Baird Meredith - Everyday Raw Detox

Everyday RAW Detox

Meredith Baird with Matthew Kenney

Photographs by Adrian Mueller

Everyday RAW Detox

Digital Edition 1.0

Text 2012 Meredith Baird with Matthew Kenney

Photographs 2012 Adrian Mueller

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.

Gibbs Smith

P.O. Box 667

Layton, Utah 84041

Orders: 1.800.835.4993

www.gibbs-smith.com

ISBN: 978-1-4236-3016-6

To my lovely mom and sister, and to Matthew who helps make many of my opportunities possible.

I am very privileged to have an intensely supportive group of people surrounding me. Great friends and family equal extreme fortune. My life is a testament to serendipity. Following my passions has led me down the incredible path of making kindred spirits as friends, meeting the right people, and being able to do what I love. I have a job, without having a job, which is really a surreal experience. I feel incredibly grateful and blessed for all that Ive been able to do thus far, and I look forward to continuing to bring healthy food and quality of life to as many people as possible. I truly believe that living a healthy life equals living a blessed life.

To name those of you specifically who have helped me and listened to me over the years: My mom and sister, obviously, as you have supported me through all of my phases and have both been extremely grounding and to my two dearest raw foodie friends, Jessica Acs and Simone Powers, you have made this book and many others possible. I owe a special acknowledgement to Simone for this book in particular. I couldnt have done it without her. Thank you to Amelie Arguindegui Mounetou who helped test many of these recipes, and is a very talented chef in her own right. And all of my other dear friends on the other end of the phone to lend a supporting earGreer Owings-Husserl, Cathy Buck, Suzanne Humphries, Jesse Harooni, Jasie Costigan, Kimberly Mahan, and Caleb Barr, and everyone who is a part of the Matthew Kenney team. And of course, to Matthew Kenney, my partner in lifes adventures.

You may have picked up this book in the hope of a prescription, as if I am going to inform you how to solve all of your problems by telling you what to eat. Im not, because I dont know.

We are all completely different. How profound right? Not only is our individual genetic makeup completely different from each other, we all live in unique environments and have distinct lifestyles, habits, and desires. Detoxing isnt that simple. You can look at the obvious and start to eliminate processed and refined foods. You can take it to the next level and eliminate (or cut back on) animal products. You can read every book under the sun, study every herb on the planet, obsess about every morsel that goes into your body and it will still not eliminate toxins from your body. Why? Because there are a bazillion other factors out there that arent under your control. The more you obsess, the more toxic you are. Having everything under control is the closest step to being completely out of control. Having things in balance and recognizing the ebbs and flows of emotions, environments, and routine is as close to the answer to wellness as I have. If you must eat something not in the queue of optimal healthenjoy it if possible and wake up the next morning and follow up with something healthier. Dietary perfection isnt possible. Perfection is the passion of control freaks. In a society where control is a commodity, we are constantly bombarded with the idea that we can be perfect. We look to gurus, leaders, and celebrities to tell us what to eat, how to live, how to look, and how to behave. The optimal dietor perfectionis completely individual. Embrace your individuality and live your life in a way that makes you happy.

This is not said to be discouraging or to disregard the importance of nutrition. The food you eat has a huge effect on your health and happiness, and it is often under your control. When you make the conscious effort to put healthier foods into your body, you will notice a major difference in how you feel. Fresh, flavorful, beautiful, life-giving foods make you feel just thatmore fresh and alive! Its no secret that we are essentially killing ourselves through our stomachs. Being bloated, lethargic, and stuffed with crappy food feels like crap. Not only is it not good for your physical wellness, it also blocks your creative energy and mental clarity. Really, who wants to feel that way? This energy that we get from food is not only from what foods we eat, it is also how we eat them. Eating is such an instinctual act; we forget that it is often one of lifes greatest pleasures. It is a necessary pleasure! How delightful is that? How many other things qualify? Not many. Making a conscious effort to experience a meal in pleasure is just as important as what is on the plate. This means that you must be mindful. Dim the lights, eat with real utensils, chew your food, and SAVOR the experience. Have a glass of wine, and if youre saying no, drink your water or juice out of a real glass. Those people who are pounding smoothies in fluorescent lighting in front of their computers are completely missing something, and it is where the French and Italians get it right. Hovering your greens is gross, and gives you gas. Sip, relax, and enjoy!

This book is created to respect the fact that most of us dont have endless amounts of time for food preparation, or time to eat our food in the manner described above. Its not always realistic to get out the fork and knife, and even if it was, its important to give your body the digestive break. These dishes are simple to prepare, and even if you are sipping your smoothie in your car on the way to work, breathe deeply, turn on good music, and enjoy. When you focus on the pleasure in the little thingsthe foods that you eat, the company you have, a moment of silencethen you have real health. Savor the moment. Cheers!