Set Higher Standards by YogiRavi

People ask me all the time about what I eat (since I am Vegan) and what kind of smoothies I drink and why. Most people ask me these questions because they want to loose a few pounds or gain some strength, but in almost all cases I think the real motivation for the question is something deeper.

People are really looking to have more energy to live their lives. I’m not just talking about being able to keep your eyes open during a boring meeting at work. I’m talking about having the energy to perform at a high level both in mental pursuits (working on a hard problem at work or in school) and physical pursuits (like a power yoga class!).

I thought it would be good to share my top 5 tips for energizing your life. These are things that I do on a regular basis – and they work. I think experience is the best teacher – and I have learned well

1. Avoid Caffeine. I know I know – sacrilege! Despite the supposed health benefits of drinking coffee (and even tea), the reality is that when you borrow energy you need to pay it back. This might not be what you want to hear, but it is the truth. If you are serious about energizing your body – cut the caffeine. Or (as I do right now), limit it to 1 serving in the morning.
2. Hydrate. Your body is 75% water. Your body also has 2-3x as much lymph fluid in your body as it does blood. Lymph is the watery substance in between your cells that allows nutrients to flow in and toxins to flow out of your cells. Staying well-hydrated is critical to proper energy transfer into and out of the cells. A great way to stay hydrate is not just to drink water, but to avoid dehydrating your body with caffeine, refined sugars and other highly processed (and dehydrated) foods.
3. Eat Nutrient Dense Foods. I’ve written a great post about this. In summary, you should focus on eating plenty of fresh fruits and green/bright colored veggies that have high water content and high nutrient contents on a per-calorie basis. Did you know that broccoli has more protein than steak on a per-calorie basis? The truth is sometimes surprising but it is the truth nonetheless.
4. Eliminate Refined Sugars. If it says “cane sugar,” “brown rice syrup,” “corn syrup,” or any other kind of processed sugar on the package, don’t eat it. This includes most energy bars! Your body will just experience a sugar rush and crash cycle when you consume these things. Instead, eat fresh fruits. The sugar in the fruits is processed differently by the body and they won’t cause the same spike in blood sugar. You’ll also help your body to stay hydrated.
5. Breath Properly! This is perhaps the single most effective thing you can do. I wrote a long post about the importance of proper breath work. If you are at all committed to having more energy in your days – you should read this post. Essentially, cultivate a practice of consistent and deep nasal breathing – especially under times of stress and while sleeping. It may take some practice but the benefits are well worth it.

Have any other tips to share? Please let me know in the comments!

You are what you eat.

This statement is so simple but true. I’ve written at length about the importance of eating a wholesome diet full of fresh and organic plant-based food. I’ve also written a bit about the power of an alkaline diet – a way of eating that focuses on supplying the proper nutrients to the body so it can naturally cleanse and provide you with sustainable power.

I’m really happy about today’s post, featuring an interview I recently finished with Ross Bridgeford – Co-Founder of Energise for Life, Europe’s #1 alkaline diet and nutrition store (check out his Energise Blog for more great tips!). Ross has been living the alkaline lifestyle for a while, and has a ton of great insights on how to live a healthier and more energized life.

I think you’ll find this interview incredibly informative. Enjoy!

Ross and Callum (Left to Right) – founders of Energiseforlife.com

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This is a great detoxifying drink. The apple takes a bit of the bitter edge off of the Kale, without making it too sweet. It is failry thin and easy to drink down.

Recipe = 5-7 large leaves of organic Kale (with center stem removed) + 1 small organic red delicious apple + 16 ounces water + Vita-Mix! Blend on high for 30 seconds.This makes 3 tall glasses. Total calories <100.

The mixture separates pretty quickly. So drink one glass and then turn on the Vita-Mix blender (low speed) for a few seconds before pouring your next glass.

It is oh so simple but oh so good. Anywould would LOVE this. Adults, kids, people who don’t like to eat fruits and veggies, health freaks, EVERYBODY.

It looks good and tastes better. I am drinking this right now before heading to work (after teaching morning yoga practice). You don’t even need a great blender (like a Vita-Mix) to do it (though I think everything tastes better in a Vita-Mix!).

Recipe = 1/2 pint of organic strawberries + 3 medium sized organic bananas + 12-16 ounces water

Makes 3 tall glasses of smoothie goodness. About 350 calories or less. Plenty of fiber, vitamin C and other natural antioxidants. More potassium than you could ever hope for.

Who says vegan meals can’t be healthy and incredibly tasty? This is one of my dinners from a few weeks ago. My mom and sister were visiting and made this wonderful meal. You’re looking a lightly sauteed kale and rice curry, a shredded carrot – cilantro and seaweed salad, and a pumpkin and coconut soup!

Behold, the power of the Vita-Mix! I had a green smoothie after yoga class today. It consisted of one-half of a medium sized organic pineapple and 4 large leaves of dino kale. I strip the thick stem out of the kale, and just throw the dark green leaves in.

This tastes really good. The sweet and tangy-ness of the pineapple is the over-riding flavor, but the slight bitterness of the kale also comes through. What a great way to get greens into your diet!

Put the raw ingredients in the Vita-Mix + 16 ounces of water (depending on how thick you want it to be). Blend it for 60 seconds and you are good to go. It comes to about 250-300 calories in total, almost all from the fresh organic pineapple. In fact, some feel that pineapple is practically a negative calorie food due to it’s digestive enzymes, high fiber and vitamin content.

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A Fruit Feast! I consumed almost all this fruit over the 3 days. Note: the bananas were intentionally purchased unripe. They were perfectly ripe when consumed though. I also only drank 12 ounces of the 100% pure blueberry juice.

Earlier this week, as part of the 40 Days to Personal Revolution program, I did a 3-day fruit fast. As I love to eat fruits, I was really looking forward to this. I considered it more of a fruit feast than a fruit fast!

The picture above shows the entire array of fruits that I picked up for these 3 days. In fact, there was more than enough fruit here to last me over a week! I still have a few mangoes and oranges left in fact.

You might be wondering what I broke my fast with? After teaching a yoga class in the morning, I enjoyed some Idli that my mom made before going to work!

So how did I do on the fruit fast? Here is the scoop. Keep in mind that I entered this 3-day fast after having gone without caffeine or any processed sugar for over 3 weeks. I also have been practicing yoga 6-7 days a week for quite a while and have been following a 100% plant-based diet for many years. As a result of this, I think my detoxing symptoms were a little less severe than others. Your mileage will vary!

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I’m participating in 40 Days to Personal Revolution at my yoga school. This program, developed by Baron Baptiste, incorporates regular asana practice (6 days a week) with regular readings from the book, journaling/writing/reflecting, weekly group meetings with other participants, twice daily meditation and observation of certain dietary restrictions (for the sake of cleansing). For me, I have eliminated all caffeine and processed sugar from my diet for the entire 40 days.

As part of the program, we embark on the fourth week (we just finished week 3) with a 3-day fruit fast. I might as well call this a fruit “feast” since I truly enjoy eating tons of fresh, ripe, juicy fruits! During these 3 days we eat nothing but fruit. This begins tomorrow (Monday) morning and ends on Thursday morning.

I just re-stocked my fruit supply. Here is what my kitchen counter looks like right now. I don’t know if I will finish all of this in 3 days, but it will be fun trying! Most of fruit is organic (except for the berries, papaya, avocado and mangoes).

• 2 large cucumbers
• 4 avocados
• 2 x 2lbs strawberries
• 4 x 5oz blackberries
• 7 kiwis
• 4 large mangoes
• 4 apples
• 2 pears
• 25 clementine oranges (small ones, about 5 pounds)
• 1 navel orange
• 1 huge pommelo
• 3 medium papaya
• 22 mini-banana
• 22 regular bananas
• 1 large pineapple
• 25 kumquats (8oz)

I’m a big fan of smoothies in the morning. A while ago I wrote about my Raw Power Smoothie, an all vegan and mostly raw concoction that would keep me going most of the day.

Nowadays, I’m in the groove of doing more fruits, mostly bananas, with some maca powder and a heaping tablespoon of vitamineral green. I forgo the protein powder and other things. I find that sticking with more of a fruit base and going lighter on the protein actually feels better in the morning.

The key to making this smoothie work and taste great is to get high quality organic bananas. Most people eat bananas when they are still “raw” and green and totally spot-free. Eating bananas like this will give you problems….gas and other digestive issues. They also don’t taste as sweet!

I like my bananas nice and spotty, there might be a touch of green near the stems, but the rest is deep yellow with plenty of brown spots on the peel. The peel should also come off very easily. If you have to hack away to open your banana, it isn’t ready yet!

Note: if you need to ripen bananas, stick them in a closed bag in a warm place.

Now I am off to drink my post yoga class smoothie! (4 large organic bananas, 20 ounces water, vitamineral green powder and maca powder).

What is your favorite smoothie? Let me know in the comments!

(Dr. T video on Chronic Fatigue)

I’ve spent far too many hours this weekend pouring over content by Dr. Adiel Tel-Oren on YouTube through his Dr. T in 3 series, his free tele-seminars available on The Truth About Your Food and his website, Ecopolitan.com (a clever take on Ecological and Metropolitan).

The Dr.T in 3 features quick 3-minute commentaries on various aspects of health and nutrition – offering fresh and no-nonsense perspectives on everything from the impact of dairy products on health to why so many people are facing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (and what to do about it!).

The tele-seminars on The Truth About Your Food are very in-depth (most are over an hour long) and are absolutely packed with some amazing information, including recorded Q&A.

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