Why nutrition matters?

I am big supporter of plant-based nutrition. However, I also know that everything has a right time and place.

We best learn from examples and more so from the experiences, therefore I speak from my own experience based on my own explorations.

I started a plant-based diet four years ago and I did not consume diary, red meat and white flower for over decade.

Today, it’s been about a year as I mainly eat raw vegan food and it has been one of the best discoveries in my own evolution. I feel better than 10 years ago and probably even better then 15 years ago. Sometimes, I wish I did it way earlier, but again, everything has a right time and place.

Therefore, diet to me is a big, very big component of an optimal health and quality of life.

It is definitely not the only component, but as everything else does not exists by itself, so is the diet. It goes hand in hand with exercise, sleep, mental state of being etc…

It is important not only what we eat, but also how we eat, what ingredients we choose and how we prepare our meals.

I definitely, recommend going on plant food diet and if not, at least reduce animal product to a minimum. If you have already done so, include more uncooked meals and maybe gradually go towards raw food diet.

Personally, my day always starts with a green smoothie. And I can’t imagine otherwise anymore.

Green smoothie not only provides anything you need for a day (balanced amount of vitamins, minerals and nutrients) it also supports the energy that is light and enduring.

The beauty of raw diet is that, you do not have to think too much of the nutrients, vitamins etc… Raw food has a high bioavailability which keeps the body energized but not “high”, it definitely does not overload the digestion system, because the caloric value is not as high and it is usually easily digested.

It keeps the body hydrated, because the raw food contains a lot of water, so you do not need to drink that much anymore.

In a long term, I strongly believe that organic, whole raw food diet is a key prevention for cancer, mental and cardiovascular diseases and it overall affects the lifestyle in so many positive ways.

I do not agree on terms that it is not for everyone. Maybe not today and maybe not now, but it is wonderfully balanced and efficient way of consuming the food.

Here are some sources of a great recipes to begin with, which I use a lot myself:

https://www.evolvingwellness.com/page/recipes

Raw food recipe sources:

http://rawfoodrecipes.com/

Another important thing is to consider periodic fasting: not only to give your digestion system a break to digest, but also allow the body to recover. New studies show that digestion system produces more dopamine than our brain.  Only when it functions properly. Digestion processes use more than 70% of our energy. While on the fasting regime the body can use the energy for healing, restauration or simply best self-expression. Isn't' that amazing? So, give it a break.

16/8 hours fasting/eating windows is a great time frame that I highly recommend. Try it for couple of weeks and see what happens. Most likely you will not want to go back to where you were before.

If you already doing so, congratulations!

And as with everything else, especially when starting, observe how you feel, what feels right for you, there is no one formula for everybody, you have to discover your own.

Blessings∞

Brigita

Living the life of Presence

As the calendar year comes to an end, many of us reflect on the time that has passed, rethink and look forward to the next chapter.

In the midst of the holiday busyness not always do we find time for that.

Every one of us has a thing that challenges us in our lives.

I do believe that a lot of us need more time and space for self-reflection. In other words, many of us just need to live more in presence. It all sounds good. It even sounds great, I think!

But talking is cheap. There is a big difference between talking about something and living it.

I feel that a lot of people including myself often struggle with finding time just  Be without actively doing something. Just go inwards and be in the present moment. Some of us even feel guilty doing that! I think that's insane.

It is our crazy intense World that puts a lot of pressure on us to do, to achieve, to plan, to look for tomorrow...

But don't we lose the most precious moment - now? The more we look outwards, the more we get disconnected from our limitless source. The more we get identified with who we are not.

In reality, it is not that difficult to find 10-15 min a day for yourself. Sure, like everything else in life, it requires some dedication - time and effort to build a loving relationship with Yourself.

How can we do that?

There are lots of ways to be present. Meditation is a beautiful tool, but not everyone is ready for that. It is fine. Whatever makes us be fully immersed in the moment Is already a meditation. It is as simple as that, whether it is drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, watching the sky, listening to the music, walking in nature or anything else. Anything can be our meditation as long as we are entirely in it.

Bring it into your life. Be here and now.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Brigita

Yoga for Insomnia

Hello everyone, here comes a video on how to cope with Insomnia with the help of Yoga!

Enjoy, practice and sleep well!

Thank you for reading and watching my posts!

Brigita

Pranayama to reduce stress and anxiety

Hello everyone!

In this video, you will find simple and yet very effective principles how to reduce daily stress and anxiety with Yogic Pranayama.

Here is the description of Anulom Vilom (alternate nostril breathing):

Inhale - Exhale
Press the right nostril
Inhale through the left nostril
Press the left nostril
Open the right nostril
Exhale through the right
Inhale through the right
Press the right
Open the left nostril
Exhale through the left nostril
Inhale through the left nostril

Continue for 5-10 minutes and end up with the by exhaling through the right nostril

DO NOT FORCE OR WITHHOLD YOUR BREATH
Keep your breathing rhythm natural
Concentrate on EXHALATION rather than inhalation (Best exhalation/inhalation ration is 2/1)

PLEASE FIND MORE CONSCIOUS LIVING VIDEOS AND POSTS AT

http://yourbodyawareness.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Yourbodyawareness/
https://twitter.com/Yourbodyawarene

Thank you for watching and reading my posts!

Brigita

How to use your intuition?

All of us have a sixth sense called intuition. But often do we use it?
Here is a video on what is intuition and how to trust it?

Enjoy!

Brigita

Yoga improves digestion!

This is a simple yet very effective reminder of how to improve digestion with Yoga!

Enjoy!

Brigita

Commonly asked questions for vegans

Hello, everyone!

In this post, I decided to write about veganism. I went vegan about a year ago. However, it’s been years of a journey towards it. I gradually gave up the dairy, red meat, white flour and sugar…. And I became more cautious about the quality of food products. I also realized that just not eating meat and everything that was once live doesn’t make sense health wise and that if you decide to do so, there is a whole another world of food choices.

I often find people asking me the same questions, and I wanted to print out here and give thorough explanations. My vegan experience so far has been a great discovery to myself, and I want to share it with others!

So, why no meat?

Well, I have no straight answer to that. As I wrote earlier, it was a gradual process, first towards health and wellbeing. Then one day, I just noticed that I do not need meat in my diet and I went on this experiment that worked wonderfully for me. 

What difference does it make to be vegan?

To me, it makes a huge difference. First, I have to admit, my choice to go vegan was purely selfish. I did it for my better health.  And I felt better, more energy, better sleep, improved digestion, clearer thoughts.

Later, I found myself being more relaxed and more in touch with nature. It is believed that the stress animals go through the process of killing is transferred to those who eat it.

Now, the whole idea of eating someone that was once alive does not appeal to me anymore.

Proteins, proteins, proteins!

This one makes me smile a lot. And that’s probably the biggest fear of every meat eater. Well, the average amount of protein needed is about 1g per 1 body kilogram.  So say, the average person needs about 70 g of protein a day. Lots of plant-based foods are full of proteins, e.g. beans, lentils, nuts, wild rice, flaxseed, chia seed, hemp seeds… the list goes on…. The variety is amazing! Just pick the ones you like.

How about calcium, iron, and vitamin B12?

For some reason, many people have a notion that milk is the only and best source of calcium. However, it’s been a long time already proven that cow milk acidifies the blood and creates a perfect environment for inflammation, cancer, and other illnesses. Again, let’s look at nature. How many adult mammals do we know who still consume milk? Mother nature provides with the whole package of calcium choices. Green leafy vegetables (like broccoli, kale, spinach, collard, green beans)  are wonderful source calcium. They contain more calcium than milk. Then,  comes all kinds of dried fruits like dates, apricots, raisins, cranberries.  And for milk lovers, there is always an option to drink almond, cashew or coconut milk.

Iron. No problem. Spinach, kale, broccoli, cashews, almonds, quinoa beans, chickpeas, beets contain more iron than pork or chicken.  Fruit like strawberries is great iron absorption enhancers due to a high amount of vitamin C.

And finally, vitamin B12! There is a lot of propaganda about vitamin B12. Yes, this vitamin is vital to normal nervous system functioning and cell growth. However, our liver stores a big amount of this vitamin. And the body needs it in small quantities often.  There are few vegan choices to meet vitamin B12 needs such as almond milk, coconut milk or cereal. If you do not consume these products every day or feel B12 deficiency, there is a variety of supplements in the market.

So what do you eat?

I love this question :)  It would take me a long time to explain. I just have to say that you have to be creative, being vegan is fun, and it’s worth your time and dedication. And in the age of information overload, there are tons of choices of vegan recipes and ideas. Once in a while, I keep posting them on my blog too.

Hope you have a great time reading about my vegan experience. I ALWAYS ALWAYS recommend everyone to start eating vegetarian and go vegan later. I don’t believe the concept: ” I can’t live without meat.” Being meat eater is a choice and so being vegan is.

Have a beautiful day!

Brigita