There are many schools of nutrition available to the health conscious person. As more and more people become vegetarian, the quest for the ultimate way of healthful eating becomes paramount. How does one know that their food choices are excellent? There are so many systems out there, which one promises the most optimal health and well being?

Life food nutrition is a powerful way to go. It is based on the premise, that food that grows wild like fruits and vegetables, sprouted nuts and seeds, as well as some fermented foods, give the body everything that it needs to grow, rebuild, and emanate with life-force. It is best that these foods are organic due to their superior nutritional content, low impact on the earth, and freedom from pesticides.

The human body is completely new every seven years. The liver recreates itself every seven days. There is an innate intelligence, which governs the organization of every living cell. When this intelligence is given all the tools that it needs, the body can recreate itself in extraordinary health.

Cooked food is more difficult to digest because of the lower level of enzymes. Enzymes are the catalysts of digestion in the body. When food is cooked above 118 degrees, the enzymes are denatured or broken apart. Thus the body must use its own energy to create more enzymes and digest the food. This is one reason why people feel tired after a large meal.

Life food is food that would spoil if left out. It spoils because the enzymes begin to break the food down. A browning apple is a good example. Diets that do not contain large quantities of enzymes draw on the body’s reserves of energy. This can lead to many health problems. Dr. Edward Howell, author of Enzyme Nutrition writes, “Shortened lifespan, inferior health of the organs, and nagging illnesses...all due to an enzyme-deficient diet.” (1985, p.74)

Yet Life food is more than a diet rich in enzymes, it is a diet rich in life-force. This is an important point, and distinguishes this way of eating from any other. All of the food ingested in a Life food diet is food that can be completely used by the body. These are foods that are vibrant, and grow naturally in nature, that will help the body to enhance its inner intelligence.

Life food nutrition heals the body and helps it recover from past traumas, upsets, and illnesses. When the digestive system is given a rest from constantly trying to digest cooked foods, it begins to repair itself. Healing occurs when the body is given excellent nutrition in easily digested forms. Forms filled with life and vitality.

Another important component of life food nutrition is its gourmet nature. Many of the recipes that are used are delicious and colorful. This is not a diet of carrots and apples only. Recipes include everything from super sandwiches, to yummy soups, to incredible deserts. (See recipes below.) Eating in this way is fun. It is like filling your body with rocket fuel.

So, how does one start? First, I recommend that one be very gentle. The body responds best to gradual change. Second, it is always easier to add something good, then to take away anything. So, start slow, and add some good stuff. Based on your current diet, you might start by incorporating a wonderful smoothie for lunch, or a live soup with dinner. If you are less than accustomed to raw fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, try adding a wonderful salad every day. And definitely make a desert.

For those who are ready to jump in and have a Life food day, I have included a menu at the end of this article, as well as some resources where you could obtain excellent advice and best of all, more recipes. A good thing about the menu is that each of the recipes could be modified. You could even use this menu as the base for your whole week. Just mix and match, enjoy, have fun.

Caring for the body in this way, allows for healing and attunement. When the innate intelligence in the body is able to express itself fully, the life-force is vibrant and electric. This way of eating helps one to be connected to nature, to feel the rhythms of spirit, and to know the wonders of creation in every cell of your body.

References:
Edward Howell, (1984) Enzyme Nutrition; The food enzyme concept.
David and Annie Jubb, (2000) The Life food Recipe Book.
Ann Wigmore, (1978) Recipes for Longer Life.
David Wolfe, (1999) The Sunfood Diet Success System.

Asheville Resources:
Raw food classes and products.
Showering Purity – (828) 259-9121

Web Resources:
www.Life food.com
www.JubbsLongevity.com
www.rawfood.com
www.livingfoods.com

Recipes from The Life food Recipe book by David and Annie Jubb, 2000;

Seventh Heaven Soup:

1 cucumber with peel
1 red pepper, seeded and cored
2 whole stalks celery
1 medium tomato
1 apple, cored
¼ cup lemon juice
1 inch ginger root, peeled
3 whole cloved garlic, peeled
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 or 2 bushy stems cilantro
½ cup fresh ground sesame seed
2 heaping T. unpasteurized miso
¼ cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
¼ cup favorite cold-pressed oil, like flax or olive
¼ tsp. Cayenne, to taste (optional)
2 ½ cups charged water

Grind the sesame seed to a moist meal in your grinder; it only takes a few seconds. Cut all vegetables into chunks, and blend. Depending on how much gusto your blender has, you may have to shred harder vegetables, and blend in two batches if the vessel is smaller. Garnish with Spirulina flakes or your favorite oil. Store sealed in the refrigerator for up to 36 hours. Make some extra tonight for tomorrow’s lunch!

Live Apple Pie

Piecrust:
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup ground walnuts
1 lb. Pitted dates
½ cup grated apples
½ cup soaked sunflower seed, soaked 20 min., drained

Mix together well in food processor and press out your crust into the pie shell. Next, grate enough apples to fill shell generously and set to the side in a bowl.

Blender:
2 ½ tsp. Cinnamon
½ cup apple juice
2/3 cup raisins, or dried figs, or prunes
½ cup grated apple

Add blender mixture to bowl of grated apple filling and toss well. Fill piecrust. Serve or refrigerate. Keeps well covered in refrigerator for 2 days.

Vegetable Pate

7 large fresh Shitake mushrooms (or soak dried ones)
1 cup pumpkin seed, soaked 1 hour, drained and rinsed
1 cup raw almonds, soaked 1 hour, drained and rinsed
1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked 1 hours, drained and rinsed
¼ cup white onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded, diced
3 T. lemon juice
2 cloved fresh garlic, crushed
3 T. kelp, or dulse powder
2 T. nutritional yeast
2 T. ginger root, grated, or juiced
2/3 cup nut milk or water
¼ cup shoyu unpasteurized soy sauce

Grind soaked nuts and seeds with the other ingredients in a food processor with the “S” blade. Blend to a smooth paste. This is a great Nori Roll filler (in place of rice), great as a side to your favorite salad, or as a stuffing for half an avocado. Keeps well sealed in the refrigerator for several days.

Dr. Senzon is a graduate of Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic. She is also a certified instructor of Sivananda Yoga and a marathon runner. She practices with her husband Simon at Network Family Chiropractic on Charlotte Street in Asheville, N.C. Contact this writer:writer@newlifejournal.com


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