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…
The Organic Raw Shopping Experience
Very early on my raw lifestyle timeline, I had myself convinced that I could go 100% raw. I was always trying to eat consciously. Looking at packaging and trying to avoid anything that contained ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce was second nature to me. What I fed my husband and children was carefully considered; even if they clamored for ‘Lucky Charms’, I would undoubtedly force muesli and organic fruit upon them. And it seemed like it would be simple for someone like myself to just go completely raw since I had – for the most part – always preferred fruits and vegetables anyway, albeit not exclusively. Avoiding the Bad Stuff…
What’s So Great About Fermented Food?
Thousands of years ago when refrigerators were yet to be invented, our ancestors depended on fermentation as a method of preservation. This was especially true when it came to preserving vegetables. They relied on the fact that once triggered, chemical changes activated certain bacteria in fruits and vegetables, turning on the production of lactic acid. When lactobacilli just ‘do their thing’, starch and sugar content in fruits and vegetables transforms into lactic acid, a natural preservative. Voila! We have fermented food! Lacto-fermentation is the process that prevents raw organic produce from rotting. Ultimately this happens through the production of enzymes that keep harmful elements like carcinogens and toxins at bay.…
In Praise of Slowness: On the Road to More Raw
I love Raw Food. Its that simple. Although ‘More Raw” is my mantra, I’m not a vigilante. Nor am I going to get on my soapbox and tell anyone that this is ‘The Way’: eat Fruits and Vegetables and You Will be Saved. And there’s no reason to tell you that even if it might be true. For me, it kind of is. And for you, it might be too. You’ll find out for yourself, all in good time. Just don’t be in too much of a rush. It’s not all or nothing. The journey to better health is just that: a journey. And, like all journeys, it takes time.…
David Wolfe, Sunfood Diet Success and Me
I love David Wolfe. I don’t care who knows it. He’s been my inspiration, teacher, invisible friend and raw crush. I’ve even dreamed about him. If anyone out there doesn’t know who he is, they should find out. Because, in a word, the man is ‘awesome’. I see him everywhere, too. It seems like whenever there’s a film made about plant-based eating or preserving the environment, David Wolfe is the go-to guy. He talks the talk and he walks the walk. Usually in a poncho. He’s got the whole thing down. Nature! Get It Off Of Me! I took my raw food nutritionist certification through a program at Integrative Nutrition. David…
Vitamin B12: The Missing Link in the Vegan Diet?
Vitamin B12 always seems to sneak into conversations about the viability of a raw vegan diet. Produced by bacteria that live in the digestive tracts of livestock, Vitamin B12 is present in the muscle meats of these animals. So it would seem that meat eaters reap the benefits. But the fact is that plants have vitamin B12 too – or shall I say, organic and wild plants do. Whether we’re getting it or not, is a different story. It’s All About the Soil… Many take it for granted that simply eating raw fruits and vegetables means you have a healthy diet. And it certainly might present a better option than…
What the Hell is a Vegan and How Did I Get So Raw?
Once upon a time, I had never heard of a raw vegan diet… It’s strange that I honestly never even thought about vegetables or fruit being involved as mainstays of a raw vegan diet. Hell, I had never heard of such a thing. But I guess that if I’d been forced to hazard a guess as to what it was, my ideas would have hovered around sushi and steak tartar. Or maybe food you hadn’t cooked and shouldn’t even think of eating. But honestly? I was clueless. My friend, Alisa, changed all of that for me. She alone is responsible. What Do You Feed A Vegan? I operated a Bed…
The Raw Diet: Winterized
It’s winter again and with it comes the quandary about just how far to take the raw diet and where or if to make concessions. There is no sugar coating it: winter is not my favorite time of year. Apart from the occasional awe elicited when my high desert view arbitrarily masquerades as a winter wonderland – usually for all of two hours – I am definitely with the bears on this one and would gladly hibernate if it were at all possible. That not being in the cards, last year I decided to take up skiing again after a twenty year absence from the sport. People told me I…
Nuts and Seeds Morning Muesli
Until you really get the hang of it, the winter months can be challenging for the raw foodist – even if you’re just raw till 4. Sometimes a refreshing juice in the morning just isn’t cutting it. It’s completely normal to crave heavier foods as insulation against the cold. That’s when we have to turn to heartier fare to banish the winter doldrums. Enter our friends the nuts and seeds to give a little heft to our diet and keep us feeling pleasantly full and imminently satiated. That’s where this wonderful muesli makes its welcome appearance. Muesli is one of my favorite ways to start the day when it’s blustery…
