Raw Food, Right Now! The raw food blog about the Raw Food World.

The Raw Food Diet and Lifestyle - eBook by Markus Rothkranz [Raw Food Book Review]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:22:00 +0000

"It is insanely ridiculous I have to write a book about this. This is like having to remind people that breathing is healthy." - Markus Rothkranz

You may not familiar with Markus Rothkranz. If you're not familiar with who Markus is and what he is all about, we recommend you see his amazing video before you continue. It will help you grasp what he is about and his passion for the raw food lifestyle:

In fact, Markus has written a very unique raw food book that stands out from all the other raw books out there.

Markus's new book, The Raw Food Diet and Lifestyle, is a very straight-forward manual written in a conversational style on the raw food lifestyle. Markus pulls no punches in this book and gets down and dirty, telling you *exactly* what you need to do, in what order, how and why.

This is probably the most straight-forward no-holds-barred book on going raw we've ever seen.

We can honestly say that we've never seen a raw food book like this. And we've read almost all of the raw food books published out there. Interested?

What makes this book so different?

The basic information and concepts covered in this book may be what you have seen before. But with anything Markus creates, there is always "the Markus touch" to it.

I'm not quite sure how to emphasize this enough, so we will say it very clearly so you get it:

This book is extremely straight-forward, down-to-earth, and contains absolutely zero fluff.

A first in the raw book world for sure! (That alone may be a first in a health-related book world!)

Markus gets right to the point and his goal is to lay out a simple plan for the reader to follow. For those who want exact instructions, Markus gives them directly, outlining which steps to follow and in what order.

But this book is not just about food! Markus lays out a whole body, mind, and spirit approach by addressing multiple topics including:

massage
healing touch
specific yoga postures
breathing
enemas
exercise
sex
and more.....

This isn't a book with lots of pretty pictures and fun gourmet recipes either. Markus has written this book to take you from the very beginning and push you right through to optimal raw health, no holds barred. Sure, there are recipes included in this book but Markus puts his recipe focus on giving the reader what every beginning raw foodist should know: what the hell to eat every day!

Sometimes we want to tell Raw authors: Get to the Point!

And Markus actually does it. He gets to the point quickly and with razor-sharp focus the entire time in the book.

We've talked with Markus personally and know that everything he does comes from the fullness of his heart. He can be flashy at times, but he abhors gimmicks and unnecessary products as much as we do. He would not have written this book if he didn't think it was 100% necessary (see the quote at the beginning of this review to see what we mean).

We absolutely love the style of writing Markus has in his book. It is like listening to a long-time friend who gives you an honest and direct set of instructions on health directly from the heart.

Also worth noting is that Markus has a subtle sense of humor that we find extremely endearing. We both laughed out loud multiple times while reading his book!

The Direct, No-Fluff Approach

You may have heard this before from other book reviews by other people, but we are totally 100% serious: this is the book we wish we had when we started going raw!

One of the concepts that is very clear from Markus's videos and in this book is his approach to health and going raw. A large part of his time is focused on the importance of cleansing. His approach is to strip down and clean out the toxic junk from the body first and then only put the best stuff back in. 'Nuff said, right? A very extreme approach for most people, but definitely works for some. Don't worry, he knows that not everyone is ready for such a drastic change gives support for those wishing to ease into this way of eating/living in this book.

But this book is not going to be the only raw or health book you'll ever need. No book ever will be the only book you ever need, but with The Raw Food Diet and Lifestyle, you will get you much further and faster than any other raw book we've run across.

So many other raw books spend so much time "convincing" you that the raw diet is the best diet. Markus doesn't waste your time with a lot of lofty words. You've heard raw food is good, right? Sure, Markus gives you his version of the "raw tirade" in the book, but he blasts right through the crap that most other books spend way too many chapters on and just gets you started ASAP. Amen!

An Author That's Been There, Not One That's Perfect

We all love a good story, especially one that shows the author has been there. Markus is not someone who was healthy, then found raw food and got healthier. He spent the first 30 years of his life extremely sick! And if you imagine how much this amazing guy accomplished while being sick (beautiful artwork, working on Hollywood movies, special effects for movies, etc.), you would be astounded to find out how sick he was during those years. Compare it to how toned and healthy this man looks now at 47!

"I almost died half a dozen times in my life because of stupid things I did... most of them lifestyle choices. I never drank alcohol, smoked, did recreational drugs or anything like that. I followed all the rules like a good citizen. But my life still came very close to ending numerous times. Why? Not because I played with guns or jumped out of airplanes. No, I had heart disease, liver disease, lung disease, I was hemorrhaging and had a list of medical problems longer than this book... all because I ate what I wanted- the modern American diet. For the first thirty years, I ate candy, hamburgers, florescent sodas, macaroni and cheese, pop tarts, toast, spaghetti, TV dinners, pastries, canned food, cheese, bread, milk, sugar, sugar, sugar and more sugar. I had cysts before I was even out of my teens. I couldn't drive more than a few minutes without stopping, opening the car door and coughing up a gob of mucus so I could breathe. People didn't call me Markus, they called me Mucus." -- Markus describing his health transformation

It's pretty obvious that a huge chunk of Markus's passion for focusing his efforts on raw food and optimal health right now come from his radical transformation. He seems like he's just bubbling with his incredible story of personal healing, that he can barely get it all out.

Reading his book is much like sitting down with him in person and having him genuinely talk with you, passionately trying to help you understand and obtain radiant health, person-to-person. It's as if Markus is trying to speak to you through this book.

It's easy to get swept up into Markus's enthusiasm and passion for living a radiant life. While reading his book, you will probably find yourself feeling and saying...

"Yes! Let's get on this right now! I'm ready to live the best life ever this second and never hold back again!"

Personally, this is the stuff we love to read. Instead of reading fiction, we read books like Markus's over and over again.

But making an extreme change very quickly may not be for everyone. Markus isn't necessarily advocating such a quick, overnight change, but you can feel his push for his readers to seriously consider it! I challenge you to watch Markus's inspiring videos and read his book in one day and not to get caught up in the fervor to "change your life right now!"

What, Exactly, is in this Book?

When we get interested in a new book, we love being able to either look through it or at least check out its table of contents before buying it. Since right now Markus is only offering "The Raw Food Diet and Lifestyle" as an ebook, we're going to give you the table of contents right here in this review:

Table of Contents:

Intro - The Healing Starts Now
Here We Go
How Bad Can it Be?
The Transition
The Shopping List
Enema - The Miracle Cleanser
Fasting - The Universal Healer
Parasites - Everyone Has Them
The Plan
Recipes
Signs of Detox and Level of Health
Mistakes Many Raw Foodists Make
Bad Things to Avoid
Exercise
Stretching
Emotion
Stress
The Power of Touch
Make Love for Health
Alone Time and Place
Energy Work
Sleep
Spirituality
Sunlight
If it Isn't Working
The Biggest Healer of All
Final Word
Where to Get Stuff
Healing Centers

This book, clocking in at 135 pages, is very densely packed. In published book form this book would easily take up 350 pages or more. As we've said before, Markus pull no punches and leaves nothing out except the fluff. And since Markus currently charges $300 an hour for consultations, this book is akin to sitting down with him for a weekend and getting his entire wealth of knowledge and experience in health and nutrition for a fraction of the cost.

"The Plan"

The heart of the book is a section aptly simply named "The Plan", which itemizes in a step-by-step fashion how to put his raw diet lifestyle plan to use...even if you've never done anything like it before. Markus completely breaks everything down and directly tells you what you need to do.

How do you start "The Plan"? Markus recommends starting "The Plan" with a complete cleansing:

enemas
juicing
water fasting
and other healthful steps...before moving into solid foods to totally clean out a toxic body. This plan is very well laid out and can give someone a clear picture as to what actually needs to be done instead of just talking about lofty concepts of perfect health.

A lot of raw health books we've read spend miles of pages talking about the theory and concept of raw foods. Where else can you find a detailed plan for beginners? We've never seen one so well laid out like this until now.

Other sections include:

There is also a large section on parasites and parasites cleansing. See our review of Markus's Parasite-Free formula.
Troubleshooting section, a list of bad things to avoid.
Also includes a lengthy section on bodywork: massage, yoga, stretching, etc.
As well as the deep, intimate connection our emotions and stress has on our health.
And of course, the healing power of sex, sex, and more sex!
(Sex...and love. Markus is a total passionate romantic!)
The last section includes a very simple summary for those times when the reader needs a quick reminder or wants an easy breakdown of what to do and what not to do.
How do you know if it's working? section. We love this. How many times have you seen crazy ideas in a raw food book and you're always wondering if you're doing the right thing?! Markus shows you the signs to be looking for.

The Buying Guide -
How to find high quality raw foods at the best prices

One of our absolute favorite parts about this book is that Markus gives the exact sources for where he gets his bulk herbs, superfoods, and powders. Nothing is held back for "another product". It's all here. There are even sources we had not seen before in this book. As we like to say about Markus, he's done his homework! Both of us were in total agreement with Markus' suggestions.

So what kind of raw food diet does Markus recommend in his new book?

It's no secret that not one raw food advocate, expert, or author completely agree on what the "proper" raw food diet is. So what type of raw diet does Markus advocate? A mainly fresh-food, mostly vegan raw diet. Dehydrated foods and nuts are great, but not the ultimate health promoting raw food diet, in his view. Foods with more water and juiciness are preferred.

He also advocates a lots of greens, giving an ideal daily amount of greens to shoot for 2/3 vs. 1/3 fruit in blended green smoothies.

"So if you need to, then eat the transitional foods - like dehydrated crackers, burgers and cookies etc. But just know that it’s not as health-promoting as fresh fruits and vegetables plucked right off a tree or bush and eaten or blended."
- Markus on the ideal raw food diet

Should You Get this Book?

We've been toying with the idea of writing our own "Raw Foods for Beginners" book for years. And we've just celebrated our 5 year raw anniversary. While we may be writing a raw food book in the future, for the time being we will be recommending anyone interested in raw foods should read Markus' book.

Markus has done the research, he knows his stuff, and he is a breath of fresh air as he has written a book that is truthful, honest, and truly informational.

If you are just starting out with learning about raw food, read this book.
If you are struggling with "how to go raw", read this book.
If you have some health problems and want to feel better, read this book.

With total honesty, both Heidi and I can say that this book may change your life forever.

Can you tell we love this book?

Find out more about this book here: The Raw Food Diet and Lifestyle by Markus Rothkranz

~ JS Ohlander

Raw Food Right Now
http://www.rawfoodrightnow.com

Quick Update from Raw Union

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:57:00 +0000

The honeymoon couple - photo by Penni Shelton

We had a blast at Raw Union! It was a wonderful time to see Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes get married right in front of us! This whole trip has been a whirlwind experience, it feels like a dream. Am I dreaming, or am I going to wake up? I'm still not sure, but I am making sure I am having as much fun as possible!

After all, this is our honeymoon, as we are celebrating 7 years as friends, 6 years married, and 5 years raw as of yesterday.

We have been having such an excellent time, but we have never been more busy. Literally not a moment to post on Facebook, but I have been on Twitter a few times.

I promise when we get back to town on Friday I will post some photos, and link to other photos and videos from the other people who were there, but for right now I had to share this photo that Penni Shelton took of the two of us.

I miss everyone who was in Oregon already.

Another busy day today...but somewhere in our schedule we are going to fit in a trip to Erewhon and later tonight we are going to Au Lac! So!

Impomptu RFRN meetup tonight!

If you can make it out to Au Lac, stay tuned to my Twitter account where I will be posting the info on the time tonight. Hope you can make it if you are out in California because we already have a party of 10 and I'd love for it to be more!

Lots of love to you, and although I am having lots of fun here, I can't wait to get back home...we are so excited to have a rawking summer of love!

~ Heidi
Raw Food Right Now

Raw Food Video Roundup for June 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:48:00 +0000

Before we leave for Raw Union this week, we're going to leave with you with of our favorite new raw and raw-related videos for you to watch. When we come back, we should have some of our own videos to post for you as well!

Beautify Your Life with Raw Foods

Our friend, the amazing Markus Rothkranz, has released another inspiring video in his raw video series. It's always good to get a dose of Markus's passion and inspiration through his videos!

Markus Beautify Life video: http://www.beautifylife.com

Also, Markus has recently launched an herbal product line called Body Force Products. This incredible line includes specific herbal combination's formulated by Markus and Raw Matt, including Parasite-Free (see our review here), Tox-Free, Stress-Free, and more. Markus knows his stuff and has been working extremely hard on formulating these products along with releasing a new book and a series of other ebooks that we will be reviewing soon.

We love our fellow workaholics like Markus, always coming up with something amazing.

How Fast Could You Eat a Pound of Durian?

At the recent Raw Spirit Festival in Santa Barbara, CA, Matt Monarch (who is getting married at Raw Union this week) and David Wolfe had a face-off contest to see who could eat the most fresh durian (provided by Alex of RawGuru.com) in three minutes! The video is hilarious and definitely worth a watch...or two. Will there be another face off at Raw Union? If there is, we will be there with our camera to capture it as well...

Alligator vs. Watermelon

Ok, this is not really a "raw food video", and we're not going to explain to you. You're going to have to watch it for yourself. If you don't enjoy it as much as we did, there's something wrong with you. :)

Watch Alligator vs. Watermelon

How to Slice and Dice an Onion Like a Pro

Our favorite productivity blog, Lifehacker.com, recently posted a really quick video from a professional chef who shows you how to easily dice an onion. An excellent and quick tutorial.

Watch how to slice and dice an onion like a pro.

Daniel Vitalis Tests a Hot Spring

Want to know how to test the quality of a spring? Watch spring water-proponent test a beautiful hot spring for its quality.

Spring Water News: The team here at Raw Food Right Now recently soft-launched the new version of FindaSpring.com with Daniel Vitalis! If you know of any local springs where you or others gather your drinking water, please submit one here: FindaSpring.com. We will be doing a full-launch announcement on RawFoodRightNow.com later this month.

Cute Video of the Day

Karen Knowler, the popular Raw Food Coach, has a uber-cute video of her and her son, Luke. Luke shows you how to make his favorite dessert!

Raw Mom Related News: If you're a health-conscious Mom who is into raw food, there is an incredible new free summit gathering some of the health world's top Mom's and other leaders (about 30 experts total!). This is the first event we've ever heard of that is exclusively devoted to raising your children raw and healthy and speaking are some of the top people who have been there and raised truly healthy, vibrant children. It's free to sign up and hear the interviews! Quite a wonderful resource. Check it out here: Raw Mom Summit.

What is Detox?

This is a great little video done by some of the staff at the Tree of Life on what detoxification is and some tips on making it easier.

BONUS!

David Wolfe has recently released a free new video about how to boost your immune system. It's 25 minutes long and packed for of really great information you may not have heard of. He's launching a new program of extremely detailed information and resources about longevity and health. Check out his new program here: David Wolfe's Longevity Now Program.

To get to the immunity video for free, you will need to go here and enter your email address: David Wolfe on Boosting your Immune System.
If you are sick of getting sick even though you just started eating raw food or if you're still raw and still getting sick, this information is truly honestly very helpful.

-----

That's our raw video roundup for June 2009! We'll be doing some blogging during Raw Union as well...and taking some videos with our new video camera!

~ Raw Food Right Now!
http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

Big Announcement: Heidi and JS are going to Raw Union!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:14:00 +0000

How Would You Celebrate 5 Years Eating Raw Food?

In 10 days, JS and I will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary with raw food, as well as our 6 year wedding anniversary. And on the same day, Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes will be getting married in Oregon at an event they have called Raw Union.

Up until 24 hours ago, those celebrations were going to be held thousands of miles apart, but we have just confirmed that JS and I will be flying out to celebrate the big day with Matt and Angela!

We Never Had A Honeymoon.....Until Now!

This will be a big celebration for JS and I, as we never even got our own honeymoon back when we got married. At the time, Justin was set to go on tour with his music in Europe, but the tour ended up falling through. We never got our honeymoon.

I've always quietly been dissapointed that we never had a honeymoon. I watched other people go on honeymoons, and I wondered what it must be like.

And to be totally honest with you... we've never been on a vacation in 6 years, with the exception of a family gathering here and there.

Hanging out with your relatives isn't a honeymoon...but I can not imagine a better way to celebrate 5 years with raw food with our own raw family of raw friends on our RAW Honeymoon at Raw Union!!!!

I can't believe that in a few short days I will be on vacation, hanging out with all my best raw friends, and spending time in beautiful Oregon for the first day of summer.

Literally this is a dream come true!!! I am 1000% serious!

I was going to keep it quiet that we were attending, but I'm telling you right now because I want to hear from people who are going so I can plan to see you there!

Everyone Is Going to Be There...

I'm so excited to see my friends Matt and Angela in person, and other people like my good friends Alex Malinsky, Penni Shelton, Raw Matt, Bunny Berry, Steve Prussack, Cathy Silvers ...and 30 other amazing big names in the raw food scene I know you've heard of, as well as over 200 other guests who will be attending the wedding! I can't name them all here - go to the Raw Union website to see who's attending.

Our First Official Raw Event

This is going to be our first official raw food event that JS and I will be attending, and I am so excited and bursting with energy that I just might explode!

So - - - - I know you've probably seen other raw food bloggers talk about Raw Union.
I know it is kind of at the last minute.

Yep. So what. We're making our plans at the last minute and we want you to do the same!

I am urging you.....

If you can make it, I want you to come.
I want you to be there when we celebrate Matt and Angela.
I want you to be there when we celebrate the first day of summer.
And I want you to be there when Justin and I celebrate 5 years with raw food.

Here's the official link to Raw Union. Go check it out. This is really going to be an amazing event with food, lectures, demonstrations, healers, and a raw wedding with a raw wedding cake!

How can you miss out on that?!!

I totally sincerely hope you can make it because it is going to be such a joy to see everyone in person that I have known for years over the web.

I want you to come eat a ton of raw food with me!

Before I end this post, I have to give a big shout out thank you to Alex Malinsky and Cathy Silvers for urging Justin and I to make these plans at the last minute. I am so thankful that I have great friends who push me out of my comfort zone and helping me make my dreams come true!

Link to Raw Union Official Site

- Heidi
Raw Food Right Now

P.S. I wish I could convey how happy I am in this post but we'll be making videos at Raw Union so you'll see my excitement there!

P.P.S. We're hearing rumors of secret "surprises" that people are setting up for our anniversary while we are at Raw Union. I honestly have no idea what is going on, but I ask you that if you know about any secret plans, PLEASE do not tell us! As much as I want to know, I really want to be surprised! Thanks!

Raw Guru Hopping

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Guru Hopping: An Ongoing Raw Food Trend

We've been getting a lot of similar emails in our inbox here at Raw Food Right Now.

Here is the general scenario:

Someone emails us, telling us that they are fed up with raw food expert ______. Also they don't like experts _______, ___________, and especially ___________.

I would list the names of these experts, but there are so many different experts mentioned, that there is no one expert to single out on this post.

The person who emails us is fed up, and now they are going to try the raw food diet plan by _______, _______. Most importantly they have decided they need to do the the ____ plan from ________.

This is called "Guru Hopping". It's a term we have invented to describe this all common scenario in the raw food world.

Guru hopping is a side effect from not being satisfied with the current results from your raw food diet, or a lack of confidence that you are on the correct raw food path for you.

Sadly, a large amount of people who find raw food never succeed on the diet long term because they get themselves into guru hopping.

Even JS and I had quite a bit of guru hopping in our first year together with raw food. That whole year we read so much by so many different viewpoints that it made us temporarily confused about what is "right" for us. Sunfood Diet, 80/10/10, low fat vegan, Rainbow Green, LifeFood, gourmet raw as a transition, juice fasting, and on and on. All in one year. We became obsessed, and read so much our brains turned to mush. Finally we had to put the books, websites, and audio programs on hold for awhile until we could decide what felt "right" for us.

Guess what? There is no one "right" diet for every single person on the planet. That's why there are different plans out there. We all live in different climates. We have all been raised differently. We have genetic dispositions and previous lifestyle habits to consider. And to add to all these diverse factors, all of us assimilate food differently.

Reading a variety of raw food books is important for anyone whose goal it is to live a raw food lifestyle for the long term.

But guru hopping is dangerous because it makes a person vulnerable.

Once you start guru hopping you are angry at the guru that "betrayed" you. Keep in mind that you probably never met this expert in your life. You probably didn't even finish reading their main book. And you probably didn't follow the plan they laid out, although you did read it a bunch of times.

You're not happy with your diet, you want to change, and you want to blame someone else. So you tell everyone that this expert, _______, is wrong. You may even slander this author and say things that aren't really true. You might even say that this expert cheated you, swindled you, took advantage of you.

In reality, you never really took care of yourself.

You never kept in a state of awareness of how you feel as you are transitioning to raw or a different version of raw. Admit it: you probably didn't follow the plan, you were doing your own thing, but you're not happy and now you want to blame someone besides yourself.

But no matter what, now you are mad. You want a change, and you start guru hopping. The most common scenario is that now you will go and find the most opposite expert from your original guru. If you are angry at the 80/10/10 diet, now you want superfoods. If superfoods "didn't work for you", now you want green smoothies only. Your new guru "told you so".

Who is your new guru? Your new guru is another book by someone else, and now this is your new guru of the moment. Now you are going to become obsessed, reading everything by guru #2, and everything is going to be fine.......

Until you don't like guru #2.

Uh oh. Now you hate guru #2, and you go searching again for yet another guru who will come in and save the day for you. And the cycle continues until either

a) you finally go raw your way, or
b) you give up on raw food.

Guru hopping is dangerous because it makes people jaded and cynical about the raw food diet.

If you ever were to give up on raw food, you would make sure to tell everyone who will listen about all the bad "raw food experts" out there who never helped you. Raw food is terrible, it doesn't work, it is really hard, and it is really expensive too. You don't want anyone to go through all the pain you went through.

If you are struggling on the raw food diet it can feel this way.

This is where some people jump off the raw food lifestyle entirely and switch to other programs including Weight Watchers.

I feel for you. I've been there.

It breaks my heart to see people all mad about raw food authors out there who have dedicated their lives to helping people go raw. They don't want this to happen to you, and neither do I.

How to Avoid Guru Hopping

1. Determine your goals with raw food. What are you trying to accomplish? What do you really want to achieve by eating raw food? When will you feel like you have succeeded?

2. Read. Then read some more. Raw food is such a radical shift from mainstream nutrition that it takes some time to understand the raw food diet, and to learn all the new foods that you have never eaten before. If you can handle it, read a few different books by a few different authors. Keep an open mind about their philosophy.

3. Find a real person that can mentor you. There are many raw food experts out there that you don't know all their names. There might be one living in your town. If you like a particular guru, there is probably someone in your town that also shares a similar philosophy to a popular raw food expert out there. Go see how healthy and vibrant that person looks. If they don't look the way you want to look, move on.

4. Join an online community for ongoing support. While local raw food Meetups are great, online groups are even better because like minds can talk to each other no matter where they are located. Potlucks can be confusing for potential "guru hoppers" because so many different people with different philosophies meet up at the same time.

5. Before guru hopping, think about why you are "leaving" this guru. If you have dedicated years of your life to a particular type of raw food lifestyle, you need to take at least a few days and meditate on why you are now choosing to change your path. Are you leaving a particular raw food philosophy based on anger of someone you have never met, or are you not going to eat this way anymore because it is not giving you the results you desire? Don't switch your diet because you hate "so and so". Change your diet because it feels right to you.

6. Find a real person that can mentor you. I am saying this twice because it is important. More and more I am personally witnessing individuals who do not have support in their lives as they transition to raw food.

Gurus are great, they have excellent resources of information. But the reality is that most gurus and raw food experts out there rarely have the time to personally consult and coach people.

Even Karen Knowler, aka "The Raw Food Coach", rarely has time to coach people. That's kind of funny, don't you think? But Karen is not the only raw food coach that has very few clients. There are a lot of raw food coaches, experts, and authors out there who are busy doing so many other things that they rarely have the time to help others individually.

If you can't find a coach, at least find a raw food friend.

If you can not find a raw food coach or other expert to talk about your desire to switch diets, at least find someone in one of the online communities and get some support. Many times people decide to "guru hop" because they don't feel they are getting support. They feel lonely, abandoned, isolated because of their diet.

If you feel lonely, it's not your guru's fault. Do not blame your guru for things out of their control. It is time for you to go out there and meet some people.

The moral of this story is that Guru hopping is dangerous. JS and I had our share of guru hopping many years ago, but it was never out of anger or spite. We tried many different raw food diets, and continued to be unsatisfied with the results until we found an individualized diet that works for us, and continues to get better every day.

That is what I wish for everyone to experience.

I will say it now, and I will say it again:

Raw food is not a destination. Raw food is a journey.

There will be many people you meet in your travels on the raw food path. Some you will be able to cherish as friends. Others are teachers for one time on your path, and then you will move on.

Transitioning from raw food teacher to raw food teacher is evolution. Guru hopping is jumping from dogma to dogma with emotional pain attached.

When you know the difference, I assure you that you will have a more pleasant experience.

And remember, most important of all, a raw food guru is just like you. They aren't perfect either. Everyone is doing the best they can with the information and experience they have. Try not to get into "worship" mode. Hey, give the gurus a break, they make mistakes too (even if they don't admit it).

Wishing you all the best on your raw food travels,
~ Heidi

Raw Food Right Now

P.S. If you are a raw food expert and you do offer individualized coaching, please email us. We would like to have a list handy to give to people who are emailing us asking for support. Thank you.

photo credit: kwerfeldein

Farmers Market Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:40:00 +0000

Downtown Minneapolis Farmers Market - photo by Metro Magazine

Farmers markets are getting more popular every year!

Your local farmers market is the best place to go for produce, herbs, berries and more during the spring, summer and fall months. And if you live in California and Florida or other warm climates, you probably have a farmers market year round.

Here are over 20 of our best tips and tricks on how to make the most of your local Farmers Market!

Farmers Market Tips and Tricks

Create Your Own Farmers Market Schedule:
Find out all the farmers markets in your area, within walking, biking or driving distance from other errands you run. Print off this schedule and keep it with you, and make sure to print out an extra copy to put in the car. Plan ahead and you can go to a market any day of the week.

Mid week markets are quieter, but weekend markets are usually bigger and have a better selection.

Bring Your Own Bags.
Most farmers don't have bags or containers for you to bring your produce home. Bring a big cloth bag, and multiple smaller bags for individual items. Another great bag to bring is a backpack for heavier items and to keep your hands free.

Keep Things Cool.
Going to be driving somewhere after the market? Bring an insulated bag or cooler with ice packs to keep things cool until you get home. Buying flowers? Bring a 5 gallon paint bucket or other container with water to keep flowers fresh.

Go early for best selection.
Overall, the best time to go to a market is when it just opens. You'll get the best selection, but rarely a bargain price. Small crops and very popular crops run out earlier in the day. If you want something special, go as early as possible to beat the crowds. This is especially true if you only buy from organic growers in your area, as demand is usually higher than the supply.

Go late for deals.
If money is a concern, shop 15-20 minutes before the market closes. You can try to haggle on prices, and sometimes if you get to know your farmers you can ask for blemished produce or other produce they want to give away. Just know that if you try to hassle them on prices, you will rarely make a new friend.

Don't go expecting everything is cheap.
From our experience with farmers markets, produce in season at farmers markets are cheaper than supermarkets. That being said, don't expect 1.00 a pound for hand picked blueberries. Be reasonable.

Always pay in cash.
Farmers don't take VISA. They rarely take checks. Bring ones, fives, and change. Farmers love exact change. Remember - they are not a retail operation like a grocery store. Save them time and they will save you money.

Walk through the market once before you buy.
Make a mental note of the prices you see and the produce you want. Once you've walked through it once, you are ready to make selections. Sometimes you might find that one seller has a better price on the other side of the market, but you've already made your purchases!

Farmers Market Prices Vary.
If a farmer sells to multiple farmers markets, some farmers charge different rates depending on the neighborhood. If you think the prices are too high at a downtown market, ask if the farmer sells in other parts of town. You just might save yourself a few dollars or more!

Buy what you know you will use.
You can save lots of money by not buying things you're not going to eat. Make a list early in the season of all the fruits, vegetables, and herbs that everyone in your household loves to eat. Keep this list with you to use as a guide when you shop.

Establish a relationship with growers.
Thank them for what they do. Get to know them, and have them get to know you. In the future they may save that special crop of heirloom tomatoes so you can have the first pick, or give you special "friends and family" prices.

Tell farmers what you want!
Farmers need to know what you want. If they don't sell enough kale, tell them. If they keep running out of their heirloom basil that you love, tell them. The farmers market is their time for "market research", literally. The more they hear from customers will help them make decisions in the future.

Not everyone is organic - they have their reasons.
Many farmers have been in using organic or biodynamic methods for years, but the price of becoming "certified" can be very expensive for small farmers. When you ask the right questions you can determine if they are growing produce in an ethical way. We always support transitional organic farmers...and they usually are the friendliest too.
Farmers Market does not always mean local.
If local food is important to you, ask if the produce is local. Some farmers actually import produce from other states and even other countries. If local food is important to you, make sure to ask where the produce is grown.

Don't be afraid to ask!
You have to ask the right questions to find out the truth. Organic, biodynamic, no-spray, non certified organic, transitional organic, and other terms are just some of the names you will have to keep in mind as you start an informal interview with your local farmer and their employees.

Here are some questions to ask:

Is your produce organic?
Do you use any chemicals or pesticides on your produce?
Are you transitioning to organic?
Where is your farm located?
How long have you been farming?
How long have you been using organic practices?
Why have you chosen to go organic?
Can people visit your farm to see what you do?

Farmers markets are full of surprises.
Never had a lemon cucumber? You might find it for the first time at a farmers market. When you try something new at the market, buy a small amount. You could even nibble on it while you shop the rest of the market and decide if you want to buy a larger amount.

Ugly can be delicious:
Most "ugly" varieties are usually plants that have been around for a very long time that were bred for flavor, not beauty. Seek out the ugly heirlooms out there and you'll be sure to have tasty flavor experiences you'll never forget!

Try One Before You Buy in Bulk:
Offer to buy one of something before you buy more. When you try a small amount you can decide if you want to buy more. Just because it is local doesn't mean it is delicious. Then again, you may find that something is so delicious you have to buy lots of it and share it with your friends!

Buy in Bulk:
When you buy a lot of produce, the farmers market usually has the best deals around. Ask how much it is to buy a bushel of tomatoes or other mass quantities of something, and they will start dropping prices.

Bonus tip: If you buy in bulk you may want to buy a wagon, stroller or wheeled cart to carry your bounty of goodies. 10 pounds of cucumbers are big and heavy!

Buy in season, then plan your recipes:
We're all spoiled having grocery stores with pineapples all year. When it is farmers market time, the produce tells us what to eat. Buy your produce at the market, then go home and look through recipe books to decide what to make. It is a culinary adventure!

There you have it!

Now you are ready to go out there and make the most of your local farmers market!

We want to hear your farmers market stories or other farmers market tips: If you have a story about your local farmers market, or if you have some extra tips we missed, email them to us and we will add them to upcoming posts on farmers markets during the summer.

Related Links:

Serve Your Country Food
Tips for Shopping and Eating Locally
7 Ways to Make Produce Last Longer

- Heidi
Raw Food Right Now

David Wolfe's Vision of Paradise

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:06:00 +0000

David Wolfe recently was recorded on video for the website Green Planet Paradise as part of an ongoing video series on YouTube. In the video series they have recorded videos with many visionaries and asked them to talk about their own Visions of Paradise.

David's video is truly inspiring, not only for raw foodists, but for those of us out there who want to focus on solutions, and not on doomsday problems.

I am turning this blog post into a personal mission for each of us.
There is two parts to this mission.

MISSION:

Personal Vision of Paradise

Part One: Watch this video, or read the transcript below.

Transcript

If you can not view the video of David speaking,

I have transcribed his vision for you.

Please take a moment, read the transcript, and visualize it in your mind.

"Part of the paradise situation is that everybody is actually doing what their mission is.

And their mission is always different, for each individual person.

Somebody's mission might be to be the best carpenter ever.

Somebody might be the best mom ever.

Somebody might be the best 2nd grade teacher ever.

Somebody might be the best food grower ever.

Somebody might be the best horticulturalist ever.

That might be their goal.

And each person who is incarnated on this planet

each soul,

has a unique mission that is unique to that person.

So when everybody is accomplishing their goal and their mission

what will inevitably happen is that we will be immediately turned into paradise.

Because when we're not in our mission

when we're doing a false identity, then we're in stress, we're in pain,

we're reaching for food that's not good for us,

we're frustrated

we're angry

we're stressed out

All of that stuff is related to not doing what you love everyday.

We got to get onto what we love everyday.

The picture of what it looks like on the Earth itself is

fruit trees everywhere in massive abundance for everybody

superfoods and superherbs in abundance for everybody

all grown with ORMUS

fragrances and herbage in people's homes

so that when you walk into someone's home

you are wafted with the most glorious scents of lavender, sage,

and other...yerbiscant (sp), other great aromatic herbs.

All houses are constructed out of recycled materials

that have been pulled out of landfills

We've taken all nuclear waste and we've launched it

either to the center of the sun,

or imploded it with Brown's gas, and gotten rid of it.

We've used fungi to clean up all the oil spills

all the petroleum messes that have ever happened.

We use fungi to clean up landfills.

We use the technology of using spores and fungi to re mediate

pesticide sprayed land because the fungi and spores,

the "medicinal mushrooms" can actually eat up the petrochemicals

and convert them into nutrients.

We can definitely see that all our oceans would be completely pure

Totally pristine and clean

There would be no more radical corporations that are

- like a chicken with their head cut off -

running around like crazy destroying everything in sight

That would all disappear.

We would end up in a situation where everybody would be somewhat agrarian

connected to the food they are growing, and living on

all ORMUS technologies would be available for everybody to grow

the best food ever.

Pure water for every being.

and the restoration of pure water, for everybody on Earth.

We would be in a situation where the population...

maybe we'd have to get to a place where "hey, you can't have 18 kids."

Maybe 2 or 3, or something.

So that we don't overpopulate ourselves, so we don't get ourselves into

a similar mess like today.

And obviously we would get off the spontaneous combustion engine

and go completely to solar, wind and/or zero point/free energy technologies...

so we're not spewing all kinds of gunk into the atmosphere.

We would come completely off fire.

We wouldn't need fire anymore to cook our food and do all that kind of stuff,

because cooking is a complete waste of resources and time.

And actually turns our food into poison in most cases.

In addition to all of that, we would get into re mediating and purifying

all the air on planet Earth, by restoring the natural balance of the atmosphere

by stopping chemtrails, and nuclear explosions in the atmosphere.

as well as the use of depleted uranium.

All nuclear weapons would be completely banned on the Earth.

It would be eradicated.

Either launched into the center of the sun, or taken away, or something.

Get rid of all nuclear weapons completely.

We would have to eradicate/ban all wars.

Actually, we'd be at no wars at that point anyways.

All wars are really caused by centralized banking.

Once we got rid of centralized banking there would be no reason for

wars to be happening, and that would all dissappear.

The military industrial complexes of the world

would convert all their efforts into

planting fruit tress on every road, and on every stretch of land that had been

mowed down for cities, or growing wheat, or something irrelevant.

So we would replant fruit tress across the entire earth

using the power of all the world's militaries

- instead of drop down and give me 20 pushups

it's drop down and plant 20 fruit trees.

We go into that role.

We get into a situation between beings where

before anything would break down to a

cataclysmic fight...war...whatever...

that communication and mediation would be the first step.

And, it would probably be important for all to get onto one language,

so that we could all communicate with each other.

Because lack of communication seems to be at the real core

of almost every problem.

And probably it is going to be English, because English is so wide spread

on the planet.

And the internet language is English.

That's probably a big factor as well.

The internet would become a ground, where all scientific information,

all film, data, media; could be available for everyone, for free.

It's going that way anyways.

Everybody would be able to get that stuff for free.

We'd have to come off the whole money system, as we know it...

...where everybody is just trying to climb over each other to get more money.

...money for what? To get more trash in the ocean?

We just get out of that complete abberation or miasm, and drop it.

Each being would be responsible for their own health.

We'd get completely out of this idea of goverhment sponsored health,

and it's each person is alone, is responsible for their own health.

All pesticides, herbicides, larvicides, fungicides, artificial fertilizers

we would ban from the Earth forever.

That is a complete disaster, it's the worst thing ever.

Thank God that's over with.

We would finally come to a place where

each person in their own life would be

experiencing peace and bliss, most of the time...

...and actually wanting to be here.

The reason why we have chaos and disease and dispair is because

they don't even want to be here

they want to blow other people up and get out of here.

We'd get out of that.

So people would want to be incarnated on Earth

And we'd get into a religious state , or spiritual state

where there's not heaven "over there" somewhere

because we have all these religions that say

heaven's over there, and hell's right under here

because it IS like that right now.

People are in such pain that they want heaven to be far away from here.

But in fact really heaven is right here right now

and hell is right here right now

So we would get out of this "religious idea" that we are going to "ascend"

over there

but in fact, we would "inscend" and stay right here

because this is where we want to be

because this is actually paradise, finally.

And we're going to get there!

We will eventually get there....

...some of us will be dragged, kicking and screaming

...some of us will be stoked...to get there....soon."

- David Wolfe, 2009

Part Two: Write Your Own Vision of Paradise.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write your own personal utopian vision for the planet. David's vision is great, and I agree with many of the concepts presented, but it is missing a few things from my own personal vision of paradise.

So. We each have to create our own vision. It starts with you.

Here are some questions to get you started on your own vision:

What is your vision of how to change the world?
What would you like to see happen on the planet?
What energy would you choose for people to use instead of petroleum?
What kinds of vehicles would you want people to drive?
Wind? Solar? Hybrid? Electric? Fuel Cell? Ethanol? Greasecars?
What technology would you want everyone on the planet to have?
ORMUS?
Would everyone be farmers?
What about people who want to live in cities?
What would we do with all the cooked food SAD people?
Love what David said? What will you start doing today?
Hate what David said? OK? What would you do differently?

Take on this personal mission.

Write your own Utopian vision.

This is your chance to recreate the world as you see fit.

Use your imagination.

Your vision does not need to be long.

Your vision just needs to come from your heart.

How to Fulfill Your Mission:

Leave a comment on this post by clicking here, or
email us your vision.

If you email us your vision, we may choose to post it in a future blog post, as we want to share the visions of other people besides David's hopeful vision for the planet.

Either way, we hope these ideas will inspire you to be looking towards a beautiful planetary future, instead of many "doom and gloom" ideas out there.

The future is not set in stone. We create our own realities.

Let's create our new world. Starting today.

- Heidi

Raw Food Right Now

P.S. For those of you with raw food blogs or websites out there, I am giving you this opportunity so you can get some free press. Write your vision so we can make you shine!

Free ebook Dominant Health from RawMatt.com [Raw Book Review]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:24:00 +0000

Ex-Professional Cage Fighter Matt Nailor
Wants You to Dominate Your Health

Matt Nailor has been on the raw food scene for years, but you may have never heard of him.... until now.

Matt has lived a fascinating life so far, including his beginnings in the professional cage fighting circuit since the age of 17. In 2002, while he was still fighting, one conversation with someone while eating a sandwich changed his life forever, and he jumped head first into a raw vegan diet.

Now over 7 years later, Matt has brought his passion and dedication from his career in fighting and transformed his experience into sharing his knowledge with the raw food community.

We've been fortunate to be in contact with Matt for years through our mutual friend Markus Rothkranz and have kept in touch with him as he has been quietly formulating his official launch onto the raw food world at large (congrats Matt!).

After years behind the scenes, the time has come for Raw Matt to appear to face the world.

He's recently launched a clean and crisply designed website that shares more information about his work and vision, including an informative series of videos he has been posting on YouTube.

Here is just one of his many YouTube videos that you can watch on his YouTube channel:

Most exciting of all is that Matt has released an incredible free book called Dominant Health, which is in it's second version. This book has an enormous amount of high quality nutritional information about the raw food diet. It's obvious through reading his book and seeing his videos that Matt is the real deal. He's spent serious time experimenting, delving into scientific research, and refining his approach to pinpoint the absolute highest levels of health he can obtain.

Matt has been working on other numerous products and projects. Recently, he helped to formulate and release the Body Force line of raw herbal products with Markus Rothkranz. Matt also has created a line of "beegan" wildcrafted herb infused, honey-based elixirs called Epic Elixirs. He's gone to extreme lengths too, from raising his own bees in the most ethical and supportive environment, to harvesting the honey himself only at night to maintain its pristine alchemical properties.

Oh, and if you ever get a chance to see Matt in person, ask him to eat poison ivy. It's one of his amazing abilities that Raw Spirit Fest thought was too controversial to let him perform!

We love people who continually push the boundaries with diet and health, and if you love it too, Raw Matt is right up your Immortal Alley. Check out his book here and get informed: Dominant Health by Matt Nailor.

- Heidi and JS
Raw Food Right Now
visit us on our site: http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

Free Recipes from Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney [Raw Recipes]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Mon, 11 May 2009 05:54:00 +0000

Free Recipes from Everyday Raw

In our last post we reviewed Everyday Raw by raw gourmet chef and restaurant entrepreneur Matthew Kenney. As we said before, Matthew has given us permission to give away three of the recipes from his book to our readers!

We had you vote for your top recipes from a list of ten we gave you to choose from.

And here are your winners!

Chipotle Mayo
Golden Tortilla Chips
Mango Wraps

Thank you to everyone that voted. As a reminder, for each contest we do in the future, you will need to go to the blog directly and vote on the post in the comments. For those of you who are reading this through RSS or email, the blog address is rawfoodrightnow.blogspot.com.

Here are the recipes!

Chipotle Mayo

1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked 1-2 hours
1 chipotle chile, soaked 1-2 hours
1 cup soaking water from chile
1 1/2 cups olive oil
Sea salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until completely smooth. Yields 3 cups.

Golden Tortilla Chips

1 3/4 cups flax meal
4 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 1/3 cups water
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cumin
3/4 small red onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 tablespoon sea salt + more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lime juice
Pinch cayenne
2 teaspoons chili powder

Place flax meal in a large bowl. Blend all remaining ingredients except chili powder in a Vita-Mix or high-speed blender until smooth. Stir in flax meal and chili powder. Spread one cup of batter over the entire Teflex sheet to no more than 1/8 inch thickness and place in dehydrator. Approximately 30 minutes later the chips will be ready to be removed and marked with a paring knife into the size and shape you desire. Sprinkle with salt and dehydrate 12-24 hours, until completely crispy. Yields 4 trays.

Mango Wraps

MANGO WRAPPERS:

4 cups chopped fresh mango
2 cups fresh young coconut meat
Pinch cayenne
Pinch sea salt
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Place all ingredients except cilantro in large container. Blend well until smooth. Spread mixture thinly on Teflex sheets and sprinkle with cilantro. Dehydrate 4 hours, until dry but still very pliable. Cut each sheet into 4 squares.

ASSEMBLY:

4 Mango Wrappers
4 romaine lettuce leaves
1 cup julienned young coconut meat
1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup julienned red bell pepper
1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Place 4 Mango Wrappers on a work surface, shiny side up. Place romaine leaves in center of each wrapper and top with equal portions of coconut, carrots, bell pepper, mint, and cilantro, in that order. Roll tightly and secure with a bit of water. Serve with your favorite creamy thai dressing or whatever else you like. Serves 2.

-----

If you like any of these recipes, you will absolutely love Matthew's recipes designed with the home chef in mind. If you want more free recipes published here on RFRN, support Matthew and other amazing chefs by purchasing books. Matthew Kenney's book can be purchased here.

By the way, Matthew is a real down-to-earth gentleman. Awesome man full of integrity, creative genius, and a slew of cool recipes to share with the world!

Make sure to check out his sites here and here.

~ Raw Food Right Now!
Visit our site at http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney Review [Raw Food Book Review]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:54:00 +0000

Raw Gourmet Chef Gives You Everyday Raw Recipes to Make at Home

Shortly after Matthew Kenney's highly successful raw food recipe book Raw Food Real World was released, the two authors of the book (Sarma Melngailis and Matthew) had a falling out. Sarma took over the restaurant they started together, Pure Food and Wine, while Matthew went off in a different direction.

After opening a string of restaurants (with some that closed shortly thereafter), Matthew Kenney started to come back on the raw scene when his new and much anticipated book, Everyday Raw, was announced and then released in March of 2008. Matthew followed Everyday Raw up with Entertaining in the Raw a year later (RFRN review to come soon).

Recently, Matthew has been very active in the online "raw scene", starting his own blog over at http://matthewkenneylifestyle.com and signing up and being active on currently popular social networking sites Twitter and Facebook.

Matthew's new books have been gaining quite a buzz in the raw blog scene, with lots of raw bloggers making his recipes and reviewing his new books. Combining his excellent taste for raw cuisine with the beauty, elegance, and style of a New York chef and restaurateur, his books and recipes appeal to a very broad raw audience.

Matthew is known for inventing a lot of raw gourmet recipes that have become raw restaurant and budding home chef staples. Matthew and his team are a part of a small handful of chefs responsible for taking raw cuisine to the next level.

Here at RFRN, we are very much into the simple and elegant solutions to the same question that every raw foodist faces every day: what should I eat today?

Everyday Raw is Matthew Kenney's answer to that question.

What's Inside Everyday Raw?

"If an ingredient does not have a real purpose in a recipe, I prefer to leave it out." - Matthew Kenney in Everyday Raw

Everyday Raw is a much smaller and more focused book than Raw Food Real World. Most of the book is focused on the recipes (of which there are many), but there is a brief introduction to the raw foods lifestyle, what equipment will be needed, etc. The book does not go into as substantial detail about the raw food diet as most raw food books usually do. It seems like Matthew wrote this mostly for existing and established raw foodists, but threw in the introduction to at least get a newbie started in the right direction.

The recipes are logically laid out by recipe type in sections for easy perusing and selecting. Smoothies and juices, snacks, crackers and chips, main dishes, desserts, etc...everything you would expect in a standard day-to-day raw food diet.

Matthew Kenney's gourmet experience as a raw (and non-raw) chef bleeds through in the recipes. There is a section for starters and main dishes that shows off his brilliance and style, but may not be a part of an average raw fooder's daily staples. Still, you can't help but want to find time to make these amazing looking recipes to indulge and impress your friends and family.

Our favorite part of the book is the little tidbits given at the beginning of each of the recipes. Each tidbit is designed to heighten your understanding of the ingredients you are using or when best to use the recipe without going into excruciating detail. These cool tidbits make reading a recipe book like this educational, which is a nice bonus.

For example, the tidbit for the raspberry vanilla-almond granola states: "This addictive recipe is best suited for summer when berries are at their peak, and you are interested in a brighter, lighter version of granola. The red flecks give it a nice vibrancy, and it is great with any nut milk or an ice cream as a dessert."

The book is laid out in a simple and clean manner. Every page has enough white space to be easy on the eyes and allow you to focus on each recipe. Just enough beautiful pictures are offered to accentuate the recipes and to keep your eyes dazzled while you move through this book.

Should You Purchase Everyday Raw for Yourself?

This book really is suited for just about everyone. If you're looking for a slew of Matthew's raw gourmet recipes, skip this book and buy Entertaining in the Raw instead. If you are like us and love simple, everyday recipes, definitely pick this book up.

If you are very new to raw foods, this is not the book to start with. To get more information about the science and research behind raw foods, pick up The Live Food Factor. To get a great overview of how to make raw foods in your kitchen with a bunch of great recipes, grab Raw Food Real World or RAWvolution.

Whether you are a newbie or an expert, there is always more to learn about raw cuisine. Everyday Raw fits the bill by offering excellent daily home-based recipes, a smattering of more gourmet recipes, and great bits of information to inform the reader while he or she is making the recipes.

**BONUS! Vote for Free Recipes from the book!

We asked Matthew if we could give you some free recipes from Everyday Raw and he said yes!

We know it would be overwhelming to look through every single recipe listed in the entire book, so we're saving you time and picked a few recipes we thought would give our readers the most benefit. We tried to pick things that are slightly unusual, or something that is a quality recipe you will learn to use in your kitchen all the time.

Here are ten of the recipes we chose from the book. We are going to post three of them in a few days. Vote for your top *one* in the comments below!

The top three recipes with votes will get the full recipes for each in an upcoming post.

Which recipe do you want to see??

Mint Cacao Cooler
Curried Cashews
Blueberry-Almond Granola Bar
Super Goji Cacao Maca Bars
Golden Tortilla Chips
Chipotle Mayo
Mango Wraps
Mocha Pudding
Vanilla Creme
Vanilla Mint Flan

~ JS & Heidi Ohlander
http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

Live Chat with Daniel Vitalis This Sunday at Raw Food Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:43:00 +0000

Raw Food Friends - The Fast Growing Online Community

We recently told you about Alex Malinsky's new website called Raw Food Friends.

The site has been live for only a few weeks and it is really growing. It's like the raw foodists are coming out of the woodwork and emerging here at Raw Food Friends.

Anyways, Alex started these Sunday night chats, and just for fun I decided to check them out. I didn't expect I would end up having so much fun!!

This Sunday, May 3, at 9pm, Daniel Vitalis will be the honored guest in the chat room.

Daniel is going to talk abut ElixirCraft, spring water, liquid alchemy, sur-thrivalism and who knows what else. He's always talking about something new and exciting. JS and I really value Daniel's work to the raw food community.

During the chat you can ask Daniel all of your questions about raw foods, spring water, you name it. Anything goes.

You Never Know What Daniel Will Talk About

OK, honestly, I have no idea exactly what Daniel will be talking about, but I'm sure it will be interesting!

Over the past two weeks Alex noticed that I was especially "chatty", so he decided that he wanted to give me the title of "chat hostess" for the night with Daniel!

Well, all this excitement of being a chat hostess has gone to my head and I want to invite everyone to be there. That means you you you!

Bonus Free eBook Giveaway

Oh, and if seeing Daniel speak live wasn't enough of an incentive, Daniel will be giving away a free ebook to one lucky person in the chat room on Sunday night.

Best of all, it's free. Gratis. Nada.

All you have to do is create a free account at RawFoodFriends.com and be there on Sunday at 9PM EST.

So I'm asking you:

Can you make it this Sunday at 9PM?

You've been officially invited.
If you can make it, RSVP below.

~ Heidi

P.S. I'll be in the chat room around 8:30 pm EST to warm up the room and get the party rollin'...so if you want to chat with me, come early!

Bonus:

Daniel posted a clip on YouTube of one of a talk he recently gave at a health center sharing his views on breast cancer. Fascinating ideas:

Free Superfood Recipes from David Wolfe's New Book "Superfoods" [Raw Recipes]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:02:00 +0000

Free Superfood Recipes from North Atlantic Books

David Wolfe's new book Superfoods - The Food and Medicine of the Future is being officially released today by North Atlantic Books. And to celebrate, North Atlantic Books has given us permission to give you some free superfood recipes from the book. There are a lot to choose from, so it was quite difficult for us to give you just a few.

Congratulations, David, on such a power-packed book that truly represents your life's work to this point!

Before we get to the recipes, we wanted to give you a few resources to check out:

Read our review of Superfoods: RFRN Review of Superfoods
Grab the book directly from North Atlantic's site here.
Also, you can order a copy from Amazon here.

Now, on to the recipes!

Fly High Goji Berry Superfood Bonanza

4 cups of your favorite liquid (water, hot or cold tea, coconut water, or any nut milk)
3 tbsp. goji berries
3 tbsp. cacao powder
1 tbsp. cacao nibs
1 tbsp. maca, red maca, or maca extreme
1 tsp. goji berry extract powder (optional, but super energizing!)
1–2 tbsp. sweetener (such as yacon syrup, light or dark agave, or any raw honey)
1–3 cups frozen, organic berries
1 tbsp. hempseed
1 small pinch Celtic sea salt
1/4 leaf fresh aloe vera gel (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth.

RFRN notes: We absolutely adore goji berries, and we haven't found someone who doesn't yet! We make some version of this smoothie nearly every day. This is a very satisfying smoothie that keeps us going for hours!

Sweet Guaca-Maca Collard Wraps

3 avocados
3 tsp. maca
1/2 tbsp. Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt
1 tbsp. raw honey
juice of 1 lime
1–1/2 tsp. spirulina
1 cup sprouted sunflower seeds
1–2 tbsp. raw sesame tahini

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mash or blend in a blender to a creamy consistency. Stuff into collard greens and wrap it up! For an extra kick, add cacao nibs to the guaca-maca!

RFRN notes: This may be a little bit different than the guacamole you're used to, but it's a great example of making a variation on a classic recipe to expand your tastes. We wanted to share this recipe with you because it is so unique and tasty. Yum!

Spiry Salad Dressing

1/2 cup organic hempseed
1 handful fresh dill (stems and everything)
2–3 cloves garlic (depends how spicy it is)
2 tbsp. spirulina
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1 cup fresh spring water

Blend in a high-speed blender until creamy and smooth. Serve on a fresh, garden-picked salad for optimal pleasure!

RFRN notes: It's great to sneak in spirulina however you can. There are some people out there who can eat it by the spoonful, but we're not one of them. We love the benefits we get from eating it, but because we are not protein burners we don't need as much protein sources as other people might. Once blended into something like a dressing, spirulina can actually add quite nicely to the taste!

---

Please note that all of these recipes are "From Superfoods by David Wolfe, published by North Atlantic Books, copyright © 2009 by David Wolfe. Reprinted by permission of publisher."

Enjoy!

~ Raw Food Right Now
http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

Sunfood Living [Raw Food Book Review]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:22:00 +0000

"If you have always wanted to do the right thing, to make sustainable, environmentally conscious, as well as relevant decisions and purchases...then this is the book for you."

- David Wolfe

If there ever was a perfect book for Earth Day for raw foodists, Sunfood Living is it.

Sunfood Living is written by John McCabe, the chief editor for books written by David Wolfe and a friend of David's since 1997. John is one of the most passionate advocates of living a raw food lifestyle that stresses no harm to the planet and the inhabitants that live on it. If you want to learn from someone who walks the walk of saving the planet, John McCabe is your teacher.

Sunfood Living picks up where the Sunfood Diet Success System ends. If Sunfood Diet Success System teaches you how to go raw, then Sunfood Living is the book to read after you go raw, to learn how to take the raw foods lifestyle to the next level.

When you become raw, it changes your life in ways you never would have imagined. You start to look at every aspect of your life and you begin to get the urge to improve it as well as your local environment and the planet at large. Sometimes there are parts to living a raw food lifestyle that seem difficult, tricky, or complicated if you don't know what you are doing. That is why a guide like Sunfood Living helps put everything into perspective.

Sunfood Living is Being Green While Truly Eating Green

This is not a book like most other raw food books. Sunfood Living is about the lifestyle, not necessarily about what to eat or how to eat it. There are countless other books about how to eat raw food. Yes, in Sunfood Living there are chapters on enzymes, B-12, and basic information on the Sunfood Triangle created by David Wolfe among other topics, but Sunfood Living is a guide about the other aspects of living and being raw.

What does Sunfood Living mean? Essentially, it means living green. For example, topics include natural resources like wildlife protection and personal care topics like the hair care products you use and the bed you sleep on.

Sunfood Living is a guide for those that found themselves at a place where they naturally want to be environmentally friendly; not because they feel they "have to", but because they desire to live a green life. This desire to go green is something that happens naturally to every person we have encountered that has been living the raw food lifestyle to some degree, but for those that are new to green living, it can be a complicated process and sometimes good resources for living green can be hard to come by. Sunfood Living may be considered our main resource in the raw foods movement to living green.

One interesting aspect of Sunfood Living is that the book as a whole is a concrete argument as to why eating raw is the best diet for the planet. In addition, it is also a great book to educate yourself for when you are having conversations with people you interact with who are not raw, but want "proof" that raw food is good for the environment. Inside Sunfood Living are literally hundreds of facts on why the raw food diet is good for you and the planet.

What's in Sunfood Living?

This 562 page book (including index) is a jam packed resource full of answers to both beginner and advanced questions about living green and living raw. The first part of Sunfood Living is a selection of articles mostly alphabetized for easy reference on various green living topics. Each topic is covered in a short article format that gives you an overview of the subject. At the end of each chapter are additional resources, websites, or organizations that will help you take your learning further.

This book serves as an excellent reference book. Keep it on your shelf for quick access. When you have any question about how to live more green on a specific topic, you can find the answer quickly.

An short example of what's in the book:

Why is one tropical country contributing to deforestation because of what they eat? See page 135 and the answer will surprise you.
Do you want to help family farmers? See page 157 to learn how.
Are you ready to go "Back to Nature"? See page 175 for ideas and inspiration.

Each article may have some things you already know, but where do you go to put these ideas into action? Each specific topic John addresses in the book gives you not only the facts you should know, but a list of multiple resources so you can "do what you know". You may know a little about some of these topics, but there may be others that you might have missed along the way.

The second half of Sunfood Living has 331 pages called the Directory. It's like the yellow pages for living as a conscious raw foodist. This A to Z directory encompasses a wide variety of resources that include environmental activism, diet, health, and other aspects of living the day to day life of a raw foodist.

Here is a small sample of some interesting highlights from the Directory:

Would you like to know 14 different resources for cloth shopping bags? See page 226.
Want to learn over 30 different things to consider when building or living in an environmentally friendly home? See page 246.
Take a look at page 315 for a list of over 100 different edible flowers.

Sunfood Living Walks the Walk

Like other books published by North Atlantic Books, Sunfood Living has the environment in mind during all stages of the printing process. Inside the third page of the book is the following statement:

"Sunfood Living saved the following resources by using New Leaf Opaque 100(FSC), made with 100% post consumer waste, and New Leaf Primavera Gloss, made with 80% recycled fiber and 40% post consumer waste, both manufactured with electricity that is offset with Green-e certified renewable energy certificates, and processed chlorine free."

What did this way of printing do for the planet? According to the book, it saved 172 full grown trees, 75,205 gallons of water, 8,313 pounds of solid waste and even 16,220 pounds of greenhouse gases - all from this one book!

How many books would you like to see with a statement like this one? It is refreshing and inspiring to see a book about green living that is doing its part by walking the walk instead of just talking the talk.

As someone who has been pursuing green living for nearly two decades, I have seen dozens of books and other publications on the environment. I even worked on a green publication here in the Twin Cities! I've seen a lot of books over the years, but none so far compare to the depth of information contained in Sunfood Living, and certainly no other book speaks from the unique language of a raw foodist.

Should You Get this Book?

By no means is this book a complete green living guide for everyone. There are many more resources out there, but for those who don't have the time to delve into this lifestyle headfirst and just want quick answers, this book is perfect for you.

This book is for you if:

You have started eating raw food and are interested in also living a conscious raw foods lifestyle
You have been a raw foodist for some time and feel like you want to do more to help the environment but you don't know where to start
You want to have answers for all those pesky questions about meat, factory farms, GMO, pollution and other aspects of a conventional lifestyle that are current issues
You want to own more quality informative raw food books
You're interested in living green, but you don't have the time to keep up, but just want a handy, all-in-one guide to use as a reference

Additional Resources:

Sunfood Living - the book
Sunfood Living.com - the book's website
Sunfood Traveler.com - John's website with free raw food travel resources
Hemp: What the World Needs Now - read John's entire manuscript online!

With Sunfood Living, you can finally learn to make Earth Day every day.

- Heidi
Raw Food Right Now

Earth Day is Everyday When You are a Raw Foodist

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:06:00 +0000

Today is Earth Day.

People all around the world celebrate one day out of 365 days in our solar calendar year to focus on the planet that we live in.

For some people, this is one day to attempt to make a difference for the environment. For just one day, they'll not use a plastic water bottle. For just one day they will bring reusable containers from home in their lunch. For just one day they will recycle the paper that they might otherwise absent mindedly throw into the trash.

Just one day. Just one day.

And then, it's back to business as usual!

Eat factory farmed chicken, pour oil down the drain, bleach their clothes until they are sparkling white. Drive their SUV's that get 8 miles to the gallon, spray Round-Up on every "weed" they see...the list goes on and on. Business as usual for the other 364 days.

Until I became a raw foodist, I had always considered myself an "environmentalist". I have many things from my past that shows my prior dedication to the environment. I became a vegetarian at 14 for the environment. I graduated from an environmental high school called the School of Environmental Studies. I created environmental curriculum while working with children at the YMCA. I worked on the first guide to the Twin Cities on green living. I even spent part of one summer with the Sierra Club. These are just the highlights of my time as "an environmentalist".

None of that compares to going raw.

When you become a raw foodist, it changes your life forever. Your perception of the world completely changes. While you pursue excellence in your personal mind, body and spirit, you pursue excellence for the planet as well. It happens simultaneously. You connect to the entire planet in no other way possible. You learn to appreciate things that other people don't even know are possible. It is a deep awareness that transcends words, that goes beyond language.

When you eventually reach that time when you truly become a raw foodist, something interesting happens:

You've just plugged into the language of Planet Earth.

This is the experience that every environmentalist wants to experience. Unfortunately for them, it rarely happens to most enviornmentalists. I have seen so many environmentalists with a raging desire that they could never articulate that I now feel on a daily basis. I have achieved what some spend their life pursuing.

They are still plugged into pop culture Earth Day. They are still connected to what everyone else says is a "Green" thing to do. As long as you wear the right clothes and hang out with the right people and shop at the right stores, you're part of the environmentalist club. You've done your part. Now you can go to the vegan pizza place and drink beer with the other environmentalists. These so called "environmentalists" are the reason why I gave up on the environmentalist movement all together.

I had to blaze my own trail for Mother Earth. I found that trail with raw food.

I experience the treasure of nature every day. Every day I eat foods and drink teas from around the world. Each food is actually going beyond Fair Trade, it is helping the people as well as the planet. I feel incredibly blessed.

If you are connected to nature, you no longer want to "save" the environment. You now experience the environment. You enjoy the pleasure of the nature around you. You naturally spend time in nature, not just talk about it. It becomes a part of your lifestyle.

You eat, breathe, live the planet by eating raw plant food.

I am one human living on the planet, yet I am intensely focused on integrating myself into nature. I am researching solutions that I can make in my own life. I constantly strive to set an example of doing what I can to make the change in the world I wish to see.

Want to make change in the world? It's simple.
Here. Let me show you how...

Want less trash in the world? Eat raw food.

Want less chemicals in your water? Eat raw food.

Want to stop factory farming? Eat raw food.

Want to support local produce farmers? Eat raw food.

Want to preserve our forests? Eat raw food.

Want to reduce packaging? Eat raw food.

Want to save the oceans? Eat raw food.

Want to save the wildlife? Eat raw food.

Want to reduce pollution? Eat raw food.

The lesson of the day? Eat raw food.

If you are not already eating raw food, today is the day to start on the trail. It doen't happen overnight, it is a process. But as someone who has pursued this raw food trail for over a decade, I'm here to say that the journey is amazing. Come walk on the trail. I promise you it will be fun.

And for those that are eating raw food, I wrote this article to tell you how I am so proud of you. So many raw foodists don't think they are doing enough. What is enough? Are you going to feel guilty for not doing enough when you are doing more than most nations?

If you are eating raw food, congratulate yourself. You are doing more than most people on the entire planet. All raw foodists are doing something significant. It doesn't matter how much raw food you are eating right at this moment; wether you are a beginner who is just learing about raw food or someone who has been raw for years. It doesn't matter what kind of raw foodist you are. That's all petty minutiae. If you are eating raw food, you are making a difference.

Happy Earth Day, Everyday.

When you are a raw foodist, every day is Earth Day. Every moment is Earth Day. Every bite of food is Earth Day. Every step outside is Earth Day.

Enjoy the moment. The Now is Earth Day.

~ Heidi
Raw Food Right Now

P.S. Tomorrow we are going to review an awesome book that ties in with Earth Day and raw foodists. Stay tuned!

P.P.S. Justin just reminded me that Alex over at RawGuru.com is offering free shipping today on any order of 22 dollars or more, in honor of Earth Day. Take advantage of this deal and eat raw food!

My Co-op Rocks - Fun videos about your local health food store

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:12:00 +0000

Do you shop at a local food co-op?

If you're lucky like us Minnesotans, we have many amazing food co-ops to choose from.

The National Cooperative Grocers Association has created a website called My Coop Rocks.com, as a contest for people to create their own videos sharing their Top 10 reasons why they like to shop at their local co-op.

Here are some videos from our local co-ops that I enjoyed watching.

Top Ten at the Wedge

This video is not 100% raw, but it is very creative, and it will make me think of blood oranges in a completely new way. I'll never be the same again. Watch and you'll know what I mean.

Our friend Mika is a video artist and is currently studying Oriental Medicine. She created a video for her local food co-op, Just Food, in Northfield Minnesota. Mika's video features a chicken farmer, and she is an example of what a typical Minnesotan looks like (in case you ever wanted to know!)

Just Food... Is Not just food

There are over 50 other videos on the site. Lots of fun user generated content from people just like you who love natural food. Now, I didn't see any raw foodists in the videos. If you see any of the videos with a truly raw food angle email us and we'll add it to this post!

Log in to MyCoopRocks today and vote for your favorite video, because the winning video will win a new Macbook!

What are your Top 10 reasons why you like to shop at your local co-op?
Tell us in the comments.

- Heidi
Raw Food Right Now

P.S. We should all make videos this summer and we'll call it "My Farmers Market Rocks". Who's going to join us?!

RawFoodFriends.com - Friends, Dating, Networking & More! [New Raw Site]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:05:00 +0000

Need a Raw Date (and not the edible kind)?

There have been many community websites about raw food in the past decade, from forums, to chat rooms, to message boards and social networking sites. All of us raw foodists are scattered all over the world, and through the Web we are able to connect with each other. Right now we have Give it To Me Raw as one of the best examples of a general online community. Everyone loves Gi2MR, and it's a great way to meet people.

But it's not really a dating site. It's a friendship site.

But what if you are single, you eat raw food and you're looking for someone to date who is raw too?

Almost all of the raw food personal sites that were put up in the past specifically for connecting with other raw singles are now inactive. And not everyone can be as lucky as we are... We met in a coffee shop and then went raw together.

So what is a raw single person to do? Where can they go to try to find love online?

If you're single, there is a new place for you.

Alex Malinsky aka RawGuru, is currently single. Ever the inventive guy, he decided to create and launch his own raw food dating, friendship and networking online community called RawFoodFriends.com.

In the 5 days that RawFoodFriends has been live since the time of this post, people are already joining from all over the world to meet each other. People are connecting, not just on a friendship level, but even on a potentially romantic level! There are 135 members at the time of this writing, and many new members are joining every day.

Some of the features of Raw Food Friends.com:

Get connected with other like minded raw food vegans for friendship or be seriously involved. There are many different categories of options from the type of relationship you are looking for, or a percentage of rawness, or location.
Create an account where you can have your own blog, share photos of your raw food creations or fun things you're doing, post your own videos

You can chat live (privately) with other members. Hardly any other raw food site out there has this, and with a personal dating site, this feature is HUGE!
Check out the community forum where you can talk about the raw food lifestyle and relationships with raw food vegans.
Have some raw equipment to sell? Raw Food Friends offers a classifieds section to help you sell your used and new products and to share your raw services with the community.
Have your own raw food meetup in your town? Post your favorite raw food events in the community, and watch out for events coming to your area.

Alex has a lot of plans for Raw Food Friends. In the coming weeks and months, he will be hosting live interviews via video and chat with prominent raw food gurus and celebrities, including:

RawFoodFriends.com Upcoming Live Interviews and Chats:

Sarma Melngailis - April 19th at 9:00pm EST

Matt Monarch & Angela Stokes - April 26th at 9:00pm EST

Paul Nison - May 17th at 9:00pm EST

Gabrielle Brick - TBD

Daniel Vitalis - TBD

Nick Good - TBD

Cathy Silvers - TBD

Tonya Kay - TBD

Matthew Kenney - TBD

Heidi and Justin Ohlander (that's us!) - TBD

Victoria Boutenko - TBD

Sarah Best - TBD

Philip McCluskey - TBD

Steve Adler - TBD

Plus, an exclusive interview with Health Force Nutritionals' genius Jameth Sheridan about his upcoming book! Some of these individuals rarely do interviews, so this is going to be really exciting!

RawFoodFriends.com is more than just a dating site, it is a new frontier. One of the advantages of a new community is that it is a place to start fresh. Fresh faces, fresh ideas, fresh recipes. It is a clean slate full of potential and possibilities. And you can be a part of it.

All of this....for FREE. Yep. Free. No membership fees, you don't have to pay to be able to contact someone you're interested in. Tons of features, all for free. Awesome.

This isn't eHarmony or Yahoo personals!

The best part about Raw Food Friends is that it was designed by a single raw foodist for people who are into the raw food lifestyle that are seeking like minded relationships with other raw foodists. You don't have to be a lonely raw foodist in a town of meat eaters or a raw foodist posting on online personals, worried about how you're going to break it to your potential mate that you're "raw". You can go on Raw Food Friends and start looking for cool raw people to meet.

Oh, and BTW, Raw Food Friends Is Not Just For Raw Food Singles

If you are not single (like the two of us), Raw Food Friends is not just for dating. RFF is a great way to meet new people. We're always on the lookout to meet new raw friends, and to network with other raw foodists around the world.

And since we are not single, we plan to do what we can to be little matchmakers in the lives of our single friends on the site! If you are not single, you could play matchmaker too!

Both JS and I are excited about this new community, and we hope to hear many love and romance success stories from Raw Food Friends.

Take a moment and sign up today. And be sure to friend us - we'd love to hear from you!

- Heidi

Raw Food Right Now
http://www.rawfoodrightnow.com

What is Stevia? Plus SweetLeaf Stevia Review [Raw Food Review]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:22:00 +0000

Hydroponic Stevia Garden
Photo credit: flickr/jwynia

What is Stevia?

For many years, stevia has had a good reputation in the health and nutrition field as one of the best sugar and sweetener replacements out there. Stevia has widely been used in Japan as a sweetener since the 1970s. Not only that, but Japan is the #1 country in the world for stevia consumption, with 40% of it's sweetener market being stevia alone!

So why is it taking so long to catch on here in the US?

In 1991, the FDA banned the import of stevia, claiming that the research on stevia wasn't enough to guarantee its safety. It wasn't until 1994 that the FDA finally lifted its ban...as long as stevia was not labeled a sweetner and was labeled only as a "dietary supplement."

For those who were in the know about stevia, it didn't matter. They used this delicious plant for many sweetening applications. As time went on, stevia became more and more popular and finally, just last year, the FDA has been releasing its restrictions on this incredible food, mostly because Pepsi and Coca-Cola want to start using it as a soft drink sweetener for diet colas.

Whatever. What matters for us in the raw food movement is that this powerful and sweet herb is available for our use.

The laws for stevia in the US are quickly changing.

From the Wikipedia article on stevia: "In December, 2008, the FDA gave a "no objection" approval for GRAS status to Truvia (developed by Cargill and The Coca-Cola Company) and PureVia (developed by PepsiCo and the Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of Merisant), both of which are wholly-derived from the Stevia plant."

A general GRAS for stevia is more than likely soon to follow. Thank you Coke & Pepsi?

What Makes Stevia so Popular?

Depending on the source, stevia is said to be from 15 to up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. If you've ever tasted it, you know exactly what that statement means. A little bit goes a long way.

In the raw food movement, stevia is best known as a low-glycemic sweetener used and recommended by Dr. Gabriel Cousens at the Tree of Life on his diabetes program and in general as a low-glycemic sweetner safe for those on a low-sugar diet.

Dr. Cousens recommends stevia as the only sweetener for his Phase I Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine diet and for his diabetic diet as laid out in There is a Cure for Diabetes:

"Stevia is the only sweetener we recommend. Fifteen times sweeter than sugar, with no calories and a glycemic index of 0, the powdered leaf of Sterva rebaudiana has recently become highly sought after as a super-sweet, low-calorie addition to a low-glycemic diet. It gives a sweet taste, and does not raise blood sugar as all the other natural sweeteners do. Unlike nutrient-empty synthetic sugar substitutes, stevia is loaded with vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, niacin, riboflavin, zinc, chromium, and selenium. Stevia is also one of the oldest, safest, and most highly esteemed South American herbs known, with a centuries-long history of safe use." - Dr. Gabriel Cousens in There is a Cure for Diabetes

Because of all of this interest in stevia, many companies now exist that supply this herb in many different forms. There have been many stevia companies out there providing this herb as a "dietary supplement" for years. It comes in many forms, from little sugar-like packets, to jars of it, liquid extracts, as well as whole leaf and whole powdered forms.

The plant is also very inexpensive and can even be grown as an herb in your own home or garden!

One of the most popular brands is SweetLeaf, which is created and distributed by Wisdom Natural Brands. SweetLeaf provides packets of stevia (as a white powder), and most popularly as a hot water extracted liquid which is enhanced with various flavors. These flavors currently include English Toffee, Valencia Orange, Lemon Drop, Chocolate Raspberry, Apricot Nectar, and our favorite, Vanilla Creme.

What Forms of Stevia Should I Use?

Good question. Stevia can come in many forms, so it's important to know what to look for as a raw foodist.

In Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine, Gabriel Cousens recommends raw foodists only consume the hot water extracted liquids or the whole powdered leaf:

"Whole leaf stevia can be bought at health food stores or by mail order, or you can grow your own. Grind the whole leaf into a powder and add to food and teas for a sweet taste. You can also buy water-extracted stevia in liquid form from your local health food store in the supplements section. Avoid alcohol-extracted and refined forms of stevia. Unrefined stevia is dark green in color."

The raw version of the leaf comes in a green powder. Any stevia that come as a white powder is dried extract and not the whole leaf. If you want it raw, get the green powder or get the whole leaf and blend it yourself. Or grow it in a pot, dry it, and blend it up yourself.

Recently Debbie, one of our readers, got us in touch with the SweetLeaf company and sent us many samples of their liquid extract and (white) powdered stevias. We love the liquid extracts and find they work best in smoothies and in desserts. Our absolute favorite beyond a doubt is the Vanilla Creme. It has become a staple in our household and we use it in smoothie all the time. A few drops will bring a rich, sweet vanilla flavor to the entire batch.

If you want the whole leaf, you can also order the whole leaf (organic) very inexpensively.

How to Properly Use Stevia

You can easily overdo stevia, in both liquid or powdered form. Always start small. You can always add more, but you can never take away.

The flavor of stevia can be too intense for some people. In particular, the liquid extracts can have a "chemical" taste that takes a while to get used to or just doesn't work for some people. It's very easy to overdo stevia in any form, so please start with very small amounts and add to your tastes.

Stevia is best not to use long term. People have been know to easily get over-sensitive to it if used too much and develop an aversion to it. Don't let that happen because stevia can become a powerful ally and fun friend in your overall dietary path when used correctly. In fact, if you really like it, it is always a good idea to enjoy it for awhile and then not use it for a month, and then go enjoy stevia again!

Even raw gourment chefs have been known to use stevia. You can find raw recipes that use stevia in popular raw food recipe books like Raw Food Real World. In fact, early on in this blog we did a review of their Lime Tart recipe. Find out what we thought of the stevia in that recipe back then. (pictures included in the review)

How We Use Stevia

In a 64 oz smoothie, we use a few drops to half a dropper full of the liquid extract, depending on taste. If you are using the white packets or whole leaf powder, a small pinch or more for your tea/coffee or smoothie can go a long way too. In raw desserts you can use more, but as we said, be careful because a little too much can ruin your dessert.

One very important tip we learned to cut the harsh sweetness of stevia is to use it with another sweetner, like yacon root syrup or raw honey. This helps tone down the "stevia bite" and add a more well-rounded sweetness to your drink concoctions. Your own experimentation is advised to get the taste just right for you. The main rule to follow is a small amount of stevia to a larger amount of the sweetener of your choice.

Whole leaf is great for making a plain stevia tea, which by itself has many medicinal qualities. If you are using it as a sweetener, we recommend the raw, green powder.

---

Overall, we've been enjoying stevia on and off for the past few years, with our favorite being the vanilla creme liquid extract. The bottle can last a long, long time because we don't use very much at once.

Stevia is not something you "need" on a raw food diet, although a lot of raw foodists use it to get past the difficulty of maintaining a completely sugar-free diet as in Gabriel Cousens Rainbow Green Phase I diet. So if you don't like it, don't use it. You won't be missing anything you need.

So what do you think of stevia?
Have you tried it?
Only tried one type?
Maybe it's time for you to try some of the flavored extracts or the whole powder or leaf.

Remember: experimentation is what keeps the dietary journey fun!

~ Raw Food Right Now
http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

P.S. Our raw friend Debbie not only got us connected with SweetLeaf, she has been hard at work promoting her big ebook on 101 Juices, Shakes and Smoothies. You can learn more about her eBook on her site.

Raw News - April 7th 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:03:00 +0000

Here are some updates for what's going on in the raw food world both online and offline...

Raw Maple Syrup, straight from the tree: Matthew Kenney has been posting some high quality blog posts on his website recently, including an extensive photo post of his recent excursion to tap maple sap and make maple syrup. Fun photos of trees, lumberjack plaid shirts, and doggies! You can view the photos here.
I Sweat Cherry Juice: Tonya Kay recently contributed an article to Eco Hearth about her life as a profesional dancer and the continuing building of a strong physical body with a raw vegan diet. It is a poetic heart felt essay about being raw, and a delightful read. You can read the article here.
Raw Sour Cream Chips? Alex from RawGuru is always full of new food surprises. His site is now selling "Sour Cream and Onion" chips. If Sour Cream & Onion chips were one of your favorite munchie snacks, these are sure to curb your cravings!
Clean Indoor Air Anywhere In the World (literally): Dhrumil from We Like It Raw recently linked to a 4 minute video from the popular TED conference about how to create clean indoor air using three common houseplants. If you want to have better air inside your home, this is an easy and inexpensive way to do it!

Watch the TED video, take notes, and turn your house into a miniature jungle today!

Have any raw food related news that you think our readers can benefit from for April 2009? Send us a note via our feedback form for consideration.

Stay tuned to RFRN for your monthly dose of raw food news you can use!

~ Raw Food Right Now

Spring 2009 Get Fresh Summary [Raw Magazine Review]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:00:00 +0000

The Spring Issue of Get Fresh Magazine is out!

This Issue of Get Fresh was quite inspiring... inspiring to be beautiful! There are many aspects of this issue focused on beauty and health. Beauty and health - what a great combination!

Always Interesting Interviews in Get Fresh

One of the most fascinating interviews we have seen in Get Fresh is featured in this issue. Lillian Mueller is a former Playboy model, and is a radiant, youthful, ageless looking 57-years young woman! Her interview with Get Fresh editor Sarah Best is not to be missed for any woman wanting to keep her beauty both inside and out!

One favorite quote from the interview:

"I am breaking the mold of being a Playboy sex symbol. I'm using sex appeal for a higher purpose now. The stepping stone of my past creates curiosity and gets me in the door but I'm not about personal gratification as I was when I was younger. Those of us in the raw movement who are passionate about getting this message out are serving a power and energy much bigger than ourselves." - Lillian Muller

Delicious Raw Food Recipes

One of the best parts of having a subscription to Get Fresh magazine are the recipes in each issue. Here's what is in the Spring issue of Get Fresh:

Russell James tacked sea vegetables as his focus for this issue.
Cherie Soria has contributed an extremely helpful article about artful presentation of food and garnishing of raw dishes.
Brigitte Mars has three interesting recipes for asparagus, as well as tons of facts about asparagus. Spring is THE season for asparagus, so take advantage of these recipes right now while you can!

Here's just a few other highlights from the Spring Issue of Get Fresh:

Alissa Cohen explains why she decided to open her own raw food restaurant
Tonya Zavasta shares her insights into the connection between colon health and beauty
A Day in the Life in this issue features Kate Magic
The Spring issue of Get Fresh has a new Events page with listings of events happening all over the world!
...and as always, MORE!

Bonus: If you are interested in reading about how to eat less and live longer, Sarah Best has posted the entire informational article on the Get Fresh blog!
Check it out here!

Want to look forward to receiving Get Fresh in your mailbox? They have subscriptions available for people living in the UK, US and the rest of the world...or you can even get an "e-subscription"! Ready to get fresh? Subscribe today!

As always, we will continue to bring you a quick RFRN summary of each Get Fresh! issue when it is shipped to us.

We keep every issue for reference, and you should too! In fact just yesterday I found an issue of Get Fresh from a year ago in a stack of magazines set to be recycled. I quickly snatched it from the pile and placed it securely next to the other raw magazines on our bookshelf. I have no idea how it got there but I'm glad I checked the stack! Ahhh. All my raw magazines are safe and sound!

~ Heidi and JS
Raw Food Right Now

Superfoods by David Wolfe [Raw Food Book Review]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:50:00 +0000

Release date: April 28, 2009 by North Atlantic Books

David Wolfe Gives the Real Deal on Superfoods

"Superfoods are both a food and a medicine; they have elements of both. They are a class of the most potent, super-concentrated, and nutrient-rich foods on the planet—they have more bang for the buck than our usual foods."

- David Wolfe, author of Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future.

Raw food uber-guru and author David Wolfe has been preaching about the extraordinary benefits of "superfoods" for years. David is known as the primary person responsible for bringing the consciousness of raw cacao to the Western world. From there, he has branched out into many other superfoods and become one of the world's leading proponents of consuming superfoods.

If you've been following David's work for a while (through sites like TheBestDayEver.com or his books including the Sunfood Diet Success System and Eating for Beauty), you already know that David promotes and eats a diet that consists largely of superfoods. In fact, in a recent interview, David explained that 75% of his diet currently consists of superfoods!

Superfoods: Expensive Urine or Potent Health Tonic?

"In my own diet, I eat fruits and vegetables primarily for flavor, fiber, and bulk, not for deep levels of nutrition. When it comes to real nutrition, only superfoods can meet and exceed all requirements." - David Wolfe, Superfoods

With his new book Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future, David aims to lay rest the claim that superfoods are only good for making expensive urine. There is no doubt that David is one of the top nutrition researchers in the world and has arguably had one of the largest impacts on raw foods and nutrition and has been living and researching this lifestyle (and creating it for that matter) for more than 15 years.

From his years of tireless research to find (what he calls) the best foods ever, David has gathered a plethora of science and research to back up his claims that superfoods are the real deal: a potent tonic, better-than-average food that provides superior benefits.

This book, Superfoods, is his culmination and outcome of that extensive work. And what a piece of work this book is! This book is massive, jam packed with information. And we mean information. Over 300 pages of information.

What Exactly is a Superfood?

"Superfoods comprise a specific set of edible, incredibly nutritious plants that are not entirely classifiable as foods nor are they entirely classifiable medicines (such as herbs)." - David Wolfe, Superfoods

David choose the subtitle of the book as "The Food and Medicine of the Future" with a clear intent in mind. Superfoods have a unique set of qualities that put them somewhere between a regular food, say spinach, and medicinal herbs, like say echinacea. David illustrates this point clearly when talking about one of his favorite superfoods: raw chocolate. "Like all superfoods, chocolate straddles the line between a food and a potent and beneficial medicine," David spells out for the reader.

In the book, the point is clearly made that one of the key distinctions between a "superfood" and a "food" is that superfoods are more medicinal and supplemental than standard fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Because of their higher nutrition content and broad spectrum of health benefits, care must be taken when consuming them. You wouldn't sit down to a large, salad-sized bowl of cacao beans, goji berries, maca, and incan berries sprinkled with a 1/2 cup of spirulina. That amount of nutrition would knock you out!

These foods are generally considered supplemental and are meant to be added into a normal, healthy raw food diet.

Superfoods need to be consumed with knowledge and consciousness. Think of them like you would an herb. You wouldn't "eat" a whole bag of herbs. Instead, you "take" an herb at a particular dosage that's right for you. You would learn about its properties, it's contraindications, and a proper dosage for your specific maximum benefit. You'd learn when to take it and why. Some superfoods, as with some herbs, can be taken everyday. Others are best done in spurts of time with breaks in between, like maca.

From what we've read and seen around the "raw Internet", a lot of people have trouble understanding this aspect of superfoods. For example, a lot of people who are against raw chocolate (cacao) claim that it's too stimulating. Some of these same people have sat down and consumed two or three or more raw chocolate bars in one sitting. We have known some people to consume up to 20 pounds of cacao products a month. Then these same people get a headache and have other significant reactions and then claiming that raw chocolate is poison! Talk about stimulating!

Perhaps with David's new book of condensed and accessible, well-organized superfood information and research, we won't hear these stories anymore and people will take more care before they guzzle superfoods like they are pints of blueberries.

That being said, superfoods can act as "food". As David mentions in the book, superfoods are still "foods" and can be consumed in greater quantities than medicinal herbs. We both have had large snacks of trail mix that include goji berries and cacao that have satisfied us for hours on end, but with just a small handful of trail mix. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the recommended dosage of goji berries is one handful a day, maximum. Anything beyond that can be too much.

What Superfoods Are Discussed In This Book?

Even though there are dozens of "superfoods" currently being touted and talked about in the marketplace, there are only ten superfoods that David gives detailed information on in this book. These ten are, for his own reasons, his favorites.

The ten superfoods thoroughly detailed in the book are:

Top Ten Superfoods:

Goji berries
Cacao
Maca
Bee Products (Honey, Bee Pollen, Royal Jelly, Propolis)
Spirulina
AFA Blue-Green Algae
Marine Phytoplankton
Aloe Vera
Hempseed
Coconuts

In addition to David's top ten superfoods, he gives a detailed overview of another seven superfoods that he calls his "Honorable Mentions".

Honorable Mentions Superfoods:

Açaí
Camu Camu Berry
Chlorella
Incan Berries
Kelp
Noni
Yacon

These superfoods do not have as deep of detailed information for these Honorable Mentions as there are for the top ten, but you will definitely get the superfood download for these incredible foods as well.

We will leave it up to you to get a copy of the book and find out all the details about all the superfoods covered.

This Book is Informational As Well As Inspirational

"Superfoods will ease you into detoxification and the transition to more healthy foods—all without willpower!" - David Wolfe, Superfoods

For each superfood David discusses in this book, he provides the complete nutrient profile and description on why each superfood is part of his "top ten" list.

On the extremely useful end, each superfood listed has a section on how to use them followed by specific recipes so you can see how to best consume these powerful foods, with fun and joy!

The book is written so that it can be read straight through to give you a crash course in modern raw superfoods. It's also organized as a reference guide, which allows you to go back through and pick out all the little details when you are looking for them later.

This is a great reference book. After all, how many times has a friend asked you what those weird little red raisins are that you're eating, and once you exclaim your excitement that they are goji berries, they ask you why you eat goji berries. Immediately, your mind goes blank..."why are gojis good again?" This book will educate you and allow you to become a superfood expert...to help explain to others what that big smile is on your face.

Anyone who is ready to experiment with this class of foods can grab this book and get a complete overview of not only what a superfood is, but how one can effectively use them in their personal diet.

The Largest Appendix on Superfoods

The remaining sections in the book are helpful adjuncts to the rest of the book, but serve a different purpose.

A lot of the recipes include other special ingredients that you may not have heard of. Because of this, David offers a glossary that tells the reader what these ingredients are. Very useful for those not familiar with a diet consisting largely of superfoods. If you've never heard of tocotrienols, sacha jergon, MegaHydrate, the glossary has you covered.

Another extremely useful section is the first Appendix, where there is a break down of the entire nutritional profile for each superfood in the book. This is probably the first time anyone has offered such a complete summary of the nutritional breakdown of these foods in one easy to reference section. So when someone asks you what is darn good about raw cacao, you can just show them this page without having to memorize each and every little vitamin, mineral, and amino acid contained within these power-packed superfoods.

For those who need more proof than just a list of nutritional benefits and breakdowns, David gives a table that lists which scientific laboratory analysis was used to determine the nutritional components of each superfood, along with the specific results found.

Scientific texts and other book-related sources are also given.

After that is an entire appendix dedicated to each and every scientific study related to these superfoods, with information on each journal reference used and a quick summary of what was discovered in that research.

The information in this book is absolutely complete. Almost an entire 1/3 of the book is dedicated to backing up his claims. Anti-superfood proponents will now have a difficult time backing up their claims that superfoods aren't legit in any way. This information leaves it up to the doubter to substantiate these claims for themselves or dig further into their own research to make their own conclusions.

The book is extremely well rounded, serving as a book you can read through, a guide, an inspirational text, a reference guide, or a scientific journal.

The only complaint we have about the book is the cover. It's not bad, but it doesn't really express the amazing information on the inside or the power of superfoods. Plus, the picture of David Wolfe isn't his best...it's, well, a little strange to say the least. What is going on with David Wolfe's hands? The photo looks like a bizzare high school senior portrait. Great book, strange cover.

Don't judge this book by it's cover because it is truly the most comprehensive book on superfoods to date.

Superfoods: Amazing Foods or Expensive Products?

Others leaders and promoters in the raw food movement are not so sure about superfoods. These anti-superfood proponents claim that superfoods are not more special than blueberries and broccoli, that all of our nutrition can be obtained from fresh, whole, raw plant foods alone. Most of them would say that superfoods are nothing but expensive powders and exotics foods that empty your bank account and don't give you much in return.

So..... who's right?

Unfortunately, we can't answer that question for you. You will need to ask yourself and your body to give you the lo-down on superfoods and if they work for you or if they are not right for you. Or which ones work for you and which ones do not. We do recommend that no matter what your current philosophy is on superfoods that no matter what, you will try them for yourself. That's the only way you'll know for sure if they work for you or not.

What does your body tell you about superfoods?
Do you feel better eating them than not eating them?
Only you can truly know that answer.

In the meantime, we hope this book can shed some light on the subject of superfoods for you. And this book may inspire you to give superfoods a try.

You're Asking Us: Where Can I Get These Superfoods?

In the coming months we will be profiling lots of our favorite sources for superfoods. There is a lot of poor quality out there that we have experienced first hand, so we will do our best to guide you to what we have found to be of higher than average quality superfoods.

There is also a lot of buzz going around about superfoods now because of certain companies that are setting up business structures allowing individuals to sell superfoods on their behalf. Please don't be turned off to superfoods because of these people who push them on you. Separate superfoods from the negative way some people want to sell them to you.

In the coming months, we're going to help put a positive and helpful spin on superfoods and some of these companies. We've been very careful to be involved in any companies or suppliers until we can guarantee that they are of good quality and are of good heart.

We hope we have already gained your trust and respect from our now 2.5 years of raw food blogging, nearly 5 years of personal raw food experience, and our dedication to honesty and integrity in our posts. Since superfoods are here to stay and more and more people are getting into them, it will inevitably become more difficult and confusing to wade your way through the hubbub of poor quality and get to the real goods. We promise to continue to be a guidepost for you in this regard.

If you want to keep up on the latest information on the raw food movement, on superfoods, and the future of the raw food movement, Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future by David Wolfe is the book to read right now.

~ JS and Heidi

Raw Food Right Now
http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

Online Database Tells You How Long Your Fruits and Veggies Last [Raw Online Resource]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:02:00 +0000

(via LifeHacker.com)

StillTasty.com Tells You How Long Your Raw Foods Will Last

StillTasty.com is a brand new online (free) resource that gives you information about how long each fruit, vegetable, nut, seed, herb, spice (and more!) will last before they go bad. The site has an easily searchable database that will tell you (in a clear graphical format) how long something will last in the pantry, fridge, and freezer.

Not only that, but StillTasty.com gives you tips on how to purchase the best produce, the most effective way to store it and even the best temperatures to store them at.

The site is not just for raw produce, so you will find just about every form of each type of produce and food from canned, bottled, baked and frozen, to dried. Luckily, they have storage information for raw versions of produce, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and more.

StillTasty.com is organized by category or you can also use a simple search function. They have also implemented a forum to share information with others and have started to incorporate articles such as The Secret to Keeping Luscious Fruits to add to their already useful database.

Here is an example of their tips and information chart for whole, raw apples:

Their listings are very specific; they even have a listing for cut, raw apples!

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This is one of our new favorite sites for quickly finding out how long specific fresh foods will last. Right now, it looks like the site is completely free and also ad free.

Another benefit of using this site is that it can help save you money on a raw diet. If you are aware of how long your produce will last in whatever way you choose to store it and know the best way to store it, you can maximize each and every food purchase.

Highly recommended.

~ Raw Food Right Now
http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

Michelle Obama Plants Organic Vegetable Garden in White House Lawn [Raw Related News]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 05:01:00 +0000

First Lady and Local School Children Plant Organic Vegetable Garden
Photo from Jason Reed/Reuters

(via Raw Reform)

Michelle Obama, America's New First Lady Into Organic Gardening?

Yes, you read that right. Michelle Obama began digging up the White House lawn last Friday in order to plan the first vegetable garden since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden during World War II.

Not only will the garden help provide fresh, local, organic food for the White House family, but Michelle Obama is using this as an opportunity to help teach American children about the importance of eating fruit and vegetables.

Seriously.

Check out this quote from the First Lady talking about her message by planting this garden, courtesy of the article from The New York Times:

“I wanted to be able to bring what I learned to a broader base of people. And what better way to do it than to plant a vegetable garden in the South Lawn of the White House?”

The First Lady was inspired to plan the garden, her first garden, to help teach her own children about eating better, which has already helped her girls to lose weight.

What's going to be in this garden?

The Obamas plan on planting and eating organic cilantro, tomatillos, red romaine, green oak leaf lettuce, butterhead lettuce, red leaf lettuce, spinach, chard, collards, black kale, berries and some herbs like anise hyssop and Thai basil.

And arugula too. The President likes his arugula!

Not only that, but they are even employing the White House carpenter to keep two hives for fresh local honey!

Truly incredible.

Hey White House folk, if you're reading this we will offer our time to fly out to D.C. and help teach Michelle Obama how to make green smoothies with some of those delicious greens and berries! Can you imagine? Sasha and Malia with yummy green moustaches?!

What does this mean for the raw food movement?

With health, nutrition, and small organic farming always taking a backseat to larger, more pressing issues for our nations politicians, seeing such a fabulous step being taken by our nation's most public political figures sends a very hopeful message.

What do you think the executives of some of the largest processed food corporations are thinking when they see such a strong quote from our First Lady:

...But the first lady emphasized that she did not want people to feel guilty if they did not have the time for a garden: there are still many changes they can make.
“You can begin in your own cupboard,” she said, “by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.”

Has the climate and culture around food in the U.S. finally beginning to change for the better? Are we going to start seeing more interest in fresh, organic, raw foods from mainstream news, culture, and other parts of society?

If you read the articles we linked to at the bottom, you'll see that the authors are focusing on this as a political issue about small scale farming vs. industrial farming and it sounds like Mrs. Obama is dead set on making this health through nutrition one of her priorities while in the White House.

Could the Obamas eventually become raw foodists? Probably not, but any step and every step counts. Any small change in the right direction sends a strong signal out to the rest of our nation and gets the wheels turning in the "more raw" direction.

We look forward to seeing more of this Victory Garden 2.0.

~ Raw Food Right Now
http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

Related:

Raw Food Term: "Raw-ish"

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:35:00 +0000

The other night Justin's parents invited us out to dinner at a new Mediterranean style restaurant that just opened up a few weeks ago. We've been working so much on all of our various projects for the past few weeks that we haven't eaten out in what seems like ages, and we haven't seen Justin's parents in weeks.

For most people in industrialized nations, eating out is an entertaining part of life. But as all long term raw foodists know... eating out looses it's luster when eating at home tastes so much better.

While eating out may no longer be entertainment for us, we knew the most important reason to go out to dinner with Justin's parents is to spend time with them. It's not about the food, it's about the company.

Yet, both of us were kind of dreading this dinner. It is a new restaurant, so it is a new menu to scour in hopes of finding raw treasure. When driving to the restaurant, we both looked at each other with a knowing look of trepidation.

Then, in a moment of clarity, Justin said something that changed everything in one sentence:

"No worries. We'll just eat something raw-ish tonight."

Raw-ish. Immediately, we both knew what he meant. We have seen other examples of people using the term raw-ish, but we have not seen anyone using it in this particular way.

Let us define it:

Raw-ish: v. The act of eating something as raw as possible in a cooked food environment.

Raw-ish is the perfect solution when you are eating out, or at a party, or at Grandma's house. It is the moment where you eat a perfect-for-you raw lifestyle for 99% of your life, but when these moments happen, you just go with the flow and eat something raw-ish. No worries, no biggie.

This is not an excuse to go out and binge on a chocolate cake and put one raspberry on top. This is about making the most of every moment, and making an effort to eat as raw as possible in any situation you are in.

How Raw-ish Works For Us

Sure enough, after Justin said the term raw-ish, we both felt at ease. We no longer felt the pressure to be perfect. Or the stress of making up some crazy printed card asking for a fully raw, fresh vegetable plate, no dressing so we can maintain a "raw" status.

We ended up ordering spicy hummus at the Mediterranean restaurant, and it was delicious. Then both of us had a salad off the menu.

I never felt more comfortable at a restaurant.

So the next time your parents want to take you out to dinner and say "Where would you like to go?", you can say, "I don't care, as long as there is something raw-ish there."

Perfect.

~ Heidi
Raw Food Right Now
http://www.rawfoodrightnow.com

P.S. Oh, and by the way, the "cooked" spicy hummus was some of the best hummus we've ever had. All those raw hummus recipes always make my stomach upset. I'll take the "cooked" garbanzo bean option any day over sprouted garbanzo hummus or zucchini raw hummus. It's just one of those things that doesn't translate well into raw food.

There is a Cure For Diabetes [Raw Food Book Review]

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:07:00 +0000

"Worldwide, diabetes has reached pandemic proportions. Data published in December 2006 in the International Diabetes Federation's Diabetes Atlas show that the disease now affects a staggering 246 million people worldwide, with 46 percent of all those affected in the 40-to-59 age group." -- from the book "There is a Cure for Diabetes" by Dr. Gabriel Cousens

We thought long and hard about reviewing this book on RFRN. We didn't quite know if this book review would fit into our site's intent of helping you, the reader, in your path to go raw and stay raw.

You see, on this site we haven't talked much about the dreaded "D" word: Disease. That is not our intent with this site. However, because the book is written by uber-expert, raw and living foods advocate and top researcher Gabriel Cousens, MD (Co-written- by David Rainoshek of JuiceFeasting.com) from the Tree of Life in Patagonia, AZ. We also wanted to review this book because it contains information that is excellent for non-diabetic raw foodists, we came to the conclusion that this book review can fit quite nicely into our site's content.

With all the buzz going on about a low-glycemic diet and lifestyle, and with the tremendous results Dr. Cousens is getting in treating diabetes patients, we thought that by reviewing this book, we could show a real world example of how a raw and living foods diet could possibly reap tremendous benefits for people with degenerative diseases.

(Note: We are not advocating or prescribing anything in this post on or on this website in general. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before continuing.)

So yes, this book is talking about a "cure for diabetes". But it does go beyond diabetes as well.

Let's get a more specific quote from the introduction of the book itself:

"Yes...Type-2 diabetes is a curable disease. From my thirty-five years of clinical experience as a holistic medical doctor, and that of live-food therapeutic centers since the 1920s when Max Gerson, MD, healed Albert Schweitzer of diabetes with live foods, the fact that diabetes is a curable disease is common knowledge in the live-food community. Diabetes is not a fixed sentence; it is not our natural condition, and has only become a problem of pandemic proportions since the 1940s."

Pretty incredible claims and a bold statement made by Dr. Cousens, yet we can see the results for ourselves in the Tree of Life's very well made documentary Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days. The film itself documents six Americans who all have diabetes (and eat a Standard American Diet) who go to the Tree of Life to go on a low-glycemic, live food diet to completely reverse their diabetes and get off insulin for good. The film is extremely moving and mind-blowing, highly recommended for those stuck in the "diabetes-medicine-disease" mindset and for those interested in strengthening their views on what the body can accomplish on a raw and living foods diet.

The book also details some actual case studies from those who have cured their diabetes at the Tree of Life using Dr. Cousens' approach. The amount of scientific and medical studies quoted and referenced in this text is equally mind-blowing. Anyone thinking that there isn't a scientific base behind such a claim as "curing" diabetes my want to take even a brief glance at this book. Dr. Cousens has more than done his homework.

What exactly is the program?

So, what is the "cure for diabetes" according to the book? The book outlines the Tree of Life's specific 21+ Day program for reversing diabetes naturally. Consider it a primer on Dr. Cousens' years and years of work and research on reversing diabetes with a natural diet.

We can't give you all of the details of this phenomenal program in a simple book review. Not only is this quite a large and very in depth book, but it is massively packed with information and references to studies and other scientific papers that can make your head spin. The book is thick with scientific and medical terminology and wording, but those who are interested in pursuing such a program will benefit greatly by soaking up as much of this information as they can out of the book before they consider going to the Tree of Life for the full program. Despite the sometimes dry text, the book is also written in a plain enough style that anybody at any reading level will be able to understand the basics of the program.

In the first seven days of the 21+ day program, participants are put on a minimum seven day green juice fast "which greatly accelerates the reversing of the diabetic degenerative physiological process."

One of the most fascinating claims in this book, is that "the program renders insulin and related medicines unnecessary within four days as the blood sugar drops to normal levels, and the diabetic shifts into a non-diabetic physiology within two weeks." Wow! These claims are simply astonishing when you consider that the modern medical community considers diabetes an incurable and life-long (and life threatening!) disease.

The remainder of the 21+ Day program is a low-glycemic all or mostly raw diet supplemented with herbs and various supplements. After the blood sugar stabilizes within a normal range and the program is over, the participants are encouraged to follow the diet for life with only a few modifications, if any. Part of the program entails an up to one year follow-up via telephone consulting to help those who went through the program maintain their new diet and lifestyle at home.

How can this book benefit non-diabetic raw foodists?

A lot of our readers write into us asking us about low-glycemic recipes and information. The interest in this style of raw foodism stems from Dr. Cousens' many books. His books Conscious Eating, Spiritual Nutrition, and Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine all substantiate his views on what he and the rest of his team deem the best possible diet. His years of tireless scientific research for the living foods community is a precious gift for those of us seeking a much healthier lifestyle. Whether or not you agree with his approach, we should all give our respects and consideration to his work and recommendations. If you haven't read about Dr. Cousens work, take the next five minutes to read his amazing biography on the Tree of Life's website. (link: http://www.treeoflife.nu/gabriel)

There is a Cure for Diabetes gives many more valuable and up-to-date low-glycemic recipes that can be enjoyed by any health-conscious individual. Because Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine was written and published in 2003 (nearly 6 years ago as of this writing), many, many breakthroughs have been made in Dr. Cousens research on living, low-glycemic foods. New recipes are found in the pages of There is a Cure for Diabetes, including lots of chia seeds and even recipes for cooked dishes that include unrefined grains like quinoa and millet, as well as a lot of new and up-to-date raw food recipes you won't find in Rainbow Green.

In a way, this book serves as a sequel to Rainbow Green.

People who also eat cooked foods and those who want to introduce this lifestyle to friends and family that are resistant to eating a raw diet will love the low-glycemic, high-mineral cooked food recipes included in the book, using ingredients like quinoa, amaranth, and beans.

The recipe section of the book also includes a basic introduction to live food culinary creation. Think of this as a quick overview of the same information (but much updated) of Rainbow Green. A great summary for those new to making this type of food as well as a refresher for those who've been at it for a while.

On top of all that goodness, a detailed list of all nutrients and foods that are helpful for diabetics are listed, along with the reasons why and any related scientific studies that back the author's conclusions up.

There is also an extensive section on Juice Feasting written by David Rainoshek, the creator of JuiceFeasting.com and co-author of the book. Juice Feasting is also recommended as part of the home follow-up to the 21 Day program outlined in the book to further cleanse and ehance the individual's healing. This section provides an excellent summary of Juice Feasting as well as serving as an adjunct to the information on the JuiceFeasting.com website. It's not all repeated information from the site but is more like a well thought out and condensed summary of Juice Feasting.

There is a Cure for Diabetes is not just all about treating diabetes with food. Specific herbs, teas, and supplements are also listed along with their potential benefits for diabetics. Cousens cites scientific research and history of these additions as well so the reader can follow up should they choose to be interested in pursuing these choices. In addition, lifestyle enhancements, such as exercise, yoga, and meditation are encouraged and described in the book.

Culture of Life vs. Culture of Death

"The degenrative conditions, lifestyle, and diet that create diabetes emanate from these modern realities, which, taken together, we are calling the Culture of Death." - Dr. Gabriel Cousens, There is a Cure for Diabetes

Perhaps the most common theme threaded throughout the book is what Dr. Cousens calls the Culture of Life vs. the Culture of Death. Dr. Cousens believes that diabetes is a disease that results from living a Culture of Death lifestyle (i.e., an extremely poor diet and lifestyle in a culture fixated on death and destruction). Living in the "correct" way or, as he puts it, the Culture of Life, does not result in a diabetes physiology and can even reverse diabetes.

An integral part of his treatment for reversing a diabetic physiology at the Tree of Life is spending a lot of time helping his participants in the program to change their thinking on diabetes. They spend time working on re-framing their views on the disease from something incurable, as allopathic medicine calls it, to something that they do not have to experience if they take on the physiological change through diet which ultimately "cures" diabetes.

All in all, There Is A Cure For Diabetes is an excellent book for a raw foodist library. Who knows, you might meet someone who is a diabetic, and they ask you how you became so healthy. You might do someone a favor and open the doorway of raw foods to someone new!

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Again, we want to stress that we do not talk about "diseases and cures" on this blog very often, if ever. This blog is for an audience already interested in a raw and living foods diet who want to learn more about being raw, how to take it further, and most importantly, how to make it easier in their day-to-day life.

Notice to those who wish to comment on this post: If you have any specific things you want to say about curing diabetes, Dr. Cousens work, or have any arguments against the possibility of reversing diabetes, this blog is not the place for that discussion. In fact, RFRN is not a place to "debate" diet or any approach to disease. We recommend that you call the Tree of Life and speak with them if you have any specific questions, concerns, or just want to tell someone that diabetes cannot be cured: call the Tree of Life at 866-394-2520.

This review is simply that: a review of a book.

~ Raw Food, Right Now
http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

Massive Raw Book Reviews!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi and JS) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:54:00 +0000

Massive Stacks of Raw Food Books to Review

As the raw food world grows and grows and grows, so does the amount of information. And at the top of that stack:

RAW FOOD BOOKS.

Lots of 'em.

It seems like almost every week a new raw food book is coming out, and if you couple that with the hundreds of DIY raw ebooks out there, it's astronomical. It seems that every week, we are getting a new book in the mail to review for our readers.

Now, while we don't plan on reviewing every book out there (it would be impossible), we do want to give you our always honest opinion and review on as much raw information as we can. So many of our readers have written us thank you emails deeply appreciating our past book reviews, helping them to make better decisions on which raw food books to buy and which ones they can avoid.

Our goal with these book reviews is simple: tell you what the contents are, who the book applies to, and why we think you may want to own it or get it from your local library.

We want to help you sort out the great, from those that are a waste of paper.

This month we are going to go through our stacks of raw food books and raw food ebooks that have been sent to us, and we are going to review them right here on Raw Food Right Now.

Not only that, over the next month we have some exciting articles for you to help you use those few raw food books that you don't use very often and may be sitting on your bookshelf collecting dust. We're calling this upcoming series:

How to Get More Out of Your
Raw Food Books

Because there are so many raw food books available in the market now, these questions come up. Have you ever asked yourself:

Why do I have all these raw food books?

Do I really need to have 100 raw food books to choose from?

Well, besides raw recipe books, a lot of raw food books tend to repeat information you already know or just say the same thing in different ways.

To avoid re-reading the same things over and over in different books, between our raw book review posts, we're going to give you tips and tools on how to get the most out of your newest raw book gem in the least amount of time possible. Of course, if you fall in love with a new raw book and want to savor it, please do so! But if you're like us and have less than no time to read yet another raw food book, these tools will help you get what you need out of the book for you in record time.

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While you are waiting, get a feel for our review style by reading some of our favorite raw book reviews we have done here on Raw Food Right Now:

So yep! More high quality and honest book reviews for you to learn from and enjoy!

Well, we both have a lot of reading to do, so off we go to hit the books!

- Raw Food Right Now

http://www.rawfoodrightnow.com

Photo credit: flickr/austinevan