The Pitfalls in Vegetarian Nutrition (6) – Raw Diet

Burdock salad with wasabe sprouts
as a life force salad

A lot of vegetarians 

decided to pick up a vegetarian diet 

to pursue better health. 

Hence, along the path  of their wellness pursuance, 

it’s common to see vegetarians 

following the fad of raw diet.

Raw diet is a special diet which consumes 

only foods which are not treated with heat, 

to avoid damaging the natural enzymes in the food 

so that the foods are easy to digest. 

By wellness principles, 

the ease of digestion leads to better conservation of energy, 

and in turn brings about better skins, anti-aging effects. 

This is one major reason raw diet is gaining popularity.

Raw diet, just like a vegetarian diet, 

requires basic education, to plan safely and healthily. 

A common mistake is that 

many presume raw diet is merely avoiding cooked food. 

Therefore, many under-informed raw foodists, 

when avoiding heating their foods, 

have inevitably fallen to the trap of consuming mainly 

fruits, leafy salads and smoothies only. 

From the view of nutrition, 

although enzymes is highly valued, 

raw diet may cause nutritional imbalance

due to the relatively limited food choices. 

By Yin-Yang principles, 

fruits and leafy vegetables are generally 

inclined towards Yin properties. 

If one is to consume Yin food in large amount 

for prolonged period, 

the bodily system balance will be upset and cause disorders.

Therefore, there are a few critical remarks, 

raw foodists must take note of:

（1）     Not to be selective with food, and to diversify food varieties: 

          Due to the fact that most plants 

          generally contain toxins to different extent, 

          heat is often recommended to degenerate the toxins. 

          Going raw hence inevitably attracts fewer food options/varieties. 

          

          If a raw foodist, further becomes selective with food, 

          the risk of nutritional imbalanced may be worsened. 

（2）     Emphasize on germinated seeds and sprouts:  

          Among the 6 plant parts (root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, seed), 

          seed has got the most comprehensive nutrition and 

          is generally inclined towards Yang properties. 

          

          Hence, the proportion of seeds in a raw diet 

          must be substantially high, 

          in order to secure comprehensive nutrition and 

          Yin-Yang balance. 

          Although some seeds can be eaten raw, 

          they are still somewhat toxic. 

          It is recommended to soak, germinate or sprout them 

          prior to consumption. 

          Some examples are: 

          sprouted mung beans, soaked almond and sunflower seed sprouts.

（3）    Increase the intake of root vegetables: 

          If can be taken raw, 

          try to increase the consumption of root vegetables; 

          because generally root vegetables contain more minerals 

          which is relatively little in other plant parts like leaf, flower and fruits.  

          

          Roots which can be eaten raw include: 

          ginger, radish, carrot, beetroot, sengkuang, burdock, Huaishan etc.

（4）   Take fermented food more frequently: 

         Fermented foods are rich in Vitamin B complex 

         which are relatively lacking in a raw diet. 

         

         The source of Vitamin B complex is mainly cereal grains 

         which generally cannot be eaten raw; 

         hence fermented food becomes a major source of Vit Bs for raw foodists.

         

         Moreover, fermentation reduces toxins in raw food, 

         rendering some raw ingredients safer to be taken raw. 

         For examples: fermented soy bean paste, rejuvelac, saurkraut, 

For beginners, 

(i) it is generally not recommendable 

to consume large quantity of raw food, 

because beginners have yet the matured skills and 

in depth knowledge about raw food. 

(ii) Should one decide to adopt a raw diet, 

it is advisable to take one raw meal per day only. 

This is to reduce the risk of nutritional imbalance. 

(ii) Also, if possible avoid taking raw during breakfast, 

as morning is already lacking of Yang elements.

(iv) Furthermore, as both raw and cooked diets are 

treated differently in the digestive system, 

it’s always recommended to keep both 

raw and cooked food eaten separately. 

If both raw and cooked foods are constantly mixed in meals, 

the digestive tract may be compromised in long term. 

(v) If occasionally both raw and cooked foods have to be mixed, 

ensure that there is an obvious difference between raw and cooked portions. 

In other words, 

arrange such that cooked food portion 

is a few times more than raw food portion, 

or vice versa. 

(e.g. 80% cook+20% raw or 20% cooked+80% raw)

This way the digestive tract is less confused.

Raw diet is profound. 

Before hastily leaping into a raw regime, 

slow down and first get the foundation of vegetarian diet steadily built up. 

As to how to build a good foundation for vegetarian diet, 

consider consulting experienced vegetarians or attend a vegetarian nutrition course.

*More raw diet tips at Recipe eBook: http://tinyurl.com/SimpleVegetarian

Many blessings,

Kee Yew

pureland2012-at-gmail.com

{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Raw Food with the OMMH! (3)

Like many things in life,

things don't come easy and
things come with a cost or are tied with 'terms and conditions'.

It's true that going raw vegan
isn't a diet as complicated as rocket science,
but it's important that one abide by certain 'rules'
when participating in 'the game'.

Exactly why some of my students asked:
would raw diet be sufficiently nutritious/nutritionally balanced?

The answer is yes, if one plays by the rules =)

Rule 1:
Remember always that
one should not be selective with their food,
given any diet/regime they are undertaking.
Being selective about food, will obviously deprive
one from getting full spectrum of nutrition from the already limited
choice of raw food sources.
This is the #1  pre-requisite one needs to fulfill
before plunging into raw food diet.

Extended from the principle above,
it's also important to have easy/ready access to
wide variety of fresh produce
to ensure comprehensive nourishment.
(special note: Singapore which imports 90% of her food, may pose a bigger challenge to go totally raw)


Rule 2:
Access to organic food.
Raw food, is not just about eating non-cooked food.
It's actually about life-force and robust nourishment
(when eating right).
Organic food provides higher nutritients and life force
compared to chemically grown ones.
Hence, in order to ensure optimal nourishment,
organic food source is essential for raw foodists.

Many raw amateurs/beginners simply do not meet the first two pre-requisites,
hence the concern of balanced nutrients when they go raw.


Rule 3:
Dedicated to do sprouting and fermantation on weekly basis.
From TCM point of view,
fruits, leafy vegetables (as frequently seen in salad and raw smoothies)
are cooling.
These food groups are even more cooling, when eaten raw, generally speaking.
In order to counterbalance the Yin element predominating in raw diet,
it's important to take seeds which are of Warm/Yang.
Seeds are usually toxic (to different extent) when taken raw.
Hence, the only way to eat seeds raw is by sprouting
to do away the toxin.

Also, sprouting offers tremendous life-force in the raw food
(sprouts are not just alive but actively, robustly alive).
This consequently will provide raw foodists with
vigour, stamina and dynamic speed.

Fermented food (e.g. rejuvelac, raw vegan cheese)
which comprise of actively dividing live bacteria,
offers the similar benefits as sprouted seeds.

If the 3 pre-requisites above are fulfilled,
one will be on smoother path towards raw veganism.



Well regards,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

Raw-Food-with-the-OMMH


{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Raw Food with the OMMH! (1)

The trend of going for raw diet
is catching some attention these days,
while the concept of going vegan is also fast spreading.
-- this is a very good sign and ought to be congratulated :D

Along the years,
when I conducted classes on vegetarian wellness,
often I get questions of all sorts, substantially asking about:
- how to balance our nutrition by going raw
- whether raw is too "yin"/"cooling"
- is there more tasty ways to prepare raw meals
etc...

Recently, a friend of mine who has been attempting
on a partial raw diet,
came to me with the exact same complaints as listed above.
That triggers me on writing up this series of blog
on clarifying some facts and myths about raw diet.

First thing that needs to be clarified is
why go raw?

One of the major reason is that
raw food contains self-digesting enzymes.

This self-digesting enzymes mainly comes from
lysosome, a cellular compartment that is meant for
degrading waste/toxic substance in every single living cells.

When a cell is alive,
these self-digesting enzymes are organised and contained tightly in
the lysosome compartment to prevent leakage into other parts of the cells
-- otherwise, anything that comes in contact with lysosome content
will be digested/degraded.

But when a cell is ruptured,
the lysosome enzymes will leak out and blindly degrade anything that
it comes in contact with.

When we eat raw food,
cells are ruptured by chewing, or dissolved by gastric juices,
releasing the food-originated digestive enzymes
into our gastro-intestinal tract.

That in turn makes our food more quickly/efficiently digested
with less participation of digestive enzymes secreted by our own body.

Everything is energy.
That includes digestive enzymes.
If we were to eat food that will naturally self-digest itselves,
our body will save a lot of energy producing our own enzymes.

With that energy savings,
our body could redistribute energy resources to other parts of our body,
especially where healing is needed.

This further implies that
when we save energy when eating raw foods,
our body could channel energy
  to our brain for quicker thinking,
  to our immune system for disease prevention,
  to our skin for better complexion
  to many other organs for enhanced functions =)

More RAW info to come...


Good day,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

Raw-Food-with-the-OMMH
{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

The true life force behind Biogenic Cuisine

Biogenic Dinner in preparation

Exactly a week ago,

I held my very first premium Biogenic Workshop

at ONAKA.

That was one very significant event to myself,

as I feel,
that was a rare and precious opportunity,

to pass on the true essence of what I have learnt in the past 8 years.

I also consider that as a fulfillment
of my promise to Ms Sim years ago,

to pass on her concept of biogenic living.

Hence, I pay the utmost tribute to Ms Sim for being
the true driving (life-)force of this successful Biogenic Extravaganza!!

In the Biogenic Workshop held successfully on 17 July 2010,
I had a very quality discussion and theoretical teaching session
with the students, before we started to do the hands-on (ie food preparation).
This was usually not doable with a typical 2-3hr cooking demo session.
-- the cooking extravaganza lasted 6 solid hours!

In the theoretical session,
a lot of health food topics were discussed.
Notably, we elaborated on the meaning of "Biogenic".

According to the doctrine of Biogenic Diet,
food could be divided into 4 categories:

1st category is Biogenic Food [also life generating food]
-- defined as food which are organic, raw and actively growing
-- this is food that generates life-force and provide us with vital nutrients
e.g. organic sprouts with actively growing cells and
      organic miso with actively dividing good bacteria

2nd category is Bioactive Food [also life giving food]
-- defined as food which are organic and raw
-- this is food that provides good nutrients but less life-force
e.g. raw organic celery and raw organic apple

3rd category is Biostatic Food [also life slowing food]
-- defined as food which are either cooked or non-organic
-- this is food that provides only nutrients but no life-force
e.g. cooked organic corn and raw non-organic beetroot

4th category is Bioacidic Food [also life decaying food]
-- defined as food which are processed, fried, artificially synthesized or refined
-- this is food that deprives us of our life-force,
   provide little nutrients and a lot of toxins, causing our blood turn acidic
e.g. canned food, synthetic vinegar, fried potato chips

Ideally, we should be only taking Biogenic Food,
which is the best food.

However, with constraints of modern living,
we could sacrifice a portion of Biogenic Food
for Bioactive food and a little Biostatic Food.
Bioacidic food should be avoided by all cost.

Incidentally, by looking at the proportion of
each of the food category one takes in everyday,
it's not hard to relate to the vitality of a person
or even to reason why a person fall sick easily.

After the theory session,
students were involved hands-on
in preparing the 10 biogenic dishes with upclose guidance.
To name a few:
Biogenic Spinach Soup, Vegan-sour cream mushroom (POPULAR!),
pumpkin pickle, Bioactivated Beetroot Rice etc..

At the end, students were invited to sit in together
to enjoy the fruits of their labour
in a classy dining ambience, just like what the video below depicts =)





Gratefully,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

Biogenic-Cuisine
{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Raw Food with the OMMH! (4)

Getting started with raw diet,

need a bit of preparation,
on top of fullfilling the 3 pre-requisites.

As one may see in most raw vegan recipes,
a lot of juicing and blending are required.
Hence, preparing the relevant kitchen equipment
would be a logical next step.

They are:

Juicer:
Basically any decent juicer will do;
altho a press juicer is preferred over a centrfugal juicer,
as there is less damage done when juice is pressed out.
A good durable press juicer
may cost SGD600-1000.

Blender:
Often people get this mixed up with juicer.
A blender is one that blends everything of a fruit,
a long with fiber and seeds.
The outcome is usually a thick liquid.
A good blender is required to make
the blended food smooth and fine;
also to save ingredients and cost.
Nothing get sieved out and wasted.
A favourable super blender
may cost SGD1000-1600.

Food processor:
This is not essential, if a super blender already exists.
But, this equipment may help to make
a lot of healthy salad cream, nut butter or even raw cakes!
-- to cheer up our life =)
A normal grade food processor
may cost about SGD100-250.

Yes, after the 3 pre-requisites,
it's investment.
They are inevitable.

Going raw isn't an overnight affair.
If one is not well educated, well prepared, well equiped,
any diet regime simply won't work.

That is why there is no need to rush.
As a start, perhaps one could go through
a year of transition,
slowly increase the portion of raw food
and decrease the portion of cooked food.

That will give one ample of time to
get educated (e.g. attending raw cooking classes),
restructure one's lifestyle,
and save up to buy those expensive equipment!!

So, get prepared!


Happy learning,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com


p/s: Incidentally, I will be conducting a Biogenic raw food worshop on 17th July @ Onaka . Enquiry @ 6464 2007.

Raw-Food-with-the-OMMH
{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Raw Food with the OMMH! (5)

It's expected that on the path of raw veganism,
there may be some hurdles and bumpy rides.

At first, one may complain the limited food variety,
problem eating out/socialising, temptation by junk food etc...

To ensure a smoother path towards raw veganism,
a holistic approach embracing aspects of
body, mind and soul improvement
may be necessary to cushion those distress mentioned above.

For example,
MIND:    Meditation to tame the temptation from junk food
SOUL:    Prayers to fortify the faith constantly challenged by unfounded negative remarks
BODY:   Qigong to facilitate thorough oxygen/nutrients distribution to avoid Yin-yang imbalance


For some people, they may not want to go totally raw.
That is equally good -- at least raw food is taken everyday.

However, for partial raw foodist,
if possible, try to keep raw and cooked meals separate.
-- our gut will get confused & deprived when both cooked and raw food are mixed.


Lastly, I would like to share one of my favourite raw recipes
which guarantees vitality and clarity to sustain your day :)

Sproutie Smoothie
(serves 2-4)

Organic Ingredients:
- 1/2 mango or 1/2 dragon fruit or 1 big banana
- 1/2-1 cup of filtered water (chilled)
- 10pcs of soaked almond
- 2 heap spoonful of sprouted lentils, chickpea, mung bean or combination
- optional: 2g of spirulina (pills or powder)
- optional: 2 pcs of pitted medjool dates

Methods:
- blend all ingrdients in a super blender (e.g. Vitamix / Blendtec) until smooth
  [add chilled water to adjust the consistency needed]
- serve immediately

This is a complete raw meal exploded with
enzymes, proteins, vitamins, minerals, good omega, fibre, complex carb, phytonutrients..
ie everything!


Enjoy =P
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

p/s: due to the rich nourishment, Sproutie Smoothie is good in busting cravings for junk foods!


Raw-Food-with-the-OMMH


{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Raw Food with the OMMH! (2)

c

While self-digestive enzyme remains
the magical key to motivate people go raw diet
so as to look younger and to be more energetic,
other supportive reasons to go raw, includes:

^preservation of the natural activity of the nutrients
      because heat from cooking sometimes damages
      the function of certain nutrients,
      one example is that heat will degrade Vitamin C.

^free of toxic by-products that arise from heating of food
      because many a time, heating induces chemical reaction among nutrients,
      forming substances that are not natural and toxic to our bodily system
      one example is heated oil that leads to formation of carcinogens

^bioavailability of some nutrients may be higher
      because heating sometimes damages/complicates
      the molecular structure of some nutrients,
      and subsequently causes the body's extra effort to convert it back to natural form or
      to break down to smaller form before assimilation.
      one example is heat-denatured proteins that needs extra step
      to be hydrolysed before assimilation
     *contraditively, heating is required to make
       some other nutrients(e.g. lycopene) readily absorbable.

^less food additives/chemicals
      because raw food is never processed and hence
      the lower chance of contamination of addivitives/chemical
      one example is fresh fruit juice
      vs bottled juice pasteurised and preserved by benzoates

Raw-Food-with-the-OMMH
Here is one of many testimonials of the benefits of going raw:




Getting moved to try out raw diet?

Don't rush..
Wait till the next blog post.
-- There are pre-requisites to go raw!.. hehehe..



Come back soon,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

Raw-Food-with-the-OMMH

{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Meeting a rawsome guru -- Diana von Cranach



Raw food guru,
Diana von Cranach at her
creative and rawsome
food demo

Just a few days after a fun-filled organic trip at Titi Eco Farm,

I went for another raw-some living food workshop, with
a raw food guru, Diana von Cranach
@ The Green Room Cafe.

The entire afternoon spent with Diana
was inspiring.

It was like a magic seeing how the guru put together,
effortlessly,
some of the humble raw veggies
to create dishes which are very pure tasting and nourishing.

During the 4 hour workshop,
we went through the recipes with full serving of 4-course lunch
from Eggplant Roll appetizer to Sweet corn - Coconut soup,
to Mixed Veggie Timbale to Coconut jelly.

Diana also shared on many topics about healthy eating,
including differentiating what are the truly living food,
the real way of organic un-cooking,
as well as giving us some recommendation where to get
the good quality food sources and reliable kitchen appliances.

Other than skill and knowledge transfer,
the participants also had a good time networking with each other,
and exchanging 'living' ideas ;)

Some of the nice looking dishes captured at the workshop.
Happy Eye Feasting!
-- yes, these are what we had for lunch!! hahaha.. :D

With gratitude,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

p/s: I absolutely fell in love in Diana's food ever since Green Room Cafe re-opened with raw cuisine early May this year. I want to help spread further the concept of true organic and healthy vegetarian, hence am organising a special dinner session with Diana on 3rd Sep 2011. If interested, please check out Organic Meet Up =D 



{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Holistic Wellness Events Update (2)

Dear friends,

It has been a while since the last event update.
November - Dec 2011 is another exciting period.
As you will see below,
this year end LHW schedule is still packed
with a lot of learning opportunities
from Detox to Basic Nutrition workshops to simple cooking demo,
and quite some fun including
the very first Vegetarian Gourmet Tour @ KL!

Understand many will be travelling away,
so, would like to block your calendar now =D

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

5 Nov 2011:

o Organic Living Workshop (English)
9.15am - 5.45pm
Imagination Room, Level 5, Central Library, 100, Victoria Street.
Tel:  91175756
Email: info@TheVegSchool.net
(This is the second module of The Veg School systematic vegetarian course, covering a wide range of topics, from identifying organic products, understanding organic farming principles, to GMO issues, nutritional crises due to chemical farming and organic myths debunking. There will be hands-on segment learning how to cook yummy food at home!)


7 Nov 2011:

o Detox and Health (English)
8.30am -5.0pm
Awareness Place Wellbeing Centre, #03-39 Bras Basah Complex, S180231.

Tel/Fax: 6336 5067
Email: sem@kmspks.org
(This is an extra Detox Workshop that I didn't plan for 2011. My ex-students were benefited a lot from the session and specially requested this extra session so that she may bring her friends in to reap some benefits! An opportunity to learn the core principles of detoxification and understand how heal naturally, the proper way. Step-by-step guide to do DIY Detox at home provided end of the workshop.)


12 Nov 2011:

o Easy Raw Food Demo
7.00pm-8.30pm
Nutrihub, 46, Temple Street (near Chiantown MRT Exit A)
Tel: 91175756
Email: kee_yew@TheVegSchool.net
(a simple raw food demo of 4 nutritious recipes using super blender Vitamix. An opportunity to learn how to improve life quality via quick and nutritious raw food prep!) 


13,20,27 Nov, 4 Dec 2011:

o The Basics of Health Diet (Mandarin)
3.00pm - 5.00pm
Awareness Place Wellbeing Centre, #03-39 Bras Basah Complex, S180231.

Tel/Fax: 6336 5067
Email: sem@kmspks.org
(This is the last series of Vegetarian Wellness Course Level1 module to be conducted at Awareness Place. This module will be improved and taught at the National Library on 28 April 2012, under The Veg School system.)


27 Nov 2011:
o Organic Living meetup @ Nature's Harvest Cafe
#02-08, FuLuShou Complex, Bugis
12.00-2.00pm
Details: http://www.meetup.com/Organic-Living/events/39447262/
(a monthly effort to visit organic outlet to boost the business of organic outlets so that they could sustain more easily.)


3 Dec 2011:

o The Veg School 1 Day Local Organic Tour
Venues to visit: Quan Fa Eco-farm @ Lim Chu Kang, Yes Natural @ Clementi, Four Seasons @ City Square, Livin'Greens @ Beach Road
8.45am - 6.00pm
Tel: 91175756
Email: info@TheVegSchool.net
(This is a collaborative effort with CieloSereno.net to bring organic education to the public via lively tours, putting organic theories in practice!)


8-9 Dec 2011:

o 2D3N Vegetarian Gourmet Tour @ KL
2 full days of Vegetarian Makan sessions, trying out all the delicacies in KL/Klang Valley
Enquiries: 91175756 kee_yew@yahoo.com
Itinerary: http://thevegschool.net/tours/KL-Gourmet%20Tour.pdf
(This is a premiere tour that I am inventing to bring more excitement to the veg community in Singapore. Limited to 8-10pax only. Apply leaves now! :D)


10 Dec 2011:

o Diet For A Hectic Lifestyle (English)
Venue: Tampines Library Auditorium (SGD8 per entry)
11.30am - 12.30pm

To register, please email: kee_yew@yahoo.com
(This seminar will be illustrating the consequences of 'hasty' eating;  and most importantly providing practical solutions for adopting a healthy nourshing diet in our hectic lifestyle. The seminar will also introduce foodstuff which are packed with easily digestible nutrientsand sharing of some yummy and simple recipes!)


12 Dec 2011:

o Iridology Workshop (English)
Venue: Green Room Cafe
2pm-5pm
Details: http://thevegschool.net/workshops/Iridology.pdf
(This is an enriching hands-on workshop for beginners who would like to pick some basic skills to analyse one's health via a non-intrusive method ie through the recognition of patterns of iris. Vegetarian Nutritionist and Iridologist Ms Ketki Vinayachandra will be leading the workshop.)



11, 18 Dec 2011:

o Simple Vegetarian Cooking (Mandarin)
3.00pm - 5.00pm

Awareness Place Wellbeing Centre, #03-39 Bras Basah Complex, S180231.
Tel/Fax: 6336 5067
Email: sem@kmspks.org
(This is a popular cooking session that I have been doing at Awareness Place for years. Simple, nutritious and yummy cooking. Just right for beginners and hectic people!)


** I am planning to re-visit Borneo Highlands Resort 4-7 Jan 2012 (leisure) and 22-25 Apr 2012 (with Organic Detox course). Email kee_yew@yahoo.com to pre-register now!**

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

With metta,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

p/s: should you need any extra info about any of the above events, please do not hesitate to email me @ pureland2012-at-gmail.com or call 91175756.


p/p/s: should you like future email notification of new blog posts/updates, you may want to subscribe to Learning Holistic Wellness.


{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Digesting The Core of Wellness (5)

Leafy greens are easy to digest
but doesn't actively improve
the digestive system

In the course of
maintaining or improving digestive wellness,
often,
we encounter the following pitfalls
in which people sometimes get trapped unconsciously:

(I) Eating more fruits and leafy veggies can improve digestion

The statement doesn't seem wrong generally,
but technically, it should have been stated this way:

"Eating more fruits and leafy veggies can relieve the digestive system"

The pitfall here is that
many people think, fruits and leafy veggies are easy to digest
hence it should improve digestion.

But the fact is that these foods
only help to reduce the burden of the digestive system
and do not enhance the performance of the digestive system.

If the digestive system is already weak to begin with,
eating more fruits and leafy veggies
only masks the weakness
as the digestive system is not required to do much work.
-- if any benefit for the digestive system to be claimed at all,
it's minimal and passive.

The worse situation is
when people over-eat fruits and leafy veggies
which are generally Yin in trait.

Over consumption of fruits and leafy veggies
easily put off the digestive fire
rendering a weaker digestive system
instead of improving it!

This is commonly seen among the slimming community
and vegetarians who do not know how to balance their diet.

In view of the issue above,
some of the solutions suggested are:

- to eat fruits and leafy vegetables moderately
(Exactly how much fruits and leafy veggies to eat,
please refer to http://TheVegSchool.net/Veg-Pyramid.pdf)

and

- to pay special attention to stimulating digestive fires
when eating a lot fruits and leafy veggies in a meal.
(E.g. adding spice mix powder on cut fruits, or sipping hot soup when eating a lot of leafy vegetables)

(II) Eating raw is beneficial for digestion

This is another pitfall which shares similar drill with the fruits and leafy vegetables.

Again, raw vegetarian food,
does help reduce the burden of the digestive system,
because of the active enzymes content.
But it doesn't really actively improve
the digestion system.

In contrary,
raw diet which is extremely Yin (if one doesn't know how to balance) ,
constantly suppresses the digestive fire,
due to overdosing of alkaloid
(a group of heat-sensitive natural plant compounds that interfere with digestive enzymes)

Long term suppression of digestive fire
will render the digestive system susceptible
to bad bacteria infection (e.g. H. pylori that flourishes under weak gastric juice condition)
and
incomplete transformation of nutrients.

Hence, long term raw diet should be considered prudently and
practical solutions should sought immediately if one is already on raw food:

Suggestions:
- to avoid taking raw diet in morning when the digestive system is weak (for semi-raw/cooked foodist)
- to increase intake of citric juices in raw diet, so that alkaloid could be neutralized.
- to deploy digestive aids like pungent spices, warming herbs and hot water sipping

To improve digestive health, remember to take on a holistic approach which often has to via the path of overall life force improvement, as explained in the previous posts.

Hope this series of articles on digestive health have been beneficial to readers :)

Should you like more information about dietetic and nutritional wellbeing,
dp consider joining one of The Veg School's courses which are very elaborated and comprehensive =)

Till then, may health and bliss be with all ^.^

Well regards,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com


{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Holistic Wellness Events Update (1)

Dear friends,

As an improvement to help keep LHW readers informed
about educative and recreational holistic wellness events,
I will be starting, from now on,
to periodically post a listing of upcoming events including:
lectures, workshops, tours and social gatherings =)

For a start, here is the list!
-- Thank you for supporting Learning Holistic Wellness  :D

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

30th Aug 2011

o Detoxification and Health Workshop (Mandarin)
 8.30am - 5.00pm
 Awareness Place Wellbeing Centre, #03-39 Bras Basah Complex, S180231.
 Tel/Fax: 6336 5067
 Email: sem@kmspks.org
(This is the last Mandarin Detox Workshop I planned for 2011. An opportunity to learn the core principles of detoxification and understand how heal naturally, the proper way. Step-by-step guide to do DIY Detox at home provided end of the workshop.)

o Holistic Wellness Symposium (English/Mandarin)
 8.30am - 6.00pm
 SingPost Building 5th Floor Auditorium
 Tel : 6749 8509
 Email : hws@eco-harmony.net
 (This event is organised by a prominent player in holistic wellness education, Kampung Senang. They are doing this annual Holistic Wellness Symposium for the third year. This event will expose one to wider perspective of alternative natural healing and I benefited from Kampung Senang's events a lot, hence the recommendation)


3rd Sep 2011

o A raw organic evening with Diana von Cranach

 6.30pm-9.00pm
 Green Room Cafe, Bishan Park II
 Details: http://www.meetup.com/Organic-Living/events/29942651/
[Please RSVP latest by 29th Aug]
(Extremely rare opportunity to learn from a raw guru from Bali. I met Diana once and tasted her Baliness style raw food many times.. absolutely amazing. Do join me for the special event that I have pushed quite hard to make it happen =P )


17th -18th Sep 2011

o Trading Mastery Intenstive
 2 full days
 Singapore Expo
 Details: http://tradingmasteryintensive.com/
 (This event is organised by a financial education academy, Royal Edlen at which I attended my some of my financial courses. A reliable and sincere education company, hence the recommendation. If interested, let me know as I can fetch the tickets @ a good discount, being an existing student there. -- I will be helping out at the event.) 


20th-25th Sep 2011

o 5-Day Meditation Retreat (Mandarin)
 6D5N  (overnight stays compulsory)
 Beeh Low See Buddhist Temple, 71B Jalan Jurong Kechil S(598588)
 Tel: 6735 5900
 Email: ddrum@singnet.com.sg
 (This event is organised by Dharma Drum Singapore, a supporting branch of the well-established Dharma Drum Monastry in Taiwan. The meditation retreat will be guided by venerables from Taiwan, who are recognised for their proper skills and understanding of meditation. I attend Dharma Drum's meditation retreat every year since 2007. I have been tremendously benefited, hence the recommendation. I will be in the retreat again this September. Hope you could join me.)



25th Sep 2011

o Organic Pot Luck Party cum Organic Documentary Session
 3.30pm-6.00pm
 GroundUpInitiative @ Sustainable Living Kampung
 Details: http://www.meetup.com/Organic-Living/events/31129782/
 (Do check out the details in the link. The documentary is inspiring and I bet the food and people at the pot luck party will be amazing too!!)


2nd October 2011

o The Basics of Healthy Diet (English)
 9.30am-5.00pm
 Central National Library (Imagination Room, L5)
 Details: http://thevegschool.net/courses-schedule
(This is the inaugral opening of my pet project, The Veg School! I promise that this veg education event is like no others before. You could only expect surprises, comprehensive and intensive veg knowledge, good food, freebies, hands-on food prep and more!! I must see you there :D )


9th October 2011

o Nutritionals For Preventive Medicine (English)
 3.30pm-4.30pm
 Central Library (Possibility Room, L5)
 Tel: 91175756
 (This is a newly created topic in my portfolio, helping lay public understand the different tiers of nutritional supplement, criteria for good supplement, the pros and cons, and how to harnest the power of nutritionals for preventive medicine.)


 26-29th October 2011

o Health Retreat in the Borneo Mountains
 4D3N
 Borneo Highlands Resort / Kuching
 Details: http://CieloSereno.net/borneo2011.htm
 (Another organic tour organised by my Non-Profit Organisation, Cielo Sereno, which aspires to improve the organic awareness in Singapore via fun educational tours. This premium tour to the Borneo may not be repeated. If you like the healing magnetic field in the mountains and the pure taste of local organic produce, please don't miss it! AirAsia is offering cheap flight now, join us before it's too late!)

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

Well regards,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com


p/s: should you need any extra info about any of the above events, please do not hesitate to email me @ pureland2012-at-gmail.com or call 91175756.

p/p/s: should you like future email notification of new blog posts/updates, you may want to subscribe to Learning Holistic Wellness.


{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Super Whole Food: Raw Sprouted Beans

A few weeks ago,
when I was teaching at a detox workshop,
I mentioned that sprouted beans(legumes) when eaten raw is
very beneficial to one's vitality.

Raw sprouted beans provide very comprehensive nutrients
including:
high quality and bioavailable proteins,
rich minerals
natural good fats
fibres
vitamins
phytonutrients &
enzymes.

-- That's why my teacher call these sprouts super whole food!

Also, few people knew that,
when Zheng He went far distance sailing in the 16th century,
how he solved nutritional problems of his sailors
(as they could be confined in the sea for months),
was to feed them raw mung beans.

However,
not all sprouted beans are edible in raw form,
due to some toxicity.

A student hence asked in an email later
to find out which are those that are toxic.

In fact, most sprouted legumes are not suitable to be eaten raw,
so it's easier to list out here those that is edible in raw :P

sprouted adzuki beans
sprouted chickpea/garbanzo beans
sprouted lentils
sprouted mung beans
sprouted peas

"Sprouted" here means
that the beans are soaked
and then let germinate to the extent
where the roots are about 0.5~1cm in length
(this is when the nutrient content is optimal).

For proper sprouting technique,
please refer to Easy Sprouting Protocol


Happy sprouting :P
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

Raw-Sprouted-Beans

{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Digesting The Core of Wellness (2)

Watering on digestive fire
which is meant to
transform nutrients
is one common mistake.

Now that we know
the digestive system
is crucial to our bodily health,
we will discuss here
on how to implement digestive wellness.

But, prior to doing the right things
to nurture a strong digestive system,
there are a few "Don't-s"
that need to be observed.
Otherwise, whatever good that we do
to improve our digestive system
will be futile.


(I) Avoid consuming cold water or ice-cold foods

Yes, we have heard enough of this advice
on and off.

But once the hot weather sets in,
people will start to get excuse for
cold drinks, chilly smoothies, ice-creams and icy desserts.

Obviously, they do not understand how dreadful
the digestive tract is compromised
in order to resist the temperature shock
and to "digest" the foods under non-permissive condition
(ie the wrong temperature for the digestive enzymes to work)


(II) Avoid untimely drinking of fluids

This refers to inappropriate habit of drinking fluids
within 30mins prior to a  major meal,
during a major meal,
and
within 1 hour after a major meal.

Water is a source of life force which is good,
but it also harbours a Yin trait
which can be mismanaged to do harm to our body.
Drinking water along with a major meal
will reduce or even put off the digestive fire
(ie diluting the gastric juice and enzymes)
and in turn cause improper/incomplete digestion/transformation of nutrients.

The fluids here refers to water or any type of beverages,
except small amount of hot soup (which will be elaborated in the following posts).

* The above time restriction also applies on showering/bathing and physical exercises.
** Individuals with digestive issues may consider no fluid 1hr before, and 2hr after meal.


(III) Avoid untimely eating

This means:

a) Eating without appetite -- when one is lack of appetite, it already means that digestive power is lacking. If food is forced into the digestive system, we are only going to get incomplete digested foods turning into toxins.

b) Inconsistent daily eating time -- this confuses the digestive system when to start up digestive fire, when not to; rendering a risk of incomplete digestion.

c) Eating at late night -- the digestive system slows down substantially after sundown. Putting in food into the digestive system late night, is asking for incomplete digestion.


(IV) Avoid over-eating

When the digestive system is overloaded, digestion will naturally become inefficient.
In such a case, life force will be drained, toxins will be formed, complications follow...


(V) Avoid mixing raw and cooked foods in a meal

In ideal situation, raw and cooked food should be eaten in different meals.
Both raw and cooked foods are digested with different amount of enzymes and "protocols".
When mixed, the digestive system gets confused,
rendering less efficient digestion.
If occasionally, raw and cooked have to be taken in one meal,
limit either raw or cooked portion to less than 20%,
so as to mitigate the negative effect.



Next, we will elaborate on the "Do's" to nurture a healthy digestive system
and some tricks to improve the digestibility of foods :)


Well wishes,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com


{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

A dinner worth celebrated for

It was an amazing evening last Saturday,
when I brought my Organic Living meetup group
for a raw organic vegan dinner at Green Room Cafe.

At this rare event, I was totally mesmerised among
the classy al fresco ambience at the cafe,
the creative and deliciously raw Balinese dishes,
and the company of 16 (environmental-)friendly organic goers!

The unique dishes we had was not even in the cafe's usual menu.
Diana von Cranach the raw chef personally "orchestrated"
the entire series of raw dishes
specially for us -- to celebrate
Living health food, Veganism and Organic Living
3 in one go! hahaha... :D




Raw Organic Vegan
Menu

  


Carrot "Rice" with
Curry Vegetable



Living Biscuit with
Papaya Soup





Raw Chocholate Mousse
with Mango



Organic Goers with
Diana von Cranach



What was truly precious about this dinner
was meeting the like-minded people,
people who seriously care about
environmental health,
organic farming and
have big compassion for the animals.

Diana also shared with us how
organic living should start with
fresh foods and
knowing the kind hearted people who farm for our food.

We started the dinner gathering at around 6.30pm,
but none of was willing to leave until it was 10pm-ish...
Great moment always seemed so short =)


Warm regards,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}





The Oasis of Organic Living - Titi Eco Farm

Titi Eco Farm Tour organised by
Cielo Sereno

Just about 10 days ago,

I was leading a memorable organic tour

to Titi Eco Farm in Malaysia.

Altho' that was probably my 5th or 6th visit to the farm,

I enjoyed the stay, with thrill and gratitude,

like it was my first visit =D

Titi Eco Farm expanded quite a bit since I last visited a few years back,

but the essence of the farm hasn't changed all these years!!

I liked how the fresh air and

the beautiful sunset view from the front yard

still remained,

how the creative raw food chef, Elaine,

was still passionate about raw organic diet,

how the various organic produce there

were still vibrant!

During the 3D2N stay,

the experience was absolutely relaxing, pampering and enriching:

-- basically, we were:

feasting on nourishing and mouthwatering
organic food everyday

(with almost free flow of

organic salad and fruits!),

 

soaking our our legs in steam foot-spa,

drinking herbal tea to detox,

chilling ourselves at the balcony of the chalet,

joining in workshops on making papaya salad

and Hakka Farmer's Tea (擂茶)**,

doing laughter yoga together in the Energy Garden 

... and so much more!!

Titi Eco Farm was truly a gem.

It's a place where we realised the sweetness of humble living,

the abundance of love that mother Earth offers,

and how we should treasure, in deep gratitude,
the purity of unpolluted air, land and food.

I am definitely going back to Titi again! :D

With metta,

Kee Yew

pureland2012-at-gmail.com

**Bonus:

[Titi Eco Farm's recipe on traditional Hakka Farmer's Tea (客家擂茶)]

Mix and grind, in a mortar, equal portion of
. Eleutherococcus trifoliatus 苦粒心
. Basil 九层塔
. Xiao-Ye-Gan 小叶甘
. Guava Leaf Buds 番石榴嫩芽
. Peanuts
. Sesame seeds
into fine paste using Guava pestle. Pour in hot water, and adjust to desirerable thickness, add some rock salt to taste and serve with crunchy diced veggies and brown rice. Bon Apetit!

{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}