Raw Milk?

This book I'm reading has also prompted me to learn more and more about raw foods and what they really entail. I know that most of the raw foodists that are in the the news are vegans, and so naturally people think that all raw foodists are vegans. This is simply not the case. I think we all need to approach animal products in our own ways, according to what we believe may be ethically right as well as how eating animal products makes us feel. As for myself, I don't do well with cow's milk. Actually, I there are few dairy products that I even eat on a regular basis. I simply don't like the taste of plain milk, except in cereal, or with chocolate (which isn't exactly nutritious), or if it's mixed in smoothies or soups/sauces. The problem is, when I do eat it, it goes right through me. That is why I prefer almond or rice milk. However, I can handle cheese in moderate amounts.
So I was reading this author and I was surprised that she advocates drinking raw milk. At first I thought, "uh oh that bacteria will kill you". It can, I learned, but only if you are drinking untested milk from cows who are crammed into smaller areas where disease is allowed to spread and are fed hormone injected feed with all manner of chemicals or whatever else they put in there. That is why the milk in the grocery stores has to be pasteurized (heated to kill most bacteria). However, cows who are allowed to roam as they please, who are fed organically and who are regularly tested for disease, produce milk that is absolutely safe to drink. People have been drinking unpasteurized milk for hundreds of years. Granted, I would only feel safe drinking raw milk if it were regularly tested and certified ok by the Dept. of Agriculture. Also, many people have milk allergies, so it's not for everyone. Still, I went online to see what I could find about raw milk, and found this website: raw-milk-facts.com. It also led me to this page where you can find local people who sell safe raw milk products. I am thinking about maybe trying some raw cheese! I was also surprised to learn that there are many raw foodists who themselves drink raw milk, and advocate its healing properties. Hey, it's worth a closer look!

So...why raw milk?

Well, from what I've learned I think the single best reason that raw milk is better than store bought milk is the degree of calcium absorption. Have you ever wondered why they sell Vitamin D fortified milk? That is because in order for calcium to be absorbed vitamin D must be present. Also, phosphorus aids in assimilating calcium. However, when milk is heated, the enzyme phosphatase is destroyed, therefore the body cannot absorb the phosphorus correctly. That means the body cannot create calcium the way it should. It's a sad but true fact that the countries with the highest intake of milk also have the highest rates of osteoporosis. Why is this? Could it be because this milk that we are led to believe to be such a "calcium rich" food has been altered so much as to be rendered largely useless? Here are some other reasons why raw milk is better in my opinion. When milk is heated/pasteurized it loses:

at least25% of it's vitamin C
about 38% of the B complex vitamins
the factors that actually inhibit bacterial growth
much of it's vitamin A

This debate about milk has been going on for decades, but this is my two cents. Milk, as a food, is probably better in it's raw, natural form, such as all other foods (in my opinion). Why not give it a taste?

I am a slacker

Ok, yes I am a total slacker. I really need to update my blog more!! Well, about that juice fast...

Well, I did a lot of research on high quality juicers, and I've come to the conclusion that the more expensive, better made ones are worth the price. So I really want to get a Champion juicer, and the cheapest one I could find was $220. So, someday I will be able to buy one, hopefully soon. That being said, I did decide to go on a juice fast on Nov. 3rd. However, I didn't do it the right way. For 2 days I drank only herbal tea and bottled juice from the store. Did I feel better? Yes, but it was 2 days in when I started to realize that by only drinking pasteurized, barely fortified bottled juice that I was probably doing more harm than good. I came to this conclusion because at the time I was reading a couple of books that my mother-in-law had me borrow. One of them was written in 1954 or so, and is called Feel Like A Million, by Catharyn Elwood. Needless to say, some of the info was pretty dated (they still used DDT back then), but overall the book was really informative and interesting. Especially when she goes over each of the essential vitamins/minerals/amino acids etc. that our bodies need and how they work together. I took a look at my juice bottle and realized that I was basically only drinking fruit sugar and vitamin C. What about all the other nutrients that my body should have each day? I could definitely get them from juicing my own fruits and vegetables at home, but what I was doing then wasn't cutting it. Therefore, I have decided that I am not going to juice fast until I can do it properly, because that is really the only way to do it!

Fasting

I admit it, I've always been a little bit baffled about the concept of fasting. Why is it necessary? Why do we (some of us) do it for religious reasons? What good does it really do? Well, I've been reading about fasting for 3 days now and it is really fascinating! Fasting has been used for thousands of years to help heal disease and chronic illness. When we allow our bodies a break from digesting, it can set to work on the cleansing. Little did I know, Europe continues to use fasting even to this day as a major method of treatment. Why do we as Americans know so little about fasting, or have a stigma against it? I guess when most people think of fasting they think 'starvation'. But really, most fasts, at least those done for medical reasons, are actually juice fasts. The juice intake provides all the calories our bodies need while at the same time giving our digestive system a break and allowing our body to rid itself of toxins, bad tissue, and poorly formed muscle. Not only does juice fasting offer amazing physical benefits, but many people and many religions use fasting for spiritual reasons. Many believe that fasting brings us closer to our spirits and closer to God by humbling us and reminding us that we rely on the Lord for all we have. Many spiritual fasts are water fasts, but from what I've read doing a water fast for more than a couple days can really wreak havoc on the body. Not because it is necessarily 'bad' but because it is so effective. When doing a water fast, toxins are expelled so quickly from the body that one could be in serious distress if not already used to fasting for long periods of time. Still, the concept of a water fast, for spiritual reasons, is intriguing to me.
So...I've decided to take the plunge. I really want to add fasting, for physical and spiritual reasons, as part of my lifestyle. I am used to fasting on the first Sunday of every month, but I admit, sometimes it's more like starving myself because I don't take advantage of the spiritual benefits. In addition to my monthly religious fast (which is completely abstaining from food and water for 24 hours) I would also like to add periodic juice fasts, such as maybe 3 day fasts every month or couple of months. I also want to add in a large fast of maybe 30 days every year. This would translate roughly, if I did my math right, to almost 1/4 of the year where I am not eating solid foods. I think that if I can do this consistently, when the time is right I might be able to do a prolonged water fast, if I feel it's good for me.
So my new goal is to start off small. I want to say that I could do 30 days no problem but I know myself, and I know I'd cave and probably end up binging. So, starting Nov. 2nd, Sunday, I'm going to fast for 6 days. Day 1 will be abstaining from food and water, and days 2-6 will be my 5 day juice fast. I am going to buy a juicer tonight hopefully. To keep it pretty inexpensive I will juice fruits and veggies that I can buy in bulk for cheap, like apples, oranges, spinach, melons, other greens, carrots, celery etc. I also found a homemade detox lemonade that I could use which only contains lemon juice, water, and pepper. I think I am going to make some vegetable broths with the leftover pulp and drink that as well, along with herbal tea. They say that the hunger pains will subside once the digestive system goes into hibernation, after a few days. To prepare, I am eating less calories and trying to cut out everything but fruits, veggies, and grains until the day I start. More updates on this later! Wish me luck!

God's Beauty

Ok, so I've been on a real fruit kick lately. I just can't get over how beautiful some fruits and veggies really are. Look at this strawberry...
GORGEOUS! It's a natural beauty! The next time I'm craving pizza I'm just going to pop open this page and take a long, hard stare at this beaut...

bad cravings gone! Time to buy strawberries!

Anti-cancer foods!

I read a great article on prevention.com today about the best anti-cancer fighting foods. You'll rarely find a doctor say this, and it blows my mind as to why not, but there are some foods out there that can actually help cure some cancers, because they can actually force cancer cells to die through a process called apoptosis. Here are some of the best foods:

pomegranate juice
ginger
broccoli, bok choy, brussels sprouts
garlic, onions, leeks, chives
citrus fruits, berries
dark chocolate (over %70)...or heck why not use raw cacao!?

It also recommended blending 1 tsp of turmeric with black pepper and dissolving it in oil, to use in soups, salad dressings, on vegetables, etc.

Cutting out meat and dairy also helps combat cancer, but adding fresh fatty fish has shown it's benefits.

So...not so surprising, but what is one diet that incorporates all these foods in their best (raw/natural/organic) form? That's right, RAW!




Eat yer apples!!

Something Pretty

Ok, so this smoothie isn't really anything that special, but it's so pretty! I used fresh raspberries from my parents' garden, 1 banana, and some almond milk, if I remember right.

What I have been searching for!

I've been neglecting my blog lately, because I've been neglecting myself! Sometimes I go anti-social for a couple weeks at a time, and become very apathetic, but I can feel myself coming out of this slump so hopefully I'll write more and have some cool things to share. Today I had a total epiphany, thanks to a great article that I read. I finally checked my email today and I got a new newsletter from Raw Food Right Now, and they had posted said article. After reading it I just felt so happy! I totally agree with what they are saying! I've been feeling the same way for awhile, but I thought I was the only one out of the entire raw food community, and I'm not! I don't think it will be bad to post the article, as long as I post a link to it (I hope not!). So here it is!:

The 100% Raw Trap

I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the awesome post Anthony from RawModel.com recently did over at We Like it Raw.

Go give it a read and then come back here: Anthony Talks about the 100% Raw Trap.

I don't think it's ever been put so elegantly as Anthony has just done.

For the record, I'm not 100% raw. Sure, I've been "100% raw" in the past, but what does that really mean, anyway? If I eat 100% raw for 25 years and then eat some cooked food am I not "100% raw" anymore? The label breaks down pretty quickly under circumstances like these.

When Heidi and I first went raw in 2004, we didn't go 100% overnight, but shortly after, we did go 100%. At the time, 100% raw was the buzzword. Not only was it the "it" phrase, it was the only way according to everything we read back then. This was also during a time when the phrase "cooked food is poison" was a common chant by many raw people, both online and offline.

It was all or nothing.

This is before raw blogs and raw communities really started popping up around the web. People were under the assumption that you had to be 100% raw. And we thought that everyone was 100%! But just a few years ago, we started hearing one raw food "guru" after another come out and say they now recommended 80% raw foods for everyone and 100% only if you felt it was right for you. Not only that, but every raw foodist we've talked to that did go 100% overnight, does not recommend that anyone do it overnight. The body chemistry and emotions are too complex for such a radical change.


How Eating Cooked Food Helped Me to Eat Raw

It's funny, because when people ask me how raw I am, I have to sit and think about it...

"Hmmm, I guess I was 100% raw Monday and Tuesday, but ate some cooked food on Wednesday...then today I've had...let's see..."

To me, it's become a total non-issue.

In fact, when I was trying to stay 100% raw, that is when I also had the most difficult time staying raw! I have had my times, just like Anthony, where I binged on cooked food, felt guilty, and went on a downward spiral...and this is coming from someone who never had any food issues ever before going raw!

But one day, over a year ago, I decided that I'm going to eat whatever I want, with love, consciousness, and intent. My only stipulation was that it had to be vegetarian. Once I did that, eating was no longer a dogmatic struggle, but was easy and fun! Not only that, but now I find it so easy to eat raw! Imagine that! Cooked food helped me eat raw!

Now what's interesting about this, is when you reach this point, you start to develop a relationship and communication with your body. You are no longer fighting it, but working with it together towards a common goal: Optimal Health. (Notice that I didn't put the word "raw" in there.)

Once I was able to let go of the 100% dogma and find my own gradual path to success, my body easily let go of so many foods that were harming me, and I was easily able to embrace and truly desire the foods that are good for me. My diet stabilized and I no longer was on any sort of yo-yo diet.


My Ultimate Goal

My new ultimate goal with diet and health is to only eat the foods that are the absolute best for my body and to truly only desire those foods. And friends, I am nearly there. I look at foods I used to eat and say "I could have you right now if I wanted, but I truly, truly don't. I really just don't want it!"

That's freedom.

I can't imagine where I would be if I was still trying to force myself to eat 100% raw. Being in the raw food world for nearly four and a half years now, I've seen so many people come to raw food and quit because they couldn't go "100% raw". They go back to eating junk because they are trying to obtain something that is unrealistic to obtain in a short amount of time.

The fact that people have heard of raw food and gotten absolutely excited, only to give up because they couldn't "do it right" is a sad reality of the current raw food movement. How many people have completely given up and may never try to eat raw again because others put on the facade that you have to be 100% raw?

I, for one, always want to be open and honest about where I am on my raw food journey. This is especially important since I co-run a very popular raw food website.

Let's all just be who we are, love where we are at, and always have our eyes on the goal that we are heading towards, whatever that may be for you. Be open to change, let go of your dogma...and do everything at our own pace.

With much love,

~ JS
The article is a breath of fresh air and makes so much sense to me! Lately I've been thinking about what it means to call myself "raw". People don't really know what I'm talking about if I say that I'm a "raw foodist". Actually, the first question I usually get is "does that mean you eat raw meat?". Then we have the obnoxious (albeit sometimes well meaning) ones that if they see me eating some cooked food have to point and say "uh oh, you are eating cooked food, you aren't allowed to do that! I thought you were a raw foodist!"..Sigh.. So I've been thinking that maybe the term "raw" just isn't the best word to use to describe how I eat. I don't want to say "vegan" because that has it's own connotations. I don't like labels as it is, but I feel like I need to be able to at least describe my diet in a way that is encompassing and makes sense. "Fresh" is a good word, so are "un-processed" and "natural", because all those things could mean "raw". I think that someday I'd like to be able to say that all I eat are "fresh and/or natural foods". This could mean raw, but it also could mean natural cooked foods. I know that this is a journey because my diet is a path, rather than a destination. I've said this before but I also don't believe that 100% raw is necessary or 100% healthy, so I believe that by eating only "fresh and/or natural foods" we will be eating the healthiest diet on the planet.

Still, however, since this is my raw food website, and since I believe the more raw foods we eat the better, I will still share lots of yummy "raw" stuff!

I know I've been focusing too much lately on what I shouldn't eat, rather that what I should. The best part of that article was when he said that he was going to "eat whatever I want, with love, consciousness, and intent." Isn't that really what it should be about?

More boring blather...

So this past week has been another hectic one, and I'm sad to say filled with lots of cheating on bad foods (chicken sandwich, fries, burger, cheesecake..). What I'm happy about though, is that I have only eaten bad food lately because of necessity (meaning there was no other food), not because I really wanted the food. In fact, I went to a BBQ yesterday and ate a hamburger, but what tasted the best to me was the veggies I put on it, and the veggie salad that I had on the side. Weird. In fact, earlier in the week I was eating some french fries from the BK lounge, and I realized that I didn't even really enjoy the taste, but I was just eating them out of habit, almost like subconsciously I was thinking that I need to eat them because they "go with" a chicken sandwich. In actuality I would have much rather eaten a bowl of pineapple instead. Now that is really something that tastes good. Speaking of pineapple, I ate an entire one today. I really don't recommend that though, considering my mouth hurt for hours...ah the acid, it tastes like, burning!

Anyways, so after a week of eating much too much junk I find that I am craving healthy foods. This leads me to believe that my body is starting to recognize what it really needs to be healthy. Sometimes I lay awake at night just thinking of creations that I can make...

So there is an Asian food market by my house and I thought I'd check it out. I hope I can find bean sprouts there. Also, they probably don't but I wonder if they have durian? I really want to try that stuff, just to see what all the fuss is about. The very fact that durians exist just proves to me that nature has a sense of humor. I mean, it's supposedly the most delicious fruit on the planet (the "king of fruit"), tasting like vanilla pudding or some such, but the fruit is covered in huge sharp spikes, and supposedly smells like really bad feet. I wonder who the first person to eat one was, and did he stumble upon it by accident? Well enough about smelly fruits, I will try to share some new recipes soon. Adios for now!

Recipes galore!

Ok so it's not really "galore" but I have a few things to share that I made that I thought actually tasted really good! First I made the key lime pie recipe from Alissa Cohen's book, but I modified it a bit (the crust).

Key Lime Pie Tarts

Crust: 1 C dates
2 C soaked almonds
about half a cup shredded coconut (I use dried because it's much easier)
about 2 Tbs of coconut oil (just to make it stickier)

pat it down in muffin tins or tart tins and deydrate for about 12 hrs (or until hard)

Filling: 1 C soaked dates
1 large avocado
3 whole limes, peeled

Mix up thoroughly in food processor and pour into cups. Garnish with coconut! These are tart but yummy!




Ok I took this recipe from Raw, the Uncook Book

Milkshake: 2/3 cups favorite nuts (I used cashews), soaked for about 2 hrs*
2 C water
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2/3 C maple syrup ( I suppose you could substitute with honey)

Blend all together and then pour into ice cube trays to freeze. Once frozen, let thaw for 5 minutes, then blend for a ice cream-like treat!

*If you don't strain the nuts they will retain their pulp which gives the milkshake a grainy texture. For more smooth taste use a nut milk bag or cheesecloth and strain the nuts after blending.

This is also from Raw, but I left out the dates and raisins which was very bad, because my cookies were not very sweet! :(

Oatmeal Cookies: 2 C oat groats

1/2 C raisins

1/2 C raw almonds, coarsely chopped

2 or 3 apples, coarsely grated

Place oat groats in a FP and grind until fine. Add dates, raisins, almonds and apples and mix batter well. Mold into shapes and dehydrate at 90 degrees for about 12 hours or until desired texture is reached.

Sprouts

Ok no recipe for these, but these are what my sprouts looked like before I attempted to make bread (this is kamut). Austin kept saying that they look like maggots...rude! It's the only thing I've been able to sprout so far, but they didn't turn out too bad! Too bad I can't say the same thing about my bread! :(

Watermelon Soup (a.k.a. a smoothie in a bowl)

Ok I didn't get too creative with this one. Basically it's watermelon and mango that I put in a blender and made soupy. I should have added big chunks of fruit so it didn't feel like I was eating a smoothie with a spoon! But it was good none the less!

So I'll make sure to add more recipes once I make them!

Oh my it's been a busy week!

Ok, so I have been HORRIBLE about posting this past week! I've been so busy, and out of town, and things have been a blur. I did get to go to Boise to see one of my favorite bands, Sonata Arctica, and it was so awesome! Ok, so every time I try to do one of the 30 day raw challenges something hinders me, and I can never finish it out. I lost track of what day I'm supposed to be on over the week, but I'm really thinking that there is no need for me to even do the 'raw challenges' anymore. I already know what I need to eat, and who cares really if I'm eating 100% except for myself? I think that's the whole point of the challenge, to do it for yourself, but I don't even need to do it for myself, so why am I doing it? I think the only thing I'm really accomplishing is confusion. I have managed to stay mostly raw, except I did eat cooked for my birthday on Saturday. Also, Sunday my mother in law brought me over a cake...and I ate half of it, (it was small!) lol! However it's obvious how chocolate cake effects me now, and it's not good. I've never felt like I needed to throw up after eating my raw creations (however I can't say that about my raw bread if I had eaten it), but after eating that cake I needed to lie down!

So, speaking of the raw bread...let's just say it was inedible (the picture was too horrible to post). I've decided that until I can move into a kitchen with adequate space/light that I am going to just buy my sprouts from the store rather than do it myself. In fact, I was at Whole Foods the other day and I saw some 7 grain sprouted bread for sale. I think that I'm going to have to start eating bread like that, because there is no way I'm going to find raw, sprouted bread for sale, and I'm not sure I'd want to eat it if I did! However, I haven't given up on making raw, sprouted crackers. That will be my next experiment! I've been doing a lot of research lately on whether or not raw, sprouted grains, or cooked grains are better. I've come to the conclusion that raw grains are certainly more packed with nutrients, but that cooked grains allow us to assimilate the nutrients better. I think a good mix of both would be conducive to a healthy diet. I also learned that flax seeds are not processed by the body in their whole form, so to get the most of the omega 3 that they offer they must be ground (and probably soaked as well). I am making raw Doritos soon, so I'll share if those turn out well.

I don't have any pictures to post yet because they are in my camera and the computer I'm on will not let me transfer them, but hopefully tomorrow I will have at least 2-3 things (with recipes) that I have made lately posted. I did make manage to make pie tart crusts, and they look yum!

I guess my next big experiment will be to start sprouting rice to see how it tastes and whether or not it's worth it to eat it raw rather than cooked. Beans will be next after that, although I think I can just buy bean sprouts from the store (the ones that can be eaten raw anyway...the ones that can't I will cook). Mung bean sprouts are mmm good!

Oh and I have to mention that I went all the way down to Sugarhouse on Saturday just to go to the one and only raw food restaurant in Utah, and they were closed until the 15th because they went to some raw food festival in Arizona. How sad for me! Hopefully soon I will have another reason to go down there... /tear.

Anyways, today I ate:

-a small salad
-a giant peach
-some pecans
-a baked potato (with butter...gasp!)
-some chocolate cake (blast that cake, staring at me from my fridge!)

I must make Austin finish that cake else it be my downfall.

Oh, I'm also going to try to put up my journals from the very first attempt I had at going raw a little over a year ago to commemorate my 1st year. I did a 30 day challenge and I learned a lot.