Reflection and appreciation

As the old year draws to a close I find myself reflecting back on the year that has been. I became raw in 2008; a significant and unexpected development that has had major repercussions in many areas of my life. I'd like to give thanks for the positive aspects :

• How becoming raw is part of my spiritual evolution and has enabled me to surrender to my higher self.
• How I am facing personal, familial, societal conditioning or karma around food and lovingly dissolving it.
• How I find myself part of a raw tribe within my local community and for the friendship, support, social life and great meals that we share.
• That I had a relatively short and smooth transition and was able to become fully raw and now begin to support others.
  
• That I am supported by the wisdom of others, expecially the elders of the raw community: Viktor Kulvinskas, Gabriel Cousens, Doug Graham.
• That I receive the support of the online community, in forums, personal blogs, YouTube videos.
• That I am benefitting from the work of Rawntrepreneurs who are making living foods and superfoods available.
  

So much to be thankful for... Om shanti x

Abundance and restraint

I surf a few raw food forums online and a regular theme is how rawees out there may be finding themselves socially isolated within their geographical community. I know myself to be blessed to be living amidst loving, creative raw fooders; particularly that one of us has been raw for over 10 years and is greatly accomplished in the raw kitchen, or raw temple as he calls it! This guy is talented and abundant; making and sharing wonderfully delicious creations such as curry, pizza, cake, burgers once or maybe twice a week.
The question is, can one have too much of a good thing? When faced with unlimited amounts fabulous food, beautifully presented, it is easy to just keep going and plough through platefuls of the stuff.
I have been consciously practising restraint, which is an aspect of abundance: it is a scarcity mentality that keeps me returning to put more on my plate. In the knowledge that there is always enough, that there will be another delicious meal in a matter of days, I choose justenough to satisfy my physical appetite, the stomach. It is a way of honouring the body and also honouring food itself. I treat this as spiritual practice, I am overriding my personal and familial conditioning, the binge mentality: Get it while you can, it won't last forever! There is much at stake here!
I find it helpful to verbalise, as I am declining say, that second slice of cake, I say aloud, 'I am practising restraint around eating.' Not so much to inform others, as much as a means of affirming my intention to myself. I intend for this behaviour to become self-reinforcing; that it becomes effortless, I will have re-patterned and re-programmed this aspect of my relationshipto food. Conscious eating indeed.

Raw resistance? Let it be

Hanging out in the living room in the company of two friends, I'm seeing quite a bit of them lately. They are loving, creative, spiritual, intelligent beings. We hang out in a group, most of us are fully Raw. The Rawee's were in the kitchen preparing the meal. The subject turned to the raw diet, as it so often does, one of these guys a student naturopath with a keen and sincere interest in healing himself through diet, he has pursed the Gersen therapy and eats high raw.
As we chatted away it became quite clear to me that both friends were presenting classic arguments against following a totally raw diet: I am attached to cooked starches, the raw diet is unsuitable during winter, I could not digest a purely raw diet.
Naturally I had the counter arguments on the tip of my tongue: Cooked starch is addictive and acidifying, the raw food diet is infinitely adaptable and is easily modified to be heating during the winter. Your digestion will adapt, there is a transition stage that all raw fooders pass through.
Then it occurred to me how glad I was to have transitioned to a 100% raw diet. What a blessing to have their reflection back to me of my own progress, surety and commitment to the raw lifestyle. How lovely to have like minded friends who were open enough to engage the very personal and controversial area of nutrition and show genuine interest in my experience. How I needed to honour them and not try to press my point of view upon them. Be self-contained in my own experience and respectful of the view point of others. Let it be.

Christmas day: vibrant health & wellbeing

A day spent in the pursuit of health, love and happiness, beginning with a sauna in a friend's garden; a mellow heat, seasonal aromatherapy blend (sweet orange, juniper, cedar wood, pine). Massage bars, green hemp juice, native american wood flute, mantra, green clay face masks. Being dowsed in cold water in the morning air then surrendering to the wet grass.
Headed off to the beach at lunchtime, a delightful excursion along the b roads of Somerset, snatching glimpses of other peoples Christmas' as we passed through villages and hamlets. The bay was broad and expansive, the sea itself far away with a low tide. Snacking on seaweed, linking arms, laughing and singing. Enjoying sweet herbal tea and clementines, then a long walk up onto the downs finally absorbing the mellow sunset. Tired and sleepy back to town, then the Christmas banquet was revealed, gladly devoured, gifts exchanged and music played.
A full day, of simple delights, vibrant health & well being. Wonderful.

I'm having the best Christmas ever....

Last night, a group of raw friends gathered for a Christmas meal. The meal was gourmet, yet simple and light. Susannah had taken the time to emulate the elements of a traditional meal: crunchy strips of parsnip, a raw turkee burger, veloute cranberry and date sauce, heck she had even dehydrated the humble brussel sprout, which tasted like a delicacy. We fell silent during the feast, which is a sign that the food was really good. I had brought along plump medjool dates enclosing a freshly hand shelled walnut pieces. We also shared a Carob Gold bar, supplied by its creator, between seven of us it was just the right amount. Throw in some gentle humour supplied by christmas crackers and some merry singing of carols and you have a group of happy Rawees. Merry Christmas everyone.

Raw friendly people everywhere!

In the run-up to Christmas it seems that every place I go there are mincepies or gingerbread or similar seasonal treats on offer. So I find myself politely declining, if pressed I tell ppl I am eating a raw fruit & veg diet and I am so pleased at how supportive and raw friendly their responses have been.
Ok, so I'm living in Glastonbury and it's an open-minded, alternative, creative, spiritual community. Most commonly I am asked what I will eat on Christmas day, so I talk about a Christmas spiced orange and cran juice, dried figs and dates, and how good it feels to eat lightly and frugally.
Yesterday evening I visited a friend who offered me dinner, as a spur of the moment thing. Her daughter put together a delicous salad in a few minutes and they were pleasantly surprised at how satisfying and straightforward a salad could be on a winter's evening. No stress socialising!

Coffee at dawn?

I had a funny moment this morning. Today is midwinter solstice, the shortest day, the point at which the sun being furthest from us begins its' return. In Glastonbury this is a big deal, with so many within the community wishing to honour the day and the seasonal rythm. With a dawn ceremony scheduled, I dropped into the main house to collect housemates. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee met me as I stepped through the door. In a reguar household, this would be a sign to continue in and perhaps share a breakfast beverage. In a raw household however, it can mean only one thing - coffee enema. I tiptoed quietly back to my annex and had a quiet giggle.

Rawkin' around the Christmas tree?

An unexpected benefit of the RawFood lifestyle: my experience of Christmas is being transformed. Last year, as a cooked fooder I had a very merry time with fun-loving girlfriends in a rented seaside cottage, close to Totnes. We lolled around in our pyjamas, experimented with eye make-up, watched entire series of the Mighty Boosch and of course ate utterly unfeasible amounts of food, most of it rich, fatty and sweet. For us then as it is for many now, Christmas is a binge.

What a difference a year makes; 6 months into my transition, 2 months fully raw; this Christmas will be simple and stripped back. Maybe a spicy cran-orange-cinnnamon juice to get the day going, probably some dried fruit nibbles, a world away from the traditional meal. I marvel at how adaptable we are: to be able to shed years of personal conditioning and move awayf from heaviness and excess. How unappetising the traditional meal seems to me now. Raw food = light relief .

Raw seed porridge

It is mid-winter and this year the weather is truly... wintry. This morning there is a cold mist and the temperature shows zero degrees. I've started to make raw seed porridge. I don't eat this every day, it is oily and rich. When I feel the need for a hearty breakfast I take this with a grapefruit, orange and ginger juice.
All quantities are to taste, other ingredients are easily substituted for personal preference.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sunflower seeds soaked in pure water overnight, rinsed, drained
8 - 9 almonds soaked in pure water overnight, rinsed, drained
tbsp golden flax dry ground in blender
tbsp sesame seeds dry ground in blender
1/2 tbsp maca powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
tsp raw honey
1 banana sliced
cup whole mixed fresh berries

Method:
Blend the wet almonds and sunflower seeds until roughly chopped.
Place in bowl.
Add dry ingredients.
Heat some water to preferred temperature, pour over mixture.
Add fruit, honey to taste.

Enjoy!

Addicted to sugar?

On his blog today, Keving Gianni set the question ' Are you addicted to sugar?' Wow what a hot topic, certainly amongst raw vegans and all those who are developing a conscious relationship with food. Sugar pacifies and dopes me. I love sweet foods. Hmm maybe they don't love me back. However, I don't find it helpful to think of myself in terms of being I addicted, the law of attraction operates in such a way as to create reality to reflect our thoughts. Addiction. What a loaded term. There's a really heavy mind set that goes with addiction, to do with loss of control, destructive behaviour, self blame and wanting to be something other than one is in the present moment. I prefer to take a more self-empowered standpoint; such as 'in the past I have chosen to eat sugar rich food'. I can no longer stand divided against myself, wherein I have a choice of attitudes, good behaviours = good me, bad behaviours = bad me. Self love, that's where it's at. Love is all there is.

Unexplained rash - raw cacao related?

EEK! Awaken this morning and notice a sore, angry rash just below my collarbone. I am tentatively linking this to raw cacao consumption on the basis that; I am not prone to skin rashes, that this is a topic of some discussion, controversy even, within the raw food community. To be frank, I been eating an increased amount of raw cacao products recently; in the last couple of days have sampled Booja Boojay truffles and eaten a 40g bar of Conscious Chocolate both days, in addition to heaping a tablespoon of nibs into my breakfast smoothie. For several months I have been using raw nibs and beans with no apparent adverse effects. So, I don't want to be in denial about this issue, however I am moved to wonder whether or not there might be another ingredient causing the aggravation: agave maybe? Or is it down to the quantity of cacao consumed? Maybe there is a culmulative effect taking place? Hmm. Many questions. I am ok sitting with the questions and the not knowing. The obvious next step is to refrain from purchasing raw choc products, which is kind of a relief as they are pretty pricey and I was getting quite into it, lol. I've added a link to Kevin Gianni's blog. Kevin is a prominent raw foods promoter and natural health journalist, he has addressed the issue, his experience is recent, personal and pertinent.

http://renegadehealth.com/blog/my-personal-cacao-incident/

http://renegadehealth.com/blog/more-on-the-cacao-incident/

Adventures in juicing

I have found out from my blog stats that I am getting a lot of hits to a post that mentions juicing. As I have been getting more experimental lately, I'll share my experiences now. It's because in British mid-winter I lack the motivation to trek into town, up and down a hill to shop for food. It's so warm and cosy in my place. So I am making do with what I already have in the fridge, so some colourful and unexpected combinations are arising. Firstly pineapple, passionfruit, goji. Man, this one is full on. Even diluted. I am still deciding whether or not I like pineapple juiced, I found it so satisfying devouring fresh chunks of the fruit which is extreme juicy in its own right and most enjoyable too. Today I sent some fairly ripe conference pears down the shute, followed by Cox's apples, so an orchard blend. Together with ginger root which accompanies everything at this time of year. The juice was extremely sweet, almost syrupy, I conclude this one to be a success as I find pears uninteresting to eat whole. Finally, fresh coriander. I buy the stuff in bunches and chop into salads. It also makes for good juicing material, lending a subtle taste to carrot juice. Reputed benefits include its antibiotic properties and potential to reduce heavy metal toxicity, for more information see below.

http://www.kitchendoctor.com/articles/cilantro.html

Raw chocolate heaven: Booja Booja time

OMG am having the most ecstatic raw chocolate experience EVER. It's not my style to be enthusiastic for the sake of it. Trust me when I say that Booja Booja raw choc truffles are truly wonderful. I encountered them in my local health food store, Earthfare on Glastonbury High St, in the refridgerator. The display was about 1/3 full, in other words the discerning citizens of Glasto are getting stuck in. As did I, the product comes in a teeny two truffle pack, or a compact 8 truffle box (pictured). Rasperry & dark chocolate are the flavours available, Ingredients: cacao solids, agave, coconut oil, water from reverse osmosis, cacao powder. Fresh Network is selling them, describing them as 'Rawgasmic,' lol you can also get them from Funky Raw. Well they are cube shaped, enough for one man bite or two lady sized mouthfuls. They are dusted with cacao powder, so you go straight to chocolate. Inside, there is a thick and unctuous ganache, it is just unbelievable how good they taste. Everyone I know will be getting these for Xmas, the only problem will be how to avoid noshing the lot myself, lol.

BBC radio archive: the food programme on the raw diet

I found this article on the BBC radio archive. I applaud the presenter's attempt to experience the raw lifestyle, albeit for 6 days. She didn't endure! She encountered some common pitfalls, here are some suggestions for those new to raw.
- Not knowing how to approach eating,what to eat, not eating enough. Get information rich, written, audio and video articles are available free on the web.
- Social isolation. Get connected: Join an online support group, check out the noticeboard in your local health store or organic co-op for raw events.
- Obstacles when eating out: Be pragmatic: At the start of your raw journey it may be easier to avoid this scanario, make alternate plans with friends that don't centre on food eg take a trip to the cinema. When you are more comfortable and familiar with the lifestyle, choose restaurants that offer decent salads. Have a light, breezy answer prepared for when people ask you why you are raw, such as , "I enjoy it."
- Attempting to go 100% raw overnight. Take your time, be easy on yourself . Over time you will accrue the skills, information, techonology and support to transition fully.
-Expecting to maintain other lifestyle choices Remain open to the possibility of change in other areas. Your shopping and socialising patterns will almost certainly change.

Sunday evening social

Sunday evenings are turning into a regular raw event, there are about 8 or 9 of us who gather weekly in one or another of our homes to share food and music. We are all friends and have existing social connections with each other, which is a strong aspect of Glastonbury living; it is a spiritual community, more of a village than a town really. So we have hemp activist and entrepreneur, re-birthers, permaculturists, a naturopath and myself, a yoga teacher & holistic bodyworker. Between us we usually end up with 4 guitars on the go, silver flutes, drums, assorted recorders and percussion. It's a mixture of bhajan, jamming, personal compositions. A perfect complement to the high vibration of the food.

Berry banana breakfast superfood smoothie

I'm getting into smoothies for breakfast; here is my current fave.

Ingredients:

2 small bananas

1 cup blueberry

1 cup blackberry

1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked overnight, rinsed, drained.

Tbsp cacao nibs

Tsp maca powder

Tsp bee pollen

Tsp raw honey

Cinnamon to taste

Method:

Place all ingredients in blender, blend on low speed for 30 secs or so

Serve: In tall glass. For a thicker texture, ccan be chilled in refridgerator for up to half hour..

Remember to wipe away moustache after consumption! Enjoy x

Cosmic carrots

I just scored some beautiful carrots at our local healthfood store on Glastonbury High St. They are robust looking specimens, longer than your average carrot and decidly less sweet. I have done a little research, they are an heirloom variety, cosmic carrot, very appropriate for Glasto! It has been suggested that they would make a good coleslaw; I'm gonna juice 'em.

http://www.seedfest.co.uk/seeds/carrots/carrots.html

David Wolfe audio interview online

There's a lot of interesting content out there on the web these days. David Wolfe is truly passionate about ... being passionate and creating optimum health and wellbeing. Love him or loathe him he is well worth a listen. I always glean a few nuggets from him or a fresh perspective. In this case I found his section on healing our relationship with our parents thougth provoking.

http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2008/12/interview-with.html

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days

The full version of theis independent documentary featuring Gabriel Cousens is available to view online. Here's the info:

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days is an independent documentary film that chronicles six Americans with 'incurable' diabetes switching their diet and getting off insulin.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.

Additional wisdom is provided by Morgan Spurlock, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Robbins, Rev. Michael Beckwith, and Doctors Fred Bisci, Joel Furman, and Gabriel Cousens.

http://www.onlinedocumentaries4u.com/2008/12/simply-raw-reversing-diabetes-in-30.html

Food, emotions

It's a huge and important topic, worthy of a blog in its own right. I have been thinking about the relationship with food and emotions. This is not new for me however since I became fully raw it is easily apparent when I am using food for non-nutritional purposes; mechnically eating an unreasonable amount of dried fruit, or meandering over to the fridge late in the evening when I am alone. I much prefer to allow true hunger to develop rather than continuously pacifying myself or numbing out with food. There is a kind of beauty in the feeling of emptiness that enables me to feel highly emotionally alive, even though the feelings that present my be uncomfortable, or what we would deem negative; sadness, fear, loneliness. And food is a great panacea for subduing feelings of stress - anything to do with overwhelment and panic is easily soothed through eating; distracting oneself and taking the physical sensations away. I came across the following article: How Food Affects Your Mind Body Spirit by Janice Polansky, MS, MBA which I recommend as a sincere and straightforward perspective on this issue. The author is not a raw vegan, nonetheless she highlights the link between availablility of key nutrients in raw versus processed foods.
Peace to all.

Eat your greens, drink your greens

I feel as though I have crossed an important threshold on my raw journey: I am really getting into greens. Maybe its the wintry climate, salad leaves now are flimsy and greens deliver on all levels; being broad, robust and pungent and dark. Also, one is buying British seasonal veg, which creates a feel good factor. So as I type on my left I have my soon to be supper. Green juice of kale, cucumber, lime and ginger. Wraps of beansprouts, carrot, salad onion and avocado on greens, smeared with umeboshi paste. Yum!