http://www.mercola.com/2007/mar/3/you-dont-need-a-drug-to-make-it-to-100.htm.

Fasting making a comeback with physicians

Fasting, practiced for thousands of years as a cure for a variety of diseases, is making a comeback slowly among the practitioners of modern medicine.

Buchinger, on Germany's Lake Constance and a handful of other clinics around the world are beginning to offer fasting as one of the physical therapies and medical tourists are flocking to take advantage, according to Newsweek.

The magazine said by fasting the doctors at Buchinger mean a "minimalist diet of 300 calories per day, veggie broths and juices for two weeks to several months, accompanied by blood tests, purges and other treatments."

Director Frantoise Wilhelmi di Toledo was quoted as saying many hard-to-treat conditions, from arthritis to allergies and various skin disorders, benefit from the metabolic switch that takes place when the body starts living off its own reserves.

"Of the 2,000 guests who come to fast each year (half from southern Europe, America and the Middle East), about one third arrive with serious ailments the rest come to lose weight or cut stress," he said.

Fasting, the magazine says, has lately gotten a boost from medical research. Clinical studies in Scandinavia have shown that fasting is an effective treatment for rheumatism especially if followed by a vegetarian diet. In one study, pain and swelling came down by a third in a week and stayed that way for a year.

Read more: http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14316166.

Med schools failing to teach Nutrition

Almost 60 per cent of US medical schools do not meet recommendations for nutrition education for med students, producing physicians - the first port of call for nutrition advice for many consumers - who may have inadequate nutrition knowledge.

Read more: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=67000-nutrition-obesity-education.

How meat-centered eating affects the world environment

The world is experiencing an overpopulation in farm animals. Between 1950 and 1994, global meat production increased nearly fourfold, rising faster than the human population. During this period, production rates jumped from 18 kg/person to 35.4 kg/person (Brown and Kane 1994; FAO 1997). The combined weight of the world’s 15 billion farm animals now surpasses that of the human population by more than a factor of 1.5 (Table 1).

In many countries, the affluent are eating the most meat, often at the expense of poorer people who depend on grain supplies increasingly diverted to feed livestock. In China, grain consumption by livestock has increased by a factor of five since 1978 (Gardner 1996).

Any discussion of overpopulation should surely include domesticated animals that, like people, depend on food, water, shelter, and mechanisms for heating, cooling, and transport. The many farm animals are straining resources and causing environmental harm as a result of their voracious appetites for feed crops and grazing.

More: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-30610-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html.

Why does prayer seem to work selectively?

Have you ever wondered why our prayers and thoughts can affect some things and not others? For instance we don’t seem to be able to change solid objects but we do seem to be able to affect people, food, and nature.

Scientific studies done on prayer show that it can be effective in healing disease. Traditionally people pray over or bless their food. And prayers have even been thought to influence nature as in crops, weather patterns, and the beauty of house plants.

What these things have in common and what sets them apart from solid objects is a high water content (60-90%). We’ve heard the phrase water is life. The studies done by Masaru Emoto at http://www.hado.net show that the cellular (crystal) structure of water is completely rearranged depending on what you tell it, label it, pray over it, think about it, or sing to it.

So as you get out of the shower or as you dress each day give thanks for how beautiful, strong, energetic, and healthy your body is – and I believe it will reflect your thoughts and become more so!

To Your Health,
Jinjee
http://www.TheGardenDiet.com

One More Benefit of Practicing Gratitude: It Can Help You Stay Raw!

One More Benefit of Practicing Gratitude:
It Can Help You Stay Raw!
By Victoria Boutenko

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”  - Cicero

When we adopt a raw food lifestyle, we may feel deprived of our habitual pleasures, especially when we watch others enjoying cooked delicacies that used to be our own favorites. Being hungry, angry, lonely, or depressed at that moment could add even more frustration to our feelings of misery. I would like to share with you a method that can help eliminate feelings of deprivation from your life forever.

We all have different perspectives on life. Some of us feel that life is becoming increasingly more frustrating, especially considering all the natural cataclysms and political challenges. At the same time, others view life as a totally beautiful and enjoyable experience. Initially, I thought that our opinions on the fairness of life depended on the level of our material wealth. Later, I met some poor people who were content with their lives and wealthy persons who were deeply upset about their lives. While watching many people caught in a material pursuit (including myself) I developed a strong interest in the true origins of people’s contentment in life. I came to the conclusion that there are two opposite perspectives on life: the materialistic perspective and the grateful perspective.

The materialistic approach to life guarantees discontentment and frustration, as there is no objective limit to the acquisition of personal possessions. There is no constant measure that could be marked as “enough.” At the same time, only the very basic possessions that satisfy our essential needs such as food, clothes, and shelter, can bring us a sensible feeling of contentment. The majority of the items beyond the basic needs convey very little enjoyment to their possessor.

Contrary to this, gratefulness inevitably leads us to becoming aware of the unlimited wealth that life holds for every one of us. Grateful people tend to be happier, more optimistic, more satisfied with their lives, than their less grateful counterparts. Michael E. McCullough, a professor from Florida, provides experimental evidence that gratitude leads to improvements in psychological and even physical well-being.[1]

McCullough’s groundbreaking research demonstrates that “people who place too much emphasis on materialistic pursuits – people for whom obtaining wealth and material possessions takes priority over meaningful relationships, community involvement, and spirituality – tend to be unhappy people. In general, they are dissatisfied with their lives, and tend to experience high levels of negative emotion. They are at risk for a variety of mental disorders. In contrast, grateful people – people who readily recognize the many ways in which their lives are enriched by the benevolent actions of others – tend to be extraordinarily happy. They experience high levels of positive emotion and are generally satisfied with their lives.” [2]

Being constantly exposed to a vast variety of advertisement and financial challenges, we may increase our materialistic perception of life. According to McCullough’s research, gratefulness is such a powerful approach to life that it may reduce people’s materialistic strivings. [3]

I invite you to apply this valuable information about the power of gratitude to any situation in your life. Below, I am presenting two different approaches to watching another person consuming a cooked delicacy.

The materialistic approach:

What is that heavenly smell? Oh no! It’s pizza! Look at how they are enjoying it. How come I am not allowed to enjoy it? Am I a monk? They don’t look as if they are going to die. Can it be true that I will never again in my entire life be able to partake of such a pleasant meal? Oh, how lucky these fellows are! I wish I could enjoy pizza now as they do! What torture, poor me. Oh that aroma… it brings tears to my eyes. So many of the sweetest memories come to mind, the best times. Now, they are over. E-eh.

The grateful approach:

That smell is oddly familiar. Wow, pizza. I had a lot of it in my life! More than one could dream of. Now it is time to take care of my health. Yeah, health is my priority now. All these people eating pizzas will be delighted to discover a healthy diet in their time. I am grateful that I am on a healthy diet already. I do feel a lot better. I am so glad that I will not have to be sick again. In only fifteen minutes I will be home. What do I have in my fridge? Those hass avocados I bought yesterday should be perfectly ripe today. It will only take a couple of minutes to prepare guacamole with lemon, tomatoes, and jalapeno. Uh, my mouth is watering! I have fresh romaine lettuce, tomatoes and a giant organic mango that will be so yummy and nourishing. Oh, I am looking forward to my raw dinner that will leave me feeling light and wonderful. I greatly appreciate what the raw food diet is doing for my body and mind. How fortunate I am! What a blessing life is.

To develop a grateful attitude, we need to practice one simple activity— notice the positive sides of events in our lives. The very best way to do this is to keep a gratitude journal. Buy yourself a notebook and start writing three to five grateful notes daily. I think that we should be grateful not only for the positive but also the negative experiences. Often, it is the most painful events in our lives that shape the qualities in ourselves we value most.

Practicing gratitude can make your life on a raw food diet more enjoyable and will have a positive impact on your health, your mood, and your life in general.

[1] Emmons, A., McCullough, M. The Psychology of Gratitude. Oxford University Press, USA, 2004

[2] Polak, E., McCullough, M. Is Gratitude an Alternative to Materialism? Journal of Happiness Studies, 2006, DOI 10.1007/s10902-005-3649-5

[3] McCullough, M., Kilpatrick, S., Emmons, R., Larson, D. Is gratitude a moral affect? Psychological Bulletin, 2001, #127

- thanks to Victoria Boutenko, www.RawFamily.com.

NPR story on the Raw Foods Movement

(NPR) Many Americans spend this week roasting a Turkey and caramelizing onions for sausage stuffing, but there is a growing number of people who won't cook anything at all. They are known as "raw foodists." Alison Bryce has a report on the raw food community in Los Angeles. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6537438&sc=emaf

- thanks to Anne Kasper of www.BodyByBliss.com.