Raw sports training

Here are some questions that I was asked later this summer by a mens health fitness magazine ... Q&A here we goooooooooo !

1)What ingredients should you put into a basic salad and what is it going to do for you ?

The base of any basic salad has to be without doubt ' leafy green' vegetables. I'm not talking about a side salad of iceberg lettuce which has been left in the fridge for 3 days, which you bought from the supermarket. I'm talking about the fresh organic deep green leafy types like Spinach, Kale, Chard, Basil, Little Gem Lettuce, Rocket, Romaine and Corn Salad. Ideally the most nutritious salads would be grown by your own loving hands, although buying them from your local organic fruit and veg shop is the next best thing. So how do these puny little lettuce leaves give you the vital energy, supreme power and increased strength to keep you in shape and build muscles on your bones as hard as rocks ?

Well, to understand this thoroughly, lets take a look what rocks are made of. Rocks are made up of different types of essential minerals, which are the building blocks of all life. And where do we find the highest concentration of all these potent minerals ? In the soil of the Earth. And what grows so abundantly in highly rich mineralized soil ? You've guessed it, leafy green vegetables. Leafy green vegetables have the ability to absorb all of these life sustaining minerals from the soil and transform them into bio available Angstrom sized particles for animals and humans to eat and gain complete nourishment. Most mineral supplements sold on the market are not of ' Angstrom' size, and therefore they are not able to be absorbed by the cells in our bodies. Minerals are responsible for and activate all of our vitamins and they are the basis of all our organ and cellular structures of the body. There are 23 key minerals, including 16 major and 7 minor trace minerals. These are all needed for our bodies to function at the highest level. Minerals are used up and transformed all the time in exercise, so if we don't have the proper minerals in our system, then we don't have the cellular building blocks needed in order to repair and regenerate our tissues. This is reason why anybody wishing to gain extreme health and fitness, must add leafy green vegetables into their diet everyday.

2)What ingredients could you add for more muscle and why ?

The main ingredient one needs to build muscle is not strictly or uniquely protein but it is in fact 'intense workouts'. Excess protein actually thickens the cellular membrane and prohibits those all important minerals from entering the cell and doing it's job of building and regenerating our bodies to health and fitness. Although protein in the form of Amino acids are essential for building muscle, your body will only use what it needs and excrete the rest, so don't get worried about not having enough protein. What is essential for growth is 'Nitrogen'. Protein cannot form without Amino acids, and Amino acids are absolutely dependent on Nitrogen. In the muscle system, 'myosin' which is the principle protein in muscle, is made up of 17% Nitrogen. Foods which you can add onto your salad which contain a high source of Nitrogen are Almonds, Pine nuts, Walnuts, Peas, Beans , hulled Hemp seeds, Tomatoes, sea lettuce and Dulse Sea weed.

3)What ingredients could you add to improve your energy levels and why ?

The average person has in their body around 3- 4 oz of the mineral Potassium. Muscular people, athletes and people who engage in long term repetitive workouts have a higher amount of potassium in their bodies due to the fact that Potassium has an affinity with Oxygen, which increases tissue oxygenation. Potassium works in a dynamic synergy with Sodium. These elements work together to create a pumping action which creates vital energy on a cellular level. Potassium is essential for all energy metabolism, including the rapid firing of nerve impulses. To increase Potassium into your diet, add to your salad Sun dried black olives, Dulse, Avocados, Tomatoes, Raisins, Cucumber, Parsley and Watercress.


4)What ingredients would work in a salad that could improve focus ?

One of the essential nutrients needed for brain function is Choline. Choline is derived from Lecithin, and Lecithin is used for people with Alzcheimers disease and brain deterioration. Lecithin is found in brain and nerve fibres. Lecithin can be found in the deep chlorophyll green leaves of plants, although it is not activated in the body without enough supply of phosphorus. Foods rich in Phosphorus which can be sprinkled over a salad are soaked nuts like Brazil nuts, Walnuts, mixed seeds like pumpkin and sunflower, olives, carrots, bee pollen and all sea vegetables.

5)What things could you put into a salad that would help with weight loss ? Why would they do this instead of other things ?

The great thing about eating salads is that nutritional value is extremely high and the calorie content is relatively very low. When the body receives sufficient nutrients such as proteins, fats, vitamins and carbohydrates it essentially switches off the signals in the brain that tell you, you need to eat. Junk food, irradiated food and cooked foods are all depleted of the these life sustaining nutrients which are needed for health and rejuvenation. If you eat these types of food, the body will not register that it has taken in any nutrients that are beneficial for the body to use as fuel and growth. This will create a message saying that it needs more sustenance to fulfil its function, and this signal will make you hungry again, even if you have just eaten. Failing to respond positively to this message from the brain by not eating mineral dense foods, will again prompt you to eat more food, all the while increasing your calorie intake. If you are not working out hard enough, then this excess of calorie intake will turn to fat and you will simply put on weight. So the advantages of eating salad greens, nuts and seeds over meats, rice and pasta, is that you can eat less and gain more nutrients, and this will also be extremely beneficial to your digestive system by giving it less work to do. This means you do not even have to worry about calorie counting or over eating, as you will reach your optimal body weight naturally.



Salad for Muscle building

Large bowl filled with chopped baby spinach.
1 cup of soaked and washed walnuts
½ cup of pine nuts
1 Avocado
4 cherry tomatoes
Bunch of chopped corriander
Sprinkled handful of hulled hemp seed
Handful of Dulse seaweed
Drizzle with Olive oil and Apple cider vinegar

Salad for Energy

Large bowl filled with massaged Kale leaves.
15 black Sun dried black olives
6 Sun dried Tomatoes
1 cup of soaked and washed pumpkin seeds
2 inches of chopped cucumber
top with Watercress

Dressing to serve over Salad ~

Blend in a blender

2 Avocados
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of celtic salt
1 juice of a whole lemon
2 Tble of Dulse seaweed flakes
1oz of Olive oil

Salad for Brain Power

Toss in a Large bowl of mixed lettuce leaves ( little gems, basil)
Handful of chopped Brazil nuts
1 grated Carrot
1 grated Beetroot
Dash of Celtic salt
Sprinkle of poppy seeds
2 Tble of Seaweed Salad.
Drizzle in Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar

Salad for Fat Loss

A large bowl of tossed Spinach and Arugula
2 large tomatoes diced
2 Tble of chopped chives
sprinkle of chopped parsley
2 Tble Lemon juice
1 tsp of Cumin spice
1 tsp of Celtic salt