all about Cucumbers

 a relative passed this info along to me in an email this afternoon, ironically right after i just bought some cucumbers for my daughter who asked to have some for lunch. I had no idea they had so much nutrition and so many other uses.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.


9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

FDA Argues Feds Can Deny Consumers the Right to Buy Raw Milk and Dairy Products

Attorneys for the federal government have argued in a lawsuit pending in federal court in Iowa that individuals have no "fundamental right" to obtain what food they choose. The brief was filed April 26 in support of a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's ban on the interstate sale of raw milk.  read full story here

and lots more info about the fight to keep raw milk legal  HERE

And FYI, here is the FDA's public stance on raw milk The Dangers of Raw Milk 
 blahbity blah...

My personal opinion on raw milk is that fundamentally, cow milk was intended for baby cows, not humans. I was vegan for 8 years and still believe that cow milk should not be a staple food for us--it should be consumed as a treat, if at all. But if people do choose to include dairy products in their diet, raw dairy is the absolute most healthy choice. Raw milk contains the live enzymes necessary to properly digest the proteins and fat in the milk, which enables us to assimilate the nutrients. I invite discussion about milk consumption here, so please feel free to comment with your opinion or any links you may have to share. Here are a few raw milk links to articles I found:


raw-milk-facts.com
mercola.com
a campaign for real milk
NY Times

I believe that the best thing you can do for your health is learn to trust your own inner guidance to find what is best for your unique body, mind and spirit. I personally consume, in small quantities, raw dairy products. I eat raw cheese, (cheddar is so good with apples!) and when i can find it, i buy raw milk for my daughter who loves it. It will not be so easy for me to obtain it anymore. PCC, our local natural food chain market, recently stopped carrying raw milk. Apparently, Whole Foods has also pulled raw milk from the shelves. read full story here. They cite concern over food safety, however, given the stories i read about the FDA's raid on an Amish Farmer, it's clear that the FDA campaign is becoming more and more aggressive. I would not doubt that the government has threatened retailers even more than independent farmers, and of course Whole Foods isn't going to issue a public statement about that when they can simply attribute the decision to concern over our safety.

I do have friends who own a cow, and they have offered me a small amount of milk if I want it. They don't have very much, but we don't use very much--so I may take her up on the offer. It looks like this will be the only way for us to get access to raw milk unless consumer campaigns prove successful. I am interested to see how this affects the raw cheese market, as I have seen more and more raw cheeses being offered at Trader Joe's. It's looking to me like we are going to have to raise and produce all of our own food soon enough, if we want to maintain control over our own dietary choices. If the day ever comes when the government starts destroying or confiscating citizens' personal livestock, gardens or seeds, I will be moving my family to Europe.

In the meantime, I intend to resurrect an organization I started a few years ago, Temple of Hygieia and update it with these current issues. I was doing way too much at the time I started that website so I dropped the ball on it, but my intention was to form a legal church to protect our constitutional right to our own health freedom. If anyone is interested in helping me develop that organization, please contact me at madame7@gmail.com

raw vegan hot cacao! (well, as warm as you like)

It began as a quest for comfort on a cold winter's day, with a motherlode of cacao beans I got from a friend "in the biz". I had already been making fresh hemp seed milk for my kids so we could stop buying all those boxes of hemp milk and also so I could ensure that they were getting all the nutritional benefits hemp seed has to offer. So I had been playing around with different milk recipes and decided to try adding some cacao beans. Because the Vitamix has such a powerful motor that it can actually heat up the food, I thought I'd let it run for a while to see if I could make hot cocoa. What I didn't expect was that the Vitamix would whip the cocoa into a frothy, creamy, delicious warm beverage that I enjoy better than any hot cocoa I've ever had.

This drink could probably be made in a regular blender. If your blender doesn't get it warm enough, you could always heat it up. If you want to retain the most nutrients, don't heat it up past 110 degrees. If you want to learn more about Vitamix blenders and how they can change your life for the better, click HERE, or feel free to email me and I will tell you all about it. Since going raw I hardly use any appliances, but the Vitamix gets used 1-2 times a day, every day. When people ask me what they need to get started on a raw diet, that's it: get a Vitamix. Do I sound like a salesperson? Ha ha...I don't care, just get one. Your hot cacao drink will be much better.

So here is the basic recipe which you can adjust to your taste.

2 cups water
2 Tablespoons shelled hemp seed, more or less
about 16 raw cashews
1-2 dates (medjool is large and soft, good for this recipe)
8-10 whole cacao beans, or 1 Tablespoon of cacao nibs (raw is best)
few dashes of salt (I like "real salt")
1-2 Tablespoons of agave nectar, to taste
1/4" piece of vanilla bean, or 1/4 teaspoon extract

optional: cinnamon, and cayenne, to taste (for Mexican cocoa)
I highly recommend it with the cayenne!
You could also throw in a few coffee beans...mmmm...!

Start the blender on low and gradually raise the speed. The Vitamix has a variable speed dial so I just crank it up. You want it running on high for 5-7 minutes so make sure the lid is on tightly. I got mine to a good drinking temperature in about 7 minutes. Drink it right away so you can enjoy the creamy foam that forms on top. Makes two servings.

Now, this recipe could also be made into a cacao milkshake, if you add 1/2 a frozen banana, some ice cubes, and don't let it run longer than it takes to blend thoroughly. I do that for an afternoon snack sometimes. Have fun with it! Great for kids, you can even give this to them for breakfast. It's often an after-dinner treat in our home.

Delicious raw breakfast for winter

Normally i get by on a big green smoothie for breakfast each morning. I'll have one at 9:30 or 10am and then another one in a couple of hours. After 2+ years raw, my body gets everything it needs from those smoothies. But during the winter, i really notice the need for a higher caloric intake. So on crispy, frosty winter mornings, sometimes i have a small bowl of sprouted buckwheat granola with nuts, fruit, and freshly-made hemp milk. It's a perfect "comfort food" and goes well with a smoothie when i need to eat more for breakfast. This also makes a great late-night snack, although if i am eating after 8pm, i use more fruit and less granola because i find that i sleep better when i don't eat anything beyond fruit at night.

You need a dehydrator to make this granola properly, but it can be made in the oven with the door open if your oven has a very low setting. Most conventional ovens don't go below 170 degrees so it's not recommended. I am encouraging people to go in on the purchase of a dehydrator with their housemates or family members. The Excalibur dehydrator is by far the best on the market for the purposes of raw food preparation. It also can make yogurt and other cultured foods, and it has craft applications as well (i've dried my kids' paintings in there so they could be given as gifts right away). Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing an Excalibur dehydrator and i can advise you on the best one and the best place to buy it.

In order to make sprouted buckwheat granola, you need to buy raw buckwheat groats. I find them in the bulk section of my local natural foods store--be sure they are not the toasted kind as those will not sprout. The reason you want the buckwheat to sprout is to activate the enzyme inhibitors and release the full nutritional potential of the seed. I start with 2 cups of buckwheat (which, by the way, is NOT wheat--it's another grain entirely) and soak it in a large bowl of filtered, or even better, spring water. I add a splash of seawater which i keep on hand but you can use a pinch of celtic or some other natural sea salt. This is for the mineral content more than anything. You don't want to add too much salt as that could interfere with sprouting. You will need a rather large bowl as the buckwheat expands a lot. Just keep it covered with water for 12 hours or overnight. It will soak up the water and get kind of gluey. Dump it into a large colander and rinse well, stirring with your hands. I like to use the sprayer on my sink faucet. Then place the colander to drain over a bowl and set it somewhere with a light cloth over it for at least one day. You will need to rinse it at least once to wash off the goo and to keep it hydrated enough to sprout. After a day or so you should see little tails growing on the kernels. You can rinse again if desired, but leaving the buckwheat a little gluey will help the granola to clump together. If your buckwheat doesn't sprout after 2 days, it may be too dry, or it may have been irradiated. This is an increasingly worrisome issue affecting our food supply. If you discover this to be the case, please inform your natural food store manager and request another source. We need to pull together to stand up for our right to real, live, unadulterated food.

Transfer back into the large bowl and add whatever you like for flavor and texture. Here are some of the things i mix in:

1/2 cup sunflower seed which has been soaked in apple cider and water with 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup dried cranberries. (i soak the fruit so when it dehydrates, it doesn't end up too crispy)

3T ground flax seed, which helps it to stick together (not necessary, but also adds Omega 3 oils)

1t salt, to taste

1/4-1/2 cup agave nectar, to taste (could also use honey or maple syrup if you're not strictly raw)

cinnamon, vanilla extract

shredded coconut

mix this all together and spread onto teflex sheets of an Excalibur dehydrator. This amount will fill 2-3 sheets. Spread to about 1/2 inch thickness and compress. Dry on the "living foods" setting overnight. Check in the morning. If the top is dry and underneath it's still moist, lay another teflex-lined tray on top and flip the two trays over. Then peel off the original teflex sheet and dehydrate another couple of hours. You will have to play around with the time and temperature. It should be totally dry and crispy and you should be able to break off chunks.

I know this may sound like a lot of work for some cereal but it is so filling that you won't need to eat very much, so it will last a while. It's a special treat for me and my kids love it. It actually tastes kind of like Grape Nuts cereal. You can mix in your favorite nuts and more dried fruit, if you wish, and store in a sealed jar. If it ever becomes moist, just dehydrate again. This granola is a good transitional food on a raw diet because it gives you the satisfying full feeling that you might be missing from cooked food or breakfast items like oatmeal. Pour on some homemade hemp milk and enjoy.

Celebrate ThanksLIVING with some yummy raw Hemp Nog

Hemp seeds are becoming more readily available in natural markets and online, now that more people are aware of the numerous health benefits. One of the most important health benefits is the rich source of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids in hemp seeds. They are also a good source of protein and magnesium. Hemp seeds are great on salads, cereal, in granola bars and smoothies. If you can't find hemp seeds in your local market or it's inconvenient for you to go out looking for them, you can buy them here:





Here is a basic recipe for fresh hemp milk

Basically, you use a water to seeds ratio of 4:1, adjusting for your preferred thickness. For hemp nog, I use the following recipe:

1/2 cup hemp seeds
2 cups water
(for extra-rich, tasty nog, reduce the amount of hemp seeds and add a small handful of cashews)
1 banana, fresh or frozen
3 large or 4 small dates
1/2 inch piece of whole vanilla bean
freshly grated nutmeg
agave nectar to taste, if desired (the dates and banana make this pretty sweet already)

blend in standard blender or VitaMix until creamy. I like to use frozen banana so i can blend for a long time without the milk becoming warm. The VitaMix has such a strong motor that it can add heat to the food, so adding ice or using frozen ingredients can offset this. Of course, you may choose to drink your hemp nog warm, in which case the VitaMix should be allowed to run for five minutes on high. This recipe makes 2 servings. The nog should be good for 2-3 days, but shake it before serving.

Here is a great article about the hemp plant:History and benefits of hemp

Go make yourself a tall glass of hemp nog and then come back to watch this video about a woman in France who builds houses out of hemp concrete:

Green Smoothie Revolution

All hail the green smoothie.
It is the staple of my diet and has done more for my health and well-being than any other dietary change i've made. I will be offering a workshop on making green smoothies sometime in the next month at Flower of Life. I have a lot to share in regard to the lifestyle aspects of changing the way we eat, so this workshop will be not just a demonstration of what goes into green smoothies, but some good information on the how and why of this lifestyle change.

In the meantime, for those of you who just want to know right now why green smoothies will save your life and bring joy and abundant happiness to your world, please visit and bookmark Victoria Boutenko's green smoothie blog and then go out and get yourself some greens. Many greens will grow year-round in the Pacific Northwest, so i encourage you to grow your own. I have found that it eliminates any potential excuse for not eating greens daily, having them right in the backyard all the time.

I have been drinking green smoothies almost every single day since i went raw in June of 2007. One of the effects of this is noticeable in my fingernails. All my life, i had thin, bendable nails that i could never grow for long without them splitting or peeling off. My nails are now harder than ever and i am experimenting with keeping them a bit longer which helps me with my classical guitar practice. Because i maintain a bodywork practice in addition to my raw lifestyle coaching, it isn't really practical for me to have long fingernails. But i'm so thrilled that i could if i wanted to, and even more that i have made a profound change in my nutritional health that is visible in a very tangible way. Green leafy vegetables contain more calcium per serving than the recommended daily allowance of dairy products, AND it is much more bio-available which means our bodies can actually USE that calcium instead of excreting it or having it form deposits in places like our feet. Check out this woman's blog about Kale and other leafy green vegetables to see the comparison of calcium intake versus dairy. She has really done her homework and you can learn a lot about all the vegetables in the Brassica family which are all great sources of calcium and magnesium, which are dependent upon each other in the proper quantities. Here is an article that details even more health benefits of green leafy vegetables: Importance of Green Leafy Vegetables in diet.


I suspect that the high magnesium content in greens could be responsible for my having overcome depression, anxiety and fatigue. Studies have shown that the majority of people suffering from psychological disorders such as schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder as well as auto-immune disorders like Fibromyalgia are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium is an essential mineral which is no longer being supplied in sufficient quantity in our food supply due to inadequate soil remineralization. Dr. Linus Pauling, the two-time Nobel Prize winner states that: "You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment to a mineral deficiency." Read more about agricultural soil depletion here . This is something few people even think about and yet most of them are suffering in one way or another from the lack of sufficient minerals in their diet. Green leafy vegetables are one of the very best ways to address this. Liquid mineral supplements do help, however, there is no substitute for fresh, live, enzyme-rich food from the earth. The sun gives life to the plants and the plants bring that life into our bodies. It just makes sense to take advantage of what is given to us so freely on this planet.

So there, now you have some reading to keep you busy, and when you're done with that, you are welcome to contact me to learn more about what i offer in the Seattle area for raw lifestyle coaching and classes. I am also a sales affiliate for Vitamix blenders, which are the very best for blending up greens completely. I do not have a website at this time, but you can email me at madame7@gmail.com to request addition to my mailing list.

happy blending!

exciting news

The Flower of Life wellness center is now open and we are beginning to schedule classes and workshops. My Raw Basics series will begin in November with the elemental Green Smoothies 101 class. Other classes in this series include:

Raw in the winter
Fermented foods and Kombucha
Raw on the go
Simple dehydrator snacks
Sprouts and salads

This series of classes teaches you how to prepare the staple foods of the raw and living foods diet. Rather than focus on reinventing favorite cooked meals, which i believe prolongs our emotional attachment to the paradigm of cooked food, i prefer to stress the essential components of vitality through diet. This facilitates optimum immune strength and maximum energy, as well as creating the best environment for healing a variety of conditions and illness.

These classes are perfect for anyone who has made the decision to include more live foods in their daily diet, and certainly for anyone transitioning to a raw lifestyle. Each participant will go home with a packet of recipes and information about the foods prepared. Each class features a different essential element of a live foods diet and promises to be a lively, interactive and inspiring experience.

Please contact me with any questions
madame7@gmail.com
425-877-9042