As some of you know, I picked up Dr. Doug Graham’s book, The 80/10/10 Diet at the Raw Spirit Festival. What he said when speaking made a lot of sense to me so, had to learn more.

Of course, when someone agrees with me, I like them even more and in this case, I love it that I have FINALLY read what I’ve known, and stated, for years! Germs do NOT cause disease. Here’s what HE said which got me so excited!!!

“… Pasteur (stated) that a toxic “milieu interieur” ~ the inner environment of the body in which the microbes live ~ provides a breeding ground for disease. In other words, regardless of the germ’s origin or type, it presents no threat UNLESS the body is in a run-down state resulting from disturbed and deteriorated interior environment.

Maintaining our inner terrain in a healthy (undisturbed and undeteriorated) state of homeostasis is one of the key benefits we derive from eating a low-fat diet of whole, raw plant foods in their freshest, least processed form. Just as mosquitoes do not cause stagnant ponds, and flies do not cause piles of manure, the “germs” (bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms) around and inside of us do not cause the toxins in our bodies. Yet like mosquitoes and flies, microbes are more than happy to set up shop in toxic locations that provide them with plenty to eat.

If we drain the stagnant pond or clean up the manure pile, the mosquitoes and flies migrate elsewhere. Likewise, the viruses and bacteria that feed upon the toxic wastes inside of us simply move on and cease to be a problem when we clean up our diets and other sources of inner pollution. At this point, our bodies are no longer capable of acting as hosts for such pathogens.”

Build your immune system; stop treating your body as a toxic waste dump and disease will have to find another home.

Revvell
RawkinRadio

I’d heard about Douglas Graham and his 80/10/10 food program but not paid much attention to it until I heard him speak at the Raw Spirit Festival this past weekend. What he said made sense to me so I went and purchased two of his books, “The 80/10/10 Diet, Balancing Your Health, Your Weight, and Your Life, One Luscious Bite at a Time” and “The New High Energy Diet Recipe Guide”.

The following quote was taken from the former book, pg. 242:

“People who are emotionally attached to cooked foods aren’t actually addicted to them since it is physiologically impossible to be addicted to something that is harmful to us. The body simply is not put together that way. It is designed to thrive and cannot become addicted to a harmful substance. The human psyche, however, can become very much addicted to the shift in perception that occurs after we ingest certain substances. A yearning for that shift in perception is the ever-present illusion that lures us to eat cooked foods.”

If this is in fact true, then how is it people who we “say” are addicted to harmful substances including codeine, caffeine, nicotine, heroin, etc. have physcial detox symptoms?

Your thoughts? (add them below please)

… as will not see.

Recently a thread was started on a forum about the movie Simply Raw, Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days and the poster was celebrating that people CAN cure themselves of diabetes.

One person came on and said there was no cure and that ” I am confident that there is no cure because if there was, we would ALL know about it.”

As I was out walking, I was considering this statement… ALL would know about it! How? Even SHE, on a raw food board, refuses to look at the movie. She is steadfast that there IS no cure. Being certain that there are many like her out there, if there was a cure, how would they know? If they refuse to look outside their little world of doctors and drugs, how will they know? Even one of the participants in the movie heard from doctors since he was a child (juvenile diabetes) that he would ALWAYS have to take insulin and that diabetes can never be cured and he, being diagnosed with diabetes 1, dropped his insulin from 30 daily units to 5.

My question is, how is it a lifestyle-caused disease (diabetes 2, not 1 which, I am informed, is an immune-system disease ~ see comment #1 below) cannot be cured? Answer seems fairly simple ~ stop doing what’s causing the problem. Overweight? Change your food program, get out and move, find out what the need is which is being replaced by food and fill it. High Cholesterol? Animal products are the only “foods” that contain cholesterol ~ stop eating them! Heart disease? Again, animal products, plus caffeine and/or nicotene, and/or alcohol and, lack of movement.

Yes, I hear the excuses. My suggestion ~ stop looking for excuses for why you can’t and start finding reasons and ways for how you can. Life and health are simpler than we make it. Live and living food, water, rest, movement, appreciations and making conscious choices will get you where you want to be and yes, it is that simple… just not always that easy … yet like many things it just takes making the first step.. then following that with the next step and the next…

Injoy,

Revvell

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If you, or someone you know has diabetes 1 or 2, they MUST see this film. It’s a very heart-warming and touching piece of work relating the journeys of 6 people who went to Gabriel Cousens Tree of Life facility. It really relates how self-talk can sabotage us and how love and support can keep us hanging on.

I don’t want to give away the whole story here as there are some surprises and yes, it’s all about real life.

The film begins by introducing us to the participants and many of their families. They talk about what they love the most about food and shows us how they live.

They explain that 5 out of the 6 have type 2 diabetes and one has type 1. Dr. Cousens tells the participants that the best food program for them will be raw, high fiber, high carbohydrate (complex), low protein and low fat. There will be no meat, dairy, alcohol, sugar or caffeine. They will be served all they can eat, 3 meals a day.

They show where everyone is on day one and where a few people are at day 3, 5, 7, 12, 15, 17, 24, 27 and 30. They talk about their glucose level, cholesterol, blood pressure and weight in many instances. All, eliminated some excess weight.

What I loved about the film was the support the participants gave each other. I felt there should have been someone there to assist more with the mind-set though as it’s never just about the food. (Maybe there was but it wasn’t really brought out).

They showed some quick classes that were held including a chocolate class, a nori roll class and a healthy cooked food class on the final day to assist them in making better decisions during their transitions.

At the end we got to see how some people were faring ~ Day 3 with Pam and 60 days out with Kirt as well as a run-down of how everyone was doing at the very end.

I’d love to see all these people one year from now.

Other participants in the film were Morgan Spurlock, Fred Bisci, Ph.D, David Wolfe, the Reverend Michael Beckwith, Woody Harrelson and Anthony Robbins.

Get this film and share it! Simply Raw

“Maximizing Health, Energy, and Culinary Delight with the Raw Foods Diet”

Having just received this book, I’ve not had a chance to make any of the 200 recipes but they’ve got me drooling!!!! 

This book is PACKED with LOTS of helpful information as well as great-sounding recipes. 

For instance, in the first chapter, “What is Raw, What is Not?”, she begins by talking about “The Detriments of Meat … and Cooking”.  O.k., well, that doesn’t really answer the question yet it’s still very good information. I was looking for the questions people often ask about products such as Nama Shoyu, Bragg’s, etc.

Chapter two does answer the question “Why Go Raw?” In this chapter she gives gives the usual information about weight management both losing AND gaining (which many authors ignore), the function of enzymes; achieving true health, detox and more.

She’s also got FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) where five very commonly asked questions are answered.

What really got me hooked on this book just from a quick perusal is her Raw Foods Encyclopedia where she lists LOTS of fruits and vegetables grains, nuts and seeds, their nature and properties, how to store, what to look for when purchasing and more. Not something I’ve seen in any of the 50+ other books I’ve got.

The reason I contacted Brigitte is to do an interview with her on Rawkin Radio because I saw her in a dvd called Raw for Life and she was talking about foraging wild plants. She’s got a small section in the book about “Wild Things” and how to gather, various ones and their uses. I’m hoping we get to chat more about this during our interview on Rawkin Radio coming soon.

Throughout the book Brigitte has what she calls Raw Facts which gives little tips or truths about various topics. 

For those who are hesitant to try seaweeds, there’s a whole chapter on them; there are pages on  green Super Foods, edible flowers, a section on oils and seasonings. I love the part on the seasonings as she gives the flavor and the benefits. At the end of the seasoning section, she’s got recipes for 5 different blends.

There’s so much in this book, I don’t have time to go through them all thoroughly but there is “The Raw Kitchen”, a section on sprouting, LOTS of recipes as I’ve said, dealing with eating out and with family and friends, a small section on Ayurveda, acidity vs alkalinity.

In the Appendix she’s got a section on Nutrients and Source Foods, a Glossary, a huge bibliography, resources and restaurants throughout the U.S., Canada, England, Jamaica, Spain and Thailand, which of course were open during the writing of the book. 

Highly recommend it. Get it now!

Revvell

Revvellations

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This book, “Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices; What’s Missing in Your Body?” by N.W. Walker, D.Sc. is one of the first I’d ever gotten back around 1979 or so. Although the original copyright says 1970, I purchased it right after it’s revision in 1978. Dr. Walker’s book is as good now, as it was then.

In this book, one of the first things he talks about that many of us are missing is enzymes. He states: “The basic key to the efficacy of nourishing your body is the life which is present in your food and of those intangible elements, know as enzymes.”

Looking at this book again and reading what’s been written since, I’m pretty sure many of the raw food advocates today are familiar with Dr. Walker and the work he did.

He answers the question: “Why not eat the whole vegetable and fruit instead of extracting the juice and discarding the fibers?” His response is: “…. solid food requires many hours of digestive activity before its nourishment is finally available to the cells and tissues of the body. While the fibers in solid food have virtually no nourishing value, they do act as an intestinal broom during the peristaltic activity of the intestines, hence the need to eat raw foods in addition to drinking juices. However, the removal of the fibers in the extraction of the juices, enables juices to be very quickly digested and assimilated, sometimes in a matter of minutes, with a minimum of effort and exertion on the part of the digestive system.”

The Table of Contents includes:
What’s missing?
Cooked foods
First carrot juice
Juices not concentrated foods
How much juice can be taken safely
Protection against pesticides

Vegetable Juices - Uses and Benefits

He also talks about Colds, Endocrine Glands, Vinegar, Milk, Natural childbirth; Do juices help bones? Parents and children; things to bear in mind, To Detoxicate and Vegetable and Fruit Juices - Their Therapeutic Uses

He’s also got a list of Formulas (combinations for various illnesses) and a special Vegetable Value Chart and Fruit Value Chart.

If you need specific recipes, this book is not for you. If you want a book loaded with great, timeless information and combinations of vegetables to assist you in coming to optimum health, check this book out. It’s priceless.

Injoy,

Revvell

Revvellations

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Another raw food book I picked up recently. At first look, not impressed. If you are raw vegan, you may be disappointed, reason being she uses goat cheese and egg yolk although, most of the time it’s optional. Instead of salt she uses Krystal salt. In the Soaking, Sprouting and Storing section she does say one can use 1/4 the amount of sea salt as the brine. She also uses honey and maple syrup as sweetener. I substitute agave easy enough.

The only thing I’ve made so far is the Mango Lassi. It is VERY good. Here ya go:

Soak Almonds 6+ hours if using.

2 C. cashew or almond milk

2 mangos, peeled and cut off pit

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. honey or to taste (or agave)

Blend well. Serves 2.

As I make more recipes, I’ll not necessarily post them but will let you know what works for me and what doesn’t. 

Enough for now. Remember, revel and life and always, play with your food.

Revvell

Revvellations

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I had a chance to make and serve two of the recipes in “Everyday Raw” that I was most interested in, the Blueberry Pancakes and the Eggplant Bacon.

What a delightful surprise!!!

Let’s start with the Pancakes:

First of all, remember to look at the timing and preparation. The pecans are to be soaked 8-12 hours. So, overnight is good. Also, he says to set aside the blueberries but doesn’t say to set aside the 2 C. maple syrup. Save the last 2 cups of maple syrup/agave for pouring OVER the pancakes not INTO the recipe! Vitally important.

I dehydrated for 24 hours or so. What’s good about the dehydrating time is, you can vary it to how you want your pancakes. I was surprised that they take so long to dehydrate but, there it is! Btw ~ they were scrumptious! I served them to a class my husband was having. He said they were better than “real” pancakes which he’d never liked. All the participants liked them as well. We’ve got a winner here!

The Bacon:

My bad. I started this off wrong by using 2 T. of salt instead of one to do whatever it is one needs to do to bacon at the beginning. For me, it ended up saltier than I like.
The other thing is, there’s prep here, as well. 1-2 hours for salting and tossing the eggplant; 2 hours for soaking the chipotle chile and marinating eggplant for 30-45 minutes. Dehydration time is 24-36 hours.

I would also use one dried chipotle chile instead of 1/2 and be sure to use enough water so you’ll have 1/2 C. for the recipe.

All-in-all, I thought this was very good and very bacon-like.

Would I make these again? Absolutely… just not very often because of prep time.

Stars:
5 for taste
3 for directions on pancakes

Until next time ~ remember, revel in life and always, play with your food.

Revvell
Revvellations

I was looking online for some lemon cookies because I’ve been offered space to sell at a fruit stand and have been publicizing my raw food classes and smoothie book to a yahoo group.

Here’s what I found. Made them last night and they are soooo good and EASY!

 Lemon Cookies contributed by Kandace:

Tart, chewy lemon macaroons. Double the recipe. (They’ll be gone in a day if you like lemon cookies):

Ingredients:

1 C. cashews, soaked 4 hours

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 C. fresh lemon juice

1 C. dry, shredded coconut

1/4 C. agave

Preparation:

1) Process cashews in food processor until they are pasty (mine never got that way ~ still good!)

2) Mix in all other ingredients and blend

3) Place 1 T. cookie dollops on a dehydrator sheet (can remove the sheet after a couple of hours and just place on the screen)

4) dehydrate approximately 12 hours

5) Enjoy!

I put them in the “d” last night and having them for breakfast. Made about 14 of them. Crusty outside, chewy inside. 

Revvell

Revvellations

I just received Matthew Kenney’s book “Everyday Raw” in the mail today and, at first glance, I’m disappointed. First thing I open to are recipes containing tofu! Tofu? What’s up with that? Tofu? Icky yuch!!! Matt!!!! What’s up with dat????

O.k, second looky through… beautiful, beautiful, “I-want-to-make/eat-it-all” pictures. Being an author myself and knowing how much it costs to print books with 4-color photos, this book is a steal at $19.95 ($13.95 on Amazon). How can they do that?

The Contents section is divided into Intro; Everyday Handbook (which contains a paragraph on “tools of the trade”, “key products” and “skill set” all using half the page or very large letters. Then we have “Blended & Squeezed ~ 17 recipes for the wet stuff. Matt is big on coconut water/meat, goji berries, lecithin and umm, tocotrienols (????) in the Vanilla-e drink. (shrugs) Oh, o.k., it’s “a powder supplement in the vitamin E family and available in most health food (I use that term loosely as I don’t think most “health food” stores are really about health but then, I digress here) stores.”

He also uses mesquite meal and hemp protein in various smoothie/drink recipes.

Next we have Snacks! I LOVE snacks! They’re my favorite meal! Most of what I see perusing this section, are ingredients that can easily be found. Matthew tends to use maple syrup which, of course, can be exchanged for agave or whatever sweetener you prefer. I’m up for some vanilla-almond macaroons (although I’ve got cashews soaking for lemon cookies as I type ~ and no, not from this book.)

One thing fun here is, he shows how to make chocolate chips to put in the chocolate chip cookies which look yummmy! 12 recipes here.

After the snacks we have Crackers, Breads and Chips. There are only 5 recipes in this section and the breads are flatbreads. 

Next we have “Starters”. Not sure what that means. Looks like breakfast and appetizers. One thing I am looking at are the blueberry pancakes. They look REALLY good! Question I have is, does the 2 C of maple syrup/agave go IN the pancakes or ON them? The directions say: put blueberries aside, then blend remaining ingredients. Then serve with maple syrup (after mixing in blueberries). 2 C of sweetener? 

I’m not a fan of eggplant in any form but I’m curious about the eggplant bacon. This is made with chipotle chili.

He’s also got portobello sausage which makes me shudder. I’m not a fan of fungus but I mention the sausage for those of you who are.

Following that we’ve got “Tofu Scrambler”. O.k., my bad! He makes the “tofu” using cashews, coconut, carrageenan (is that a good thing?), water and salt.

We’ve got breakfast! Pancakes, bacon and/or sausage and tofu scrambler. Add some almond mylk and we’re good-to-go!!! 10 recipes.

Quite a few things in this book are edgy for hard-core raw food advocates such as the maple syrup, miso, nutritional yeast and such yet, as an occasional “treat” it sure beats the “treats” we grew up with and it may surprise your neighbors and friends who wonder “What DO you eat anyway?”

Continuing on to Spreads, Dips and Sauces ~ Just the names make me salivate ~ Mango Guacamole, Lemon-Thyme Yogurt Sauce (dairy-free) and Sweet Chile-Lime Sauce to name a few. 14 recipes.

We’ve got 6 salads and 7 dressings in the next section. Salads and their dressings include: Potato Salad, Thai Salad, Tabbouleh and Blood Orange-Crispy Fennel Salad.

Larger dishes contains 10 recipes for such things as Tomato, Basil and Ricotta pizza. I can’t wait to try the crust because I’ve not found one I like yet. I usually use onion bread and top that! We’ve also got “Portobello Fajitas, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Portobello Steaks and Tomato Torta with Pesto and Macadamia Ricotta. 

17 Desserts include lots of cremes, glazes, sauces but also… Agave Caramel! I LOVE caramel! How do these sound? Coconut Creme Anglaise; Pumpkin Pie with Thyme; Lemon Macaroon Cheesecake Tartlet and Warm Fudge Brownie?

Finally we have ICE CREAM!!! Mint Cacao Chip, Banana Almond Butter Cup; Strawberry Sorbet and more! Again, I’m confused. He’s got a picture in the book of a cone with ice cream. He has a recipe for a cone but it says: Chill in freezer until firm; break into small pieces and store in containers in freezer.  Store extra chocolate oil in containers in refrigerator. Well, there’s no chocolate oil in the recipe. O.k.! The directions are for the chocolate pieces in the recipe above!!! Someone did NOT read these recipes.

I’ll be contacting Matt tomorrow to get an update on this. 

I’ll check out some of these recipes in the near future and tell you what I like and what I don’t..

Until then, always, revel in life and remember, play with your food!

Revvell

Revvellations

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