holiday blues

8/7/2019 Holiday Blues

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PurelyDelicious

Publisher/Managing EditorRebecca Carlson

ContributorsSheree Clark

Lisa TestaMatt MonarchSabina NicholsonElissa QuistChad SarnoCindy Kelly, RHNScott Brown, BS, CSCSTera Warner

Art DirectionRebecca Carlson

Special PhotographyCorey McFarlane

Account Services & Ad SalesMadelon ZiskaElissa Quist

PrintingPrinting Corporation Of The Americas, Inc.

Special ThanksAnna TippsRahsaan StampesKika NixonRobert MakovickaKappy CarlsonKO Bisson

Purely Delicious is printed using vegetable based ink

and post consumable recycled paper.

Sheree ClarkA graduate of Living Light Culinary Institute, author, presenter, teacher,

motivator Sheree is a vegan raw foodist, and presents a convincing and tasty case for not cooking your food through her consulting business Living Raw.The author of three books and numerous feature articles, in her other lifeSheree co-owns Sayles Graphic Design. Sheree holds an undergraduatedegree from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, and a Mastersdegree from the University of Vermont.

Lisa TestaIs a holistic nutritional consultant with a flourishing practice in New Jersey. Herbusiness, Healthier You, is centered on helping others discover healthier ways oflife. She has personally followed a raw food lifestyle for over three years andenjoys writing and teaching. Lisa is enrolled with Clayton College of natural Healthand is in the process of earning her PhD in Holistic Nutrition.

Matt MonarchMatt Monarch, raw food educator, speaker and author has been on a 100% raw

food diet for 10 years now. You can learn more about him at RawSuccess.org andyou can visit his raw food super store at TheRawFoodWorld.com.

Chad Sarno | safExecutive chef, Chad Sarno is known worldwide as The Raw Chef and describedby GQ magazine as the king of uncooked and vegan cuisine, Chad Sarno has aflair with raw food that has gained him loyal celebrity clients including CharlizeTheron, Jane Fonda and Helen Hunt. He is one of the worlds leading vegan chefsand has been a pioneering force in the growing world of raw cuisine for over 10

years. Chad has worked across the gobe and is now excited to be bringing hisskills and raw creations to London. RawChef.com.

Cindy Kelly, RHNCindy is a Registered Nutritionist from Toronto, Canada. Her favorite topicsof interest are mental health and pediatric nutrition. She operates a private

consulting practice as well as a nutrition based social networking websiteat FoodSpark.com.

Scott Brown BS,CSCSScott is a certified strength and conditioning specialist who currently resides inPalm Beach, Florida. He works with athletes and individuals of all levels teachingthem the benefits of exercise, a mind-full diet, and a balanced lifestyle. He can bereached at [email protected].

Corey McFarlaneCorey is an accomplished lifestyle and still photographer based in South Florida.Corey has managed to capture pure emotion and a timeless beauty in the style ofhis images for over 13 years. A graduate of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, hemay be reached at [email protected].

Tera WarnerIs a writer, mother, entrepreneur, and co-creator of TheRawDivas.com, a resourceespecially for women which provides inspiration, recipes, and support by womenwho are passionate about health.

contributors


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The holidays have always been a time of reflection and the close of each year

offers us yet another opportunity to tweak our goals and intentions. We examine

evaluate, plan for the future and frankly change whats not working. Its a time to

refocus, soothe our aching feet and resolve to undo the excess of the holidays.

My resolution will be the same as what Ive been working on this past year and

that is making steady progress. In the past, my tendency towards perfectionism

has kept me swinging uncomfortably between polar opposites couch potato to

fitness warrior and letter perfect dieter to anything goes. Ive tasted what it is

like to find balance and to be at peace with my choices, and I like it.

That being said, part of the journey has been about being open and excited forthe changes ahead. One of those changes is beginning work on this magazine.

The opportunity came as a total surprise and blessing. It was just a little over a

year ago that I told a group of people about my vision of one day starting a raw

food magazine. And now, it has simply unfolded before me. It is a humbling

responsibility to step into the shoes of Anna Tipps, a remarkable, spirit-filled and

gifted woman. Thank you Anna for beginning the work and believing in me. We

are praying for your complete recovery and healing.

Anna and I shared many long talks about her vision and the future direction of

Purely Delicious and found that we agreed that our mission was (and is) to meet

people right where they are. From people who are curious, new to raw or in

transition as well as keeping it interesting and relevant for those who are 100%,

we want to present the raw food lifestyle in an easy, fun and informative way.

Hand in hand with that mission, we also want to address the natural progression

of thought, spiritual awareness and clarity that sometimes accompanies cleanin

up your diet, an unexpected perk. Ask anyone who enjoys a high-raw diet and

they will tell you what a profound difference it has made in their attitudes,

emotions, moods and spiritual energy. As for me, after only a short while of eatin

raw I began questioning everything from our choice of cleaning and beauty

products to over-the-counter medications organic farming and pet food. Fitness

again became a part of my life as I began to shed excess weight and gain

newfound energy and vitality. It is an inside out lifestyle change.

But like many people, I yearned for ways to show my friends and loved ones that

this wasnt some extreme or radical diet but a natural and wonderful way of life.Our hope is that this magazine will become just such a tool for you. Enjoy.

Thank you for your warm and gracious welcome.

Happy New Year.


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surrounded me and the holidayswere just another reminder of myinability to find peace. The seasonwould end and I would look towardthe New Year full of regretand remorse.

Since going raw, my demeanor has

become something very different.I still feel the familiar emotions andsensations. However, instead ofspiraling downward, I feel a senseof calm.

When I eat raw foods, mymelancholy is not all consuming,I can let it pass under me. I am ableto go through my day withoutfeeling overwhelmed.

I have moved from fighting andfearing my emotions to acceptingthem. Raw has given me a strengthand clarity to welcome all that I amand recognize what my mind andbody truly need. Raw has allowedme to live my life fully, feeling

delight and finding contentment.Now, I look forward to those timeswhere joy, love and wonder areexpressed, knowing that I canembrace it all.

~ Elissa Quist, 2008

Everyone else seemedhappy,I felt vulnerable, sad and alone

In the past, I dreaded the holidays.As the season approached I felt mydepression grow darker, yet theworld around me appeared tobecome brighter. While everyoneelse seemed happy, I feltvulnerable, sad and alone.

When holiday foods were passedaround, I ate them frantically to fill avoid and soothe myself. My sorrowseparated me, making me feel likea stranger.

Depression was my identity, and inmany ways, it consumed me. I livedin stark contrast to all the good that


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Could it be that the ritualistic over indulgence

of rich foods, late nights and coffee are

wreaking havoc not only on our bodies but our

minds? Raw foodists may indeed have an

advantage when it comes to beating the

holiday blues. Their mantra of Treat the body

well and in turn it will be well with you seems

to hold true in this instance.

Many people view depression as purely a

psychological, chemical or spiritual issue.

While it is true that depression can be rooted

wit hin t hes e rea lms, we m ay o nly be

acknowledging part of the problem. If the body

is not given the essential materials (read:

nutrients) that it needs to maintain good health,

we are robbing the brain of its full potential.

The body and m ind a re inextric ably

connected. Enter raw foods.

This is not to say that raw food is the answer

to depression, nor to accuse cooked food of

being the cause. But it may be that nutrition is

an important piece of the depression puzzle

that has been overlooked.

When one embarks on a raw food diet, some

of the first foods that are given up are refined

sugars and carbohydrates, caffeine, and

alcohol. These substances are anti-nutrients;

they fail to provide the body with anything

necessary. In addition, following a raw, organic

vegan diet provides the most healthful,

nutrient-dense foods available. Raw vegetables

and fruits, seeds and sprouted nuts are all

highly digestible (your body can only make

use of what it can digest) and extremely

nutritious. There is much evidence to support

the notion that deficiencies in zinc, magnesium,

calcium, selenium, B vitamins, vitamin C and

essential fatty acids can cause depression,

anxiety and other mental health and learning

disorders. Although raw foods alone dont

provide all of the nutrients suggested by the

RDA standards, conscientious raw foodists

nonetheless seem to enjoy abundant health

This is likely due to their higher levels o

enzyme intake and better digestion and

absorption. An additional factor may be tha

the nutrients arent countered by the

consumption of products such as sugar, whea

and alcohol, allowing the body (and mind) to

function optimally.

Another factor contributing to depression is

blood sugar imbalance, which is an unfortunate

side effect of the Standard American Die

(SAD). Symptoms may include depression

irritability, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate

and temper outbursts. The consumption o

refined sugars and carbohydrates (breads

cereals, white pastas, cakes etc.) leads to a

spiking of the blood sugar, inevitably

followed by a crash in which the individua

suffers from one or all of the above symptoms

and usually feels desperately hungry. This is

often remedied by eating more of these same

foods as a quick fix. Thus, a vicious cycle

ensues which can leave its victims on the

doorstep of diabetes and obesity. The

consumption of a plant-based raw food die

helps promote normalized blood sugar levels

and while there are natural sugars in fruit the

absorption is slowed by the presence of fiber

When one begins on a raw food diet, dried

fruits, fruit juices and natural sweeteners like

raw honey should be used in moderation and

ideally taken along with a plant protein to slow

the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.

Another benefit of going raw is that mos

allergenic foods are taken out of the diet. Foods

like wheat, pasteurized dairy, eggs, sugar

shellfish, food additives and other such

allergens are simply not on the raw menu. Food

With the New Years celebrations behind us, many of us are facing the future with

hope, renewed focus and enthusiasm. But not everyone. For some, these cold gray

post-holiday weeks represent some of the darkest and bleakest times of desperation

and loneliness of the year.Why is this particular season difficult for so many?

By Cindy Kelly, RHN


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sensitivities and intolerances occur when we

cant properly digest the food we eat. Reactions

can result anywhere from one hour to several

days after ingestion. The tiny undigested

pa rt ic le s e nt er o ur blo od s tre am v ia

microscopic holes in our gut, a scenario known

as leaky gut syndrome. The immune system

views the food particles in the bloodstream as

foreign invaders and mounts an immune

response, known as an allergic reaction.

Allergic symptoms can be manifested in

many ways, but depression, moodiness,

anxiety and irritability can be some of the most

common. To make matters worse, the foods we

are most sensitive to are usually the exact foods

we crave! When some of these undigested

foods (proteins in particular) enter the

bloodstream, they look similar to and can be

mistakenly recognized by the body as

endorphins and enkephalins. These

two chemicals are the bodys

natural pain killing substances, so

when you eat these allergenic

foods, the body may be tricked

int o t hinking i t is rec eiv ing

something it needs. When these

foods are taken out of the diet a

person can go through withdrawal

symptoms similar to that caused

by an addictive drug.

Once the offending food is

removed from the diet, and

withdrawal symptoms have passed,

the allergic reactions taper off and

the body can begin to heal itself.

With all of the positives of the raw food diet,

there can be a few areas of concern. Certain

nutrients are harder to obtain such as vitamin D,

zinc, iron, folic acid and vitamin B12. Some raw

foodists may become aware that they are not

getting enough of one or more of these

nutrients. The remedy might be, a good quality

supplement or a review of current diet habits.

In the case of vitamin D which is essential for

serotonin synthesis ample time outdoors in

the sunlight is helpful to address a deficiency.

Essential fatty acids are also important

nutrients for the brain and have been shown to

help combat depression. Although there are

many vegetable sources of both Omega 3s and

6s, if one is suffering from depression, food

sources alone may not be enough to correct

the deficiency. Finally, the dreaded P word: it

is important to make sure enough protein is

being consumed, especially

sources of tryptophan like nuts,

seeds (or raw dairy products).

Without ample tryptophan the body

cannot manufacture serotonin,

which can be a cause of depression.

Depression is a complicated

matter. There are many causes and

as many treatments. It is important

to understand that although going

raw helps many people combat

depression, it may not be enough

for everyone. Please consult your

doctor or healthcare professional

before making any changes in

your diet or medications.

...Instead of spiraling downward, I feel a sense of calm

holiday blues

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