OK. I just had to share this incredible smoothie recipe with you before I cotton pickin' forget just what the heck I put into it. Maybe the first thing I should do is make a list of all the ingredients and then I can give you the details of how it's made it.

I have to say that at first you may not be too impressed with the ingredients. To be honest I only made it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and Saturday just gone I knew that my daughter was coming to visit as in the UK it was Fathers Day on the Sunday.

Anyway on the Friday evening I got some of the stuff prepared as I wanted Olivia to see exactly what went into making this yummy smoothie.

Well when she arrived on the Saturday I showed her the ingredients and her response was…. GROSS!

But as you can plainly see by the the sophisticated, long, cool smoothie pictured, she turned out (yes this smoothie is definitely a "she") a far cry from gross and tasted even better than she looks!

Holy Moly this Baby rocks!

Here's the list of ingredients that I used. May I just say at this point that like Yuri Elkaim I tend not to do much by way of measuring.

I like to adjust taste as I go along. Usually this works out just fine although it has to be said I've been responsible for some pretty dire concoctions - ask my son Liam about cock-o-vin – 20 years ago and he's still bringing it up (not physically you understand). So OK the veg was all a bit limp and the chicken was…. well let's move should we…?

          Best Smoothie Ever – Ingredients         

          Best Smoothie Ever – Method         

I cooked the rice and porridge in the evening and once cooled left overnight in the refrigerator.

To the porridge I added the 3/4 pint of rice milk and cooked it in the microwave oven. My usual method for cooking porridge in the microwave is to use a large glass pyrex bowl with a plastic lid or cover and bring it up to the boil a few times, stir after each boil and eventually just leave to cool.

The brown rice I cook in the usual way on the cooker hob. Use enough water to generously cover it, add the 1/4 teaspoon of salt, bring to boil and then simmer very gently for about 1 hour. Leave to cool.

Now then a word first about frozen fruit. I know many of you out there would prefer to use fresh fruit. To those people I would say that fresh is great if you have a GOOD supply locally and can afford to buy it.

For me, well first of all the cost is too prohibitive and secondly I have read on more than one occasion that frozen fruit can quite often be better than "fresh".

The argument for this is that the fruit is usually deep frozen within hours of being picked and its vitamin and mineral content is thereby preserved until used whereas "fresh" may have been languishing in different warehouses for days if not weeks during which time it may have lost some of its natural goodness.

Anyway that said – the frozen fruit that I used was the fruit listed above. I basically filled an old ice cream container (a one litre tub) with the fruit and the gaps I filled with a couple of generous handfuls of blueberries.

One of the things worth mentioning here is that the fruit that I used was in the main free of seeds. I have made smoothies in the past with mixed berries and while they make a delicious breakfast cereal mixed with nuts and seeds I'm not over keen on the smothies they make because for me anyway too many seeds in a smoothie just spoils the effect.

I left the fruit in the refrigerator overnight to defrost. Next day when Olivia came round I showed her the cold porridge and brown rice – hmmmn - not impressed!

I gave both the rice and porridge a good blending with a hand blender and blended the defrosted fruit in the large jug blender.

Added the blended rice and porridge to the fruit plus the 2 generous tablespoons of honey and gave the whole concoction a good blend.

Result….. fantastic!

BUT WAIT I hear you cry….

What about the lemon?

Good point – well spotted!

Well that is really the secret ingredient to all of this and if you've read "My Story" then you'll know why I'm so passionate about lemons.

However I have to be honest and say at this point I didn't know whether the lemon would add to the taste or turn the whole thing into one of my more infamous concoctions.

In for a penny in for a pound as they say.

I squeezed the juice from the whole lemon, poured it through a strainer just to make sure that no pips slipped through, added it to the mix and gave it another quick blend.

Result.

MAGNIFICO… the tart of the lemon and berries mixed so well with the sweet of the mixed fruit, honey and rice milk that the result was a complete taste bud fest!

Olivia and I had a large glass each during which there was much oohing and aaahing and lip smackin'

Try it folks its YABADABAFANTASIC

Oh! I nearly forgot to mention that the total mix made was about 4 to 4 and a half pints of smoothie (somewhere in the region of 2.3 to 2.5 litres)

I know there's a slight difference between US and UK pints and Litres or Liters but hey who really cares – the stuff tastes yummy – and it's jam-packed fiull of goodness!

If you like this recipe then you might like to have a look at Yuri Elkaims Eating For Energy - Yuri has without doubt changed my life and changed the way I think about food.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I could not eat 100 per cent raw foods BUT having changed what I eat over a short period of just a couple of months to include a lot more raw foods than I was previously eating I can quite honestly say that the change in my energy levels have sky rocketed.

There can be no doubting the evidence now – there is an overwhelming mountain of evidence that links our modern day chronic diseases and premature deaths with wrong ill-advised dietary habits.

Changing your eating habits just a little bit at a time could give you a lot more than just a tasty smoothie or two it could transform your physical and mental health.

Thanks for reading this far – have yourself a real nice day.

Hi Everybody

I said after my last post that I would put together a list of the different types of foods and how they break down in our bodies to produce either Acidic Ash or Alkaline Ash.

It's very important that we start to take note of these foods because it would appear that the demands of modern day living have pretty well persuaded or seduced us into consuming a larger share of foods that are acid forming in nature.

The reasons for this are patently clear; quickly prepared, ready made food is – well – quick n' easy. If you add to that the massive amounts of money spent on advertising these quickly prepared meals via the the media of newsprint, magazine, television and bill-boarding (electronic or otherwise) it isn't hard to see how we've all been lulled into thinking that they are OK if not even actually healthy for us.

Let's face it we're sold the idea through clever use of words – let me give you a few that you're already all too familiar with - "healthy option" " sugar free" "extra lean" low carb" "sugarless" "fat free" "fortified with ***" added vitamins" blah, blah, blah, blah.

Here's the thing – I know from my own experience that these new labour saving meals just sort of crept in almost unnoticed. For a start, looking back just a simple thing like making a basic spaghetti bolognaise sauce would require maybe half a dozen or so ingredients but the next thing we have the thing done for us in a jar and it's sold to us "Just a like a Momma used to make it".

It's fine I used it myself and liked it however it just sort of like steam rolls out of control because the next thing we know we're buying ready made sauces for this that and the other and pretty soon it's a case of well why bother with the jar when you can just buy the meal ready made and chuck it in the microwave. Three minutes and a ping later and it's steaming hot and ready to eat.

The problem is that much of this ready made stuff or convenience food is acid forming when broken down in the body. What we're looking at at the moment dear reader is a WORLD-WIDE epidemic of chronic diseases that are killing people prematurely in their millions. Yes you did read that correctly, people are dying in their MILLIONS word-wide because of the acid forming crap we are putting in our mouths and at this point it has to be said but the second biggest factor in this sorry scenario is peoples complete and utter lack of movement.

You know our bodies were designed to move and to be active.

More and more of us are moving less and less and eating less and less natural raw foods with very dire consequences.

Check this out – experts from Cambridge University have recently concluded that modern-day grain eating, agricultural, man is 10 per cent smaller and shorter than his more active hunter gathering ancestors.

Interestingly enough they also concluded that we also have smaller brains and that the decline set in about 10,000 years ago. Their conclusion – this sad state of affairs was probably brought about by restricted diet with vitamin and mineral deficiences.

Hmmn add to that what's been happening with the advent of "dead" processed convenience food and it's not hard to understand why the world is experiencing chronic disease.

This is not just my opinion – check this out from the World Health Organization and I quote:

"The burden of chronic diseases is rapidly increasing worldwide. It has been calculated that, in 2001, chronic diseases contributed approximately 60% of the 56.5 million total reported deaths in the world and approximately 46% of the global burden of disease. The proportion of the burden of NCDs is expected to increase to 57% by 2020. Almost half of the total chronic disease deaths are attributable to cardiovascular diseases; obesity and diabetes are also showing worrying trends, not only because they already affect a large proportion of the population, but also because they have started to appear earlier in life".

Here is a list of foods showing whether they are acid or alkaline forming. It's not a comprehensive list by any means but it will give you an overall "feel" for what is what in this Alkaline/Acid forming food debate.

I think a first glance will tell you that much of the Alkaline forming foods come under the headings of Fruit and Veg – hmmn – how long have health authorities been banging that drum – get your five ad a day fruit n' veg for optimum health.

I think that was increased recently to 8 portions a day.

What needs to be added is a great deal more encouragement to get people MOVING EVERY DAY – IT'S WHAT WE ARE DESIGNED TO DO – MOVE.

When I started this blog I didn't think that exercise was going to be a major part of it but it's patently clear from the evidence that you move or die prematurely.

Well it's a topic for another day. If you have read "My Story" you will know how importantly I rate the humble lemon and as you can see it heads the list of Alkaline Forming Foods and not for nothing either – it is one of the most powerful alkaline forming foods that there is!

Of course 3 years ago when I started drinking the juice of a lemon every day I had no idea that this was so. All I knew is that this little sucker brought 35 years of chronic pain to an end.

This is page 1 of a 2 page post….

Please see next page for Acid forming/Alkaline forming food list.

For any of you who have already read "My Story" then you will be aware of my views on heartburn, reflux, indigestion or whatever term you like to call it and its association with the possible connection with cancer of the oesophagus. Having experienced this terrible affliction for more than 30 years and then had it "cured" within 3 days by the humble lemon I am of course always alert to any news that would confirm or deny of this possible connection.

I have of course read of this connection many times in the past but pre www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk there seemed little point in keeping records of what I'd read or where I'd read it.

Yesterday 7th June 2011 the UK newspaper Daily Mail ran a full page story covering this very topic.

The article written by Lucy Elkins begins with the heading:

"You can't die of heartburn," Mike told his wife. Tragically he was wrong.

The story relates how a man called Mike McCord who was apparently healthy in all other ways suffered with heartburn for 20 years. His wife talks of how he would never leave home without the  faithful tube of Rennies to stave off the attacks once they began.

His wife Mimi often asked him to seek medical advice but Mike would reassure her by jokingly saying "Don't worry, you can't die of heart burn.

By the time Mike saw medical advice he already had advanced oesophageal cancer and poor Mimi lost her husband and partner at the young age of 47.

Mimi became a widow at 44 years of age and their two children who were both at university lost their father at time when their adult journey in life was just about to start.

The article states that one of the worrying aspects about the whole heartburn/cancer  issue is that many GP's and Pharmacists' are unaware of the connection between the two.

There are moves afoot to try and rectify this situation so that even Pharmacists' will recognise if a customer is often coming in to buy antacids such as Gaviscon.

I dread to think how many gallons of the stuff I have consumed personally – my worry in the early days was wondering if all this chalky mixture would eventually cause stones in my body.

Interestingly the article says that one of the causes for heartburn is a weakened valve between the oesophagus and the stomach and that some people are born with this but that it can develop with age, too.

As you can read in "My Story" mine became apparent in my twenties but the frightening thing for me is that it got progressively worse as I got older. By the way I don't think I mentioned this in my story but I was never what you could classed as over weight as they say that this can definitely exasperate the problem.

One thing that did catch my attention is that the article went on to say that caffeine and rich, spicy or citrus foods can also be a problem.

See this is where an understanding of the difference between acidic and alkaline foods becomes crucial to your good health and well being. Yes lemons are acidic BUT they reduce to an alkaline ash so they are considered from a nutritional point of view as being alkaline. At this point I was going to list some of the acidic or alkaline foods but I'll save it for my next post as I want to keep on track with the heartburn/cancer issue.

Probably most people experience heartburn occasionally although it has to be said that I've know people that have the constitution of a cement mixer, apparently able to eat anything at all with no acid indigestion type afflictions.

Barrett's Oesophagus

However when the experience becomes a regular occurrence the body will try and protect the lining of the oesophagus by creating a new lining. This condition is called Barrett's Oesophagus and this condition is more likely to turn cancerous than normal tissue.

It needs to be said though that most people who do develop this condition DO NOT go one to develop oesophageal cancer but it is an indicator to be extra vigilant.

The two main causes or culprits of oesophageal cancer seem to be smoking and drinking for one type and heartburn the other and those affected by heartburn appear to be rising.

Barrett's Oesophagus Treatment Centres

Like I said in "My Story" when I get any sign of heartburn my first priority is to GET RID OF IT ASAP.

When you change your diet to include more of the fresh raw foods that your body was designed to digest you will find herartburn will become a thing of the past.

I'm not suggesting for one minute that you become a raw foodist – I'm not and never will be – but once you start to incorporate these tasty foods in place of the modern convenience, acid forming junk-food you will never look back.

With a few small changes incorporated into you diet you can soon get the ph-balance of your body to a level that will allow optimum health.

Your energy, weight, fitness, sleep pattern and whole demeanour will take an upward surge. Take a look at what Yuri Elkaim has to say – just click on the Learn More button in the right hand panel and you will be amazed how easily you can improve your life and of course your health.

Heartburn Cancer Awareness & Support

Michael McCord died unnecessarily nearly 10 years ago in 2002 and his wife Mimi set up the original McCord Fund which has now amalgamated into Heartburn Cancer Awareness & Support.

She set the original trust up in memory of her husband Michael to try and make as many people as possible become more aware of the possible dangers associated with an apparently simple digestive disorder.

If you feel as though you need some support in this area the newspaper also published the Heartburn Cancer Awareness Support website at http://www.h-cas.org/ and its phone number:01243 573211

An Ounce of Prevention is Always Better Than a Pound of Cure

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY DISCONTINUE USE OF THIS WEBSITE.
 

A Note from the author

Basically when using this website or in fact any other website on the Internet then lets all of us use some basic common sense. The views expressed here are purely my own views and opinions of certain issues that pertain to health and nutrition and medication. They are based on my own particular experiences and are purely that i.e. my opinions and views. The same can be said of any posts that appear on this site, they are the views and opinions of my readers – after all we are all entitled to an opinion on all aspects of modern life.

Common sense will tell you that if you are taking medication then any alteration in that proscribed medication should only be taken after consultation with your doctor or medical adviser.

You could say the same thing about embarking on an exercise program. The advise of a professional is always recommended.

That all said please read the following Terms and conditions of Use of this Site

Terms and Conditions of Use of this Site

All information is provided "as is", without any representations or warranties of any kind, and www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk expressly disclaim all express and implied warranties including those with respect to accuracy, completeness, timeliness or fitness for a particular purpose of the information on this website or of any product or service referenced on this website, unless otherwise expressly indicated. www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk assume no responsibility for any losses, damages, whether direct, indirect, special or consequential, which arise out of the use or misuse of this website howsoever caused, whether such damages arise in contract, tort, negligence, equity, statute or by way of any other legal theory regardless of whether such damages could have been foreseen. The information on this website is subject to change without notice.

As with all nutrition programs, techniques and materials related to health, exercise and fitness, www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk strongly recommend that you not rely upon or follow the programs, techniques or use any of the products and services made available by or through the use of this website for decision making without obtaining the advice of a physician or other health care professional. The information, products and services made available by or through the use of this website are provided for use by persons who have satisfied themselves as to the appropriateness of its use for themselves after obtaining the advise of a physician or other health care professional. The nutritional and other information on this website is not intended to be and does not constitute health care or medical advice and must not be used to make any diagnosis specific to the online user. www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk do not employ dieticians or any other health care professionals.

If you have chosen not to obtain a physician's permission prior to beginning this program with www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk then you are doing so at your own risk. By your use of this website you acknowledge that you do hereby waive, release and forever discharge www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk and their respective heirs, directors, officers, agents, employees, representatives, successors and assigns, administrators, executors, and all others from any and all responsibilities or liability from injuries or damages resulting from or connected with your participation in any of the www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk exercise programs (including any newsletters) whether arising from the negligence of the www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk, its employees, heirs, directors, officers, agents, employees, representatives, successors and assigns, administrators, executors, and other parties involved in the creation, production or delivery of the site, or otherwise.

Independent parties develop websites that may be accessed from this website. www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk is not responsible for the privacy policies or the accuracy of the information in such websites nor do we endorse products offered in those websites. www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk do not represent or warrant that unauthorized use of information from this or other websites does not infringe on the trademark rights of third parties.

By your use of this website, you acknowledge that www.rawfoodrecipesforbeginners.co.uk, its employees, heirs, directors, officers, agents, employees, representatives, successors and assigns, administrators, executors, and other parties involved in the creation, production or delivery of the site will not be held liable for any damages suffered or incurred by you or any third person arising out of:
(i)    Any fault, interruptions or delays in the provision of this website; or (ii) any inaccuracies, errors or omission on this website or any product or services referenced on the site, however such faults, interruptions, delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions arise.

Your Privacy

We have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm and continuing commitment to the privacy of personal information provided by those visiting and interacting with this web site. We hold the privacy of your personal information in the highest regard. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for this website.

We recognize the importance of protecting your privacy and our policy is designed to assist you in understanding how we collect, use and safeguard the personal information you provide to us and to assist you in making informed decisions when using our site. This policy will be continuously assessed against new technologies, business practices and our customers' needs.

What Information Do We Collect?

When you visit this web site you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and Web site use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our Web site.

1. Personal Information You Choose to Provide:

Registration Information
When you register for any of our products, services or newsletters you will provide us information about yourself.

Credit Card Information
If you choose to avail of our services, you may need to give personal information and authorization to obtain information from various credit services. For example, you may need to provide the following information:
-Name
-Mailing address
-Email address
-Credit card number
-Name on credit card
-Credit card billing address
-Business and home phone number

Email Information
If you choose to correspond with us through email, we may retain the content of your email messages together with your email address and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone.

2. Web Site Use Information

Similar to other commercial Web sites, our Web site utilizes a standard technology called "cookies" (see explanation below, "What Are Cookies?") and web server log files to collect information about how our Web site is used. Information gathered through cookies and Web server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our Web site, and the Web sites visited just before and just after our Web site.

How Do We Use the Information That You Provide to Us?

Broadly speaking, we use personal information for purposes of administering our business activities, providing the products and services you requested, to process your payment, , to monitor the use of the service, our marketing and promotional efforts and improve our content and service offerings, and customize our site's content, layout, services and for other lawful purposes. These uses improve our site and better tailor it to meet your needs.

Furthermore, such information may be shared with others on an aggregate basis. Personally identifiable information or business information will not be shared with parties except as required by law.

Occasionally, we may also use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our Website, new services, and special offers we think you will find valuable. You may notify us at any time if you do not wish to receive these offers by emailing us at the link provided on the newsletter.

What Are Cookies?

A cookie is a very small text document, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier. When you visit a Web site, that site's computer asks your computer for permission to store this file in a part of your hard drive specifically designated for cookies. Each Web site can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a Web site to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites. Browsers are usually set to accept cookies. However, if you would prefer not to receive cookies, you may alter the configuration of your browser to refuse cookies. If you choose to have your browser refuse cookies, it is possible that some areas of our site will not function as effectively when viewed by the users. A cookie cannot retrieve any other data from your hard drive or pass on computer viruses.

How Do We Use Information We Collect from Cookies?

As you visit and browse our Web site, the site uses cookies to differentiate you from other users. In some cases, we also use cookies to prevent you from having to log in more than is necessary for security. Cookies, in conjunction with our Web server's log files, allow us to calculate the aggregate number of people visiting our Web site and which parts of the site are most popular. This helps us gather feedback to constantly improve our Web site and better serve our clients. Cookies do not allow us to gather any personal information about you and we do not intentionally store any personal information that your browser provided to us in your cookies.

IP Addresses

IP addresses are used by your computer every time you are connected to the Internet. Your IP address is a number that is used by computers on the network to identify your computer. IP addresses are automatically collected by our web server as part of demographic and profile data known as traffic data so that data (such as the Web pages you request) can be sent to you.

Sharing and Selling Information

We do not share, sell, lend or lease any of the information that uniquely identify a subscriber (such as email addresses or personal details) with anyone except to the extent it is necessary to process transactions or provide services that you have requested.

How Can You Access and Correct Your Information?

You may request access to all your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain in our database by emailing us at the usual address.

What About Legally Compelled Disclosure of Information?

We may disclose information when legally compelled to do so, in other words, when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires it or for the protection of our legal rights. We may also disclose account information when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be violating our Terms of Service or to protect the safety of our users and the Public.

What About Other Web Sites Linked to Our Web Site?

We are not responsible for the practices employed by Web sites linked to or from our Web site or the information or content contained therein. Often links to other Web sites are provided solely as pointers to information on topics that may be useful to the users of our Web site.

Please remember that when you use a link to go from our Website to another web site, our Privacy Policy is no longer in effect. Your browsing and interaction on any other web site, including web sites, which have a link on our Website, is subject to that Web site's own rules and policies. Please read over those rules and policies before proceeding.

Your Consent

By using our Web site you consent to our collection and use of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. We reserve the right to amend this privacy policy at any time with or without notice.

Our Commitment To Data Security:

Please note that your information will be stored and processed on our computers in the United States. The laws on holding personal data in the United States may be less stringent than the laws of your Country of residence or citizenship. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

Choice/Opt-In/Opt-Out

This site allows visitors to unsubscribe so that they will not receive future messages. After unsubscribing we will discontinue sending the particular messages as soon as technically feasible.

Surveys & Contests

From time-to-time our site requests information from users via surveys or contests. Participation in these surveys or contests is completely voluntary and the user therefore has a choice whether or not to disclose this information. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and shipping address), and demographic information (such as zip code, age level). Contact information will be used to notify the winners and award prizes. Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use and satisfaction of this site.

A Special Note About Children

Children are not eligible to use our services unsupervised and we ask that children (under the age of 14) do not submit any personal information to us. If you are a minor, you can use this service only in conjunction with permission and guidance from your parents or guardians.

Acquisition or Changes in Ownership

In the event that the web site (or a substantial portion of its assets) is acquired, your information would be considered part of those assets, and may be part of those assets that are transferred.

Policy Modifications

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. If/when changes are made to this privacy policy, we will email users who have given us permission to do so. We will post any changes here, so be sure to check back periodically. However, please be assured that if the Privacy Policy changes in the future, we will not use the personal information you have submitted to us under this Privacy Policy in a manner that is materially inconsistent with this Privacy Policy, without your prior consent

Yuri Elkaim is currently based in Toronto, Canada and is the Head Strength & Conditioning/Nutrition Coach for the nationally ranked University of Toronto Soccer Team.

That, however is not the reason I took an interest in Yuri. If you have already read my story you will be aware of the health problems that blighted most of my adult life.

In recent months I began to ponder about the incredible effects that one simple raw food had made to my life i.e. the lemon. Around about this time I read an article on the Internet about a TV documentary that had picked a number of obese American diabetics and put them on a program of purely raw foods for 30 days.

The results were apparently outstanding with some of the participants being actually able to come off or radically reduce their medication. This got me thinking about my experience with the lemon and the “magical” cure after 35 years of abdominal pain.

I began to search You Tube for ideas or recipes and by sheer chance I came across one of Yuri Elkaim describing how to prepare a delicious breakfast simply using raw food.

First off I was thinking, yeah, yeah, ok, whatever but pretty soon I was hooked with his presentation and by the finish was all but salivating into my bowl of cardboard tasting cornflakes!

I reproduce it for you here so you can form your own opinion.

I added the animated intro just for fun and the speech bubbles to highlight my own experiences.

Raw Food Breakfast Recipe With Yuri Elkaim

Review Yuri's Eating For Energy

Having had my interest piqued I set about finding out more about Yuri Elkaim and was quite surprised to find that he is an ex professional soccer player and now as already mentioned head coach of the Toronto soccer team.

Yuri graduated from Toronto University with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health and he is a certified Kinesiologist and a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. If you don’t know what Kinesiology is, because I surely didn’t until I looked it up – it’s the scientific study of human movement.

He is a highly sought after expert in the field of weight loss, nutrition and fitness. His e-zine articles on these topics have been viewed thousands upon thousands of readers and he has been helping people to learn the effects on our bodies of the foods that we eat.

Through his message of nutrition and fitness Yuri has helped many, many people world-wide lose weight, feel dynamically energised and basically be and feel just the very best that they can be.

Apart from his e-zine articles, blogs and websites you may have seen his work in fine publications such as these.

Yuri pretty well always wanted to play soccer, right from a very early age and most of his young endeavours were focused on this end goal. His dream was finally realised when he played professional soccer for the French team Lille.

Before he was to realise this dream however Yuri had a bit of a blip happen in his life heath-wise. To be fair I guess it was more than a blip – more of a catastrophic break down of his health that resulted in an auto-immune condition called Alopecia.

This happened during his final year of high school and I say catastrophic because for a young man to lose all his hair at such a crucial time of his life is very hard to deal with.

Doctors and health specialists couldn’t really finger the cause and the only medication offered was cortisone injections which he politely refused.

Yuri began playing soccer professionally for Lille after graduating from Toronto University. He was training twice a day and playing 1 – 2 games per week.

During this period of professional soccer playing Yuri felt that his body was starting to break down. He was constantly tired and even had to take naps in the afternoon which was hardly how a top athlete should be feeling.

On top of this his childhood asthma and eczema made an unexpected and definitely unwanted reappearance. Sleeping at night became difficult – the steroid puffer didn’t seem to help and he couldn’t stop scratching the itchiness caused by the eczema.

Yuri says that looking back now he can clearly see that the asthma, the eczema, the fatigue and even the alopecia were the direct cause of a lifetime of his body being fed a diet of foods that were literally toxic to his body.

He realises now that as he grew older and continued to eat these toxic foods that his immune system went hay-wire and started attacking his own body. These “dead” foods that he was used to eating were literally toxic to his body producing inflammation, manifested as a tightening of his airways and breakouts of his skin as eczema.

Yuri turned his life around some years back when he became a Holistic Nutritionist. He says that it was at this point in his life that he became exposed to information that he never knew existed regarding nutrition and health.

Pictures taken using Kirlian photography vividly demonstrate the diminished vital energy giving properties after just 2 minutes of light steaming!

Now bearing in mind that here is a man who has graduated from one of the best Universities in the land with a Bachelors of Physical Education and Health – well that’s quite an admission to make.

With this discovery of the power of raw food Yuri’s health took off and he’s never looked back. His book Eating For Energy is wealth of information that can change your life TODAY.

Raw Food – Learn How it Relates To You and Your Future Health

I have related this very abridged version of Yuri’s story because like my own story it is important to YOU.

Its importance lies in the vital message that whether we’re talking about weight loss, increased health and energy, lack of energy, abdominal bloating, reflux, asthma or auto-immune disorders, the cause is the same.

It’s important that you learn why certain foods will ultimately destroy your health while others that are more alkalizing, enzyme-rich will on the other hand give you boundless energy and optimum good health.

The really great thing is – the choice IS YOURS!

  Raw Food Stops 35 Years of  
   Abdominal Pain  

Raw food and my story – you may be wondering why raw food and my story would be of any interest to you and that’s a reasonable question. Well let me begin by saying that if you have ever suffered with heartburn (acid reflux, indigestion symptoms), trapped wind, bloating, constipation, diarrhea or debilitating stomach pain and gripes caused by bloating then my story could be of great interest to you AND of great help to YOU.

QUITE SIMPLY FROM THE AGE OF 22 AND FOR THE FOLLOWING 35 YEARS MY LIFE WAS A RECURRING NIGHTMARE OF PAIN, DEPRESSION AND MISERY.

This is my story. This is my true story.

SUICIDAL THOUGHTS IN THE LATER YEARS WERE MY CONSTANT COMPANION but a simple raw food “cured” me in 3 days – and yes you did read that right – 35 years of pain – cured in 3 days by a simple raw food.

A simple raw food “cured” in 3 days what the medical establishment had tried for 35 years to cure but without any success.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see by these photographs the difference in my physical appearance. Sometimes it takes someone else to tell you why you look different.

I was looking at these two photos taken in 2008 a while ago and I remarked to my son that I looked like an old man in them and why did I look so awful. He said to me "It's because of the pain you were in!"

How soon we forget – I had literally forgotten how BAD I had felt during the Christmas of 2008 and how it had nearly destroyed me. The photograph below was taken 3 years later in February of this year (2011)
 

Before I begin my story I would like to share a simple numeric fact with you – yesterday I used Google’s keyword tool to determine how frequently the term “heartburn” was searched for globally in Google's search engine, during the previous month (April 2011).

The results may surprise you – or NOT!

As you can see from the figures displayed the words reflux and gerd were searched for one million times in ONE MONTH! More than half a million people searched for the term "heartburn" – one has to question the reason for so many "heartburn" searches.
 

In case you're wondering (because I definitely did) the word "gerd" is an acronym of Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and is a condition in which the stomach contents (food or liquid) leak backwards from the stomach into the esophagus (the tube from the mouth to the stomach).
 

This action can irritate the esophagus, causing heartburn and other symptoms and there does seem to be a body of evidence that could possibly link this condition in its chronic form to cancer of the esophagus.

Basically if you suffer with heartburn take something as quickly as you can to relieve the symptoms asap!

If any of what follows mirrors your own life then I urge you to read my story from start to finish.

My problem began like a bolt from the blue nearly 40 years ago now. I was really just starting off on life’s “grown up” journey. I had my whole future to look forward to. Girlfriend, marriage, house, children all the usual things that most young people aspire to.

I was a young man, 22 years of age holding down a very responsible job that involved working on a treble shift basis. I was working the night shift and the evening was quiet which was very unusual for those times.

Around 2:30 in the morning the phone rang and little did I know that it was to signal round one in what was to be a long, painful, uphill battle with my health.

The sound of the telephone so startled me and as I reached my hand out to pick it up I experienced the worst searing pain in my stomach that I had ever felt in my life.

The doctor at the time diagnosed a peptic ulcer and gave me the usual antacid type medication that was available at that time.

It would be 20 years of pain, sleepless nights and medication that treated the symptom but not the cause before I was to discover that in fact I did NOT have an ulcer after all!

It all made so much sense at the time. Demanding job, treble shift working (3 shifts – morning – afternoon – night) that constantly messed up my sleeping and eating patterns – result – ulcer.

To be fair the medication would ease the pain but here’s the thing, as I got older I found that the bouts of pain were occurring more frequently and with increasing intensity. My future health and all it affected became very uncertain.

After 20 years of this merry-go-round of intense pain followed by pain free intervals I asked my doctor if I could have an endoscopy – a procedure by which a camera is inserted into your stomach at the end of a tube.

At this point I have to hold my hands up and say that my doctor at the time had offered me this type of examination some years earlier. Being a devote coward I turned down his kind offer – the mere thought of a tube passing down my throat while still conscious had me gagging and running for the hills.

By this time however I was desperate and would have been happy to have a hose-pipe shoved down there if it would stop the pain.

Long story short the endoscopy revealed not an ulcer but a weak sphincter muscle between the esophagus and the stomach which was allowing acid from my stomach into the esophagus where it was eating through the esophagus lining.

The result – no change in medication – no change in the status quo!

It took me many years to realise that I had not ONE abdominal problem but TWO and they were inextricably linked. I began to notice that the frequency of a painful burning attacks were nearly always accompanied by severe constipation.

With the passing of time pain from bloated stomach and intestines became so intense I really felt as though something inside me would surely burst. The gripe pains would attack from nowhere at any time of the day or night leaving me weak, fuzzy headed and totally disorientated.

I ate senokot tablets for fun – I might as well have been sucking on Smarties for all the good they did me.

I remember towards the end of this phase of my life I remarked to my daughter that out of the previous 12 months, 9 of them had been pain filled.

For 18 months I slept on a settee in the lounge – simply because I got sick and tired of waking up at 2 and 3 in the morning curled up in pain and just wanting to die. From there I would inevitably go into the lounge and watch TV to try and take my mind off things and sooner or later I would fall asleep there with exhaustion.

It seemed easier just to sleep there in the first place so that when I woke up – and it got to the point where I woke up in pain every night – I could just grab the remote an watch some mind numbing late night television.

Anyone who has experienced chronic pain will attest to the fact that it destroys every aspect of your life – physical health, mental health, social life, business life.
Your life goes on hold – you start to avoid social events because you don’t when the pain will strike – and when it does you just have to be on your own.

Then it goes from being on hold to being in reverse – friends stop asking you out – even family tire of your constant moans or grim looks.

Death as an alternative starts to take on an appeal that is quite alluring – appealing almost!

So how did this sad little story that was my life turn a corner to find a life that most normal people live.

Well I suppose desperation was the key… and they do say (whoever THEY are) that necessity is the mother of invention – well in my case desperation was the mother of invention.

I turned to the Holistic Approach, Naturopaths, Crackpots, Nut-cases, anybody who could take this pain away I was prepared to listen to. I found them on the Internet BUT I have to say I didn’t believe them.

But Hey! I was desperate! Needs must and all that!

So enough of my tedious story of heartburn, reflux, gerd, bloating, stomach gripes and talk of topping myself.

The CURE I hear you shouting – the CURE – What single raw food dissipated all that pain, all that misery – all that spoiled life, spoiled for 35 long years?

Well the answer will I am sure surprise you as it surprised me and continues to surprise me to this very day and I have now been “pain free” for nearly 3 years.

The answer my friends was the simple, beautiful, humble, LEMON.

There I said you would find it unbelievable didn’t I?

But, but, but lemons are acidic I hear you say – surely they would aggravate a digestive disorder – and you’d be right – BUT – you’d also be wrong!

I know it sounds something of a contradiction but what I didn’t know at the time (or care, I hasten to add) is that foods are classed initially as acidic or alkaline BUT what is of greater importance is this.

What form of residue do they produce in your bowel when they are broken down through the digestive process? The resultant debris is referred to as “Ash” and depending on the food that ash will be either acidic or alkaline.

Lemons break down to an alkaline ash.

My problem, although I didn’t know it at the time is that my blood and my body was acidic.

Now let’s just take a breath here because you could write a book about acidity, alkalinity, heartburn, reflux, gerd, bloating, irritable bowel etc.

You could even write a book about the humble lemon – fact is there are many books out there already, written totally about this one raw food.

Once my son saw the change in my health and general well being he bought me a book by Margaret Briggs called Lemons and Limes Super Citrus Fruits & Their Health Benefits. You can find it in any good book store or you can buy new or second hand from Amazon and it's not expensive to buy. Depending on which side of the "pond" you live it will only cost you a few pounds or dollars to buy new.

This book will tell you about some of the amazing health benefits contained in this one raw food. Did you know for example that lemon juice has powerful anti-bacterial properties. It has been shown to kill the bacteria associated with malaria, cholera, diphtheria and typhoid. It contains anti-cancer properties, anti-inflammatory qualities and will give relief to kidney and bladder disorders.

The pectin in lemons is useful in controlling hemorrhaging and by the way if you're trying to lose weight it will help to give a feeling of fullness between meals. Research also suggests that the pectin will help with cholesterol control if consumed on a regular basis. The vitamin C helps relieve the symptoms of colds and fever and as you've read in my story it definitely relieves constipation. The antibacterial qualities of lemons can also help with a range of diseases causing diarrhoea.

This single raw food can be used in foot care, gout, hallitosis, hangover, heart and circulation, hepatitis, hiccoughs, hiv treatment, intestinal worms, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, relief from poisoning, ringworm, scurvey.

The message that I want to impart is not so much how great lemons are BUT we should all of us take our food a lot more seriously. Many other raw foods contain incredible healing properties that can enrich our lives. We've all been seduced by the so called ease and "benefits" of convenience foods - many of which are worse than junk but poison to our bodies.

The little lemon will ease a sore throat with its antibacterial qualities, it will help to withdraw splinters and infection, it will give pain relief from stings, bites and abrasions.

The juice from the lemon is used commercially for a host of uses including household cleaners and at the opposite end of the spectrum it is used in a wide array of beauty treatments.

The list goes on and on and as Margaret Briggs says in her Introduction to Lemons and Limes Super Citrus Fruits & Their Health Benefits

"Can you think of a fruit which you can put into gin and tonic, use to flavour the salad dressing, the main course or the dessert, and then use to help with the washing up afterwards? Oh and polish the copper pans with as well, and remove stains from the table cloth at the end of the meal?"

The humble lemon reduces to alkaline ash in your body and stimulates the formation of calcium carbonate.

And why is calcium carbonate so important in maintaining a healthy pH balance – because it neutralizes strong acids in the body and eliminates them through urination. The lemon reduces to alkaline ash because it contains many alkaline minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and selenium.

I simply squeezed the juice of one lemon into a large glass of water and drank it first thing every morning and after 3 days my life started to return to “Normal”

I was stunned. In fact I felt sure that any time soon the pain would come back and it would be back to square one. It didn’t!

The pain literally disappeared and all that was associated with it; constipation, bloating, reflux, gripe pain, and the terrible damaging burning pain in my esophagus.

The only time the pain came back is when I would let a busy life dictate my eating habits rather than me calling the shots. If I stooped the lemons the pain eventually returned.

Now if you’ve read this far – well done! This website is going to offer the chance to improve your life immeasurably in lots of different ways.

So to wrap things up here thank you for reading my story – I tell it to you because it brought home to me not so much how fabulous lemons are – but more importantly just how powerful raw food actually is.

   I’d Like to Finish My Raw Food Story With A Message of  
  MASSIVE IMPORTANCE  

The western world has seen an explosion of obesity and ravaging diseases such as cancer heart disease etc. It has become more and more evident that the root cause of many of these ailments is too much acidity in the blood.

This excess acidity is a direct result of the western world diet which is composed of many acid forming foods.

Over acidic conditions are being attributed for example to:

tiredness and fatigue,
weight problems and obesity,
joint and muscle aches and pains,
hormone problems,
cardiovascular or heart problems,
bladder or kidney problems,
poor immunity to disease,
structural weaknesses such as brittle bones or teeth,
slow or poor digestion and elimination,
yeast or fungal overgrowth,
even cancer and degenerative diseases are according to some authorities can be due to a chronically over acidic condition.

I must admit that when I first found a solution to my own health problem of 35 years standing the fact that there could be many more important raw foods out there didn't even cross my mind.

My relief was so great that I just wanted to revel in my new found pain free life.

It didn't occur to me until much, much later that the whole prolonged episode had been brought about by bad diet. The thing is, that by western standards anyway I wouldn't say my diet was that bad but I was definitely misinformed about food generally.

If my diet through the years had been varied and included a bigger percentage of these alkaline foods then my life could have been so much different and definitely happier in every sphere.

When I woke up to this fact I did my due diligence as they say and started to dig deeper. Whether I realised it or not I guess I was looking for a mentor – someone who had done the spade work already – someone who could guide me along the path to a healthier lifestyle through a combination of diet, lifestyle and exercise.

My searching eventually led me to Toronto, Canada and a man called Yuri Elkaim. You can read his fascinating story next. Read how raw food turned his life around after hitting a downward spiral.

Yuri Elkaim's Story – Raw Food Revives Flagging Health

top