Linda Jarman's Page

The 9 Little Tweaks That Could Make All The Difference

So, you're new to raw food and not sure if you doing it "right"? Or maybe have been dabbling for a while but aren't feeling quite as good as you think you should? Or how about a long termer who is in need of a few fine-tuning tips? Whatever your situation, this article is guaranteed to have you feeling and looking better than you currently do whether you take on board one or all of the suggestions outlined (and these suggestions just scrape the surface). Remember it's as much about what you don't eat as what you do!
In this issue we'll take our first look of many at what's good and not-so-good for delivering the health, energy and vitality you deserve. Breakfast. The most important meal of the day? Only if you're hungry! It's amazing how many people will force breakfast down even though they're still digesting last night's dinner and don't feel hungry at all. Why? Because we're told to. By who? The famous "they" of course! Forget about "them" and ask your body: "Am I hungry?" If yes, eat. If no, don't! (But do have a large glass of water, whether that be warm or room temperature as this will help the cleansing cycle  that runs from 4am til noon).

Superfoods. Ah! Apparently the answer to everyone's nutritional prayers? Yes and no. Superfood overdose-syndrome has a lot to answer for - mostly an empty wallet! I recommend that you choose 3 or 4 great ones that you keep in stock and play with them as and when you feel like it. To use a really good one every day is, I think, a good thing, especially if you're worried that you're not getting enough variety or nutrients for whatever reason, but piling in 10 or more different things to your morning smoothie is definitely overkill. (How do you know what's working? That's the most expensive smoothie in the world!) I recommend you take your one key Superfood per day - perhaps 3 at most (I like to use bee pollen as it has an incredible nutritional make-up, and I also take maca occasionally), and see what works for you. Used sensibly and consciously the addition of some first-class superfoods can really make all the difference.

Food combining. As is common in the world of health and nutrition, controversy abounds yet again as to whether the concept of food combining is a fact or fallacy. Well, my own experience is that I'm more sensitive to some combinations than others, but I try and keep my meals simple anyhow and avoid snacking or eating desserts most of the time. What I do know is this: throwing 15 ingredients into your salad is never going to be a good thing - a) Because you don't end up tasting very much; b) Because you run out of salad ideas very quickly!; c) Because typically at least 3 or 4 of those 15 ingredients are going to be heavier raw foods such as nuts, seeds, sprouted beans and/or grains, olives, avocado and the like. What does this mean? Waaaay too complicated and the body just won't make proper use of it. Keep it simple and feel the benefits, as well as multiplying the number of possible salad combinations you can make from your favourite ingredients, of course!

B12. There's so much confusion around the B12 issue that I always recommend to err on the side of caution. This means take your B12 drops regularly (I think every day is not absolutely necessary unless you have a definite deficiency, are pregnant or are breastfeeding, in which case obviously take professional advice). A B12 deficiency can show up in a multitude of ways and you may very well find that you feel less foggy, have better memory and feel generally more calm if you take B12 daily, especially if you've been long term vegan or raw. The best first step is to have a blood test.

Water. I love this one. It's common when eating lots of high water content raw foods to think that we are getting our water needs met through these foods alone. I've fallen foul of this one and I don't believe this now to be true. It is said that we don't usually feel thirsty until we are already on the way to dehydration - whether this is true or not, I think it's a great recipe for tons more energy, faster and easier weight loss and overall clearer functioning to drink at least 6 pints of pure water per day as well as taking in additional water through fruits, smoothies and juices. What your body doesn't need it will get rid of, right? You WILL feel the difference! Nuts. You may well know what I'm going to say. In the raw food diet there is no bigger energy sapper that I can think of than overeating on nuts. Nuts are the most dense raw foods of all, comprising of a significant amount of fat and very little water. Yes, they have nutritional benefits, but no, I don't think we need to eat them every day and in fact everyone I've worked with reports feeling markedly better when they don't eat them, than when they do. Try leaving nuts out of your diet for 1, 2 or more days (yes, that includes nut butters!) and feel and see the difference. You CAN meet your nutritional needs without nuts, but a few a day (like 10 almonds) generally works okay for most people without significant issues - soaking them first for 4-8 hours helps a lot too.

Eating late at night. The general recommendation for nighttime eating is to eat at least 3 hours before bedtime. Well, you know as well as I do that this isn't always possible! So what to do when you come in late and are feeling hungry but don't have the time or inclination to prepare a big meal (and you know that isn't a good idea anyway!)? I suggest a big bowl of grapes or other juicy fruits, or our friend the green smoothie. Both are super-easy to digest and will leave your stomach within 30 minutes, and you'll go to bed feeling satiated, having a great sleep and feeling good on it the next morning. This WORKS!

Green smoothies. While we're on the subject, hands up who's NOT drinking at least one green smoothie a day? Shame on you! (I'll let you off ONLY if you don't know what they are!) Going by what I have seen, heard and experienced personally so far, I would say that the single most beneficial raw food habit to build into your day is the green smoothie. Fast, easy, delicious and so nutritious as to be scary! If you forgot what they are or haven't yet learned, watchh my newly released YouTube clip to find out (keep reading). Just one of these a day will make you feel great, reduce cravings and go a long way towards your recommended greens intake.

And finally ~

Listen to your body. As per Breakfast, it never fails to amaze me how many of us (read: 99.9% of the population) feed ourselves when we're not hungry, when we don't like something (but think it's good for us), when we want to stimulate ourselves in some way, or because someone offers us something and we daren't say no. Poor little body! No-one else speaks up for it and when IT tries it's ignored. It doesn't really stand a chance. Well, the big news is this: If you don't listen to it, you don't stand a chance - the chance of achieving truly vibrant health and a level of body-mind connection that simply cannot be achieved any other way. As far as good choices go, I have learned over and over again (the hard way!) that the body should be the master and the mind the servant NOT the other way around!

Now, that's a few things to be getting on with! So which one/s are YOU going to implement from hereon in? Commit now and then take action. Let me know how you get on!

Now, get tweaking!

The Biggest Secret To Staying Raw

As regular readers will know, one of the key facets of my raw food philosophy is that we are energetic beings living in an energetic
world, where our food and drink also has its own unique resonance (as
does everything in this world); and so our food choices, like
everything we bring into our world, internally or externally – in
thought, feeling or form, will by default affect our own resonance
positively or negatively.

As such we frequently find ourselves in what we might perceive as negative situations or states – stress, fear, frustration, worry etc.
and consequently we are far more likely to reach for foods with the
same or similar energy, especially when hungry, because like attracts
like and somehow on some level it just feels somehow “right” even if
our head is saying “no, no, no!”.

I believe that our job as conscious health seekers is to recognize this, however difficult it may be at times, and to consciously choose
higher vibration foods (e.g. fresh fruit, wild greens and living foods
which sit at top of the tree vibrationally, especially when freshly
picked) along with other high vibrational activities, places or people
so that we can bring ourselves up and out of the feeling and once more
increase our resonance and get back to poise and balance.

Easier said than done sometimes though, eh?

This is where “having your house in order” is vital; whether it means literally clearing the clutter internally or externally, sorting
out longstanding issues of any kind at all, having your kitchen set up
for success so that raw is easy, having the genuine heartfelt desire to
go raw and stay raw, or knowing who you are and what you want (no small
issue) – all of these things help tip the scales so that you can stay
raw more easily when something less-than-great comes up against you.
This advice just given is a good tip that all of us can use, and one
that is easily overlooked: Tip the everyday scales in your favour so
that one piece of stress doesn’t alter your equilibrium too much, and
it will only take a tiny tweak to get you back on track. Call it
“saving the energetic pennies” if you like!

All that said, and as valid as it may be, the biggest piece of the jigsaw, I feel, the “must-have” at the very top of the list and the
biggest secret of all – is having a life vision that is as inspiring
and magnificent and as personal to us as we can possibly make it. In
short, a life that is bigger than us, as beautiful as it can be and
something we can and will step into, because living foods equal
expansion and growth and you absolutely must have somewhere to grow -
and the bigger the better.

Or, more accurately by far – and this is vital: The Brighter The Better. Raw plant foods bring light into our physical by the very fact that
they have been grown in the sunshine and have taken it into their form
(and it hasn’t been cooked out). I believe it is our job as human
beings to embody as much light and power as possible, and raw foods are
just one more way – and a very significant way, that we can take this
on and literally shine from the inside out.

The latter is key, because, have a think about it... “When life gets me down I want to eat cooked food” (and this can be true sometimes for
even just a little bit down), but the good news is that also the
opposite is true: “When life lifts me up eating raw is easy!”

If you fall into the yo-yo category as I have done, my coaching challenge to you this week is to take a very close look at your life –
every facet of your life, in as minute detail as you can possibly
manage and to be brutally honest with yourself about what has been
bringing you down short term and perhaps longer. Write down every
little thing you can think of, all will become clear as to why at the
end of this article.

Then, for challenge number two, do the opposite. Reflect back on all the times you stayed raw for a significant period of time, say one
whole month without exceptions – whatever feels significant for you -
and ask yourself, “What was going on in my life then? Where was I at in
my world on the outside and on the inside?” Chances are it won’t be
very long before you start making some connections as to why some
chapters of your life were harder to stay raw than others. Note all of
these positive factors down too.

For my part I have come to a point in my own journey and evolution where my toleration of “less than wonderful” is down to virtually nil.
This is shocking to me; I never predicted this, even though it has been
incremental and I have noticed it happening... but suddenly, since my
life-changing trip to Sedona in October it has been harder to argue with
this reality than ever before. After many years of pursuing a lighter
path I have become so used to living in a very happy place (inside and
out) that as soon as I come into contact with a person, circumstance or
general life event that doesn’t feel good to me I am very sensitive to
it – just like I am with cooked food – and if I keep myself in that
situation any longer than absolutely necessary then I am immediately
transported to a lower state where cooked foods suddenly look appealing
again. Very interesting! This is absolutely why spiritual teachers talk
to us about spiritual protection; we have to hold on to the good energy
we have accrued and not give permission or opportunity to anyone or
anything to take it away. I think it is high time I polished up my
golden sphere and got myself back into it!!

So the challenge here is for each of us to keep our eyes to the sky, and with every extra step you take on your raw food journey to
recognise that as your raw energy increases and affects you on every
level, so too will you have to consciously keep your eye on the game as
far as how your life is showing up externally, because the two need to
be a perfect match. If they’re not, if your energy keeps rising and you
haven’t moved your goalposts forward then I feel absolutely sure that
it won’t be long before you get bored and start looking around for
additional thrills in the shape of “forbidden” foods or other toxic
activities because quite frankly, they will excite the mind, body,
emotions and spirit more than ever before – and not necessarily in a
good way!

Just as a teenager may experiment with recreational substances for a thrill that takes them out of reality and into something more exciting
(but physically damaging), so too will we return to the “excitement”
that is cooked food, because the cleaner we get the more it stimulates
us and the bigger rush we feel. It is the sneaky influence that comes in with big promises and yet leaves us feeling worse than we did before - always. The more raw you go the more you will know this to be true.

The secret therefore is to keep moving your vision further out. As you grow and evolve, so should your idea of who you are and what you
can accomplish or experience during this lifetime. Energetically I
believe anything is possible. I believe that your life can be as big as
any vision you choose to hold. I believe that by the very fact that you
can conceive it, you CAN achieve it. I have proved this true many times
in my own life with very big and bold goals that the old me would have
thought impossible. You just have to ask for answers, to find your
path, to ask for help and guidance and listen to what comes into your
life, but most importantly of all you have to keep taking action and
every action needs to be in the “upward” direction, taking you further
into positive and further tipping those scales.

When the body aligns itself with this reality through the power of raw and living foods, then indeed a whole new world of
possibilities opens up. If we are not ready for this, do not
understand it or fear we may be lonely walking this incredible path,
then you can imagine... Once again we have more than a few “good
reasons” to eat cooked food, especially since everyone else is doing
it! But hold fast, because this is pioneering territory and
you will know as well as I do, that when you step into raw you step
into a world that you never want to leave.

So... Challenge number three is to get clear on what you want “the other side” to look like if you are to stay the right side of the door.
What does your idea of Raw Heaven look and feel like? Who are
you within it? Who is with you? What are you doing? How do you spend
your days? Where are you going? All these things and more are
vital for you to get clear on if you want to stay conscious in a bright
new world that challenges you to tap more into your unconscious while
staying in the land of the living! I believe this is what we were meant
to experience when we were told to pursue creating heaven on earth.
Unfortunately the common belief on our planet is that our physical body
has no part to play in this vision other than to simply sit within it
and look at it! I believe that our body in many ways IS it, and
everything springs from there – our thoughts, feelings, emotions,
connection, actions – and thus by our thoughts, feelings and actions a
new reality is created. Big stuff I know, but tell me I’m wrong? Is
this not why we were told to treat our body as a temple?

This would certainly explain why those who spend a large part of their energy talking about why they can’t go raw or can’t make their
mind up about it stay stuck in the yo-yo zone. They want both worlds and fully own neither.
They focus on what they don’t have or can’t do instead of focusing on
the positive that is there and then building on it. Both big mistakes,
and both I have been guilty of at different times and repeatedly in my
own history which is why I can see them so clearly now looking back. If
you try to walk two worlds then of course you’ll have one foot in
cooked food and another in raw! It’s time to step over the threshold.

I firmly believe that when you get clear on where you are, what you want and then go whole heartedly after it, that is the secret to
staying raw. Yes, we have logistical and practical issues - sometimes
smaller ones like eating out, socializing and so forth and sometimes
larger ones like family opposition and suppression – but imagine if your
life depended on it; don’t you think you would find a way of eating raw
come what may? You would have to! People would accommodate you. You
would have to make some changes but you would be fine. You would be
better than fine! So, why not take on this belief anyway, and live as
if it’s true... because as we have discussed, in many respects your
life really does depend on it, if we are talking about the
kind of life that is far more exciting, rewarding and “surreal” than
the one you’re currently living and is actually the one you’re designed
for and have been called to live.

How is that for some food for thought on a rainy Friday in November?!

With all this said, despite the cold dark nights, look to Nature once more for inspiration. This is the time of year for introspection
and contemplation; not necessarily launching into big new projects and
running around trying to do it all – especially when Nature herself is
shedding leaves left and right and quietly, externally shutting down
while creating new life out of human sight.

Instead I suggest that you use this time of year to work out your game plan for the spring that lays ahead. USE this time to hone your
skills, work through your blocks and release all that that does not
serve you. Winter time can be the perfect time for sleeping more, for
restoring, for reviving and quietly regenerating and creating new buds
of life. Let the dark winter nights be your universal blanket;
close your eyes, open your heart to the stars and see what magic falls
upon you like powdery snowflakes when your intention is pure, authentic
and has unshakeable vision and conviction. This is the time to
find out who you are. This is the time to listen to the calling of your
heart for where to go next. This is the time to start planning your
route. And by the time your work is done the days will have grown
longer again and you will be able to move into your game plan with
increasing zest and zeal, as you enter the next chapter of your raw
evolution in synch with your truest self. This is your chance to start
playing hard ball if you’re ready. If you have had enough of yo-yoing
to national competition level (!), then now is your chance to commit to
walking through the door and shutting it fast behind you. You may be
pleasantly surprised about what lays waiting for you on the other side.
Seemingly great risks can often bring the greatest and most
unimaginable of rewards. Just make sure you bring some company - you'll
be wanting someone to dance with : )