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Author Archives: rawgirl
Recipe! Deliciously Dope Coconut Turmeric Milk Smoothie
Have you ever tried turmeric milk or “golden milk”? There are many variations and more people seem to be catching on to this awesome drink due to the amazing benefits of turmeric. Not only is turmeric high in antioxidants and useful for reducing inflammation, it can kill cancerous cells. You can make a lovely turmeric milk with similar ingredients sans the banana and hemp seeds and heat it on the stove for a warm, cozy before bedtime drink. Because I heart turmeric, I wanted to come up with a smoothie that incorporates it and this is what I came up with. Below also check out a video on the benefits of turmeric. -Xo Raw Girl
Coconut Turmeric Milk Smoothie
Ingredients:
2 bananas
1/4 -1/2 cup coconut chunks
coconut water
1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar
1-2 Tablespoons Hemp Seeds
Turmeric to taste and for color, add as much as you prefer (1/2 teaspoon minimum)
Dash of Cardamom
Dash of Nutmeg
2-3 Dashes of Cinnamon
1 dash of black pepper (optional, brings out the flavor of the turmeric more)
What if Your Healthy Food Was Unhealthy?
Today’s exercise in “what the heck? Why not?” was to identify a food that I perceive to be a “good” food and look for primary literature that contradicts my view of that food. Why would I do this? I find it so interested how much health information is out there and depending on what a company or organization stands to gain, you may hear biased evidence about particular kinds of food. Obviously this happens the most in the meat, dairy, and processed food industry; since vegetables have NEVER been proven to cause cancer, hypertension, or osteoporosis. But anywhoo, the gist is, it is healthy to reconsider your viewpoint from time to time and in the healthy living world, it doesn’t happen enough, with various sides clinging to their opinion like it’s the religious truth.
I chose to focus on Nori, a type of seaweed I love to consume especially in dried unsalted form, and consider healthy because of its nutrient content. My personal bias with this food is that I began to consume it, along with other seaweeds when changing my diet to transform my acne problem skin. Seaweeds played a major part in my healing so I have firsthand positive experience with it. Nori is fat-free and provides the body with Vitamin A,C, folate, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and protein. Although it is highly debated, studies also support that dried Nori is the most excellent source of B12 for vegetarians, and contains less dietary iodine than other seaweeds, (Watanabe et al, 1999).
It was actually difficult to find to many studies or journals that asserted Nori is a “bad” food, but what I did find are studies that confirm the heavy metal contamination of commercially available seaweed (Nori being the most popular). “On April 13, 2021 Enviroreporter.com tested Nori seaweed from Japan bought from a Los Angeles store….the [seaweed] was 94.7% above normal. These tests were performed with an Inspector Alert nuclear radiation monitor, the same detector used in over 1,500 tests for Fukushima radiation beginning four days after the March 11, 2011 triple meltdowns at the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi six-reactor complex in Japan.” Another study found levels of total and inorganic arsenic in seaweed. “Using 31 samples (all purchased as a dried product) covering five varieties of seaweed were collected from various retail outlets across London and the internet. Arsenic was detected in all samples with total arsenic at concentrations ranging from 18 to 124 mg/kg. Inorganic arsenic, which can cause liver cancer, was only found in the nine samples of hijiki seaweed that were analysed, at concentrations in the range 67–96 mg/kg. Other types of seaweed were all found to contain less than 0.3 mg/kg inorganic arsenic, which was the limit of detection for the method used,” (Rose, M. et al, 2007). In this study, Nori was not found inherently toxic, but low levels of arsenic were present.
After conducting this research, my views on this food have not changed. I do believe it is a healthy food. However, obtaining this information has caused me to be concerned and more intent on gathering information about where the Nori I consume is harvested and whether or not it has been tested, especially for radiation. Considering another contradictory opinion wasn’t bad at all, worst case I would have had to give up my delicious Nori rolls, and best case scenario, I learned something new to share with you. –Xo Raw Girl
References:
Netten, C. (2000). Elemental and radioactive analysis of commercially available seaweed.The Science of the Total Environment, 169-175.
Watanabe, F., Takenaka, S., Katsura, H., S. A. M. Zakir Hussain Masumder, Abe, K., Tamura, Y., & Nakano, Y. (1999). Dried Green and Purple Lavers (Nori) Contain Substantial Amounts of Biologically Active Vitamin B12 but Less of Dietary Iodine Relative to Other Edible Seaweeds.Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2341-2343.
Rose, M., Lewis, J., Langford, N., Baxter, M., Origgi, S., Barber, M., … Thomas, K. (n.d.). (2007) Arsenic in seaweed—Forms, concentration and dietary exposure. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 1263-1267.
Collins, M. (2012, April 20). Japanese Seaweed Radiation Doubles. Enviroreporter.
Healthy Action of the Week: Find Your Dosha!
So in the middle of August, I started chatting with a friend about Ayurveda and finding her dosha. She was like “girl, what the heck is a dosha?” I explained that doshas are archetypes, or body types in the Ayurvedic tradition that help us to understand our constitution, personality, diet, and lifestyle choices and even how we may react to different environments. The three major doshas are: Pitta, Vatta, and Kapha. Your dosha usually stays constant throughout your lifetime and can be a mix of more than one type; for instance mine is Vata-Pitta. That day we both decided to find quizzes online to help us find our dosha. What we learned was so spot on we ended up reading for a few hours. I was amazed that pretty much everything pertaining to my type was spot on. My type didn’t do well with extremely strenuous exercise (check – it makes me tired), would react sensitively to caffeine or alcohol (check – I don’t drink either), and takes well to a cooling diet, sorta like raw food, but at the same time needs stews or warm cozy comfort food (check – this essentially sums up my life in the winter). Seriously reading the results of the quiz was like opening up a page in my diary and realizing someone had read it. I was like: how do they know all my business? This week’s healthy action is for you to take a moment to find your dosha and read up about it. I really like this QUIZ over at Holistic Highway, so give it a try. Message me or comment on FB or Instagram if your results ring true for you our you find out something interesting. -Xo Raw Girl
Want to read more about Ayurveda? Check out this past article.
The Great H2O Debate: How Much is Enough?
We have all heard the guideline since childhood that the average person should “drink eight cups of water a day,” or “drink half of your body weight in ounces per day.” Recently I wondered to myself is this advice based on sound physiology? How can you tell that an individual is actually ingesting enough fluids? Is it possible to drink too much water?
My conclusion after a little digging was the healthy advise that people should drink eight cups of water or day is not necessarily based in sound physiology. The amount that a person should drink “differs by what people eat, where they live, how big they are ( in pounds, body mass etc), and what they are doing. It makes sense that for instance in a climate that is hotter year round, water intake for the average individual would increase. Because there are many variables it may be impossible to come up with adequate water intake that can be widely applied.
In a European study after choosing to monitor total water intake of both men and women they observed that: “The mean TWI was 2.3 L for men and 2.1 L for women, close to the EFSA “adequate intake” (AI) recommendations for adults: 2.5 L and 2 L, respectively, though lower for men and higher for women,” (de Edelenyi, F. et al, 2). When discussing water intake it’s clear that it is important to take into consideration that water intake is not only fulfilled by drinking water or beverages (70-80%); our bodies also receive about (20-30%) water from solid foods, (de Edelenyi, F. et al, 2).
The best way to know if there is adequate water intake is to pay attention to our bodies and be on the look out for signs of dehydration, or inadequate water intake. Some signs of mild to moderate dehydration include: increased thirst, dry mouth, tired of drowsiness, decreased urine output, yellowish urine, headache, dry skin, dizziness, producing few or no tears. It doesn’t happen often, but apparently it is also possible to drink too much water. The condition is called hyponatremia. When our bodies intake excess water the kidneys are unable to excrete it, and the electrolyte (mineral) content of the blood gets diluted. This in turn causes low sodium levels in the blood. Obviously, that’s rare! Despite the debate, the truth is most of us do NOT get enough water in a day, so it’s always better to err on the side of caution and guzzle up as much as you can. -Xo Raw Girl
References:
Drewnowski, A. (2015). Evidence behind daily water and beverage intake recommendations. Nutricion Hospitalaria,32(S2), 17. doi:10.3305/nh.2015.32.sup2.10270
de Edelenyi, F. S., Druesne-Pecollo, N., Arnault, N., González, R., Buscail, C., & Galan, P. (2016). Characteristics of Beverage Consumption Habits among a Large Sample of French Adults: Associations with Total Water and Energy Intakes. Nutrients, 8(10), 1-15. doi:10.3390/nu8100627
Caroll, A. E. (n.d.). No, You Do Not Have to Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day. Retrieved November 23, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/upshot/no-you-do-not-have-to-drink-8-glasses-of-water-a-day.html?_r=0
Practicing Contentment
Want to enroll or find out more about our class: Yoga for Radiance & Beauty? Visit rawbeautyinabox.com. -Xo Raw Girl
Recipe! Banana Chips
Bananas anyone? Eating high raw requires you step yo snack game up to a new level. It’s always great to have something to take with you on-the-go. But time is money, and sometimes we get lazy about preparation. These banana chips take no time at all to prepare. Just stick them in the dehydrator, go about your business, and by the end of the day you’ll have a yummy snack ready. -Xo Raw Girl
Ingredients:
Bananas
Lemon Juice
Spice Mix: 1- 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon, Dash of Cardamom, Dash of Nutmeg
Directions:
Peel and slice to about a ¼ – inch thickness.
Dip banana slices into a bowl of lemon juice. This lessens the browning of the banana chip. (optional)
Shake off extra lemon juice. Put spices onto a small plate or bowl and dip banana chip into spices.
Can dip half or all of the chip. Then lay the banana slices on the dehydrator tray.
Dehydrate at 140 degrees F for 1 hour
Turn the temperature down to 115 degrees F, dehydrate 8 hours.
Half way through, stop the dehydrator and flip over all the banana slices. The slices are easy to peel off the dehydrator tray when they are warm, and turning ensures dryness.
If the banana chips are leathery to crisp, they are done.
Cool the banana chips for a few hours in the dehydrator before removing them. Pack the dried chips into a Ziploc bag when they are cool. Store at room temperature.
Other Variations:
Make Plain
Dip banana slices into chopped nuts or dried coconut flakes prior to drying.
Sprinkle with cinnamon only.
Sprinkle with Celtic sea salt
Why Taking a Bath in Nature is Good For You
I take my nature baths regularly. You may be imagining me in a bathing suit jumping into a lake, but that’s not exactly what I mean. Our family home is minutes away from a gorgeous park with a dense forest and hiking trail. Since moving to this area, one of my staple rituals has been to take a weekly walk or run on the forest trails. When I am stressed I walk it out on that trail. I have gone into that park feeling sad, stressed, and a host of other emotions, and I always feel like I leave whole. There’s something about the sounds of nature, the fresh air, the trees that just brings me back to one. Well it turns out, there is science behind it that suggests that exposure to nature can have remarkable benefits on human health. Not only can regular time in natural environments promote positive emotions, lower stress levels, improve working memory and increase feeling of being alive it also has been associate with increasing physical and mental energy, and accelerating the healing process when disease is present in the body. The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture jumped on nature bathing full force in the 1990s when their coined the term Shinrin-yoku, which literally means forest bathing! Some researchers say that the health benefits of forest bathing may be attributed to organic compounds called phytoncides that are given off by plants and allow those who breathe them in to achieve a more relaxed state. Others say benefits may come from the pure wonder and awe one feels when immersed in nature. Although the reasons are not necessarily definitive, we do know that taking a bath in nature is a good thing. So leave your bath salts and swimming trunks at home, grab your trail sneakers, and a hoodie and try to find some time to hit a trail. Your health: mind, body, and spirit will say thank you. –Xo Raw Girl
Health Action of the Week: Get Creative with Your Salads
If you want to start eating high raw, the first thing on your to-do list should be to learn how to prepare a kick ass, finger licking, victory dance, booty shaking salad so good, it will convert your most vegetable apprehensive aunty. I am proud to say I have mastered the art of converting people to a love of fruits and veg, just by making salads that provide a magical flavorful experience. How do you do this? Well first off you have to get creative. You CANNOT make enticing salads by sticking to the romaine lettuce and tomato formula found in restaurants the world over. Try other greens, and don’t be afraid to mix them together: kale, mixed greens, arugula. Add in unexpected toppings like fennel, artichokes, olives. Or go the fruity route and try things like strawberries, cranberries, etc. You can also throw together “salads” using additional ingredients that bulk them up like quinoa, adding hummus, or guac, and a wide variety of diced vegetables. After you get some dope ingredients, the secret you must employ to achieve the holy grail of all salads, is you must massage your salad with your hands. This is non-negotiable. I like to use either olive oil with lemon, lime, or apple cider vinegar as the acid, sea salt, sometimes a dash of Braggs, and other seasonings, and work them all in with my hands. Even when I make a dressing, I like to massage the greens first using this method, because it makes them easier to digest and works in some intrinsic flavor. Below are links to a few salad recipes from this blog. Your challenge this week is to experiment with combinations you’ve never tried to make a glorious and hearty salad. Sharing is caring, so tag me on Instagram or shoot me a message on Facebook with some of your creations so I can try too! -Xo Raw Girl
Mediterranean Salad w/ Cilantro Goddess Dressing
Collard Green Salad w/ Grapefruit Vinagrette
Sweet n’ Scrumptious Summer Salad w/ Orange Strawberry Dressing
Have you checked out my new online classes yet? In my new course, Staying Ageless 30+ you will learn about Diet Basics, Lifestyle Factors, and elements of Longevity that promote an ageless way of life. Over the course of three modules you learn what to eliminate from your diet to stay ageless, how to ensure your body is receiving adequate nutrition, powerful detox rituals you can incorporate to increase your longevity, beauty remedies that will leave you glowing, and how to exercise effectively and get results. In addition you will learn health lessons directly from renowned longevity and health experts that will equip you to transform your lifestyle. You can still enroll! Check out the class HERE to preview the curriculum our save your seat! -Xo
5 Barriers to Mindful Eating
Eat mindfully, is the art of being present with our meals, and eating with deep awareness of our bodies’ cravings, needs, and satiety levels. When we do not eat mindfully, we may find ourselves shoving meals down quickly while watching TV, multi-tasking during mealtime, or eating on-the-go. Barriers or hindrances to mindful eating include: thoughts, feelings, and sensations that hinder our capacity for mindfulness. They cause us to divert our attention, they weaken our wisdom, and distract us from noticing the present moment or noticing the feelings we are trying to avoid. The five classical hindrances or barriers are: 1) sensual desire, 2) aversion, 3) boredom, 4) restlessness, and 5) doubt. All of these can hijack our attention from mindful eating. Here’s a brief run-down of how! Sensual desire is being absorbed in enjoyable sensations without the recognition that they are fleeting. We keep going for more thinking we can maintain the feeling. The joy of fulfilling desire is not getting it, because that is not satiable. Aversion is ill will or punishing ourselves by abusing food. Doubt questions mindful eating and the ability to engage in it. Restlessness and boredom both involve misplacing our energy and directing it towards food to avoid feeling nothing or perhaps the frustration of boredom.
Why are these habits or barriers important to recognize on an ongoing basis? If we remain aware of our hindrances we can prevent or avert hindrance attacks. By understanding our patterns we can learn to understand our behaviors in any given moment, and also teach ourselves to develop empathy for the choices we make. If we don’t take the time to recognize them, we will engage in behaviors unconsciously and be powerless to change them or choose differently.
To overcome the barrier of sensual desire, look at the objects of desire and determine what are the unrealistic expectations, are we seeing it clearly? How long will the pleasure actually last? Ensuring that we are appreciating and savoring the sensual desire while eating our food rather than mistreating it is key. We can also work to override the feeling of desire by practicing contentment, until we have trained ourselves to easily disengage from the object of desire. To deal with doubt, you could chat with a mindful eating teacher or coach and talk through the doubts you have. Our just journaling your thoughts may be effective enough. Acknowledgment will give the doubts less power. With aversion we can take time to get to the root of what we are punishing ourselves for. If we unearth the shame, guilt, or upset and deal with it head on, we will be less likely to use food as aversion. Mindfulness activities or meditations can help us stay rooted in the present moment when struggling with boredom and restlessness. Rather than go on autopilot and begin eating to cope, we can train ourselves to ask questions before we chose to eat to determine if we are just killing time or avoiding feelings.
It’s important that we do not beat up on ourselves for not achieving the elusive title of “mindful eater.” Part of cheering ourselves on is recognition that it’s all a process that requires positive choices day by day. We have to realize that slip-ups are not wrong, they are just a part of the ebb and flow of life. We can get excited when we start to notice behavioral changes or landmarks that we achieve. Perhaps we stop rushing and eating on the go, or we learn to put away our phones during dinner. Celebrating the small victories can go a long way to helping us stay on the path. –Xo Raw Girl
Have you checked out my new online classes yet? In my new course, Staying Ageless 30+ you will learn about Diet Basics, Lifestyle Factors, and elements of Longevity that promote an ageless way of life. Over the course of three modules you learn what to eliminate from your diet to stay ageless, how to ensure your body is receiving adequate nutrition, powerful detox rituals you can incorporate to increase your longevity, beauty remedies that will leave you glowing, and how to exercise effectively and get results. In addition you will learn health lessons directly from renowned longevity and health experts that will equip you to transform your lifestyle. You can still enroll! Check out the class HERE to preview the curriculum our save your seat! -Xo