Last week I mentioned my raw breakfast, so I thought I would share the recipe and some of the benefits.

This raw breakfast recipe is a very simple way to shed those extra pounds and get down to your ideal weight. My Auntie Lyn told me about it several times, but I always shrugged it off. To be honest, it didn’t sound very tasty!

Now I eat it every morning (at least when I remember to start it).  I’ve lost 10 pounds, and kept it off, without changing my diet or exercising any more than I did before. I get tons of compliments on how great I look! And it is simple.  The hardest part is remembering to start it before bed.

Here’s what you need to make your raw breakfast:
• one handful of raw seeds (I use a mixture of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds)
• 4-5 raw nuts (like almonds or cashews)
• 1/3 cup raw oats (that’s the long-cooking oats)
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least an hour, overnight is better.

IMPORTANT! DRAIN BEFORE EATING!

I try to use organic ingredients when I can, because I don’t like the thought of having extra chemicals with my breakfast.

I know, it may not sound great, but you get used to it. When I first started eating it, I threw in some dried cranberries for zip. After a month or so, I started using bee pollen instead of the cranberries. Now I sprinkle some cinnamon on it, and throw in some fresh or frozen fruit.

So what are the benefits of a raw breakfast, and why does it help you lose weight?

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds have been used throughout history to enhance energy – a great reason to have them as part of your raw breakfast! Who can’t use extra energy in the morning?

Native Americans and other herbalists have used sunflower seeds as a diuretic, for constipation, chest pain, or ulcers, to treat worms, and to improve eyesight. Recently, they have been recommended for use for people with high blood pressure or cardiovascular problems with good success.

Raw sunflower seeds are higher in nutrition than roasted and definitely better than salted seeds. Raw sunflower seeds are very high in potassium and low in sodium, a balance sorely needed by most of us these days with so many salty foods available. One cup of sunflower seeds contains more than 1,300 mg of potassium and only 4 mg of sodium. This is likely very helpful as a diuretic or for people who already take diuretics, to help replace some potassium. The high amount of oil in sunflower seeds as polyunsaturated fats, essential linoleic acid, and vitamin E is also helpful in reducing cholesterol levels and improving or preventing cardiovascular disease.

When sunflower seeds (or any raw nuts or seeds) are soaked overnight, it makes them more digestible and alkaline-forming. Essentially, soaking starts the sprouting process, or bio-activates them, and makes the nutrients more available to your body. I’ll talk more about the importance of alkalinity on another page.

Pumpkin Seeds

These are best known for their concentration of zinc and their use in the treatment and prevention of male prostate problems. Pumpkin seeds have also been used in treatment of intestinal worms. They are good source of protein and contain a good balance of amino acids. Their fat content, mostly unsaturated, is over 50 percent of the seeds.

Raw pumpkin seeds are also very high in iron, calcium and phosphorus, with some magnesium and copper. Like sunflower seeds, they also contain vitamin E and essential fatty acids, and so the two make a good mix in the raw breakfast. There is a mix of B vitamins, with niacin being the richest.

Almonds

When raw almonds are the first thing in your stomach after arising, they set the hydrochloric acid tolerance for the day, providing all-day protein digestion. When almonds are eaten first as part of your raw breakfast, they are efficiently digested since stomach acids are concentrated after the nightly fast. (If you leave hydrochloric acid alone in your stomach, the saliva and hydrochloric acid would become toxic.) In other words, almonds have an alkalizing effect on the body.

When soaked, raw almonds act as protein plus nitrogen. This protein helps your blood sugar stabilize throughout the rest of the day. Eat one almond per ten pounds of body weight, more if you want to gain weight and less if you want to lose weight.

The flavonoids found in almond skins team up with the vitamin E found in their meat to more than double the antioxidant punch. Twenty potent antioxidant flavonoids were identified in almond skins, some of which are well known as major contributors to the health benefits derived from other foods, such as the catechins found in green tea, and naringenin, which is found in grapefruit.

Oats

Low in fat and high in fibre, oats have a low glycaemic index (GI) that ensures a slow and sustained release of energy. Oats are also rich in vitamin B6, which is believed to help guard against depression. They are also an excellent source of iron, dietary fiber and thiamin. They contain antioxidants that are believed to protect the circulatory system from diseases such as arteriosclerosis, which affects the arterial blood vessel.

Soaking the raw oats, just like with the raw nuts and seeds, makes them easier to digest, and makes the nutrients more available to your body.

On top of all this, here’s what the American Cancer Society has to say about the benefits of oats:

1. Insoluble fiber’s cancer-fighting properties are due to the fact that it attacks certain bile acids, reducing their toxicity.

2. Soluble fiber may reduce LDL cholesterol without lowering HDL cholesterol. LDL is bad; HDL is good.

3. Soluble fiber slows down the digestion of starch. This may be beneficial to diabetics because, when you slow down the digestion of starch, you avoid the sharp rises in your blood sugar level that usually occur following a meal.

4. It has been found that those who eat more oats are less likely to develop heart disease, a disease that is currently widespread in the United States.

5. The phytochemicals in oat may also have cancer-fighting properties.

6. Oats are a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium. Oats are also a good source of protein.

***************************

There you have it. I may not be a raw foodist, but I am sold on the raw breakfast!

Blessings,

Mary