Lisa Montgomery - Liquid Raw: Over 125 Juices, Smoothies, Soups, and other Raw Beverages

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For those of you who are new to eating a raw diet, you are likely wondering how you should start incorporating healthy choices into your diet (and your familys). From my own experience, I have found that the easiest place to start is with smoothies. Whether you eat a standard American diet or are already living a healthy lifestyle, smoothies are quick and easy, and can even be used as healthy meal replacements. Juicing is another great way to start eating raw. When introducing a new smoothie or juice to your family, you may find it helpful not to tell them that it is good for them, as some people will automatically be turned off by healthy foods without even tasting them. Besides tasting great, juices provide high concentrations of vitamins and minerals, and work with the body to promote healing.

The recipes in Liquid Raw will lead you from smoothies and juicing to soups, dressings, and milks. Liquids are easier for your body to digest and easier for you to make, whether you are a novice to the raw lifestyle or are just plain busy. Too often when people start a raw diet, they go directly to making heavy raw pizzas and gourmet food, as their head keeps telling them that they are missing something because they are no longer eating a standard American diet. Somewhere along the way, we need to stop listening to our head and start listening to our body. Yes, it is wonderful to eat those gourmet delicacies once in awhile, but you will find that your body is much happier eating simple food and liquids, whether they are juices, smoothies, soups, or milks. When I look at what I consume in a day, most of my food is liquid.

So, how is this book helpful for those who are more advanced in living a healthy lifestyle? For those of you who have been eating a raw lifestyle for awhile and have been struggling with simplifying your lifestyle, Liquid Raw will help you to go back to the basics. The recipes in this book will inspire you and liven up your meals. It is always fun trying new recipes, even if it is simply bringing new life into old stand-bys just by adding a new twist. Whether you are a novice or have been eating a raw diet for years, we all have our own reasons for choosing raw foods. As baby boomers, many of us thought that we somehow would be exempt from aging and getting wrinkles. Yet we were wrong, and the wrinkles came.

The good news is, by living and eating healthy, I honestly feel as if I am getting younger instead of older. In fact, my general practitioner once said to me that I am the healthiest person in his practice, which sees approximately 3,500 patients. If you eat healthy, and get regular exercise and rest, chances are you will no longer need to see your doctor other than for annual check-ups. In addition to improving your overall health, a raw diet can also increase your energy levels. I personally have found that I now have so much energy that I leave the Energizer Bunny in the dust. I always strive to be the best that I can be and to feel my best, and eating raw enables me to continue this quest.

Perhaps you are not switching to raw foods for health reasons, but because you want to look good. When you start to eat healthy, your body feels better and it shows on your face. There is a raw glow on the skin of those who eat healthy. I have had more people say to me, You know why people will want to eat like you: because of your skin. I also know people who, after starting a raw diet, notice that their grey hair has turned back to their original hair color. I know how hard it can be to transition from a standard American diet to a raw lifestyle.

Rather than focusing on all of the foods that I am no longer able to eat, I prefer to introduce a new healthy drink or dish each week, which gives me something to look forward to. The biggest obstacle that I had to overcome when starting a healthy lifestyle was my own mind. When you start to introduce raw foods into your lifestyle, you can be sure that your mind will be looking instead for your old, unhealthy favorites. For me, this was a dish of ice cream with a cookie chaser. It can take a long time to win this battle, but once you start eating healthy, you will notice that you feel really great. You will also notice that, once you have been eating healthy for a while, going back to junk food can actually make you sick.

This is because your body likes feeling healthy and no longer wants the junk in its systemand it lets you know it. Plus, after eating a healthy diet, you will realize that the ice cream and cookies that you once craved no longer taste as good as your mind had remembered them to be. So, dont beat yourself up if you start to eat healthy and, once in a while, indulge in a piece of pizza. If this is going to help keep you on track the rest of the time, then so be it. Some people can successfully eat raw 100 percent of the time, while others cant (or dont want to) be that strict. It is also much more challenging to eat raw all the time if you have a spouse and kids.

Trying to get them on board may be your biggest challenge, and I get that. I am single, so I was able to clear my cupboards of any unhealthy foods, although this may not be possible for everyone. So, be gentle on yourself and start with smoothies and juicing: it is the easiest and simplest way to begin living a healthy lifestyle. Plus, smoothies and juices are power-packed and sure to keep you and your family healthy.

More and more restaurants are also incorporating healthy choices on their menus. Even McDonalds now carries juices and smoothies. In fact, today there are companies, restaurants, and personal chefs who will make organic juices and smoothies, and deliver them to your home if you dont have the time to make them yourself. The National Cancer Institute even has begun a campaign to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables, recommending five servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables each day. A diet high in fruits and vegetables can help prevent (and, in some cases, cure) a wide range of ailments, and juices and smoothies are a perfect way to get all of your daily requirements. President Obama also put out a mandate for his employees to get healthier, which prompted my local government office in Philadelphia to bring me in and share with them the benefits of eating healthy and how you can implement dietary changes.