Welcome to the Raw Mom Blog

Posts Tagged ‘raw mom’

Raw Movement

Sunday, February 28th, 2010 by Shannon

Judgement is like an eclipse of the sun…It blocks the light. ~ Marianne Williamson

shakaya-feb-2010 Have you noticed there seems to be a movement sweeping through the raw community..? Many people are discussing it, many are doing it, and some are advocating it. I’m talking about the idea of widening our conception of what in fact is the healthiest diet. Let me ask you something, do YOU know what the optimal diet is? Most of us here would say a raw diet. Buuuuut, what exactly is a raw diet? How raw are you supposed to be to be considered raw? Is it all or nothing, or how important is the percentages of raw to cooked ratio for health? Does being raw mean being vegan? How healthy is the struggle of striving for a particular ideal, only to fail time and time again? How about when you desire certain goals, but the stress of striving for them outweigh the results? What about if there is judgement from other people or YOURSELF? Are there issues that lie underneath that aren’t being addressed through diet alone? Is focusing solely on diet as the means of obtaining health balanced? Or can it become toxic? What about the kids?? What does all the hyper-focus on the food mean to them? Is being raw a rawligion? What does it really mean to YOU?

There are truly amazing people in the raw movement who seem to be quite adept in their ability to trust their instincts and do due diligence with their research- using both hemispheres of the brain to ascertain what is right for them on their health journey- and we have learned much from them and been so inspired. However, it was always what worked for THEM that they did and eventually espoused. Of course, when anyone has the clarity and passionate beliefs and acts upon them with conviction, the innate strength and rightness of being which one is imbued with naturally shines a light outwards- not only guiding them onwards, but also attracting others.

Many people noticed this light in these particular individuals, and started to investigate this idea of becoming Raw for themselves. And for a decade now, many of us have been raw. The effects of changing our diet, our personal standards about not only food and nutrition, but also the ethos and ethics of our choices, and the consequences socially- for many of us have been profound. Some have found their purpose. Some have regained their health. Some have been released of the burden of excess weight or addictions. Some have reversed disease. The list goes on and on of the benefits of eating a raw diet!

shannon-leone_food_bounty I have always wondered…just because it worked for some, does that mean it will work for you and me? These people found what worked for them. THAT sounds like the real message to me. I don’t think anyone can say for sure what the perfect diet is for everyone, at every stage of their life.

For me, life is a process, and so is my awareness of what makes up real health; and it isn’t all about diet, though diet is a cornerstone. Many of you listened to speakers of the Raw Mom Summit and so you know that there ARE many models of the raw food diet. And every one of them attracts people that claim it is working for them even though it contradicts another version of raw foodism.

We have seen Dr. Graham passionately refute anything other than a 100% high-fruit, low fat diet, with lots of facts and stats to back it up. And we have seen David Wolfe suggest that certain people with particular metabolisms do well on a high fat all-raw diet. Dr. Brian Clement eats 70% raw and cooked grains. Many people say all grains, whether gluten-free or not, cooked or raw, are unhealthy. Victoria Boutenko consumes mostly green smoothies and soups but has recently added some steamed veggies occasionally. Shazzie was concerned about her daughter lacking in certain nutrients so added some eggs. Kate Magic raises her kids on a high superfoods diet. Sally Falon a widely respected author/researcher recommends raw dairy. Dr Weston Price who so many of us health-seekers have studied found that primitive people’s who lived the farthest from modern dentistry but ate a non-processed omnivourous diet (both plant and animal) had perfect jaws and teeth- and how many raw foodists can say that? Daniel Vitalis says raw veganism is a great cleanse, but not sustainable or even healthy for most people long-term. Aujanous Vonderplanitz cured himself from cancer by eating raw meat and now consults with thousands who do the same.

(Btw, I wouldn’t have thought this could possibly be good for anyone to do until I met a girl who was so robust looking, with perfect skin and clear eyes and beautiful teeth- an absolute natural beauty- who was the ‘healthiest’ looking person I have ever met. So I asked her about her diet. She said she ate all raw. My heart leapt for joy! Until she added ‘Meat. Raw meat’. I couldn’t even imagine it. But she vibrated such calm and yet powerful energy- kind of like a wild animal that is focused and peaceful yet totally alert and full of energy. I asked her how she came upon this way of eating and she told me about this man and his book called We Want To Live, and so I read it. Not for me, yet I could never discount it if it helps others.)

That was 8 years ago. The strange thing is that although I didn’t believe anyone could heal from this type of diet, I have to admit I have met very few raw vegans, if any, before or since who radiated the strength and beauty and physical health of this girl. My quest has always been for health, and I would love to look like she did, but being a raw vegan seems infinitely ‘superior’ to any other diet, and so it has been the path that I have chosen. Well, I no longer believe diets are superior or inferior…And neither am I 100% raw or vegan. The judgement that comes with those kind of concepts don’t seem ultimately very health giving, so I just hold that some diets are more nutritious.

Susun Weed who isn’t a raw foodist firmly believes that women and children need nourishment that plants alone cannot give. As a woman in my mid-forties, I want to ensure I do whatever my hormones may need for my later years, and so I hear that. Plus, any dogma which leaves no room for the emotional healing and is so confining is lacking in spiritual sustenance. My children are growing up and I constantly keep alert to ensure they are getting everything they need to meet their rapid growth spurts. I go in and out of being all raw, down to being about 90%, my kids a little less than that. And I used to beat myself up over it, now I just accept it and honour myself and my body and my mothering of theirs. Like I said, it’s a process, for all of us.

electrc-woman I most care about creating a safe haven for mothers on their journey. If I can do anything, it would be to support and encourage, offering some inspiration perhaps. But never to tell anyone what to do. I will always share what I do or what I would do in your situation if you ask me. And I would love to see other raw moms here with a variety of approaches so people can gravitate to what they resonate with. This will become a living community with a diverse and vibrant approach reflecting the evolution of sacred parenting at every stage. I’m not an authority. I’m no guru. Gosh, I’m so bored of gurus, aren’t you? I’m just like you- a mom- who loves my children dearly and wants to give them the best foundation I can in life.

Where are YOU in your raw health journey? Are you vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore?

I’d love to know, and I am sure others would too. We are going to set up a forum that is so user friendly and beautiful that we are all going to love going there to check out everybody’s profile and see what is happening with everyone. In the meantime, remember this, no matter what you eat, or what you don’t, it doesn’t define who you ARE, or the gifts that you came here to bring. Our diet is vitally important to our health, and natural raw foods are wonderful to include in a big way- but it isn’t the only aspect of health. My biggest hope is to get and keep our kids and ourselves off of junk food, to have people eating real nourishment, and even more importantly, is to address the underlying causes there, dietary, and emotionally. May we all be nourished. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude, and be able to enjoy however we choose to nourish ourselves. And may we find love and support here on the journey.

Tags: children, conscious parenting, Food for Thought, parenthood, Raw food, raw mom, Shannon Leone
Posted in Family, Food for Thought, Health and Wellness, Shannon's Thoughts, Uncategorized | 14 Comments »

Strictly Speaking

Thursday, February 4th, 2010 by Lisa

by Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

Have you ever had someone comment on your diet seeming “strict” because of what you’re not eating? I love this! I taught an introductory raw foods class recently. At the beginning of these classes, I give the definition of raw foods as centering around fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains… and then I pause to check reactions. They’re always the same: a little glazed-over stare and then the mumbled, “Um, OK. That’s it…?” I love this part of class because I can see people’s minds spinning. They’re about to go into panic and rejection mode: “This diet has too many restrictions. Forget it!”

Well, I wish my students were here now. I am typing this article while eating my Top Secret Recipe Raw Vegan Chocolate Candy while drinking yerba mate tea with honey… for breakfast. Help me! I’m suffering over here because of my restricted diet! (Note: That was sarcasm.)

But, seriously, let’s look at this idea of restriction. When I became vegetarian, almost everyone I told reacted the same way: “Oh, man. I don’t know if I could live without meat.” When I became vegan, people bemoaned that perceived loss as well: “No dairy, eggs, or refined sugar? Not me!” Raw vegan? “No bread?!?” What’s happening here? Why did no one comment on how good I must be feeling? Why did no one say, “That’s awesome! I couldn’t imagine living without my green juices!”

American society seems to be focused on choice – having choice, having a myriad of choices, and ensuring that we always have the freedom to choose. When those choices are threatened or perceived as being threatened, we get defiant, we rebel, we puff up and defend our “freedoms”. But my challenge to my students – and to you – is to look at this on its head. What if we turned it around?

Many people I encounter are not happy with their health, their weight, or their food choices and they’re trying to find ways to change. Inevitably people list off their “sins”: pizza, cigarettes, alcohol, coffee, candy. I am then regaled with all the things they “know they should be doing”: exercise, greens, herbal teas, smaller portions. Sound familiar?

Ever wondered why it doesn’t work? Who wants to take away all the things that give them pleasure… to find health and happiness? Doesn’t this seem a little counter-intuitive? When I was transitioning over to a raw vegan diet, I found myself eating mostly raw and vegan… and then ordering pizza in. At first, I really struggled with the hypocrisy of it. Then, I realized that, at the time, I associated pizza and a movie with my family as something that brought me joy. Over the next few months, those pizza orders got further and further apart as I began to work on my emotions around food and incorporate healthier foods into my diet. We haven’t ordered pizza in months and, more importantly, I don’t crave it. I couldn’t start from a place of subtraction and denial; I had to start with adding and accepting and working with.

I remember telling a student once, “I don’t care if you eat steak or not, if you’re enjoying it – but you have to define enjoyment for yourself. Where does it start for you? Is it in the eating of the food? How the food was produced? How was it packaged? What your emotions were when you were preparing it? Who you were eating it with?” What’s really missing in our health is not some magical cure-all pill or goji berries or green smoothies. What’s really missing is joy, intention, and appreciation.

If we can start thinking in terms of adding things back into our lives and, hence, our diets, then we’ll begin to understand that the real restriction was our separation of ourselves from our experiences and our food. The more you begin to add healthier options and attitudes to your diet, the less room you will have for the unhealthier ones.

So, when people ask me now if I feel like I’m missing out on certain foods because of my dietary choices, I always say, “Dude, I have candy for breakfast. Are you kidding?!”

Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt is a raw foods chef and teacher and owner of Rite Food and Company, which offers workshops on intentional and joyful eating. Lisa Marie and her homeschooled daughter, Mo, record a weekly podcast – called Sweet Peas Podcast – chronicling their raw foods journey together.

Tags: Food for Thought, health, Raw food, raw foods, raw mom
Posted in Food for Thought, Wild Parenting | 4 Comments »

How the Cookie-Pusher Changed My Perspective

Sunday, January 31st, 2010 by admin

by Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

Mo and I flew to Atlanta last summer to visit my grandparents. I love my grandparents. They’re a total riot… and I don’t think intentionally so. Take, for example, the day they took us to lunch. My grandmother confessed that she just couldn’t bear the thought of not being able cook us a lunch, so she decided to deal with it the only way she knew how: she took us to the local steakhouse so that we could partake in their salad bar.

molm

This salad bar was much like every other steakhouse salad bar in the South. Not only did we have our choice of iceberg lettuce or iceberg lettuce, but we also got to choose from a variety of canned fruits, unnamed chunks of pressed meats, and puddings with skin. Mo and I were in heaven. How could we not be with plates piled high with iceberg lettuce and cherry tomatoes? We thought we’d hit the jackpot! “Just eat what you can and I’ll take you out later,” I said in my best ventriloquist impersonation.

“Don’t y’all want any boiled eggs or cheese for that salad?” asked my concerned grandmother when we returned to the table. “It’s just that the baby here’s looking a bit thin.” Mo, then 11, by the way, is the baby. We politely declined and proceeded to eat our food with greatest gusto we could muster.

When Mo went for her second plate, my grandmother discreetly got up from the table. As I continued eating, I watched my grandmother go to the desserts counter, grab something, and corner Mo by the salad bar. I saw Mo talking to her, but couldn’t tell what was being said. Later I learned that my grandmother had been attempting her usual Granny Coercion Tactics: “Why don’t you just have a cookie? You don’t have to tell your mother. I can’t believe she makes you eat this way!” Mo later told me she responded, “She doesn’t make me eat this way. I’m choosing to.” I remember seeing my grandmother returning to the table, looking defeated, and munching on the swiped cookie.

As Mo recounted the cookie incident to me that night, I thought, Man, when I was her age, I would have never turned down a cookie! When I was her age, I was eating fast food, buckets of candy, and, basically, anything on offer. So, what happened in the chasm between my grandmother and my daughter? What did I learn from my grandmother and my mother that would have spurned me, a raw vegan?

So many raw foodists that I’ve run into have said that they chose their lifestyle from a place of lack – lack of health, lack of nutrition, lack of energetic attunement. I chose mine from an abundance of love and excitement. Yes, those other pieces were and are important to me, but the joy of eating and the appreciation of eating in company… those I got from my grandmother. Some of the funniest and sweetest memories I have of my childhood center around food. And, yes, we may have been eating Burger King at the time, but the feelings of love were fat and plenty.

I understand that when my grandmother was pressing that cookie onto Mo that it wasn’t from a place of deviousness. I know her. She struggles with comprehending how someone could not want to share a joy-filled taste experience. For her, this sharing is connexion, intimacy. I feel this way, too, when I offer someone a taste of my latest creation. I love her for that gift.

I used to be angry at my maternal lineage. Sometimes I would get so despondent from having to undo all the years of unhealthy eating. Focusing on that negativity left me exhausted. In order to heal, I began to recognize that I couldn’t have gotten here if I wasn’t intelligent, compassionate, and appreciative of the humour of it all… all the things I learned from grandmother. This path from my grandmother to my kid may be lined with fried foods and double-iced birthday cakes, but underneath that is a real love, a real need to feel close to someone.

In order to honour my path, I have to honour my grandmother’s and my mother’s… and all the women before them. I have to see that each of them learned from their mothers and believe that they tried to improve upon what they were taught. It’s so exciting to think that Mo will take my lessons around food and eating and push them up a notch. Where will she end up? What will she teach her children? And will I get my chance push a raw vegan cookie on them?

Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt is a raw foods chef and teacher and owner of Rite Food and Company (www.ritefoodandcompany.com), which offers workshops on intentional and joyful eating. Lisa Marie and her homeschooled daughter, Mo, record a weekly podcast – called Sweet Peas Podcast – chronicling their raw foods journey together.

Tags: children, conscious parenting, Raw food, raw foods, raw mom
Posted in Family, Food for Thought, Inspiring Families, Raw food, Wild Parenting | No Comments »

“Coconut Kids” Smoothie & Keeping Cool

Monday, January 25th, 2010 by admin

by Joanne Newell

Delia & Lana Raizon

Hello everyone! A belated Happy New Year to you – has your 2010 started off well? Don’t you love the start of a fresh new year?

It’s been hot, hot, hot here in Melbourne. Well, some days it’s hot, some days it’s chilly – and it can be four season in one day in this lovely city!

To keep cool, we’ve been whipping up some ice-cold drinks, including a phenomenal smoothie created by an amazing Aussie mum called Delia Raizon. Delia writes recipe books with her sister, Lana (their latest book was published by The Five Mile Press, who also publishes my books in Australia), and Delia has posted a few high-raw recipe videos on the “Lana & Delia Raizon” website.

You’ve gotta check out the videos – SO cute, and inspiring. Delia’s at the start of a raw journey, and I just love that there’s another voice out there promoting the health benefits and taste of green smoothies and high-raw foods to Australian families.

You can see Delia’s “Coconut Kids” smoothie video here, but if you’d like to give it a go, here’s the recipe itself:

Coconut Kids Smoothie

Ingredients

1 young Thai drinking coconut
5 frozen bananas (if your blender isn’t powerful, you might need to chop the bananas before freezing)
3 or so pitted dates, soaked, with the soaking water
2 handfuls soaked almonds
extra water
ice cubes

Method

Tip the flesh and juice from the coconut into a blender.
Add the frozen bananas, pitted dates (and their soaking water) and almonds, and blend.
Add extra water and ice and blend to achieve your desired consistency.

This smoothie has become a favorite at our house!

In our continuing quest to keep cool on these dreamy, long summer holidays, the girls and I have also been whipping up a few treats from Ani’s Raw Food Desserts (by Ani Phyo), including “Chocolate-Covered Bananas” (choc-coated frozen bananas on skewers, found on page 77 of the book) and “Key Lime Kream Bars” (page 25).

Surprisingly, when making the banana ice lollies, the kitchen didn’t become covered in chocolate – most of it actually went on the bananas (or into little – and big – mouths). The girls weren’t quite so keen on the kream bars, but I adore them, and have been cutting off little wedges every now and then as a zesty, creamy snack.

I’ve yet to try out the enticing-sounding “Raspberry-Ganache Fudge Cake”, which Raw Mom Shannon tried when Ani’s book first came out. Can’t wait to sample that one. Thanks, Ani, for such a beautiful little book!

If you’re after some lively raw inspiration, I highly recommend Ani’s book, and popping over to Delia and Lana’s website.

Take care, everyone, and hug your babies!

Love Jo

Tags: children, children's recipe book, conscious parenting, Raw food, raw food recipe, raw food recipes for kids, raw foods, raw kids, raw mom, Shannon Leone
Posted in Family, Inspiring Families, Joanne's Thoughts, Raw Food Recipes, Raw food, Recipes, Recipes for Kids, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

45 and SO Alive!

Friday, January 22nd, 2010 by Shannon

birthdaycake

It feels like forever since I posted something, its been so busy around here and I know you know what I mean- life with kids always is. Just off the heels of the holidays was my son’s birthday and this weekend was my 45th and Ooooooh I feel better now than at 25! Now mind you, with all the celebrating and socializing I have definitely been kicking up my heels and over-indulging in festive cooked foods- mainly rice and pasta and sweets like the delicious raw cheesecake I made for Landon’s birthday seen in the picture. I was also in several more magazines lately and seemed to make all sweet creations for them too… Fortunately, I have learned over the years to go with the flow and not bother worrying about it. So, instead what I do is a mini re-set of a week long juice fast. Today is day 5 and I feel fantastic!! It’s so easy once you commit to just doing it!

I started the first 2 days with the Master Cleanser (although I don’t use any sweetener- just tons of cayenne pepper and fresh squeezed lemon water) and then I juiced greens for 3 days: kale, celery, cucumber, parsley and a green apple. Today I made an almond mylk out of nettles infusion and tonight I will make a tea from milk thistle seeds to support my liver. Everyday for ‘lunch’ I also make a bentonite clay/caprylic acid/pysllium drink which is great for the colon. And every night a castor oil pack.

thewidesea

A magical side-effect of doing something like this is how strong I feel. I remember trying to do these detoxes when I was younger and it always felt like torture because I would feel weak and tired and so hungry. Now, although the first 2-3 days I do feel hungry, my energy is just perfect- high, happy and balanced. In fact, instead of feeling delicate and sensitive to the cold, I am actually doing Polar Bear Dips and long barefoot hikes in the snow. I used to suffer in the cold winters before I went raw. Now, although I still prefer balmy sunny summers, I actually enjoy all the seasons now and love to be out in the cold.

After re-reading the Daylight Diet and realising how important it is to eat early in the day, and knowing this is one of my biggest personal challenges, doing this little detox program is hopefully helping me to create a whole new habit for when I do return to eating.

dreamboat

What I love too is how my family gets to see me taking care of myself. My husband actually joined the juicy fun on day 2 and although I don’t feel it is necessary or appropriate to fast healthy children, I do notice that it feels really easy to prepare all-raw for them instead of the warm grains or seaweed soups or steamed veggies. They just feel so happy they don’t have to fast that they are grateful to be eating and it makes them more aware of their bodies and they tend to do more stretching and brush their teeth longer and little things like that whenever I take on my mini-cleanses.

I am even thinking of doing a one day a week juice day- I used to do this in my 20’s with a boyfriend who was a vegetarian too, and a black belt in Karate and we would juice fast on weekends together. It was always so much fun and something we looked forward to. It really helps having a partner to stay motivated. Here’s to everyone out there taking wonderful care of yourselves! And it’s a good thing for our kids too! Next post I will share some of my best tips for doing a successful cleanse if anyone is interested in using simple things like neti pot, oil pulling, tongue scraping and others, so watch for these coming soon.

Blissings

Tags: conscious parenting, Food for Thought, health, Living Food, Raw food, raw foods, raw mom, Shannon Leone
Posted in Food for Thought, Health and Wellness, Meditation, Natural alternative to drugs, Raw food, Shannon's Thoughts | 5 Comments »

It’s Hard To Be A Martyr

Saturday, January 16th, 2010 by Lisa

by Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

lisamarie-dgrrr

Does this ring a bell for you? You’re unloading your groceries onto the conveyor belt at your local grocery store. You’re throwing organic, grain-fed chicken (for your raw dog, of course) up there, some local apples, maybe a couple of boxes of shee-shee organic tea harvested specially from some little town in the Andes where the only source of income for the indigenous peoples are from the farming of this tea… As you’re piling up your well-thought-out purchases, you happen to glance at the customer’s cart behind you. You notice the Ho-Hos, the frozen Hungry Man dinners, the drums of Sunny D, and can after can of meat chili. Your eyes nonchalantly travel up to the customer himself. You see a man with someone you presume is his son. Both are heavy, looking disheveled, and generally conveying an air of grump. You mentally shake your head and start connecting the dots from their diet to their appearance. After you pay for your groceries, you walk out of the store praising yourself for having the intelligence to rise above the muck and mire of the SAD diet.

Or what about this one? You make a beautiful dinner for your family of baked delicata squash, brown rice with local, raw, organic butter, and a hearty kale salad. When it’s time to serve up everyone’s plate, you cram your plate with kale salad, taking only minuscule amounts of the rice and squash. You serve everyone else’s plate to their liking, making sure they’ve seen the portion ratio on your plate. Once their plates are clean, they head back up to the stove for a second helping… of rice and butter. You say, “There’s plenty of kale salad left, if you want some of that, too,” but they decline. You mentally shake your head and start connecting the dots from their diet to any malady they may currently be experiencing. As you’re cleaning up, you eye the rice and butter, wanting another serving. Of course, you can’t because that would send the wrong message to the other family members that look up to you for guidance on their health quest.

It’s hard to be the martyr. I know. I’ve been one for years. I think I am coming to the realization that others may not be perceiving me as a martyr though. This is shocking. I have invested a lot of time researching nutrition, a lot of money trying out different recipes, and a lot of energy being the example for others. How dare they not understand all I am doing to sacrifice myself for their health?!?! … OK. So, of course, I am saying all this tongue-in-cheek, but this is a real issue – for me and for other women I know. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this recently because I’ve found myself exhausted, exhausted from always having to be “on,” always having to make the “right” decision. I’ve been living my life for other people’s reactions. But in mulling this over, another thought came to the fore: Is judging wrong? And where does compassion fit into all this?

This compassion thing is new to me. I was never taught this concept outright as a child. Therefore, my understanding of it has gotten all screwed up. My husband says compassion literally means “to suffer with.” What if you could break everything down to suffering – meaning, somehow or another our needs are not being met on some level? Could we be better equipped to relate to others? I believe we could because then the emotional baggage that we create around judging would be a moot point.

Many of us get mired in defining judging as something bad. But it is not the judging that is bad; it is what you do with this judging that defines the quality of the judgement. The literal definition of judgement is “the cognitive process of reaching a decision or drawing conclusions; the mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations.” So, if we see someone in a grocery store with a buggy loaded down with processed food, we can make a judgement or draw a conclusion about that particular person. But, and herein lies the rub: listen to yourself as you are judging. What conclusions have you drawn? How are you characterizing that person? Are your conclusions helpful or compassionate? What is your investment in judging this person in a certain way? Does your judgement validate you in any way?

These are hard questions. It takes a heck of a person to be able to go through this process and respond honestly and, most importantly, to act compassionately. But the first place to start is with yourself: how are you judging yourself? And, more importantly, are you able to respond to that judgement compassionately? Can you respect the path you are on as a process?

That’s your homework assignment. Let me know how you do. As for myself, I think I’ve got a special place for that Martyr Award… in the closet.

Tags: conscious parenting, Lisa Marie's Thoughts, Raw food, raw mom
Posted in Food for Thought, Uncategorized, Wild Parenting | 4 Comments »

Raw Diva—Mary’s Thoughts

Sunday, January 10th, 2010 by admin

I was on jury duty for four days recently, my second time in 32 years. The first time, the jurors were taken out to eat at restaurants each day and all sat together so they could keep an eye on us. This time we were sent out to forage on our own. Most of the other jurors bought lunch in the courthouse café. But since I did not want to pay five dollars for a salad the size of a tea cup, I brought my own lunches.

I decided I wanted to keep it simple and not have to prep too much before I left the house or worry about spoilage before lunch time. I also had to consider that forks and knives are not allowed past security, so finger foods were best. Here is what I took—though, not all on the same day ;-):

Quart jars of green smoothies
Head of pre-washed lettuce in plastic container with a jar of homemade salad dressing to dip the leaves into
Jar raw pistachios
Pint of grape tomatoes
Big bunch of rinsed raw green beans
Whole avocado (sliced in half in advance) to eat with a spoon
Chopped asparagus, sliced mushrooms and chopped sundried tomatoes marinated in oil and vinegar (this took less than five minutes to toss into a container)
Little jar of handmade raw cookies

Whether you get called for jury duty where you are trapped in the courthouse, need to attend business meetings where they usually serve donuts and pizza or are on a weekend road trip with only fast food restaurants along the way you do not need to sacrifice your tastes, dietary preferences or budget; just take along your favorite portable whole foods instead. Other great options for “naturally wrapped” snacks are fruits like bananas, pears, oranges and apples…just eat them in the order of most likely to ripen quickest. Raw corn on the cob is another of my favorites, just shuck and eat.

Happy Eating!
Mary
www.voiceofthevegan.com

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, prescribe or treat illness. It is valuable to seek the guidance of an alternative health care professional before making any changes to one’s diet and lifestyle.

Tags: Food for Thought, Raw food, raw food recipe, raw foods, raw mom, Tips for Moms
Posted in Food for Thought, Inspiring Families, Organics | 2 Comments »

ROOT BEER ELIXIR FOR EPIC HEALTH

Friday, January 8th, 2010 by admin

by Ruth Hofer

rootbeerelixir

Don’t be put off by the possibly esoteric list of herbs, or the number of steps, or the length of prep time… Enjoy the process of creating and brewing your family into epic health and relish in the joy that comes from seeing them enjoy a special beverage that totally and 100% supports their health and totally 100% pleases their taste buds. And for anyone who in their pre-raw days consumed a lot of root beer… now you can once more, this time guilt free!

My husband loves the flavour of root beer. In Australia, the closest substitute is Sarsaparilla soda. Both of these, however, aren’t exactly something I’d be happy with my children drinking and definitely not something I’d choose for myself.
I’m pretty sure all the raw mom readers are aware of how damaging consuming pop (or soft drink as us Aussies call it) is for our families’ health. I’m also pretty sure there are at least a few moms out there whose kids still would LOVE it if they served them root beer as a treat. Well… now you can… and as your loved ones enjoy the yummy root beer goodness, you can enjoy the fact that you are supporting their vibrant health rather than compromising it.

HOW TO CREATE A ROOT BEER ELIXIR STEP-BY-STEP

Fill a saucepan (ideally heat proof glass) with around 2 litres of cold spring water.
Gather and place into your pot of water:
- 3 TB sarsaparilla root
- 2 TB burdock root
- 2 TB dandelion root (make sure it’s raw, not the roasted coffee substitute)
- 2 TB licorice root -
  (I used all dried, but if fresh is available to you, use fresh instead, just double the amounts.)
- 2 TB freshly grated ginger
- 1 vanilla bean, snipped into 4 pieces
Slowly simmer the herbs in the water until it gently boils, reduce the heat and let mixture infuse for a couple of hours at least (overnight even).
Strain mixture and add sweeteners. I personally use a couple of spoonfuls each of molasses and evaporated cane juice and then reheat the brew to boiling and let reduce to a syrupy consistency. Remember that the licorice itself adds a sweet flavour, so use less concentrated sweetener then you normally would. I like molasses for the colour and iron content even though it isn’t raw. I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet simmering dates in the brew would work fine. Or just add straight up honey. You could even add in some cinnamon and stevia for sweetness without calories. I’m a little more lax on the sweeteners for this, as it isn’t an everyday drink.
Let cool and decant into a glass bottle.
Add 5 - 10 drops WINTERGREEN essential oil and shake vigorously.
Store in fridge for up to a week. Use about 1/3 root beer mix to water (using sparkling mineral water gives you the same bubbly feeling as the regular pop version does and seriously kids of all ages love it… just don’t tell them it’s healthy!)

The most important ingredients to replicate that root beer taste are the sarsaparilla and the wintergreen. Feel free to experiment with the others. All the dried root herbs are liver tonics. Pretty much everyone’s liver in western society could use a little help and cleanse. Go easy on this stuff if you are pregnant. The licorice helps carry the other herbs to where they are needed in the body (i.e. the liver) but also has the tendency to increase blood pressure (another reason to exercise caution drinking this during pregnancy). All the ingredients are safe for children. The wintergreen really is the key ingredient. If you are at all cautious about ingesting essential oils check out the chapter on using essential oils in food preparation in the book Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine by Gabriel Cousens. I love using essential oils in my food, especially cardamom essential oil (but that is a whole other post in itself). You can buy wintergreen oil from the Hulda Clark store where she uses it in her healing protocols.

Seriously, Wintergreen oil is amazing stuff. When I was playing around with the root beer elixir (before the addition of the wintergreen) something wasn’t quite right, so I googled traditional ways of making root beer and came across information on wintergreen leaves being the main ingredient of the root beer of yesteryear. We just happened to have some of the oil lying around, so I added it in and WOW, my cordial now tasted like the real deal. My husband gulped his glass down and begged for another.

From my research, wintergreen is a super potent healing agent for joint injuries, muscle pain, bursitis, and arthritic conditions. As it is so potent though, I would not recommend consuming extreme amounts of wintergreen. My husband is currently rehabilitating a pretty major hip injury sustained from some hectic mountain biking. If you are the mom of active and thrill seeking teen boys, that’s another reason to give this recipe a try.

Tags: children, conscious parenting, Raw food, raw food recipe, raw foods, raw mom, recipe for kids
Posted in Communication in the Family, Family, Health and Wellness, Inspiring Families, Natural alternative to drugs, Raw Food Recipes, Ruth Hofer's Thoughts | 4 Comments »

Holidays are over, THE DAYLIGHT DIET is On- My Way!

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 by admin

shannon-dave-wolfe Wow! The first week in January of 2010. Into the New Year we go! Happy Happy Joy Joy! Holiday time can be very busy and sleep and dietary concerns are not my top priorities between all the raw parties and events, polar bear dips and barefoot hikes in the snow, night skating, tobogganing, visiting old friends and other festivities which included TV appearances, I really let things slip a bit. I am rather strict and disciplined 90% of the time, my diet is 90% raw, and come to think of it, my marks in school were that too… I leave a good 10 % for total spontaneity and adventure. Now it’s time to get back on track! I looooove the fresh start feeling of a clean slate before me to create upon, and I do make resolutions in the form of setting intentions. Speaking of which, I am still loving the Daylight Diet which I started in November that I promised to let everyone know how I am progressing. I have such a long way to go, yet I am encouraged by my progress already. I am making baby-steps and if I didn’t love and honour myself so much, I would think I was pathetic actually because of how slow I am going! Hahaha.

There are 3 stages to the Daylight Diet, and although I have accomplished several things since I started it, I must admit I am only at stage 0.5. That’s right, I’m not even at stage 1 yet! Stage one is where you eat only when it is daylight- simply stop eating after sundown. I have not been able to do that exactly, however, I have stopped eating after dinner, which is usually around 6 or 7pm now. This is not ideal, and not what the book recommends at all, yet for me who usually would eat my dinner around 9 or 10 pm, plus have a big snack 2 or 3 hours later, this is a BIG improvement for me and definitely a step in the right direction.

Just doing this has not been easy because I usually do not eat at all in the day but Paul says unless you eat enough nourishment in the day, you will be hungry at night and it will be very difficult not to eat late. Since going raw 8 years ago, I have pretty much been drinking only water until noon, having either a green juice or green smoothie around 1 or 2pm, and then just nibbling with the kids when I serve their dinner at 6pm, and not really eating mine until the house is all quiet around 9 pm.

The Daylight Diet explains clearly why anyone who wishes to improve their health would do better to eat the biggest meal earlier in the day and completely cease eating after sundown. So I am getting closer to this goal. I have started the habit of making my green juice or smoothie earlier, around 10am, and although I am not totally consistent with this yet, I am getting there. I am also eating something in the afternoon to get some nourishment in so I won’t be hungry after my next and final meal at dinner. I find eating in the day really different for me being used to not stopping for lunch, and just being very productive. I now realise there is just no point keeping a beautiful home and making healthy meals for my family and working on my rawmom books and projects for my world-family if I am not taking time to properly nourish myself.

So, I am sitting down in the middle of the day, and making a small and beautiful meal of simple fare like raw soup with homemade flax crackers I make with my green juice pulp and spices, or avocado and cucumber with dulse or zucchini pasta with tomatoes and olives- just reeeeally simple and quick meals which I can enjoy in silence- just like I used to love to do at night- I find I digest food so much better when I eat very slowly and peacefully, almost meditatively. To enhance the experience and ground me in this new ritual, I like to light a candle and either eat outside, or at least sit by the window and eat watching the birds and chipmunks play in the beautiful snow. Oh, and I have also started using chopsticks at every meal which I adore! That slows me down too, and I find food actually tastes better off of wood instead of cutlery. I find myself blessing each bite and feeling the love that is all around which surrounds me, and I may only spend about 15 or 20 minutes, yet, I feel soothed and satisfied on all levels after this little meal.

I have to admit, most nights after dinner, I still find myself wanting to eat and so I have been doing a couple of things which have been helpful. One thing is to make a cup of hot lemon water or ginger tea, or herbal infusion or even an elixir based on Daniel Vitalis’ work. I make one with milk thistle seeds which is great for the liver, and it tastes so delicious!! I’ll share all about this in an upcoming post so you see how easy and amazing doing this is. I have occasionally been enjoying either a ruby red grapefruit, or a pomegranate late at night, which isn’t ideal, but it’s a treat. I love both because they keep my hands busy and I love working for my food- that satiates me more somehow when it isn’t so instant. So, although this is cheating a bit, it is so much better than what I would normally do making chocolate pudding or raw brownies or walnuts with braggs and garlic and cayenne pepper, or anyone of a number of raw goodies I would normally make late at night.

I am also working on breaking the habit of late night stimulation from computer work or tv. My habit is usually to work until at least midnight or 1, and then relax in front of the tv folding laundry watching a movie while planning the next day’s menus and errands and work . I am pretty sure doing that makes me want to eat more too, so I am turning the computer off by 9 or 10 most nights and heading upstairs to read. I still stay up pretty late, but I am turning in around midnight or 1am, not the usual 3 or 4am… so for me this is great progress, and just the beginning!

arcticshannon It’s a lot of habits I still wish to change… and it isn’t that I didn’t realise this before, its just that I was fooling myself into thinking if I was raw that I could get away with all this late eating and lack of sleep. I feel that as challenging as this is for me to make these changes, that the results will be worth it. I am already noticing that I am waking up more refreshed. And there is a slight euphoria that I cannot totally understand or describe… a physical sense in my body that something HUGE and exciting is happening. I just feeeeeel like my body is happier. And will continue to become happier still as I continue to progress through the stages of the Daylight Diet. Before I can move on to stage one or two or three, I need to really accomplish maintaining my food intake during the day and taper my last meal back from 6 pm to 5 pm before it gets dark.

Having goals and setting intentions and knowing why I am passionately striving to create myself anew every year is an adventure. I figure I can either pay with a bit of discipline now, or regret later! How about YOU, my lovelies? What one habit, if you changed, would change your whole life for the better? Think about it, set your intentions around it, and if you care to share, I’d love to support you. xo

To read more about Paul Nison’s The Daylight Diet, go here…

Tags: Food for Thought, health, Life, raw foods, raw mom, Shannon Leone
Posted in Food for Thought, Health and Wellness, Natural alternative to drugs, Raw food, Shannon's Thoughts, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mourning Has Broken

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 by Lisa

by Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

MoLM

I heard somewhere that it takes 14 days to create a new habit. I think that’s crap. I think it takes a lot longer than that. Not only are you having to make the new habit a reality, but you have to mourn the old habit, honour that old habit. Those lovely old habits have helped you hobble through some tough times. They’re like the favourite mixing bowl that finally breaks after 20 years: you know it can be replaced, but there’s still sentimentality attached to it. My new habits can sometimes take months and months to stick because I want to usher the old ones out with gratitude and with grace… no matter how odd or unhealthy that old habit may be.

I recently went on vacation to visit my husband’s family. Jim’s family is incredibly large (by my standards, anyway), so we ended up attending a number of holiday parties. Each party had a similar set-up: buffet-style snicky-snacks, followed by another buffet-style dinner, followed by another buffet-style dessert selection. Of course, beer, wine, and assorted other alcoholic drinks were also available throughout. The set-up was always nice, the hostesses amazingly gracious, and the company was excellent.

It’s just that… I’m still in mourning. Or so I wanted to believe.

I found myself getting ready for each party and doing a quick body scan: am I hungry? Where is my head today in regards to my eating? Do I need to take any food or drink with me to make me feel more comfortable? This scan has been part of what I’ve been calling my Transitional Plan for almost two years now. When I first began transitioning to a much more intentional diet – one that included a higher percentage of raw foods, one that was more vegan and more local – I knew that I was the one that was going to have to provide for myself in every situation. I couldn’t just assume anymore that I would be able to find something to eat or drink. But this isn’t just about me being practical about my dietary needs; this is also an emotional journey. I knew that if I put myself in a social situation that the environment itself would be a trigger for me. When people are celebrating, there is an unspoken understanding that eating party-type foods is expected and encouraged. I find this ironic because we’re celebrating milestones in our lives and yet we’re eating and drinking things that discourage optimal health. This pattern then becomes infused in our day-to-day reality: we begin to look for reasons to celebrate, to eat these types of foods, in order to incorporate them more readily into our daily diets. So, the lowly celery stalk gets pushed to the side as an “appetizer.”

So, I found myself coming home each night to enter my food into my food blog and saw that the choices I made weren’t that hard after all. I didn’t eat any meat, any dairy, any eggs, any refined sugar, any wheat, drink any alcohol, and stayed almost 100% raw. I’d had a good time at the party and didn’t feel emotionally drained afterwards.

But the most important realization was that all of this wasn’t an effort anymore. I’d made all of these choices without angst, without feeling lack, or without feeling peer pressure. What did this mean? Had I truly crossed over into some new territory of myself?

I think – and don’t quote me here – but I think… that I’ve created a new habit. After 2 years of working through all the emotional baggage around parties and food, I believe I may finally be out of mourning. This by no means is the end of my journey with food and emotional eating; it’s just one piece. But it is cause for celebration.

Now… where’s that celery stalk?

Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt is a raw foods chef and teacher and owner of Rite Food and Company, which offers workshops on intentional and joyful eating. Lisa Marie and her homeschooled daughter, Mo, record a weekly podcast – called Sweet Peas Podcast – chronicling their raw foods journey together.

Tags: Mompreneurs, Raw food, raw foods, raw mom
Posted in Health and Wellness, Inspiring Families, Mompreneurs, Raw food, Transitioning from Cooked to Raw!, Wild Parenting | 1 Comment »