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August 1, 2008 – Evolving Appetites

Welcome to Evolving Appetites’ monthly newsletter. Short, informative and hopefully fun to read veggie bits. Let us know if we don’t deliver on this – we always love feedback from our readers. Contact info is at the bottom of the page.

 In this issue:

• 7 Things You Can Do to Get Back on Track with Your Diet
• New Venture - Eco Walks and Talks
• Cooking with Foods that help Fight Cancer - Special Loblaws Event
• Recipes: Sprouted buckwheat cereal (sprouting instructions included); Raw Corn Salad
• EVENTS update - advance notice for 24th Annual Vegetarian Food Fair

7 Things You Can Do to Get Back on Track with Your Diet

We all “fall of the wagon” from time to time. Whether the wagon is staying vegetarian, vegan, raw, or any other habit we’re trying to stick with, there are obstacles along the way. While the article below focuses on a raw/living foods lifestyle, the principles can apply to any habit. I thank Frederic Patenaude for generously sharing his wisdom and allowing others to post his article to their own website.

by Frederic Patenaude

I have a confession to make. I'm not perfect. Sometimes, I fall off the wagon with my diet and fitness activities. Sometimes I eat more fat than I would like too. Sometimes I eat foods that don't make me feel great. Sometimes I end up being sedentary for a little while.

Let's face it. It's rare that you'll find someone who will commit 100% to something and never look back or have a breakdown. But your ability to succeed will be measured by your determination and focus, as well as your ability to learn from your “mistakes”.

So here are 7 things you can do *today* to get back on track with your diet.

1- Don't Be Hard on Yourself

We're really fast at acknowledging our shortcomings, but much less at acknowledging our successes. It's very easy to beat yourself up when you fall off the wagon and never take time to celebrate all the successes you've had so far.

So don't be hard on yourself and just look at what you've accomplished, no matter how small it may look! Compared to where a lot of people are at right now, you've already come a long way.

2- Reset Your System and Fast

In my book “The Raw Secrets”, I talked about the value of occasionally fasting 24 to 36 hours, or even 2-3 days (longer fasts should be supervised).

This is especially useful to get back on track with your diet. Fasting just 24 to 36 hours will literally “reset” your system and make it much easier to start eating right again.

Don't get me wrong. I don't suggest doing the harmful pattern of binging now and fasting later. I'm just saying that a short fast might be just what you need to give your body a chance to get back to a state of balance.

You can refer to my book “The Raw Secrets” for more information. If you're unsure about doing a short fast or your health does not permit it, then simply having a couple days of mono-fruit meals (only eating one type of fruit per meal), will give you great results.

3- List Your Benefits

When you have the time, take a moment to list all of the reasons *why* you are committed to a healthy lifestyle. Why do it at all?

Unless you know the *why*, you won't know the *how*. Any small difficulty will throw you off balance.

So your homework assignment is to list at least 25 benefits or reasons for eating well (however you define it at this point) and exercising. Then put this list in a place where you can see it!

4- Recommit

Commitment is very important. It just means that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get to where you want to go.

After you've listed your benefits, take a moment to commit to your success. All it takes is *share* your list with someone else, someone who can support you (ideally, your “success buddy”!) and tell them you commit to achieving those results.

5- Give Yourself a Goal

In addition to writing your list of benefits give yourself one to three short-term goals that you believe you can accomplish within the next 6 to 12 months.

Maybe it is to *release* a certain amount of weight. Maybe it is to lower your body fat level down to a certain percentage. Or maybe it is to succeed doing so many push-ups in a row.

Set a few realistic goals that are also a little challenging, and keep your mind focused on them.

6- Be Prepared for the Next Breakdown

No matter how well you do in life, there *will* be another breakdown. I'm not saying that you'll necessarily fall off the wagon. Maybe it will just be a period of doubt and fear. Or you'll find yourself in a situation where you're not sure how to maintain your diet.

Prepare for success and envision different things that could potentially be challenging. What would you do in those moments? Take a moment to think about that and discuss it with your coach or someone who supports you.

7- Get Coaching and Support

Even the best athletes in the world have their own coaches. How do you think that you will make it without one?

A good coach will not only push you to get beyond where you want to go, but will also support you in the process and celebrate your successes with you.

Without coaching and support, it will be much more difficult to make your list of benefits come true.

If you can afford it, having a personal health coach will make a tremendous difference for you.

But because I understand that most people don't have an extra $300 or more it would cost each month to hire a health coach, and because most health coaches believe in eating animal foods and lots of cooked food, we have created a complete coaching and support program called the “Body Enlightenment System” that is completely affordable and effective.

So, now that you're armed with these 7 tips I have revealed in this article, start using them, and if possible, have a coach help you in the process.

Once you start applying them, you will understand why they make all the difference!

Frederic Patenaude, is the author of the best-selling e-book "The Raw Secrets". He is currently giving away free access to his private library of over 100 exclusive articles along with a subscription to his newsletter Pure Health & Nutrition. Visit http://www.fredericpatenaude.com while charter subscriptions last.

Eco Walks and Talks - connecting health and environment

Eco Walks and Talks is a brand new company launched by Lily Lanczi. Lily’s passion for nature and alternative health care led her to this brainchild of bringing together people interested in preserving their health and the health of the planet. She wants to get people out in nature and help them connect to the beauty around them. Even in a mega city such as Toronto, nature’s beauty abounds. But we often get so caught up in our day-to-day grind that we forget to “smell the roses” so to speak. Lily will help you remember, appreciate and revere nature. She has arranged numerous informative talks taking place at different nature locales in and around the city.

I’m honoured to be invited to speak during one of her scheduled walks. Details listed below – mark Saturday, August 23^rd on your calendar and come and join us for an introductory talk on achieving optimum health through Raw/Living Foods. Other talks are listed on Lily’s website at: Eco Walks and Talks (be sure to scroll down to see the listing - top of page says “coming soon”)

Hope to see you there!

Cooking With Foods that Help Fight Cancer

Raw Sprouted Buckwheat Cereal - Yield 4 Cups

A satisfying breakfast cereal with endless possibilities of combinations. Don’t be limited by the suggestions here – use your imagination and make up your own. Enjoy summer’s bounty!

Note: Don’t confuse Kasha with buckwheat groats. Kasha is toasted, and hence, will not sprout. You need raw groats for this recipe – they’re pale green and triangular shaped.

Blend all of the above until smooth. Blended cereal will keep in the fridge for 2 – 3 days.

Add toppings of your choice: walnuts, pecans, raisins, cranberries, chopped apple, peaches, raspberries, blueberries, goji berries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.

Fool-proof sprouting instructions

1. Soak buckwheat groats in water for 4 hours (1 cup dry will yield 2 cups sprouted).
2. Drain and rinse. You may have to rinse a couple of times – a gooey substance forms when you soak buckwheat. Don’t worry if they’re still a bit gooey when you wrap them up – just make sure all excess water is drained off. May want to leave in a strainer over the sink for 15 – 20 minutes before wrapping.
3. Wrap tightly in a clean cotton tea towel (flat - not terry loop - or the sprouts will get all tangled up in the loops and you'll have a tough time freeing them
4. Put the wrapped bundle in a bowl or pot to fit snugly and place a weight on it - leave that somewhere in the kitchen in a warm place - top of fridge is a good place, or even just the counter
5. 24 hours later, you have sprouts (can grow longer if you like – up to 36 hours). Will keep in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.

Enjoy!

Fresh Raw Corn Salad – Yield 4 cups

August means fresh corn – look for organic at farmers’ markets, and this salad will knock your socks off!

Combine all of the above and let sit for at least an hour before serving. You can substitute ½ tsp chili powder for cumin for a Mexican corn salad.

Events update:

825 Don Mills Rd (at Eglinton)

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