Temptations are everywhere. Saturday night it was vegan pizza at a farewell party for a friend. I indulged.
Still, I feel like I'm doing alright on my raw vacation, having stocked up on supplies for raw tacos (ala Matt Amsden's book Rawvolution), smoothies, and assorted snacks. Today Jezebel and I made raw raisin bread, raw buckwheat cereal, and Annie Phyo's Acai Cheezecake. If I make a few raw staples each day of my vacation, I will hopefully have enough on hand to endure how busy I am when I return to work. It will entail spending a good part of each weekend preparing foods for the week. It's discipline, but all the same the house smells great with the dehydrator going and already I feel a clarity in my head I don't normally have on just a vegetarian diet.
The location of the dehydrator in this new house is an issue. It's an enormous one from 20 years ago and the only place in my little kitchen that it will fit is right on top of the stovetop, which effectively puts the stovetop out of use for anything else. I don't cook much normally anyway, so for now it will have to do.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
A Return to Raw...
I'm taking a week off for vacation next week and decided I would do my own "spa-cation" with it, returning at least for a week to a raw diet of pure vegan foods. Today, Monday of the week before, is my baby steps day: For lunch I packed cherries, a green smoothie, and a bottle of fresh hemp milk. So far so good, though I'm craving raw *solids* -- all those wonderful crackers, cheeses, and main dishes I used to make with such dedication way back when I was on my sabbatical. It's a good thing that *that's* what I'm craving, but in lieu of all the stocking up and prep I need to do in order to make this raw lifestyle work again, tonight will probably be some vegetarian cooked fare. Not horrible, as far as dietary regimens go, but not crazy health-licious either.
I'll be at home the whole week, dedicating myself to pure-liciousness. Wish me luck!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Hopping on the Wagon Again
Slowly but surely bad things crept into my diet: first the raw foods diminished, replaced by relatively healthy vegan food. Then there was the discovery of City O'City vegan desserts here in Denver -- vegan Ho Ho cupcakes, scout cookies, carrot cake, scones. And, what was to become my comfort food, City O' City's BBQ tofu sandwich ("The Sherman"), with the tofu, I think, fried, and sometimes ordered with a side of fries. So fried foods came back into my diet, along with processed sugars and grains. Coffee became an indulgence and an addiction, driving through Starbuck's each morning before work, intoxicated by the wafting scent coming out of the window as I drove up.
At first the changes in my health and well-being were negligible, but gradually as I got further and further away from that wagon, the health effects became more noticeable. Gradual weight gain, so gradual I didn't really noticed it until I crept up near 140 lbs. My skin had almost constant breakouts, usually timed with my menstrual cycle, but something I had not experienced while raw. Mood swings became more severe. Of course there were other factors: the stress of a new job, a divorce, moving to a new state, my mother's death. Enough to throw anyone's equilibrium off, certainly. Still, I couldn't help but feel like my body was craving clean foods again and clean energy.
So, this weekend I hopped back on the wagon. I'll stick to the following rules (very similar to the ones I stuck to during my most dedicated time period) for at least a month to see how I fare:
At first the changes in my health and well-being were negligible, but gradually as I got further and further away from that wagon, the health effects became more noticeable. Gradual weight gain, so gradual I didn't really noticed it until I crept up near 140 lbs. My skin had almost constant breakouts, usually timed with my menstrual cycle, but something I had not experienced while raw. Mood swings became more severe. Of course there were other factors: the stress of a new job, a divorce, moving to a new state, my mother's death. Enough to throw anyone's equilibrium off, certainly. Still, I couldn't help but feel like my body was craving clean foods again and clean energy.
So, this weekend I hopped back on the wagon. I'll stick to the following rules (very similar to the ones I stuck to during my most dedicated time period) for at least a month to see how I fare:
- Raw foods at home, lots of green smoothies
- If I go out to eat, I can eat cooked food, but must avoid processed sugars, processed grains, and fried foods
- I will try to minimize coffee without sacrificing work productivity. Ie, I'll drink it if I feel I really need the energy boost and will try to switch to green tea over time, perhaps eliminating caffeine altogether if I don't need it
Sunday, February 21, 2010
On Falling Off the Wagon...
I've fallen seriously off the raw wagon. I couldn't very well call myself "high raw" anymore. I'm more "low raw." I can't even say I'm eating all that well. I feel best when I'm mostly raw and hopefully when my life sorts itself out again I can get back to it.
It's been a period of high stress in my life: major life changes are afoot. I've managed to drink at least one green smoothie on most days and I eat a lot of Pure Cherry Cashew bars (which are raw, but I'm not sure they should be such a staple of my diet -- I literally go through boxes a week). Beyond that, I drink coffee everyday (Triple Venti Soy Latte please) and often oatmeal in the morning. When I make it myself, it's with steel cut or stone ground oats and full of good (if cooked) stuff like raisins, date sugar or bananas, unsweetened soy milk and cinnamon. If I get it when I get my Triple Venti Soy Latte, it's Starbuck's instant oatmeal ripoff that they charge 2.50 for. Still, I buy it because I'm in a hurry, it's the only thing I'm sure is vegan, and probably lower on the processed sugar than other potential options(though I'm sure I'm getting too much in their soy milk, which is sweetened, and in the dried fruits they give me for the oatmeal). For dinner, I often either eat handfuls of nuts (roasted! gasp!) or Trader Joe's Dal Makhni with Garlic Naan (bleached flour! double gasp!).
I've managed to stay vegan though...well, except for the cookie that was presented to me during a job interview that clearly had been purchased specifically for my visit. I ate the cookie. I have to admit, I'm still wrestling with that. My vegan morals clearly need some work.
It's been a period of high stress in my life: major life changes are afoot. I've managed to drink at least one green smoothie on most days and I eat a lot of Pure Cherry Cashew bars (which are raw, but I'm not sure they should be such a staple of my diet -- I literally go through boxes a week). Beyond that, I drink coffee everyday (Triple Venti Soy Latte please) and often oatmeal in the morning. When I make it myself, it's with steel cut or stone ground oats and full of good (if cooked) stuff like raisins, date sugar or bananas, unsweetened soy milk and cinnamon. If I get it when I get my Triple Venti Soy Latte, it's Starbuck's instant oatmeal ripoff that they charge 2.50 for. Still, I buy it because I'm in a hurry, it's the only thing I'm sure is vegan, and probably lower on the processed sugar than other potential options(though I'm sure I'm getting too much in their soy milk, which is sweetened, and in the dried fruits they give me for the oatmeal). For dinner, I often either eat handfuls of nuts (roasted! gasp!) or Trader Joe's Dal Makhni with Garlic Naan (bleached flour! double gasp!).
I've managed to stay vegan though...well, except for the cookie that was presented to me during a job interview that clearly had been purchased specifically for my visit. I ate the cookie. I have to admit, I'm still wrestling with that. My vegan morals clearly need some work.
Monday, February 8, 2010
More Video
I know, I know, this has nothing to do with the purported purpose of this blog. So sue me :)
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Raw Truth...
I haven't posted here in months -- I'm still mostly raw and entirely vegan, but I've slipped on and off the wagon. Coffee is my main naughty vice. It's been a stressful period -- thus the dietary wavering and lack of posts. I did, however, make a little video. And, while the video below isn't about raw veganism, it is, as the title above suggests, the raw truth. Enjoy :)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
118 Degrees Restaurant, Costa Mesa
It's been ages since I've updated this blog, and speaking of ages, midlife keeps rolling steadily along. Today we celebrated my 43rd birthday two days early with a visit to my current favorite restaurant, 118 Degrees.
Here's Jezebel, Christina and I in the backseat on the way to the restaurant:
The tone for 118 Degrees is set right from the moment you enter the parking lot, where each space is adorned with phrases like "Remain Calm" and "Simplify."
The first time I went there, I didn't look closely and thought they were reserved parking spots. Clearly, I need to learn to "pay attention" and "be present."
Here's a photo of the family outside the restaurant (that really didn't need a caption, but there you go).
Although it is a raw restaurant, they do serve coffee. One intriguing concoction combined coffee with cacao, cayenne and lime. Christina and Di opted for plain coffee with hemp milk. As you can see, the hemp milk captivated Di first with its swirling patterns and then with its taste. She ended up swigging it straight from the pitcher.
Jezebel ordered this cacao drizzled buckwheat cereal in nut milk. As she put it, "If you see chocolate, eat it." Well said.
I ordered the same appetizer and entree I'd had on my previous visit, the "Fried" Avocado Mini Tostada (Crispy Buckwheat Shell, Spicy Peppita Sauce, Chopped Spinach, Cilantro, Corn and Fried Avocado) and the Living Lasagna (Layers of Marinated Italian Vegetables, Creamy Ricotta and Sweet Basil Marinara. Topped with Crispy Tomato). Unfortunately I kept forgetting to take a photo before I dug into them.
Di had fondue for dessert and I ordered the Pecan Chai Truffles. To apply Jezebel's profound depth and wisdom: "If you see truffles, eat them."
On our way out, we snapped this photo of Di and Christina. Di indulged so thoroughly that Christina was heard to comment during the meal, "I don't think it's your birthday Sandra, it's Di's."
Here's Jezebel, Christina and I in the backseat on the way to the restaurant:
The tone for 118 Degrees is set right from the moment you enter the parking lot, where each space is adorned with phrases like "Remain Calm" and "Simplify."
The first time I went there, I didn't look closely and thought they were reserved parking spots. Clearly, I need to learn to "pay attention" and "be present." Here's a photo of the family outside the restaurant (that really didn't need a caption, but there you go).
Although it is a raw restaurant, they do serve coffee. One intriguing concoction combined coffee with cacao, cayenne and lime. Christina and Di opted for plain coffee with hemp milk. As you can see, the hemp milk captivated Di first with its swirling patterns and then with its taste. She ended up swigging it straight from the pitcher.
Jezebel ordered this cacao drizzled buckwheat cereal in nut milk. As she put it, "If you see chocolate, eat it." Well said.
I ordered the same appetizer and entree I'd had on my previous visit, the "Fried" Avocado Mini Tostada (Crispy Buckwheat Shell, Spicy Peppita Sauce, Chopped Spinach, Cilantro, Corn and Fried Avocado) and the Living Lasagna (Layers of Marinated Italian Vegetables, Creamy Ricotta and Sweet Basil Marinara. Topped with Crispy Tomato). Unfortunately I kept forgetting to take a photo before I dug into them.
Di had fondue for dessert and I ordered the Pecan Chai Truffles. To apply Jezebel's profound depth and wisdom: "If you see truffles, eat them."
On our way out, we snapped this photo of Di and Christina. Di indulged so thoroughly that Christina was heard to comment during the meal, "I don't think it's your birthday Sandra, it's Di's."
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Review: I Am Grateful and Sweet Gratitude (the Cookbooks of Cafe Gratitude)
Reprinted from Spiritualitea.com:
No two books fit the philosophy and focus of Spiritualitea quite so well as this pair from Café Gratitude. Inherent within them is the idea that food is nourishment for both body and spirit. Take, for example, the titles of each of the dishes, both at the café and in the book I Am Grateful:
The recipes in I Am Grateful are fairly straightforward, though a good many of them require you to have a dehydrator. The recipes in Sweet Gratitude on the other hand can seem involved at first – they may entail learning to use unfamiliar ingredients such as Irish Moss (a sea vegetable) or learning to create your own liquid vanilla – but once you’ve learned the techniques, the recipes aren’t as complex as they first seemed and the results are oh so worth it. In one taste test, non-raw friends sampled the Sweet Gratitude pecan pie side by side with one from Marie Callendar’s and deemed the former superior. With regular desserts, you can expect only sin and guilt from your indulgence, but with these recipes you get living enzymes, protein, and healthy fats. I can personally attest to the fact that even with desserts like these as a semi-regular part of my diet, my previously pre-diabetic glucose levels have remained stable and I continued to lose weight. What more could you ask?
While of the two books I loved Sweet Gratitude more – I've been blown away by every recipe I’ve tried in it – I’d recommend getting I Am Grateful if you are deciding between the two rather than planning to purchase both. I Am Grateful not only includes a broad range of raw entrees, salads, sauces and drinks, but also includes some of my favorite desserts from Sweet Gratitude, such as the Pecan Pie and Banana Cream Pie. I Am Grateful also includes the inspiring story of restaurant founder Terces Engelhart and a bit on the philosophy behind her creation.
I am so inspired by the food of the underlying philosophy of the restaurant, I hope to make a pilgrimage of sorts next time I’m in the Bay Area of California where it is located. It’s no doubt a favorite destination of raw vegan pop star Jason Mraz – he mentions it in his song “Make It Mine” (from the album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things) and used a reference to the restaurant as the title for his recent tour. Like Jason Mraz, I am grateful for many things, and among them are these two books.
No two books fit the philosophy and focus of Spiritualitea quite so well as this pair from Café Gratitude. Inherent within them is the idea that food is nourishment for both body and spirit. Take, for example, the titles of each of the dishes, both at the café and in the book I Am Grateful:“The Café Gratitude menu gives you the opportunity to start practicing saying something new and affirming about yourself by simply placing your order. All the items on our menu have self-affirming names like ‘I Am Adoring,’ ‘I am Loved,’ or ‘I Am Fulfilled,’ which is how we encourage customers to order what they want. Then when the servers bring them their food and drinks, they place them down saying, ‘You Are Adoring,’ ‘Your Are Loved,’ or ‘You Are Fulfilled’!”
The recipes in I Am Grateful are fairly straightforward, though a good many of them require you to have a dehydrator. The recipes in Sweet Gratitude on the other hand can seem involved at first – they may entail learning to use unfamiliar ingredients such as Irish Moss (a sea vegetable) or learning to create your own liquid vanilla – but once you’ve learned the techniques, the recipes aren’t as complex as they first seemed and the results are oh so worth it. In one taste test, non-raw friends sampled the Sweet Gratitude pecan pie side by side with one from Marie Callendar’s and deemed the former superior. With regular desserts, you can expect only sin and guilt from your indulgence, but with these recipes you get living enzymes, protein, and healthy fats. I can personally attest to the fact that even with desserts like these as a semi-regular part of my diet, my previously pre-diabetic glucose levels have remained stable and I continued to lose weight. What more could you ask?
While of the two books I loved Sweet Gratitude more – I've been blown away by every recipe I’ve tried in it – I’d recommend getting I Am Grateful if you are deciding between the two rather than planning to purchase both. I Am Grateful not only includes a broad range of raw entrees, salads, sauces and drinks, but also includes some of my favorite desserts from Sweet Gratitude, such as the Pecan Pie and Banana Cream Pie. I Am Grateful also includes the inspiring story of restaurant founder Terces Engelhart and a bit on the philosophy behind her creation.
I am so inspired by the food of the underlying philosophy of the restaurant, I hope to make a pilgrimage of sorts next time I’m in the Bay Area of California where it is located. It’s no doubt a favorite destination of raw vegan pop star Jason Mraz – he mentions it in his song “Make It Mine” (from the album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things) and used a reference to the restaurant as the title for his recent tour. Like Jason Mraz, I am grateful for many things, and among them are these two books.
Sample Recipes:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
reflections on raw and white teeth
Raw foodism isn't always just about raw foods, oddly enough. Folks willing to adopt one alternative paradigm are often willing to consider other alternative paradigms. One topic I'd noticed coming up in blogs and discussion forums was the idea that conventional mass-produced toothpaste wasn't all that good for you. People were critiquing flouride as both inefficient at doing what it was supposed to do (fight cavities) and downright harmful. They also mentioned that the glycerin in toothpaste (which even the natural brands contain) created a barrier that prevented re-enamelization. I'd never heard of the idea that teeth might be able to re-enamel themselves before.
Alternatives people mentioned included some I didn't try (like oil pulling) and some I did (brushing with tooth soap, brushing with coconut oil followed by charcoal). I did find that my teeth felt really clean using these options, but there was a significant downside no one had mentioned: I have no idea if my teeth would have ever begun the process of re-enamelization, but I did notice that without the glycerin barrier there was nothing to keep my green juices and green smoothies from staining my teeth. The resulting stains were worse than coffee had ever been and I was beginning to look like Austin Powers.
I'm guessing that a lot of the folks who are using tooth soap are relatively young. My teeth didn't stain as quickly when I was younger. All I know is that I couldn't take it anymore. I started resorting to over the counter whiteners, including Lysterine Quick Dissolve Whitening Strips and the Rembrandt 2 hour Whitening Kit. Nothing was dissolving those Austin Powers stains. Finally I tried Crest Vivid White and Vivid White Night toothpaste. Something about the grittiness of the toothpaste along with the bleaching agents managed to get the last of those stains off. Now I'm using a combination of all three: Lysterine Dissolving Strips on the road, periodic bleaching with the Rembrandt kit and daily brushing with both the Vivid Whites.
My fellow raw foodies, so passionate about all things natural, are probably horrified by the level of chemicals I'm putting in my mouth, but for now it's working for me. And you won't cringe when I smile.
Alternatives people mentioned included some I didn't try (like oil pulling) and some I did (brushing with tooth soap, brushing with coconut oil followed by charcoal). I did find that my teeth felt really clean using these options, but there was a significant downside no one had mentioned: I have no idea if my teeth would have ever begun the process of re-enamelization, but I did notice that without the glycerin barrier there was nothing to keep my green juices and green smoothies from staining my teeth. The resulting stains were worse than coffee had ever been and I was beginning to look like Austin Powers.
I'm guessing that a lot of the folks who are using tooth soap are relatively young. My teeth didn't stain as quickly when I was younger. All I know is that I couldn't take it anymore. I started resorting to over the counter whiteners, including Lysterine Quick Dissolve Whitening Strips and the Rembrandt 2 hour Whitening Kit. Nothing was dissolving those Austin Powers stains. Finally I tried Crest Vivid White and Vivid White Night toothpaste. Something about the grittiness of the toothpaste along with the bleaching agents managed to get the last of those stains off. Now I'm using a combination of all three: Lysterine Dissolving Strips on the road, periodic bleaching with the Rembrandt kit and daily brushing with both the Vivid Whites.
My fellow raw foodies, so passionate about all things natural, are probably horrified by the level of chemicals I'm putting in my mouth, but for now it's working for me. And you won't cringe when I smile.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sheer Terror
I just spent almost $500 on a blender:
Oh lordy. Now, mind you:
Nonetheless, I'm feeling some panic about the whole situation -- $500 is a lot to spend on a small appliance. We used what we call our "fun money" -- the extra income that comes in through ad revenues, mostly on my husband's sites. And, to alleviate my guilt, I told him to count it as my mother's day and anniversary present. Still, it's a lot of money.
Needless to say, I'll be posting here to let you know if I love the new machine as much as I did the old one.
Eek.
- Vitamix 5200 Blender: $449
- Los Angeles Tax: $4.74
- California Tax: $33.18
- For a grand total of: 492.85
Oh lordy. Now, mind you:
- I'm a lifelong Vitamix fan
- My last Vitamix (a 3600+) lasted for 20 years (and was used when I got it -- these are seriously well-built machines)
- I use the Vitamix at least once a day, so I really do need a serious blender
- I got free shipping
- If I change my mind, the new machine has a 30 day return policy, including free return shipping
- The standard warranty is 7 years
- My deal included an additional year on the warranty, making it 8 years
Nonetheless, I'm feeling some panic about the whole situation -- $500 is a lot to spend on a small appliance. We used what we call our "fun money" -- the extra income that comes in through ad revenues, mostly on my husband's sites. And, to alleviate my guilt, I told him to count it as my mother's day and anniversary present. Still, it's a lot of money.
Needless to say, I'll be posting here to let you know if I love the new machine as much as I did the old one.
Eek.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tragedy Has Struck
I've had my Vitamix for about 20 years. It was used when I got it. I was a struggling college student, but somehow I managed to scrape together $150 to buy one used from the Recycler.
At the time, I was vegetarian, but not raw. I'd make fruit smoothies in the Vitamix, pouring them into thick, recycled glass tumblers we got on a trip to Mexico, and drink them while I stood on the second floor balcony of our apartment in Long Beach, looking out at the palm trees that dotted the cold, morning skyline.
I have fond memories of grinding wheat berries into flour using the Vitamix, kneading it right in the canister, then baking a thick, brown bread that I spread with real butter.
I thought that Vitamix, with its gorgeous stainless steel construction, would live forever.
Two days ago, the agitator assembly broke in two. My husband took a photo of the part and sent it to his machinist brother in Alabama. This was his response:
I doubt my Vitamix could take more vibration than it already has. We could buy a replacement part from the manufacturer, but with tax and shipping it would come to $101.55. We've haunted ebay but used replacement parts are going for at least $50 with shipping -- if you're lucky.
So I've been left with the painful decision: do I pay $50-$100 to fix it and stay with my first love? Or do I sell my first love for parts and fork out $449 for a more powerful but not as pretty Vitamix 5200?
Beauty or Brains? Age or Youthful Spunk? (Until the cost of replacing or fixing my Vitamix entered my financial horizon, the Spirooli was next on my list of raw accessories to acquire. Now that's been pushed down the list -- unless I'm lucky enough to win Gena's contest at ChoosingRaw.com.)
Part of me wonders if I didn't break the 3600's heart. A few months ago, despite her faithful service for 20 years, when Yardsnacker and Hihorosie had a contest for a new 5200, I entered this video:
So wooed was I by the promise of the 5200's reputed 2hp motor, I found myself disparaging the 3600's ability to make nut milk on camera. Maybe that agitator assembly coming apart was really just the Vitamix's heart breaking in two.
Like any break-up, there are two sides to the story and maybe no one is completely blameless. Maybe we will work it out or maybe it is just time for us to go our separate ways. Either way, you will always be my first appliance love.
At the time, I was vegetarian, but not raw. I'd make fruit smoothies in the Vitamix, pouring them into thick, recycled glass tumblers we got on a trip to Mexico, and drink them while I stood on the second floor balcony of our apartment in Long Beach, looking out at the palm trees that dotted the cold, morning skyline.
I have fond memories of grinding wheat berries into flour using the Vitamix, kneading it right in the canister, then baking a thick, brown bread that I spread with real butter.
I thought that Vitamix, with its gorgeous stainless steel construction, would live forever.
Two days ago, the agitator assembly broke in two. My husband took a photo of the part and sent it to his machinist brother in Alabama. This was his response:
Hey y'all,
I could make a new shaft but the internal splines require a special cutter that would cost thousands. No joke. You make the investment to make 10,000 parts for the production line. I would be glad to try and weld back together and rebalance it. Nothing to lose, all that will happen is it will vibrate too much to use if I don't get it just right. The vibration could be useful at other times away from food prep.
I doubt my Vitamix could take more vibration than it already has. We could buy a replacement part from the manufacturer, but with tax and shipping it would come to $101.55. We've haunted ebay but used replacement parts are going for at least $50 with shipping -- if you're lucky.
So I've been left with the painful decision: do I pay $50-$100 to fix it and stay with my first love? Or do I sell my first love for parts and fork out $449 for a more powerful but not as pretty Vitamix 5200?
Beauty or Brains? Age or Youthful Spunk? (Until the cost of replacing or fixing my Vitamix entered my financial horizon, the Spirooli was next on my list of raw accessories to acquire. Now that's been pushed down the list -- unless I'm lucky enough to win Gena's contest at ChoosingRaw.com.)
Part of me wonders if I didn't break the 3600's heart. A few months ago, despite her faithful service for 20 years, when Yardsnacker and Hihorosie had a contest for a new 5200, I entered this video:
So wooed was I by the promise of the 5200's reputed 2hp motor, I found myself disparaging the 3600's ability to make nut milk on camera. Maybe that agitator assembly coming apart was really just the Vitamix's heart breaking in two.
Like any break-up, there are two sides to the story and maybe no one is completely blameless. Maybe we will work it out or maybe it is just time for us to go our separate ways. Either way, you will always be my first appliance love.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Review: 12 Steps to Raw Foods by Victoria Boutenko
Some of the steps that will benefit even those who hope to just eat healthier without necessarily giving up all cooked food include:
- Nourishing Your Body to Eliminate Cravings
- Acquiring Skills and Equipment
- Avoiding Temptation
- Gratitude and Forgiveness
- Embracing Other Healthy Habits
- Searching for One's Spiritual Mission
- Giving Support to Others
12 Steps to Raw Foods: How to End Your Dependency on Cooked Foods (North Atlantic Books) is a significant revision and expansion of the earlier edition. So much so, that even if you already have the first edition (from Raw Family Publishing), you will still want to purchase a copy of the new edition. For those familiar with Boutenko's works, this book contains material that will be familiar -- Part 1 contains some of the same information found in Raw Family and Green for Life in condensed form -- but there is also new information such as chapter four's review of scientific studies that support Boutenko's contention that cooked food is damaging to the human body. For those new to Boutenko, this is a great introduction to her ideas, methods and life experiences, the latter of which includes the inspiring account of how she healed her families illnesses through healthful eating and exercise.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
How to Stay on the Wagon When You're Under the Weather. Or Not.
If you read the last post, you'll know I caught a nasty cold last week. I've never had the strongest immune system and there was a period a year or so ago (before I went raw) where it seemed like I was catching a cold every month or so. I'm still waiting for my body to fully detox and rejuvenate from all this healthy living, bolstering up my immune system, but then I've only been at the raw thing since January 1st.
Having a cold, with its attendant sniffles, sneezing and seething nasal passages, has brought with it its own raw challenges and temptations. I craved comfort food, which meant that when I went out to eat after my daughter's egg hunt (I just couldn't stay inside and miss her egg hunt -- after all, how many will she have in her life?), I wanted hot food so I ordered corn tortillas, beans and rice along with a cup of hot herbal tea. The next day, I really wanted salted, roasted peanuts, so I indulged. Neither instance is a horrible digression: I didn't eat fried food or processed sugar or dairy products, but cooked food makes you crave cooked food so I've had to be extra diligent since then not to give in.
Harsher on my system perhaps was my indulgence in Nyquil two nights in a row. It got me through the worst of the cold symptoms, but the following night my body was thrown off and I couldn't sleep at all.
If anyone has any suggestions for what you do when you're sick and want old comforts like hot food and over-the-counter medicine, do let me know. I'd like to be armed and ready next time. Heck, I'm still not feeling great, so I may just implement them now!
Having a cold, with its attendant sniffles, sneezing and seething nasal passages, has brought with it its own raw challenges and temptations. I craved comfort food, which meant that when I went out to eat after my daughter's egg hunt (I just couldn't stay inside and miss her egg hunt -- after all, how many will she have in her life?), I wanted hot food so I ordered corn tortillas, beans and rice along with a cup of hot herbal tea. The next day, I really wanted salted, roasted peanuts, so I indulged. Neither instance is a horrible digression: I didn't eat fried food or processed sugar or dairy products, but cooked food makes you crave cooked food so I've had to be extra diligent since then not to give in.
Harsher on my system perhaps was my indulgence in Nyquil two nights in a row. It got me through the worst of the cold symptoms, but the following night my body was thrown off and I couldn't sleep at all.
If anyone has any suggestions for what you do when you're sick and want old comforts like hot food and over-the-counter medicine, do let me know. I'd like to be armed and ready next time. Heck, I'm still not feeling great, so I may just implement them now!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Tending Mind, Body and Spirit in the City of Sin
Awash in neon lights, topless reviews and casinos, you might think Las Vegas an odd destination for someone in search of rejuvenation, but you’d be wrong. Its decadence extends not just to more prurient pursuits but to its lavish spas.
If you’re looking for something less spacious but more ritzy at around the same price, you can get a smaller 500 square foot room at the Four Seasons hotel (located on the top floor of Mandalay Bay). While your room will be smaller, you’ll be treated to poolside service that includes hovering “attendants nearby with an Evian spritz, fresh fruit, and chilled water.” As a gaming-free hotel, it’s ideal for families and those of us who don’t like to gamble. Plus, by staying at the Four Seasons, you’ll also have access to Mandalay Bay’s pool complex which includes wave pools and lazy rivers.
On previous trips I’d experienced the spas at Mandalay Bay, THEhotel, Luxor, and Red Rock, so this time I wanted to try something different. On our first day, my husband dropped me off at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the Venetian/Palazzo hotel (he took my daughter for a visit to Circus Circus while I luxuriated). I was lured by online descriptions of Canyon Ranch, which listed the following features:
Midweek hotel rates are remarkably inexpensive, and we landed a nearly 800 square foot suite at the Luxor for only $125 a night (regular rooms are only $60 a night). The Luxor, mind you, is old by strip standards, having been open since 1993, so you’ll find nicks in your coffee table and hallway carpets that have seen better days. But what our suite lacked for in pristine newness it more than made up for with its spaciousness and the Jacuzzi tub positioned right next to the angled window of our pyramid room. The Luxor also benefits from being a walkway away from the lower end Excalibur hotel and the higher end Mandalay Bay/THEhotel complex, providing dining and entertainment options at all ends of the spectrum. Our deal also included a $25 spa credit and a $20 meal credit.
If you’re looking for something less spacious but more ritzy at around the same price, you can get a smaller 500 square foot room at the Four Seasons hotel (located on the top floor of Mandalay Bay). While your room will be smaller, you’ll be treated to poolside service that includes hovering “attendants nearby with an Evian spritz, fresh fruit, and chilled water.” As a gaming-free hotel, it’s ideal for families and those of us who don’t like to gamble. Plus, by staying at the Four Seasons, you’ll also have access to Mandalay Bay’s pool complex which includes wave pools and lazy rivers.
On previous trips I’d experienced the spas at Mandalay Bay, THEhotel, Luxor, and Red Rock, so this time I wanted to try something different. On our first day, my husband dropped me off at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the Venetian/Palazzo hotel (he took my daughter for a visit to Circus Circus while I luxuriated). I was lured by online descriptions of Canyon Ranch, which listed the following features:
- Conservatory - Intimate seating, music, fresh fruit and hot and cold beverages. A gracious gathering space for relaxation
- Salt Grotto - Bracing sea air washes over heated benches and intimate seating niches surrounding a fountain bubbling over natural salt rocks
- Wave Room - A multi-sensory experience simulating the look, smell and feel of breaking waves under a domed canopy
- Crystal Steam Room - Cleansing aromatic steam environment with a large central crystal to inspire and focus meditation
- Experiential Rains - Invigorating, multi-sensory cooling showers. Select Polar Mist, Atlantic Storm or Caribbean Monsoon (with thunder and lightning effects.)
- Finnish Sauna - A classic Finnish dry-heat sauna environment lit by colored light refracted by crystals
- Herbal Laconium - A beautiful environment provides gentle warming of the body through warm, herbal infused steam
- HydroSpa - A variety of massage fountains provide gentle massage. Radiant lounge chairs designed for relaxation surround the fountains
- Igloo - Cool air and three Arctic mist experiences enhanced by twinkling fiber optics
On my second day in Vegas, I’d scheduled an appointment for a Coconut Sugar Scrub at the Luxor’s Nurture Spa (formerly the Oasis Spa – it’s the same in every way except the name). We had that $25 spa credit after all, and that would be applied to their already discounted price for the 50 minute service, $80.00. Even without the credit, it was much less than what it would cost for a similar service at Canyon Ranch or Mandalay Bay. I arrived a bit early to enjoy Nurture’s Jacuzzi and steam room (which unlike the Herbal Laconium, did have a strong eucalyptus scent), but without a cold plunge or “Polar Mist” to cool me down, there wasn’t a great likelihood I’d be able to kill 5 hours there. At my appointed time, I was escorted to a separate waiting area where my therapist would retrieve me. Fifteen minutes passed, then 30 before I ventured out to inquire. Another ten minutes passed before I was informed by the spa manager that my therapist had disappeared without telling anyone. Eager to make amends, she offered me the same service the next morning for 50% off – with my $25 credit, that would bring my service down to $15 plus tip. I thanked the manager, silently adding thanks to my therapist for being a flake, and returned the next morning for more soaking, steaming and the long awaited coconut scrub before our drive home.
On the way into and out of town, we stopped by the vegan and mostly raw Go Raw Café, located in a strip mall a few miles from the strip. Each time, I ate a meal there and took one with me to eat later, sampling their Enchilada plate, Mediterranean Pizza, Vegi-cotti, and Kookies and Kream smoothie (which featured raw cacao nibs in a banana/coconut blend). Of these meals, the Mediterranean Pizza was the only one I wasn’t thrilled with – it was good, but would more accurately be described as salad on a cracker. The Enchilada plate, which I ordered twice, was by far my favorite, consisting of "soft tortilla enchiladas topped with salsa, sour dream, guacamole, & spicy red sauce. Served with yam rice, ‘beans,’ guacamole, & flax crackers." If I had a restaurant like this one near me, I’d be in heaven. This place would draw me back to Vegas even without the spas.
Upon returning to Pomona, I found that somewhere amidst all that public soaking, steaming and healthy living, I had picked up a rather nasty cold. Turns out what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas after all, so spa with caution.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Review: There is a Cure for Diabetes
Gabriel Cousens’ book There is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program is a comprehensive guide – not to living with diabetes but for learning how to live without it. It is, as the author explains, about embracing a culture of life rather than a culture of death. In reading this book, do not expect an approach of moderate changes to your lifestyle – adding this, or subtracting that – this is about total physical and spiritual transformation. Are you ready?The first half of the book looks at the medical science of diabetes to establish the basis for the Tree of Life 21 Day protocol. It is rich in information to help you understand the why and how of this method. This scientific grounding will no doubt also assist you later when you need justify to the world around you why you are taking such a radical approach, eliminating most, if not all, cooked foods and thereby seizing control of your own wellbeing. The second half of the book shows you how to do it.
If you are skeptical that this method works, I urge you to watch the movie Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days. The movie takes place at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona and follows six individuals with type one and type two diabetes under Dr. Cousens’ care. By the end of 30 days, all who stuck with the program have either eliminated medications and insulin use completely or dramatically reduced them. This book is a further refinement of the treatment these individuals underwent, enabling you to take charge of your health at home.
The program itself can be daunting to tackle on your own without the support of the Tree of Life’s medical and culinary staff, but if you begin by implementing even a few of the changes recommended (some of the easiest are on pages 285-288), you will see such a dramatic improvement it will no doubt inspire you to begin the journey, which as all journeys do, begins with the first step.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Life by the numbers
It's amazing how much my perception of myself has to do with external factors -- a lesson driven home in the last week by the failure of technology.
The first thing to go wacky was my scale: remember how I said I'd lost 20 pounds? Well I'm not sure I have: in the course of one day last week the scale was reading anywhere from 122 to 135. That's when I realized my scale was broken, or maybe it was just a manifestation of cosmic consciousness with a wicked sense of humor. So how much do I weigh? I have no idea. I do know I've lost lots of weight since becoming raw but I have no idea how much, because if the recent numbers are wrong, who's to say my starting numbers weren't in error too?
The next thing to go berserk was my glucose monitor. This morning my reading seemed oddly high: my fasting blood sugar was 109 -- which seemed off since I've been soundly in the 74-85 range for quite a while. So I immediately retested, twice, and the readings came out 187 and 117. What the?
That's when I realized that I have been letting these numbers determine my perception of myself without paying enough attention to how I actually feel. If I examine myself more closely, I know that since going raw I feel so much better: lighter (physically and mentally) and clearer, and that I haven't had a single hypoglycemic episode since I began. I also realized that given how happy I was when the scale numbers seemed down, I do really want to release more weight -- something I think I was afraid to admit to myself because some part of me felt it wasn't possible after being heavier than my college weight for so long. Somewhere within I was afraid I was setting myself up for disappointment. So I come away from this with a determination to become more aware of what I am experiencing physically and emotionally rather than waiting for external numbers to determine that for me, to be more honest with myself, and to not put any limitations on what I can achieve.
--
On another note, my husband just bought me my own juicer. It's not something I would have ever thought to buy right now given we're trying to save money on my reduced sabbatical income, but bless him, he saw how much I was juicing and how I was having trouble juicing leafy greens in the borrowed centrifugal juicer, so when he got in some ad revenue on one of his sites, he offered to buy me one. I got the Omega 8003, and it's utterly wonderful.
Not only does it do leafy greens, it's even easier to clean than the centrifugal juicer! Even more amazing, yesterday I discovered that I can put frozen bananas in it with a blank plate and get out an ice cream that is to die for out the other end. It's so much better than making ice cream in my ancient Vitamix: instead of coming out like melty ice cream, it stays frozen and has the consistency of premium gelato: dense and smooth. Even if I should grow to hate juice (unfathomable), this was worth the price alone. Thanks so much honey!
The first thing to go wacky was my scale: remember how I said I'd lost 20 pounds? Well I'm not sure I have: in the course of one day last week the scale was reading anywhere from 122 to 135. That's when I realized my scale was broken, or maybe it was just a manifestation of cosmic consciousness with a wicked sense of humor. So how much do I weigh? I have no idea. I do know I've lost lots of weight since becoming raw but I have no idea how much, because if the recent numbers are wrong, who's to say my starting numbers weren't in error too?
The next thing to go berserk was my glucose monitor. This morning my reading seemed oddly high: my fasting blood sugar was 109 -- which seemed off since I've been soundly in the 74-85 range for quite a while. So I immediately retested, twice, and the readings came out 187 and 117. What the?
That's when I realized that I have been letting these numbers determine my perception of myself without paying enough attention to how I actually feel. If I examine myself more closely, I know that since going raw I feel so much better: lighter (physically and mentally) and clearer, and that I haven't had a single hypoglycemic episode since I began. I also realized that given how happy I was when the scale numbers seemed down, I do really want to release more weight -- something I think I was afraid to admit to myself because some part of me felt it wasn't possible after being heavier than my college weight for so long. Somewhere within I was afraid I was setting myself up for disappointment. So I come away from this with a determination to become more aware of what I am experiencing physically and emotionally rather than waiting for external numbers to determine that for me, to be more honest with myself, and to not put any limitations on what I can achieve.
--
On another note, my husband just bought me my own juicer. It's not something I would have ever thought to buy right now given we're trying to save money on my reduced sabbatical income, but bless him, he saw how much I was juicing and how I was having trouble juicing leafy greens in the borrowed centrifugal juicer, so when he got in some ad revenue on one of his sites, he offered to buy me one. I got the Omega 8003, and it's utterly wonderful.
Not only does it do leafy greens, it's even easier to clean than the centrifugal juicer! Even more amazing, yesterday I discovered that I can put frozen bananas in it with a blank plate and get out an ice cream that is to die for out the other end. It's so much better than making ice cream in my ancient Vitamix: instead of coming out like melty ice cream, it stays frozen and has the consistency of premium gelato: dense and smooth. Even if I should grow to hate juice (unfathomable), this was worth the price alone. Thanks so much honey!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Take a Load Off
While I didn't adopt a raw regimen to lose weight, that I have has definitely been a bonus. When I began at the first of the year, I weighed 148 lbs. at 5' 7 1/2" tall. I wasn't thrilled with this weight, but it was a marked improvement over my high point of 160. That was before my pregnancy. By now you're tired of me blaming the tenure process for everything, but the stress of that (and the bowl of candy bars on the department secretary's desk) really threw my eating out of whack. Mid- to late thirties metabolism wasn't my friend either. At the end of my pregnancy (and the midwife mandated low glycemic diet that went with it), I was at 140, but in the three years since I'd inched up 8 more pounds.
During the first month of being raw, I lost ten pounds. Then in February my weight loss slowed down and I think I only lost a few pounds, down to about 135. I was thinking, well maybe 135 is it, but this morning I weighed myself and I was 128! That's 20 lbs. since becoming raw! There are several things that have changed in my regimen recently that might account for it: I borrowed a friend's juicer and have been juicing. My tastes are also becoming a little simpler -- I'm still preparing some fancy dehydrated dishes, but I'm craving them less and eating more salads, smoothies and juices. Thank goodness it's also had an effect on our grocery bill: In January our food costs leapt up considerably (dining out went down but groceries went sky high -- I think it was all the superfoods I was indulging in). In February, costs went down to normal levels -- groceries are still a bit higher, but dining out is lower.
128 lbs. is what I call "graduate school weight." The amazing thing is that while I was in graduate school (also a stressful experience though nothing like tenure), it took diet pills to keep it there. If I lose a few more lbs. I'll be at college weight -- you know, that blissful time in your late teens and early twenties when it takes no effort at all to be naturally thin. The difference now is that I'll actually be healthy and thin! I don't think I've ever been that!
Still, as much as I've wanted to lose weight over the years, I've never been able to do it without diet pills except in two cases: when I was pregnant (and my baby's health depended on it) and now. Which brings me to something Karen Knowler says in her Free 7 day "So You Want to Go Raw" e-course: To successfully go raw and stay raw, "You need a big enough why." She says "Going raw, I have found, is about something much deeper, ultimately, than simply choosing to eat more healthily (a mind thing). If you really want to get the juice from the experience you need to enquire within your heart and soul to find out what will take you there and keep you there."
For me, the releasing of all this weight seems like an unexpected gift: an outward sign of changes to the essential vitality of my body and soul. I don't think I would have been able to make the transition to this healthier way of life without that big why, which for me was the specter of my mother's failing health. I saw her lack of health as my own future in material form before me. Her diabetes is essentially a mirror of what my pre-diabetes can become if I don't do something. Anytime I've faltered in my commitment, her picture appears before my mind's eye. And yet, while I can tell you that it took the big why to get me there, in truth, the journey hasn't been that difficult, and it gets more joyous everyday: food tastes better, my head feels clearer, my heart feels freer.
The "big why" as Karen calls it may have begun with my mother, but my why is becoming bigger everyday: now it is not only a way to escape a fate that seems to me worse than death but a journey toward something so much greater. It's a journey toward life's potential.
During the first month of being raw, I lost ten pounds. Then in February my weight loss slowed down and I think I only lost a few pounds, down to about 135. I was thinking, well maybe 135 is it, but this morning I weighed myself and I was 128! That's 20 lbs. since becoming raw! There are several things that have changed in my regimen recently that might account for it: I borrowed a friend's juicer and have been juicing. My tastes are also becoming a little simpler -- I'm still preparing some fancy dehydrated dishes, but I'm craving them less and eating more salads, smoothies and juices. Thank goodness it's also had an effect on our grocery bill: In January our food costs leapt up considerably (dining out went down but groceries went sky high -- I think it was all the superfoods I was indulging in). In February, costs went down to normal levels -- groceries are still a bit higher, but dining out is lower.
128 lbs. is what I call "graduate school weight." The amazing thing is that while I was in graduate school (also a stressful experience though nothing like tenure), it took diet pills to keep it there. If I lose a few more lbs. I'll be at college weight -- you know, that blissful time in your late teens and early twenties when it takes no effort at all to be naturally thin. The difference now is that I'll actually be healthy and thin! I don't think I've ever been that!
Still, as much as I've wanted to lose weight over the years, I've never been able to do it without diet pills except in two cases: when I was pregnant (and my baby's health depended on it) and now. Which brings me to something Karen Knowler says in her Free 7 day "So You Want to Go Raw" e-course: To successfully go raw and stay raw, "You need a big enough why." She says "Going raw, I have found, is about something much deeper, ultimately, than simply choosing to eat more healthily (a mind thing). If you really want to get the juice from the experience you need to enquire within your heart and soul to find out what will take you there and keep you there."
For me, the releasing of all this weight seems like an unexpected gift: an outward sign of changes to the essential vitality of my body and soul. I don't think I would have been able to make the transition to this healthier way of life without that big why, which for me was the specter of my mother's failing health. I saw her lack of health as my own future in material form before me. Her diabetes is essentially a mirror of what my pre-diabetes can become if I don't do something. Anytime I've faltered in my commitment, her picture appears before my mind's eye. And yet, while I can tell you that it took the big why to get me there, in truth, the journey hasn't been that difficult, and it gets more joyous everyday: food tastes better, my head feels clearer, my heart feels freer.
The "big why" as Karen calls it may have begun with my mother, but my why is becoming bigger everyday: now it is not only a way to escape a fate that seems to me worse than death but a journey toward something so much greater. It's a journey toward life's potential.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sunday Morning
My chrome and glass french press pot, brought out of storage for guests who'd brought their own grounds, sat gleaming on the table, catching the light. There was a Sunday Times folded haphazardly on the corner. I'd made pancakes for C & D even though I wouldn't be eating any. The kids played boisterously in the other room, but the kitchen nook where we sat still seemed quiet, radiating soft sunshine through the shades that illuminated the green room with warmth and ease.
Warmth and ease wasn't something we'd been used to. C & I were on sabbatical. For six and a half years we had been struggling with the tenure process and it had worn us down. Of the four of us in our cohort, C had gotten Lupus, I had been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, and another had gotten divorced. Those were the big signposts -- there were other more minor symptoms, from sleeplessness to recurrent colds. In some ways that isn't anything about tenure, but about life in your 30s and 40s. In other ways, while the whole process of tenure couldn't be called a cause of any of these things, the stress it put on our bodies and souls certainly didn't help.
C and I have chatted before about how most people don't understand what it means to be a faculty member. It's one of those jobs that invades every area of your life. Teaching, Research, Service -- get it done, do more of it, or lose your job and your reputation at the end of six years. I'm certain there are more stressful jobs, but the difference I think is that from the outside it seems so peachy: most people think we wander onto campus a few days out of the week, babble on to our classes, and go home.
So this sabbatical is more than about having the time to do projects put on hold for six years, it is about having the time to refresh our bodies and souls from the inside out. For me, that means cleansing with whole, raw vegan foods. It means juicing with the juicer C&D brought me that weekend. It means being creative again -- returning to a side of my professional life that I'd all but forgotten. It means, just maybe, feeling the light and ease return.
Warmth and ease wasn't something we'd been used to. C & I were on sabbatical. For six and a half years we had been struggling with the tenure process and it had worn us down. Of the four of us in our cohort, C had gotten Lupus, I had been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, and another had gotten divorced. Those were the big signposts -- there were other more minor symptoms, from sleeplessness to recurrent colds. In some ways that isn't anything about tenure, but about life in your 30s and 40s. In other ways, while the whole process of tenure couldn't be called a cause of any of these things, the stress it put on our bodies and souls certainly didn't help.
C and I have chatted before about how most people don't understand what it means to be a faculty member. It's one of those jobs that invades every area of your life. Teaching, Research, Service -- get it done, do more of it, or lose your job and your reputation at the end of six years. I'm certain there are more stressful jobs, but the difference I think is that from the outside it seems so peachy: most people think we wander onto campus a few days out of the week, babble on to our classes, and go home.
So this sabbatical is more than about having the time to do projects put on hold for six years, it is about having the time to refresh our bodies and souls from the inside out. For me, that means cleansing with whole, raw vegan foods. It means juicing with the juicer C&D brought me that weekend. It means being creative again -- returning to a side of my professional life that I'd all but forgotten. It means, just maybe, feeling the light and ease return.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
DVD Review: Simply Raw, Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days
Simply Raw begins with a quote: “Diabetes is a chronic disease that has no cure.” -- American Diabetes Association
This is a dismal statement, and one consistent with the kind of information most diabetics and pre-diabetics (including myself) are given by their doctors. But is it true? The people at Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona have set out to disprove that claim. The film tells the story of six individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who go to Tree of Life to find out if these medical rebels are right and their own doctors are wrong.
I’ll get to their stories, but I’ll begin by telling you my own: When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had gestational diabetes. With a controlled diet, I was able to keep it in check but the diet was difficult. My sweet indulgence during those months? Half a grapefruit. Really. This wasn’t easy for someone who was known to order dessert before or even instead of the entrée. Still, I did it. My daughter was worth it. After the pregnancy, the condition ceased, but about a year later I found myself experiencing frequent hypoglycemic spells: I’d break out into a sweat, get shaky, have to sit down and immediately eat something. I went to my doctor, and after sending me to get a glucose tolerance test she determined I was pre-diabetic. She referred me to an endocrinologist who informed me that once you are pre-diabetic you could postpone the onset of diabetes with diet and exercise but you could not avoid it entirely.
My mother had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with me, and she developed diabetes later in life. She did not control it at all and she eventually suffered a stroke. That was the first of innumerable other problems: difficulty walking (sometimes she managed with a cane, other times she needed us to carry her), balance issues (how many times did I pick her off the floor?), incontinence, dry skin, mental changes, etc. etc. etc. I took one look at my mother and knew that could not be me. It was time to decide if I was worth it.
I began exercising and restricting my sugar. I also went to a homeopathist. Between the two, within months my blood was coming back normal on the A1C test (which tests your glucose control over 3 months). Nonetheless, I was still experiencing periodic hypoglycemic spells. The specter of the doctor’s statement “Diabetes is inevitable” rang through my consciousness. 
All this life change began because I watched a single 5 minute trailer! It was clearly time I saw the whole movie, but I hesitated buying it only because I was now on sabbatical and making 75% of my normal income. As fate would have it, the film company offered review copies to those with websites.
Upon watching the full-length film, I was moved almost to tears by the stories of the six individuals documented. All of them were experiencing significant health problems due to diabetes, much more severe than my own. Four had Type 2, two had Type 1. Some were young and some were old. They came from all walks of life. They arrived at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center hoping, like me, that their doctors were wrong. Diabetes doesn’t have to be forever.
Here I have to pause to give credit to the filmmakers. While the film does have an agenda – to convince the viewer of the health benefits of the raw diet, especially for diabetics – they are remarkably unbiased in their depictions of the patients’ reactions. At their first meal, one patient says of the food, “This is different. You could get used to it. If you grew up eating it you could like it.” Not a ringing endorsement for what are billed as “gourmet raw vegan meals”! One man doesn’t make it through the entire month because of the food, even though he experiences dramatic changes after just two and a half weeks. When he arrived at Tree of Life his blood sugar was at 450 on medications, and on the day he left it was at 200 without them. His blood pressure was normal, he’d lost 30 pounds, and he went from taking 17 medications a day to none at all. But he couldn’t stomach the food: “My brain don’t want the food,” he told them, “It just rejects it. Literally. I look at it and I just want to scream.” When the day is done, this is simply a good documentary, whether you are diabetic or not, whether you are interested in eating raw or not. The story is simply compelling and the production values are high. This is a PBS-worthy film.
In fact, the film is so unbiased, on one level it may hurt its own agenda: the food seems so unappealing in the eyes of most of the participants, unless your motivation to cure yourself of diabetes is high, you might watch this and abandon all hope. I am almost certain that when I show this movie to my mother she will say “You have willpower and can do this. I can’t.” I hope I’m wrong, and this is too important not to show her so I will. In fact, this film is too important not to show everyone who is diabetic, pre-diabetic, or genetically pre-disposed to diabetes, and to the doctors who treat them.
The doctor who told me “Diabetes is inevitable” sprang back into my memory as I watched the young man in the film who used his own doctors’ words as an excuse not to believe in the regimen and sabotage himself. He repeats over and over to anyone who will listen that every doctor he has ever had has told him he will be on insulin the rest of his life. Yet despite a mid-retreat unauthorized field trip across the border to Mexico where he gorged on enchiladas and alcohol, by the end of the film he had gone from injecting 70 units of insulin a day to just 5. The other type 1 diabetic is off insulin and medication entirely. Doctors think they are doing a service by letting us know the “reality” of our chronic conditions, but what they are doing is planting the seeds of disaster. As the movie tells us, it was Hippocrates who said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” We can heal ourselves, but first we have to undo the power of disbelief planted within in us by the very doctors who we went to for advice. We have to undo the damage done to us by lifetimes of eating S.A.D (Standard American Diet). We have to be willing to take that first step toward wholeness.
In the months since I first learned about raw foods, I’ve read so many personal testimonies about how becoming raw has changed people’s health in innumerable ways, curing all sorts of supposedly irreversible or chronic conditions. I hope there will be other films that document their stories.
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