|
Why do we soak and/or sprout our seeds,
nuts and grains?
Enzymes; what are they and what do they
do for you?
Why
we use Organic seeds, nuts, grains and
vegetables
Why are Raw Foods Important?
Why do we use Celtic Sea Salt, and What
is it?
Why do our bodies need “whole” sea salt?
What is Agave?
What is Raw/Dehydration
What are Superfoods
What are Green Superfoods
What is Nutritional Yeast
Why do we soak and/or sprout our seeds,
nuts and grains?
The use of soaked and sprouted foods has
been dated back as early as 3000 B.C.
According to early records written by
the Emperor of China, sprouted beans
were prescribed for complaints such as
edema, muscular cramps, digestive
disorders, weakness of the lungs, and
skin and hair problems.
More recently, Purdue University
recorded that sprouted foods were an
excellent high-quality protein source.
Dr. Tsai of Purdue considers them to be
one of the most perfect foods known to
man. Sprouted wheat was found to be, by
itself, one of the only known foods that
could sustain the life and health of
experimental animals. Soaked and
sprouted nuts, seeds, legumes and grains
are at their most nutritious state, full
of live enzymes, and easily digested and
absorbed.
Soaking
There are several good reasons to soak
your grains, nuts, seeds or legumes.
One is that the higher the water content
in a food, the better it is for us.
After a food is soaked approximately
6-12 hours, the inhibitors that prevent
it from digesting well are washed away
and it is able to release the enzymes,
proteins and carbohydrates that are
vital to our survival. Soaking nuts and
seeds also reduce the fat content about
40-50 percent, increasing the protein
and mineral content, and are therefore
preferred over just raw nuts and seeds.
When a food is changed from a dried,
dormant state by soaking, it becomes a
live, easier to digest plant.
Sprouting
Now that we have soaked the food, why
sprout? Soaking brings the plant to
life; sprouting completes the cycle.
Sprouting creates an enzymatic
transformation; the plant actually goes
through a chemical metamorphosis. The
plant becomes a concentrated form of
nutrients, which becomes the most
“alive” source of food available.
Sprouting causes the plant to develop
its full enzyme capacity that enables
the plant to pre-digest itself.
Enzymes; what are they and what do they do for you?
What jump-starts your day? What is that
generator inside your body that keeps
you going and provides energy? Enzymes,
which occur naturally in all living
things, are the catalyst for every cell
to do its job. Every single function
that takes place within our body,
including pumping our blood and the
growth of new cells, requires enzymes to
begin, carry out, and complete the
process. Enzymes maintain our health
and proper body function.
Why
we use organic seeds, nuts, grains and
vegetables
Your produce, grains, legumes, seeds and
nuts are only as nutritious as the
ground they come from, so whenever you
can, buy organic. In order for a food
to be labeled “organic” the soil it came
from must be free of chemicals and
pesticides for 10 years, and the growers
must only use organic fertilizer. The
organic matter used by organic growers
brings fertility back to the soil, which
has been neglected by conventional
farmers. While the rise of pesticides
and synthetic fertilizers has increased
tenfold in the last forty years, crop
losses due to insects have doubled.
Organic methods, on the other hand,
build up the soil, creating stronger,
more disease-resistant plants.
Most people would be surprised to know
that while 10% of the pesticides
ingested in our country come from
produce, 90% are found in animal
products. Produce is treated with
pesticides a set number of times during
its growth, while factory farm animals
are fed pesticide-laden crops
regularly. The pesticides eaten daily
by the animals are absorbed into their
tissues and stored there. When you eat
these animals or the milk products they
produce, you are consuming concentrated
doses in uncontrolled combinations of
many of the most deadly chemicals ever
known.
Eating organic is the only way to
guarantee that you are receiving the
nutrition that nature intended, while
avoiding toxic chemicals. You will find
that organic produce is much more
flavorful.
Why are Raw Foods Important?
Only live, fresh, and
unrefined foods
regenerate the body and
prevent the depletion of its own
life-giving supply of enzymes. A diet
comprised primarily of cooked and
processed foods will create sluggish,
congested cells incapable of vibrant
living. Diets high in animal protein
and saturated oils interfere with the
natural wisdom cells need and possess to
direct the optimum functioning of our
bodies' regenerative abilities. Whereas
a fresh, uncooked, plant-based diet
allows for optimal cellular regeneration
as nature intended.
Simply put, cooked food
(over 115 degrees), refined and
processed foods, dairy, an excess of red
meat, and chemicals (alcohol, caffeine,
tobacco, preservatives, and pesticides)
takes away from the natural energy of
the body, which equates to energy loss.
Raw and vibrant foods including uncooked
fruits, vegetables, sea vegetables, raw
nuts and seeds, dehydrated/raw grains
and legumes are all enzyme-rich,
and add to your body's pool of energy,
which equates to energy gain.
Finally, the human body is about 70%
water, so it makes perfect sense that
our body desires at least half the
amount (ideally 70%) of its daily food
intake from raw foods, which are
generally high in water content.
Why do we use Celtic Sea Salt, and What
is it?
The only type of sea salt we use is Celtic Sea Salt, which is
harvested in Brittany, near the Celtic
Sea, in the northwest of France. Due to
many unique conditions of the area and
the way this salt is harvested, Celtic
Sea Salt retains its very rich mineral
and trace mineral content.
Why do our bodies need “whole” sea salt?
A healthy, active lifestyle demands a
reasonable salt intake. In the uterus,
an embryo grows more than three billion
times its conception weight in the salty
environment of amniotic fluid. From the
time of conception we are never without
a need for salt. Our bodies contain
three internal oceans that closely
resemble the ionic balance of ocean
water -- the blood plasma, the lymphatic
fluid, and the extra-cellular fluid.
Each one of these complex solutions
surrounds our cells and circulates
through our bodies. Ocean salt contains
all of the precious salts that our
bodies require and it is because of
these minerals that salt is a necessity.
Celtic Sea Salt
is one of the few salts we have found
that contributes to a healthy body.
Unlike other “sea salts,” Celtic Sea
Salt has all of the necessary minerals
and nutrients intact. Nothing has been
extracted, so therefore it is a whole
food.
What is Agave?
Agave is cactus nectar that is less concentrated
in sugars than even honey and maple
syrup -- Use 1/4 less than other
sweeteners -- Has a mildly sweet flavor,
many like it better than honey and maple
syrup. Agave is the only sweetener
we use in our Cashew Creme.
What is Raw/Dehydration
The dehydration process has been around
for centuries; our ancestors used the
sun or fire to dry their food surplus.
In Egypt, dried foods have been found in
pyramids, entombed for centuries with
their nutritional value intact!
Dehydration is a simple, healthy and
delicious way of preserving live foods.
By regulating the flow of heat and air,
the dehydrator evaporates the water
content of the food. Microorganisms
cannot grow without moisture; therefore
dehydrated foods can be preserved for a
long time. Due to the shrinkage that
occurs during drying, dehydrated food
takes up much less storage space, and
they no longer need to be refrigerated.
It is great survival food.
Dehydration removes the water, leaving
the essential vitamins, proteins,
minerals, fats, carbohydrates, and plant
enzymes largely intact. Dehydrated food
loses only 25 percent of its nutritional
value. By contrast, Live Foods lose
their enzymes and therefore their
nutritional value, when heated over 115
degrees. Other processing methods, such
as canning, baking and boiling, require
temperatures of 212 degrees or higher.
Temperatures can vary in dehydrators.
Dehydrate at less than 110 degrees to
ensure the food’s nutritional value.
All of our energy bites are dehydrated
less than 115 degrees.
What are Superfoods
If foods could wear a cape and fly
around saving people, they would be the
foods that are classified as Superfoods.
These foods are heroic in the sense that
they are designed exclusively for the
purpose of improving and maintaining a
healthy balance of body and mind. There
is nothing not to like about superfoods
and whether red or green, I highly
recommend them. That is why we use
Amazing Grass Green Superfoods in our
Choco-Banana Energy Bites.
What are Green Superfoods
Green grasses, also know as Cereal Grass, have been
around for thousands of years. Cereal
grass is the young green plant which
grows to produce the cereal grain
(wheat, barley, oat, rye, etc.) The
young grasses are very different and far
superior nutritionally from the mature
seed or grain. The nutrient profile is
slightly higher in cereal grasses
compared to dark green leafy
vegetables. Ancient Oriental and Middle
Eastern cultures consumed the young
grass plants of wheat and barley. In
the 1930’s, Cereal Grass, was the main
supplement promoted for nutrient
deficiencies and other illnesses. Prior
to the development of synthetic vitamin
supplements, dried grass tablets were
actually recommended by doctors and
known by scientists and the general
public to be healing and essential to
the diet.
A green superfood blend includes many varieties of raw
greens -- especially the grasses, sea
vegetables, blue-green algae and
chlorophyll. These important foods are
rarely consumed in the diet and provide
more nutrients combined than a typical
multi-vitamin, as discussed previously.
Taking a combination of greens provides
a full spectrum of vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants, amino acids, omegas,
enzymes, fibers and proteins. These
whole foods are excellent for the immune
system and digestive system, for mental
health, cholesterol control, and the
proper balance and functioning of all of
the body’s organs and systems.
You need plenty of raw greens and sprouts. Most people do
not eat or drink enough greens. We find
that if we use a superfood green mixture
in addition to our green drinks and
salads, we get enough greens, and guess
what? The good and sustained energy
boost is fantastic!
What is Nutritional Yeast
This yeast is a golden flake that is sold in health food
stores and is high in B Vitamins
(especially in Vitamin B-12), amino
acids and minerals. It adds a nutty,
cheese-like flavor to sauces, soups and
dressings, or it can be sprinkled on top
of salads.
|
