Top 15 Reminders from THE SECRET

1. We all work with ONE infinite power.

2. You attract what you think.

3. Your thoughts cause your feelings, and you get exactly what you are feeling.

4. Whatever it is you are feeling is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming.

5. You can begin feeling whatever you want (even if it's not here yet) because...

6. Life should be phenomenal, so apply your consciousness to it now and the Universe will rearrange itself.

7. Pay attention to what is being set in front of you-the Universe likes SPEED! Act on that impulse!

8. You can start with nothing and out of nothing a way will be provided.

9. What we thank about we bring about.

10. Decide what you want .. believe you can have it, believe you deserve it, believe it's possible for you.

11. When you realize your potential to feel good, you will ask no one to be different in order for you to feel good.

12. Remove the stress from the body, and the body will heal itself.

13. We are the infinite field of unfolding possibilities.

14. Nothing matters but this moment and what you are focusing your attention on.

15. You are not here to try to get the world to be just as you want it. You are here to create the world that you choose.

Barley Grass Powder

Dehydrated barley grass powders, tablets and capsules are not multi-vitamin pills - they are a concentrated combination of nutrients. As we have seen, the nutrients found in these foods work together to benefit the body as a whole.

It is interesting, and rather amazing, to see how the variety of nutrients in barley grass work together to support the functions of each other. A closer look at this phenomenon makes a good case for relying on natural foods, rather than artificial vitamin pills, as sources of vitamins and minerals.
For example, vitamin C aids in the absorption of calcium and iron. Iron is required to convert beta-carotene to vitamin A. Calcium and pyridoxine help absorb vitamin B12, which, in turn, is essential for the activation of folic acid. All of these nutrients are found together in barley grass, along with others, which support complimentary functions.

Green foods have been an essential part of the human diet for thousands, perhaps millions, of years. Today, we are able to identify many of the specific nutrients found in green foods, and the reasons why we can't do without them. Even with all of this information, we may only be beginning to understand why green foods are so good for us.

How do you take barley grass?

It's best to sip it slowly on an empty stomach, either 20 minutes before a meal or 2 hours after, so that the nutrients can be assimilated easily without the presence of other foods. Take either cold or room temperature liquid, as hot liquid will break down the live enzymes.

http://superfoodsandsupershakes.com/2012/05/barley-grass-or-barley-grain-health-benefits/

Niacinamide-the Unsung Hero

Recently I made an incredible personal discovery. Quite by fluke, or rather by waking at 4am with the world "niacinamide" dancing in my head, I reached sleepily for my iphone (I love my phone) and googled "niacinamide research" and began to read an astonishing amount of information that pertained to exactly the symptoms I was having.

I was scattered, irritable, itchy. I was depressed and unable to sleep. I was moody. I was constipated. I was not myself. I was so sad. So incredibly sad and dispassionate at the same time. "So this is depression" I would think.

I happened to have an unopened bottle of niacinamide, 500mg, having purchased the 'wrong' thing a few months earlier when I was wanting niacin. They are not the same compound. In fact, niacin, inositol, nicotinic acid and niacinamide are often used interchangeably as B3, but there are differences. 

I took 1000mg, and went to sleep. When I woke I was a different person. I took another 1000 mg. I began to laugh again. By the evening I was back to myself. I'm still taking 2000mg a day, and feel better and better. 

I've now been doing a lot of research and have suggested it to most of my family member's regimes with great success. Research points to it benefiting those who have osteoarthritis, any dermatitis conditions, muscle and body fatigue, sleep issues, depression and despondency, mania, schizophrenia, ADD, ADHD, and even autism. It's been known to be highly beneficial since 1945.

So what is niacinamide? It's an essential B vitamin-so essential that without it we die. 

But-the RDA is only 14mg with the assumption that we get all we need from our diets. But you know what? We aren't. I'm a careful, well balanced eater. What happened? We know that all the B viatimins are essential, and that stress increases their need. Our lives are more stressfilled than ever!

But  could it also be the almost constant use of electronics? Could it be the gluten free diets everyone is trying, since we get B3 from whole grains?

It's a water soluble vitamin-which means the body flushes what it doesn't use just like Vitamin C. Watch for a color change in the urine as an indicator of your optimum needs.

Look, It wasn't that long ago that Doctors were saying no one ever needed more than 100mg of vitamin C! We now know we need much more and that it's highly beneficial to our overall health. 

What I do know is adding niacinamide to my daily intake has completely changed my brain, my emotional state and my sleeping. That's good enough for me!

Try adding some niacinamide to your mix and see how you feel. 

http://www.healthbenefitsmadeez.com/niacinamide.html

Getting your B12

Some vegetarians believe that you can get B12 from seaweeds and soy, but it is pretty generally believed now that you can't and some of the algae can actually disrupt B12 metabolism. It's a hotly debated topic in vegan circles. Me, I shy away from the politics and we do what we do-we notice how our body feels.

We get B12 from animal proteins, eggs, and dairy. Hmmmm. And not yogurt apparently because of processing. You can look for B12 fortified foods, and if you notice they always talk about adding brewer's yeast to your smoothies-well that's because brewer's yeast has B12! Slick eh! It doesn't take much of it to make a difference by the way but it is vitally important.

B12 is for our red blood cells and our nervous system and cellular replication. All vital important things and we absolutely need B12. Now you could have been low for years but the raw experiment might be kicking in some symptoms or this totally may not be you. BUT if you aren't eating anything that will bring you in B12 read on.

SO if you have NOT been adding B12 specifically to your vitamins, you may want to do that. B12 helps your blood utilize iron, which then helps your body carry oxygen. So! If you are low in B12 here are the symptoms:

Symptoms of B12 deficiency are:
excessive tiredness
breathlessness
listlessness
pallor
poor resistance to infection
and:
a smooth, sore tongue or sore tender places on the roof of the mouth that come up suddenly without having hurt yourself
menstrual disorders
Anaemia

The body can store small amounts-in the liver, but if you have a stressed liver, it may be out of balance.
B12 is excreted in the bile, and then reabsorbed so you can recirculate the B12 for awhile if you aren't taking any in.
You can have a deficiency too because your gut isn't absorbing it the way it should because B12 and the good gut bacteria are parters in our health. If we aren't absorbing nutrients due to clogged intestines, then we aren't getting the B12 we need.

I like the drops from GNC. You squirt a dropperful in the back of your mouth in the morning and done! I also do drops for B complex. They are more readily absorbed into our system. You might try it and see if you notice a difference.

CARLSON'S FISH OIL-get your omega 3s

It's important to get the right fats in your diet. The brain needs those fats, especially if doing a raw or vegan change.

Your brain functions on good fats, so give yourself exactly what you need. I like the taste of Carlson's. Yep. That's exactly right-I LIKE the taste and drink it straight. Give it a try.

Omega 3 from flax seeds contain no DHA, which is essential for the brain. But! It does contain ALA, (alpha linolenic acid), which is what our body needs to create EPA, and then convert EPA to DHA. A lot of steps, and if the body isn't healthy, if it has a sluggish metabolism or has a health issue of some sort, or is low in vital nutrients, those steps might not get done in a speedy fashion, if at all. If it can't it won't.

What then happens, if the body can't use it, it's considered a toxin. It either has to flush it or shove it away, which both can be misinterpreted as allergic responses. GIVE your body the nutrition it needs to really do the job you want it to do.

If you are deficient in zinc, B6, B12, B3 or C you also might have trouble metabolizing the needed conversion.

If you are pyroluric, you have trouble retaining and properly using B6 and require more zince. If you ohave histapenia or histadelia you may have trouble metabolizing without higher B vitamins, specifically B3 (niacinamide), B6 (pyrodine) and B12 to offset imbalances in histamine due to high or low copper.

Get your omega 3 oils up, and get them in a fish oil form that has the necessary DHA already, and make it easier on your body. Once it gets the nutrients it needs, it will start operating better for you! It just makes good sense.

One more thing on fatty acids:

While Omega 6 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids, and cannot be made in the body, our Western diet tends to put us too HIGH in omega 6 in ratio to omega 3. That imbalance can contribute to all sorts of diseases. According to the University of Maryland, their list includes: heart disease, cancer, asthma, arthritis, and depression. An interesting list! Click below to read the full article.

"A healthy diet should consist of roughly 2-4 time more omega 6 than omega 3. The typical American diet tends to contain 14-25 times more omega 6 than omega 3."

Many researchers are beginning to point to this for the rise in inflammatory disease in our country. Why? What we know is that inflammation is a sign of toxicity, and if the body can't use it, and it can't process it out, it has to do something with it and it starts to put it in the fat cells. That's their job, and that's set up to save those vital things like your heart and liver.

Too much omega 6 fatty acids in the blood can slow it down. Omega 6's come from vegetable oils and are unsaturated. While we do need some, we don't need as much as was earlier thought. Remember: it's only true until it's not true. AND unfortunately with our food industry freely adding hormones to our meats, we are all getting too much estrogen-I question the efficacy of adding omega 6 for this reason.

The best sources for omega 3 oil are cold water fish, and wild is better than aquaculture. True!

Alt. Med / Univ of Maryland Med Ctr
Pyroluria

Cholesterol

This is sorta funny but do you all understand what HDL cholesterol actually does?

It helps the body break down and get rid of fat!

See, that's why they call it the GOOD cholesterol, and it's such an odd thing to have high body fat and great HDL-doesn't match unless it's something like AD36.

That's why they always think that active, exercising people are the ones that have great HDL. Oops. Bursting that bubble! :)

Here is a great article on thyroid/adrenal issues
Thyroid.about.com . They talk about the thyroid, adrenal, sex hormones connection.

Test your thyroid: put a thermometer by your bed, and in the morning, before you get up, take your temperature. Do it for 5 days, and then average it. If it is low, you are likely in the range of low functioning thyroid.

Interesting that coconut oil helps thyroid function (3 tbs a day), but what most stresses the thyroid is low adrenals.

Here's another article that talks about estrogen dominance and how it opposes thyroid function.
Hypothyroidism

Estrogen causes food calories to be stored as fat. Thyroid hormone causes fat to be turned into energy.
Natural Progesterone inhibits estrogen. Low progesterone can be assisted by eating organic soybeans.

But-can we find organic soybeans that have NOT been genetically modified? That may require some more research. Happy hunting!

Meantime, they are starting to rethink the 'bad' cholesterol thing...it was a marketing ploy to increase the use of pharmas that lower cholesterol. Create a need for the product that you have...

B-12 Benefits All of Us!

B-12 is a water soluble vitamin (vs a fat soluble vitamin).

Water soluble means that the body releases whatever it can't use and we pee out, so there are no adverse side effects. We need to replenish our B12 daily.

B-12 is needed to process iron. B-12 is highly valuable to the CNS and to the brain. It helps with general function.

They now have B12 patches.

B12 causes an increase in usable energy. It is recommended for diabetics. The experts say that the affects on blood sugar should be GOOD, and that they should notice increases in energy.

Methionine is an essential amino acid that we get from protein. Some is turned into homocysteine, and then into methionine with the help of B12. If we are low in B12, homocysteine levels are high because the body can't do the reaction it needs to. Homocysteine is a nerve toxin and vessel toxin-
levels are high in Alz, stroke, cardio disease, eye disorders.

So to prevent high homocysteine, we need B12. To lower blood pressure, try taking B12 shots.

Food sources of B12-a big one is MEAT!

The Benefits of OLIVES for blood pressure

According to Gaia Herbs, olives have been cultivated for at least 3,000 years, probably longer. They help us with...STRESS. Olive oil extract is said to lower blood pressure as it is anti-inflammatory.

Gaia Herbs / Olive Leaf Extract

Olive Leaf Tea


If I had the time, the next degree I would pursue would be in nutrition and herbology. Yep, returning to mother nature's medicine cabinet. Think about it. All of our medicines are from botanical chemistry.

Our botanists are studying in the Amazon now, looking for that cure for cancer, so they can replicate it in a lab, patent it, turn it into a product and we can pay $150. a pill. Ow. For the better good.

As our healthcare system grinds deeper and deeper into people's pockets, and into their minds with ever increasing fear-based marketing campaigns we have to wonder...medical is considered one of the safest job markets today. Ouch.

IS all this fear marketing...um...making us sick? Could it be? And what do we do about it?

I think it's about honoring our grandmothers and our great grandmothers. It's about coming back to simple and back to the earth. When a single pill can be invoiced at $250. you have to wonder what we are doing? What have we come to honor, and what do we fear?

I thought about my ancestors, and my little greek uncle Mike had olive trees, fig trees, date trees in his yard. We would go to visit, and he would take us into the back yard and pick from his trees and feed us. Olives. Figs. Dates. Staples to the Greek. Are they healthy for us? You bet!

And you know, an olive tree's leaves treat infections and are an anti-oxidant. (I wonder if someone has a recipe for olive leaf soup or something?) Olives are anti bacterial, anti-fungal, and immune boosting. They are anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. Go Uncle Mike. BTW-He died in his sleep at 96. His brother was 97, and their father died at...ready...108.

MUCOID PLAQUE

Keeping it simple, dairy, cheese, anything fermented which means vinegars, malts, and alcohol as well as soy, are all mucus forming. Wheat, and corn are irritants for many if not most people. Pastas, sugars,flours, meat, also appearing in the foods to not eat list.

If you stick with the rawish, you are definitely going to start moving mucus. That means that you may feel MORE congested for awhile. Why? Because you have to move the mucus out! We're back to where we started. Gotta get it out. So, cleanse, exercise, sweat in the sauna.

Olive oil, quinoa, seaweeds, all your fresh-hey ok bananas are on the acid side, you know what? I figure fresh is best, and I leave it at that as to their acid alkaline lists. Man-we could make ourselves crazy. Oh wait. We DID!

Top of the list are all the things we have been eating- and raving about on our raw-ish quest...

Parsley, kiwi, mango, dates, figs, cantaloupe, cayenne, papaya, asparagus, raisins, pineapple, apples, garlic, avocados, celery, lettuce, raspberries, almonds, jerusalem artichokes, fresh coconut, miso, leafy herbs, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, sesame seeds, lemons, cabbage, oranges, peas. We've had ALL these in our recipes.

Slightly acid are: blueberries, pistacheos, brazil nuts, kidney beans, pecans, plums and prunes, sunflower seeds, cashews, cranberries. SLIGHTLY acid.

Dr YOUNG ph miracle program if you want a reference.
 FREEDOM YOU Personally, my suggestion is to stick with what your body is telling you because so far...YOU ARE RIGHT ON!

Italian/Pizza Flax Crackers Recipe

Italian/pizza Flax Crackers:
3dozen

3/4 cup sun dried tomato powder (you can make this using dry sun dried tomatos put in high powered blender or cuisinart -- the drier they are the better)
1/2 cup purified water (additional water to thin too)
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1-1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs
2 cups flaxseeds soaked 8-12 hours in 4 cups purified water (do not rinse or drain)
(you can mix golden flax and regular flax too...)

-combine sun dried tomato powder and water stir into paste
-combine sun dried tomato paste red bell pepper onion salt lemon juice italian seasoning and garlic in high powered blender or cuisinart
-blend or process mixture adding more water to thin if necessary
-transfer mixture to large mixing bowl add flazseeds and stir well to combine
-spread batter evenly on dehydrator tray lined with teflex sheets or other non-stick sheet (parchment paper works - but best with teflex) score the crackers into size shape you want
-dehydrate 105 degrees for 12 hours or until completely dry and crisp
-flip onto mesh dehydrator screens peel off teflex and continue to dehydrate for 24 hrs or until completely dry
-allow to cool store in sealed glass container for upto 3 months at room temp - refrigerator or freezer for up to 6 months.

(to flip trays you can put one tray on top of the other making a sandwich and flip around onto new tray---then you can easily peel of teflex backing)

RAW is fresh, not slow

I know that one of the widespread misconceptions about raw food is that it's time consuming and takes too long. This could not be further from the truth!

I found that while there was a lot of prep, in washing, cutting and mixing, I saved lots of time by not heating,  cooking or having to clean the messy pots after.

But what was true-was I had  t o  s l o w  m y s e l f  d o w n.

I definitely had to slow myself down to "uncook".
I had to be more prepared, and I had to think ahead.
I had to begin to pace myself into what I would be eating in a few days time, and not just in this immediate moment for alot of the recipes. Soaking nuts and sprouting was a challenge! I had to really focus on those things or I had a mess because I would get busy and forget to drain and rinse, or I wouldn't have soaked nuts to use in a recipe.

I couldn't go thoughtless about food with the backup of running through a drive in. I couldn't NOT think about food.

As a result, not just my eating was changing. I had to change my relationship to time, my schedule and my life, and how I lived it day to day.

What I discovered, and I am only talking for myself here, was that I had become very unconscious about what I was slamming into my mouth. I opened a package that made my life easier, and served it, and there wasn't alot of thought going into it anymore. I was running to Costco and buying lots of convenient packages and my freezer was full. We were all going to the freezer saying "What's for dinner?" We had lost the home cooking that I had raised the boys on. What happened to me?

I used to really cook. I mean REALLY cook. I made fish sticks myself with real fish, I made my own chicken nuggets. I canned, and made jellies back in the day. We had had a  vegetable garden. And then they became busy teens and I had lost track of them and me. It was too hard to get a dinner on the table that everyone would eat, and God Forbid I could get them to the table at the same time!

The freezer with it's convenient packages had become the mainstay during those impressive years. Fast food was the cry as we all jumped into the  car eating something so we could make it to the next appointment.

Yikes. What were we doing???

Our culture has placed a high premium on "fast", and doing more in less time. That concept has come into the kitchen, and since the 50s, our food styles have sped up. Cooking, preparing, cleaning up after...all those labor saving devices, and all those prepackaged, prepared, foods...I didn't realize how much I had shifted into it until we started thinking raw.

Family bonding used to be over doing the dishes. At Thanksgiving my brother and I had a great time doing all the dishes by hand as my mother doesn't have a dishwasher. We chatted side by side and caught up as we did the dishes for 16 people. It was uninterrupted time-no one wanted to help, and what with our hands in water and the rhythmic repetative nature of the work, very relaxing! I miss doing dishes by hand, and have continued the practice since. Raw has much fewere messy dishes-no stuck on stuff that has to be soaked and scraped. No oily messes congealed. Dishes are by far nicer to deal with.

Raw food preparation is meditative. Soaking, cleaning, chopping, spicing. It brought me back to loving food again, and even more, loving being in the kitchen again.

It has been comforting to me. I hum while I do it. I get out my mixing bowls and accouterments. There is a lot of food prep in a raw kitchen. And you have to stay on top of raw food-with no preservatives you can't leave it long. Take a few days off, and you have a fridge full or soggy mushy moldy stuff.

But by and far the benefits have far outweighed the drawbacks. I haven't lost much weight, but I wasn't doing it to lose weight. I feel better and I can tell immediately when I have strayed too far from the rawish quota. I am back in relationship with my body and I easily recognize my own signals, what really really feeds me, and what I want to eat based on what nourishes me. My mind has unhooked from the marketing hypnotic trance of donuts and ice cream, fast food french fries and American burgers. I can feel the difference. I am no longer numb or eating to numb out. I might have something now, but it's not an eating binge, and I don't guilt myself about it. I notice it, notice my physical reactions to it, and move on.

I've also unhooked from alot of the illness/wellness hypno-hype. I don't believe that I am going to die from b12 deficiency because I am doing raw. I proved the opposite to myself-I am way high in b12! When I learned to trust my body, really trust myself, I am just fine. I've learned to listen to myself, and that means I don't consider my emotional body a misguided uninformed willful child that I have to control with my willpower.

But raw, for me, has meant slowing down and listening to myself. It's meant paying attention on a day to day basis to what I am doing, and why. It's meant chop wood, carry water. It's meant be in the now. It's meant love where I am. It's meant connecting.

We can't connect to our lives, to our loved ones to the world if we don't connect to ourselves, and what I see and felt myself is that we are being encouraged to disconnect from what's vital. Vitality and life force energy begins with food, and then moves out in concentric circles from that center.

What feeds you?
What do you allow to feed you?
What sustains you?
What are you willing to invest your time and energy in? And that should be in what feeds you, shouldn't it?

So why has our culture focused LESS on what really feeds us, and MORE about zipping through food times to get out there and search for what feeds us? Hurry hurry or you will be left behind.

We've noticed a return to our creative selves. We've noticed a return to our authentic voices. We've noticed a return to our families, and our loved ones, and ourselves. We've noticed we rejoice in the energies around us, and the color in the leaves and the drops of water on a spider web. The little things that we used to speed by and think "I'll make time later to take a walk" rather than enjoying the now moment of every day. I love that I notice the rich color of the browns of the eggshells as I am cracking them open to add to a smoothie. Wow moments of my every day life. And they are little. And it is the noticing that I most enjoy.

Once I called Jon to come out and sit on the lawn with me-and told him to look at how you could see every blade of grass breathing. Yea-he thought I was stoned. And maybe we are! Maybe eating raw and connecting into the energy of life is exactly like being stoned!

That means we've slowed our lives to a comfortable stroll-connected with each footstep, rather than speeding by things in the fast lane. I prefer it. I've come to value the stroll. I'm built for comfort, not for speed, I've decided!

Raw food isn't just about the food, and heat and prep time. It turns out to be about living. It turns out to be an energy thing.
And when I get away from it, I miss it. When I fall away for a time, it's because my life has gotten busier and I am going too fast again. And coming back to raw reminds me to come back to the stroll.

Years ago I was living in Italy when we had huge gas shortages. Italy went to allowing people to only drive every other day based on your license plate ending in an even or odd number, and then they went to no driving on Sundays. What a difference it made in people's lives-in a good way!

Kids came out and played soccer in the streets. The roads turned into a people festival. Everyone came out and talked and played all day long with no cars on the roads and no where to go. Sundays became people days. We were forced to slow down to a stroll, and life was better.

Does it have to be raw for us to get the benefits? I don't think so. I think when we get the concept, we can add cooked and we can maintain a healthy balance. So far though, when I start adding cooked, I start to speed up again! I am still working at unhooking fast from cooked...

Remember the raw-ish credo- aim at 10, be happy with 7. If you get 5 in...you are way ahead of the pack!

MACA for sex and stamina!

MACA is (oh yes oh yes!) supposed to aid in hormonal balancing!
It's also reputed to assist the body in recovering from physical stress.
It increases stamina and endurance, which is what Pam was noticing.
It's good for chronic fatigue.
Maca is rich in iodine-which we know is good for thyroid issues.
It's rich in magnesium, phosphorus and calcium-all good for bone density.
It has zinc and iron, and contains B1, B2, B12, and E
It also has glycosid steroids
It's an adaptogen
It stimulates the hypothalamus, and the pituitary

Unlike caffiiene, it's NOT a stimulant-but it creates a steady unhancement of physical and mental energy.
It is rich in sugars, proteins, starches and essential minerals

Found the following suggestions:

For hot flashes-take a teaspoon twice daily-wow!
and when symptoms balance, reduce to 1/2 tsp daily.
Men-1/2-1 tsp daily.
Perimenopausal-1/4 tsp daily

Maca is also recommended in Peru for bone density=and osteoporosis.
Maca affects the pancreas and is good for hypothyroidism.

In Peru-they swear it is great for SEX! Probably the 'stamina' don't you think?

Is Green Powder the same as Fresh Green?

The 'new' thing is powdered green drinks. They tout 4-6 servings of fresh greens per serving...
But they aren't fresh, are they? They are processed and powdered...pardon me but fresh is like...live...

I still think fresh raw green juice is the best thing-but what's happening is we are worried about chemicals, and toxins and whether it's clean enough when we juice it.

So we would rather do processed, powdered and no longer real or fresh...because it's more convenient and safer?

Isn't that just the marketing pile of sh*# that we are trying to avoid by doing the powder to begin with? Hmmmm

Just thinking about it. I bought some actually, and it has stevia in it so you don't 'have to' add apple juice to make it palatable. I hate stevia. I didn't read the fine print.

It still doesn't taste like fresh-not even close to the real thing. But it's convenient. If I were traveling, or on a plane, or out in the wild and unable to eat something fresh, it would do. But a steady diet of it? I'm thinking we are doing ourselves dis-service again.

Why do we have such an aversion to trusting real fresh food?

What is more convenient than cracking a fresh organic egg into your juice shake in the am? Huh? But instead we buy protein powder that tastes like YUK. Oh you can get used to it. That's not the point.

The POINT is that nature made it the best possible way, in the most convenient, beautiful container, and we can't begin to improve on it! Take the apple. Isn't it perfect? Come on. And Strawberries? The color, the shear beauty! THE SMELL! NOTHING is better than fresh, and clean and raw.

Isn't that what we want in the world too? no bad guys? All things in balanced cooperation? So, how about having some balance and cooperation on our plates? It's a small start, that may make a big difference. Your body is the world, your world. Are you at peace?

List of what to Grow in Your Herb Garden

Growing an herb garden is easy even if you have a small space because they do great in pots.

Investing in fresh herb plants in the spring is also a small price compared to buying fresh in your grocery store, although it is NICE to have it available.

Outside in partial sun areas so they don't burn, or inside in a sunny window, north/south is often best, and you can have fresh herbs to cook with on a daily basis. I have a small pot of basil in a sunny kitchen window and I snip a few leaves every day.

Apartment dwellers with balconies or sunny windows can also have fresh herbs!

Here's what I plant every year-and some are perennial depending on your areas but not here in the mountains. Now that I am in the high mountains though, NONE of them are perennial. 1000 feet higher makes a huge growing difference.

BASIL-annual and very very sensitive to temperature changes. I lost 2 last year with sudden frosts. BUT cutting fresh basil is absolutely the best thing ever, and you can keep it in the kitchen in water.

GARLIC CHIVES-easy easy and plentiful. Snip a few here and there to add to things like eggs, and the purple and pink flower clusters are beautiful!

PARSLEY-easy to grow and beautiful. Will seed and regrow year after year in your garden. Lovely everywhere. Parsley isn't just decorative you know! Add it to your green juice for extra cleansing action.

SAGE - include several varieties. I like the purple sage. These are perennial and you will have an endless supply from these hardy plants.

MINT - lots of varieties available, and again you can plant several. Perennial and easy to grow. I like mint and if you like mojitos you will need PLENTY! Mint is hardy, and will take over if you plant it in the yard, but it's a great edible ground cover.

OREGANO - I like Italian - what can I say. There are usually several to plant. These are perennial and take a bit to establish but then are quite hardy.

CILANTRO - not so easy to find yet, but it should be available where you are

CURRY - yes it's a plant. It smells wonderful.

LAVENDER - oh so wonderful to pick and dry as well as use fresh, and the wonderful smell in your garden-wow.

I like to keep my herbs in pots so I can move them inside in the winter. Most will winter over inside without a problem, and I also keep them in pots on the deck so that I know the dog can't pee on them. Ew. But I have had them in the yard before and they do well for the most part.

Herbs love to be trimmed and remember, when you are cooking fresh it takes less to give your dish a kick!

These are my usual favorites and if you have some others, post them. Even Home Depot sells them now, so haapy herbing! Remember, herbs are for more than taste. They are mother earth's medicine cabinet.

Why Raw-ish and not all RAW?

Did you know that the Chinese don't encourage too much raw?

It's harsh on the system.

They say: Everything in balance, everything in relationship to everything else, and excess in nothing.

ALL raw may work for you, and it may not work for you. The important thing is to develop that right relationship with yourself. Some of us have never had it before!

The number one rule is to pay attention to your body, and pay attention to what works for you and what doesn't. Remember, this is about changing your relationship to food and your body for the rest of your life.

What Triggers Diabetes!

Interesting article on Diabetes:

"In a discovery that has stunned even those behind it, scientists at a Toronto hospital say they have proof the body's nervous system helps trigger diabetes, opening the door to a potential near-cure of the disease that affects millions of Canadians.

Diabetic mice became healthy virtually overnight after researchers injected a substance to counteract the effect of malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas."

Read the full article by clicking below.

CLICK FOR DIABETES ARTICLE

Enjoy!

FRUIT SMOOTHIE

For you working folks that have to run out the door in the morning, try this-

In your blender

place 2 cups of fresh frozen strawberries (or fresh if you have them)

1 banana, peeled

1 orange, peeled

2 dates

Whip it up on blend and run out the door! If you want to get really healthy, add a handful of flax seeds or wheatgerm if you have it on hand for a nice texture and nutty flavor.

The pulp makes it nice and thick, and the frozen berries make this a smoothie. If you use fresh strawberries and want it to be a smoothie texture, add 4 icecubes.

You can use peaches, berries, all sorts of different flavors for variety.

NOW

this is the base:

add 2 tbs hemp seeds 

or 2 tbs chia seeds

or 1/2 C soaked and peeled almonds

2 tbs fish oil

RAWish SOUP

I already posted the Gazpacho earlier, but I really like this so here goes:

I make a pot of this and find it's good at night when I want something warm. Keep the water at a simmer, not a boil.

Remember,  potatoes should NOT be eaten raw.

Into the food processor goes:

1 potato, peeled
1 sweet potato, peeled
Coarse chop them and then put them in the pot and put it on simmer. Put them in a good sized pot with water, about 2/3s.
While they are simmering away, I put the following into the food processor and coarse chop:

2-3 carrots, peeled
1 onion, quartered
2-3 TBS chopped garlic (it's a great parasite cleanse)
1 bell pepper, seeded
1 green zuccini
2 stalks celery

Dump them into the pot (or ANY vegetables I happen to have around that I want to finish up.)

Salt, pepper, cayenne, oregano, basil, parsley, some hot pepper flakes.

I used fresh parsley the last time, yum and so pretty too!

The vegetables release flavor into the water, and if you make this the day before you want to eat it, it will increase in flavor.

I cut up small cherry tomatoes in half and put them in at the end and let them just BE in the hot water. They were great int there! The hot water was enough to really "cook" the potatoes so that I wasn't eating them raw, and the other veges were crunchy.

The next night I just reheat the water by simmering again, or you can add some hot water to a bowl and eat it, OR you can put a bowl full in the food processor or blender with some hot water and puree it for a nice thick soup. VERY satisfying.

Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top. Yum!

ACAI BERRIES

ARTICLE ON ACAI BERRY

is a link to an article about a brazilian berry that they tested that kills from 35-85% of the leukemic cells in a petrie dish-not bad for this little antioxidant. Eat your colors. It's dark purple! Yeah, I know. I'm an artist-I push color!

ISRAEL ACADEMY OF ANTI AGING

ISRAEL ACADEMY OF ANTI-AGING

This is an organization dedicated to making people live 150 years. I think it's the translation into English-and what they MEAN is helping and encouraging as well as spearheading WAYS...but! They promote RAW FOOD which they call natural hygiene.