Beckman - Be refreshed!: eat, drink and think your way to health and vitality

Be Refreshed

Eat, drink and think your way to
health & vitality

Nick Beckman

Note of advice:the information presented is for informational purposes only and not intended as any medical advice to treat or heal any health condition or as a substitute for any prescribed medication. Always check with your professional medical practitioner before making any changes in diet, exercise, lifestyle or medical treatments. Especially when pregnant, breastfeeding or on any medication, please check with your doctor if you plan to take any supplements. Any use or misuse of this information is at your own risk and own responsibility. As with any information, it is recommended to check any suggestions made, by actively educating yourself more on anything relating to the functioning of your body, mind and spirit.

Text & Design: Copyright 2013 Nick Beckman

Photography: Nick Beckman

None of the text or images in this book may be copied or reproduced in any form without the approval of the author.

ISBNs

ePub: 978-1-78237-287-5

Mobi: 978-1-78237-288-2

PDF: 978-1-78237-289-9

ePublished by Original eBooks,
a division of Original Writing Limited
- an Original Writing Group company

Empowering the Written Word

Food is everything that gives us nutrition on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level. Food is chemical, electrical and vibrational energy. Food is part of the greater Life-force.

The subtle energy of your food becomes your mind
Upanishads

2013 Nick Beckman

CONTENTS

PART I

FOOD & HEALTH

INTRODUCTION

The first Wealth is Health

Ralph Waldo Emerson

It all started with lemons. As a child my dad constantly used to tell me to eat lemons, he said it would make me strong and healthy. Not that I really took his advice at the time but we always had a good laugh about eating lemons. Now forty something years later, every morning I have a freshly pressed lemon with some water, a pinch of Himalayan salt and MSM powder as a morning cleanse & detox drink to kick-start the bodys systems and Im feeling in my best shape ever.

I have regained my natural weight, vitality and radiance, but the best thing of all is that a new type of energy has been released that is propelling me forward in a direction I have not gone before, with more ease, grace and with a smile on my face! The reason why Im now feeling so good, physically and mentally, so abundantly energetic, healthy and enjoying my life so much more, with a better clarity of mind at a whole new level is of course not only about lemons. That is why I wanted to write this book, to present a view about health, nutrition, exercise and wellness in general, offering ideas about small changes which you can easily do or add into your lifestyle that will make a significant difference in how you will feel in the days, weeks and years to come.

This book is based on 3 principles:

- To raise awareness about health and nutrition

- To provide some practical steps towards optimal functioning of the body and mind

- To inform about what I have tried and tested myself

In this book I have aimed to give as much as possible information whilst describing the information in a clear, positive and understandable manner. To provoke some thoughts, to make you consciously think about what you eat, how you eat and how this affects your body, mind, emotions and every aspect of your life. Now ask yourself: Is your way of living supporting you to achieve your goals or is it slowing you down? Dedicate some time to focus on your food, your habits and level of well-being, to give yourself a better idea if any new action is needed or not? Regardless of what stage you are at with your health at the moment, we all still have to eat food. How and what we eat can make a big difference in the progression of your current status. Sometimes it just takes small changes in your diet to improve your health naturally to feel good, to perhaps experience some relief or to feel more balanced, satisfied or more vibrant in the long term.

To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art

La Rochefoucauld

Nowadays there are already so many books about health & nutrition so you may ask yourself; why yet another book? Well, the saying goes; If you want to change the world, begin with yourself. I have taken steps to change myself and as a result I have become so passionate about it that I want to help others with information that has been of great benefit to me. There are still so many people in a state of dis-ease, struggling with a whole range of health issues, and there is still so much confusion and misinformation about health & nutrition that Im confident that I can make a positive difference in one way or another.

I would also like to inspire people to do their own research about current foods on offer, about food marketing and media. To question if the big brand food products in the supermarkets are more beneficial for your health improvement or for the profit improvement of a big food company? It seems that economic forces are actually preventing people from becoming healthier, and making them unknowingly gain weight and internally stacking up on toxins which the body cant process. The average person now is carrying about 2-10 kgs of toxins in their bodies which slow down and damage their system. Also regarding the health approach in modern medicine, the focus is still more on treating symptoms with medication than preventing dis-ease with natural foods, clean water and health education. The focus in the book is on the versatile ideas, products and solutions which nature has to offer, all of which will improve your optimum functioning and inner balance.

Now lets start, I would like to take you on a journey as if Im a kind of a guide, taking you for a tour through a certain landscape. Just sit back and enjoy the scenery as I talk you through the things we see as we go along. Look around, relax and maybe take some mental snapshots, as a manner of speaking, of those things that appeal to you.

After the introduction we start off looking at our food today, how nature works and then we move more into detail to see how our body is being attacked by everyday living and what we can do about it. After taking a glance at our body, then we take a tour around some versatile foods, a plant-based raw diet, superfoods, and juices. After a short break we jump into the natural wonders of our planet, uncover some facts and ideas about water, air, the earth and the sun, the place we live in and then we stand still at some salt facts for a moment. If you like, next we jump straight into some healthy exercise suggestions followed by a critical view on alcohol and nicotine. To ease into the last part of the journey we will look at some beliefs, fears and change. Eventually we close off with a conclusion and a food blessing.

Life can be challenging, and all kinds of factors are constantly draining our vitality and well-being. Therefore it is always good to give some regular attention to review your daily diet, to do some extra cleansing & detoxing, to be more aware of your inner physical functioning and your outer environment and perhaps re-connect more with food and nature.

If your body currently is in a stressed acidic state then this information can help you to bring the body into a more alkaline and relaxed state. Basically, choose to put in some extra time and attention to focus on a healthy lifestyle and a positive relationship with food. As a result you will optimize your bodily functions while getting closer to a state of experiencing your true potential and well-being.