Many fruits and vegetables have high amounts of many antioxidant vitamins, including vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin C. In addition to their importance as source of vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables also provide essential dietary fiber.  In addition to vitamin C, oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits also contain significant amounts of fiber. Fiber plays an important role in digestion, and it is thought to have protective qualities against heart disease and some forms of cancer.  Plus, fiber is thought to have the ability to lower high levels of cholesterol in the blood.

Another great feature of fruits and vegetables, especially to those watching their weight, is the high nutrition, low fat and low calorie nature of these foods. Fruits and vegetables contain very low levels of fats, and a diet low in fat can be quite effective for long-term weight loss. Fruits and vegetables contain no cholesterol, and they are lower in calories than many other types of foods.

Fruits and vegetables have a lot of advantages besides just their nutritional importance.  For one thing, they taste great and add a great deal of variety to everyday meals.  Fruits and vegetables come in such a wide variety of colors, textures and flavors that they can be used in virtually every meal.
No matter what your reason for following a healthy diet, you will find that eating more fruits and vegetables is a delicious, as well as a nutritious; way to get the vitamins and minerals you need every day.  Including fruits and vegetables in your diet is one sure way to a healthier body. A daily intake of these delicious foods can be of great benefit to your body in various ways. If you are beginning to eat a healthier diet to help you lose weight, or just as way to become more energetic, a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is a great way to start. As you begin to eat more fruits and vegetables, you will start to realize how much better you will feel.

Although fruits and vegetables exhibit great nutritional benefits, there is no one fruit or vegetable that is a complete food.  All fruits and vegetables offer outstanding health benefits.  Nutritional research shows that each one contains its own set of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other important nutrients.  To get the maximum health benefits, experts recommend eating a variety of fruits and vegetables along with other natural foods.

1. Avocados: An easy to digest fat, that is filling and high in vitamin e.  If you’re trying to cut down on fat, try using it as a salad dressing instead of oil.  It will make the salad more filling and satisfying. Here is what Tony Kay has to say about avocados: “Providing all of the 18 amino acids, avocados are bursting with nutrients, including vitamins A, C, E, H and B complex.  Avocados are exceptional sources of vitamin K, potassium and essential fatty acids and users report softer skin, lustrous hair and hormonal balance.”

2. Camu Camu berry powder or lemons OR bell peppers: All great sources of vitamin C that your muscles really need after a workout.

3. Hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, and/or almonds or their butters: For protein, healthy fats, and calories.  Try to eat these with greens to help digestion.

4. Bee Pollen: A great source of protein and amino acids as well as antioxidants.  It’s known as one of nature’s perfect foods! (not technically vegan but sustainable and organic bee products are okay with most raw vegans)

5. Fermented foods: Saurkraut or Rejuvelac for instance (or probiotics in the morning).  Kombucha too! Great for digestion and assimilation of all this nutrition and protein.

6. Digestive enzymes: Also will help you absorb all that protein your body might not be used to.

7. Raw oat groats: Raw oat groats have choline in them.  Peter Ragnar talks about this as a very important part of weight training (Peter Ragnar can now leg press over 2,000 lbs!!!)

8. High-potassium foods: Bananas or raisins are great sources.  Dulse too.

9. A green superfood power such as Vitamineral Green or Revitaphi to add to smoothies: Added nutrition and minerals.

10. Green algae superfoods such as spirulina, blue-green algae, and/or chlorella: Easy to assimilate protein and chlorophyll sources.  Good for your brain too and detoxification too!

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Eating protein helps build and maintain muscle.  Not only that but it also helps to lose excess fat because it has a higher thermic effect than fats and carbs – meaning it takes a lot more calories to digest and utilize the protein than the other two macronutrients.   This is called the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) and it breaks down the following way:

Protein: 25 to 30% TEF
Carbohydrates: 7% TEF
Fat: 3% TEF

To illustrate, if you eat 100 calories of only protein, your body will use 25 to 30 calories to digest and utilize that protein. If you eat 100 calories of pure carbohydrates, your body will use 7 calories to digest and utilize that carbohydrate. Your body uses just 3 calories to digest 100 calories of fat. If you cut back on healthy fats too much, though, the body will start to hold onto fat because it thinks we’re starving. Carbs fuel your body before a good workout and replenish depleted fuel stores afterwards.

10 Raw Vegan Foods to Build Muscle & Lose Fat

1. Good water: With MSM in it is even better for sore muscles, circulation, detox, and flexibility.  Check out this link to learn ALL that MSM helps with.  I use 2-3 tablespoons in 16 oz of water almost every morning.

2. Lots of greens: spinach, kale, parsley, collards, swiss chard, romaine, etc.  Think salads, green smoothies, and green juice.

3. Good protein powder such as Hemp Protein, Sun Warrior Protein, Sproutein, and/or Warrior Protein (by Healthforce Nutritionals).

4. Spouted (or cooked) lentils: For protein and fiber and carbs after a workout.

5. Sprouted (or cooked) quinoa: For protein and fiber and carbs after a workout.

6. Hemp Oil: Great source of omega 3’s, anabolic fat that helps you burn fat.

7. Chia Seeds: Great source of omega 3s, protein, and keeps you full and hydrated.  I love eating chia seeds in a little bowl with some maca and agave nectar!

8. Coconut Oil: High thermic effect, great for metabolism and hormones, anabolic fat that helps you burn fat.

9. Nutritional Yeast: Great source of protein, B vitamins, and it tastes delicious sprinkled on salads, lentils, quinoa, even spirulized zucchini (think macaroni and cheese!)

10. Berries of all types: They’re low glycemic and full of antioxidants.  Goji berries are my favorite!

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There was a recent article on healthandwellness.com which discusses this topic along with the implications for health dangers.  “Poor diet coupled with a lack of physical activity is not just stressful on the body, it’s downright dangerous. We have a significant increased risk of developing a laundry list of very bad health problems: diabetes (Type 2), heart disease, arthritis, stroke, respiratory problems, liver disease, several types of cancer, and more.” read article here

This shows the severity of the issue and the immediate need to make a change in our lives.  One of the biggest obstacles to overcome, which is discussed in the aforementioned article, is mental toughness and motivation.  Most people begin an exercise routine and stay on it for a few days, maybe even a couple weeks.  They modify their dietary intake and start to feel as though they are making a change.  However, a large majority of the people soon fall right back into their old habits because of the willpower that is required to maintain these healthy habits.

Part of the reason so many people become deterred from continuing what they started is the amount of effort is required.  This also coincides with the time it takes to eat healthy and exercise regularly.

That is where Whole Body Vibration can help.  WBV reduces the amount of time and work which helps to keep people motivated.  The normal exercise time for Whole Body Vibration is only 10 minutes.  Think about that, instead of dreading a 60 minute workout at the gym you can get your daily dose in only 10 minutes.  Because of the high number of muscle contractions that WBV requires from the body, paired with the recruitment of 100% of muscle fiber (as opposed to 40% in conventional exercise) the body is fatigued much faster.  In addition it is something different so most people find it fun and actually look forward to using Whole Body Vibration every day.

Even though WBV can help with the exercise side of things and greatly reduce the amount of time required, nutrition is the biggest part of the equation.  Without a proper diet, exercise will only create a nominal improvement in your health.  You must eat right and exercise regularly to become and stay healthy.  This is inevitable and something that most people do not understand.

In order to give you a better understanding of a healthy diet and what is recommended for proper health, we need a whole new blog post for that.

So stay tuned, because in the near future I will cover this topic.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “What We Eat In America” report, the 7 most neglected nutrients are:

1. Calcium
2. Potassium
3. Fiber
4. Magnesium
5. Vitamin A
6. Vitamin C
7. Vitamin E

Now what are some easy (and tasty!) things you can eat to make sure you’re not neglecting these important nutrients?

Calcium

• Plain Low Fat Yogurt
• Tofu
• Almonds
• Oranges or Orange Juice

Potassium

• Bananas
• Lima Beans
• Potatoes
• Raisins

Fiber

• Raspberries
• Avocado
• Bran Cereal or Oats
• Black Beans

Magnesium

• Halibut
• Spinach
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Peanuts

Vitamin A

• Sweet Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Apples

Vitamin C

• Strawberries
• Kiwi
• Basil
• Garlic

Vitamin E

• Peanut Butter
• Sunflower Seeds
• Olives