Rawsome Article Library

In a recent newsletter I talked about 'Low Hanging Fruit' and 'The Continuum', and now I want to share a mnemonic device I use to help myself delve a little deeper into my own personal well-being. Some of you may be Starbucks fans, but I'm a Peets Coffee gal myself, so I'm going to stretch that a little into PEEETS: Prioritize, Educate, Eat, Exercise, Take action, seek Self-mastery.

P – Prioritize and Pay Attention to what's important. This is the Very First Big Thing, whether it's overall health, quality time with family, long walks with the dog, or rocking in that chair with the little one or a good book. Whatever it is, identify it and make time for it at the top of the daily list.

E – Educate. This is very important, because it's how we integrate new knowledge into our lives. Read articles, web pages and magazines. Watch video clips, television or documentaries to learn as much as possible, then filter through it to determine what's believable and useful.

E- Eat Healthy. In my case, that means real plant-based, raw foods as locally produced as I can find. The best food is seldom found in a can or package.

E- Exercise. I've covered this one a lot lately what with all my running around. We all need some easy daily consistent movement to stay healthy and limber for a good long time.

T – Take action. This is when I remind myself to find new 'baby steps' – see last month's newsletter – pick something to do each day to move the energy along our new-found yellow brick road.

S – Self Mastery. I know this sounds a bit weird and woo-woo – can't help it; I live in the Napa Valley! – but truly this is what life's all about. This journey began when I started truly knowing how what I eat affects me. By eating closer to natural choices in the plant based world I began to clear out some of the gunk that I'd been accumulating for years. As my body cleansed, I began experiencing food in a whole wonderful new way. Taste buds activated and caught nuances in fresh, clean food. I noticed how each bite affects blood sugar, mental clarity, and overall sense of well being. When I accepted the fact that I am my own best doctor, this last element of the acronym became my best teacher of all.

Oh, yes: Have Fun !! Let's never forget that one. Food is supposed to taste good, and we enjoy it a lot more when it's not laden with salt, fat, and sugar. I know we are addicted to these three nemeses (more on that in upcoming newsletters), and getting off that hook can be challenging. I'm alive today to tell you that the benefits are amazing! So stick with it; I promise you'll be amazed with the results.

Many of you commented on the YouTube clip I included in the March newsletter – Ask your Doctor about Meat. When I find something especially interesting, inspiring or thought provoking I cannot wait to share it with you through my newsletter. Thank you for your feedback.

Here's what caught my eye this month: Some of Your Favorite Foods are Really Bad. Interesting, and even a bit scary, not because you'd actually go out and eat 6,900 calories at one sitting, but the fact that one meal loaded with that much fat can have such a disastrous affect on one's arteries. The cumulative affect of meal after meal of heavy fat-laden ingredients does not bode well for healthy peeps. Enough said. I hope you'll watch and share with friends and family you care about. One fork-full at a time, we can take back our health.

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• Bali Raw Food Restaurant Scene - Updated 2014
• A Visit to Bob's Red Mill
• Getting to Raw : toward better eating habits
• Raw on the Road Tips
• Vote for Full Food Ingredient Disclosure
• Low Hanging Fruit: Sweeteners
• Learn About Raw Food at a Local Potluck
• My Hero Robin Lim is CNN Hero of 2011
• Food Fight
• Label Reading 101
• Letter from Kumi Hachiya
• Christine's Report from Sendai, Japan
• Brenda Hinton: a Life Seeking Energy's Raw Forms
• The short version of my biography
• St Helena Star: Brenda Hinton puts the 'awesome' in raw food
• Yoga By Candace: Brand to Know