Fwd: November 2006 - Thanksgiving Edition

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Greetings Members,FYI:Victoria <victoria wrote: "Victoria " <victoriaNovember 2006 - Thanksgiving EditionThu, 23 Nov 2006 15:09:11 -0500 (EST) In this issue: 1. Live Fries Recipe 3. One More Benefit of Practicing Gratitude. By Victoria Boutenko 4. New Educational Package, 34% savings. 5. FREE Holiday Delivery Service ================================= Live Fries Peel and slice one large jicama so it looks like French fries. Combine in a bowl with: 1 tablespoon onion powder 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon paprika sea salt to taste Serves 5. We recommend serving live fries with Tomato Basil Sauce (please see below) Tomato Basil Sauce: Blend 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes. Add the following ingredients and blend: 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes ¾ cup chopped fresh basil juice of 1

medium lemon 2 tablespoon olive oil 4 dates (or some raisins) 1-2 cloves garlic Serves 9. ----------------------------- ©2006 Copyrighted material! Please reference this source when sharing this information: www.rawfamily.com One More Benefit of Practicing

Gratitude: It Can Help You Stay Raw! By Victoria Boutenko “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” -Cicero

When we adopt a raw food lifestyle, we may feel deprived of our habitual pleasures, especially when we watch others enjoying cooked delicacies that used to be our own favorites. Being hungry, angry, lonely, or depressed at that moment could add even more frustration to our feelings of misery. I would like to share with you a method that can help eliminate feelings of deprivation from your life forever. We all have different perspectives on life. Some of us feel that life is becoming increasingly more frustrating, especially considering all the natural cataclysms and political challenges. At the same time, others view life as a totally beautiful and enjoyable experience. Initially, I thought that our opinions on the fairness of life depended on the level of our

material wealth. Later, I met some poor people who were content with their lives and wealthy persons who were deeply upset about their lives. While watching many people caught in a material pursuit (including myself) I developed a strong interest in the true origins of people’s contentment in life. I came to the conclusion that there are two opposite perspectives on life: the materialistic perspective and the grateful perspective. The materialistic approach to life guarantees discontentment and frustration, as there is no objective limit to the acquisition of personal possessions. There is no constant measure that could be marked as “enough.” At the same time, only the very basic possessions that satisfy our essential needs such as food, clothes, and shelter, can bring us a sensible feeling of contentment. The

majority of the items beyond the basic needs convey very little enjoyment to their possessor. Contrary to this, gratefulness inevitably leads us to becoming aware of the unlimited wealth that life holds for every one of us. Grateful people tend to be happier, more optimistic, more satisfied with their lives, than their less grateful counterparts. Michael E. McCullough, a professor from Florida, provides experimental evidence that gratitude leads to improvements in psychological and even physical well-being.[1] McCullough’s groundbreaking research demonstrates that “people who place too much emphasis on materialistic pursuits – people for whom obtaining wealth and material possessions takes priority over meaningful relationships, community involvement, and spirituality – tend to be unhappy people. In general, they are dissatisfied with their lives, and tend to experience high levels of negative emotion. They are at risk for a variety of mental disorders. In contrast, grateful people – people who readily recognize the many ways in which their lives are enriched by the benevolent actions of others – tend to be extraordinarily happy. They experience high levels of positive emotion and are generally satisfied with their lives.”[2] Being constantly exposed to a vast variety of advertisement and financial challenges, we may increase our materialistic perception of life. According to McCullough’s research, gratefulness is such a powerful approach to life that it may reduce people’s materialistic strivings.[3] I invite you to apply this valuable information about the power of gratitude to any situation in your life. Below, I am presenting two different approaches to watching another person consuming a cooked delicacy. The materialistic approach: What is that heavenly smell? Oh no! It’s pizza! Look at how they are enjoying it. How come I am not allowed to enjoy it? Am I a monk? They don’t look as if they are going to die. Can it be true that I will never again in my entire life be able to partake of such a pleasant meal? Oh, how lucky these fellows are! I wish I could enjoy pizza now as they do! What torture, poor me. Oh that aroma… it brings tears to my eyes. So many of the sweetest memories come to mind, the best times. Now, they are over. E-eh. The grateful approach: That smell is oddly familiar. Wow, pizza. I had a lot of it in my life! More than one could dream of. Now it is time to take care of my health. Yeah, health is my priority now. All these people eating pizzas will be delighted to discover a healthy diet in their time. I am grateful that I am on a healthy diet already. I do feel a lot better. I am so glad that I will not have to be sick again. In only fifteen minutes I will be home. What do I have in my fridge?

Those hass avocados I bought yesterday should be perfectly ripe today. It will only take a couple of minutes to prepare guacamole with lemon, tomatoes, and jalapeno. Uh, my mouth is watering! I have fresh romaine lettuce, tomatoes and a giant organic mango that will be so yummy and nourishing. Oh, I am looking forward to my raw dinner that will leave me feeling light and wonderful. I greatly appreciate what the raw food diet is doing for my body and mind. How fortunate I am! What a blessing life is. To develop a grateful attitude, we need to practice one simple activity— notice the positive sides of events in our lives. The very best way to do this is to keep a gratitude journal. Buy yourself a notebook and start writing three to five grateful notes daily. I think that we should be grateful not only for the positive but also the negative experiences. Often, it is the most painful events in our lives that shape the qualities in ourselves we value most. Practicing gratitude can make your life on a raw food diet more enjoyable and will have a positive impact on your health, your mood, and your life in general. Ó Copyright 2006 by Victoria Boutenko. Please reference this source when

sharing this information: www.rawfamily.com ---- Wonderful Gift Idea for this Holiday! 34% savings! New Educational Package is available now at www.rawfamily.com BooksGreen for Life12 Steps to Raw FoodRaw Family - A True AwakeningEating Without Heating DVDs/CDsNew! 12 Steps to Raw Foods Greens can Save your LifeIs Raw Food for YouRaw Gourmet Dishes SimplifiedSpiritual Awakening with Raw Food Two free bonuses with each Package: One 9oz pack of Igor’s freshly made crackers One Poster, The Ten Benefits of Green Smoothies Convenient Holiday Delivery Service The holiday season tends to approach quickly and often we do not remember to send presents to our family and friends until it is too late. For an additional $1 charge we are happy to offer the following services: We guarantee delivery during the week of December 18 for all orders placed before December 10. Special orders will be neatly wrapped in designer holiday paper. Upon your request, we will include an authentic card designed by Valya, with a choice of Christmas, Hanukkah, or general holiday greetings; with your choice of message. As always, the packaging will be decorated with appropriate stickers. Just call 541-488-8865 to give your special holiday instructions Please note: Previous issues of the Raw Family Newsletter are now available free of charge on our website: www.rawfamily.com If you have signed up before but are not yet receiving the newsletter, it may be because of your anti-spam program. Every time we send the newsletter out, we receive over 1000 returns due to the anti-spam programs. Make sure we are added to your address book! [1] Emmons, A., McCullough, M. The Psychology of Gratitude. Oxford University Press, USA, 2004 [2] Polak, E., McCullough, M. Is Gratitude an Alternative to Materialism? Journal of Happiness Studies, 2006, DOI 10.1007/s10902-005-3649-5 [3] McCullough, M., Kilpatrick, S., Emmons, R., Larson, D. Is gratitude a moral affect? Psychological Bulletin, 2001, #127 To /change profile: To : Raw Family Publishing280 East Hersey StreetUnit 7Ashland , Oregon 97520 Email list management powered by http://MailerMailer.com

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