Tag Archives: kelp

Calling Miss Magic

Kate offered me a nutritional make over and I jumped with excitement.  Recently I have been feeling very tired and lethargic and really needing that something extra. Looking after my lil man is hard work as well as running a business and trying to do two what seems like full courses, all on the run.  I think my inner battery has been a bit low and although I do lots of exercise, probably too much actually, and eat well, the strain on my adrenals was high due to my heavy workload.  Kate’s consult was synchronicity indeed.

Kate has such a friendly style and a real be good to yourself attitude.  She said to me, “Listen to your body, take it out of the head and into the body to heal,” when talking about trying to be perfect and a good 100% raw fooder.  We discussed that you need to listen to your body and if your body wants chips, then buy good organic potatoes and make some chips.  Denial is not the key to sustaining a healthy diet or lifestyle whatever your choice of food is!

As a fitness consultant I am a very physical person, I NEED to do a couple of hours exercise a day!  As such my energy intake is very high, my body needs more calories to get me through than someone whom is quite sedentary in their day to day life.  As such we discussed how I can achieve that high energy raw styleee.

Kate suggested taking chlorella after my workouts as well as greener grass and Spirulina, about one tablespoon of a mix of all.  It was suggested that I could make some flax crackers which are very grounding and mix the powders into some avocados, by the way of which I should consume two a day of.

Two amazing superfoods for sustaining such a lifestyle are:  Chia and Maca.  Chia for the amazing hydrating benefits but also for the fat content, and the Omega 3’s which are very bio-available in Chia.  Maca is great for energy, hormones and strength building.  Burning fat is a good source of fuel for the body especially if your energy needs are high and one of the best sources is coconut butter.  Don’t forget about the Seagreens as they are the most mineral rich food on the planet due to the sea bed still so rich in minerals.  Kelp being the best source of the sea vegetables and extremely cheap to buy – bonus!

Kate was very supportive, and for me whom has been on-off  raw for over two years now I had loads of information to think about and implement in my diet.  Kate also reminded me of things I had forgotten to do, love myself and those naughty parts of me as they can run and hide but they always come home!  You can hear my interview with Kate on the Magic Bubble for the full low down.

Peace out!

Kelp Noodles

When I first got into raw, about two years ago now, I still remember the feelings of being overwhelmed at the minefield of new foods/ super foods and ingredients that I had never heard of in my life. I remember texting Kate to ask her what Engevita was.... It was a whole new way of life and living! I am sad to say that I was not brought up as a vegan or vegetarian, although, as I grew and was able to buy my own food and make my own choices in life my diet mainly consisted of pulses and vegetable, which I found I thrived on, albeit cooked.

My raw adventure really began at a talk I attended by Kate M herself. Kate talked about the triangle of foods and the importance of seaweed in the diet. How seaweed is an essential part of the raw diet, as it is one of the only few unfarmed and unpolluted resources left. Kelp in partiular is full of good stuff like iodine and more than 60 minerals, elements and amino acids. Kelp is amazing as it can be helpful for encouraging weight loss and for treating low blood pressure and fatigue, all of which may be caused by a sluggish thyroid. Eating Kelp could help to ensure that you are getting some of the vitamins and minerals in you that your body needs daily to perform OpTiMaLly, which is great to know.

When I first heard about Kelp noodles I thought, hum interesting.... I had remembered what Kate had talked about in her workshop and ordered some from Raw Living. I imagined them to taste salty with a really strong flavour like Kelp powder, maybe even slimy like seaweed you see on the beach after a storm.

I got my packet and opened with caution..... The mind can play funny tricks with you when you are unsure as to what you are eating. I gave the noodles a good wash with cold water. I had looked at a lot of recipes and they all advised to either soak the noodles in water to soften them up or marinade them in lemon juice. I soaked mine in water as my sauce was quite delicate. I actually like mine a bit crunchy but my friend was looking unsure about eating KELP!!!..... After half an hour they had tenderised nicely. I chopped them up with scissors to bite sized chunks and I added my sauce which was raw sweet corn chowder.

Wow!!!! They tasted just like Chinese noodles, a bit of consistency to them but they pretty much take the flavour of the dish itself. They are extremely versatile and look great. You could add them to any dish to add a bit of bulk and extra nutrition. I have used them in many dishes now and the choices are endless.......

Greener Grass

It took me a while to get round to trying Raw Living's green powder blend, Greener Grass, as I had most of the individual ingredients at home and I didn't think it necessary to buy the blend. Having started including it my diet recently however, I think it ranks among my favourite nutrient-dense food supplements ever. Here we see a wonderful example of how the whole is sometimes greater than the sum of its parts as Miss Magic has once more lived up to her name and created an alchemical mix of superfood and herbal powders that is detoxifying, alkalising, blood building, deeply nourishing and balancing to the mind and emotions.

If there is one type of food that is necessary in today's world, I believe it's these kinds of high quality greens which can help us get many of the trace minerals that are missing from modern foods without having to resort to expensive pills. Greener Grass powder is very easily digested by the body, which many multi vitamin/mineral supplements are not, so you need less to get a beneficial result. Many people in our culture have a highly acidic diet which is lacking in many of the most vital nutrients. Even those of us that eat a well balanced diet high in raw foods can often suffer from the stress that accompanies our modern, fast-paced lifestyles and stress is one of the most acidifying things for our bodies. Stress also depletes magnesium so it's essential that we correct this balance with high magnesium foods like Greener Grass. What's wonderful about Greener Grass is that not only does it help us deal with the damaging effects of stress, it actually prevents it as many of the trace elements it includes help to keep the mind more balanced. I have certainly noticed this effect from taking the powder, much more so than when using any of the individual ingredients separately.

You can enjoy it in a number of ways; stirred into most foods, sprinkled on greens, added to a spouted quinoa and seed salad, mixed into creamy hemp or cashew dressings and blended with raw soups to name but a few. If you're not completely raw, never fear, you can add it to cooked foods too, I've enjoyed it with cooked quinoa and millet, just make sure you add it after cooking so as not to destroy any of the vital nutrients by heating it.

Greener Grass, fresh leaf and sea veg salad with seeds and a lemon and flax dressing.

Greener Grass contains a lovely blend of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and amino acids and the protein in it makes it a great food for vegans. With barley grass, hemp protein, spirulina, he shou wu, purple corn, crystal manna, kelp, crystal salt and a wee kick of chilli it'll get you up and at 'em in no time.

Algae is an ancient food with the memory of the world stored within its simple cells. It offers us these things, simplicity and connection to the world around us when we consume it regularly and with gratitude. To me, Greener Grass is a vital food which keeps me connected to the here and now in a balanced and nourished way. That's why I think the grass is greenest here and now, at least when you have some Greener Grass to sprinkle on your dinner!

With blessings for all that is green and good,

Lucinda x