Amazing Body Changes

I went for my monthlty cranial sacral treatment yesterday. My body has been off kilter in the last year and the past couple months were especially difficult. My jaw was out of alignment and I had to go twice within the month to get it straightened out.

Yesterday, my cranial sacral therapist was in a state of wonder. “What in the world have you been doing? Your body has made a complete shift and I have not seen the fluids moving this well or any of the other things we’ve been working with. It is amazing!” I told her that I’ve changed my diet and also added nitric oxide tablets – so I’m not sure what is doing what, but I can tell the difference in my body. Steve has gone further with his research and now finding a beyond paleo book and information about the importance of eating EVERYTHING raw…including meat. I’m not ready to go that far, but we did get raw milk, raw cream and raw butter. So…we’ll keep reporting on our progress! KJ

Beyond Raw

We have been pretty quiet for over a year, but not because we haven’t been eating and exploring new diets, but because we’re not completely raw anymore. We went back to cooked food, eating a lot of brown rice and veggies and making gluten free breads, but what we’ve found since the beginning of this year is that grains of any type are not really doing us any favors.

I know about the dangers of gluten as I’ve described in other posts here, and finally Steve agreed not to eat it either. As he was curious about the non-gluten and started eating brown rice cereal and oatmeal in place of his daily toast and eggs, he found that it wasn’t really agreeing with him. As we researched further, we found that grains of all type are inflammatory to the body. We have tried so many different “diets” that I remained skeptical. I like rice! But, we decided to investigate further, and I found a couple books and video clips on the Paleo Diet, which at first I just rolled my eyes to. Another fad!

Then we saw a documentary on our local tv station about the paleo diet, and it was done based on studies that showed its effectiveness, including a study done by UCSF -a research oriented medical school I respect.  They had done two week studies with people who were suffering from various diseases, including diabetes and high blood pressure, and found that of the three diets they had the people eating – Mediterranean, Vegetarian, and Paleo, the results were startling. Mediterranean didn’t do much, vegetarian did a little more, but the Paleo results showed dramatic drops in bad levels and increases in good for the participants, including reducing inflamation.

This program prompted me to look on Amazon for paleo diet books, and I found two that sounded good. The first is The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf, and the second is Paleo Comfort Foods, by Julie and Charles Mayfield. Both have been great purchases, and prompted Steve to get a kindle version of one of The Paleo Diet, by one of the forerunners of the movement, Professor Loren Cordain.

We’ve been on this diet for almost a month, and at first I didn’t notice any benefits. In fact, I felt a little worse. But I agreed to stay on the diet for 60 days, so continued with it, although I still have my chocolate and tea with half and half. What has happened within the last week and a half is that my energy level has increased dramatically as has my enthusiasm level. I am writing again whereas previously I’ve been in a fog. I’ve got creative ideas and the wherewithal to follow through, and this is a major plus as I was feeling as though my purpose in life was dwindling. Now I feel about 10 years younger and intend to feel even better than that -  ageless and timeless!

I heartily recommend that you go to Amazon and read the synopsis of each of these books and the many comments by readers. They are educational and add more information. There are also lots of paleo BLOG sites. What I’ve noted is that now we are eating more raw food again. Since we don’t have any grains, we rely on our wonderful dehydrated crackers that we make out of veggies and nuts – sometimes even without the nuts. We’re not fanatics on this diet. We had coconut ice cream with berries last night, and I feel that people need to experiment and explore with what works best for their own bodies. For me, this appears to be a viable program, but I am open to learning and also watching for proof positive.

The key with paleo, too, is that when you buy meat, make sure it is organic and grass fed/pasture raised if possible. The grain diets that our factory farms feed their livestock is not normal for them anymore than they are for us, and if we are going to eat meat, we want to make sure that the animals have been raised in the most humane environment so that the lives they do have are given dignity! KJ

Food Matters

If you have seen Supersize Me and the other DVD’s  reminding us of the importance of what we eat, there is a new one that I just ordered called FOOD MATTERS. I invite you to take a look at the trailer and the responses others have had to this DVD. We embarked on a raw food diet last year after viewing Raw For Life, and for many of us who have clogged up our systems with too much of the wrong food AND prescription medications, this is a powerful message designed to assist us in realigning ourselves to what we can do to make sure we stay as healthy and vital as possible. It isn’t rocket science, but we do need to understand what is actually in our food chain and how it is feeding the pharmaceutical industry to take advantage of our insatiable desire for an easy way out.

We slipped back into bad eating habits as the year progressed, and this kind of DVD is just the thing to perk us up and get us back on track.

Here’s to everyone’s better health!!

http://www.foodmatters.tv/half_off

Remineralize the Earth!

Don Weaver is a man with a mission. He has worked tirelessly to spread information about the importance of remineralization for the earth. Through years of bad soil management, important vital nutrients have been lost, and the quality of our food has suffered greatly. As the food chain goes, so go we, and with a lack of elements that are meant to work with our bodies to insure our health and the health of our planet, we see the results of a deteriorating and adulterated food supply. The natural world is being destroyed through greed, ignorance, and harmful policies that ignore the ecosystem’s natural rhythm. However, there is hope. Through use of glacial dust, the health of the soil can be restored and revitalized.  

We’ve been told that in order to have the best vegetables, we need to fertilize and spray for pests. We’ve been told that we need exterminators to eliminate insects from our gardens and our world. Yet, all the pesticides and herbicides do NOT bring about a healthy environment. Their products do not insure better crops or pest free living. They merely poison our food supply, deplete and poison our soil, and cause a weakening to the entire eco-system. Marketing and advertising are nothing more than forms of mass manipulation, and we’ve been sold a bill of goods that endanger the future of our planet and ourselves.

At Remineralize the Earth you can see what is being done and what you can do to contribute to the health and wellbeing of our planet and ourselves. I encourage you to take a look!  http://remineralize.org/site/

Massive Zucchini

Huge Raw Zucchini!

The other day, Steve was given a HUGE zucchini, and we decided we’d make several different recipes from it. For a while, we just left it on the dining room table as a great conversation piece, but yesterday we made our cooked veggie lasagna, and today will put together a raw version.

We were happy to see that our local Farmer’s Market has expanded to include some fabulous new organic farmers and vendors. One of them is La Vie from Santa Cruz. They used to be a restaurant and now are doing Farmer’s Markets. The quality of their food is very nice, and it is great to be able to go locally to find good raw food and organic produce. Another new vendor is Farmhouse Culture sauerkraut, also from the Santa Cruz area. If you are in S.F. Bay area, College of San Mateo has now got a really first class farmer’s market, including musician, every Saturday from 8-1 PM

Zucchini Casserole

One thing of interest that was a moment of synchronicity – I spoke with one of the gals from the La Vie booth, and she mentioned that she had been having stuffed up ears and earaches for a while as she’d gone back to cooked food. She got off the cooked food and went back to raw, and the ears cleared up. Interestingly enough, that’s what I’m dealing with now, as we have been falling off the raw wagon by eating more cooked meals with mixed results. I’ve mentioned before that when I eat mostly raw, I have felt great, and some health issues  have improved, including ear wax buildup, but one that has not improved is my blood pressure – which totally astounds me. When I eat mostly raw, it spikes quite high. Now that we’ve been eating cooked food, the blood pressure is normalized, but the ear issues are back, and I don’t have the same vitality.

I’ve gotten more books on health modalities, but I think once again it all boils down to our unique individual chemistry. Like snowflakes, we’re all a little bit different, and it’s the process of finding the clues to what works best for us. So…I’m still trying to find the perfect balance, but do find that I am revitalized when I eat mostly raw. (KJ)

Naturopaths and Oxalic Acid

Friday I went to a wonderful naturopath who also eats raw, although not exclusively. She mentioned something that I think is important to pass along, because it is partially what’s been going wrong with my body.

Spinach, swiss chard, and parsley have high levels of oxalic acid – parsley being the highest – and eating them raw can cause blockage of calcium absorption in the body. She said that for her green smoothies she lightly steams these particular greens until a hint of water on leaves appears. This allows for the calcium to be absorbed and still keeps the greens close to raw. She said that kale does not seem to be a problem, so that can be used without steaming, and although this may not affect everyone the same way, I have noted since being on the raw food diet that I am not absorbing calcium – and my smoothie greens have been mostly spinach. So, I’m going to try this new method and see what happens.

In the meantime, if you are looking for wonderful health care – try a naturopath. They have so much to offer in the way of alternative health remedies, and I’m thrilled to have found one who is open and aware of the many modalities that regular M.D.’s haven’t got a clue about. It’s very nice to talk to a health care professional who doesn’t get a  deer in the headlights expression when you mention things like cranial sacral, homeopathy, or raw food!! (KJ)

How to Make Raw Thai Coconut Soup

Raw Thai Coconut Soup

How to Make Raw Thai Coconut Soup and Learn to Properly Crack Open a Young Coconut in the Process.

I have made Raw Thai Coconut Soup several times now. It gets easier every time I do it. At first it may seem somewhat intimidating if you’ve never opened a coconut before. However, if you have the right tools and have the know-how, it is a snap! And the results are so amazing you will wonder why you’ve never had this delicious concoction before! Most Thai Coconut Soup  is not served raw in restaurants. It’s probably way easier just to make it cooked. I have nothing against cooked Thai Coconut Soup as it definitely has its place, but Raw Thai Coconut Soup is so much better because it’s ALIVE and full of raw enzymatic goodness ! Everyone I have served it to attests to its goodness!

Don’t worry too much if you can’t find all the exotic ingredients; the soup will still taste pretty good even if some are left out!

I have even produced a short video showing you how to make Raw Thai Coconut Soup which you can view on YouTube!

Here’s the recipe I use:

Raw Thai Coconut Soup

Serves 4

The Broth:

Tap open  3 young coconuts and drain off their milk. Reserve the milk.

Split open the coconuts and scrape out the meat with a large spoon.

Add the raw coconut meat to the mix

Add all the coconut milk plus some water to equal about 4 cups total in the Vitamix. (If not enough milk, add a little water.)

Prepare:

6 kefir lime leaves without stock

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp lime zest

2 garlic cloves

1 stalk Thai Lemon Grass – white part only, cracked open with the flat side of a knife

1 – 2 tbl Galanga Root

1 – 2 tblsp Ginger

Finely grind the kefir lime leaves, red chili flakes and zest in a coffee grinder. Add these, along with the rest of the broth ingredients to the ‘coconut milk’ and blend for a few seconds until very smooth.

Add

• 1/8 cup olive oil (optional)
• 2 tsp honey or a couple of dates
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/16 cup tamari
• Salt to taste

Blend All until creamy smooth – (About 3 – 4 minutes)

Toppings:

These will be added later at the table.

• 3 ounces thinly sliced mushrooms, rinsed & marinated in a little olive oil and soy sauce.
• 1 small avocado, diced
• 1/3 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced daikon
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced bok choi
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced red pepper
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced yellow pepper

Extras:

Handful cilantro leaves

Handful black sesame seeds

2 green onions chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

Strain through a Nut Milk Bag sieve and discard the pulp unless you want a hearty thick creamy soup.

Straining Raw Coconut Soup

To serve:

Divide toppings among 4 bowls. If desired, gently warm broth on stove while stirring constantly and pour over veggies. Top with cilantro leaves and black sesame seeds.

ENJOY!

Is It This, Or Is It That?

There are so many conflicting points of view related to diet and health. In my last post, I mentioned the Metabolic Typing Diet. We tried the recommendations based on our type, but found that it didn’t make things smoother, and in fact, we really missed our mostly raw diet. I also noted that just following the gluten-free diet wasn’t satisfying because I started to eat more gluten-free desserts that had sugar, and the consequences are that my body is not happy. So, intrepid researcher, Steve, found a couple sites by two raw foodists that brought more information forward about the metabolic typing diet that reminded us once again that we must be careful not to take ANY opinion on diet as the only way.

Through our own experimentation and willingness to adapt, will we be able to find what works for us, and what doesn’t. We need to be explorers in the micro molecular world of what makes our own unique selves tick at all levels. Our bodies are not merely the physical elements they are made up of, but also the mental and spiritual components that drive us forward.

Today I’m going to investigate the information given by the two raw food guys and google around to see what else comes up. I’ll report my findings as we continue this journey into raw! If you are interested, the site that leads to several sites Steve found is  http://www.thinkandgoraw.com/MetabolicNonsense.htm

Until next time, Happy Day! (KJ)

Complexity and Simplicity

I’ve mentioned before that the raw food diet has been wonderful in many ways, but still the lingering health issues defy solution through eating properly alone. So, I’ve gone to other modes of investigation and in doing so, have found several books worth looking at for anyone who wants to find a health model that will be effective in helping make sense of the puzzle of our bodies.

As the step-daughter and granddaughter of physicians, I was brought up to have respect for medicine…but it was not the medicine that is practiced in today’s world. We did not use antibiotics indiscriminately, or drugs for every symptom in the book. I was brought up with onion syrup as a very effective cough medicine and herbal remedies for ear aches and other forms of tonics to assist with various ailments. In today’s world, there is a drug for any little thing we have, and as one of the books I’m exploring suggests, there are so many specialists that nobody is looking at the whole body to see how one ailment is affected by something else. We have become a society addicted to specialized fields of medicine and drugs that mask symptoms, but have nothing to do with healing. And it is the healing that interests me.

My uncle had a stroke a couple of years ago and is now on 13 different medications. He has all kinds of side effects from them, but stays on them because he’s been brainwashed that he must. Advertising on television, which used to be forbidden to drug companies, is now wide open – and for those who watch the evening news, you know it’s mostly commercials with the latest pill that will cure all ailments in spite of the hurriedly explained side effects. And the truth is, the number of deaths that occur from drug interaction are under-reported and a travesty in a system where most drug education for physicians comes from the drug salesmen! We have become so technological that medicine now really means drug or cut. Yet, it does not have to be that way.

In their brilliant book, Ultra-Prevention, Mark Hyman, M.D. and Mark Liponis, M.D., recount their own personal journeys through the medical system that brought each of them to the recognition that there had to be a better way to handle degenerative and chronic disease. They researched, studied, did self-healing, and as a result have put together a practice that is based on Integrative Medicine…meaning whole body, mind, and spirit. They’ve found remarkable “cures” come in ways that utilize the intelligence of the body and adaptive changes in what we eat, the minerals and vitamins we get, as well as exercise and mind calming techniques. They bust the myths we’ve all been brainwashed to believe, and it is a liberating experience to find this kind of insight coming out of two MD’s from the established medical community. I’ve seen work done by intrepid researchers, chiropractors, and bio-chemists that suggest there is a better way, but to have MD’s confirm it is a validation that appeals to the part of us that believes in the ultimate authority of doctors.

Another important book, recommended by Dr. Joseph Mercola, ( www.mercola.com ), is The Metabolic Typing Diet, by William Wolcott, which does not look at symptoms or diseases, but rather gives an extensive quiz to determine the metabolic type of the patient. In so doing, there is a host of right and wrong foods, vitamins and minerals for particular metabolic types that can assist the health detective in finding out what is going on with the body and why. Beyond metabolism, the book addresses all the systems within the body, pinpointing more completely what is appropriate for one person while something else is better for another. You can read very generous excerpts from the book on Amazon by clicking on the cover of the book and going to the content section. Reading what is there is an education in itself.

We’ve made medicine out to be a complex industry of finding the right drugs for ailments, and yet the body has a remarkable ability to be a self-correcting universe when given the right ingredients. We just have to work with it intelligently and know how to do proactive self-care so that in the event that we really do need the help of a modern drug, it will be used effectively with discrimination. In the meantime, if we learn about what we put into our bodies and follow a healthy regimen of living, we may find ourselves drug free for life. I like that idea!! (KJ)

A Lovely Birthday Party, Prayer, and Vitamin B12

Raw Dinner

We had another lovely evening with friends, enjoying the benefits of the raw food diet. It was a birthday celebration, and the Thai coconut soup was a huge hit.

We followed this with the spiralized zucchini, yellow squash, and parsnip topped with our raw tomato sauce. Zucchini crackers with two types of humus were side accompaniments, and we had lovely fresh strawberries with a gluten-free small cake for dessert.

Raw Coconut Soup

Gluten-Free Birthday Cake

Our friends told us about a yummy dessert they make - a Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie! They use hazelnut milk,  peanut butter, cocoa powder, and 1 or 2 bananas. Steve and I perked up at this idea, so he went into the kitchen and whipped up a yummy smoothie with raw almond butter in place of the peanut butter, raw cacao powder, and a teaspoon of vanilla. DELICIOUS!!

On another note, I’ve noted that lately I’ve felt a little bit “off”. I know that there is a lot of toxicity that is supposed to be exiting the body as we change over to more and more raw food, however, this has been a little strange. I prayed about it, and lo and behold, this morning I received an e-mail newsletter from Dr. Mercola in which he mentioned the importance of Vitamin B12 for people who are vegetarians and vegans. When he included the symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency, I felt I’d found the answer to my recent unpleasant symptoms. Fortunately, I had B12 sublinguals in 5,000 units (which he recommends) and took one. Within an hour, my vision improved, my energy level rebounded, and my balance was better.

This just goes to show us that even if raw food is good for us, we do have to make up for some of the things we might otherwise need in minerals and vitamins to make up for missing ingredients in our diet.

Once again, I was shown the validity and importance of prayer, and the point was well taken. Rather than waiting until everything else fails, THAT is the place we need to go first, for aren’t we reminded through one of the most universal prayers to our Creator, “give us this day our daily bread”?

In order to receive, we have to ask, and in so doing, our lives unfold with so much more grace and less internal stress. I once was told that prayers that aren’t prayed can never be answered, and the beauty of prayer is that it is just a request away!  We are the ones who needlessly frustrate ourselves by trying to do it all alone, and yet here is a freely given gift. My gift today was Vitamin B12, and for that I am deeply grateful . Amen! (KJ)