Happy Valentine's Day!

14 February 2008

Most of us have many happy memories of a sugar shocked day with large red candy hearts making our pulses race in more ways than one. This Valentine's Day I have eaten only wonderful juicy and green things. It hasn't always been so.....I remember one particularly infamous Valentine's.  I had always been very health conscious as an adult, working out and eating well.  I had just gotten married and my husband was a real foodie.  He would eat just about any thing if it was rich and fatty.  For this Valentine's Day, I told him that I would make him anything he wanted.  Well..he wanted hot wings and huge servings of enchilados and a cheesecake. Undaunted,  I prepared all of the food. He ate all of the mexican food (I helped him with the wings).  Then we started eating the cheesecake. Later in the day he  brought out a 5 pound bag of peanut M & M's!  He was on his own there.  As he was eating the M & M's, I gave him a one pound box of chocolates that I had purchased for him.  It was one of those shiny red heart shaped boxes. He went into the other room and came back with FIVE one pound boxes of candy also in lovely red hearts. (One for me and one for each of our four daughters.)  We actually sat and ate most of the two pounds of candy!  That night, when two of the daughters hadn't shown up, he decided that we should eat their candy too!  Oh, the agony of it all.  I was used to my barley grass and my brown rice and salads.  At the end of the day, I prayed for death I was so miserable.  He, however, didn't feel all that bad.  He had gotten used to being overweight, feeling stuffed and being lethargic.  His idea of exercise was to turn on the TV manually if he couldn't find the remote.  I didn't care; I loved him anyway.  As the months went on, I continued to work out everyday, drink lots of fresh vegetable juices, and eat well.  He continued to love his Whoppers.  One day, out of the blue, he looked at me and said, "I want what you have."  So began our healthy journey together and it has lasted ten years so far.  Neither of us are perfect, so ups and downs have occurred, but at the end of the day my last thoughts are still always of him.  The point of this story is that we can't control or change anyone.  Let's face it; we can barely control ourselves.  If I had nagged him about dieting and exercising, he probably would have refused and we would have had ten years of misery.  Instead, I showed him the possibilities just by doing it myself.  By accepting him for who he was then, he is now my biggest fan and my best friend.  He also shares health information to anyone who will listen (my apologies to all of his co-workers:-) and is a strong advocate for raw food.  The following poem by Pablo Neruda is dedicated to him on this day of love.

I Don't Love you as if you were a Rose

I don't love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,

or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:

I love you as one loves certain obscure things

secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn't bloom but carries

the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,

and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose

from the earth lives dimly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,

I love you directly without problems or pride:

I love you like this because I don't know any other way

              to love,

 except in this form in which I am not nor are you,

so close that your hand upon my chest is mine,

so close that your eyes close with my dreams.

For more information on Pablo Neruda, or to read more of his poems, go here.

Classical Rocks!

13 February 2008

I read a great article today affirming that listening to classical music does have positive effects.  Some of those listed were greater cognitive ability, mood improvement, faster healing of strokes, epileptic seizures, and other neurological problems. My husband works with learning and behavioral disordered children and has found that playing classical or other positive upbeat music prior to a test helped students improve their scores.  To read the whole article go here.

Yesterday I woke up with a tingling on my lip and nerve pain all the way up to my eye!  I have had one cold sore in my life up to this point.  It was in 1995 after having a nightmare dental procedure.  The dentist did not wear gloves and the office did not look all that clean.  I went to this dentist because he claimed to do alternative dentistry.  I was having a porcelain crown replaced with a Belle Glass crown.  Well, I got the glass crown but he was rough to say the least. After tearing up my mouth, he threw a few arnica pellets in.  Ugh!  I now know that cold sores are just our  body's way of detoxing.  The skin is a great way to get stored up toxins out fast.  This outbreak is similar to that one, but mild.  By late afternoon it had all but disappeared. 

I have not been eating enough as one can plainly see from my food lists.  Each day I am determined to increase my calories and each day goes by and I realize I haven't.  I'm going to put on some Baroque music and ponder my options;)

Music has charms to soothe the savage breast,

To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.

...William Congreve

Fudgy Heaven!

11 February 2008 

Today I received the best goodies in the world. A delicious box arrived UPS from Glaser Organic Farms. It contained 12 packages of their wonderful raw carob fudgy treats!
While I have made many different raw fudge treats in the past, nothing can compare to these. The texture is just right. And the taste..well:) I can heartily recommend some of their other goodies too, such as their temple balls and their delicious Essene Breads. To see all of their goodies click here.

Speaking of Essenes, this is the time of year when I always re-read Professor Edmond Székely’s wonderful books. As many times as I read them, I never tire of the timeless messages found in them. I am currently reading his Search for the Ageless: Volume One, which tells of his wonderful travels while seeking out groups of ancient peoples such as the Hunzas. All of his books , including his most famous, The Essene Gospel of Peace, are available from I.B.S. Internacional, Box 849, Nelson, BC, Canada, V1L 6A5, which is so capably run by his wife Swallow. Write for a catalog today!

Food for the day:
18 oz grapefruit juice
carrot/celery/kale/lemon juice
1 tbsp of almond butter with smidge of raw honey
smoothie of pineapple/orange/lime/blueberries
¼ fudgy carob brownie☺
2 large pecans

Wow, I went back and looked at my original list of symptoms. And I considered myself healthy:) I am happy to report that in addition to the stiffness being gone, I am also rid of the pancreas and gallbladder pains, oily skin with large pores (my skin is smooth and normal already), and finally the depression and brain fog that has haunted my nights and days for the last year has left! Also constipation, which has been plaguing me for several years, is gone. It’s hard (no pun intended) to be constipated on fruit and veggies!

Juicy Alert!

10 February 2008

Today we found the best deal EVER! 18 pounds of juicy, red Rio Star grapefruit for $5.99!!  We loaded up the car and can now happily feast on fresh grapefruit juice for awhile.  Fortunately, it is turning cold tomorrow as we are unable to fit all of this luscious fruit into the fridge.  We are storing it in the garage.  This will help us if we decide to join David Rain on his March Global juice feast.  Click here if you want to see what it's all about!

Today was another weak eating day.  I didn't even get my veggie juice in.

Foods consumed:

32 ounces of grapefruit juice

1 LaraBar

1/2 pineapple/blueberry/orange and lime juice smoothie.

1 quart of water

I am happy to report that I have lost 9 pounds so far.  I won't keep losing, though, if I don't get my calories up.  When the body thinks it is starving, it burns calories much more slowly in an attempt to keep from starving.  The body never makes a mistake.  It does everything to maintain homeostasis.  It doesn't care about tomorrow; it doesn't know about yesterday.  It is truly in the moment.  If only I could get there with it:-)

One Week In!

9 February 2008 

Well, somehow I have managed to keep going strong. I have had NO real symptoms of detox; I just keep feeling better and better every day! Some of the symptoms that I listed at the start of the detox have already abated, such as stiffness.  I had gotten so toxic that everytime I would try and stand up, I could hardly move. That has gone as have all joint pains. I did walk this morning 3 1/2 miles and then again this afternoon for a mile. I was keeping up with Mariel who is quite a bit taller and my knee started to hurt. I slowed down, but could barely make it back to the car.

I have been working out of town for the last 2 days. Normally, on cooked food, it is all I can do to make it to 8:00pm before I crash. Being raw, I was able to stay up with 2 of my clients and talk about raw food until almost 11:00 pm. Such a difference in energy levels. I suppose since all energy is not being diverted to digest awful combos, I can stay awake.  For those of you who don't know my work patterns, I work CRAZY hours when I am out of town.  I will start early in the morning and work until late at night with no break.  When I am eating raw food this is no problem.  Since eating cooked food this past year, I have barely been able to function.

Didn’t eat enough today to keep a bird alive! I am definitely going to take my diet in hand on Monday.  I think most new raw foodists find that under-eating is not really a problem for them.  Most people find themselves eating A LOT of food when starting out.  Having eaten 100% raw for long periods of time, I find myself in the habit of eating too little.  While this works for me, I do NOT recommend it for new raw eaters.

Getting Greener and Greener!

6 February 2008

I'm definitely moving a bit slower today.  I'm going to Salisbury to work intensely for 2 days tomorrow, so today I am just relaxing and reading.  I slept great...about 8 hours.  I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go. I noticed that I have more energy in the morning.  The weather today has been record-breaking warm.  Almost 80 degrees.  I lay outside on top of the hot tub for an hour or so.  Just reading a fun novel my mother gave me and sunning myself.  I feel more emotional today.  Not moody...just sensitive.  I am feeling much gratitude for my husband.  Because he works so steadily, I have the luxury of just juicing and cleansing and taking care of myself.  It's the first time in my adult life that I can remember giving myself the gift of relaxation.  Always in the past, I have felt that I must earn my keep so to speak.  For me that meant working full time, going to school full time, and raising children.  Ugh!!  I could learn to love this slower pace.  

I am working on getting my calories up a bit..as yesterday I fell behind. (again!)  Definitely getting in more green vegetable juices.  I am drinking at least 2 large glasses of green vegetable juices daily.  These keep my appetite happy.  So far 7 pounds of unsightly fat have disappeared from my body.  As nothing is ever lost in the universe, where did it go?  I hope it hasn't attached itself to some other poor soul!

A WISE MAN SHOULD CONSIDER THAT HEALTH IS THE GREATEST OF HUMAN BLESSINGS.

HIPPOCRATES

Life is a Beach!

5 February 2008 

Today was a great day!!   78° and sunny. I went for a walk at the Noland trail. This is a wonderful walking trail close to where I live.  It follows a beautiful lake all the way around.  It is only about 5 miles, but it is very hilly so I can always get a great workout depending on how fast I want to go. I was amazed that I was fatigued ¼ mile in.   I managed to make it about 2 1/2 miles, but I felt lightheaded. This afternoon we all loaded in my car and went to the beach. We went up to Jamestown on the parkway because we expected it to be warmer than the ocean. We weren’t disappointed! We had our old french music (Charles Trenet, Edith Piaf, et al), large beach blankets, and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.  The kids stripped off their clothes and danced in the sand to Edmond Ross and his orchestra playing The Wedding Samba.   They built castles and made sand angels. I read a fantastic book by Elizabeth von Arnim called The Caravaners. It was written in 1909 but is still fresh. It is the BEST book. Hilarious. She writes it in her husband’s voice (whom she calls “the man of Wrath” in other novels). He is a German baron who goes camping at the turn of the century with a bunch of English friends. He spends almost all of his time arguing with, correcting, and basically telling everyone why Germans are more civilized and why he in particular is right. It is the height of satire. I think all of her books are out of print, but certainly worth reading if you can find them.  She is best known for her novel The Enchanted April which is lovely but not nearly as funny as The Caravaners.

My eating has been great so far and I feel great. Today, unfortunately, I ate too little. I wasn't as prepared as I should have been being away for the day.  Eating too little is NOT recommended, particularly when you are first starting raw.  It can cause blood sugar drops, which can lead to bingeing, and if you are trying to lose weight, the body thinks it's starving and slows down the metabolism.  I will do better tomorrow!  For those who are asking, today I had 2 large glasses of grapefruit juice (about 36 ounces), a Larabar, 2 large vegetable juices made with carrots/kale/celery/lemon. and a generous helping of raw onion rings!!! I am not usually interested in gourmet combos, but these help me transition away from cooked nicely:-)  For the recipe go here. Check out the rest of the web site while you are there.  Not only do they have lots of recipes, but also lots of great articles and goodies.  It’s all good!

Detox!

4 February 2008

Day 2!  Surprisingly, I feel fantastic.  I thought I would be cranky and tired due to lack of food, but that isn't the case at all.  I woke up happier, with a purpose, and feeling better than I have in a long time.  I managed to go to Williamsburg and take a short walk on the York River.  I spent a couple of hours reading Matt Monarch's blog and it was incredibly helpful.  Having purchased and read many many books on raw food over the years, I swore I wouldn't buy anymore.  I think I will spring for his though, as it sounds different from a lot of the others.  He talks about the dangers of eating too much fruit and the importance of getting enough greens.  This is near and dear to my heart as I have had many clients over the years that were yeasted up and who failed on raw food.  I had one raw food guru tell me that they could get rid of their candida in a week just by eating very very low fat and no restrictions on fruit.  I was skeptical, but I had a few clients who were willing to give it a try.  Ugh!  Lots of gas and discomfort.  No candida relief.  Now I understand why..too much fermentation.  Check out Matt's book and other great things on his website here. 

Anyway, looking forward to tomorrow with no worries.  Lest others think that I have it easy, I live with four cooked food eaters!  They even made homemade pancakes and bacon today.  I honestly wasn't bothered.  As we live in a cooked world, the sooner we get used to the smells and not reacting to them adversely the better.  They're eating popcorn right now as I type and I'm not even crazed:-) 

Mariel (my daughter) and I talked a lot about what we would like our life to be.  We both agreed that we would like a calm and quiet life, with time for simple pleasures and some not so simple....We've been talking about what we intend to do this spring such as picnics with our french music, long walks in the woods, bicycle rides, tennis, etc...  This week the temperature is supposed to be in the 70's.  We haven't had a real winter yet..but I have no regrets.  Hoping to visit my raw friend Cindy in Florida in April and sit in the sun.  Nothing like the smell of orange blossoms in the spring...

I leave you with the following quote which I found some time ago on Shannon the Braveheart's raw story page.  To read his raw story go here.

There was a time, the golden age we call it, happy in fruits and herbs, when no man tainted their lips with blood, and birds went flying safely through the air, and all the field rabbits wandered unfrightened, and no fish was ever hooked by it's own credulity: all things were free from treachery and fear and cunning, and all was peaceful.  But some innovative, a good for nothing, whoever he was decided, in envy, that what lions ate was better, stuffed meat into his belly like a furnace, and paved the way for crime...one crime leads to another.

Pythagoras-from Ovid's Metamorphoses

Raw Journey Begins! Again:)

3 February 2008  

Well, after almost a year of eating cooked food, I am finally back on 100% raw.  After returning from a crazy fasting retreat in Costa Rica last year (working, not fasting), I felt positive that I would never eat 100% raw again.  Too many crazies I told myself.  Being the pragmatic person that I am, I have finally decided that one can't throw the baby out with the bath water.  I have so many symptoms of disease right now that I feel I really have no choice but to obey Nature's laws and eat correctly.  I am going to list all of my beginning symptoms here so that when (if) I feel discouraged I can look back and see how far I have come.

Current symptoms:

1. Obesity (an all time high of 166 lbs!)

   (Normal weight 100-105 lbs)

2. Large pores, oily and discolored skin.

3. Puffy eyes all day.

4. Pain in knees and hips.

5. Constipation

6. Smelly urine and feces (smells like creosote)

7. Acid pH (5.5)

8. Vertigo off and on.

9. Ridged nails.

10. Excess mucus in head and throat.

11. Trouble breathing, coughing at night.

12. Depression, brain fog.  Poor short term memory.

13. Vision that is worse than -500.  Poor night vision.

14. Bloodshot and dry eyes.

15. Stiffness all over.

16. Tailbone pain from a break in Costa Rica over a year ago.

17. Fatigue.

18. Pancreas pain on eating certain things (mostly sugary or starchy).

19. Enlarged spleen.

20. Coated tongue.

And I consider myself "healthy"!  Obviously, I have a lot of work ahead of me.  Fortunately, I just have to get out of my body's way and let it heal itself to the best of its ability.  

On a lighter note, today I watched the movie A Good Year.  This is a cute bit of fluff about an driven Englishman (played aptly by Russell Crowe) who inherits a chateau in Provence.  At first he is determined to sell it as he is a hard-edged business man who is all business.  The longer he stays in France, the harder it is for him to decide if he wants to continue his monetarily rich but spiritually poor life in London.  As I watched the movie, I tried to imagine a more restful life than relaxing while reading good books, walks, a bit of tennis, and healthy food eaten at a french pace.  I sometimes feel that I was born 50 years too late.  I have several favorite authors who set their books in that time period, just at the turn of the century or near.  I would love to see the countryside unspoiled by cars and roads.  While I do appreciate modern conveniences, I would certainly be willing to do without some of them for a quieter life.  I remember reading M.M. Kaye's autobiography about her life in India before and during World War I.  She can remember eating a picnic lunch in the Taj Mahal with just her family present.  No one went there when she was a child.  I think I am just feeling the pull of rural life.  I grew up that way and I know its splendors.  I think it is harder to be long term raw in the city.  It's just too toxic.

Okay, back to reality!

Rules to follow to achieve my goal of great health:

No eating after 8:00pm.

In bed by 10:00pm.

Exercise every day (Even if it's just a good walk.)

Get outside in the sunshine everyday.

Keep Smiling.

Oh, and don't let myself get hungry!