Gaia: Raw Food Diet

Re: Detox Your Body Regularly

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:20:37 GMT

I have found enimas at home, and colonics with my hydtrotherapist, to be most helpful in my transition to the Raw diet. I think this is ideal way to go in assisting the body to detox itself - via the colon. The colon is one essencial tool that the body built for its own detoxification. They typical Amerian diet causes the colon to become sluggish, and slows down the body's ability to detoxify itself as it intended.

This helped me to shed my pounds after the birth of my baby, and also helped to relieve symptoms that transitioning to raw can stir up like headaches, and sluggishness.

In the first 2 - 3 months of my active transition on The Raw Food Detox diet, I found it ideal to administer an enima almost daily. I held off on going for the colonic for the first three months, but after I made that visit, my body shed five more pounds, and it seemed to recalibrate my metabolism. It's a very personal decision to undertake, and I share my experience for your consideration as you consider detoxification for yourself.

Does Tainted Milk Cause Crohn's Disease?

http://jeremiah.gaia.com — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:22:45 GMT

Checkout this posting and video about how raw cows milk is healthier than pasteurized milk.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1/1/does-tainted-milk-cause-crohn-s-disease.aspx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHcyAH0rOPE&eurl=http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1/1/does-tainted-milk-cause-crohn-s-disease.aspx

Re: New to the conversation of raw food.

http://owais1231.gaia.com — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 08:07:52 GMT

Organic food is absolutely natural and is packed with loads of vital nutrients required by the body , does not involve the usage of any kind of preservatives , synthetic artificial inputs , fertilizers , herbicides , insecticides and other harmful chemicals.

Cooking food often deteriorate the nutritional value of food , by leading to a loss of vital nutrients and enzymes. Heat tends to change the very composition of fat , protein , and carbohydrates. also, the cooking tends to interfere with the bioelectrical energy, neccessary for sustaining for life.
Eating raw organic food help in cleansing the bloodstream and eliminating the waste products which are responsible for the formation of toxins in the body.
Organic food contain phenolic compounds that protect people from developing heart disease and cancer. since, organic food is natural and fresh , it has rich taste.

A person tends to feel more energized after having consumed raw organic food and also aid in helping people to loose weight faster. raw food get easily absorbed in the body , thus help in ensuring smooth bowel movements. raw food ensure that the nutritional value of the food remain enzymatically and nutritionally intact.
Eating raw and living food also help in making fine balance of acidity and alkalinity in the body.

" when i began eating these raw foods , full of prana ( life force ) my body wanted to move more into my yoga practices. after three months of eating food without heating i felt large increment in my energy level , it became easier for me to dhyana ( meditate ) and in performing asanas , pranayamas. "

I am just researching upon this food industry recently and trading with some genuine Indian organic eatables and getting more closer and friendly interactions with farmers. i am a great fan of organic livings. I think India is home to enormous of organic and herbal species.

THEREFORE , ADOPTING RAW ORGANIC FOOD IN OUR DAILY MEALS WILL BOOST OUR BODY FITNESS AND LEADING US TO HAPPY , REFRESHING , ENERGETIC , AND HEALTHY LIFE .

Re: Diabetes and Raw Food Diet

http://RiverSpirit.gaia.com — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:25:40 GMT

I am a high school teacher. Last year, I had a kid with an insulin pump that he' had for several years already. He was constantly having blood sugar issues and was off to the nurse all the time. Now granted, this is a high school boy, and he liked junk food more than he should, probably because he wasn't supposed to eat it.

Anyway, to get to the point. I turned him and his mother on to the concept of raw food. I had them watch the Raw for 30 Days movie trailer on the Tree Of Life site and talked with both of them of my experience with raw and what knowledge I have of the life style.

The kid took if upon himself to increase veggies in particular and to stop eating pastries and sweet junk food. He came to me several weeks later and told me that it was making a drastic difference in his blood readings and that he was feeling so much better. I just happen to run into his mother this week and she repeated the same -how he is doing so much better when he sticks to it.

Also, I volunteered for a month at the Tree of Life summer 06. I got to speak quite a bit with a man involved in the movie Raw for 30 Days, and we spoke about the young African American man you see on the page, Kirt. This young man was due to be fitted with an insulin pump when he met the people at the Tree. He decided to put off that procedure and went into the Cure Diabeties Naturally program that Dr. Gabriel Cousens put together.

He made tremendous improvements during that 30 days. So much so that he continued the raw life style at home. Apparently, after 90 days of this, his body actually started to produce a little insulin on its own. That is the story I got from the people at the Tree.

In full diclosure, I must say I do not have nor is there anyone in my family with diabeties. I have basic, common hear-say knowledge of the condition.

I do, however, believe that most of what the pharmaceudicals and conventional doctors would have us believe to be "uncurable," with a life time dependency on their drugs, have an agenda concerned more with their pocket book than your health.

The movie trailer is here:
http://www.rawfor30days.com/featuredocumentary.html

Best of luck to you.
With Love,
Christine

Re: New to the conversation of raw food.

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:23:44 GMT

I second Alissa's recommendation of Natalia Rose's book. This is such a great resource for transition, she has so little dogma around food. She's released some other books that I have but have yet to read.

As far as packaged produce (sliced apples, peeled baby carrots, salad mixes) I try to avoid them, they just do not seem like a great idea to me. I do buy baby mixed greens but only when they are sold loose.

Re: Diabetes and Raw Food Diet

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:54:16 GMT

You may find value in this trailer for a movie in the works called "Raw for 30 Days".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSuqCMld00w

Six people with diabetes went to a center in Arizona and went 100% raw for 30 days.

Granted, it looks as though they had a difficult time with it (emotionally / handling the shifts in the body, etc.) , likely because they did not slowly and gracefully transition (like I am doing in the Raw Food Detox Diet), but instead they went full fledged and cold turkey.

However, the results look phenominal.

Diabetes and Raw Food Diet

http://jeremiah.gaia.com — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:09:32 GMT

I'd like to hear from anyone else with diabetes about their experience with a Raw Food Diet.

Since I was diagnosed in 04 I've been on a 1800 calorie a day program and have only managed short term weight loss with drastic caloric reduction and fasting. I am so used to tracking every calorie I am having a hard time understanding ignoring caloric intake.

Wondering?

Blessed IS,
Jeremiah

Re: New to the conversation of raw food.

http://jeremiah.gaia.com — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:32:52 GMT

Yesterday and today are my first two days on the Raw Foods plan Elissa recommended. Usually when I leave work I am tired. Today I left energized and after my first Green Lemonade am very energized.
Blessed IS,
Jeremiah

Re: Detox Your Body Regularly

http://anandaarts.gaia.com — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 22:14:34 GMT

An alternative liver cleanse is using the Stanley Burroughs' Master Cleanse Recipe that consists of freshly squeezed lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup - added to filtered water.

I will give full details in my blog.

Re: New to the conversation of raw food.

http://jeremiah.gaia.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:53:59 GMT

I pick out the best fruit and veggies by feeling the energy of each with my hand. I learned that is truer for me than a pendulum. That is why I prefer bins with individual pieces I can touch rather than bags.
Blessed IS,
Jeremiah

Re: New to the conversation of raw food.

http://making-it-all-click.gaia.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:29:17 GMT

Yes, I like to bring the pendulum along with me to the mart occassionally and let it swing while I buy produce. Big swings mean that what is closeby has the best nutritional value right here and now! The heart never lies....yes?

Re: New to the conversation of raw food.

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:56:39 GMT

Great question, Bryan. I've wondered the same thing myself about packaged lettuce and sliced apples, etc.

My gut check is that I feel good after I eat them, so they still must contain a good amount of life force energy. That's good enough for me for now, until I find out more.

Re: New to the conversation of raw food.

http://making-it-all-click.gaia.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:12:42 GMT

What is interesting is the idea that raw food is a packaged product just like processed foods from the grocery store. There are safety seals on organic and raw food called peelings, that do not keep out poison per se, but protect the nutrition in the fruit or vegetable on the other side of the peeling.

Nature tells us, that everything oxidizes, especially raw foods, because the only preservatives nature puts in the food are the anti-oxidants, which are meant to provide protection for the body once we consume them.

Question? Do those bags and devices that allow the methane release and delay the spoiling of fruit and vegetables add to the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables in -terms of maintaining nutritional value.

Everything has a shelf-life including natural food. Although rotting is prevented, can we assume that the nutritional value has an extended shelf-life as well?

Shopping List & A Stocked Pantry

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:01:11 GMT

When I followed my intuition to go raw, I found the book The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose (I later got her book Raw Food Life Force Energy which contains additional recipes). I felt thrilled by the information because it put together concepts that I already intuitively knew and it filled in educational details for me that I had been missing.

It took some practice to get my "recipe rhythm" down, but now that it's set, I find myself in a weekly flow. As long as I keep my pantry stocked, and buy certain things weekly, I'm set with tastey things to eat that make me feel good.

I have a shopping strategy. You may have to develop yours, once you find the stores that have the things that you want to keep on hand. In my strategy, I go to my farmers market for my coconuts and less expensive produce. I go to Trader Joes and get as much I can on my list from there because they are less expensive. I go to my local health food store for my Alta Dena raw goat cheese. And, I go to Whole Foods for quality produce that I'm craving, my sprouted breads, Seeds of Change marinara sauce, and Green & Black's chocolate bars and cocoa powder.

I find that as long as the things on the lists below are in my kitchen, I'm set all week to feed myself and my family. With these things in my kitchen, I am well stocked to prepare any of the recipes in The Raw Food Detox Diet and Raw Food Life Force Energy. And in addition to these recipes, I can combine these items to create a recipe or meal of my own concoction.

Items I keep stocked in my pantry:

Brown Rice (in a pinch, I cook this, steam some veggies and top with home made teriyaki sauce - see below)
Maple Syrup (Grade B Organic)
Marinara Sauce (Seeds of Change brand - it has no sugar - Whole Foods carries it)
Soy Sauce (Nama Shoyu brand)
Alta Dena Raw Goat Cheese (from my local health food store)
Sprouted Bread (Alvaredo St. Bakery brand - found in the freezer section at health food stores & Whole Foods)
Sprouted Tortiallas (Alvaredo St. Bakery or Fat Flush brand - in the freezer section at health food stores & Whole Foods)
Olive Oil (Organic Cold Pressed)
Balsalmic Vinegar
Rice Vinegar
Celtic Sea Salt
Stevia
Akmak Crackers (Trader Joes & Whole Foods carry this)
Cocoa Powder (Green & Black's brand)
70% Dark Chocolate Bars (I order two cases at a time of Green & Blacks brand)
Dried Mint (it makes salads taste great)
Sumak (a Turkish spice that makes salads taste great - if you contact me, I'll send you some)
Raw nuts (to sprinkle on salads or to munch on sparingly)
Raw Tahini (keep refridgerated)
Stone Ground mustard.
Red Lentils (I use these sparingly as lentils are not ideal for detoxing - but it's nice to have them on hand to have something different once in a while in a Lentil soup recipe, or my Turkish Lentil Fingers recipe).
Lara Bars (at health food stores & Whole Foods)
Kalamata Olives (because I like to add these to my salads)
Raw Honey

Weekly Shopping List:

Dates (to munch on when I crave something sweet or filling)
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Avacados
Young Cocounts (the green ones that are peeled to the white rind. I crack these open with a cleaver knife at given anytime and drink the juice and eat the meat.)
Organic Bananas
Eggs - I prefer organic and cage free
Salmon (for one or two nights in the week - my favorite is wild fresh caught)
Organic Carrots for juicing
Greens for juicing
Apples for juicing
Lemons for juicing and salads.
Arugala lettuce - for those days when romaine and spring field salads feel boring
Romaine lettuce
Spring field greens
Italian Parsley
Green Onions
Cucumbers (sometimes a cucumber salad made with onions, tomatoes, lemon juice and dried mint is a tasty salad alternative)
Mixed veggies for steaming
Garlic
Fresh Ginger
A mixture of fruits that look appealing to me that week.
An assortment of veggies that look appealing to me to add to my salads.

Handy Equipment to Have

A food processor
A juicer (I use the Breville Juice Fountain and love it. I got mine from a William Sonoma outlet store at my local outlet mall for $69. You can call any William Sonoma outlet store in any state, and they'll ship it to you. Otherwise, you'll find them for $199 - $299 on the internet)
A blender (I'm holding out to purchase the K-Tec blender for $399. In the mean time, I just use my food processor with the "S" blade).
A garlic press
A cheese slicer (completely optional)

Quick Concoctions

Here is a list of things I often pull together from the things in my pantry.

1.) Salad Toppings: With the things in my pantry, I get creative on what I put on my salads. I simply chop up any veggies as inspired, and drizzle on any of the following combinations, as inspired. Here are some yummy salad topping combinations that I've discovered:

a. Olive oil, rice vinegar, sea salt, dried mint and sumak (sumak is optional)

b. Olive oil, red wine vinegar, stevia, and sea salt

c. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar

d. Olive oil, lemon, sea salt, Spike seasoning

e. Lemon, sea salt, and dried mint

f. Get creative and discover your own combinations!

2.) Teriyaki Sauce: This is easy to make, and can be used to marinate salmon (as in the recipe from The Raw Food Detox Diet), and can also be used to top steamed veggies and brown rice

a. One part maple syrup

b. One part soy sauce

c. Fresh ginger, grated, to taste

d. Fresh garlic, pressed, to taste

3.) Choco-Banana Ice-Dream

When my bananas start to go brown, I peel them, chop them into large chunks, place them in a zip lock bag and freeze them. Then, when I want some "ice dream", I put the frozen chunks into my food processor with the "S" blade and blend until creamy like ice cream. Then I add cocoa powder and maple syrup (to taste) into the frozen banana cream, and this makes a choco-banana dream.

Re: Your Body is a Temple

http://beyourownmedicine.gaia.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:07:58 GMT

Jody,

Thank you for opening my mind up to the potential of eating energetically. I take the energetic qualities of food for granted and I don't stop to consider if the choice I made today to drink that gingerbread latte was going to rob me of energy later.

Can you speak more to how we can energize the foods we eat? Or list which foods would be considered non-energetic?

Also, thank you for reminding us :
"...Because an alkaline body maintains a higher state of consciousness, it improves your spiritual, mental, emotional and physical well being. You will find that energy work, channeling, and your psychic abilities will improve dramatically. "

I am off to buy more lemons.

Re: Your Body is a Temple

http://gracefounddog.gaia.com — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:48:18 GMT

Great post Jody! =) I just joined this pod and it looks really good. Lots of great info here, if not a lot of discussion yet.

Understanding the energy connection between alkaline and acid in foods has made it a lot easier for me to stick to a mostly raw diet. It's helped me to understand WHY eating mostly raw feels sooooo right for my body.

This knowledge also helps me decide on the right cooked foods to integrate. I realized that even on a mostly raw diet my body was producing too much acid and I needed to get that in check. It isn't difficult to do and there are lots of informative websites with all the info that is needed to make the changes necessary to get more oxygen in the blood. (alkalyze)

Going raw doesn't have to be extreme or 100% or even 90%. My body desires 70-80% raw so that is it for me. I was raised raw vegan and it was a bit extreme never getting to have cooked foods. I had to lie to eat what my body was craving. It's important to listen to what our bodies are asking for. I don't believe raw is right for everyone, but MORE raw and especially more alkaline producing foods is something we can all do fairly easily to radically improve our energy level and over all well being.

And things like stress, depression, anxiety, fear, anger etc all prompt the body into producing more acid. It's amazing how our emotions are literally a part of our bodies. Emotions must be cared for just as the body is for true well being. Interestingly I find my emotions and overall mood are greatly enhanced and calm and peaceful on a mostly raw diet. I am 98% vegan and I notice when I eat the occasional dairy food my emotional state/mood gets weird. ANyone else experience this? =)

Grace

Re: Detox Your Body Regularly

http://innerlightaware.gaia.com — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 01:45:30 GMT

The liver gallbladder detox is a 30 program. You can do the parasite cleanse at the same time. For the rest just follow the directions on the bottles.

It will take you 2 months to do it all. I just take them with my vitamins, which I take every day.
You will love how it affects your ENERGY! Very, very awesome experience to do it all in a row.

Re: Detox Your Body Regularly

http://lilylu.gaia.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:07:28 GMT

Awesome! I'll have to try it and let you know how it goes.

You didn't mention a timeline. How long do you detox for?

I like to stay fairly clean and after Thanksgiving and soon to be Christmas with my family I'm ready for a good thorough detox program. I finished the Masters Cleanse a month ago and although it was difficult, I enjoyed the results and it was a great experience. I thought I was clean from being vegetarian/70% raw foodist and juicing frequently!

Lily Lu

Dairy: Cow vs. Goat

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:10:21 GMT

Does anyone have anything to say on the topic of dairy?

I went down the vegan path about two years ago, and a significant improvement in my health.   I went from occasionally reaching for my inhailer to not needing it at all, and my painful IBS stomach episodes really decreased (I later learned that food combining is the other component to releaving painful ISB episodes).

Then, I leard that cow diary is highly mucous forming. Check out this video on You Tube that explains more detail.  No wonder I found mucous in my stool (no shame here!), and no wonder there was mucous in my lungs causing lung infections and asthma.

Then, I learned that goat milk is most similar to human milk, and is easily digestible. Hallelujah! This means that I can eat cheese! (I really do like cheese). I get the Alta Dena brand of raw goat cheese. I by a case of 12 six ounce blocks of cheese about every six weeks.

Sometimes I'll eat it in slices dipped in honey. Sometimes I shred it and toss it into Arugala drizzled with Rice Vinegar and organic cold pressed extra olive oil sprinkled with celtic sea salt, dried mint and sumak (a turkish spice that I get from my mother-in-law in Turkey).   Yum, yum! I brought this salad to the Thanksgiving pot luck at my work, and one person told me this salad was the most delicious thing on their plate.   Sometimes I'll eat slices of this cheese with raw olives, and sometimes I'll just take a bite right out of the block.

I get this cheese from my local health food store. This link shows you the distributors that may be in your area. Whole Foods is listed as a distributor, although I've been unsuccessful in getting my local Whole Foods to order it for me. They say that their distributor doesn't carry it, or something like that. But, my local health food store does! You may want to visit your local health food store and ask if they can order it for you. Direct them to the link above.

So, now I consider myself vegan-ish, meaning, I'm a vegan who eats raw goat cheese. : )

Re: New to the conversation of raw food.

http://jeremiah.gaia.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:09:01 GMT

Aloha Elissa,
That helps a lot. I ordered the book.
Blessed Is,
Jeremiah