1. Raw Power

Raw plant foods are healthy, regenerative, cleansing and energising, packed with potent compounds that gift the body in numerous ways. Raw food boosts the immune system, enhances digestion and has reputed benefits for weight loss and clear, beautiful skin. It is much more easily digested, taking half to a third of the time of cooked food and provides substantial amounts of healthy fibre, nutrients, benevolent oils, antioxidants and life-giving enzymes.

2. Know Your Fats

Hydrogenated fats and refined cooking oils contain harmful trans-fatty acids and free radical toxins that poison the body. Excess saturated animal fats are also detrimental to health and contribute to clogged arteries, heart disease, obesity and cancer. Natural cold-pressed oils such as nut, seed, olive and fish oils contain monounsaturated fats, healthy essential fatty acids, nutrients and phytochemicals that serve the body. Coconut oil is a ?miracle oil? that has a myriad of health benefits and actually aids weight loss! Flax seed and fish oils are super rich in essential omega-3 oils which enhance the burning of fats in the body and serve numerous important health functions.

3. Eat Your Greens

Some of the healthiest and most nutritious foods on the planet are green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli and kale, green algae (spirulina and chlorella for example) and grasses such as wheat grass and barley grass. As well as the plethora of nutrients and phytochemicals these foods contain, one key ingredient they all share is chlorophyll, a powerful cleanser and detoxifier. Chlorophyll binds to heavy metals and is excellent in helping to remove them from the body. Laboratory tests have demonstrated the ability of chlorophyll to inhibit the growth of bacteria and viruses and repair damaged tissues.

4. No sugar

We all enjoy a little sweetness in our lives, yet there's no getting away from the negative effects of sugar. These include immune system suppression, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, tooth decay, premature aging, hormone imbalance, free radicals, osteoporosis, heart disease and the feeding cancer cells. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharine are very dangerous alternatives. Try natural sugars such as dried and fresh fruit, or stevia, a healthy sugar subsitute.

5. Phytonutrients

There are literally 1000's of active compounds in plants known as phytonutrients now recognised for their astonishing health virtues. They have been shown to play an active role in the prevention of chronic and degenerative diseases as well as lowering cholesterol, detoxifying the blood, relieving allergies and neutralising free radicals. Dr James Duke of the US Department of Agriculture states that ?One gram of preventative phytonutrients is better than a ton of curative drugs?. Phytochemicals correspond with the colour attributes of plants, hence eating a rainbow selection of vegetables and fruits ensures a healthy and varied intake of these health promoting compounds.

6. Cut Out Refined Carbohydrates

Refined carbohydrates such as white flour and white rice are robbed of nutrient value and are high-glycemic, one step away from ingesting sugar directly. This raises insulin levels in the blood which in turn prevents the burning of fat for energy and increases the risk of obesity and diabetes. Stick to healthy whole grains which are absorbed slowly and do not lead to imbalanced sugar levels, such as brown rice, millet, spelt, oats, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth or natural white rice such as jasmin or basmati.

7. Antioxidants Foods

Antioxidants subjugate the attack of free radicals in the body, the hazardous molecules implicated in the onset of aging and disease. Although we produce many of our own antioxidants within the body, food provides an essential source for these key players of our defence system with superfoods providing a particularly opulent supply (berries, spinach, prunes, onions, grapes and Brussel sprouts being some examples).

8. Avoid Dairy

Increased dairy consumption has been linked with numerous diseases and conditions including acne, allergies, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Chron's disease, and even osteoporosis. Milk also contains harmful synthetic hormones (such as BGH), drugs and pesticides. Try rice milk or nut milks as alternatives (avoid soy however as it has deleterious effects on the body with plenty of research available online regarding this).

9. An Alkaline Diet

PH balance in the body is imperative for health and resistance to disease. To achieve this it is important to ensure you include predominantly alkaline foods in your diet (60-80%) such as fresh vegetables and fruits which contain alkalising minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium. An acidic system (Acidosis) is associated with a wide range of health problems including stomach ulcers, arthritis, bladder and kidney conditions, diabetes, osteoporosis, fungal overgrowth, heart disease, cancer and weight gain. Foods that acidify the body include sugar, meat, dairy products, eggs, fats and most grains (except millet, quinoa and amaranth). Some of the ?best? acid foods include brown rice, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils, oats and fish.

10. Plenty of Superfoods!

Superfoods are the most potent, anti aging, antioxidant rich, nutrient dense, disease fighting, beautifying, immune boosting, mood enhancing foods on the planet! They include regular foods that may already feature in your diet such as broccoli and spinach, as well as more unusual ones such as bee pollen and aloe vera. There are many, all worth exploring, and once discovered you'll not want to be without them!

Copyright 2006 Sylvia Riley