Almond Pudding

2 cups apples, diced
2 cups dates, diced
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups soaked almonds
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or heavy-duty blender, until you reach a thick, pudding-like consistency. Use more water if necessary.
Almonds have to be soaked the day before. 3/4 cups soaked almonds in water overnight will yield 1 1/2 cups.

Raw Chocolate Pudding

2 cups soaked cashews
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup soaked raisins
6 tbsp carob powder
1 cup water, or nut milk

Blend all ingredients together. You may also use the food processor to make this.

Why not cooked?

When a food is heated to over 110 degrees, its enzymes are destroyed. To help with digestion, the pancreas must then produce additional enzymes to aid the digestive process. It requires additional energy and stress for the body to produce its own enzymes.
Since raw foods are left whole and unprocessed, they retain all their nutrients, as well as enzymes the body needs to convert food to fuel. Raw foods don't take a lot of energy to digest and are digested more rapidly-in 24 to 36 hours. In contrast, cooked foods can take from 48 to 100 hours to be digested.
Incorportating uncooked foods into your diet may help support weight loss and provide more energy and clearer skin, while releasing stored toxins. People eating raw foods tend to have less body fat and inflammation, as determined by low levels of C-reactive protein A Journal of Nutrition study linked long-term consumption of a 70-100-percent raw-foods diet with favorable serum LDL cholesterol and trigliceride levels. Raw foods may even help fight cancer.
-Taste For Life 8/07

Salad Study

Don't skimp on salad. A recent report from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that those who frequently ate salads had higher levels of vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and folic acid - key nutrients for enhaced immuity and disease prevention.

Corn Salad

2 cups fresh corn kernels
1/2-1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
Pinch cayenne

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss gently.
-Rose Lee Calabro

Tomatoes with Italian Parsley Dressing

Lettuce leaves
Sprouts
2-3 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
2 tablespoons finley shopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

Arrange a bed of lettuce leaves and sprouts on a serving platter or two individual salad plates. Top with the tomatoes. Combine the parsley, olive oil, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in a jar. Seal tightly and shake well. Pour over the salad and serve. Makes 2 servings.
-Rose Lee Calabro

Why Eat Fruits and Vegetables?

Most of us have heard of colon cancer, sometimes called colorectal cancer. Rectal cancer may be a less familiar term. The rectum, where rectal cancer occurs, is located at the end of the large intestine; it is about 7 inches long About 1 of 8 deaths from colorectal cancer is due to rectal cancer. Some studies of colon cancer have found that high fiber diets reduce risk. Researchers from the University of Utah examined 952 people with rectal cancer and compared them to 1,205 people without rectal cancer. Subjects were asked to recall their diet two years before the start of the study, which for the people with cancer, was two years before their cancer was diagnosed. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains were associated with a reduced risk of developing rectal cancer. High intakes of dietary fiber also reduced the risk of cancer.

Slattery ML, Curtain KP, Edwards SL, Schaffer DM. 2004. Plant foods, fiber, and rectal cancer.
Am J Clin Nutr 79:274-81.