MIA

So sorry I've been missing in action for so long. I'm going through one of the most intense periods in my life right now, and the energy is swirling around me very quickly. I have not wanted to put myself out there too much, for the reason that to speak the truth is the most important thing. With everything happening sometimes many things aren't as they seem, and one must be careful with their words. Just calling in the feeling of being clear right now. Also calling in the love and support of everyone who's experienced intense transition in their lives. 

Much love to everyone, gratitude to you for reading this and being with me on this journey of life. 

Go Angela!

An interesting thing happened this morning. One of my Facebook friends sent me a link from CNN-- "Woman Goes Raw, Loses More than Half Herself." It was an article that hit the newswires this past weekend about Angela Stokes and her weight-loss journey in the world of raw foods. 

I guess it struck me as surreal that it was one of my friends, someone whom I know is not into the raw scene, that sent me the article. I'm starting to get a better idea of how big this is becoming. 

Raw food is the only subject I've observed to have helped so many people in so many ways. Anything from weight loss, disease, tumors, arthritis, cholesterol, acne... the list could go on forever. And maybe it's too early in the morning right now, but I can't think of anything else at this moment that can boast such a broad range of healing stories. 

So many times, people have approached me asking, why did you get into raw foods? My story is unique, yet not really so different than anyone else's. The reason I got into raw foods was because I felt better.  I can tell you about the respiratory health problems I was having in my early 20's, all the prescription drugs doctors kept putting me on, antibiotics every other month it seemed like. But what I realize so clearly is that we all have our version of that story. And raw food ultimately has offered each of us the opportunity to improve our health and feel better-- physically, mentally, spiritually. 

CNN's coverage of Angela's story is a HUGE boost to the attention raw food world, and rightfully so. I would hope everyone explores the concept a little more deeply and discover that they probably also have their own story waiting, about how raw foods has helped them. 

Here's the article: 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/09/26/weightloss.angela.stokes/index.html

Thanks Angela, for putting your story out there! 

Yerba Maté and Caffeine... any thoughts?

Every morning I enjoy rolling out of bed, stretching and preparing some type of hot beverage. To me this cup of warm goodness represents starting my day with a gentle, mellow pace, and hopefully helps to keep me grounded as the day rolls into busier mode. 

My beverage of choice varies. It's typically a cup of tea (I love jasmine), sometimes a cacao concoction filled with different superfoods (cacao, maca, Vitamineral Green, cinnamon-- I really go for it,) and then there's yerba maté. I love unsmoked maté.  And I always feel like it's really good for me. It helps wake up my body, tastes delicious and has some noteworthy nutrient value-- magnesium, manganese and potassium to name a few. 

So this morning and lovingly participated in my ritual and made myself a cup of maté. As I was sipping away, I was reminded of a conversation I had long ago with one of my Euro friends about the caffeine in maté.  She was telling me about the distinction that is made in Europe about the various types of caffeine in different beverages-- in coffee there is caffeine, in tea there is "teine" and in maté there is "mateine." This seemed like a totally plausible theory to me at the time, but somehow I was compelled to investigate further this morning. 

My research has led me to some interesting findings. Apparently, while in some parts of the world people do distinguish caffeine from mateine, there is no actual difference in the chemical composition between the two. The molecular structure of each of these stimulants is actually the same, and according to Wikipedia, chemical databases lists mateine as a synonym to caffeine. Fascinating! 

I must say, this totally surprised me. I'm not anti-stimulant or anything. If that were the case, I would cut out such beverages and all things cacao as well. But I thought maté to be a much healthier alternative to other stimulating beverages, be it black or green tea, coffee or chocolate. Was I wrong?

Any thoughts out there on these findings? I'm very curious.... 

Reconnecting at Raw Spirit

I must say I really dig going to this event. It's so cool to connect with people that are not only new to raw food but so fully get it. These are the people that are the foundation of the raw food movement. The ones who have been eating, creating, producing raw foods for a long time devoutly-- those people for whom, raw foods have impacted them so deeply that it's a core part of their identities. 

Today was a day of meeting cool new people and reconnecting with all of my superfood superhero friends. There's nothing more gratifying than for someone to ask me on a Friday night, "Hey you wanna go do some ormus rock tonight?" It's like gazing deep into my soul. Surrounded by activated people high on cacao, kombucha, liquid gold, chlorella and reishi-- really, just high on life and living at that highest frequency where you feel so clear-- your body is free of clutter from digestion and toxicity. To be suspended in this state for a whole weekend is one high I'll roll with. 

If you've been reading this and have checked out any of my earlier posts, you'll know that my journey in raw foods has not been a clear cut map from Point A to Point B. There are and have been many pit-stops along the way, where a non-raw tasty treat may cross my path, or I deviate to enjoy a dinner with a good friend. While I understand that those choices may not allow me to totally get to that optimal level of healing that raw foods has to offer, I typically do feel amazing and I take all of those experiences in stride, for the wonderful feelings and memories they offer me that can't be qualified with food. 

At the same time, I'm given a reason to appreciate an event like this that much more. To connect with people who fundamentally have the same mission and share the same interests-- to go deeper into themselves through physical and spiritual connection, and how raw foods are so very much a part of the process. LOVE IT. 

Wow-- did I say it was only Friday night? I can only imagine what my blog entries will look like by the end of the weekend.... 

*PLAY HARD*EAT RAW*

Why I *Heart* Kombucha

Things have been endlessly busy for me and Josh for most of this year. It's been a pretty intense time of transition and growth for our company. This has culminated into a couple of occasions for me recently when I've hit a wall. I'm the type of person that really values and appreciates down time. It gives me an opportunity to breathe, ground and process everything happening. Recharge my batteries, basically. Sometimes though, there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to honor that need! 

So this morning started off with a bang unexpectedly. My morning intention to run and jumpstart my energy turned into jumpstarting my schedule and rushing out the door (with just enough time to make a probiotic smoothie). By the time I was in the car, my cell phone earpiece was in and my day was in full motion... 

All I could think of was, "I need to make sure I eat the right foods today... things that will ground and satiate me." I was deep in stress mode and wanting something to calm my nerves. 

For those of you who don't know this, stress is one of the most toxic experiences for the body. Stress can sap our bodies of B-vitamins, vitamin C and A, and more. These effects along with the subsequent fluctuation of hormone levels can wreak a lot of havoc on our systems. 

By the time I walked into the office I was definitely feeling overwhelmed and the stress wheel was in motion. I had been thinking of stopping by the store before getting to work so that I could pick up a Kombucha, which is full B-vitamins and probiotics... an excellent replenisher for a busy lifestyle. Sadly there wasn't time (yes, I know I need to just make time) and a dozen more challenges were ahead of me. 

Thankfully, we have the most amazing Office Director ever! We love Britney because she's such a great contributor to our company and our lives. And of course, what did she pull out of her backpack at that perfect moment? A green Kombucha with my name on it. Don't you love how you can request something of the universe and everything aligns to make that request happen? Sigh. 

I nursed myself all morning with that glorious elixir. I felt so much better. Stress or no stress, busy or mellow, raw food enthusiast or not, Kombucha is one of the most amazing products that has become widely available in stores the past few years. I swear it makes any day better when I have one. 

GT's is the most popular of the brands out there, but lately I've been really enjoying Kombucha Botanica and Organic Pastures varieties. I think Josh and I are going to learn to make our own pretty soon as well. There's nothing like making your own food and drink when you're able to. I'll write more when we start the project :-) 

All the best for a grounded day! 

Okay I'm Back

First of all, I have several reasons why I went AWOL after like 2 entries. 1. I've been crazy busy. 2. I didn't think anyone was actually reading this. 3. I wasn't in the habit of it yet. 4. I've actually written a few entries in MS Word docs, only to find out I can't paste them into Blogspot... I have to actually retype them. For reasons why I didn't do that, refer to Excuses #1, 2 and 3. Most importantly, it looks like people are officially reading this so that's great! 

So it's been a few weeks since I had decided to go all raw again. My original goal was 2 weeks. But 2 weeks came and went, and I was feeling so GREAT that I just kept going and barely even noticed. That's a really big deal for me. I'm realizing through the entirety of this experience how far I've truly come along and didn't even know it. (Insert morale booster here.) 

Well now a few weeks later, I did break the raw cycle and I'll get to that. I really need to start with what it had meant to me to fully return to this lifestyle. 

One of the interesting things that had happened while being all raw was about a week into it, I actually experienced a low blood sugar. Like full on, the shakes. It was a day that Josh and I had randomly decided that we were going to just eat blueberries all day. Frankly I didn't really feel hungry for anything else so this was perfect, and we bought a flat of organic berries and went to town. 

Well the 2nd day into my mostly blueberry fetish (with a couple other raw nibbles,) I had gone on a pretty decent bike ride that morning and must have really upped the detox process. I was at the office when I started to feel really sweaty and clammy and pale. I was ice cold and my hands were shaking. I seriously had no idea what was wrong with me... I thought maybe I was getting a flu or something. The comedy of it was that I had really special dinner plans with a childhood friend that I literally hadn't seen in 20 years. All I could think was, "She's going to think I'm a crack addict or something if I show up like this." I'm not sure what made me realize my blood sugar was low but I found myself grabbing a bottle of OJ (unpasteurized) and taking a few big swigs. Within minutes I felt better... crisis averted.

So this was a big wake up call to me. In the cooked world I do enjoy certain things like brown rice and black beans, or quinoa, or an occasional sweet treat. Now if you've ever had candida you know how out of control the sugar thing can get. But I've done a lot of work at this point to heal myself of those sorts of physical issues, and I definitely don't think of myself these days as having a sugar addiction. But wow this made me see things differently. 

That experience fully impacted and deepened my commitment to returning to all raw, for the sake of uncovering more of the unknown. So up until about 3 days ago I was rocking it. Lots of amazing salads each day, usually a cup of herb tea or mate in the morning, plus my one sweet thing which is a big fat smoothie with fresh fruits and berries, probiotics, and coconut oil and hemp seeds to slow the absorption of the fruit sugars and aid in carrying the probiotics to the gut. It's been great. I can also tell when my body is trying to detox more, because I immediately start craving fats-- avocados, mac nuts, whatever I can get my paws on. I've allowed myself to slow down the detox process a little by taking in those fats, for the simple fact that I'm trying to be more gentle on my body this time. I can't tell you the emotional train wreck it was for me to try and sustain all raw the first time I did it. 

And so on Sunday I broke raw. It's for a simple reason really. In fact it's so petty it's bit embarrassing but whatever, it's only fair to see my own reflection. The reason is that I was hungover from drinking too much wine, albeit organic and raw. That's been my one kryptonite in this experience. I've enjoyed many a glass of wine recently. I don't know why! I think all raw has just coincided with a zillion social engagements in which I wasn't feeling solid enough to not drink the vino. But in LA for work all this week and away from those situations, and so it's been great to let my body recoup a little. I'm sure that's part of the reason I've constantly craved fats as well :-p But note-- this is something I intend to restructure a bit when I get back to SF. 

So I ended up making some interesting food choices at Whole Foods over the weekend, but I'm letting it all go. I'm not allowing judgement into this equation. I'm soo not perfect! Now I've returned to mostly raw since Sunday. 

I'm rediscovering how much I love portable food. Anything that comes in nature's wrapper is my BFF on the road. The hearty avocado and a little tamari to go with it. The refreshing cucumber sprinkled with crystal salt and pepper. The juicy peach, just being its juicy self. Then there's the refreshing bottle of kombucha that always beckons to me. Life is good. Oh, and PS, I do travel with my own condiments. It really helps my cause. 

Hopefully you're benefitting a little from my Muppet version of the raw experience! Feel free to let me know what you think. That's it for now. More later this week. Ciao~

"All progress occurs because people dare to be different."

~ Harry Millner

Holy Cravings!

The challenge has begun to set in... WOW I'm so craving something like quinoa, something really hearty.. and cooked. My head is also starting to hurt. I suppose those organic iced coffees have caught up with me! 

Pushing through it, had another rootsy smoothie today and have been happily snacking on some amazing sun-dried black olives today. I'm wanting a really big salad this evening. 

Ughh.. head hurts.... hurts...to....write... 

2nd Day and Happy

Never returned yesterday to post what I ate in the afternoon. 

My rootsy smoothie: 

Handful hempseeds

1 banana

Big spoonful raw cacao powder

Spoonful of Earth by Healthforce Nutritionals

Spoonful coconut butter

Pinch cinammon

Agave to taste

Spring water and ice

Blend everything but the ice in the Vitamix. The ice will harden the fat of the coconut butter and hemp seeds and it won't blend as well. Add the ice at the end. 

In the evening I had this blood-cleansing salad: 

Handful spring greens

Handful chopped purple cabbage

Half an avocado, cubed

Olive oil- enough to make everything toss well

Braggs Aminos to taste

Small spoonful chlorella powder

Small spoonful spirulina

Flax crackers (any flavor really) crumbled on top

Hemp seed sprinkled on top

Basically add everything and toss in a big bowl. This is probably my favorite green salad ever. A great addition is cilantro and parsley... I just didn't have any on hand but it will taste even more amazing. 

FYI: Chlorella and cilantro are great heavy metal cleansers.... red cabbage has lots of antioxidants. Eat up! 

Day One

Whoo! I'm so amped to be returning to all raw. Today's the first day. Breakfast was some of our raw Superfood Cereal (yum) and raw milk. It's so weird. I haven't had straight raw milk in a while. I know the probiotics in the raw milk (especially when mixed with some colostrum) is so healthy. It will knock out the candida. 

Right now I'm just sipping a water concoction of MSM and chlorophyll... I was out way too late last night and didn't get much sleep, this little tonic was imperative! 

I bought all this raw food last night at the store with Brit, but I must say I don't have much of an appetite right now. Well, so be it. I believe it's far more important to listen to what your body wants (or doesn't want) than to be mechanical about your eating habits. 

If I'm hungry for it I'm thinking I'll just make myself a green hemp smoothie later and then have red cabbage salad for dinner.  I'll post my hemp concoction if it's good! 

2 more days and back to all raw!

Sitting here in a coffeehouse, drinking a decidedly not raw iced coffee, albeit organic and fair trade... I love to spend afternoons or evenings in such places and tip tap away on my laptop... this is one of the comforts I've afforded myself in the not-completely-raw lifestyle. But our office rockstar Britney brought it back home for me a couple weeks ago when we decided this would be the week we'd go all raw... no excuses. For Brit it will be the first time.... I'm so excited for her! 

For me, well it's not. Over the last couple years I had found my comfort zone in a not completely raw setting. In the times that I've been all raw, now over the last 5 years being fewer and farther between than I care to admit, it's been a struggle of feeling alienated from my friends and making many concessions. Turning down dinner plans or cocktail hour (yes occasionally I love a good martini and Sky vodka is the most alkaline vodka if you're going to go there.) I guess way back in 2003 when I began my raw journey, going overnight from carnivore to raw herbivore was pretty severe. Especially because there were nowhere nearly as many options for raw food as there are now. I really struggled emotionally with some of my full-raw experiences over the last few years and felt burned by them. 

But at this point I feel much stronger and readier... given that my diet leans mostly raw anyways I don't think it will be a huge deal. And I'm empowered with so much more knowledge then ever before. Doesn't hurt that we always have nuts around either! But-- I smirk at the ease of pouring ricemilk into my tea in the morning, instead of thinking about soaking almonds for milk or blending up some hemp seeds. This will be good for me... amplifying the value of being present in making my food.

Although for those small details Josh made a good point (he'll be taking the extra 2 steps to all raw with us as well.) He told me I can put raw milk into my tea. Very true. Major health and probiotic benefits from raw milk. I know lots of people are both raw and vegan, but I do allow myself a little be of raw organic cheese in my diet, occasionally a splurge like fresh raw cream whipped up with some clear agave and strawberries and such.... yum. I'm pretty okay with those personal choices, as the products are typically from grass-fed animals, the cheese mostly from goats and I never abuse their role in my diet. I definitely feel it's so important that if you're going to deviate from vegan to have full respect for the animals that you're sharing energy with. And for sure the dairy thing is definitely the Frenchie in me as many know... I can elaborate some other time :-) 

My intention is to keep the experience mainly vegan. I'm also going to be mindful of how much dehydrated food I'm doing.... in these hot summer days water hydrating foods are imperative!I will be happy to leave the world of ambiguous food choices to just making the solid commitment. The theme will be balance, balance, balance for this period. I'm definitely excited. Should be a piece of raw cake. 

Any thoughts? Lemme know!

Game On

I've wanted to start a blog forever. I need some place I can call home to all my random thoughts and ideas, my observations and unsolicited commentary. I like to live in the world of the arbitrary sometimes. I think we all need this! 

Okay so here's my first one. I've been on this kick lately, I mean active KICK of drinking throughout the day all sorts of activated fluids. I'll wake up and do a fresh squeezed lemon-water shot to wake up my body... later in the morning I'll refresh myself with a little chlorophyll tonic... maybe after I'll have some sort of cacao-maca concoction and so forth. At days' end I've been really getting into the turmeric with some agave or local honey. YUM. 

There's something about this combo throughout the day (yes there's food in there as well) that has been getting me amped. My mind is operating more quickly, my food cravings are shifting around, I have more endurance in my workouts and yoga and so forth. I think it's massively cleaning out my liver or something... some major detoxing on a new level. I'm not sure. I didn't realize how entirely possible that still was. The cleansing process is so ongoing in our bodies. Every day brings as much opportunity to ingest toxins (even just breathing polluted air) as it does to cleanse it I see. Hmm. 

More on this later... ciao~