006-The Healthy “Limits” of everyday eating

What kinds of limits do you place on yourself when it comes to the things that you eat every day? Are these limits healthy in any way or do they pose a threat to an otherwise ok eating pattern? A few months ago, I came to know someone on the internet who made me think about this topic. This person's spirit "Soars" like that of a wild Albatross  unaware that it is endangered. The only reason I make this statement is because no matter how difficult this person's daily "limits" become, there is still time to give support, encouragement, suggestions, etc. to any and all accepting of it. Our limits can indeed help us reach established goals for ourselves. They act as a framework to hold together a sturdy construction of self gratitude, sensitivity, and determination. All of which is needed to remain strong throughout your journey towards greater health.

I have developed some limits of my own and constantly revisit them to make adjustments and augmentations if necessary. Basically, my limits reflect a need to reduce needless consumption and introduce substantial increases in nutrient dense foods. I felt it necessary to establish these limits so that I can build better habits that may lead to greater health for me over the long haul. So far, it has worked very well and I continue to make necessary changes whenever needed. One of the surprising effects of my healthy limits was an increase in energy levels!!! Who would have thought that limiting myself would increase energy? Well, it did. So much so, that I had to relax the limits for a couple of (consecutive) days so that my increased energy would slowly dissipate and my body could return to it's normal pattern.

I was a bit hesitant when I thought of making these limits because there is such a chance that I might become fanatical about it and soon find a growing obsession with the limits themselves and not focusing on the reasons they were created in the first place. I believe my "e-friend" (mentioned in the first paragraph), could give a much more thorough glimpse into what happens when limits grow and become unmanageable. I make this statement based on information my e-friend has provided about his journeys' through limits.

It's challenging and fiercely dominating of daily practices. The limits placed must be realistic enough to convince you that they are worth adhering to. They must also inspire you to overcome obstacles that you may stumble upon. Think about your limits and adjust them if you feel the need to. If you have no limits, then make one for yourself. The effects will be outstandingly substantial.

005-A special meal 4U

Before dedicating my way of life to a more balanced and earth filled process, I didn't give much thought to what kind of food I put in my mouth. If it was going to taste good or give me a familiar feeling or serve any other purpose (other than nutrition), I pretty much ate it. Now things are different when I sit down for a meal. It's special, meaningful, deliberate, and filled with self love and focus. How did my meals become so special to me?

A couple of times per month my husband and I have to make a stop into the pharmacy store to pick up or drop off his mom's prescriptions. If things are going pretty slow at the pharmacy counter we can briefly discuss health related topics with either the pharmacist or one of the techs. One day we talked about working out at the gym and the next time we spoke about diets and fast food. The last time we spoke to one of the techs, he told us how he and his wife were doing a weight loss challenge and how he was in the lead. Yesterday we saw him and things were a bit slow so we had a few moments to catch up on things. He mentioned how he had done a healthy diet for about a week then fell off the wagon and started eating fast food again. He said he loves pizza and Burger King. All I could think of is how much I totally understood what he was saying and how he was feeling. I used to have my weaknesses when it came to fast foods but it has been a terribly long time since I have eaten at one of the burger joints that I honestly can't remember what my favorite item on their menu was. What I do remember, is the feeling I got from eating the fast foods and processed food.

Usually, the burger joints gave me a sense of reward for an accomplishment or something similar. I always associated fast food with happy times and fun stuff. Never nutrition, or vitamins and minerals. Never balanced food groups or balanced sugar levels (lol). Burger joints were there for celebration and nothing more. The processed foods made me feel like time was moving too fast and I needed to hurry before I missed out on something. I would always feel as if taking time to prepare my food was a waste of time and that was something you could never "get back" because once the time has passed.....it was gone and never would return. I remember shopping at my local grocery store and getting all the canned goods I could and all the frozen foods that were on my shopping list. I remember planning the menu's and studying the fried food dishes vs. the baked dishes. It always felt as if I needed to hurry and get done with it all so I would have time to do other things. Things that, at the time, seemed more important and less burdensome. There never seemed to be any time to cut a potato or peel an apple or shred a carrot, etc. I never really felt that eating was something to treasure and get involved with on an emotional level. Once I found the courage to put all that aside and take a chance on a new way of life, I was extremely surprised and overwhelmingly satisfied with what my body gave me in return.

Talking with the pharmacy technician really brought back memories. His situation with attempting to eat healthy while loving the fast food he is so familiar with makes me want to write a book and tell the world about my discoveries and how I understand and relate to their relationships with food. I wish there was an easier way to help people reach a place in their lives that allows them to see, touch, and understand the connection we as human beings have with nutrients in our foods. I wish I could help the pharmacy tech without offending or sounding as if I am an "overly qualified" nutritionist who just graduated and is ready to tame the world (I don't have a degree in nutrition). I really wish there was a way to display the benefits so that everyone would consider making the changes needed to live a wonderfully healthy life.

I'm not sure if anyone would understand or if they would even care about it but if the opportunity presented itself to me I would certainly give it my best shot and bring with me all the passion I have discovered in leading a life as a raw food vegetarian. Does this make me different or separate from others, some might think so. I'm not sure how long this feeling will continue but for now, I am going to embrace it, enjoy the difference, and offer this information as "A special meal" for those curious enough to listen.

004-What is “eating RAW”

At times I get the feeling that eating raw is nothing more than a special menu with meals planned just for me. It's not a statement to the world that I am enlightened and elevated beyond the common human. It doesn't make me a special being on the planet we call earth. It merely says that I have made a choice to eat certain foods within certain food groups prepared as I would like. Nothing more.

I realize that people mistake my choices for an indirect judgment against theirs and this couldn't be further from the truth. Then there are those who might feel as if I am not doing it right and should remove certain food items from my list altogether. The point is, we all have our own preferences and for each and every one of us, it is THE RIGHT CHOICE!

For me, eating raw fills every ratio of my being. Not just on a physical level. Emotionally there are balances and stabilizations. Eating raw for me means that I will no longer rely on processed foods and fast foods as a means of nutritional sustenance. I will only select the very best food items from the very best sources in any given supply. It means that I will prepare the foods I select with the highest levels of love, enthusiasm and purpose and I will focus intent on nutrient replenishment. My raw lifestyle starts inside of me infusing at the most singular point. From there, everything else balances atop natural order. "THIS" is raw eating.

003 - A typical grocery list for a Raw Food shopper

As most of us do on a regular basis, I shop for groceries but from time to time I find that there are items I need for my raw food meals that I cannot get at my local grocery store. This usually ends in me going to the health food store or farmers market in my area. Then there are those items that are not in my area and must be ordered. This is where the expenses begin to occur. Everything is expensive these days and when you try to eat healthier or in a manner that is not "common" to your area, the expenses are greater. I believe this has to do with the cost of bringing those items into an area where there aren't many people purchasing it. Whatever the reason, I always find myself on the "money intensive" end of remaining stable within my raw food lifestyle.

Some of my typical items are:

• Sea salt
  
• Braggs Liquid Aminos
  
• RAW Tahini
  
• Almonds
  
• Dates
  
• Bananas
  
• Walnuts
  
• Cashews
  
• Pine nuts
  
• Fresh Celery
  
• Fresh Carrots
  
• Fresh curly Kale
  
• Fresh baby spinach
  
• Onions
  
• Fresh Squash
  
• Fresh Tomato's
  
• Extra virgin olive oil
  
• Oranges
  
• Apples
  
• Fresh Tai Coconut
  
• Avocado
  
• Pecans
  
• Raw Agave
  
• Purified water
  

These are just a few of the food items that are common to my grocery list. I also have herbs and various seasonings that I purchase but they don't run out as often so I can afford to spend a bit more on those. I would like to see a future where food items from all over the world are available within minutes. Of course, in order for this to become reality, we would definitely have to move civilization into the more technologically advance era of travel and communication. I am talking....

"Beam me up Scotty" type stuff...hahahah

 

002- I Peak into the future of 2010

I just finished putting together a video of meals I made during my raw food journeys in 2009 and it made me think. I began to relive all the feelings I had when I was at the various stages of raw veganism and I could clearly remember the levels of difficulty as well as the seemingly easy choices when it came to certain foods. Now I sit and wonder what I will become in the months ahead. Will I transform into a very radical advocate of living food who preaches to everyone about the goodness and vibrant life they can live if only they could stop eating cooked food. Will I become introverted and withdrawn due in part to the lack of association with those who are also leading a life "less cooked." Hahaha, well I certainly hope that doesn't become the case. In fact, I would much rather continue to grow my Raw Vegan Lifestyle like a delicate experiment nestled in a warm Petri dish. I know that there will be tough times and easy ones as well. I look forward to the day when I can let the emphasis on food relax and advance in other areas of my life. For now, I need that emphasis because it's one area in life that has been systematically removed from most of us. Our food consumption has been "out of our control" as humans for quite some time. Since I have made a conscious and deliberate action to reclaim that duty, I can feel the sometimes intolerable nudge to return to old habits. For example, instead of preparing my meals ahead of time (or partially), I have made decisions (in the past) to just grab whatever was pre-made (processed). This only led to more of the same and that process snowballed until I just didn't think about it as much any longer. Being on the raw food journey was one of the ways I could be sure to bring myself out of this slumber and actively participate in the selection of my foods...my whole living foods!

So, what about the future of 2010? It's a blank canvas awaiting my selection of pigments. My first and most important decision will be...."What colors do I want to mix that will result in success, fortitude, and fixity of purpose!"

001-Best Recipes of 2009

I was looking through my recipe binder yesterday for one of my favorite raw meals and thought I should commemorate my experience with raw food preparation by making a list of some favorites. Since this is the beginning of a new year, what better time to do this than right now! Keep in mind I am talking about recipes that I have either created or found through other sources and have tried.

For my morning meals while eating raw, I have enjoyed granola and apple cinnamon cereal. There have been other foods I have eaten but these are two that I have recreated many times and enjoyed each time. During the middle part of the day I have eaten "mock" tuna both in a sandwich with raw bread and on romaine lettuce leaves "taco style." I have followed a few different recipes and have not been disappointed in either case. There is one recipe in particular that I enjoyed and have made consistently throughout my journey's in raw food [see 313HealthyMe on youtube for a look at the recipe and how I made it]. I love, love, love salads and have made so many different variations of the green salad. One of the "specialty" salads that I have made and enjoy over and over is the Kreamy Kale Salad. The taste is different than the typical garden salad. Another mid-day meal that I have enjoyed is the nut burgers. There is an endless supply of recipes for this meal and I am still experimenting with many different ideas. Basically, I use a walnut pate' then add ingredients that I would like to taste in a burger.

I am making a video to showcase these meals so if you would like to see how I made them or get a list of the ingredients I used to prep the burger, please search 313HealthyMe on YouTube and check me out there.

The Tumultuous journey ahead (006)

Forward I wander with processed foods at my six and organically influenced agriculture on the horizon. I am armed with a sense of origin and a newly grown appreciation for other life forms who also call this planet home. Less than perfect dietary practices and a nasty little, invasive flu virus plagued my once uneventful life where from I've come to realize something wonderful!

I never really thought much about the choices that I have to make on a daily basis. From the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night there seems to be a choice waiting to be made each moment of each day. The food I eat is no different. If I had given this topic any thought at all just one year ago then I wouldn't have been able to say the same thing. Now that I have learned about processed foods and what I miss out on when I eat them, I can really train my thoughts on avoiding them as much as possible. Processed foods are not the only choice that I have to make on a daily basis. There's organic vs. inorganic produce as well as grocery store vs. farmers market.

Whenever I have made a decision to change something in my life, I have always had to deal with certain adjustments. Going from being a quasi-(lacto) vegetarian to leading a raw vegan lifestyle has got to be the greatest undertaking in my life so far. This is the reason I have titled this blog "The Tumultuous journey ahead." Not that there will be obstacles ahead or violent upheaval but I can foresee reoccurring turbulence with regards to health-minded menu planning and maybe even some enigmatic revelations about foods that I once considered a "healthy choice." I look forward to these challenges because they will one day be at my "six" and I walk along the path less traveled. I look forward to each new sun and wonder what the day's new beginnings will yield. I look forward to watching others join me in the quest for a better more vibrant life and a return to the natural practices that gave us strong bodies and put the aging process in "near" retrograde.

Being an individual who makes choices to eat living foods in a reasonable fashion is what my new lifestyle will encompass. I welcome this brave new way of life.