We’ve pretty much all heard the saying that what you focus on expands, yes? Well, for the past couple of years one thing I’ve focused on is how fat (relatively speaking) I’ve gotten since getting married. Now, I COULD blame him for taking me out to restaurants where I felt I had to eat all the food on my plate ~ o.k., why lie? It was friggin’ tasty and I WANTED IT! I COULD blame him for having stuff in the fridge, the freezer and the cupboards that I CRAVE!!! (For me, it’s not so much sweet but stuff that turns sweet after eating, meaning starches!!!)

While I’ve remained true to vegetarian and so-called “high raw” options, I’ve still eaten MORE than I “should” have at any given time, more OFTEN than I should have and what I “shouldn’t” have and thus, added about 30 pounds to my frame that I’ve at times, pretended not to notice and/or made excuses for.

At times I’ve done a few things which “might” encourage me to eliminate the excess weight such as purchase pants too small for me; actually left one pair hanging on the dresser and was able to get into them w/in a couple of weeks FOR a couple of weeks. Not seen them since.

Many times when we go clothes shopping I defer and say “Wait until I eliminate this excess weight”. (That’s been going on what, 2-3 years now?)

Like many (and this is new to me), I purchased a scale and keep checking it to see where I’m at. Well, it’s a weird thing but, no matter what I do, the scale doesn’t move much either way and when it does, it’s usually UP! In all fairness, I did eliminate 5 pounds about a year or so ago but that’s IT! Nothing much has changed in the year since. Just staying right there! AND, while at Raw Spirit Festival last September, I was 5 pounds lighter when I got home but was back up again within the week.

So, what to do?

What I realized recently is, I’ve been focusing on the wrong thing! My mind hasn’t been connecting that what, and how much of “what” goes in my mouth is what’s causing the issue here so, I’ve devised a lil saying ~ Fit or Fat?

When I go in the fridge, I have MANY healthy choices. I’ve got them on the counter too! They’re called fruits and veggies. So, when I look at HIS food, I say, “fit or fat?” Well, now my mind is connecting with what it is. Is what I’m looking at the cause of being fat? Or FIT? My preference is FIT!

Most of HIS stuff makes me FAT! Why? Because it tastes SO good and is so devoid of nutrients that I overeat. It doesn’t give me the energy I need to train on a regular basis. Not only that, but it fills me with mucus so breathing is hard and my endurance level suffers and I don’t feel to train.

Yesterday, I started my Fit or Fat program. I made a gallon of smoozie, cleaned out the fridge of anything raw uneaten in the last week and prepared for my day. Every time I went in the fridge, the first thing at eye level is something I would normally want (and, in actuality, unless it’s cooked, I don’t even like it all that much!) and I say to myself ~ Fat or FIT?

GREAT day yesterday! Trained hard to where I can feel it today and ate and drank ONLY what will assist in keeping me at a FIT level which is what I’m focusing on.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Injoy,

Revvell

BTW ~ I’m a natural health educator and practitioner of 23 years and I’ve currently got openings for 2 clients. I only work with those who are committed to a life of abundance and well-being.

Stack of Bricks moved to the Side of the House

Finished Product

Better view of Finished Product

Bougainvillea after Chopping ~ They grow!

Two of our Furred/Feathered friends who keep us entertained

Here are some photos of the progress.

Produce

Getting Started

What I pulled and moved.. about 175 total of them.

THE bougainvillea before chopping

We had an overgrown bougainvillea bush between the two sections. A woman said she wanted it and I spent much of Saturday waiting for her to come and get it; she came over, looked at it, then said it was the wrong color. HUH? So, Bo cut it down to a more manageable size which made my neighbor happy since he’d had a garden in his yard until the bougainvillea blocked the sun to it.

What was really great about this experience is that, the first day my back was sore from pulling and moving brinks. At the end of the day, I took a hot bath with essential oils and slept REALLY soundly. The next morning, my back felt fine but I REALLY felt my thigh biceps. The second day was when I moved the bricks.

I took a recyclable bag, loaded with with 6 bricks and carried them to the side of the house; went back and did some more. My legs got a real good workout. Surprisingly, my arms didn’t feel too much of anything. It was all legs.

My awareness during this weekend is, how much better it is to get that kine of workout and feel like I’ve accomplished something than anything I’ve done in quite some time. No workout with kettlebells, Indian/Iron clubs, Bulgarian Training bags has made me feels so good. BUT, without having done those, I’d have been in pain and laid up in bed for a couple of days. As it was, each day I was ready to go again and git-r-done!
Here are some more photos of where it is currently ~ and then some….

More progress ~ lettuce, spinach, lobelia, marigolds, cilantro

Last year's tomatoes survived

Along the sidewalk in the front ~ lettuce, Italian Parsely, marigolds

Yesterday started out wonderfully. First thing in the morning, I turned on the shower to get it hot; then turned it off and used one of my home-made sugar scrubs everywhere I could reach. (BTW sugar scrubs are soooooo easy to make there’s not reason to pay horrendous amounts of money for them. All members of Let’s Talk Raw have access to my ebooklet which included the recipe ~ for that and more.)

Lately, I’ve been using quite a bit of citrus oil ~ lemon on my neck and hands for focus. Whether that’s what it’s actually for or not, I don’t know. All I know is, I love the feel of it and it perks me up. Did some just a moment ago.

So, back to the shower. I used the one I made with grapefruit extract because it’s suppose to work on cellulite. How a 23 year vegetarian has cellulite, heck, who knows? I DO know, quite a bit of it has disappeared over the last few months but, there are two areas it seems to be hanging on and that’s inside thighs and biceps. Why there? I dunno. So, is it the grapefruit essential oil or is it the scrubbing with the sugar scrub? I’m thinking more the scrubbing but then, maybe it’s a combination of both. Whatever. It feels good, smells good…so, I’ll continue.

For those who don’t have the ebooklet , what I do is scrub my whole body (wherever I can reach and if he’s awake, he gets to do the rest), while my skin is dry. I do my face and neck wet.

Well, the morning went well. He and I spent it shopping for my favorite foods ~ cabbage, fruit, greens, etc. Then I went into the bedroom to read a book I’m creating some trainings around. About 1 p.m., that’s all she wrote. I’d had a HUGE salad and was still hungry so had a small round of Ani Phyo’s Breakfast cake. Knocked me out! I mean, for almost two hours, I slept the sleep of the dead. I woke up groggy. I haven’t done that in quite some time. So, what was it? I’ve had the Breakfast Cake in the mornings for the last two mornings and not had that happen. A combination?

So, here’s the “major” crime against wisdom.

In the evening, I made some “raw jicama fries” using a medium sized juicama. Oh man, were they good! It was late for me to eat. I usually shut down my computer and stop eating about 6 p.m. and it was probably closer to 7 when I ate those. I got to watching a t.v. series on HULU and about 11 p.m. I was feeling REALLY hungry. Couldn’t talk myself out of it. In my head, I had visions of raw sushi so, went downstairs, got out some nori, tomatoes, red bell pepper, then looked in the fridge. Oooops!

We had guests here and one of them was from Zimbabwe. She’d made some rice and beans and left them in the fridge. I’d been looking at them for waaaaay too long. Way faster than making sushi AND, I was hungry AND they were there! So, after over 50 days of 100% raw, I gave in to the lil monkey mind voice telling me, it was o.k.

Well, I made a bigger bowl than I’d planned and ate it all! (The whole bowl of it, not all there was). That’s all she wrote. I, who normally is asleep by 11 was up until 3 this morning. My stomach was growling; felt like I had to go… went but didn’t go (if you catch my drift); and now, here I am, 8:53 a.m. telling my story after getting up at 8 a.m. which is about 3 hours later than I prefer.

Well, here’s the thing. Most people I know who’ve done something similar to what I did would call it “falling off the wagon”; beat themselves up; eat more or what’s left (what difference does it make now?); etc. Well, there’s no wagon to fall off of. I chose to eat some cooked food; I’m experiencing what that feels like and how eating that late affects me; beating myself up would take away from the true experience and slow me down from making more positive, conscious choices so, here’s what I’m going to do… go downstairs and make up a half-gallon of smoozie and drink it throughout the day.

I’m still here! I’m alive! I’m healthy and I can make better choices which support me in my aliveness.

Done deal! It’s all about the journey and if I were to die today am I going to die in the middle of beating myself up and missing out on the joys of life (unless, of course beating myself up IS a joy in my life ~ NOT!)? Noooooo! Oh! Going to get rid of the rest of the rice and beans. Seems he’s not going to eat them and I certainly am not. Just going to make more room in our fridge for more good, healthy, raw stuffs.

Oh yeah! I purchased some zucchini yesterday to make some of Russell James’ Thai Pillows. THAT will be tonight’s dinner.

One more thing… the reason I did what I did ~ I’d not prepared anything ahead. One way to stay raw.. be prepared because if something is already prepared, that’s more likely to get eaten than something that needs to be prepared when hungry. Would I have slept better if what I’d eaten had been raw ~ that late at night? Well, I’m sure one of these days, we’ll find out. heh!

Please, enjoy your day as I’m enjoying mine!

Revvell

Afterthought ~ Wish I knew what knocked me out in the afternoon… could have had that and slept… maybe. But then, my lil monkey mind told me that the breakfast cake was too heavy for that time of night. Rice and beans weren’t? Tricky lil feller ain’t he?

Recently I wrote about having memory problems and how they came to be for me. I’ve also gotten involved at the trainer level in teaching trainers how to work with caregivers of people with Alzheimers/dementia.

What I’ve found and have known is, any dis-ease or issue we may have is assisted through whole person health. That would include the basics of diet, movement and exercise.

The other thing I’ve noticed over recent weeks/months/years is that whatever I do supposedly for one part of me, assists all other parts. Unlike cars, you can’t take out a piece of us, such as the heart, and not affect the rest of us. We’re all connected.

People who think getting their colon cut out or a kidney or whatever ~ that it doesn’t affect the other part of them are mistaken. People who think they can eat/do anything they want with their bodies and that a doctor can easily replace a part/organ, are mistaken. There are plenty of people on lists waiting for new body parts such as liver, hearts, lungs.

For me, it’s very weird how people will abuse the only thing in this world that’s truly theirs and truly unique and that is their body. They’ll take better care of their car than they will their body. They often KNOW their cars and their parts better than they know this bag of flesh/bones/fluids and other stuffs.

Having said that, I’ve been exploring some fun stuffs for my own health.

One, of course is my food program. When I first thought I should become healthier/happier, I tried all the supplements available for every symptom I had. That didn’t work. I went to chiropractors, acupuncturists, and tried various food programs. Nothing really made a long-term difference until I met my teacher in 1986. I’d been wanting to become vegetarian for about 9 years. Had no idea how to go about it. I didn’t even know there was a store like Whole Foods (back then it was Mrs. Gooches) available for us. The only “health food stores” I knew about had nothing live in them. They were all packaged, bottled, canned and jarred.

Second, is movement. I have found that many people don’t move because they’ve not found it fun or, if they have, they feel adults shouldn’t HAVE fun! Our PE classes in school were hardly what most of us called FUN! It was EXERCISE! (sounds sort of like exorcise, doesn’t it?). All the fun we had as kids, all the running around that we enjoyed was taken from us and turned into EXERCISE! They had rules, they had teams (which many of us were excluded from or chosen last)… it was not FUN! So! Here’s the deal, find things to do that are fun! Walking with a friend. Hula hooping! I couldn’t do it as a kid but I can now! (actually, took a class ~ do you believe it?); rebounding OR, if you’ve got the room, get a full-sized trampoline!!! Swimming! Volleyball in the pool! Find someone to play catch with; find more fun ways to throw the ball! Take dance classes ~ belly dance, ballroom, jazz.. whatever! I wont go to a gym because 1) I don’t want to have to schedule it around when it’s not busy and I wont go when it is; 2) they have t.v. all OVER the place! Last one I went to, they’d have the news on at 5 a.m. I’d turn the t.v. off, someone would come in and turn it on 3) the air is worse in the gym than outside so, I’d rather be outside! I even won a 3-month membership. I lasted 2 months, then stopped going and went hiking up in the hills around my home instead. Now, I’ve got everything here ~ kettlebells, Indian and iron clubs, medicine balls, hula hoop, vids, etc. I know many body-weight moves. I’ve got stairs and railings that I use to make up movements. Ya gotta move to get the heart pumping well, to move stagnant chi, to get the lymph flowing.. to lubricate your joints… gotta move!

Third ~ rest/sleep. I take time out of my day just to be. I may nap; go sit out in the sun (no book, no music, just sit in the sun… maybe watch the birds and squirrels… but not really doing much of anything.) Before sleep I may do some movement, play a game of Scrabble with my guy; read and/or watch a vid. We don’t watch t.v. here. I don’t understand people filling their heads with commercials and bad news before they go to sleep. I’m usually going to sleep between 10 and 11; get up between 5 and 6. If, for some reason I can’t sleep; I get up; take care of some biz… then sleep when I’m tired and get up when I wake up ~ usually at my regular time. You’ll rarely find me in bed after 6 a.m.

People will often say that I’m lucky because I “get” to work at home. No, I am lucky because I CHOOSE to work at home. I did what it took to create businesses so I CAN work at home.

So, those are the 3 basics. In my next Revvellation, I’ll expand on other things I’m doing for myself.

Thank you for reading.

Revvell

Yesterday my husband and I decided to celebrate my birthday and Valentine’s day by taking a ride up to Mary’s Secret Garden in Ventura, Ca. First, we went to the website. Other than basic information, it’s not of much help meaning there’s no menu, prices, etc. Just days the’re open, times, and that they are vegan and offer raw food; an email address to ask for their current menu and a link (have to copy/paste as the link doesn’t work) to reviews. We did go to the reviews and what is funny is, the reviewer who gave the one star (out of 5) had a similar experience to ours in some ways.

Since they request reservations, I called about 9 a.m. hoping to get an answer machine. The phone rang about 6 times, no pick-up or machine so, we got ready and headed out. About 11:05 as we were almost there, I called again and told them we were almost there and could we reserve a table. I was told they had a big party coming in but she’d hold a table for two.

We arrived about 10 minutes later; it’s about 50 degrees out and WET! We go in and all the tables are empty except for one where two women were sitting. 3 other tables had reserve signs on them so I’m thinking these people would be coming in at noon or so… maybe ll:30?

This restaurant is cute. It holds about 26 people comfortably. There are a few tables which hold 4 people; 4 that hold two and one that holds about 6. That one, a 2-person and a 4-person table were reserved. O.k., that leaves one 2-person table in use, two 2-person tables available and 2, 4-person tables available. As in the 1-star review, we were placed at the 2-person table by the door. Now, it’s 50 degrees and raining, the restaurant is empty and we’re placed by the door…. why? Yes, I could have asked for the other 2-person table. Should have.

Another couple comes in ~ they sit at a 4-person table and Rose, our lovely waitress (and I mean that.. she is very sweet) asked if they wouldn’t mind sitting at the 2-person table as they’ve got a large party coming in at 2. Yes, that’s right ~ 2 p.m! It’s ll:30!!!

The couple moves to the 2-person table.

We receive our menus and this is basically a cooked vegan restaurant but, they do have a nice raw menu.

On the Appetizers section they had 5 choices, two of them raw. We chose the “Secret Sushi Roll” which had 8 pieces for $9.00. It’s described as “Nori filled with macadamia nut ginger pate, asparagus, julienned carrots and sprouts served with cilantro sauce and wheat-free tamari” (not raw). My first bite didn’t impress me much. I thought it was too salty. Bo suggested it might be the Tamari… it was. The second piece I dipped lighter, then ran it through the cilantro sauce. Oh my. It took everything I had to not grab and eat it all. (Hey! It was my birthday!!!) Oh! We added avocado to it which brought the price to $11. Worth the price? Well, next time we have a celebration, I wouldn’t mind going there and paying it although, it does seem as though it could be a few $$ less BUT, since they do have the business AND they need to pay their kitchen help (I counted 4 back there), rent, purchase food, etc… They seemed to have quite a large take-out business as well. If the price was lower, I’d probably have ordered another ~ would it have been worth it for them?

Bo thought he wasn’t hungry so he’d not ordered anything else but I had ordered the Italian Wrap from the “Raw Food Entrees” section, which is described as “Basil pesto, tomatoes, herbed almond cheeze, red onions, cucumber and sprouts wrapped in Romaine lettuce leaves. Served with side of the day.” $10. With avocado, which I did add ~ $12.

This came wrapped in a HUGE lettuce leaf or two and white paper with the leaves sticking out. I wish I’d gotten a picture. It looked great! The “side of the day” was pretty much what was in the wrap.. only red lettuce instead of Romaine, tomatoes, cukes and red onions.

Again, I wasn’t impressed with the first bite which had much of the “cheeze” in it but when I got a bite with all the ingredients, it was sooooo good! All talk stopped for a couple of reasons… first, the thing was messy and between eating and wiping I was kept pretty busy. Personally, I would have liked a couple of paper napkins for the mess. The cloths napkins they use (silk?) were lovely but not made for the mess I had on my face. The dressing on the side salad was just right in amount and taste.

During our meal, others came in and were told where to sit as they had a large party coming in AT 2! It wasn’t even NOON yet!!! What are they thinking?

Another gent came in who Rose knew and he got to sit at one of the reserved tables for two. I figured he HAD to be part of this party that was coming in AT 2. Nope! He ordered something that looked like what I had. I HAD to watch him eat it. Well, first of all, he had quite a large mouth (not making fun, just that, in comparison, I have a small one) and he probably took one bite for every 3 I took, was finished in half the time (or less) with waaaaay less mess. He was done, got up and left (before 2).

After the appetizer, Bo realized he was hungry so ordered the BBQ Sandwich described as “Barbecued Veggie Chycken OR Tofu with sauteed red onions, jack cheeze, lettuce, cilantro and Veganaise. Served open face”. He also got a side of potato salad. (He was given a choice of sides whereas I wasn’t but then, the potato salad isn’t raw.)

He chose the veggie chycken and liked it quite a bit. His complaints were, the cost ($9.50), they could have toasted the bun (or at least offered to) to make it a bit different and doubled the size of the side ~which was about the size of a sample ~ for that price. On the way home he said ~  “I liked the sample, could I have the side now?” How much more would it cost to have a decent size side?  He really liked the Veganaise and was suprised he liked the “chycken” as much as he did.

For dessert we shared a Raw Pecan Pie a La Mode ($8) “Creamy pecan, coconut and date filling with a pecan crust topped with raw vanilla bean ice cream.” No complaints about this except, not enough of it and at $8 per slice… almost went for another but didn’t. The “ice-cream” was superb! Again, it took all my willpower to cut that last piece in half of the pie AND the ice cream and let Bo have the rest. Oh! the plate was drizzled with raw agave and I thought it would be too sweet but, we dragged the pie across it… what a treat!

How would I rate this visit? I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars. Why?

It seems the owners have never run a restaurant before so, giving them a break. To reserve half the room at ll a.m. for a party that’s coming in at 2 doesn’t make any sense. We left about 12:15 and as we were leaving, a part of 3 came in. Rose was flustered about where to seat them as they had a large party coming in AT 2! Hellooooooo!

Since it was an amusement for us and added to our experience, can’t cost them too much. As they get more experience, they’ll realize they can wait until maybe 1 or 1:30 (or so) to reserve the tables rather than 3 hours ahead although it does make them seem important that they’ve got this large party coming in.

Rose was very good. She made sure everything was o.k., brought the food promptly, was very gracious even giving me a take-out menu so I could write this with exact description. Bo got more water w/out asking for it. Originally there was ice in the water on the table. I asked for water without ice and received it immediately and the water was VERY good.

The room is very comfortable with sayings on the ceiling and paintings on the wall (for sale). I liked the tablecloths being real cloth as were the napkins (could add some paper for messy eaters though). They had bamboo placemats. Very nice.

The food was scrumptious. Normally I don’t much like food at raw restaurants except for the desserts. At Mary’s I’ll go back for the entrees. I would definitely get the Sushi roll again; probably not the “Raw Cheeze Platter” ($12) as I tend not to be too fond of nut “cheese”. Even though I’m not fond of mushrooms, I’d still like to try their Raw Ground Mushroom Tacos ($12) which, according to Mary, don’t taste like mushrooms; and their Rawviolis ($12).

For drinks they have smoothies which contain NO rice, soy or processed proteins. They really do sound yummy at $6-$7 each. Add-ins of Maca Root, Vanilla Bean, Psyllium Fiber, Goji Berries, Hemp Seeds or Cacao Beans are 75 cents each. As we’re not big eaters, we didn’t order anything to drink.

They also have other raw drinks including lemonade, homemade ginger ale, Lime Mint Chiller and more.

All-in-all it was a really good experience. I think once they get more experience they’ll be even busier than they are and you will really need a reservation to get in. I’m sure at times now, you do so, be sure to call ahead just to cover yourself.

What I would suggest Mary (she is the chef as well as owner) do is, type up the specials every day and put them in the menu. We may have missed something superb. Rose did tell us what they were yet, it would certainly have been easier reading them.

Hmmm. I just looked at the reviews again and the one I mentioned has been deleted. o.k! The only thing I remember reading on it was what I said about many tables being reserved and being placed by the door. The rest, don’t remember, don’t care. For us, it was good.

I’m figuring this is a learning experience for all there; it was a very pleasant experience for me (raw vegan) as well as my husband (not raw, not vegan)… and we’ll definitely have to make the trip back.

If you’re in the area, go there. If you’re not, make it a point.

Injoy,

Revvell

Oh my gawd!

I just received an advanced copy of Matthew Kenney’s “Entertaining in the Raw” and all I’ve got to say is, whatever level you are at in raw, even if it’s to just put a leaf of head lettuce and ketchup on your Mickey D’s hamburger, get this book.

It is one of the richest, most beautiful, well-laid out books I’ve ever received. As I’m going through it I’m saying “I’ve GOT to make that; and that; and that!

As far as food prep, if you’re not used to preparing raw gourmet, the recipes might, at first, look a bit overwhelming yet, if you settle down and read each recipe you’ll see you are familiar with most, if not all of the ingredients and those you aren’t familiar with can be gotten at pretty much any chain store or, an ethnic store.

For instance I’m looking at “Vegetables and Grape leaf Dolmas w/ Sumac Flabread and cool Mint, Tahini and Aleppo Pepper Sauces”. Yes, that’s all on one page. The thing is, each thing ~ vegetable dolmas AND grape leaf dolmas AND Sumac Flatbread can all be made separately. They are 3 different recipes on one page. Next page contains the 3 sauces.

For me, there’s nothing in any of the recipes on these two pages I’ve not heard of except for aleppo pepper. So, what’s a woman to do? http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/ (yes, that’s a real site which more people need to use) ahem!

The Aleppo pepper is a variety of Capsicum annuum named after the town Aleppo in northern Syria. Most Aleppo peppers are grown in Syria.

It has a moderate heat level with some fruitiness and mild, cumin-like undertones.

Aleppo pepper may also refer to a dried, granulated spice made from Aleppo peppers that is also produced in Syria. It is similar to paprika, but coarser, and is only moderately spicy.

So, now we know what the pepper is and maybe, if not available, can find a substitute.

The pictures in this book are amazing! They were done by Miha Matei and they really bring this book to life.

This book is also divided up into chapters with names including: Blossom; Contemporary; Spice, Radiance and more.

I’m really excited to try these recipes. From just thumbing though the book although the recipes are considered “gourmet” it doesn’t seem that they are overly expensive.

For those of you who are “trying” to get more raw into family/friends, I’d suggest choosing a few of these recipes, creating them; making a beautiful presentation, then having a party.

Since I’ll be making and selling the food at a holistic expo in July, I’ll be looking for recipes I can make easily beforehand and presenting to people at all levels of raw from none to experienced.

Get this book and let’s share experiences. As of this writing, Amazon has this $35 retail book listed at $19.80 for pre-orders. I suggest you do it now.

Matthew Kenney Lifestlye

Injoy and life,

Revvell

BTW ~ I’ll be having Matthew on Rawkin Radio as soon as possible and, also on Let’s Talk Raw!

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