Shape up With Raw and Living Recipes!

By Brenda Cobb

The closer summer gets the more you might be thinking about shedding those excess pounds and shaping up. Eating raw and living foods has been the answer to many people's weight challenges. Raw foods are fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that have not been cooked, no animal or dairy products included. Living foods are sprouted and alive when you eat them, broccoli sprouts, sunflower sprouts, buckwheat sprouts, and clover sprouts.
Raw and living foods work so well for weight reduction because of enzymes. The body requires enzymes for every function. To lose or gain a pound, you must have enzymes. When you eat cooked food heated to 105-108 degrees or higher all enzymes are destroyed.

If you haven't already been eating raw and living foods, summertime is a perfect time to begin. All the wonderful, fresh organic produce available in the summer makes it easy to find a variety of delicious, nutritious food. Organic fresh, raw and living foods are easy to digest so the body can utilize the nutrition without becoming tired from the digestion process. Be sure to select ORGANIC food. Conventional fruits and vegetables are grown with chemical fertilizers and sprayed with chemical pesticides. These extremely toxic ingredients store in your cells and make you sick. Just remember, if it'll kill a bug, it can kill you too!

Eat lots of cucumbers, celery, squash, tomatoes, peppers and especially an abundance of dark green leafy vegetables. Dark green leafy vegetables are full of calcium, more than any milk or dairy product and they have an abundance of protein, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc copper, manganese, and vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and C! Use lemon juice and garlic as a dressing on your salads. It will help remove worms and parasites and act as an astringent and cleanser.
Eat an avocado! It can actually help you lose weight. Raw avocado has lipase which helps metabolize cooked fat that your body has stored up.

Blend your fresh fruits and vegetables into smoothies to speed up your progress and your nutrition. I use a high speed Vita-Mix machine and in 5 to 15 seconds it can blend anything into a smoothie. It's much easier to digest when it's blended.

Eat lots of salads from an assortment of your favorite fruits and vegetables. Always use ORGANIC ingredients and filtered water. Here are some quick and easy smoothies salad dressings to make your raw and living foods experience delightful. Throw it all in the Vita-Mix and blend it up in a few second. These all fresh, all natural smoothies and dressings will indulge your taste buds and help with the battle of the bulge.

Green Super Charger Smoothie
2 cups kale
1 cup parsley
1 cucumber
4 stalks celery
1 Tbs. fresh ginger
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
3-4 cups filtered water

Fantastic Five Smoothie
1 cup tomato
1 cup carrots
1 cup celery
1 cup red pepper
1 cup or more filtered water
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
pinch of Celtic sea salt

Chopped Salad Salute!
You Pick It! You Chop It! You Mix It Up!
Mixed Baby Greens
Broccoli Sprouts
Ripe Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Celery
Green Onions
Red Bell Peppers
Avocado
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage

Tomato Pepper Zing Dressing
1 cup tomatoes
1cup red bell pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Celtic sea salt
pinch of cayenne pepper

Blend in 15 seconds then toss a little with your salad. Save the rest in a glass jar refrigerated. It will keep for 5-7 days. The lemon juice acts as a wonderful natural preservative. It's light, refreshing and very healthy!

Guacamole Dressing
2 avocados
1 cup onion
1 Tbs. fresh cilantro or 1 tsp. dried cilantro herb
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 roma tomatoes
2 cloves garlic (large)
1 small jalapeno pepper

Brenda Cobb is founder of The Living Foods Institute and author of, The Living Foods Lifestyle and seven other recipe and self help books on good health and healing naturally. She will teach a Good Health Now workshop on June 17 from 1:00pm-4:00pm including lunch, recipes, detoxification and emotional healing. 30.00 In advance plus 15.00 for book and supplies. A FREE banquet feast is on Sunday, June 11 at 6:30pm and a FREE educational seminar on Monday, June 12 at 7:00pm. The10-Day Healthy Lifestyle Course is June 2-11. For reservations and information about classes, free seminars and free banquet feasts call 404-524-4488.

References:
"101 Raw and Living Food Recipes"
by Dr. Brenda Cobb

"Whole Foods Companion"
by Dianne Onstad