As I was preparing food today, I was considering why we’re so
reluctant to eliminate food that we know “intellectually” is bad for
us. For me, it’s because I don’t relate the food with the bad other
than sometimes, how I feel the next day or even on some occasions, in the next hour, but mostly I relate to how good it tastes and the good times I’ve enjoyed.

Consider this ~ IF you have a bad experience with something, do you
tend to return to it? For instance, if no matter how many times you
go to a restaurant and enjoy the food, if you have ONE bad
experience, say, food poisoning or seeing a cockroach running across the table, wouldn’t you be reluctant to go back there? I know I would and, in actuality have. I went to a restaurant in Santa Monica one evening and within 3 hours, I was in the restroom doing something very unladylike. That is one restaurant I will never go to again.

The problem I see here is, it takes excess fat a bit of time for it
to cling to our hips, bellies, thighs, etc. It takes YEARS very often for us
to develop a lifestyle-related disease. By the time these things have
manifested, we’ve enjoyed YEARS of cheese-laden pizza; YEARS of meat, fish and poultry; YEARS of sugary sweets, YEARS for alcohol to destroy our liver, YEARS for cigarettes to destroy our lungs and now they’re bad for us? Since it took so long, it’s really tough for our minds to make the connections that what we did is causing the problem(s).

Then again, what about all the fun? The family get-togethers? The holidays? The bar-b-ques, picnics, etc.? AND, we LOVE this stuff! (Well, some of us love some of these things, some of us love all these things and some of us… well, don’t).

True that! Question is, how much do you enjoy life and living it?
People will tell me that if they can’t have a juicy steak, a glass of
scotch, a pizza whenever they want, then life isn’t worth living. My
question is, is this true?

As humans, we are VERY capable of change. For me, if I couldn’t ever
eat a ripe, juicy peach, or have watermelon juice dripping down my
chin, as much as I love them, I could live without them (hoping I
will never have to). The difference is, one is life-giving and the
other (pizza, steak, alcohol, etc.) is not.

One is full of life force, nutrients and health and the other is not.

So, the challenge as I see it is, what can we do to heal ourselves
and still enjoy life? Being someone who really enjoys fruit and many
veggies, it’s not as hard for me. But what about people who don’t?
Who’ve never gotten the taste for a sweet juicy melon? Those who feel
a meal isn’t a meal without a dead animal carcass on their plate?

I personally know hard core meat eaters who, previously, thought vegetables meant a piece of lettuce and slice of tomato on a burger, French fries, and ketchup and have become vegetarians.

Do we have to reach bottom before we can go back up?

I’ll be discussing this more thoroughly in my next post.

In the meantime, I’d suggest you pick up this GREAT dvd for anyone you know who could use some help in healing, eliminating excess weight, or just wish to be educated on how to upgrade their level of wellness.

Ease, not Dis-Ease,

Revvell

As I was out walking this morning, I was listening to some subliminal cd’s I’d recently purchased. One of them is called “Having it All”. Just as I was coming home I realized, I already have it all. I want for nothing.

I have enough money (and more), right now, to pay all my monthly bills ~ rent, utilities, food, etc. My car is a 2007 Prius, paid for. We have an older van ~ paid for. We don’t purchase unless we have the money ~ which we do. I rarely have owed anyone for anything and if I did it was because I knew I had the ways and means to pay it off. I wasn’t “hoping” the money would come in and, it was only one purchase at a time.

At one time I purchased a stereo set to begin building credit. I put a hefty down payment on it; paid it off in 3 months (no interest). Then I purchased a small piano. Same thing… large down payment, paid off w/in a year. (no interest). I could have paid for both of those things in cash but was told I needed credit so I started to build it. Then I stopped. I really didn’t “need” credit and couldn’t find more things I wanted to purchase to build it.

Now, I have no credit BUT, I also have no debt. Oh yes, I can hear some of you saying “Lucky you!”. Well, yes and no. I prefer to think of “conscious me”. I MADE my “luck” by paying attention. Never getting a credit card and always paying in cash keeps life simple.

What has been interesting is that about 10 months ago we were looking for a new place to live. Because we had no credit (he’s from Europe and hadn’t established it yet) we were turned down for the 3 places we tried for, only one of which I would really have liked to have gotten. I asked the owner why she wouldn’t lease to us and she said the other person had more credit. I said, “oh, how interesting. So, what you’re saying is, they have debt which makes them more lease-worthy and we, who have nothing to pay but our monthly bills are not?”

Suffice it to say, we did find a lovely place ~ the one we’re supposed to have in the area we’re supposed to have it. It’s perfect for us ~ for now!

Now, the major holidays are upon us. What are you going to do? Purchase gifts for people you don’t want to because they give you something every year? Have you thought they are thinking the same about you? Do you go into debt every year purchasing gifts? Want to re-consider that this year? What alternatives can you think of which will show you care ~ about you!?

Same with my last post. People feel obligated to do the same thing every year with the same people every year never considering that just maybe the others don’t want to do it any more than they do. Something to consider, eh?

Something else to consider ~ if these people are not people you can speak with about this (and who will tell you the truth), then maybe you shouldn’t be spending money on them or time with them anyway. What do you think?

By the way, last year I created a “playbook” of tools I used to bring me where I am today. I use it myself and keep on growing and learning. You might wish to check it out for yourself or, as a priceless gift for someone you love: “Revvellutionize Your Life in 30 Days”

Injoy,

Revvell

This morning I received this understanding from my friend Sandy Brewer in her Inspirational thought for the Week: “It took me a long time to understand that I could be what I choose to be, that I am, indeed, that which has the capacity to look fear in the eye and dissolve it. No problem can be resolved from the point of view of the problem. I learned to ask myself, “What’s another way of looking at this?”

I’m going to extract one sentence from this that struck me: “No problem can be resolved from the point of view of the problem.” As a health practitioner and educator, I see people all the time coming from the “point of view of the problem”… in health, it’s the symptoms. How can I stop the symptoms? The symptoms are the “.. point of view of the problem”… they aren’t the cause, they aren’t the root, they are the warning signals that something is wrong.

So, what do we do? Let’s take the case of cancer since people are focused on that this month. Symptoms ~ lumps, tumors, skin lesions, etc. What do doctors do? They poison, burn and mutilate to eliminate the symptoms. What they DON’T do, is find the cause! Helllooooo! Anybody home? They then send the patient home to do what they’ve been doing to cause the problem in the first place! Do you know that IF the patient lives 5 years, that means they’ve cured cancer? Even if they die in the 6th (or, during the 5th)? That’s ridiculous!

Heart disease ~ same thing! We can stick some valves and some stents in to open up the arteries.. Hey! let’s take a vein out of the leg and use that! well, how cool is that? Now, go home and continue eating, drinking, smoking and living as you were, we’ll see you again in a few years.

Diabetes! Here, have some insulin and shoot up every day. You’ll be fine. Oh, and carry some candy around in case you mess up.

Am I the only one who sees how ridiculous this is?

Do you know that the majority of Americans in this country experience detectable cancer approximately 6 times in their lives? Cancer cells, from my understanding, live in our bodies. For them to get to a detectable stage takes YEARS of eating and doing the wrong things.

Do you know that the majority of people who have Type 2 diabetes can be diabetes free in as little as 3 days and sometimes up to 2 weeks? AND, many with Type 1 have eliminated insulin shots altogether or at least dropped the dosage significantly?

Do you know that heart disease can almost always be reversed w/in a few months?

So, why don’t doctors tell people this? There’s no money in it! At least not enough to keep them in the style to which they’ve become accustomed to.

How can you find out more? Check out these two videos as a first step.. There’s over 3 hours of interviews with accredited doctors, excerpts taken from many prestigious medical journals and interviews with people who’ve healed themselves without poisons, burning and mutilation. I’ve got these on sale until the end of the month of Oct. ‘08. $20 (and taking action on what you see) may save your life or that of someone you love. “Healing Cancer From the Inside” and “Eating“. Get them while I’ve got them in stock at that price!

If you know someone who has diabetes, there’s a new dvd out which addresses that specifically. It shows the journeys of 6 people diagnosed with diabetes ~ 5 with diabetes 2 and 1 with diabetes 1. All but one were insulin-injection free w/in 2 weeks… most w/in 3 days. It’s called: “Simply Raw ~ Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days“.

Yes, the holidays are coming up yet, what a great way to start the new year… taking better care of oneself. What do you think?

By the way, I’ve currently got openings for two clients for consultation. If you’re interested in working with me, please contact me at: Revvell@Revvellations.com and put “Potential Client” in the subject line.

Yours in health,

Revvell

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)

Whew! Just came back from the Raw Spirit Festival. I don’t normally go to places like this ~ or stay when I do, yet it was really fun! I went as “media” because of Rawkin Radio. Got to meet lots of people I “know” from online ~ mostly Twitter (Helene Laurence, Rawbin, DeaLivingLotus, Wendidee and SO many more) but from Raw Food Talk, Annavon  made it a point to meet me. What a delight she is. Oh! She got to watch me almost die from choking on bee pollen and cacao nibs ~ I’m sure that was a treat for her. lol (Bo, Helene and I have had a few laughs about that since because we were right outside the meditation tent and they became upset because I was coughing and choking. Oh, so sorry to disturb.. how about if I just crawl over there and die, that o.k. with you?)

Everyone received one meal a day. The first meal was prepared by Bruce Horowitz. Sorry to say but it was the least liked by me. There was a blob of blue-green algae in the middle, not my idea of good-tasting. The dessert was a packaged Raw Revolution cookie. I’ve still got it. Saturday’s meal was prepared by Melissa Davison. SO much better. She’d prepared a cole-slaw with just the right, light dressing and a salad with a creamy dressing. As always, her dessert was mahvelous! Sunday’s meal topped that. It contained a red cabbage saurkraut (best way I can describe it), some type of nut pate/burger on fresh spring mix, topped with crispy nori strips. There was also a freshly made brownie topped with goji berries. It was soooooo good! (could be wrong about what was ACTUALLY in it as far as it being “saurkraut” and/or type of “burger” but, it was just wonderful!) That was prepared by Cosmo Means.

Highlights and what’s coming up for you here, on RawkinRadio and also on Natural Products Radio. We’ll be posting as they are edited. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

Here are some highlights you can expect:

Full presentations from David Wolfe, Markus Rothkranz, Doug Graham, Gabriel Cousens, and more.

Interviews with Victoria Boutenko (what’s the truth about her weight?); Angela Elliott, author of Alive in 5: Health Ranger Mike Adams, NaturalNews.com; (is he as cute in person? how’s he make his money? Is he single?) ~ all the pertinent questions one needs answered); David Wolfe, and more.

We’ve got numerous pics, videos and audio you don’t want to miss! I’ll post links on Twitter so, follow me there or subscribe to my radio shows ~ RawkinRadio and Natural Products Radio.

There were lots of chocolate sellers. I loved Vanessa’s Gnosis chocolate but at $12 per bar… Did an interview with her as well.

I’m excited to be able to share all of this with you. We really didn’t have enough time to get all I wanted.

Personally, I was considering buying cacao powder. Spent 3 days thinking about it and figured if I had to think THAT much, then, I didn’t really want it. I did get a bag of raw carob and a bag of raw vanilla powder from Matt Monarch and two bottles of olives from David Wolfe’s table.

Brian Au gave me a video and some green flaky stuff. Oh! got a short interview with him as well. I really didn’t like his aggressive marketing approach when I’d originally met him about 3 years ago or so but he is a VERY sweet, lovely man and I’m glad I stopped to chat with him. I think you’ll enjoy him as well.

I’ve changed my mind about Doug Graham’s 80/10/10 approach. He really makes a lot of sense. I still go with Alissa’s idea of “Eat what you want, when you want, as long as it’s raw” for people getting started who can handle it! Many can’t. That’s where Victoria’s ideas some in ~ green smoothies for 2-3 months to get the digestive system functioning better first. In our interview she said that she’s found many people can’t even handle that and for them, she suggests green juices. My feeling is, IF one attains 100% raw, THEN, they’ll evolve to where Doug Graham is, naturally ~ less fats, less (focus on) protein. Protein (amino acids) is in EVERY fruit and or vegetable we eat. As he said in his presentation, one would have to work very hard to not get enough, if not more than enough, protein.

I purchased two of Doug Graham’s books as well ~ one describing the 80/10/10 food program and the other with just recipes. More on those here later.

More personal highlights:

I got hugged by Marcus Rothkranz ~ twice ~ and a kiss on the hand from David Wolfe.

There were a lot of parties. Bo and I went to the one on Thursday night thrown by Kevin Gianni of Renegade Health. That’s where I met a few people we got to chat with and interview. Friday night, Vanessa threw a chocolate party. We’d left early so missed hearing about that until after it was over. I heard there was a durian party as well. Saturday night my throat was sore from trying not to die from choking so didn’t make it to the dance party at Relics in Sedona. Sunday we stayed fairly late (for us) at the festival and I’m sure there was another closing party somewhere.

OH! Most fun of all is, we were sitting in a cafe Thursday morning and a young woman came over, introduced herself and said how much she enjoys RawkinRadio and just wanted me to know that ~ then walked away. A few moments later a gentleman came over and said he was in the entertainment industry and could he give me his card? We had people coming up for the next three days saying they listen to the show, it’s been an inspiration to them… talk about frosting on the cake! So SWEEEEET!

If any of you reading this did this, thank you! You truly made the festival worth the trip.

That’s all I can remember for now. More later ~ much more. Check in with all the above links and stay tuned. More coming soon.

BTW ~ feel free to leave comments HERE. I muchly appreciate it.

Injoy,

Revvell

… 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

Go to my site and check out the new look! Click on a few things and see what’s available. Thank you!

As I was out walking the streets this morning, I was thinking how life is sort of like that. There are ups and downs and flats.

In my classes and with students/clients, I’m often talking about upper/lower limits. Some call it the “comfort zone.”

I’ve noticed that when people come up against an upper limit of good they (unconsciously) think they can have, they’ll often (unconsciously, again) become anxious or fearful, smack up against that upper limit, then slam back down to where they are more comfortable. At that point, they have choices; sideways, or up.

To me, this is like climbing hilly streets. If one is not in shape, one of the best ways up is to go up as far as you can, then go sideways awhile, then up the next street, sideways and up. Instead, many will go all the say up, then all the way down and the next morning, they’re so sore, they don’t want to go out again and don’t ~ until they talk themselves into doing it again ~ if ever. They’re back in their “comfort zone”.

Sometimes people will get up to a certain place (plateau), stay there awhile, then move up some more. That’s how I got myself in shape to climb a local mountain… climb, stop, breathe, climb, stop, breathe, until I reached the top.

It seems many of us are in a hurry to have things happen. When they open up, we want to take advantage. Not a problem. Just know that, if you go up, when you come down, you wont be down as far as you were when you started. You’ll have some learnings under your belt; you may be healthier; maybe have made more connections… all well and good! Excellent even!

Just remember to stop, breathe and carry on! As long as you’re moving… life will support you.. Always has so far, hasn’t it?

Enjoy and Injoy,

Revvell
Revvellations
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“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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As I’m reading the usual bad news in the latest AARP Bulletin about Sick Care (o.k, they call it “health” care but you’ve got to be sick in order to take advantage of it) I’m truly amazed at the advice given including:

Nowhere does it say ~ Stop expecting others to do what you can do for yourself ~ Change your lifestyle and become healthy! It’s your health! Your life! Your body!

The American Cancer Society, with all it’s billions of dollars will never find a cure for cancer as long as humans keep creating it! The American Heart Association will never find a cure for heart disease as long as humans keep creating it! Consider this ~ IF the AMA and ACS go out of business, what happens to our economy? THOUSANDS of people will be out of work, lose their homes, etc. THOUSANDS of people who are living off the laziness of others. Yes, you read that right. People have told me straight out that IF someone else made the food for them they’d eat it. MANY have told me they don’t have time! My question is, if you don’t have time to make a simple smoothie that takes less than 15 minutes a day including clean-up, how are you going to have the time to go to doctors? How are you going to have time to recover from the treatments? When will you find the time to have surgery? How will you take care of loved ones when you are ill? Who will take care of you?

Changing you lifestyle and eating healthy is waaaaay less expensive than paying off hospital bills. 

This is YOUR life and YOUR life is your responsibility! 

There is no CURE for what WE are doing to ourselves other than to stop doing it!!! Drugs do not cure! Radiation treats symptom. Surgery removes symptoms! Get to the cause! Illness is almost 95 percent lifestyle caused. WE are the cause, we are also the cure!

I’ve started a mastermind group where you can learn how to take back YOUR health starting from where you are now. Contact me for more information. 

This special includes the newly released second soft-cover edition of my book “Smoothies and Smoozies for Life” and Mike Anderson’s 110 minute dvd “Eating Plus”.