Papaya seeds for better digestion

I knew that papaya seeds help with digestion, because I was once prescribed Papaya enzymes by a naturopath for indigestion during pregnancy. I also have a friend who told me she eats them along with the papaya. I tried this, and found them bitterly unpleasant, and decided I could do without them.

Now I understand that my digestion is slower than average, especially when it comes to meats that contain more Purine, like beef and lamb. I am supposed to limit or avoid these meats, but I happen to love lamb and enjoy a good grass-fed steak now and then. I've been trying to enhance my digestion with probiotic drinks such as Kevita, but lately I've been thinking about trying something else.

The last time I ate a papaya, I scraped out the seeds, washed them off and dried them in my dehydrator for later use. My intention was to grind them up in a coffee grinder and put them into capsules, but I haven't gotten around to this yet--my list of projects and tasks each day is long and never-ending. Today I came across this article about papaya seeds and it gave me some more ideas of how to take them. I have decided to use the pepper mill method, since they are naturally peppery and it will be an easy way for me to get papaya enzymes into my gut every day. Some people might not mind chewing them like the author of the article does, and it is suggested that we do so when eating protein-heavy meals such as steak and other meats.

By the way, I found out that I am a "slow oxidizer" by having a Metabolic Typing test done by a qualified health coach. I highly recommend this. It involves answering an extensive questionnaire and then having some simple tests done. Insurance most likely won't cover this, but I think it's a worthy investment in your health. Finding out what food is right for your unique metabolism and body type is a crucial element in optimizing your health and longevity. You can find a Metabolic Typing professional in your area by using that website I just linked to.

I wish you all the best on your journey to wellness!

The Bulletproof Diet

I just learned about The Bulletproof Diet, by Dave Asprey, in one of Joe Rogan's podcasts the other night. Another piece of the puzzle snapped into place and I know I am on the right path to optimal health. From his site:

"Common dietary mistakes will sap your energy, lower your immunity, and make you cranky. Basic unsuspected foods can make you weak, soft, and fat. Replace them with Bulletproof foods that fill you up, keep you strong, and even make you smarter.

The Bulletproof diet is the foundation for a Bulletproof body and a Bulletproof mind. It’s one of the most important things you can do to increase your performance across the board.

The right foods not only make you stronger and leaner, they can reduce your risks of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. The Bulletproof Diet looks related to the paleo or “caveman” diet based on what our ancestors probably ate, but The Bulletproof Diet arose from research into biochemistry and human performance. For that reason, this diet overcomes some of the problems that can arise from long-term paleo dieting. Think of it as upgraded paleo, or paleo + science, or Paleo 2.0 (except Kurt Harris at archeovore.com already used that last one…)

Best of all, science shows conclusively that the best diet tastes good and is satisfying. It’s not vegan, it’s not low-fat, and you don’t need tolimit calories or eat frankenfoods like tofurkey."

more HERE

These are the principles of this diet plan, which are based on nutritional science, rather than idealism (like raw and vegan diets):

Research proving this diet works.

This is a list of studies behind the principles of this diet.  It will be updated as new research becomes available.

*

Cereal grains contribute to nutrient deficiencies, autoimmune disease, impaired digestion, and contain opioids which make them addicting. (1)

Switching from refined grains to whole grains causes zinc deficiency. (2)

Diets high in grain fiber deplete vitamin D stores. (3)

Phytic acid from whole grains block zinc and other minerals. (4)(5)

Removing grains, legumes, and processed dairy while increasing protein intake produces greater insulin sensitivity in animals and humans. (6)(7)

Brown rice (not white) prevents protein digestion and lowers nitrogen balance (a marker of muscle retention). (8)

Gluten and other grain proteins dysregulate the junctions between intestinal cells and increase cancer risk. (9)

80% of long term vegans are deficient in vitamin B12, which is needed for proper mental function.(10)

50% of long term vegetarians are deficient in vitamin B12. (11)

B12 deficiency causes dementia, cognitive impairment, depression, and degenerative mental disorders.(12)

Kids who eat a vegan diet are deficient in B12 and have impaired brain function.  This reverses when they start eating animal products. (13)

Vegetarians and vegans have lower muscle creatine and carnosine levels. (14) (15)

The China Study is a collection of poor research and misinterpreted results. (16, 17,18, 19, 20, 21)

Grass-fed meat is higher in omega-3’s, CLA, TVA, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and antioxidants. (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)

The longer an animal is fed grains, the more nutrients are lost. (27)

Eating grass-fed meat boosts omega-3 levels more than can be explained by the amount of omega-3’s in the meat (grass-fed meat is better than omega-3 supplements). (28)

A lower ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids reduces inflammation and protects against disease. (29)

Saturated fat is not associated with cardiovascular disease.  This is supported by almost every high quality observational study ever conducted (not that this really matters, since it’s observational data).  (30) (31)

Saturated fat does not raise cholesterol levels over time. (32)

Saturated fat raises HDL cholesterol, lowers triglycerides, and decreases the oxidation of cholesterol. (33, 34)

A diet high in saturated fat improves blood vessel function (don’t be fooled by the title of this study, read Chris Masterjohn’s take on what this study actually showed). (35, 36)

To get all the micronutrients your body needs from the USDA (DASH) diet, you would have to eat 33,500 calories a day. (37)

Vitamin D affects over 1000 genes in the human body. (38)

Magnesium deficiency exacerbates insulin resistance. (39)

Eliminating artificial colorings and food allergens improves ADHD symptoms. (40)

_____________________________________________________________________________

One of the things Dave advocates is the consumption of "Bulletproof Coffee", which is a blended drink made from a special grade of coffee bean that is guaranteed to be free of mycotoxins, grass-fed butter, and MCT oil or coconut oil. It tastes like a creamy, rich latte and provides sustained energy for hours. I tried it over the weekend, at least a simulation of it since I didn't have the proper ingredients, and found it delicious and satisfying. Today it was very cold in my apartment so I made a similar drink using black tea, goat milk and butter in the blender, so it came out like Tibetan tea. You can learn more about the Bulletproof Coffee HERE

With so many conflicting opinions on what humans should be eating, we all need to be conscious and discerning in our search for the right diet. I had some bloodwork and testing done last year, and met with a metabolic typing specialist to figure out what my particular metabolism requires. I highly recommend this level of personal guidance because we are not all built the same. My boyfriend and I have totally different metabolic types and require different foods for sustained energy and to maintain a healthy weight. I realize now that I understand the metabolic typing principles that I have spent the past year and a half eating foods that my boyfriend thrives on, but that make me fat. If he ate the way I'm supposed to eat, he would be hungry and irritable all the time, and possibly get too thin. It definitely makes meal planning more challenging for us, but we are both far more driven to be strong and healthy, it's easy to support each other when we share meals--I just give him most of the potatoes.

I have by no means found my "magic bullet", as I thought I'd found when I discovered the raw vegan diet. I am simply one step closer to understanding what helps me to thrive and what I need to let go of in order to build muscle, lose fat, protect myself against disease and maximize my body's energy potential.

By the way, if you have been reading my blog and might be interested in some one-on-one health coaching sessions with me, I am now set up with a new service called Wizpert, and can chat with you live on Skype or Gmail. I intend to eventually make these sessions part of my income, since I have been offering advice to thousands of people for years and currently have no job or income whatsoever. My first few chat sessions on Wizpert will be offered free of charge, at which time I will be reviewed and then potentially offered a paid position. If you jump on it now, you could be one of my first few clients, for free. 

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope it has been informative for you!

About Dave Asprey

• Silicon Valley investor, computer security expert, and entrepreneur who spent 15 years and $250,000 to hack his own biology. He upgraded his brain by >20 IQ points, lowered his biological age, and lost 100 lbs without using calories or exercise.

forever learning how to drive this body machine

I have kept going with the green smoothies and fruit, but on Friday I made a raw chocolate pie to eat over the weekend because I knew I would need some extra protein while working in the garden and on a construction project. The pie was absolutely delicious and reminded me that I don't need sugar at all. I didn't write down the recipe as I was making it (sorry!) but it mostly consists of soaked cashews, cacao, banana, raw honey, coconut butter and coconut juice, with a crust of almonds and dates. That's a lotta nuts!

So I thought I would be just fine with two quarts of green smoothie, the chocolate pie, and some seaweed, apples and bananas to snack on. But I made the mistake of forgetting to eat every couple of hours which is necessary on a raw food diet. I let myself go too far and get too weak before making a move to get some food, at which point I was panicking and feeling like the food I brought wasn't going to make me feel better. The sun was going down (this was Saturday, 3/30) and all I could think about was roasted chicken. I told my boyfriend I just had to have some roasted chicken, I was freaking out. He supported me in giving my body what it needed and told me that it was ok, I was not being a hypocrite like I said I was. I was judging myself for wanting meat, saying that I was weak and couldn't last a few days without it. He explained that my physical activity level that day was at least four times more than usual and it was completely understandable that my body would be asking for some animal protein. We were at my property in the country and the nearest place to get some reasonably-healthy chicken was Safeway, which sells what they call a "Natural Chicken". I know that this is largely a racket, but at least it has no antibiotics or hormones and they don't use MSG in the seasoning mix or inject the meat with weird stuff. I had a hard time remembering how to get to the Safeway and got lost in the movie theater parking lot (which ended up being a good thing because we decided to go see a movie after getting the chicken). I was so ungrounded and emotionally unstable from being so depleted that I was in tears by the time we reached the grocery store. I went in an got a chicken and some olives and marinated mushrooms from the deli. We drove back to the movie theater parking lot and dug into the chicken right there in the car with a Leatherman tool and a plastic fork. Within minutes my heart stopped racing, I calmed down and everything smoothed over. My whole being felt balanced and satiated. I knew I had done the right thing, and had to do quite a bit of work to process all that judgment  I was casting on myself for "giving up" on raw food.

The next day, I had my smoothie and a some pie in the morning, got to work again on a shed we are reconstructing. When I took a break to have some more food, I reached for the chicken, because I knew I was about to head over to the garden where I would be moving some soil and hacking roots out of the ground. This time I was prepared--I fueled myself with the animal protein and that lasted me hours with no hunger, cravings for carbs or weakness. Later that evening I had an orange and some seaweed and then some juice late at night.

Today I weighed myself and was sad to see that I had not lost more than a pound or two. In the past, any time I fasted on juice or even smoothies for a day or two, I would drop several pounds of water and then start burning fat. I suspect there is something hormonally wrong with me--something is interfering with my body's ability to burn fat. I worked like a horse all weekend and still weigh pretty much the same. Is my body in starvation mode and holding on to every ounce of fat for dear life? I ate a bit more chicken today and green smoothies the rest of the day, until just a little while ago when I felt cold and had half an avocado spread on three flax crackers (I did write down the recipe for these and will post that when I can find it). I am hungry at this moment so I am going to have another glass of smoothie or maybe an apple. I am getting used to letting myself be a little bit hungry but I will not let myself fall apart like I did on Saturday. That may have been what caused my body to go into starvation mode. I must keep my metabolism fired by eating every couple of hours. My nutrition coach told me that I should be eating six times a day and it's just not something I'm used to. I have to break the old bad habit of waiting until I'm super hungry and then overeating. That is what slows everything down.

Anyway, I hope that this report is useful to somebody out there. I'm going to have some green tea to warm up and quiet my hunger.

back in the saddle again.

It has been nearly a year since I've written in this blog. The reason for that is that I went on a journey back to eating all kinds of foods, mostly not raw, and considerably un-vegan. In the fall of 2010, I discovered that I had made myself horribly deficient by neglecting to include essential fats and nutrients in my diet (namely those found only in animal foods). I wrote about it in a previous entry if you want to go back and read it, I won't get into the details here because I want to write about where I've been since then. I decided to rebuild my health, take care of my teeth, and get grounded because I knew that I was about to enter a phase of my life which would require me to be super strong, centered, and fiercely committed to my goals. Three years on a raw diet made me more gentle, patient, docile, compassionate, tolerant and blissful. And I haven't lost any of those qualities since I've started eating meat and dairy again, I just feel that now it's time for me to master a new skill set.

This is all fantastic, except for the fact that I have put on all the weight I lost during my three raw vegan years. I am healthier and much stronger (packed with muscle from yoga and eating meat) than I was before I lost weight on a raw diet, but still, I have too much fat on my body to be burning fuel efficiently. Some might say I look just fine, and I suppose I don't look horribly overweight and I'm certainly not obese, but I have started snoring and having problems with my throat at night, certain yoga asanas can not be done correctly because of fat in the way, and none of my clothing fits. Even the yoga pants are tight, and I refuse to buy any more clothing--I have more than enough clothing that I like in size 10 which I have not been able to wear for two years. I am now a size 14 and got close to a 16 before I decided enough was enough. No more sugar. No more cheese. No more ribs, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, no more ice cream. It's time to transform myself into the physical form of the warrior goddess who dwells within.

I have tried several times this year to lose weight and nothing has worked, except for a week-long juice fast which dropped 8 pounds off of me, all of which came back with a vengeance (and more weight) once I started eating again. I am learning a lot about my metabolism and how it responds to different combinations and ratios of proteins to fats to carbohydrates. According to the nutrition coach I saw last year, I metabolize food very slowly and need to avoid certain foods in order to maximize "fuel efficiency". So when I go without any food at all and only have juice, my metabolism slows way down because my body thinks it's starving. Yes, I start burning fat, but once I start eating food again, my metabolic rate is so slow and my body so freaked out about starvation, it just packs all the fat back on. So that definitely doesn't work for me, and I don't recommend juice fasting for long-term weight loss to anyone. It is a great cleanse and a good introduction to a raw diet, but we need to give our bodies ample nutrients, protein and fat to achieve an ideal metabolic rate. In my case, there may be some thyroid and other hormonal issues at play, and I will be getting all that checked out really soon. In the meantime, I am including lots of seaweed in my diet now to get my iodine levels up. If I consume only green smoothies and raw vegan foods and seaweed and I don't lose a significant amount of weight in a month, I will know that something is definitely wrong with me hormonally. When I went 100% raw in 2007, I lost 20 lbs. in 5 weeks so I know what is possible.

This time, I am approaching it differently. No more raw vegan dogma. I got religious about it last time and it could have been the death of me because I didn't listen to my body when it was begging for animal fats. Raw milk, I believe, is a healthy, nutritious food to include in moderation. That may have prevented my severe deficiencies last time. And also, I will not make the mistake of expecting to live on this diet for the rest of my life like I did before. I will eat this way as long as it is serving my body, mind and spirit. And if I have a day when I feel like I need something else, I will allow it instead of judging myself as weak, as long as it is something good for my body. I will also be more conscious of where my food is coming from, and eat primarily local foods. Tropical fruits and nuts are not harmonious with my metabolic type or my Ayurvedic Dosha anyway. I love mangos and pineapple to death, but I won't let them imbalance me again. What is good for me? Berries, Kale, Broccoli, Almonds, Sunflower and Pumpkin seeds, Celery, fermented Cabbage, Coconut Kefir, sprouted lentils. Just typing these foods is waking up a part of me that has been asleep for 2 1/2 years. Today I had tons of energy in the second half of my day, on about a quart of green smoothie and one apple with almond butter. Normally I get really sleepy around 7pm but today I felt so energized, I had to drink some chamomile tea just now to make myself go to bed.

Which reminds me, I need to get to sleep now.
I will try to remember to post in this blog more frequently with my progress. As of today, 3/29/2013, I weigh 187 lbs. on my bathroom scale. The Wii says 176, with a BMI of 26.3. I don't know which one is right, but I am aiming for a BMI of 23 or less. With all the extra physical activity I am doing these days and lots more ahead this summer, it shouldn't be too hard. I am only afraid of letting myself down like I have all the other times I've tried dieting in the past year, and that is why I am posting in this blog. Even if no one else read this, it feels to me like I am being held accountable. It is important to my personal development that I practice following through on my goals more and more. My target weight is 155, but I would be happy with 160 since I am 5'8" and rather muscular for a female. So there it is, somewhere in the range of 25-30 lbs of fat I would like burned off of my body by August. Let's do this.

are you crazy?

I believe it's the people who don't prioritize health, peace and joy who are truly crazy. But because these people keep the cogs of the money machine turning, they are not locked up in nuthouses, they are fed drugs (pharmaceuticals, caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, junk food) to keep them going. Crazy is not following your heart, your soul, your innate wisdom. Crazy is choosing to keep yourself in a state of chronic stress, anger, worry, despair or depression, in order to maintain the lifestyle society tells us is ideal. And crazy is believing that institutions of government, medicine and food are truly acting in our best interest. Money is the only thing that matters to MOST people. If not for money, would you continue living your life the crazy way?

Wishing fiercely

You know that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for"? Forget that. Don't be careful at all with your wishes, wish wildly and fiercely and wish for more than you think you can ask for, and make your wish with the song in your heart that you will be singing when your wish is granted. The only thing you need to be careful of hesitating to accept the gift when it arrives. Accept it wholeheartedly with gratitude, you have waited a long time for this, and now you get to live your life with one less thing holding you back.

the raw truth, straight from the gypsy's mouth

One of the reasons I bailed on the 100% raw food diet was that I found it more and more absurd consuming large amounts of non-local foods (like cashews & other nuts, cacao, coconuts, agave, avocados) in order to recreate raw versions of my favorite comfort foods. Sandwiches, cheesecake, ice cream, pizza and so on. The carbon footprint was one issue, and forcing my body to derive 90% of its nutrients from food that grows on the other side of the world was another--not only is a raw tropical diet unsustainable for those not living in tropical regions energy-wise, it's totally inappropriate for our bodies. Add to that the sheer silliness of $80 raw pumpkin pies, $20 raw lasagna, desserts made with more cashews and coconut oil than a human should consume in an entire week, and then there was the pettiness amongst the global raw community, lashing out to attack those who chose to include animal foods in their diets for health reasons and condescending pretty much everyone else...well, the whole thing started to look like a circus to me.

If you like cheesecake, have a goddamn piece of cheesecake once in a while. And if you're on edge all the time, nervous, easily agitated, weak, frail and have deteriorating teeth, please, put down your raw food bible and listen to your body. I was once a proselytizing raw vegan and I have holes in my teeth to prove it. Raw milk and grass-fed meat saved my life, I believe. Eat as much raw food as you can, as much of it local as you can, but please don't do what i did and let dogma be your dietary guide.

Raw Gypsy is NOT VEGAN. Here is why

Those of you following this blog may be wondering where I've disappeared to. It's been an intense few months of contemplation and self-discovery. As a result of this, I have had to take a break from the 100% raw diet I was on for three years. It is important for me to be honest about this part of my journey and share the details with readers who may be experiencing similar things. Above all, I want to encourage each of you to listen closely to your guides--tune out other voices if you must, and trust that your body has an innate wisdom of its own.

By April of last year, the wonderful, clear, high energy I had felt for the previous three years had declined and I was starting to feel crappy. I was eating about 70-75% fruit most of the time, with occasional raw fish or raw cheese. I live in Seattle where the winters are not harsh, but it does get quite chilly here and the cold always bothered me when I was living on tropical fruit and nuts. Still, I kept on with my diet because it had brought me to such great health and peace. But I couldn't help but notice that I wasn't feeling as good. Last summer (2010) I stayed raw even though I was wondering if I was doing something wrong. By September I realized I'd been having extreme head rushes when standing, had just gotten used to them, but they were getting worse and much scarier. I was getting numbness and tingling in my fingertips, heart palpitations, and moments when I felt like my nervous system was "forgetting" how to keep me alive--like things were shorting out. At one point in the fall, I had a head rush in the morning that progressed to complete nervous collapse and I fell in the bathroom. Luckily I was not seriously injured, but it was scary for my kids and it was a wake-up call for me to make some immediate changes in my diet.

After extensive researching, since I had no money to get bloodwork done, I concluded that I was suffering from a B12 deficiency, among other things, possibly B6 as well. I had bought into the myth that the trace amounts of B12 on the surface of fruit was enough to supply me with what my body needed to function. I never took any supplements while raw and mostly vegan, because I believed that I was getting everything i needed from fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and seaweed. I was obviously wrong. I had thrown myself way out of balance, perhaps by eating so much non-indigenous fruit in a northern climate, perhaps because my B12 just ran low after I stopped getting the trace amounts that are fortified in breads and cereals, it was probably a combination of things. But my heart and soul told me that I needed to eat some red meat immediately, or I was going to die.

This was extremely hard for me. I was vegetarian for 16 years, 8 of those vegan, then only ate fish and eggs occasionally until I went raw in 2007. Then I was almost entirely vegan for three years. The idea of eating meat was heartbreaking to me. But at the same time as I was going through this, I ran into one of those primal diet people in the natural foods store. He had a lot to tell me about raw milk and raw meat, some of which I accepted, and some which I rejected at first. I went home and started reading more about this, and what I discovered is that MANY raw vegans experience the same extreme symptoms I did after more than a few years on the diet. My research turned up the truth that quite a few of our leaders in the raw food movement are no longer vegans--they simply could not keep their bodies functioning optimally without some animal protein. This has caused a huge debate in the raw food community, which has escalated to a virtual war between vegans and non-vegans. It was a very difficult decision for me to make, but knowing that my children were so worried about me, and knowing that I need to be safe and healthy in order to care for them, I had to at least try it and see if it would help me. The afternoon of the day I collapsed, I went to the butcher and bought a piece of grass-fed tenderloin, learned how to make Steak Tartare, and ate about 3 ounces of it wrapped in a piece of lettuce. I fully expected myself to hurl while eating this, but it really wasn't all that bad--not much different than sashimi. I ate that and waited to see how i felt. The most immediate results were a flushed feeling of warmth that began with my face and spread over my body. Then I didn't notice anything else until the following evening when I realized that the extreme fatigue I used to feel at 10pm was completely gone. At the advice of my new primal friend, I ordered some raw milk and started adding that to my smoothies, to give me the phosphorous I believe I was lacking, and the fats that my brain needed. I decided that I would eat raw beef twice a month and drink the milk a few times per week and see if I felt better in a couple of months.

Well, within a month, the head rushes had completely stopped. I could go from lying down to jumping up with only a normal amount of orthostatic hypotension but not a blinding, catastrophic brain fart. The heart palpitations also stopped. I didn't feel cold anymore. I started eating liver as well, just to be sure. This was not easy, eating mostly raw liver. I seared the outside and choked it down. I told myself that I had to do this for my health, and that it was temporary. Meanwhile, I continued with my green smoothies most of the day, salads, and increased the amount of fermented veggies I was eating. I decided that I needed to back way off on the fruit until the weather warmed up. The more I thought about this, the more I realized how dumb it is to live on pineapples and mangos when you live in Washington state. I have shifted to a more local diet by eating apples and pears, kale, chard, and now I'm only about 60% raw because I thought it would be good for me to eat some root vegetables like parsnips and some winter squash which I don't believe are digestible raw. Overall I think i made the right decision for my health, but I consider this an experimental, transitional phase, because other problems have cropped up.

Going off of 100% raw has caused me to "cheat" and eat stuff like bread, pastries, corn chips, cooked beans/lentils and grains like rice and quinoa, I even had a grilled cheese sandwich once. I guess you could say I let myself party because I had been so deprived for three years. Of course, I put on 20 pounds in a hurry, which made yoga difficult and I eventually stopped doing it. At this point, I am somewhere in between--still feeling that I need the meat and milk occasionally, but doing yoga again and wanting to get back to 100% raw as it gets warmer because a) I feel extremely sluggish at this point, b) I am about 10 pounds over my ideal weight (I think I was 10 pounds under when I was raw vegan), and c) I am starting to look/feel my age (!)--seriously, that youthful glow is gone, my wrinkles are showing, and I just feel older. I do still believe a raw diet is the diet intended for humans, but I was doing something wrong. I wish to approach it differently this time, and by April I do intend to be 100% raw again.The animal products i will have to monitor closely to determine how much/how often i need them. One thing that has changed is my attitude toward eating animals--I have been connecting lately with indigenous elders and shamans and feeling compelled to stay close to the land and environment I'm living in. I feel best prioritizing local food over veganism. I'm not so into the idea of eating raw eggs, but I'm learning that they are a very healthy food for humans. It's something I'm still contemplating.

I found that during my first two years raw, I liked my peaceful new self better...but now what I like about my changes is that I am more adaptable, more tolerant, more forgiving of myself and others. I don't think it's useful to be harsh/extreme. I seek peace, balance, and clarity. I want my glow back. I want my energy back. I need a juicer immediately.  I'm certainly not "happy" about eating meat, but i am approaching it consciously, as ethically as possible, and being compassionate with myself. One thing that always struck me about the hardcore vegans I knew is that they had compassion for animals, but not for humans. If you're going to live like that, resenting and hating people for their personal choices, then go live in the jungle with the gorillas.

Needless to say, I am backing way off from giving anyone raw dietary advice until I feel 100% up to speed myself. Every body is totally unique and needs a different combination of nutrients to function optimally. I feel that it's most important to eat foods that were grown and raised in the same climate and environment you live in (provided that it's not a toxic place like next door to the Chernobyl field). But it's also crucial that we monitor our health and nutrition intake on a regular basis because things do change. What works for our bodies one year may not be enough the next. I met a woman on Facebook named Jamie Marie Koonce who has a nutritional consulting practice and is able to work with people remotely. If you are in need of some health/diet coaching and are open to a non-vegan, nutritional typing approach to reclaiming your health, please visit her website, SuperHero Healthcare.

As always, I welcome any and all comments here.
Raw Gypsy

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days

 If you haven't yet watched this Documentary film i highly recommend you do, and pass on the link to friends and family. It's as potent as "Supersize Me" in its message that you CAN make dramatic changes in your health with diet alone. Here is the description of the film from the website:

"Simply Raw" is an independent documentary film that chronicles six Americans with diabetes who switch to a diet consisting entirely of vegan, organic, uncooked food in order to reverse disease without pharmaceutical medication.

The six are challenged to give up meat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, soda, junk food, fast food, processed food, packaged food, and even cooked food for 30 days. The film follows each participant’s remarkable journey and captures the medical, physical, and emotional transformations brought on by this radical diet and lifestyle change. We witness moments of struggle, support, and hope as what is revealed, with startling clarity, is that diet can reverse disease and change lives.

The film highlights each of the six before they begin the program and we first meet them in their home environment with their families. Each participant speaks candidly about their struggle to manage their diabetes and how it has affected every aspect of their life, from work to home to their relationships.

Green powders and supplements

young coconut meat and water, mango, banana, cashew, Pure Synergy powder--YUM!

 Many people tell me that they started including smoothies in their daily diet, which gets me really excited--we really are creating a revolution with the way we feed ourselves. And I notice that most people begin with using green "Superfoods" in their smoothies, instead of using fresh whole greens like I usually do. I would say that this is primarily due to the marketing of superfoods and how prevalent they are in nutrition centers, natural food stores and online in advertisements. Also, green powder supplements can be added to any drink made in any blender, while a heavy duty appliance such as a VitaMix is needed to process whole greens smoothly. So my take on it is that superfoods are a great place to start, as you transition into getting more and more of your nutrients from whole foods, and even then, it can't hurt to continue using them.

 Pure Synergy Superfood
 is the green superfood I started with and enjoy.

complete description of ingredients

Once I started consuming kale, chard, collards or spinach daily, I no longer felt the need to use the powder. However, this particular blend contains so many incredible nutrients that I bought another jar and use it whenever I've run out of greens or am too lazy to go out to the garden (the rainy, dreary Seattle weather can do that to you). I used it today because I ate a lot of greens yesterday and felt like it was good to take a day off. Victoria Boutenko recommends that we rotate our greens and not eat the same kind every day, because the leaves produce low levels of a toxin that prevents animals from nibbling them completely off the stalk. Each type of plant produces a slightly different type of this toxin so as long as we are rotating and using different types of greens throughout the week, we won't ingest too much of each one.

But back to green powders, there are so many on the market, it's hard to decide which one to use. I chose the Pure Synergy one based on the intent with which it was created, the impressive list of ingredients, and the testimonial by Dr. Gabriel Cousens. I would suggest doing your own research and let your heart guide you. Raw Vegan Source has many options to choose from including their own brand. They are great people who provide a great service to the raw community and beyond.

Ultimately I wish to stress the importance of eating as much living food as possible. Raw is good, living is best. That means freshly-picked organic produce, unwashed if possible so you get the benefits of the naturally-occurring b-12 and beneficial bacteria on the plants, and also sprouted and fermented foods. Consider your green powder the back-up nutritional source to your plant-based whole foods diet and then rely upon it when traveling or low on fresh food. The smoothie pictured above was made with 100% fresh fruit and coconut, with cashews added for protein, and a teaspoon of Pure Synergy powder. It was delicious and filling, and I didn't have to go out in the rain.

Keep it simple

Most of us were raised eating complete meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks were the little things like fruit, nuts, chips, that we ate in between or if a meal was late. As recently as three years ago, I insisted that I was a "meal person", and couldn't feel satisfied by grazing. I always marveled at the people I met at festivals and camping trips who could eat trail mix and celery all day and not feel the need to sit down and have a big burrito for dinner like I did. I weighed 40 lbs. more then, and those people were always at a perfect weight.

New Years Day brunch I shared with a friend

Like many of you, I tried dieting to lose weight, many times. What always killed it was the hunger and anxiety of feeling like I was starving myself. I tried my first diet at age 12 when my mother told me I was fat. Now, I wasn't fat by any standards but her own, and she was anorexic. But I decided she must be right because she was my mom, so I decided I was only going to eat salad until I got thin. This lasted one day, until we got to my grandma's house and we had spaghetti for dinner. I couldn't resist that urge to fill myself, perhaps learned from my father's binge eating and insistence that we eat everything on our plates whether we wanted it or not. Imagine the confusion of these unhealthy messages about food: "you're fat, don't eat so much", and "eat everything on your plate, we paid good money for it". No wonder I ended up with an eating disorder in college and to this day worry about my weight every single day.

Going raw helped me to heal those negative messages about eating. After trying a low-carb diet once and losing enough weight that I actually didn't feel right (125 lbs is not a healthy weight for me at 5'8" and a strong, well-muscled build), I learned that many people reach their ideal weight on a raw diet because they are finally eating food the way nature intended it. My first month on 100% raw, I felt the need to eat constantly, but because I was eating only nuts, fruit and vegetables, there was no reason why I had to limit myself. I discovered that the myths about fat were untrue, that I could eat cashew butter and avocados every day and still lose weight, and that it was the bread, pasta and starchy potatoes that made it so hard to lose weight in the past. Also, my metabolism has always been somewhat slow, and eating those large meals with long periods of inactivity afterward made it even slower. Letting myself eat whenever I was hungry, but only eating what I needed to feel satisfied, not only felt right but caused me to lose 20 lbs. in 5 weeks. I adopted a practice of having a conversation with my cravings, asking them what they really wanted. Was it comfort? Hunger for a memory, nostalgia of something I used to eat as a child? Or did I need protein? Listening carefully and answered only to the cravings for true nourishment totally transformed the way I feed myself. No longer did I need to sit down and have a large meal to feel satisfied. I felt amazing and so grateful for everything the earth provided for me to nourish my cells and help me do the work I've come here to do.

Some days I feel like snacking all day. I notice that this corresponds with the times when I have nervous energy and don't feel like I'm accomplishing much. I literally distract myself by making another snack. Other days, I don't think about eating until I feel a true need for it, and then it doesn't take much more than a piece of fruit or a smoothie to satisfy that need. I have let go of the "shoulds" of eating and just respond to what IS. The only time I start craving something like a full meal is when I've let myself overeat or eat something that has upset my blood sugar. It took me over three years to fine-tune my body and mind this way, but it has been worth the wait. I have a lot more energy available for other things now that feeding myself is simple. It's very inexpensive, too.

If you wish to include fish in your raw diet, try making ceviche.

A raw and living foods diet is a commitment to a complete lifestyle overhaul. However, you can begin with making a smaller commitment to simply detoxing and getting in touch with your body's true nutritional needs. Even if you don't stay raw through the winter or year-round, you will have addressed the root causes of eating disorders, dysfunctional ideas about food, and discovered which foods give you more or less energy. I highly encourage anyone to at least give it a try and see what changes. I had to gently remind myself during the first few weeks that cheesecake wasn't going to vanish from planet earth just because I wasn't going to eat it for a few months. After I had established a new diet plan for myself, I was able to safely sample favorite foods in very small amounts, which actually gave me a much deeper appreciation for the artful, sensory experiences that food can provide. It also taught me how to make a scrumptious cheesecake out of fruit and nuts that is every bit as delicious as the cheese and egg concoction that did nothing good for my body. I am not missing out on anything. My life is rich and exciting and vibrant. Macaroni and cheese is a very strange substance once you avoid it for a few years and learn to eat what makes you thrive instead of what slows you down and dulls you.

Please do contact me if you would like more information about my raw coaching services. I have several options depending on how far you wish to go and how much you want to participate in creating a new life for yourself. I also offer catering services including consulting for chefs who wish to add gourmet raw items to their menu. This is a great time of year to go raw, for life.

Spiritual Nutrition

I am a huge fan of Dr. Gabriel Cousens. Reading Spiritual Nutrition when I first began my living foods journey helped to keep me aligned on the path to wellness and I still consider that book the living foods Bible. It took me beyond the concept of diet to embrace holistic wellness, which helped me overcome many of the base urges like food cravings and nostalgia for old habits that undermined my goal of optimal health.

last summer I foraged for about 80% of my food.

Not everyone approaches a raw food diet with spiritual pursuits in mind. I had no idea how my life would change on the more subtle levels by simply changing the food I ate, but the results have been astounding. I can say with certainty that my psychic abilities have increased since going raw, and my capacity for grasping and relating to metaphysical concepts has also increased. Meditation comes easy now, and in my sleep, I have this very "awake" feeling that is hard to describe--it feels like I am able to consciously make changes in my waking life from the dream world. Some nights in the summer I don't feel much need to sleep. It is more like my body shuts down for regeneration and repair, and my mind switches to a different level of consciousness. Feeding myself has indeed become a spiritual experience as my mind, body and spirit are so integrated that they communicate with each other fluently. Those of you just beginning to shift to a more whole-foods diet may still be in the physical changes stage, but I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of Spiritual Nutrition so you can better understand all of the reasons why sticking with this diet will change your reality for the better. One of the best reasons is that you become a beacon of light and positive change for others, as I have. Vibrant goes viral when you activate your highest potential.

super refreshing Hibiscus cooler

We waited and waited for summer to arrive in the Northwest and when it did, it came in like a Lion--a big, furry, sweaty lion. When the temperatures creep into the '90's I'm even more grateful that I discovered the raw and living foods diet, because I am more tolerant of heat than I've ever been before. I used to hide out indoors if it got above 80 degrees outside, but I've been driving with no air conditioner, making phone calls in the backyard with the hot sun baking down on me, and just soaking in the sunshine like a lizard.

 This morning I filled a 2-quart Mason jar with a small handful of dried Hibiscus flowers, about 3 tablespoons of Red Raspberry Leaf, and fresh artesian well water. I screwed on the sprouting lid and set the jar in the sun for a few hours, agitating it a little every once in a while to make sure all the herbs were getting infused. For lunch today I had: apples, raw cheddar cheese and a bit of carrot raisin Manna bread. I don't normally eat grains at all, but I'd bought this bread for my kids when we went camping and they didn't care for it (I think they were hoping it would be more like pumpkin bread than the chewy fiber cake that it is). Anyway, after my snack, I noticed that the tea was a lovely shade of ruby red. I brought it in and strained the tea into my french press. Then, in the blender I put about 6 ice cubes, 16 oz. of the tea, a squirt of Agave and 6 fresh raspberries that I just picked yesterday at Garden Treasures Farm in Arlington. The VitaMix does a quick job of blending iced drinks so in less than a minute I had a frothy, icy Hibiscus Cooler. It was so pretty, I garnished it with a sprig of mint so I could pretend I had been served some fancy beverage at a Tiki Bar. By the way, this drink would probably be great with some Vodka in it, if you're into that sort of thing. I don't bother with alcohol, myself. I get my bliss from the sun and everything that grows under it. What is also great with cold Hibiscus tea is pineapple or apple juice. This is the way they serve it in Egypt--it's called Karkady and it's a popular beverage served at tourist destinations.

Here is a website that details some of the health benefits of Hibiscus. Raspberry leaf tea is high in vitamin C, like Hibiscus, and other vitamins, so this tea makes a great immune tonic. If you happen to be pregnant, raspberry leaf will also help tonify the uterus and can be very helpful when consumed during labor. Of course, if you have your baby in a hospital, they won't let you eat or drink anything. Just one more reason why I recommend natural childbirth either at home or at a qualified birth center. You can read more about raspberry leaf tea HERE and you can purchase both of these herbs at Travelers, my choice of retail outlets for bulk herb purchases. Tenzing Momo in Pike Place Market may also carry these herbs, and you may be able to get them both at natural food stores. If you go to Travelers (and I highly recommend that you do when in Seattle), tell em the Raw Gypsy sent ya. Then, so you don't have to wait to go home and make your own tea, you can order a glass of it right there.

The sun has finally gone down and it's cool outside, so I'm going to take a walk. Have a great sunshiny weekend!

Strong statement about fast food and processed food in general

I don't believe in supporting businesses, people or agencies that make money off of killing or harming people. That is one major reason why I am working on reducing my dependence upon oil and plastics, why I don't use chemical cleaning products, and why I do not eat at or take my children to fast food restaurants. Another big reason is that I love my children enough not to poison them with my ignorance. That's right, ignorance--I said it. If you think that it's ok "once in a while" or "isn't all that bad" or "there are actually some healthy things to eat at McDonald's", then you have been fleeced. The vast majority of people in America believe what the FDA tells them, believe what the advertisers tell them, believe that there isn't any significant difference between cows injected with Bovine Growth Hormone and untreated cows, that the only difference between conventional and organic produce is the price, believe that Kellogg's and Lucerne are good, down-to-earth companies that make wholesome foods for our families...and so on. THESE ARE LIES told to consumers to dumb them down and get money out of them--plain and simple. The rates of Diabetes and Cancer are SOARING. Pesticide consumption is now being linked to ADHD and has been a known neurotoxin for years. How are people getting sicker? Gee, I wonder. It couldn't have anything to do with that stuff they consider food, now, could it?

I happen to be rather angry as I'm writing this, as you may be able to tell. My usual posts in this blog are peaceful and positive because I'm usually talking about the food that will indeed save the planet and anyone left after the reckoning we're going to get in the wake of BP's poisoning of our ocean. Today, I'm pissed, because my children's grandparents and extended family keep feeding them fast food, against my wishes, against half a dozen requests to stop, against a doctor's warning that my daughter is highly allergic to soy and must remove it from her diet completely in order to restore her immune system. I thought the doctor's warning would be enough to keep her free of soybean-oil-fried Chicken McNuggets, a seemingly innocuous "kid food" that I believe to be an absolutely horrendous excuse for a meal. I would sooner feed my children worms--at least I would feel that I've protected them from this:

These two paragraphs are taken directly from The Omnivore’s Dilemma: (a book that EVERYONE WHO EATS in this country should read)

“The ingredients listed in the flyer suggest a lot of thought goes into a nugget, that and a lot of corn. Of the thirty-eight ingredients it takes to make a McNugget, I counted thirteen that can be derived from corn: the corn-fed chicken itself; modified cornstarch (to bind the pulverized chicken meat); mono-, tri-, and diglycerides (emulsifiers, which keep the fats and water from separating); dextrose; lecithin (another emulsifier); chicken broth (to restore some of the flavor that processing leeches out); yellow corn flour and more modified cornstarch (for the batter); cornstarch (a filler); vegetable shortening; partially hydrogenated corn oil; and citric acid as a preservative. A couple of other plants take part in the nugget: There's some wheat in the batter, and on any given day the hydrogenated oil could come from soybeans, canola, or cotton rather than corn, depending on the market price and availability.

According to the handout, McNuggets also contain several completely synthetic ingredients, quasi-edible substances that ultimately come not from a corn or soybean field but form a petroleum refinery or chemical plant. These chemicals are what make modern processed food possible, by keeping the organic materials in them from going bad or looking strange after months in the freezer or on the road. Listed first are the "leavening agents": sodium aluminum phosphate, mono-calcium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and calcium lactate. These are antioxidants added to keep the various animal and vegetable fats involved in a nugget from turning rancid. Then there are "anti-foaming agents" like dimethylpolysiloxene, added to the cooking oil to keep the starches from binding to air molecules, so as to produce foam during the fry. The problem is evidently grave enough to warrant adding a toxic chemical to the food: According to the Handbook of Food Additives, dimethylpolysiloxene is a suspected carcinogen and an established mutagen, tumorigen, and reproductive effector; it's also flammable. But perhaps the most alarming ingredient in a Chicken McNugget is tertiary butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ, an antioxidant derived from petroleum that is either sprayed directly on the nugget or the inside of the box it comes in to "help preserve freshness." According to A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, TBHQ is a form of butane (i.e. lighter fluid) the FDA allows processors to use sparingly in our food: It can comprise no more than 0.02 percent of the oil in a nugget. Which is probably just as well, considering that ingesting a single gram of TBHQ can cause "nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse." Ingesting five grams of TBHQ can kill.”

This does not even mention the "Autolyzed Yeast Extract" which is a code name for Monosodium Glutamate, responsible for addicting millions of Americans to processed food. MSG is why my kids don't have the resolve to refuse those french fries or McNuggets when offered to them. MSG is why you can't stop eating BBQ potato chips after the first handful. MSG is implicated in obesity, anxiety, nervous disorders, migraines and dozens of other human ailments that drug companies have made millions treating the symptoms of. If you are ready for the truth about MSG, which is in ALL PROCESSED FOOD and in high amounts in fast food, go to this website. For all the other reasons why you should STOP EATING FAST FOOD NOW, watch the movie "Supersize Me" I watched that film with my kids to make sure they fully understand the implications of giving into food cravings. 

The reason why it's NOT OK once in a while (which apparently means once a week to my kids' grandmother), is that it encourages the addiction to the taste of fast food (via the MSG). Also, the message you're sending to your children is that this is acceptable food (which it most certainly is not, and you know it. And you're sending the message with your money that the corporations producing this extremely low quality garbage should keep making more of it, and tricking people into eating more and more. It has to stop somewhere, and where I put my foot down is to refuse to give them a dime. I always carry snacks in the car for my children: apples and almond butter, carrots, raisins, smoothies, berries. I have educated my kids on all the reasons why that crap is NOT REAL FOOD and what it is doing to people: heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, leukemia, immune dysfunction, depression, anxiety and more. Do you understand that just because medication exists to treat these diseases does not excuse the fact that corporations are knowingly producing food that is killing people? 

I am one step away from blowing my top over this issue. I have in the past sent food over to their Grandparents' house to try and ensure that the kids are eating CLEAN, PURE, UNADULTERATED food. But when offered a bowl of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, what kid would turn it down in favor of celery and almond butter? And just because I sent food over there, it never stopped them from going to Dairy Queen or McDonald's. I just found out that my daughter ate at Wendy's yesterday with her aunt and cousins. Did anyone bother to inform them that she is HIGHLY ALLERGIC to soy, which is an ingredient in ALL fast food in one form or another? The assumption was made that Ruby is just a normal kid who eats what normal kids eat. That couldn't be further from the truth. When the kids are with me, they eat at least 60% raw, about 80% vegan, and 90% organic, and the percentage of food they eat that has an ingredient list on the package is probably less than 5%. What are my options here? I am enraged over this issue and it makes me want more than ever to take the kids far away and live in a community with others who understand how crucial it is that we grow our own food, collect our own water and avoid synthetic chemical exposure including pharmaceutical drugs. How can people claim to care about their family and then continue to feed them poison?! How can I continue to tolerate the kids' family influences when I so strongly disagree with their choices? These are my babies, who I took great care to breastfeed and cloth diaper and protect from chemical exposure (including the toxins and heavy metals in vaccines). Have I no say in what they are exposed to when they are not in my care?

Tomorrow I am taking my kids out to an organic farm in Arlington, where we will pick our own strawberries, lettuce, chard and anything else that's ready in the garden. My little garden at home is not producing much, due to its unfortunate location and the lack of sun we've had so far this summer. This is the kind of activity that I feel is far more valuable for children than taking them to beaches and water parks and playgrounds. I have my kids with me only half the week and sometimes it feels like there is so much I want to share with them and not enough time, so I maximize that time by teaching them real world skills and give them valuable knowledge that cuts through the ignorance our society is breeding. They have watched me transform through my raw food diet and they totally understand why I want to protect them from the demise of most Americans--we are too smart to fall prey to that foolishness, and won't be going out like that. 

This may be the strongest statement you will read in this blog, and do with it what you will: WE CANNOT AFFORD TO MESS AROUND ANY MORE. Skippy peanut butter is NOT FOOD. Not only are peanuts bad for us due to naturally-occurring toxins, they are the crop most highly saturated with pesticides, and the process of making peanut butter renders the oils rancid which requires the use of more chemicals. High Fructose corn syrup has been PROVEN to contribute to Diabetes, a disease that 24 MILLION Americans now suffer from (think of how much money is made off of insulin--Big Pharma is not suffering at all!). Hydrogenated oils clog arteries and drive cholesterol through the roof. Our bodies were not made to process this crap. If your body needs protein, eat real nuts that grew on a tree and were not soaked in poison! Sliced bread, hamburger buns, pizza dough, ALSO NOT FOOD. Refined, starchy grain products are the leading cause of Diabetes and give us nothing in terms of nutritional value. Try using lettuce or collard leaves to wrap your sandwich fillings. Smuckers Jam: NOT FOOD. Try real berries, without high fructose corn syrup and pesticides. Hot dogs: DEFINITELY NOT FOOD. Find out why you should avoid foods containing nitrates. If you believe you really need meat, find a good source of organic meat or poultry, and if you balk at the cost of it, then EAT LESS. Not only does eating these foods contribute to aging and disease, it supports industries that are not in the business of keeping people healthy. Why not give your money to people who are doing good in the world? Have you ever thought about that? Every dollar you spend ends up keeping something or someone going forward with their work. Perhaps you should do an experiment one day and track where every dollar you spend is going, and then research whether or not those companies are doing good or harm to the planet. I am driving all the way out to Arlington tomorrow to support people who are growing REAL FOOD in a sustainable manner. People who do that are not getting rich off of it, believe me. They are doing it because they care about the welfare of the planet and the people who will inherit it after everyone else dies of Cancer.  If I can save my kids from their family's ignorance, we will still be around then, creating a whole new world.

Where will YOU be?

Off the HizzOOK vegan strawberry ice cream (50% raw)

Oh, I had some major cravings tonight for dessert. I saw a photo somewhere of some cheesecake and couldn't stop thinking about it. I wanted something creamy and rich and sweet with berries and chocolate. Fortunately, just today I was in the International District and picked up several cans of Coconut Cream. I also bought fresh young coconuts, but I don't think this dessert would have come out quite the same had I used fresh. So as far as raw desserts go, this one is kind of a cheat--canned Coconut Cream has most likely been heated and definitely processed with the addition of preservatives. But, I reckon it's not nearly as bad as the cheesecake I would have gotten. Here is what went into this delicious ice cream, made in the Vitamix (but you could probably make it in a food processor as well...not sure about a standard blender). This recipe makes one serving if you're a pig like me.

1 frozen banana
2 large frozen strawberries
about 3 heaping tablespoons full of chilled Coconut Cream
1/4" snip of vanilla bean
about 9 cashews
few dashes of salt
maple syrup to taste (can use agave or whatever sweetener you choose, or some dates)
approx. 2 tablespoons nut milk or apple juice

Start the Vitamix on low to try and break up the large chunks of frozen fruit. I had to keep poking it down with the plastic tamper that comes with the Vitamix. Do this as quickly as possible-- you don't want to let the mixture get too warm if you want it to taste like ice cream. The VitaMix has such a high speed motor that it can blend things together before they get warm, which often happens in a food processor. The coldness of the frozen fruit keeps the coconut cream firm as it blends together. So whatever appliance you have handy, blend this up any way you can. It would probably be yummy if it weren't super cold but I wanted it cold to resemble ice cream and also because I had plans to drizzle melted chocolate on top which hardened like Magic Shell. Yum. Again, not completely raw, but vegan, and so much better for you than cheesecake or dairy ice cream.

Of course, you could replace the strawberries with any other type of frozen fruit. Mango, blueberry, raspberry, peach, etc.. Especially in the summer, I remember to buy extra fruit and freeze some. When strawberries are in season they cost less, so I cut their tops off, halve them and freeze in a ziploc freezer bag. I also did this with peaches last summer. Freeze mangos when you can find them on sale and make Mango Lassis on a hot summer day. I will post that recipe soon!

By the way, although you can usually find coconut milk, coconut cream is rarely available in mainstream grocery stores. I haven't even seen it at natural food stores--it is just not a popular enough item yet. Find it at Asian grocers, particularly Southeast Asian markets, and make sure you get Coconut Cream not Cream of Coconut which is heavily sweetened for use in mixed drinks.

Coconut is a super healthy food to include in your diet. Here are some of the many health benefits of coconut. Coconut oil specifically is a beneficial addition, and despite its being mostly a saturated fat, it actually assists weight loss. Read more about coconut oil HERE . Enjoy your dessert...good night!

Oh, and did you say you don't have a Vita-Mix? Hmm...would you like to do something about that?

B-12 and nutritional balance

Many of us who have been vegan or vegetarian have been at some point confronted with the question of whether or not we are getting the nutrients we need in sufficient quantity. I was a vegetarian for 15 years, 8 of those years a vegan. For an example of the way I lived as a vegan, here is the blog of a vegan who eats the way I used to eat. She seems to have the same degree of knowledge on the subject as I had at the time: Fake meat, fake cheese, margarine, lots of bread and pasta, happy little treats like finding veggie burgers at Burger King, vegan marshmallows and baked goods, etc.. Looking back, I am amazed how ignorant I was by not researching what these artificial, dead food substances were or questioning whether they were truly good for me. Although I thought I was eating a pretty healthy diet because I wasn't eating meat or dairy, there was a lot I didn't know about nutrition. After a while of not feeling so healthy but never suspecting that perhaps the food itself was the culprit, I began to question whether or not I was getting enough b12, which is commonly thought to exist only in animal foods. Because of the information available at the time, which informed me that as a vegan I needed to take B Vitamins in order to be healthy, I did so without even questioning my diet. Like many people, I felt it was the easy solution to the problem--take a pill and don't think about it any more. I cannot honestly say that the vitamins improved my health in the long run. In fact, my overall condition deteriorated until I decided many years later to make a dramatic lifestyle change and adopt a living foods diet.

When I went raw in 2007 and read Spiritual Nutrition by Dr. Gabriel Cousens, I dove into the heart of nutritional science and began to use my own body as a laboratory. After the first few months of detoxification, I felt for the first time in my adult life what it was like to wake up in the morning feeling refreshed. The fatigue, anxiety, mood swings, depression, aches and pains that I'd lived with for years just melted away. No longer did I wonder or worry that I was not getting enough of the essential nutrients--I trusted in what I learned and saw the proof in my vibrant health.

Over the past four months, I have experimented with adding back some of the foods I used to eat before going raw, and some animal foods that I hadn't eaten in many years. Admittedly, part of my doing so was out of indulgence and the resulting laziness that ensues from the stupor. But once I decided to let myself temporarily indulge and not feel guilty about it, I thought it would be useful to study the effects these foods had on my body and mind. Part of what pulled me toward cooked foods was feeling very cold in the winter. So I ate some brown rice, some oatmeal now and then, even treating myself to pastries once a week with a mocha. Introducing grain-based food back into my diet had the desired effect of raising my body temperature, but also produced cravings for more grains and sugar and slowed my digestion down considerably.

More and more, I began to sense that I was lacking in protein so I started eating cooked chicken or fish about once a week. This led to my craving for eggs so I ate them a couple of times per week. I was still starting my day with green smoothies and eating salads, fruit and nuts, but in much smaller amounts because the cooked foods filled me up so much.  I started being less picky about dairy and ate cheese, yogurt, even ice cream a few times. I convinced myself that I must have needed more B Vitamins and protein if I was craving animal foods, so I allowed myself to eat them fairly regularly.

Meanwhile, I observed changes in my appearance and energy level. After a couple of months, it seemed that I required more sleep than I had before on 100% raw. My skin began to show my age (I'm 40, but was told regularly that I looked 15 years younger). The light in my eyes seemed dim, and the dark circles returned.  I felt tired, depressed, moody and sluggish, absolutely requiring caffeine to get going in the morning. I could tell that the overall effects of eating this way were contributing to aging. But still, I had this intense craving for these foods--the more I ate them, the more I seemed to need them.

Toward the end of May I resolved to go back to 100% raw. My experiment had proven what I suspected all along--that the typical American diet, even a so-called healthy one, is largely responsible for lowering energy levels and accelerating aging. I thought that increasing my B Vitamin intake with these foods would increase my energy level, but it had the reverse effect. Over the past few days, I've returned to consuming very green smoothies and eating salads for meals, gradually tapering off of the crap I've allowed to deteriorate my health. This morning I awoke feeling extremely fatigued with no good reason for it. I'm feeling that it is time for me to do a cleansing fast to restore my natural balance and rid my body of any toxins accumulated by consuming mucus-forming grains and putrefying animal products. Again questioning my nutritional balance, I wondered whether a lack of B-12 could be responsible for my fatigue. So I did some more research on the topic and came up with a fantastic article by Gina Shaw on the B-12 issue. She explains thoroughly the science behind B-12 production and absorption in the body, and goes on to illustrate that a raw vegan diet restores the intestinal flora, brings about proper nutritional balance and facilitates adequate absorption of nutrients. This is a good article to bookmark and send to your friends and family when they worry that you're not going to get enough of what you need on a raw diet. If you are vegetarian or vegan, this article may be enough to convince you that including more fresh, living food in your diet could be the best possible thing you could do to improve your health. At the bottom of the page is a link to another B-12 article written by Gabriel Cousens. That is also worth reading to get his perspective on the issue. I will eventually have articles like these compiled here by subject, but the Living Foods website is an amazing resource to bookmark.

The moral of this story is that while adopting a raw lifestyle is optimal in many ways for lots of people, it can be valuable to allow yourself to fall off the wagon now and then. For me, sitting there in the mud for a while gave me a deep appreciation for what it feels like to be light, free, ALIVE, on the road and journeying through life ACTIVATED. Electric Gypsy style. I'm still fighting some of those cravings, but they will subside as I nourish myself back to balance. I wish you great courage and success on your own journey.