If you're wondering why eating more raw and living foods is beneficial, view this insightful video from Brenda at Living Foods Institute and find out about cancer, doctors, prescription drugs and more. Select 'click to play' below. Enjoy!

Mark

Eating legumes has benefits, you live longer! This, according to a study from the National Ageing Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia that followed a cross-cultural section of the elderly (over 70) to reveal the longevity benefits of eating beans, lentils, tofu, soy, peas, miso, and nuts.

PubMed, National Library of Medicine: "Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities."

"Nutrition plays an important role in the maintenance and improvement of human life expectancy. ... There is a 7% - 8% reduction in mortality hazard ratio for every 20g increase in daily legume intake. Conclusions: This longitudinal study shows that a higher legume intake is the most protective dietary predictor of survival amongst the elderly, regardless of their ethnicity."

If you live in Arizona or happen to be visiting the Phoenix area, you won't want to miss the Friday Raw menu at the Blue Nile Cafe.

Although I now am happy to eat very simply with many whole fruits and salads, I enjoy the creativity and taste of the raw dishes Chef Moon prepares each week. She presents a new cultural theme each Friday, from Middle Eastern, to Italian, Indian... each week something new. The presentation is awesome with taste and flavor to match.

The soups are particularly enjoyable... one of my favorite is the sweet carrot ginger.

There are normally at least three choices of entrees (one or two often include a salad), a salad, soup and desert.

The raw menu is available for both lunch and dinner and in between as well. You'll leave satiated... great for raw fooders and anyone looking for a delicious and healthy meal.

The Blue Nile Cafe is located off the corner of Rural and University at 933 E. University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85281

Phone: (480) 377-1113

To your best health!

Mark

One of the ways I've found to save on your grocery bill (next to shopping at your local farmers market) is to grow your own garden. As I show in this video, you don't need a lot of space to grow just about anything you enjoy. You can dig up a small garden, or use the square foot garden method to grow just about anywhere around your house. You can also use containers as I do if you're short on gardening space. All it takes is getting some compost locally (I found some at my local Whole Foods) and seeds. Here's an update on our home garden:

Read more...

Here are pictures of the recipes in the previous post from the Thanksgiving feast I shared with friends this year. The dishes consisted of kale avocado salad, jicima potatoes and gravy, veggie stuffing, succulent cranberry sauce, fall acorn squash soup, pumpkin pudding and sweet! sweet potato pie. These recipes were all delicious, easy to make and enjoyed by everyone. They're great to make for all your holiday guests... they'll never know they're vegan and raw!

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Included are some additional pictures of the Thanksgiving meal at our local 'Raw Friday' restaurant prepared by Chef Moon at the Blue Nile Cafe in Tempe, Arizona. The meal was outstanding and included a spicy spinach and avocado soup, side salad with tangy dressing and a Thanksgiving Platter with a rosemary veggie loaf, walnut raisin and celery stuffing, sweet and tart cranberry sauce and mashed 'potatoes'. Delicious!

I'm very grateful for sharing this celebration with friends. One of the greatest gifts in life is the expression of gratitude. It not only feels good, but also brings joy and more of what you wish into your life. Try it and I'm sure you'll agree.

All the best for your health and happy Thanksgiving wishes!

Mark

A new study released last month notes the benefits of a plant-based (vegan) diet for overweight individuals.

Here's the conclusion of the study:

"Adoption of a low-fat, vegan diet was associated with significant weight loss in overweight postmenopausal women, despite the absence of prescribed limits on portion size or energy intake."

What's interesting to note here is that the significant weight loss existed even though the study participants weren't instructed on how little or much to eat, or how much to exercise.

I believe this establishes that a natural, whole food and vegan diet is not only the healthiest option, but also resets your body to its "optimal" weight regardless of how much you eat or exercise. You see, you can pretty much eat all the fresh fruits and vegetables you like without gaining weight. Your body craves nutrients, it uses what it needs and discards the rest.

This contrasts eating an abundance of processed foods that your body sees as "foreign" (since they are not in a natural state) and either stores as fat or accumulates in your digestive system - both unhealthy options and one of the sources of the obesity epidemic in our society today.

Read more about the study at the American Journal of Medicine.

Keep it healthy, keep it moving!

Mark

For some time I've been researching the role the sun plays in our life and how it relates to our diet and health. It's been fascinating to say the least what's been revealed to me.

Here's the story...

Nothing in our world could live without the sun. Can you imagine living in total and constant darkness? There would be no food, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds... any living food requires the sun to grow and mature. There would be no animals since animals need to eat the foods that grow from the sun's energy.

And humans would most likely become extinct since we need the suns energy to live. Those that live on a raw and living foods diet get the most vitality from the sun since they're getting it from every fruit, vegetable, nut and seed they eat. Do you notice that most of those around you that eat processed and 'junk' foods (the SAD diet) look less lively, are paler, normally heavier and don't have the best attitude?

Animals require it also and get the sun's energy in the plants, fruits, nuts and seeds they eat as well.

Do you see the importance, no, the vitality of the sun in our world?

I've also researched and interviewed those that 'sun gaze'. They gaze directly at the sun (during the early sunrise or late sunset when UV rays are lower) and enrich their bodies with the sun's energy. They've experienced tremendous benefits, including lowering your irritability, anger, frustration at first, then later a more peaceful approach towards living, less of a need for food (you're getting the sun's energy directly, rather than from the produce you eat), increased self-confidence, reduction or elimination of diseases and ailments (including depression) and much more. I have friends that sun gaze and have seen these benefits evolve over time as they increased their sun gazing. (For your reference, I strongly encourage you to visit these sites - and others - if you are interested in learning more about sun gazing and the power of the sun: www.SolarHealing.com and www.SunGazing.com)

Unfortunately most in our world today believe the sun is 'evil' and we need 'protection' from it, in the form of sunscreens and lotions. Interestingly, it's the sunscreen and other protection systems that are actually causing many diseases and ailments since the sun provides so many benefits, staying away from it and lathering up with chemicals only enhances the level of toxins in our bodies that lead to disease.

Our bodies need the energy of the sun, the Vitamin D that only the sun can provide which has now been a proven disease fighter and can prevent 77% of all cancers, as recent scientific studies have shown in women.

Why would the establishment want to keep us away from the solution to 77% of all cancer?

One word: MONEY

You see, there is significantly less amount of money to be made from prevention. By encouraging the use of sunscreens and other 'protection' the medical and related industries (health care, cosmetics, lotions, pharmaceuticals, etc) are guaranteed long term profits by treating those with one form of cancer or another. We see health care and treatment costs skyrocketing every day with the increase in diseases and ailments we are experiencing as a nation. Who benefits from this?

It's incredible to believe that this is happening to you and I, but nonetheless it's true.

I encourage you to take responsibility for your own health, to do your own research and do what you think is right for you and your family.

The sun has incredible energy, healing energy that we can't live without.

To your best health!

Mark