Final note:  why this is not a fad diet?  Humans have been eating fresh fruit, vegetables, and nuts 10-50,000 yrs or more b4 we discovered fire, tools and implement to kill animals.

When we change over to eating raw foods it can be quite expensive. The ultimate is to grow your own garden. If you have a back yard you can grow a pretty decent sized one. Otherwise, get a few planters and grow a couple of tomato plants along the patio wall, and put a couple of eggplants inside the porch door with one large circular planter. .

Christmas is a time when we think of family get-togethers and abundance. It is memory lane for most of us, enjoying friends, memorable times and good comfort, traditional foods. But the weeks after the holidays are usually weight gains, health problems from too many sweets and food.

With today’s massive cultures in our country, it is almost impossible not to see several ethnic restaurants in today’s towns.  Block after block of one ethnic food group after another are choices we have the luxury of today with so many ethnic groups within our country. No matter where we go in our country, we have choices of restaurants, cafes and coffee shops to choose from with most of them ethnic. 

Buying food items in cans lack in nutrition and are usually loaded with salt and preservatives in today’s food markets. The process of freshness goes from fresh fruits and vegetables, to frozen foods, and down to canned foods. Last on the list, these canned items are slowly becoming a thing of the past.

Alternative seasonings are becoming very familiar in the kitchens in today’s world.  Rows after rows of organic or alternative spices now line the cupboards in our kitchens as compared to the few we grew up with. We had salt and pepper, and maybe some garlic or onion salt.

Probably one of the best desserts you can eat yet is tremendously good for you is Sorbet. It is a frozen dessert made from iced fruit puree and any other ingredient you would like to add for a light dessert.  It is sort of a gelato that has no milk in it so is very good for lactose free individuals or milk allergies.  Some sorbets contain alcohol that lowers the freezing temperature and makes it slightly softer. 

Most milk is mucous forming.  When a cold develops or pneumonia sets in, the last thing offered should be a milk product due to the mucous in it. Soy is still milk, even though it is called a “vegetable milk.” Children under two years of age are being advised not to drink cow’s milk due to the high protein in it.

Secondly, if you are not consuming magnesium along with cow milk, you are not benefiting from the calcium.  Thirdly, if you consume something with iron in it, your body also cannot uptake calcium at all.  So, red meat and a glass of milk, is not a great idea.

Taking several sips of water at a mealtime as compared to drinking a couple of large glasses per meal seems to be a personal preference unless there is a medical reason or a weight loss is desired. Several sources say that at the present time there is no proof at all that water aids in the digestion process.  There is enough water in the fruits and vegetables to supply this.