The original fast food was grabbing an apple or banana while walking out the door. In today's society, fast food consist of every fast food drive-thru and let's not forget Starbucks falls into this category now as well. We as a people have been perfectly trained by the commercial food establish to eat what they advertise. Yes, we are their cattle being led to early death because we want our food preparation easy and we've thrown the benefits of healthy nutrition out the window while ordering our food through a drive-thru speaker. 

The Benefits of Eating Raw:

• Reverses Aging
• Reduces the risk for cancer (many have overcome cancer by eating raw foods only)
• Improves Digestion 
• Improves Skin Health
• Improves Mental Clarity
• Increases Energy, Stamina and Endurance
• Increases Physical Strength (Apples are the best!)
• Helps improve Weight Loss
• Normalize Blood Sugar
• Encourages Healthy Cholesterol/Triglyceride Levels
• Improves Liver function
• Reduces overall Inflammation

It's time to get back to basics. Want to know a little secret? Eating raw goes back to the days of the caveman and even Moses. So what does eating raw mean? It means you don't cook your food and I'm speaking of eating fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. All of these foods can be prepared faster than sitting in a drive-thru. 

Here's the secret. One raw food meal a day can consist of a green juice or smoothie with leafy greens and a bit of fruit for sweetness or a fruit smoothie consisting of banana’s and berries. One can see that you can start every morning the healthiest way possible. Want to know something else? How many of you eat a salad for lunch because you WANT to be HEALTHY? Today's salads can be full of as much calorie or fat as a fast food burger because of all the dressing and add-ons. Health isn't complicated and it should be easy, fun and tasty! So keep it that way! A lunch time salad should be only lettuce and other vegetables, nuts or seeds and a non-oil balsamic dressing or a couple of squeezes of lemon as a dressing. 

Here's what you do. Start eat day with a green drink or smoothie. You can purchase blenders such as Vitamix or Blendtec which help you make the healthiest drinks possible. You can make a different smoothie everyday or find your groove and create one that gives you everything at once. Add kale, chard, ginger, turmeric, berries, banana, apple, lemon or orange and find a recipe that provides a plethora of nutrients. You will find plenty of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and enzymes that will supply the building blocks to improve your overall health. These same nutrients are not only building blocks, but they can reverse aging and repair damaged tissue. You will find increased energy, healthier skin, better mental clarity, improved digestive health, clearer vision and more! And who wouldn't want that?! 

Enzymes

Enzymes convert the food we eat into chemical structures that can pass though the membranes of the cells lining the digestive tract and into the blood stream. Their job doesn’t end there. Enzymes are the living proteins that direct the life force into our biochemical and metabolic processes. They help transform and store energy, make active hormones, dissolve fiber and prevent clotting. They have anti-inflammatory effects. Enzymes help balance and restore the immune system, and heal many diseases. Enzymes even help repair our DNA and our RNA.

When we cook food, we destroy many of the enzymes that help us naturally digest it.

Vitamins

Without vitamins our cells would not function properly and thus our organs would suffer and eventually we would no longer be able to survive. Vitamins help regulate metabolism, help convert fat and carbohydrates into energy, and assist in forming bone and tissue. Guess what happens when you cook food? You got it, a large percentage of the vitamins are destroyed.

Viktoras Kulvinskas in his book, Survival into the 21st Century, estimates that the overall nutrient destruction is as high as 80%. Tests have shown that we will lose 50% of the B vitamins while B1 and B12 can lose up to 96%. 97% of folic acid is destroyed as well as 70-80 % of vitamin C.

Minerals

Seventeen of the thirty elements known to be essential to life are metals. Mineral deficiencies cause disease in humans. Minerals also have a synergistic relationship with vitamins. They help each other help us. When foods are cooked, many of the minerals are destroyed, or altered, rendering them useless and also unable to assist our friends the vitamins.

Phytonutrients

Phytonutrients are what give fruits and vegetables their color. Phytos protect the body and fight disease. They also fight cancer and help your heart. Phytonutrient are at leading edge of research on nutrition. They provide medicine for cell health. And once again,Phytonutrients in freshly harvested plant foods can be destroyed or removed by cooking.

Here are some great tips to improve your smoothies so that when you do decide to create smoothies you will ace them every time!

1. Freeze: Freeze your fruits! Especially bananas. Simply peel your bananas and place in the freezer. Unfortunately, freezing apples turns them rock hard! So you would want to avoid freezing fruits with high water content.
2. Find a liquid base: Find a “base” liquid to your smoothies. This can be coconut water, freshly made juices, nut and seed milks or even water.
3. Find your leafy greens: Most leafy greens work well with each other, it’s up to your taste preference in which one you choose. Leafy greens such as Kale and Spinach are some of the most nutritional dense foods on earth, so you may want to consider adding these from time to time.
4. Use Fresh Juices: If you are looking to add an extra flavour to your smoothies, use some fresh juice, this not only heightens the flavour but it boosts the nutritional value of your smoothie.
5. More protein? So you have finished a great workout session and want more protein in your smoothies? How about adding high protein dense foods such as Chia seed, Hemp seed, Bee Pollen or Spirulina to your smoothies? These four superfoods add another level of protein nourishment to your smoothies.
6. Freeze your coconut water: Freezing your coconut water into ice cubes is a great way to add nutrients and flavour to your smoothies.
7. Supplementing: Adding green powders and berry extracts are another great way of boosting the nutritional level of your smoothies.
8. Blend your greens first with your liquid: If you are using a regular blender, try and blend your greens first with your liquid as they are often the toughest to break up, and then add your fruit.
9. Blending time: There has been quite a bit of debate around this topic. Most people keep their blending time to roughly around 30 seconds to 1 minute as this prevents oxidisation. However this is highly varied as people have different blenders and blender speeds. A good way of judging your blending time would be to check the consistency of your smoothie and adjust your time accordingly.
10. Go organic: If possible buy organic locally grown fruits and vegetables. These fruits and vegetables are not only tastier, but they contain higher levels of nutrients to nourish your body.
11. Lots of Berries: Berries are a fantastic way to increase anti-oxidant intake without having a huge sugar rush. Berries are generally on the lower end of the glycemic index and therefore do not disturb the bodies sugar and insulin levels.
12. Add some natural sweeteners: Naturally occurring sweeteners such as Xylitol or Stevia can be added in small amounts to heighten sweetness.
13. Add some flavour: Consider adding some dried fruits such as Goji berries or raw cacao powder for a higher anti-oxidant boost.
14. Spices: Consider adding spices to your smoothies. A pinch of cinnamon, cayenne pepper or turmeric can go a long way. These spices not only contain high levels of anti-oxidants but are known to prevent many other diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
15. Add healthy fasts such as flaxseed oil, coconut oil and yes the might avocado will do the trick! 
16. Preparation can save time: If you are looking to prepare a smoothie for the following day to make things easier add all your ingredients to the blender and leave the jug in the fridge ready to blend in the morning.
17. Use a glass jar: For example, Mason jars are great as they are larger than normal glasses or mugs and are very easy to clean. They can be recycled from all jars that you have accumulating.

I can promise you that incorporating one raw food meal a day will lead to vast improvements in your health. As you start this journey, you'll find ways to keep going and add a second and eventually a third. The fast food mentality is a quick way to die. There is no nutrition in fast food and your body deserves better, so give it better and you'll have more stamina for this fast-paced world in which you live and now you can truly LIVE it! 

Ward W. Bond, Ph.D.  

We live in a world where everyone likes to snack. The word 'snack' has become an unhealthy word in so many ways with many food companies trying give their products a healthy spin. Ever see the Snickers commercial? Then you get my point. 

We're all about thinking natural and I have fallen in love with a healthy snack called Beanfields Bean and Rice Chips. The label reader that I am when I shop and when I want something that's not in the produce aisle and with a crunch, I look for chips. In a world of millions of smoothie recipes, we need to actually bite into something tasty. This is where Beanfields fills the void, your taste buds and your stomach.. 

What caught my eye on their label was 'vegan', 'corn-free', 'fiber and protein', 'gluten-free' and 'all-natural' (and NON-GMO!). Sounds like the perfect chip! When I get a hunger for chips, it's usually an excuse to eat it along with an organic salsa. As you can see from the 'Nutrition Facts' label, Beanfields is a no-guilt snack or side dish (for hamburgers or Mexican food dishes). With all the '100 Calorie' snacks on the market and loaded with sugar and chemicals, we all get hungry after one bag, a tiny bag at that. But not with Beanfields! A small bag is plenty and only 140 calories with the added benefit of 4 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein and no sugar! 

Let's get to the taste. Crispy, crunchy and tasty! I love chips made from beans and rice because they are actually crunchier than corn chips. Beans and rice give a much better texture. I would call it heartier and they're not greasy either. If you like to make your own homemade nachos and pile on the cheese then this chip works extremely well! Try it and you'll know what I mean!

I've recommended Beansfields to many of my friends and they all love them! The food world is changing rapidly making unhealthy foods a sin in the world, but Beansfield is ahead of the game with an amazing line of chips. 

Beanfields has plenty of flavors to choose from: Sea Salt, Nacho, BBQ, Pico De Gallo, Salt N'Pepper, Ranch and Unsalted. My favorites are the Sea Salt and Nacho. Once you taste these amazing chips you'll be saying Doritos who? They are available in two sizes 1.5oz and 6oz bags and you can order then online! Click here 
Beanfields is the best chip on the natural market and can be found in Whole Foods, Sprouts and many others. 

Now, if I can convince them to make a chocolate chip cookie without guilt.....

Ward W. Bond, Ph.D. 

How do you like your steak or hamburger cooked? Rare? Medium-Rare? Medium? Medium-Well or Well-Done? If you are in the Well-Done group, it's time to rethink your choice of how you want your red meat cooked. According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, women who ate overcooked hamburgers had a 50% greater risk of breast cancer than women who ate rare or medium hamburgers. In the Iowa Women's Health Study found that women who consistently eat well-done steak, hamburgers and bacon have a 4 1/2 fold increased risk of breast cancer than women who ate their meats rare or medium. 

I had neighbors who grilled outdoors a lot and they were champions grillers. The wife ended up with a double mastectomy and it was traced back to the weekly grilling. Cooking foods at high temperatures causes a chemical reaction in the meat forming of gene-mutating heterocylic amines, which is why deep-fried foods are so dangerous to eat. Heterocyclic aminers have been linked to prostate, breast, colorectal, esophageal, lung, liver, and other types of cancers. 

Many American love eating meat, but if there are no vegetables added to the diet one is adding pressure to the pancreas and liver. Fruits and vegetables provide the body enzymes and antioxidants that can provide protection against these dangerous chemical reactions in the body. Nitrosamines are very cancer-causing which are formed when one grills their food. Taking Vitamin C after the meal can help nullify the nitrosamines in the stomach before they cause cellular damage. 

Other nutrients such as indole-3-carbinol which is found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are highly beneficial in preventing cancers of the breast, ovaries, uterine and prostate. I3C works to prevent DNA damage. 

Medical College of Ohio showed I3C reduced the rate of DNA damage from chemicals in several organs by up to 95%. 

• Decreased DNA damage in white blood cells 81%
• Decreased DNA damage in the colon 86%
• Decreased DNA damage in the liver by 72%

Also chlorophyll is very helpful in reducing cellular damage caused by eating overcooked meats. Chlorophyll is an antimutagenic agent. Research shows taking chlorophyll or eating plenty of green vegetables can help suppress the mutations of cancer-causing chemicals by as much as 90%. 

This article isn't for vegans or vegetarians and I like to meat from time to time, but my is never cooked well-done. Try backing it done a bit to medium, that's where the real flavor is and you'll be doing yourself a healthier favor. 

There's a reason why fruits and vegetables should be a major part of everyone's daily diet. They provide enzymes, chlorophyll, antioxidants and other nutrients that provide optimal health and protection to every cell in  your body. 

Zheng W, Gustafson DR, Sinha R, et al. Well-done meat intake and the risk of breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1998 Nov 18;90(22):1724-9

Many of us walk without thinking about it. We walk from room to room, to the kitchen, to the car or walk around the mall. But did you know 'walking' benefits your brain? 

In a study done at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise, the kind that gets your heart and your sweat glands pumping, appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning. 

Researchers say one new case of dementia is detected every four seconds globally. They estimate that by the year 2050, more than 115 million people will have dementia worldwide. We are learning quickly that a sedentary lifestyle is a quick way to the grave. If you don't move it, you're going to lose it and in this case, your brain function. 

The direct benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the release of growth factors—chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells. The indirect benefits of exercise improves mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety. Problems in these areas frequently cause or contribute to cognitive impairment.

I personally walk for exercise. I don't have the knees to run or job, but walking is something I like to do for exercise and I do it outside, not on the treadmill (benefits the brain too). I walk 2-4 miles a day depending on my schedule and walking is great for the heart, circulation, muscles, stress and helps to 'clear' one's head from the activities of the day. Not only that, walking can help improve your creativity too!

Now for a little tech talk. Many studies have suggested that the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory (the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal cortex) have greater volume in people who exercise versus people who don’t. The prefrontal cortex is involved in a lot of higher-level cognitive functions and the hippocampus is involved in memory formation. And when it shrinks, it leads to Alzheimer's disease and dementias.The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus increased in size by only 2% or 3%, but that was enough to offset the steady shrinkage doctors expected to see over the same period.

According to the Harvard Health blog, the question was asked how much exercise is required? 
An hour twice a week is an excellent start. I prefer to see walking as exercise to be a daily thing and remember, this is walking briskly, not moseying merrily along. You want to get the heart rate up and get the blood pumping. And swing those arms! Walking has an amazing effect upon every part of the body! For those who don't have time to walk for exercise, get you a step counter and use it to get your step count up each day. The exercise you do today will benefit you tomorrow.

Rise up and get walking!!


Ward W. Bond, PhD