Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course “Let Food Be Thy Medicine” Hippocrates Copyright Copyright © 2015 by Centre of Excellence Online Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this course may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews – without the permission in writing from its publisher, Centre of Excellence Online Ltd. All brand names and product names used in this course are trademarks, registered trademarks or trade names of their respective holders. We are not associated with any product or vendor in this course. Contents Session 1: Starting out on the Road to Raw...................................................................................... What is raw food? ......................................................................................................................... What are the benefits of eating raw food? .................................................................................... Optimize enzymes ..................................................................................................................... Enhance digestion ..................................................................................................................... Boost metabolism...................................................................................................................... Strengthen immune system ....................................................................................................... Control weight .......................................................................................................................... Balance PH................................................................................................................................ Enhance oxygenation ................................................................................................................ Boost energy ............................................................................................................................. Maximize anti-ageing ............................................................................................................... Stabilize moods ......................................................................................................................... Enhance mental focus ............................................................................................................... Boost self-respect ...................................................................................................................... How quickly do I have to make the transition to a raw food diet? ............................................... Am I allowed to eat cooked foods?............................................................................................... Won’t I feel hungry on this eating plan? ...................................................................................... What if I can’t digest raw food? ................................................................................................... Do I still eat my three meals a day? .............................................................................................. Won’t I feel deprived on this diet? ............................................................................................... How do I deal with cravings? ....................................................................................................... What do I do if I slip off the diet? ................................................................................................. If I’m getting all this nutrition, do I need any supplements? ........................................................ What do I do when eating out? ..................................................................................................... What are some ways to help me succeed on this diet? ................................................................. Questions....................................................................................................................................... Session 2: Lifestyle ........................................................................................................................... Eat organic .................................................................................................................................... Dirty dozen.................................................................................................................................... Also suspect .................................................................................................................................. Lowest levels of pesticides ........................................................................................................... Soaking and sprouting................................................................................................................... Food combining ............................................................................................................................ Basic food-combining rules .......................................................................................................... Preparing your kitchen .................................................................................................................. Practising healthy food tips ........................................................................................................... Practising raw eating guidelines ................................................................................................... Eating consciously ........................................................................................................................ Questions....................................................................................................................................... Session 3: Loads of Great Food to Eat.............................................................................................. Raw, living plant food................................................................................................................... Vegetables ..................................................................................................................................... Fruit ............................................................................................................................................... Beans and legumes ........................................................................................................................ Nuts, seeds and oils ....................................................................................................................... Grains ............................................................................................................................................ Spices and herbs ............................................................................................................................ Natural sweeteners ........................................................................................................................ Drinks ............................................................................................................................................ Salt ................................................................................................................................................ Condiments ................................................................................................................................... Foods to avoid ............................................................................................................................... Added artificial ingredients....................................................................................................... White sugar ............................................................................................................................... Refined flours............................................................................................................................ Common food allergens ............................................................................................................ High saturated fats .................................................................................................................... Fish containing high levels of mercury..................................................................................... Unhealthy food preparation ...................................................................................................... Drinks ........................................................................................................................................ Other ......................................................................................................................................... Rainbow diet ................................................................................................................................. Green ......................................................................................................................................... Red and pink ............................................................................................................................. Yellow/orange ........................................................................................................................... Blue/purple ................................................................................................................................ White/tan ................................................................................................................................... Healthy alternatives ...................................................................................................................... Grains ........................................................................................................................................ Dairy ......................................................................................................................................... Eggs........................................................................................................................................... Condiments ............................................................................................................................... Salad dressings .......................................................................................................................... Popular dish substitutions ......................................................................................................... Snack substitutions.................................................................................................................... Drinks ........................................................................................................................................ Questions....................................................................................................................................... Session 4: Super Juices, Smoothies and Shakes ............................................................................... Juicing ........................................................................................................................................... Green power .................................................................................................................................. Mint pineapple spinach ................................................................................................................. Sweet cucumber juice ................................................................................................................... Sweet/spicy green juice................................................................................................................. Spicy green juice ........................................................................................................................... Green goddess ............................................................................................................................... Green smoothies............................................................................................................................ Superfoods .................................................................................................................................... Almond/kale smoothie .................................................................................................................. Green mango smoothie ................................................................................................................. Orange-carrot smoothie ................................................................................................................ Strawberry orange pineapple ........................................................................................................ Green fruit delight ......................................................................................................................... Papaya-pineapple smoothie .......................................................................................................... Orange-kale smoothie ................................................................................................................... Papaya-cucumber smoothie .......................................................................................................... Swiss chard-cucumber smoothie................................................................................................... Swiss chard-berry smoothie .......................................................................................................... Kale-cucumber smoothie .............................................................................................................. Blueberry smoothie ....................................................................................................................... Green banana-strawberry smoothie .............................................................................................. Green coconut-raspberry-strawberry smoothie............................................................................. Green chocolate-blueberry smoothie ............................................................................................ Green pineapple-coconut smoothie............................................................................................... Spinach-sprout smoothie............................................................................................................... Coffee lover’s smoothie ................................................................................................................ Frosted berry ................................................................................................................................. Orange frosty ................................................................................................................................ Coconut mylkshake ....................................................................................................................... Strawberry banana walnut shake .................................................................................................. Questions....................................................................................................................................... Session 5: Eat More Veggies – Raw Salads and Soups .................................................................... Basic salad .................................................................................................................................... Garden salad.................................................................................................................................. Coleslaw crunch ............................................................................................................................ Baby spinach/pine nut salad.......................................................................................................... House dressing .............................................................................................................................. Creamy basil vinaigrette ............................................................................................................... Honey/apple cider dressing ........................................................................................................... Red pepper tahini dressing ............................................................................................................ Raw blender cream of spinach soup recipe................................................................................... Veggie soup .................................................................................................................................. Sweet potato soup ......................................................................................................................... Miso mushroom soup.................................................................................................................... Questions....................................................................................................................................... Session 6: The Secret's in the Sauce – Raw Dressings, Dips and Patés ........................................... Guacamole .................................................................................................................................... Raw hummus ................................................................................................................................ Raw tahini ..................................................................................................................................... Dulse olive tapenade ..................................................................................................................... Walnut/red pepper dip................................................................................................................... Sun-dried tomato pumpkin seed pesto .......................................................................................... Tarragon pine nut sauce ................................................................................................................ Chocolate, buttery spread.............................................................................................................. Salsa .............................................................................................................................................. Pine nut parmesan ......................................................................................................................... Cashew paté .................................................................................................................................. Basic fermented “cheeze” ............................................................................................................. Basic raw cheeze recipe (non-fermented) ..................................................................................... Lemon, rosemary and garlic cashew cheeze (non-fermented)...................................................... Basic almond cheese (non-fermented) .......................................................................................... Questions....................................................................................................................................... Session 7: Beyond Salads – Raw Entreé and Vegetable Sides ......................................................... Cauliflower nori wrap ................................................................................................................... Raw zucchini spaghetti ................................................................................................................. Zucchini Alfredo ........................................................................................................................... Veggie nori rolls ........................................................................................................................... Romaine lettuce wraps .................................................................................................................. Swiss chard veggie rolls................................................................................................................ Asian zucchini/kelp noodles dish.................................................................................................. Kelp pad Thai ................................................................................................................................ Stuffed mushrooms ....................................................................................................................... Stuffed tomatoes ........................................................................................................................... Red bell pepper walnut boats ........................................................................................................ Raw tuna salad .............................................................................................................................. Sunburger ...................................................................................................................................... Sweet potato fries .......................................................................................................................... Cheezy broccoli ............................................................................................................................ Sour cream .................................................................................................................................... Eggplant marinade ........................................................................................................................ Questions....................................................................................................................................... Session 8: Raw Snacks on the Go ..................................................................................................... Zucchini “fries” ............................................................................................................................. Dehydrated green bean crisps ....................................................................................................... Nutty fruit treat ............................................................................................................................. Kale chips...................................................................................................................................... Almond ginger nori snacks ........................................................................................................... Onion rings.................................................................................................................................... Buckwheaties ................................................................................................................................ Raw granola .................................................................................................................................. Questions....................................................................................................................................... Session 9: Delicious Raw Desserts ................................................................................................... Chocolate/goji macaroons ............................................................................................................. Lemon macaroons ......................................................................................................................... Pecan macaroons ........................................................................................................................... Raw cacao mousse ........................................................................................................................ Banana/spirulina ice cream ........................................................................................................... Key lime pie .................................................................................................................................. Strawberry pie ............................................................................................................................... Nutty coconut porridge ................................................................................................................. Fig walnut chocolate brownies ..................................................................................................... Questions....................................................................................................................................... Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course Session 1: Starting out on the Road to Raw... “Let food be your medicine”, said Hippocrates. Welcome to this course on raw foods. Be prepared for a change, not only in what you eat but in your lifestyle and your health. Food can either be medicine or food can be poison. As nature intended, our food is our medicine and will allow the body to heal itself, as it was designed to do if the food is whole, plant based food from nature – vegetables and fruit, whole sprouted grains, seeds, nuts, beans and legumes – as these foods provide maximum nutrition and minimum calories. Food is poison when it is processed, refined and replete with unhealthy fats, sugar and salt – what most modern people eat today and consider “normal” – as this pseudo food provides little nutrition and maximum calories. Raw, living whole food prevents and in many cases reverses diseases like arthritis, pain, allergies, digestive ailments, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, skin problems, autoimmune disorders and even cancer – which are considered lifestyle diseases, as they were relatively rare one hundred years ago until we started processing our food. Instead of aches, pains, fatigue, illness and visits to the doctor, you can invest your energy into pursuing your dreams and living life to the fullest. Of course, the transition to a brand new way of eating may take time, as you are likely unaccustomed to eating primarily whole food. Don’t worry. Once you begin this journey, the payoff for eating nutrient-rich, calorie-low, easy-to-digest, alive food happens quickly: within weeks, you will feel more energetic, healthy and upbeat, and look more vibrant and slimmer. In contrast, the payoff for eating nutrient-poor, calorie-dense, dead and hard-to-digest food that starves your body of the life force inherent in whole, uncooked, unprocessed food is flab, fatigue and disease. Don’t let that happen to you. What is raw food? Raw, living food is food in its natural state. It consists of uncooked fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds that have not been heated above 48º Centigrade (117º Fahrenheit). For some, this includes raw meat and dairy, but in this course we’re going to define raw and alive as vegan foods. Meat and fish may not be safe eaten raw. What are the benefits of eating raw food? The benefits of eating raw are numerous and include the following: 1 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course Optimize enzymes Raw, living fruit and vegetables are replete with enzymes that we need to digest and assimilate our food. Heating food for any extended time kills active food enzymes. Enhance digestion Because raw food is high in enzymes, it digests easily and passes through the digestive tract in less than half the time that cooked food does. As a result, you no longer have that familiar ‘zonked out’ feeling after a meal that you get from cooked food. Most people on a raw food diet have regular bowel movements and rarely experience constipation or indigestion. Boost metabolism With raw foods, the body's energy goes into feeding every cell rather than getting rid of toxins, thereby boosting metabolism. In addition, a raw food diet balances sugar level and this effectively treats adult-onset diabetes. Strengthen immune system Eating raw, living foods releases toxins from your body. This lightens the load on your immune system to rid the body of unwanted foreign invaders. As a result, the body can focus better on destroying viruses and bacteria, and biggies like cancer cells. 2 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course Control weight With the raw, living foods lifestyle, most people find that they can eat as much as they want and maintain their ideal weight, and cravings disappear. Balance PH Ideally, we want our body to be slightly alkaline, as this reflects the pH level of the blood and helps prevent disease which requires an acidic environment in which to grow. You will accomplish this on a raw fruit diet, as fruit and vegetables are the most alkalizing of foods. Enhance oxygenation Eat green and you flood your body with life-sustaining oxygen. Processed foods, in contrast, contain no oxygen. Boost energy Raw, living foods are easy to digest, pass through the digestive tract and get eliminated quickly. This leaves less time spent on digestion which takes up much energy. For this reason, eating a raw, living food diet gives you a light, energized feeling. Eating raw also relieves your pancreas of having to crank out enzymes. Maximize anti-ageing 3 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course Eating a raw, living food diet is one of the best things you can do to keep your body young and vibrant. Here are the many anti-ageing benefits: • • • • • • • • • • • Vibrant and youthful skin More youthful-looking face appearance Greater than average fitness Clear and bright eyes Stronger, richer and fuller hair Enhanced eyesight, hearing and tactile sensitivity Healthier and more functional teeth and mouth More functional cardiovascular system Stronger and more flexible bones Better body tone Improved sexual organ function and related hormones Stabilize moods Food is a drug. Living food stabilizes your mood, so you feel more upbeat and stable. Processed food, particularly white sugar, makes you feel anxious, tired and even depressed. Enhance mental focus On the raw food diet, you will experience clearer thinking, focus and concentration without feeling tired. Nor will you experience head fog from overloading your body with sugar. Boost self-respect Switching over to the raw food way of life is not easy for most. If you succeed, you will feel empowered and take control of your health. This will lead to a greater feeling of control in other aspects of your life, along with enhanced self-respect. How quickly do I have to make the transition to a raw food diet? For most people, it’s best to make the transition slowly from eating largely processed, refined foods to eating whole foods – plant based foods. If not, you may end up feeling unduly deprived and stressed out by cravings for comfort foods. Follow these basic steps. 4 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course 1. Eat more • • • • • • • • • Veggies Fruit Non-gluten grains Sprouted beans Raw nuts Raw seeds Fermented foods Organic foods Raw goat products Exercise: go shopping today and buy at least three organic fruit and veggies. 2. Eat less • • • • • • Meat, especially red meat Chips Sweets Cake Biscuits Crisps Exercise: try to make two days this week a meatless day. Exercise: empty out your cupboard of all crisps, sweets, cakes and biscuits. Exercise: in place of chips, have a baked potato. 5 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course 3. Drink less • • • Alcohol Fruit juice Soft drinks Exercise: in place of a soft drink, have some water with a squeezed lemon for the rest of the week. 4. Gradually eliminate • • • • • • • Anything white – flour, rice, sugar, salt Pasteurized dairy Gluten grains Any product with artificial ingredients Soft drinks Fried food Bad fats Exercise: in place of white pasta, buy some rice pasta. Your family probably won’t even notice the difference! Exercise: instead of frying your chicken, bake it. Exercise: in place of white bread, buy Ezekial frozen bread – delicious! 6 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course Am I allowed to eat cooked foods? It’s best to limit cooked foods to 20-25% of the diet. Cook briefly at low temperatures. Eat your raw salad first, as this will ensure better digestion of the raw portion of your meal. The following are acceptable cooked foods: • • • • • • • • • • Hot cereals for breakfast (oatmeal, non-gluten grains like millet, amaranth and teff) Non-gluten grains for bread and crackers Non-gluten pasta for your main meal Quinoa and buckwheat Beans occasionally, as they are hard to digest and may cause bloating and gas in some people Lightly steamed veggies to minimize killing of enzymes Baked veggies occasionally Baked squash Baked sweet potato Warm soups Exercise: instead of having bread and butter with your meal, try a side dish of quinoa or buckwheat (kasha). They are delicious and will help the transition from eating unhealthy gluten. Both are high in protein. Won’t I feel hungry on this eating plan? While you are weaning yourself off of addictive fatty, sugary food, you may feel hungry initially. To combat hunger, try these helpful tips. 1. 2. 3. 4. Shop and stock up on the food you need. Keep high-calorie snacks like nuts available, so you don’t go on a sudden food binge. Eat enough at a given meal, in order that you won’t feel hungry an hour later. Drink smoothies throughout the day, for the high-fibre content should help you feel full and satisfy that hungry feeling. 5. Add more sweet fruit, like a banana or avocado, to your diet. 7 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course 6. Keep a bottle of filtered water with you and drink throughout the day to stay hydrated. 7. Remember that hunger at times is only a craving for an emotional substitute, rather than a nutritional need. Once you have eaten a raw, living food diet for a while, your body will have detoxified significantly and most people lose their cravings. As you will be getting the nutrition you need with less food, you will feel satisfied eating fewer calories and enjoy the lightness and energy of this diet. What if I can’t digest raw food? If you are not in the habit of eating raw plant foods already, your body may take time to adjust and you may feel bloated or stuffed full after some meals. It’s not that raw food is not for you, but rather that the modern diet has likely caused the body to become low in hydrochloric acid and make some plant foods, especially greens, hard to digest. Here are some ways to help ease your body into eating raw food. Green smoothies: basically leafy greens blended with water and fruit in endless delectable variations, smoothies are delicious liquid meals that help get your digestive system in gear by introducing greens into your system in a palatable and pre-digested form. Studies done by Victoria Boutenko in Green for life show smoothies help to increase hydrochloric acid, if you suffer from a deficiency. 8 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course Raw soups: like drinking smoothies, eating raw soups will help introduce raw foods into your body is a more pre-digested form. Chew: chew your food well to allow some saliva to be released before swallowing. Saliva and enzymes in the mouth are the first step in digestion, and chewing gets that going. Eat citrus fruit: citrus fruit helps increase hydrochloric acid production and are a great aftersalad snack to aid digestion. Take enzymes: enzymes help you digest your food. Do I still eat my three meals a day? With the raw, living food lifestyle, you should aim to practise intermittent fasting, which has been shown to be one of the best ways to stay youthful and healthy. Intermittent fasting means that, each day, you will try and not eat whole foods for around 16 hours, giving your digestion a rest. You do this by not eating after 6-7 in the evening and then not having a meal until noon time or later. For breakfast, you will have a green drink or smoothie throughout the morning. Initially, you may wish to have breakfast. 9 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course Won’t I feel deprived on this diet? Initially, you might feel deprived. It’s natural when everyone around you is indulging in junk food. The way around this is to change your mind set from deprivation to wanting to become as healthy and vibrant as you can. In this way, you will feel grateful for being wise enough to have an energizing and life-enhancing smoothie for breakfast and feel sorry for those who are killing themselves with bacon and grits with three scrambled eggs and cheese. Further, at some point, a switch will get thrown in your brain and the raw food lifestyle will define you. When this happens, you will crave a salad and find eating a cheeseburger and chips repugnant. How do I deal with cravings? Expect cravings, especially during emotional downturns. Feeling full helps assuage emotional emptiness, while the rich taste of junk food offers a temporary diversion from sadness, anger, fear and depression. If you give in to cravings, self-nurture and forgive yourself. The next day go back to vibrant, whole healthy food. Here are some tips to deal with cravings. • Eat sweet vegetables. Naturally sweet vegetables—such as corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, yams, onions and squash—add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets. • • Fill up on fruit. Fruit is a tasty, satisfying way to fill up on fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. Plan ahead. Stock your fridge and pantry with food for preparation and for quick meals, so that you don’t feel the need to grab whatever food when your stomach is growling. When you go out, have lots of snacks with you. Don’t store sweets in your house: Make it more difficult to eat bad sweets by not keeping them in your house. If you do need a few indulgences, keep them well hidden in a secure container. • 10 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course What do I do if I slip off the diet? First of all, expect to – everyone does. The next day, start over. Every healthy, raw, living food choice you make counts toward being healthier, more energetic, more upbeat and clearer headed. So don’t let your missteps derail you. If I’m getting all this nutrition, do I need any supplements? Those on a raw food, vegan diet should take a vitamin B12 supplement, for B12 is obtained from flesh products. For optimal health, it is also suggested that you take enzymes and probiotics. If you have health challenges or feel low in energy, you may want to take a whole food supplement as well and, if you can afford it, stem cells. Find out from a nutritionally based healthcare provider your individual needs for different vitamins and minerals. What do I do when eating out? Vegetarian and organic restaurants are popping up in major cities everywhere, making it easier to maintain your lifestyle when eating out. If you go to a restaurant that does not serve organic food, you can eat a large salad (be sure and ask for oil and vinegar or lemon for your dressing) and steamed veggies. You can bring a bag of raw, dehydrated nuts or seeds for your protein. And remember, you can eat some cooked food on this diet, so you can order rice, quinoa, a baked potato or sweet potato. Exercise: take your family out to an organic, vegetarian restaurant for dinner. 11 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course What are some ways to help me succeed on this diet? Choose food wisely: choose food with the highest nutrition, deepest colour and maximum freshness. Vary your food choices daily. Practise patience: don’t just drop “cold turkey” your old bad eating habits. Go slowly but persistently in managing the transition to a raw, living food lifestyle by making healthier food choices – avoid refined, processed food. It takes at least three weeks for your body and mind to adjust to something new and change a habit. After 21 days, you will get used to eating whole food, rather than refined, processed food, and will be more likely to stick to the programme. If you jump right into this new way of eating, you will be more likely to cheat or give up on your new eating plan. Shoot for moving gradually from cooked to raw food. Set positive goals: set your goal to become as healthy as you can rather than focusing on relinquishing habits that have given you so much (false) pleasure. In this way, you will feel grateful at how satisfying, energizing and life-enhancing a smoothie for breakfast feels, instead of stressing over the loss of your fatty cooked breakfast. Focus on the positive: focus on what you’re gaining, rather than on what you’re giving up. Whenever you substitute a healthy food choice for life-reducing junk food, you are doing your body, mind and spirit good. Vary your diet: don’t eat the same thing day in and day out, as this will become boring and not give you your full range of nutrients. Be experimental and try unfamiliar grains, like amaranth, or fruit you haven’t tried, like goji berries. 12 Centre of Excellence Online – Raw Food Nutritionist Diploma Course Questions Q1 (1 mark). What is the definition of raw, living food? Q2 (1 mark). What is the difference in health between eating raw, whole living food and refined, processed food? Q3 (3 marks). Name five benefits of eating raw, living food – with a short explanation. Q4 (1 mark). Why is it best to make the transition slowly to a raw food lifestyle? Q5 (2 marks). Are any cooked foods allowed on the raw food diet? Q6 (2 marks). What can you do if you feel hungry on the raw food diet? Q7 (1 mark). What do you do if you slip off the diet? Q8 (2 marks). Do you need to take any supplements? Q9 (2 marks). What do you do when eating out? Q10 (5 marks). What are some ways to help a person succeed with this diet? 13
