Curiosity

It is time for a change, and your body has led you to explore a new way of living.  You are open to the possibilities of raw food being integrated at some level to increase your health.  You are fully committed to exploring more raw foods, but you’re a bit overwhelmed.  Fear holds us back from so many things, and fear of change is one of the biggest inhibitors.  So, we tread lightly into this new  found curiosity of how wonderful our life can feel by incorporating more LIVE food into our lives.

Exploration

Once we move past fear, many opportunities open up to us, and we begin to explore new ways of being.  Trying new foods, rethinking old patterns, deciding how we are going to integrate and to what level of commitment we are choosing.  Is it one slight change daily, or a complete diving into the unknown?   This is an exciting time of embracing change as you learn new things as well as unlearn old ways.  Your world becomes a playground of new discoveries and new ways of thinking about food, your body and your health.

Awareness

As the live energy starts to move through you, there is an ever-increasing sense of strength, power and vitality. Our awareness becomes so heightened in us and around us.  The foods and products we place in our bodies are felt at a very high degree, as well as our outside influences, environment, people, and energy.  As we begin to recognize changes we are faced with vital choices; do we want this (whatever it may be) in our bodies or our lives?  Choices we make affect our lifestyle, jobs, relationships, emotional growth, and of course food.   I have witnessed many incorporating this new awareness stage by increasing exercise, a natural meditation and detoxification process, that aids energy moving through the body.  Those who struggle with this natural movement tend to fall back into old habits in order to slow down the growth process.  For some, tackling old emotional issues can be quite daunting, and allowing some space to integrate this new awareness can be more manageable or nurturing.  Awareness allows compassion thus full permission to follow your truth at your own pace.

Intelligence

“If you are not growing you are dying”, and this is the point in which you “get it”.  You leap into your intelligent body and mind, and start connecting the dots of your very existence.  At this point you are conscious of what is occurring in your development as your life positively unfolds and your body transforms. Your mind becomes more clear and your emotions more stable.  This is the level in which awareness becomes intelligence, and this is the place you will stay for a period of time as your adjustments become more rewarding.  There will be many challenges along the way, but they all lead to a life of health vibrance and beauty.

Empowerment

You are now at the top of the mountain.  You look down at the hard climb in relief, and recognize where you once were as a place that many live.  You are relieved to have reached the top, and be able to touch the sky, as you breath deeply in this power of lifting boundaries, ignoring fears and unveiling truths.  You are on top of the World.  It is a life of full potential, and anything goes.  Recognizing that life is cyclical, like a deciduous tree,  we rest in our growth, awaiting the new season of even more possibilities and expansion.  Empowerment is the place that curiosity led you, that place where you are the most radiant and alive on every level.

One meal at a time – Everyone works at their own pace, and what I have created is designed to meet you where you are.  If you feel inspired, then take action in your Raw Health, be courageous in knowing that there is a better way to look, feel and be in your life.  Eating raw/LIVE food is only one part, as you master your internal health, your external health will follow with ease.

Patience is a virtue and a necessity for ultimate empowerment.  For some the change is quick and others it takes time, although the changes along the way are very noticeable and appealing. You cannot rush the natural flow of evolution.  Trust is your friend, along your raw/LIVE journey you must trust that timing is in proper order and allowing and enjoying the process is part of the journey.

The Ultimate Gift- The gift of giving to yourself.  What could be more exciting and fulfilling than to offer yourself a life of health vibrance and beauty?

And I said, it’s alright….

“If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine” ~Morris West

The sun has long been taking the blame for increased rates of skin cancer, and long been forgotten as our vital source of vitamin D.  People are relying on supplements that just aren’t  making a difference.  I’ve been hearing my whole life, “wear your sunscreen, cover yourself, you may get skin cancer”.  ”Watch out for the tanning rays, they will cause premature aging”, sun damage and a myriad of other ‘fear factors’ that led to the over-use of “toxic” sunscreens. Lucky for me, I’ve never been one to live in fear, and rely mostly on my own sensation when I am soaking up the suns rays.  I never feel better then when I’m frolicking in the sunshine.  But Fear is usually based on  lack of information, so I have pulled some pertinent information and quotes so we can make decisions and choices in our lives.

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air…”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope you enjoy what I’ve researched, it has been a positive boost for my love of “The Sunshine Vitamin”

• Research uncovered by Dr David G Williams [Alternatives, April 1993; 4: 22] shows that the sun is not the culprit, and hiding from the sun by using sunscreens can not only increase your chances of skin cancer, but it can increase your chances of all sorts of problems by interfering with vitamin D synthesis.  Your primary source of vitamin D comes from the sun. The use of sunscreens interferes with our body’s natural synthesis of this vitamin and the increased use of sunscreens has created  a deficiency of vitamin D

• “Those not getting sufficient sunshine to meet their vitamin D needs should take a supplement. Vitamin deficiency is epidemic in America, and it contributes not only to the development of osteoporosis but to increased cancer and heart disease as well.” – Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Cholesterol Protection for Life, New Expanded Edition

• “On the other hand, lack of sun exposure and subsequent vitamin D deficiency kills more than one million people each year. Comparatively, the risk of being harmed by the sun is minimal. The most dangerous of skin cancers, which is melanoma, usually appears in parts of the skin where the sun does not reach at all, or not reach enough. If you have the opportunity, for optimal protection expose your entire body to the sun, including the private parts.” – Andreas Moritz, Cancer Is Not A Disease — It’s A Survival Mechanism

• “Now it seems as if every month there is a new study documenting the beneficial effects of sunlight and vitamin D, which, as you know, we get from the sun. For instance, in one of these recent studies, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (a very sunny place), concluded that almost 150,000 cases of cancer – particularly colorectal and breast cancer – could be prevented each year by just ten to fifteen minutes a day of exposure to sunlight.” – Frank Lipman, Mollie Doyle, Spent: Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Feel Great Again

• “All African Americans have vitamin D deficiency and they consequently have higher rates of cancer. Slathering on sunscreen is not such a good idea. We’ve gone too far with sunscreen because we’re not getting enough vitamin D. This is a ‘coming public health disaster in the US.’ Everyone should get a half hour of sunshine a day.” – Stacy Malkan, Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry

• “We know that the skin needs vitamin D, which is produced in response to sunshine. We also know that the skin needs vitamin A. But today man’s body has become so degenerated, so filled with mucus, acid toxins, and mineral and vitamin deficiencies that he can’t spend a great amount of time in the sunshine. There are many people who develop all kinds of skin conditions from exposure to the sun and then falsely put the blame on sunshine. The sun pulls out the impurities below the skin – trying to purify you. Skin cancers spring from toxic cells.” - Patricia Bragg and Paul C. Bragg, The Miracle of Fasting: Proven Throughout History for Physical, Mental & Spiritual Rejuvenation

This last quote is so spectacularly in my belief system; how can the sun be so damaging in relation to the impurities we place in our bodies?  While sun may dry the skin, like any heat dehydrates and evaporates fluids, it most certainly in itself cannot be the true cause of disease…..  in my opinion!

So, get well, be well, and enjoy what nature has to offer.  Remember, when we look outside of ourselves for the answers we will always come up empty.  Trust that Nature is Perfect, and Nature is Imperfect.

Now go bask in the Sunshine!

After three weeks of traveling, plane trips, train rides, taxis, cars, buses and walking on the streets, along with sleeping in foreign beds, eating foreign food and being in different time zones, my body is taxed.  We all love going on vacation, and like my daddy said, “the best thing about going on vacation is coming home”.  HOME SWEET HOME, routine, balance, rest, and comfort. And for someone like me who thrives on a clean diet, environment, and rest, home is the ultimate place for health.  In order to get rid of the travel hangover, I knew I was going to re-alkalize fast.  And the quickest way to do that is go GREEN, and integrate plenty of super-foods.

So upon my re-entry, jet lag abound, I quickly concocted a water, juice blend with Earth and Sea Greens, Ancient Mineral Blend and Sacred Clay. Guzzled it and went straight to bed.

DAY ONE:

I woke up and noticed that my skin had deteriorated over the three weeks, and a break out was all over my face.  I always wake up to a big glass of water (appx 16oz), but this morning, I made sure to squeeze a lemon in my water.  Nothing is more alkalizing than fresh lemon.  Then I made another of my Earth and Sea Greens concoctions.

As I was getting hungry. I created an Almond Milk smoothie with ground Fiber Blend, fresh blueberries, a tablespoon of Spirulina, a bit of stevia and a half of a frozen banana.  At this point my energy was soaring and I went for a brisk walk in the mountains.  Being in nature exposes us to negative ions that increase a youthful vitality and help to alkalize the body.  Nature is very balancing.

My body was loving this Superfood smoothie, so I made it again,but this time with Almond Milk, coconut water, blueberries, raspberries, stevia and a heaping tablespoon of Earth and Sea Greens . I threw some other goodies in their as well, like vitamin C powder, and Zeolites, but I made sure in the end that I took every smoothie with my digestive bitters, as they aid in assimilation and elimination of old waste. And off to bed went.

I woke up this morning, fresh and new, my skin was sparkly and my body was lean, I felt nourished and back to normal.  When our body becomes overly acidic due to elements that are out of our control, it is possible to take a day and Get Alkalized Fast.

Experience true “earned hunger” for the first time!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye… And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

Awareness is a key element  when pursuing any lifestyle changes!  I know you have probably seen this before.  But, it never fails to fascinate me and i wanted to share!   Nature is perfect!

In health and Love,

Diana

Dehydrated cauliflower popcorn

Part of summertime fun is seeing lots of blockbuster movies, having friends over for a swim and then relaxing in front of the television for a comedy or action packed flick.  Well, I don’t know about you, but when we were little my mother would pop fresh popcorn, place it in a huge bowl in the middle of the room, and we would lay on the floor and munch away with friends and family while we were enjoying our show. Little has changed in my house since I was a kid, and the summertime fun still looks much the same, but with a raw twist:  Now I make Cauliflower popcorn, and we are all the better for it.

Promise me that  you aren’t still making microwave popcorn…   It’s not that I’m passing judgment, I mean,  I used to buy the large cases of microwave popcorn from my discount warehouse store, and pop a few bags in a week.  I mean, how convenient was that, a minute and 30 seconds away from munchy fun.

However…

Microwaving anything, even water (especially water) is an extremely toxic and overall damaging process to your body, mind and the world.  But microwave popcorn takes the danger to an even more serious degree.  The chemical coating used in microwave popcorn bags is so toxic, as it breaks down when heated, it turns into a substance called perfluorooctanoic (PFOA),  a major carcinogen.  The butter flavoring that we all love, even causes more damage. The fake butter flavor is actually an FDA approved chemical called diacetyl that causes debilitating respiratory disease, affectionately known as “popcorn workers lungs”.  The medical name for this condition is “bronchiolitis obliterans”, suffered by those who work in the factory which packages microwave popcorn.  Although since discovering the butter flavored disease, many companies have discontinued  the product.  But, many have not.  So if you want to make popcorn, air pop it or jostle it over a hot kettle and enjoy it the old fashioned way.

If you want to try something new and RAW, adding great health benefits as well as a cheesy delight, try making cauliflower popcorn.  I promise you won’t be dissapointed.

Live cauliflower popcorn

Chipotle Cheese Popcorn

I always make a few batches at a time, as they are gobbled up so fast.

Ingredients

• 1 heads of cauliflower, broken into 1 “ florets
• 1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/4  cup walnuts, or sunflower seeds
• 1/4  cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Place cauliflower florets into a large ziplock bag and coat with olive oil. In food processor, blender or nut and spice grinder, add nuts or seeds, nutritional yeast and sea salt and process until finely ground. Pour over florets and close top.  Shake bag until cauliflower is well coated. Cauliflower may be eaten RAW, or place on dehydrator rack on a grid and paraflexx sheet.

Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 2 hours or moist, 6 hours for slightly crunchy, and 10 hours plus for harder consistency. If fully dehydrated, it will have a week shelf life!

Fruits and Vegetables come in a rainbow of colors.  And, like the the Crayola Crayon box, kids can  have a blast playing and creating with color.  For optimal health, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables everyday- Red, yellow/orange, white, green and blue/purple.  Here’s an example of how each color represents a health benefit unique to it’s color group.

Eat Your Colors

MELONS  May Provide

• An excellent source of Vitamin C  (cantaloupe, casaba and honeydew)
• An excellent source of Vitamin A (e.g., cantaloupe).
• A source of potassium (e.g., cantaloupe, casaba, honeydew, watermelon).
• A source of Vitamin B6, folate and niacin (e.g., cantaloupe, casaba, honeydew).
• A  source of lycopene (e.g., watermelon).

Frozen Melon Pops

Delicious frozen natural treats that all kids love.

Melon Pops

Ingredients

• 1 baby seedless watermelon
• 1 Tuscan melon or cantaloupe
• 1 honeydew melon
• Popsicle sticks

Directions

Cut melons in half, and scoop out seeds. Using a small ice cream scoop, spoon out melon balls, trying to get as much of the meat of the fruit as possible. Insert a popsicle stick on the flat part of the ball, and place on a covered plate in freezer for two hours.  Serve immediately or keep in an airtight container in freezer for up to a month.

In health and Love,

Diana

I added them to my Green Cleanse Juice (pg.38 of GNF) for a delicate taste along with a ‘power punch’ of Vitamin A which is also called retinol.  It helps keep your eyes and skin moist. Vitamin A also has antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage.

I’ve also been adding the beet leaves to smoothies, soups and salads.  Beets belong to the same family as chard and spinach.and is rich in chlorophyll.  What I have discovered about these lovely “chard like” greens is that they are as mild and delicious and can be used in place of fresh spinach in nearly every recipe.  With only  21 calories per a 2.5 cup serving,  beet greens contain  4grams of  dietary Fiber and 2grams of Protein. It also provides 120% Vitamin A, 48% Vitamin C , 11% calcium, and 14% Iron.  Beet Greens also contain vitamins B-complex as well as notable amounts of magnesium and phosphorus.

I will be adding a few new beet green recipes this summer, so keep your eyes open, and “Just Beet It”.

In health and Love,

Are you stressed?

I had a reflexology session a couple days ago, and the therapist said that my adrenals were taxed. He said, “you are stressed”, as if I should feel some great big change in my life that I am aware of.  Nope, nothing, life is as usual. I searched deep into my being to find the source of stress, but I felt pretty normal. He pointed out how hard I have been working, and again, I thought, life as usual.  I shrugged my shoulders with an attitude of dismissal, I mean, if I were stressed, wouldn’t I know it?   The therapist then suggested I take Adaptogenic herbs to help my adrenals. Well, I sell such herbs, why have I not been taking them? I quickly re-introduced them into my daily routine, and proceed to research why I feel more grounded today then I did a few days ago.

What does stress look like?

If I am walking around in a constant state of stress, how do I recognize it, and how do I know to deal with it?  The feelings of irritability, anxiety, and impatience are all signs of stress that can cause distinct behavioral patterns in people. Stress can be caused by environmental or mental assaults, chemical toxins, lack of sleep, poor diet, or a mere survival technique that is embedded in our DNA.

Our bodies are at a constant state of readiness, this is due to our ancestry of once being regularly attacked by wild animals or hostile people. Although we have since evolved, our bodies still respond to threats by secreting hormones that change our physiology and enhance our ability to run and defend ourselves. This is called a “flight or fight” response that causes intense stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal glands. Signs of such responses are high blood pressure, increase in blood sugar levels, increased heart rate, and slowed digestive secretions. Cortisol is released and our lymphatic system swells to protect our organs from the poisons streaming in our body. At this point, illness and disease are eminent.

The calming of the nerves, can be as simple as adding adaptogenic herbs to our diets to reduce the impacts of stress on the body mind and spirit.

Adaptogenic herbs:

The term adaptogen is used by herbalists to refer to natural herb product that is proposed to increase the body’s resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue.

The concept of adaptogens dates back thousands of years to ancient India and China, but modern study did not begin until the late 1940s. In 1947, Nikolai Lazarev defined an adaptogen as an agent that allows the body to counter adverse physical, chemical, or biological stressors by raising nonspecific resistance toward such stress, allowing the organism to “adapt” to the stressful circumstances.

Adaptogenic herbs demonstrate a nonspecific enhancement of the body’s ability to resist stress, by normalizing the over-stimulation that inhibits normal, or natural bodily functions. Adaptogenic herbs have a tonifying effect on such uphevels of stress related effects.

At the core of an adaptogen’s scope of actions is the ability to help the body cope more effectively with stress. Specifically, adaptogens recharge the adrenal glands, which are the body’s nominal mechanism for responding to stress and emotional changes. The adrenals, which cover the upper surface of each kidney, synthesize and store dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These compounds are responsible for the changes that occur during the fight-or-flight reaction. The question is, if adaptogens normalize the body and enable energy to be used more productively when stressors are not physical threats, can they be used to enhance general health and performance? Several studies indicate they can.

The list of plants with Adaptogenic properties is large due to it’s broad definition (to name of few):

• Codonopsis is one of the most widely used Chinese tonic herbs. It is very mild yet it invigorates the spleen and lung function so that chi is replenished and it promotes the production of bodily fluids. It is also an excellent blood tonic and major immune system tonic
• Astragalus is said to tonify the blood and spleen and aid defensive chi. It is added in formulations to strengthen weak constitutions. It is used to enhance recovery following illness or prolonged stress and to boost vitality
• Licorice root is said to tonify the spleen and strengthen chi. Licorice is the only herb claimed to benefit 12 meridians.
• Ormalite opens the heart and nourishes the soul. It is a remarkable clay, straight from nature and is a secret to a calm state of well being. It contains a broad spectrum of macro minerals, trace minerals resulting in an overall balanced influence on the body
• Ashwaganda is often called Indian Ginseng, though unrelated, shares many of ginsengs properties. It is considered a tonic, an alterative, an astringent, a nervine and a sedative. It is an aid to soothe anxiety and psychological complaints
• Suma is relatively new to western medicine. Suma contains vitamins A, E, B1 and B12: 19 amino acids, including lysine, histidine, arginine, and glycine: along with small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and sodium
• Eleuthero Root, formerly known as Siberian Ginseng, it helps the body prevent “adrenal burnout”. It boosts concentration and focus along with immunity.
• Reishi Mushroom regulates the immunological responses, calms the mind and soothes nerves

Vitality Herbs and Clay is an exclusive product on my site that I am very proud to be carrying. I began taking the Adaptogen and Mushroom Blend herbal capsules the minute I arrived home from my reflexology appointment, and I am astounded at the balanced state of being that has overtaken me. I am able to cope with the demands of my life with calm and ease. Nothing has changed in my daily routine but the incorporation of these herbs.

i heart berries!

Don’t you just love fresh berries? There is a burst of flavor and nutrition in every mouth popping treat.  Whether you purchase them in the markets, farmers markets or grow them yourself, they are packed with antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals.  I am having a thrilling spring as I just planted my edible garden, and fruits and vegetables are popping up everywhere.  I hope you don’t mind this little tribute to the happenings of my garden.

Strawberries are in peak season right now I usually buy 6 baskets of fragrantly sweet strawberries at farmers market on Sunday so my kids and I can eat them all day long.  I place half of whatever is left over in the freezer for smoothies that week and the other half … well, they never had a chance – mmm!

Blueberries are just starting to really roll in, farmers market just started selling them this week.  My youngest son eats so many of these, I think someday his skin may start to turn blue.  Farmers market always has the freshest, most plump and juiciest of all.  Unless of course you are growing them at home.  Which, by the way is easy to do.  Blueberries thrive in acidic soil, and with different varieties are available most of the year.  I am now the proud mother of 8 blueberry bushes  that are ready to fruit in the next few weeks, so we will be eating right them out of our garden.  I get so excited about the small stuff.

Blueberry Fun Facts

• Blueberries are one of the only natural foods that are truly BLUE in color
• Blueberries contain more antioxidants than most other fruits or vegetables- fighting cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
• Fresh blueberries are available for nearly eight months of the year

Raspberries… ahh yes, delicious red raspberries … This is the one fruit that my daughter requests, she loves them best.  You can get fresh organic raspberries in the markets most of the year, but they are not in season yet, unless you live in a very warm climate.  (Most store bought fruit comes from far away, unless otherwise noted.)  Come raspberry season, early summer to fall, you can find them at their peak flavor.  Since berries do not ripen after they are picked, if plucked from their bushes pre-maturely, they will not be sweet.   I have 6 brand new raspberry plants in my garden a, 3 red and 3 gold, (they were transplanted from my mothers garden in Oregon) and they are already flowering.  They will be ready to eat in a about a month or longer if it doesn’t warm up around here .  Growing your own food, is such a treat.

Raspberry Fun Facts

• Raspberries can be red, purple, gold or black in color.  Golden berries are the sweetest.
• Raspberries are high in trace mineral, manganese which helps body convert protein and fat to energy
• Raspberries should be dry, firm, and well shaped.

Blackberries — These dark and mysterious berries can be very small and tart or very plump and sweet.  I have seen blackberries so fat and juicy that eating just 3 of them fills me up.  Those are usually the ones that are coming straight from the garden.   One of the differences between a raspberry and a blackberry is that raspberries are hollow, and blackberries have a juicy thick core.  I have hesitated planting blackberries in my yard, as they are known for taking over the whole yard.  However, I found a variety of Blackberries that do not grow as large, and can be cut back and tamed.  Although there is nothing better than WILD Blackberries, these domesticated ones, still make me happy.

Blackberry Fun Facts

• Commercially grown blackberries are thorn-less.  Wild Blackberries are “thorny”
• Blackberries are high in anthocyanins, which is where they get their color- a specific antioxidant that fights aging.
• Choose Blackberries that are plump with a deep color