Tag Archives: raw food

Juice! : Cucumber Melon Lemonade

cantaloupe

Made this juice yesterday which I found pretty refreshing. Did you know you can juice melons? In this recipe you can try honeydew melon or cantaloupe, they both will work.  Melons in general are great for alkalinizing the body because of their high water content. They are a great addition to your diet if you are trying to lose weight, keep your skin clear, or just get your daily fruit and veg. Honeydew melon contains Vitamin C, calcium, potassium, magnesium, beta carotene, and B Vitamins with the exception of B12.  -XoXo RawGirl

Ingredients

2 Long English Cucumbers or 4 regular cucumbers, 1/4 Honeydew melon or cantaloupe, 1/2 lemon, 1 whole lime, 2 apples.

Juice all ingredients, strain, serve, and enjoy! 🙂

Natural Cures: Bitter Melon for Diabetes

bitter melon
Did you know that the number of people with diabetes rose from 1.5 million in 1998 to an epidemic 17.9 Million in 2007? How about that each year over 1.6 million new adult cases are diagnosed?  At this point it’s an anomaly to not know personally or have at least heard about someone that has had to deal with some of the devastating side effects of diabetes such as blindness, kidney failure, and even cognitive decline. Many people who have altered their diet to include a wide array of fruits and vegetables and have seem remarkable results, even those who were former sufferers of diabetes and all sorts of other degenerative dis-eases.  Diabetes is essentially marked by the presence of excess sugar in the bloodstream, which then results in an inability for the pancreas to secrete sufficient or sometimes any insulin.
            Bitter melon is a special vegetable that you probably have never heard of, that has been used with positive results in the attempt to treat diabetes naturally. This vegetable is very well known in Asia and has been shown to significantly lower blood sugar. Bitter melon is an amazing healing agent  has a structure similar to insulin, hence its natural ability to assist in the movement of glucose into cells which gives you the energy to do all the great things that you do! Bitter melon has been used as in traditional medicine for a long list of conditions such as: killing bacteria, parasites, and viruses, reducing inflammation, cleansing the blood, acting as an antibacterial agent against e.coli, and possibly destroying some strains of the herpes virus.
          What’s even more interesting is that this vegetable is widely used by the Okinawa people in Japan which have per capita some of the longest life spans in the world. This vegetable grows in tropical areas like East Africa, Asia, South Africa, and the Caribbean. Bitter melon is very rich in iron, phosphorous, contains twice the beta carotene of broccoli, twice the calcium of spinach, twice the potassium of bananas, and Vitamins A, C, B1 to B3. Which is not surprising due to its amazing healing effects. To make things even better,  it is a great source of dietary fiber. Bitter melon can usually be found at your local Asian supermarket, or bought as a supplement from a health food store. It can also be made into teas, tinctures, and soups.
         The mother of a friend of mine a few years ago was suffering from intense symptoms, and was later diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. She started juicing bitter melon with lemon every morning, and in a matter of months the doctor was flabbergasted at the fact that she was no longer in need of any insulin. Moral of the story? Mother Nature has always provided us what we need and our bodies can heal if we choose to give it the right fuel.  I encourage you to try bitter melon out for yourself and recommend it to others who are battling diabetes. As the name suggests, it may be an acquired taste, but in order to live optimally we need balance. We need the bitter and the sweet, and sometimes the bitter may hold the key to our healing. – XoXo Nicola, signing in for Raw Girl 
**Be sure to take precautions; consuming a large amount of bitter melon juice may cause diarrhea or abdominal pain. If you have diabetes or other terminal diseases please consult with your doctor or holistic health practitioner.**

Veggie Love: Watercress & Juice! Cucumber Watercress Delight

green juice

This weekend I tossed in some watercress to my green juice and it made for a delightful addition. If you know nothing about watercress, it’s a green herb aptly named due to its high moisture content that has been used for food and medicinal purposes since ancient times.  Having an almost peppery taste somewhat similar to mustard greens, watercress can be added to salads or juiced. One bowl of watercress salad greens contains a high level of antioxidants, and almost 1/2 the daily recommended intake of Vitamin A. In addition eating watercress will give you a nice dose of Vitamin C, beta carotene, B vitamins, Vitamin E, folate, iodine, calcium and more. Just 100 grams of watercress will also give you 200% of the daily recommended value for Vitamin K which can strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis.

Incorporating watercress in your diet can also help to prevent several kinds of cancer including skin and breast cancers. Some of the uses of watercress as a medicine or natural remedy include: purifying the blood, healing colds and coughs, asthma, anemia, and much more. Because of its high sulphur content, watercress is also a beauty vegetable that will assist in clearing and improving your complexion. The juice of watercress has been applied directly to the skin to aid in getting rid of acne, blackheads, dark spots etc.  I chose to juice my watercress, but you can also toss it in salads, nori rolls, or veggie wraps. Check out the recipe for my juice below, and if you’re looking for a new green to add some spice to your veggie life, give watercress a try. -XoXo Raw Girl

Cucumber Watercress Delight

 2-3 long English cucumbers or 4 large regular cucumbers

4-5 leaves of Lacinato Kale

large handful of Watercress

1-2 apples

1 lemon

Juice all ingredients, strain and serve. Enjoy!

Surviving a Healing Crisis During Detox

detox

botanicawest.com

Dearest Veggie Lovers: This is an article written by Nicola, a lovely new addition to the Raw Girl team. I think this is an important topic to discuss. If you’ve ever done a cleanse you should know all about healing crises. If you have not, I recommend you read this article and also check out a past post on How to Conduct a Stress-Free Fast to give you tips on minimizing intense reactions during cleansing. Hope you enjoy it, summer is here and it’s a great season to eat light and cleanse. Happy detoxing! -XoXo Raw Girl

Detoxification is a sacred practice which has been used by many people all over the world since the dawn of time. From a 10 day juice fast to 10 day water fast with cayenne pepper, lemon, and maple syrup (master cleanse) , to a 100% raw foods diet, cleansing is dynamic and diverse in its methods. Taking the time and exercising the discipline needed to cleanse can be a wildly rewarding experience for anyone willing to take on the challenge and can sometimes offer major spiritual transformation and discovery.
                     This article is not geared towards convincing you to embark on a fast or adopt a particular eating habit. This is intended as a tool for those who have taken up the challenge of cleansing and may have had trouble seeing it through. Or you may just be ready to take it to the next level. In all modes of detoxification, the cleanser will experience what is called a healing crisis. A healing crisis can be described as a variety of symptoms from migraines, irritable moods, intense cravings, strong emotional outbursts, reliving unpleasant memories, skin breakouts, frequent trips to the bathroom, etc. For many, this part of cleansing is a roadblock, because they may not be emotionally ready to deal with the many feelings that arise during this part of the cleansing process. This however, is a very important part of the process of purification and a great opportunity to bravely face many of the challenges that are buried deep within.
               What is taking place physiologically, is the body, efficient organism that it is, is taking full advantage of its fasting state and quickly dumping toxins that have been tucked away in the cells into the blood stream for excretion. These toxins have been in places that the body did not have the time to cleanse or excrete previously because of preoccupation digesting heavily cooked or other food. It is important that anyone that embarks on any extended fast or cleanse is made aware of the challenges that will arise because it will better equip them to be ready to deal with them instead of being surprised and more likely to retreat to old ways of living, thinking, and eating. The other side of the coin is, once the healing crisis is over its usually met with an increased sense of well-being, relief, and energy levels.
                  Some ways to manage the healing crisis when it is upon you, is to have positive affirmations on hand which speak to and magnify the experience you wish to have. For example : “I am strong enough, abundant enough, wise enough, to journey into the unknown.” Repeating this to yourself until you start to feel it can change your whole mind set.  A nice sea salt bath with aromatherapy oils, an emergency home enema, colon hydrotherapy, massaging yourself, getting a professional massage, doing light yoga, or just simply sitting with your feelings and breathing through them are all great methods for coping with the healing crisis. Once you are  in the throes of a crisis, whatever you do to aid the rate of your detoxification will help reduce the symptoms sooner. If you get a sudden craving for something you know you should not be eating, flooding the system with lots of water or freshly prepared juice can often offset the craving. Each person will have a unique way in which they deal with a healing crisis, its best to experiment and find out what works best for you. Sometimes it may be as simple as allowing yourself to cry and release old pent-up feelings that you never before were brave enough to allow through. Seeing the detoxification process through is a sacred process with the power to heal and change your life!
               We must remember that cleansing is a holistic practice which involves not only body, but mind AND spirit. As we are in the summer season, now is the best time to consider undergoing some sort of cleanse that is custom to your needs. This could be increasing your raw food consumption, and definitely increase your physical exercise. We must remember that we are the creators of our own life, and that every step we take to invest in our holistic wellness is a win-win situation for ourselves and for our world. Ultimately, remembering to be gentle and loving towards ourselves as we undergo our “internal housecleaning” is essential for our success. I can say that it has worked for me on many occasion during healing crises, however its an ongoing process and just as our health improves so must our creativity in maintaining it as well. EMBRACE YOUR PROCESS!  ~Nicola, Signing in for Raw Girl

Juice!:Cucumber Lime Cocktail

cucumber

Had fun last weekend using ingredients left in the kitchen and mint from the garden to create this very refreshing summer juice. -XoXo Raw Girl

Ingredients: 2 limes, 2 large cucumbers, 1 carrot, 3 baby apples or 1 1/2 -2 regular sized apples, a couple mint leaves.

Juice everything but the mint. Strain juice into blender and blend juice with mint leaves. Serve & Enjoy!

Got Chlorophyll? The Benefits of Eating Your Greens

chlorophyll

Photo By Briana Monet

A couple weeks ago I stumbled upon a few of those “got milk?” ads and a light bulb went off in my head. I wanted to create an ad that promoted greens and their true healing power. So much of the information that is fed to us by the media has more to do with weight loss fads and corporations meeting their bottom line. Since I was a little girl I’ve been lactose intolerant, so I never felt that milk did my body good. In fact it was quite the opposite. I felt bloated, cramped, lethargic, or even nauseous after drinking milk. Later when I became a vegan and cut out absolutely all dairy, it was like a fog had lifted. My allergies decreased and I felt lighter, clearer, and healthier.

I’m all for each person finding the right diet for them, but we must start championing the power of fresh fruits and vegetables by any means necessary. These are essentials that should be a large part of any diet. Our country is at a crossroads and it’s up to us to take control of our personal health and demand that good wholesome foods be readily available and affordable to anyone willing to consume them. Below are benefits of getting your daily dose of chlorophyll. Just in case you don’t know what chlorophyll is, it’s the molecule that gives green plants their pigment. During the process of photosynthesis chlorophyll absorbs the sunlight. Without this essential ingredient green leafy vegetables would loose their life force and power and wouldn’t be able to convert sunlight into the energy they need to grow.

If you are sold on the benefits, be sure to eat or drink your green leafy vegetables every day if possible. To get a mega-dose of chlorophyll start adding a liquid chlorophyll supplement, chlorella, or spirulina to your diet. Chlorella and spirulina can be bought in pill or powder form and blended into smoothies. Please share this post and the ad, like it, love it, talk about it. Let’s keep pushing the GREEN movement! More to come…-XoXo Raw Girl

Some benefits of chlorophyll found in green vegetables include:

  • Increases the functioning of the heart
  • Improves the health and wellness of the intestines
  • Cleanses the liver
  • Improves the overall health of the vascular system
  • Maintains healthy bones and strong muscles
  • Protein. Yes! Greens have protein
  • Lowers or maintain healthy blood pressure
  • Helps body to detox and cleanse of impurities naturally
  • Improves the quality of your skin
  • Can increase the quality and quantity of your red blood cells because the compound has a chemical composition very similar to hemoglobin
  • Can lower your risk for developing certain types of cancer

***Warning: eating a larger amount of green vegetables may accelerate healing or cause an increase in joie de vivre, sexiness, youthfulness, and overall magnetism. Heed this advice at your own risk.****

Juice! : Green Pineapple Zinger

health

If you’re a frequent juicer, you know there is a science to making great fresh juice. It’s always good to have some sort of water based veggie like cucumbers or celery as a base, and then add additional greens, and maybe a little something to sweeten or not. My go-to’s to add a little sweetness to juice if I want it are apples or coconut water. If I’m getting a little fancy pear or pineapple. If you’ve never tried pineapple, give it a chance, it has a nice flavor! -XoXo Raw Girl

Ingredients:

2 Cucumbers, 5-6 leaves of Kale, 2 Collard Green leaves, 1 generous wedge of Pineapple, Ginger

Thoughts on Mayor Bloomberg’s Obesity Intervention

ban on soda

If you haven’t heard Mayor Bloomberg has decided to employ another tactic to fight obesity in New York City. He’s proposing a ban on all soft drinks/ sodas over 16 ounces in stores, restaurants, and even movie theaters. This would still allow someone to purchase another drink if they like, but would reduce the serving to no more than 16 ounces at a time. His reasoning, which I feel is correct, is that people tend to eat the portion size given to them. If you cut the serving, you may help a lot of people curb obesity and disease.

According to an ABC news report on this issue:  “If you have just one 20 ounce soda a day and you cut that out of your diet, you can lose 25 pounds in one year!” That’s pretty astounding, and I believe worthy of action. I am all for allowing people the freedom to make their own choices, but enabling the American population to become obese and strung out on pharmaceuticals has got to stop! Fast food is a drug. If one of your parents or siblings was strung out on cocaine, would you not eventually have to intervene and show some tough love?  A hard drug addiction is  not that different from fast foods. There have been many documented scientific studies that prove that  fast foods are as addictive as heroine or cocaine and produce similar responses in the brain. I also don’t think that if you leave it up to the consumers—who are strung out like crack addicts on sugar, salt, etc. that is making them fatter and sicker—that they will necessarily make the right choice.

The fact is companies spend all this money on these manufactured, factory made foods that are DESIGNED to make you want to eat more and more, and give you no nutrition. Our bodies need minerals, vitamins, and high quality nutrients to thrive. When you choose to eat fast food you are essentially feeding your body absolutely nothing of substance and therefore you can remain hungry and overeat large portions. On top of that the sugars, the salts, and the manufactured flavors added will keep you coming back for more. If the portion sizes of most fast food items were changed, labeling of foods was more transparent, and laws were in place to discourage consumption of disease inducing foods and encourage companies to sell life rather than death for the sake of profit our society would be a much healthier place.

Some people argue that the government may be going too far. That to me is a moot point. There are plenty of people serving in our government profiting from the subsidizing of corn and all the high fructose corn syrup laden drinks and foods that are making Americans sick. At this point I think the government along with companies peddling these fast foods have a duty to apologize, intervene, and stop the trajectory of obesity and disease. Why not make the cost of eating real, healthier foods the most affordable so even people with low incomes have the means to choose health? I shouldn’t be able to pay less money for a box full of fake chemicals and industrial materials that will in turn make me sick and strung out. It is time for a shift. If things continue as they are, it’s about to get very serious in America and the healthcare system is not going to be prepared for it. The veggie will definitely hit the fan, and I won’t be happy to say I called it.

That said, if Mayor Bloomberg wants to wage an intervention on the obese population in the Big Apple via cutting out soda consumption, I applaud him for it. The issue Mr. Bloomberg, is that if you want to tackle obesity for real, you can’t propose to cut down on soda consumption and then go and support National Donut Day. I’m pretty sure some of those same people who guzzle sodas over 16 ounces get down with a Krispy Kreme every now and then. It’s all or nothing Mr. Bloomberg, and the only way you will earn respect from the masses is if you commit fully. I say EAT TO LIVE. -XoXo Raw Girl

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOMmZDaG2qc&feature=related]

To read more on the issue check out this article:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/national_world&id=8685040

How to Design Your Own Fast

cleansing

“Fast and your light will break forth like morning…[and your] healing shall spring forth speedily.” – Isaiah 58: 6-11 

One of the coolest things I’ve ever learned about fasting I read in Gabriel Cousen’s book Spiritual Nutrition. He mentions that when you fast, your body turns on a “youthing gene,” and that it has been scientifically proven that our genes revert to an earlier expression of themselves when in fasting mode. In other words you begin to get younger, rather than older! Which is why long-term, adding the habit of regular fasting into your lifestyle literally adds years onto your life. Besides living longer, fasting, especially on fresh vegetable juices can speed your healing process, cleanse your body, boost your energy, revive your skin, and enhance your general joie de vivre.

You may be sold on the idea but have no idea where to start? No fear, it’s not as daunting as it seems. Most people like to have a program to follow and a schedule so they can stick to something and not fall off after one day of fasting. The first day and sometimes even the second can be the hardest. Preparation is definitely key when fasting, as well as motivation. You want to be clear on your motivation and fuel it, so that when the going gets rough you can stick with it to the finish line.

I fast for a number of reasons. Sometimes I feel like my skin is looking dull and I’ve had too much cooked food, so I’ll juice fast for a while to cleanse and get my vegan glow back, and other times it’s more of a spiritual thing. I’m sure that other avid fasters can attest to the fact that fasting can also put you in a heightened state of receptivity, and/or force you to listen and be more aware if you are seeking guidance on a major decision or waiting for something awesome to manifest in your life. There’s a reason so many spiritual leaders and sages have engaged in fasting. In the Bible alone there are several stories that are awesome commercials for fasting, from David to Jesus himself, which illustrate how fasting can unleash supernatural power.

There are plenty of fasts you can follow in books or even online, but I highly recommend creating something yourself that works for your personal goals. If you’ve never embarked on a fast I would recommend no more than three days. Also, be sure to consult with a doctor or holistic practitioner if you have any preexisting medical conditions. Below are five simple steps you can take to create your own fast. Hope this post is helpful, if you have more questions feel free to post or message me via Facebook. -XoXo Raw Girl

  1. Find & fuel your motivation. Whether it be for cleansing/detox, clarity, spiritual insight etc. figure out your reason to begin. If you are doing longer fasts up to 10 days, you should be prepared with daily reading, quotes, or whatever works for you to keep you focused on your intention. If it’s a spiritual fast, or even if it is not, you may want to make time daily for prayer, meditation, or just reflection.
  2. Set the parameters.  Decide whether or not this is a 3 day fast or longer. Choose your method: are you fasting on green juices, veggie juices, water, raw foods? Fasting just means that you are committing to abstain from something. You could do a vegan fast or a raw fast. You could even be a meat eater who decides to abstain from meat for awhile. But for cleansing purposes if you want results, juice fasting with mostly if not all green vegetables is definitely the way to go.  If you are incorporating other sweet veggies like carrots and beets make sure you balance it by getting in some green juices daily as well. If you have a specific ailment you are nursing, you can actually look up recipes online or in holistic health books that will cater to that dis-ease. I don’t recommend you do a water fast unless it’s supervised. Make sure whatever method you use that you also consume large amounts of water during your fasting period. There is no set rule to how many juices you consume a day. Make sure you have enough on hand to get your fill. Some days you may need more juice than others. Go with the flow.
  3. Relax your schedule & plan ahead. Make sure you’ve got enough groceries and recipes for juices or whatever method of fast you choose. Even with die-hard commitment when the veggie hits the fan if you are juice fasting and can’t get your fix you may leave yourself vulnerable to eating other foods that happen to be around and breaking your fast the wrong way. Your fridge should be stocked with more than enough veggie ammo to survive your cravings. During this time respect your cleansing process and try to relax your schedule as much as possible. It’s possible to exercise while fasting, but for beginners and even veteran fasters, you may opt for much gentler workouts during your cleansing period. My favorite exercise while fasting (not exactly gentle) is hot yoga, because I get to sweat more toxins out.
  4. Commit to some sort of colon cleansing for the duration of the fast. This is a HUGE must. I recommend you also read my past post Tips For a Stress Free Fast which elaborates on this point even more. Fasting accelerates the bodies process of eliminating toxins, and if you do not support this process you could end up feeling sick during your fast. To avoid this you are going to need to incorporate enemas or colonics in your process. You will feel incredible if you do this. Some people say daily enemas, I say feel out your body and do what works for you, but do not skip this step.
  5. Have a plan for breaking the fast. Alright you made it to Day 3, and you are salivating because you want to bite something! Slow down. Make sure that you spend at least half of the time you fasted coming down off the fast. So for a three day, at least a day and a half coming down off the fast. Introduce solids very slowly. Veggie broths, fruit juices, and raw fruit can be great and not jarring. Eating things like nuts would throw your system into shock and may cause constipation so start with lighter foods.
** Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Listen to your body, consult w/ yr doc if need be, and take my advice at your own risk. Side effects may include general joie de vire, a spiritual awakening, or an increase in magnetism & overall sexiness.***
Check out this past post Tips for a Stress-Free Fast: http://rawgirltoxicworld.com/2009/11/18/tips-for-a-stress-free-fast/

Smoothie! Sweet Popeye

fresh juice

 Remember Popeye? He was a dedicated vegan cartoon character who got all his energy and robust muscles from regularly gulping down cans of spinach. I’ve posted a recipe for a drink in the past that I call sweet popeye. I had a plain “popeye” smoothie at a raw restaurant that was awesome awhile ago that had only coconut water, coconut meat, and spinach. I loved it and when I got home I tried a couple of my own versions. Sometimes I add pineapple. This lovely version has one banana and some spirulina as well. I’m sure mango would be a fun addition as well. This version I like because the spirulina really does give you an extra super heroine boost. I also enjoy drinking it sometimes after workouts.  If you try your own versions post them on the Facebook page! -XoXo Raw Girl

Ingredients:

1 Thai coconut (water & meat)

1 banana

1 medium to large handful of spinach

1 Tablespoon of Spirulina

Blend all ingredients thoroughly. Serve & Enjoy!