Beginnings.

There are only 10 days until Christmas day, and whilst not in the 'festive' mood myself i can definitely feel it fast approaching. Most people will have already begun gorging themselves silly, on chocolates, mince pies, and other so-called goodies we associate with this time of year; most probably commencing December 1st with their chocolate advent calender. Majorly young children being the accused.

It is near impossible to shop without seeing reduced price offers on huge tins of chocolate and biscuits, and i imagine Christmas trees adorned with red/ white striped candy canes, homemade gingerbread men, and chocolate baubles! Come Christmas eve, children will leave mince pies, milk or whisky; depending on how jolly Father Christmas is feeling that evening. A tradition my family had when i was younger, was a visit to Mcdonalds for a happy meal as a rare 'treat' on Christmas Eve, and later followed by a selection of 'party food', warm sausage rolls, cocktails sausages, sweet treats, and goodness knows what else.

Christmas day morning, started early of course; usually before 6am, and would undoubtedly involve chocolate from our stockings for breakfast. Followed by 'who could eat the most skittles in one attempt,' something on my part, resulted in losing a tooth one year! Of course, more chocolate would be devoured throughout the day, as every member of my family would present us with yet another selection box, or chocolate Santa Claus! Christmas dinner would be mountainous, which of course had to be succeeded with dessert of some sort. Later more chocolate would be consumed, and probably some leftover Christmas lunch. The gluttony of the day, unsurprisingly leaving every body sluggish, lethargic, bloated and sickly. No one ever wants to see a brussel sprout again, nor do they want to eat another morsel of chocolate... That is until Boxing Day, when yesterdays events are repeated, this time with leftovers in turn a more relaxed atmosphere, as little cooking is done and we are still all more stuffed than the turkey was!

If the situation above sounds familiar, do not be alarmed. I imagine most families can relate to it. This year however, i am going to be having a health-filled Christmas, to beat the post Christmas blues. I have several reasons for this;

- This will be the very first Christmas i will be having totally animal produce free
-  My dinner will comprise of all raw and vegan yummies
- I want to be bursting with energy and positivity, and want to encourage others along the way
- I am tired of having a guilt-ridden Christmas

Despite being part of a nation, not wanting to be told to eat this or not eat that, i believe it is so important to make important decisions for your health. I am fairly new to raw and living foods, i first learned about the benefits in September, after a talk at a Greenpeace festival, with a new friend Jo, who has a fantastic raw cafe in Norwich suitably named The Nectar, if you are ever in the area be sure to visit, and sample the best cake you ever will!

I knew very little back then regarding raw foods for this vibrant health i know so much about now. Since then i have read bounds of literature and internet articles, and experienced said vibrancy first hand everyday since. I was Vegan for a few months before that, preparing all of my own food, as i am ever the enthusiast in the kitchen but the majority of my foods were cooked, even salads included cooked beans or grains. The latter of course is a great starting point for introducing raw foods into your life, eating half cooked food and half living foods, and helped my struggling transition. I had cravings for cooked food, at first but soon learnt it was mind over matter, and i really could do it! Now I want to spread the joy i have experienced from eating life-fueled food. To prove how delicious everything is, to prove eating chocolates should be guilt-free, and actually beneficial to your health, if the chocolate is made with lovely raw organic ingredients of course! 

So back to the subject of beginnings, to mark the celebration of my first blog post, i am going to be juice feasting starting tomorrow. I will share my daily routine, and i aim to inspire you to juice feast too to have a peaceful, energetic Christmas!

I will be sharing recipes, photographs, and lots of love shortly, and if anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate to leave a comment, and i will gratefully receive all and any email any one wishes to send to me; dickybirds@hotmail.co.uk

Until tomorrow

Wishing you health and happiness, 
Louise x x