Raw Till 4: Taking The High Road to More Raw
In the beginning, for a few short weeks, I dabbled with a Raw Till 4 kind of scenario. But, the dope that I was, Raw Till 4 just wasn’t good enough for me. I should have stayed there, where it was relatively easy and comfortable. But I had this idea to go whole hog: all day, all raw. It was like a shock to my system. I was hungry. Like some ravenous predator on the Discovery channel. I was bordering on dangerous. Honestly, I could have eaten my own arm. For sure, I did it all wrong. For people who are genuinely ill with diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. drastic measures…
Nectarine Watercress Wraps with Almond Satay
If there were a contest between a nectarine and a peach, I’d pick the nectarine every time! It probably just boils down to the ‘fuzz’ aspect. I’ve always thought the fuzz distracted from the sweet peach taste. Not the case with the nectarine; it’s pure pleasure. This wrap has become a lunchtime staple for anyone who’s tried it – partly because it’s so easy to make – but mostly because it’s so GOOD! We prefer it with nappa cabbage as the wrap. It’s subtle and pliable and adds its own extra layer of freshness and subtle flavor. But you could try collard greens or romaine as well. And double the…
The Raw Food Diet: What’s In a Name?
The raw food world does this really interesting thing to make the raw food diet appeal to the greater masses and the tentative novice: it gives everything names that evoke cooked food versions of itself. Exhibit A: Not Tuna Salad. Exhibit B: Rawmesan Cheese, Exhibit C… I could go through the alphabet. But I’ll stop myself. All these things sound more than vaguely familiar, right? But are they? I think not. Have you ever had raw pizza? I rest my case. Now, on some dimension, I understand this trickery. Because on the base level what we are all trying to do is fool ourselves into not feeling cheated out of…
Meditation in an Un-Meditative World
Meditation is a quandary in this world. Trying to find tranquility is anything but tranquil. We are all about competition, ambition and speed – none of which exactly inspire peace. Hell, my own home seems to be defined by its own brand of insanity, bred of the sheer volume of people who reside within these walls; personalities virtually colliding into one another with meteoric force. Peace and calm are hard to come by. What happened to the simple life? Where did that go? Simplicity seems to be something we have to retreat back into, something that we may have had long ago but strayed from in the quest for More.…
Papaya Noodles In Mustard Sauce
Papaya meat is my favorite color in the whole world, so it’s certainly no surprise that I’m a big fan of this fabulous fruit! In this recipe, currants soaked in apple cider vinegar give bite to this elegant, orange dish. Add dehydrated green beans and the meal is so lush and freshly colored, it’s almost too pretty to eat. No doubt, this would be a great meal to serve when you have guests – although I’ve noticed that there are a number of people out there who don’t particularly warm to the bright papaya. It’s crazy; I think they’re incredible! I have to admit that there’s many a morning that…
Digestion is A Bitch: Light to Heavy Eating
My father, who recently passed away at the ripe old age of 92, grew up in Germany. Over there they ate a hot meal in the afternoon and at night everyone had sandwiches – which, not for nothing, could be a pretty big deal as well, what with the endless array of cold cuts and fresh breads and potato salads. Dinner is called Abendbrot which, literally translated, means ‘evening bread’ and that pretty much says it all. I don’t think anyone ever thought about ease of digestion and I know for a fact that Alka Seltzer and Pepto Bismal were constants in my fathers medicine chest. As a kid, it…
Think and Grow Raw: Manifesting Health
I thought myself into raw. For me, it was my first big experiment in ‘manifesting’. I started identifying myself as raw long before I really was. You might think, “Wow, that was bold! What a fake!”. But let me tell you… it wasn’t really. I wanted it so badly. And I was ready for it. I figured that if I told people, it would encourage me to further solidify what I claimed to be – if only out of sheer pride and mortification of embarrassment. And it did, too. They say that you dress for the job you want, not the job you have. And if you can imagine something…
Enzymes? The Raw Vegan Booster
I don’t know about your mom but mine was always harping on me to eat my fruits and vegetables. Naturally, she didn’t have a clue about enzymes, but she was, definitely, on the right track. Adopting a diet that’s high in raw vegan foods supports digestive enzyme activity better than any other. Basically, it’s one of the great raw vegan claims to fame. And, undeniably, enzymes are necessary. We need them in the same way that Frankenstein’s monster needed that electrical charge. They give us life. Enzymes are micro-proteins, largely composed of amino acids. They trigger all chemical reactions that go on in our bodies. From digestion , metabolism, detoxification, brain…
Finding Yoga and Other Adventures
When it comes to health, food and fitness form two sides of the same coin. We really do need both to keep our bodies and mind functional and vibrant. A vegan diet high in raw foods sets the stage for optimum health but combining it with exercise really kicks everything into high gear. It can be anything from yoga to kickboxing but the fact is that we all really need to get off our asses and do something! Being a country girl and living on a farm has forced me into the inevitability of physical activity. I’m always doing something: stacking hay or shoveling manure or planting a garden. But…
Vegan Kids: Is A Vegan Diet Healthy for Children?
It’s strange that so many single out vegan kids when it comes to worrying about children’s health. Let’s face it: a significant percentage of children in today’s world are in a pathetic shape. And no, I’m not talking about starving kids in Africa; I’m referring to the kids here in ‘our own backyards’. Recent stats show that one in five school-going kids in the United States is obese [1]. Let that just sink in. It’s even worse for the adults. With nearly 70% of adult Americans obese or struggling with some form of weight issues [2], it’s easy to see that we’re looking at an epidemic. So, we need to…
