Dehydration and The Importance of Drinking Water

By Laura Black On May 27, 2013 · Add Comment

Most of us already know the importance of drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water each day.

Parents of small children also know the importance of keeping children well hydrated, especially when they get sick.

Hydration becomes even more important as we age. According to ParentGiving.com, our awareness of thirst becomes blunted as we get older. A woman of 60 may not feel her body’s need for water as keenly as a 30-year-old woman.

Here are some simple facts that may inspire you to drink more water:

When we don’t drink enough water, cellular dehydration occurs. Less important areas of the body, like skin and bones, lose crucial water resources to more important organs such as the brain, kidneys, heart, lungs and liver.
Did you know that our brain is 80% water? That’s why we sometimes feel disoriented when we become dehydrated. Want to think sharper? Quicker? Drink more water.
Water helps the body flush toxins; thereby contributing to a healthier life.
Water keeps your skin healthy.

The following infographic from WaterCoolersDirect.com shares the benefits of water in more graphic detail.

Enjoy with a glass of water with a slice of organic lemon (makes it more alkaline). Your body will love you for it.

Read Full Article →

A Raw Food Journey

By Laura Black On May 9, 2013 · Add Comment

I was first introduced to raw food when I went to a local eatery that did kombucha teas and raw food meals.

I had a coconut kefir, fruit and raw granola parfait that was more like dessert than breakfast. Talk about an eye-opening experience. We had gone to this eatery for the tea; the parfait was an added bonus.

Our future daughter-in-law, Jasmine, is vegan and started experimenting with raw food prep.

Desserts are always the easiest to prepare for beginners.

My husband and I were lucky enough to be guinea pigs for her creations of raw cheesecake, raw peanut butter-chocolate bars and other really luscious desserts.

As time went by, Jasmine went on to prepare raw dinner entrees that were off the chart.

We’ve had raw ravioli, pizza and stroganoff by Jasmine’s talented hands that I swear taste like the real dairy and meat versions.

But raw food doesn’t use any animal products at all. In fact, it’s mainly nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits. And there’s no cooking either.

It’s all raw!

Pretty simple. And what’s really great about this stuff is that you can eat it any time, day or night, dessert, dinner, or breakfast and it’s all good for you.

Special note for those with nut allergies, raw food preparation can be done without nuts altogether and seeds alone are used. See below for sites that offer raw food recipes for people with nut allergies.

With the acquisition of a Vitamix from Santa my husband last Christmas and an Excalibur Dehydrator as a special gift for myself, I’ve decided to venture into the unknown world of raw food preparation.

I would like to share this journey with you, as one regular person, to another. What I mean is that I have no special skills as a chef and I certainly don’t know how to create my own recipes.

So, I am going to share my journey of raw food preparation along with the recipes I’ve used with links to sites, cookbooks (affiliate links may be attached), and other helpful resources that might encourage you to try raw food.

Veganism and raw food living is by far the healthiest lifestyle for humans and certainly the kindest way to treat our planet.

So, let’s get started…..