By Mary Berkery
There is so much information on nutrition, diets and the latest trends that it is difficult to know what is good or not. It is also difficult for us to stay away from the temptations of foods that we know are not nourishing our cells in any way.
My beauty training finals thesis was, “Beauty – a more Holistic approach.” I based it on the Hunza tribe in the Himalayas. When they were discovered in the 1970’s, these people lived into their 120’s and 140’s, in full health with agile bodies, youthful appearances and clear minds. There was no record of diseases such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease. Their food intake was entirely based on natural foods with no processed, refined or manufactured foods in their diets. They ate freshly picked seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables. In Winter, beans and lentils are soaked so they can be ingested as sprouts. They lived in a community and were physically active with a positive, joyful approach to life. There was no crime, no police, no mental problems, no pharmacies or hospitals in the community.
This thesis, along with my own sensitive digestion, propelled continued interest in alternative nutrition. In the late 80’s, I left my job as a tutor in Anatomy and Beauty to study macrobiotic dietary philosophy in Switzerland. There we ate no meat, dairy, white sugar or refined grain products. Ingredients such as millet, rice, sea vegetables, tofu, chickpeas and adzuki beans were the mainstay of a macrobiotic meal. Tamari, ginger and sea salt were the seasonings. Rice syrup and barley malt replaced white sugar and refined syrups. All food was cooked and, when possible, vegetables and fruit were eaten in season. I had no digestive problems and none of my usual sinus and flu symptoms.
In the 90’s, I was introduced to the concept of raw food preparation in Florida. I was invited to a meal at a raw food chef’s home and, while there, put a cashew nut pâté on a flaxseed cracker into my mouth. The vitality of it exploded and the closest I could say to what happened was that I had an orgasm up through the roof of my mouth and into my head! I knew that I was experiencing the next level of vitality and nutritional science and wanted to know more. I embarked on an intensive study of high vibration food, which we call raw or living foods. This led to me qualifying from The Anne Wigmore Clinic in Puerto Rico. Anne Wigmore was one of the leading lights in living food nutrition at the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida.
This raw food movement is now becoming cutting edge thinking in nutrition with awareness of the body as an electrical and chemical system. When we meet and match it with high-energy food with chemically correct nutritional values for cells, then the alchemy of increased vitality and cell activity happens. 20% – 30% cooked vegan dishes, combined with 70% – 80% raw vegan organic foods is a way to keep the body at peak efficiency. Then the body responds with high vitality, clarity of mind and a youthful glow, and none of the degenerative pains or premature lining of skin that we have begun to think of as normal. As Gabriel Cousins from the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Centre in Arizona says, when living on organic foods, we become “Supercharged.” With this type of lifestyle change, there will be no excess weight and we will look younger than our peers … try for yourself.
To begin
1. Juice.
Instead of the usual tea and toast breakfast, start with a summer green juice. If possible, use a slow mastication juicer which helps maintain the life force and enzymes of the food. Greens such as summer broccoli, spinach, cucumber, pak choi and parsley are great.
2. Eat 100% raw for 10 days of Summer
With endless amounts of salad leaves, fruits, vegetables, omega-rich salad dressings, even wild harvesting, it seems a natural diet in the sunny season.
3. Google!
There is so much information online on juicing, recipes and benefits. Start informing yourself.
The rewards are so worth it for a radiant, vital you this joyful Summer.
For organic Juice recipes and a 10-day Summer raw food plan, please email me mary@livingbeauty.ie
