Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Visualization

In sports, we talk about VISUALIZATION all the time. In running, we visualize crossing the finish line. In our visual, we not only SEE ourselves in the process of crossing (arms raised, ear-to-ear grin), we also visualize how we FEEL when we cross.

Some of us also do this at different stages of a long distance race. We can visualize ourselves - how we look and feel, at mile 9 of a 1/2 marathon race or at mile 21 of a full marathon race.

In essence, what visualization allows us to do is PRACTICE and create an expectation of how we want to look and feel at different stages.

What if we apply this same principle to our eating habits and lifestyle? Can you visualize what you would do when you see a buttery croissant? Can you imagine how you would react when faced with the decision to choose pasta with alfredo sauce or a California salad with mixed fruit?

Visualizing yourself in these situations, may help you create the individual you want to become - when it comes to your diet.

Here's a recipe to satisfy after a long run...if you run...

Curry Squash Soup

Ingredients

Serves 8

  • 1 medium kuri squash (3 lb.), seeded and quartered
  • 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 cloves garlic, halved
  • 2 Tbs. canola or olive oil, divided
  • 1 large sweet potato, pricked with fork (1 lb.)
  • 1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp. curry powder
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 Tbs. chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350˚F. In center of each squash quarter, set 1 onion quarter and 1 garlic half; drizzle with 1 tsp. oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil, and place on baking sheet along with potato. Bake 1 hour, or until squash and potato are soft. Cool 20 minutes, or until easy to handle.
  2. Heat remaining oil in large stockpot over medium heat. Coarsely chop onion quarters, and add to oil with garlic halves. Sauté 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Add ginger and curry, and cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
  3. Scoop squash and sweet potato flesh into pot, cover with 6 cups water, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and purée squash mixture in blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in orange juice and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with pinch of chopped chives.

Monday, May 18, 2009

In the beginning...

...there was a chicken, and there was an egg...

Repeat after me....Chicken are friends, NOT FOOD!!

But seriously, about a week ago, after a run, a friend said to me that they were interested in learning about raw food, but they needed some help. Well, I'm here to HELP!!

I was recounting my change to raw to a friend of mine. I was telling him that I don't think I would have made a switch without my yoga guru, who, for 3 weeks, provided me with advice, recipes and, most importantly, a PLAN!

I'm not going to kid you, the transition is HARD work! It's hard because you are fighting yourself! It may be that you might need to come up with a mantra to tell yourself, whenever you are faced with the option of having a bagel versus a banana in the morning.

After reading several books on the topic of Standard American Diet, my mantra was "Processed Food is Poisoning my body". The idea of killing my body with what we have come to know as "food" pushed me over the threshold and helped me REDEFINE what I now know as FOOD. Some of you may know that my definition of JUNK food does not only encapsulate the fast food industry, but anything that comes in a box, a bag or from the center aisles in the supermarket.

One of my friend's mantra was "I gotta burn this bridge".  For example, when came to bagels, he would tell himself that that was a bridge that needed to be burned so that he could move forward and take care of himself and his health.

In both scenarios, the end result was that these sayings, or mantras, helped us make a CONSCIOUS decision to change what we have been doing on auto-pilot.

Does this make sense?

Let me make this clear:

I'm NOT advocating going cold turkey and turning raw in one day. This is a PROCESS. That's why my cleanses run for about 3 weeks. But the idea is, you know exactly where you're starting and you need to define where you want to be after a defined period of time.

Let me know what your plans are...here, or, via email. I welcome your thoughts.

I have some great recipes that might help get the ball rolling. These recipes are NOT all raw, but they are all VEGETARIAN. Email me if you want them.

Lots o' love...smile and grow healthy!