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Baobab, The Amazing Queen of “Superfruits”
Until my travels to Ghana, I knew nothing about one of Africa’s best-kept secrets, one of the most nutrient dense fruits on the planet, baobab. African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) has been dubbed the “tree of life,” due to it’s exceptional nutritional profile and all parts of the tree being used for food, drinks, to feed animals, medicine, and even fibers used for weaving. Baobab grows on large and strangely gorgeous trees that look like something out of a fairy tale and take up to two hundred years to mature and produce fruit. YEP that’s right, two hundred years! Meaning if you planted a baobab tree today you would not live to see it grow into its full glory. Not only do they take a long time to mature, but they live long. The oldest recorded living baobab tree thus far was one thousand years old. The fruit of baobab is football sized and the pulp of the fruit is white and powdery with a sweet, slightly tangy taste.
This strange but fantastic fruit packs in a jaw-dropping amount of nutrition. It has four times the potassium of bananas, two times the calcium of milk, and twelve times the fiber of an apple. Baobab is made up of almost 50% fiber that is soluble and pre-biotic; meaning ingesting it promotes the growth of good bacteria in the guy. The fruit actually has more soluble fiber than psyllium husk, which is used in laxatives to boost elimination and maintain a healthy digestive tract. You can consume baobab in powder form, adding it to shakes, smoothies, and even use it as a natural sugar replacement. Now that the word is spreading you will find bars and nutritional supplements with baobab as an ingredient as well. I’m sure if you have the chance to try it, you’ll understand why this unique fruit with a funny name is aptly called the “Queen of Superfruits.”
XO Raw Girl
How Taking Your Vitamins Can Change Your Life
One multivitamin a day, may keep the doctor at bay and get you closer to achieving the goal of optimal health if combined with a healthy diet. Yesterday I watched “That Vitamin Movie.” I found the film absolutely riveting and believe it is a must-see for every human being on this planet right now. Most of us in the health world are already of the mind that we should, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food,” as Hippocrates once said. But the inevitable truth is that in our modern times not only is the Standard American Diet horrifying low in any real nutrition, even those of us living on plant-based organic diets can still fall short of the mark because the nutrient density of food is diminishing over time. It’s also really difficult to juggle work, life, school, babies, and whatever else life throws at us and still manage to create a meal plan for ourselves that gives our body the nutrition it needs. Unless you have a fabulous chef named Francisco on call, (which I dream about all the time), you know exactly what I mean. And our body will not function optimally without vitamins, which serve as coenzymes for major chemical reactions. If we don’t get the micronutrients we need, some reactions in the body simply won’t happen and this will leave us running on empty and susceptible to disease.
The great news is vitamin supplementation can save the day! Do you take a daily multivitamin? After watching the vitamin movie you will realize that taking one after every meal may not be a bad idea. In fact, they gave a cheap multivitamin to prisoners after every meal and it significantly altered the mental state of those who partook. Megadose vitamin therapy, which is basically taking seemingly very high dosages of vitamins that can’t necessarily be found over the counter is something many of us have never thought of doing when we get ill. Why do this? Well, people have cured cancers, chronic fatigue and pain problems, depression and even yeast infections by taking high doses of vitamins. The best part? No one has ever died from taking too much of a vitamin, while millions are dying from taking prescription drugs. Vitamins are not only cheaper than drugs, they can also be more effective. There was more than one account in the film of people with cancer who took megadoses of vitamin C and recovered. There was even a young girl who had an adverse reaction to a vaccine and was having convulsions, who was cured by a doctor in Japan, with high doses of vitamin C.
After one year eating 100% raw, I realized that my health was not optimal because I was not supplementing. That is when I started the practice of incorporating superfoods into my diet daily to ensure my body was getting adequate nutrition. Vitamins are just as essential and even more useful especially if you don’t have time to make a superfood smoothie. In the film it’s recommended that EVERYONE take up to 16,000 mg of vitamin C daily, and also ensure vitamin D levels are met in order to boost immunity. Getting enough vitamin C can also improve athletic performance. In the film they told the story of the Puerto Rican basketball team that beat the American Dream Team at the Olympics after taking intravenous vitamin C therapy. Two separate studies conducted on HIV patients, one of which was at Harvard University medical school showed that HIV patients who took vitamins were half as likely to progress to AIDS as those who did not take any vitamins.
Physical health is not the only facet of wellness that can be affected by taking your vitamins. Niacin or vitamin B3 has been shown to dramatically accelerate recovery from alcohol withdrawal related depression. Taking Niacin can also naturally lower cholesterol without the same dangers and potential side effects as taking prescription drugs. Studies have proven that there is a brain-gut connection; and the healthier your gut is, the easier you will be able to deal with stress and more likely you are able to withstand the unexpected with level emotions. In that same vein, certain micronutrients in the right combinations and doses can help treat depression and even severe mental health problems such as dementia and bipolar disorder. Here’s a great example from the film: an older woman diagnosed with dementia was given high doses of vitamin B12 and recovered completely within a few weeks.
Hopefully you are inspired to start popping some vitamins like I was after absorbing this information. Please watch the film online and spread the word. It may seem like a funny thing we’ve all taken for granted, but vitamins can definitely improve the quality of your health.
-XO Raw Girl
From Farm to Table: Eating Organic in Cape Town
When I returned to South Africa this year, I have to admit I fell into a panic about food. Since last year I have been traveling non-stop, without my usual arsenal of veggie-friendly appliances: blender, food processor, chef knives, and last but never least, my glorious dehydrator. At the grocery stores here in Cape Town like Spar, Woolwooths etc. I started to realize after asking questions that it was more than likely that none of the produce was organic. While grocery shopping, I would ask about it and get a puzzled look or shrug in response. For the first week I had no desire to eat at all until I was saved by grace at a cute veg-friendly restaurant called Sexy Food. One of the lovely waitresses told me about Oranjezicht City Farm. After googling I was overjoyed to find out the farm held a weekly farmers market rain or shine just a block away from my pad. So every weekend since March I’ve been skipping with glee over to the market to grab some fresh produce and delicious veg food. There’s something really special that we lose when we confine ourselves to shopping at a grocery store. We miss out on the connection with people who sweat and toil to yield the harvest, and the direct connect with nature. We miss out on the reality that there are seasons, and sometimes we must eat only what will grow. If you are in Cape Town check out the farmers market on Saturdays (you may spot me there). Wherever you live, do a little research to see if you can buy your veggies locally, or try starting your own garden. If you make the effort I’m sure you will reap a harvest of not only good health, but joy in supporting the cycle of life as mother nature intended it. -XO Raw Girl
Win a Free Copy of Got Veg?!
#GOTVEG GIVEAWAY !!! Starting September 7th until September 28th, 2015 enter to win a FREE EBOOK copy!!!
I’m excited to give away some free books packed with information and inspiration sure to jumpstart your healthy lifestyle. To enter the contest:
- Sign up for the Raw Girl email list here: http://bit.ly/1JBgAwK
- SHARE this post with 5 friends on Facebook or Instagram (Tag me on Instagram @therawgirl or on Facebook www.facebook.com/therawgirl)
- Email a picture and 400 words or less about your personal health journey
Winners will be announced every Sunday and will receive their ebooks the same day! XO
#TestimonialTuesday: Woman Loses 60 lbs in 6 Months Using Raw Girl’s 7 Day Detox
#TestimonialTuesday: Akosua Peprah (on Instagram as @eloquent_feminist) was kind enough to let me know yesterday that she has lost 60 lbs in 6 months using the principles she learned in Raw Girl’s 7 Day Detox for Beauty, Weightloss, & Rejuvenation!!!! She says: “First of all let me thank you. Your page, your blog, and your book has made a very huge change on my life. I started my journey early November last year, and have lost 60 pounds in all. I was 255 and I am now 195 lbs. The 7 day detox book was the best thing I used my money for.”
First of all Akosua I am so proud of you!!!! For doing the work. For not just reading but taking action on what was written. You are gorgeous at every size and I am so humbled and grateful that my writing could have such an impact. Yesterday when I received your message I literally wept, as I thought about my journey and how just five years ago I didn’t have a dime to my name. I had lost my job and was pretty much unemployed and without steady work for almost two years straight. It was a very tough period but I decided to use my time doing everything I always said I wanted to do. During that time I wrote The Acne-Free Diet, Raw Girl’s 7 Day Detox, and Parasites Be Gone! I prayed for God to use me, because I had a vision but at that time it seemed so far off. So to receive your photos and hear your testimony was HUGE. The message you sent drove home for me that no matter how rocky the journey has been, it was all worth it.
Your testimonial allowed me to reflect and bask in gratitude for the fact that I am now self-employed, about to release my third book, and working with an incredible team. I continue to pray the little I can do in the world continues to have an impact. The testimonies and positive comments from YOU readers all over the world have always kept me going, so THANK YOU. If you have a story please reach out and let me know! I LOVE YOU ALL so much for your continued support. -XoXo Raw Girl
Juice! Mellow Yellow Refresher
Mellow Yellow Refresher
Ingredients:
3-4 yellow carrots, 1 lemon, 1 head celery, 3 apples, ginger root (to taste)
Wash & prep all fruits and veggies. Run through juicer, strain, & enjoy! -XoXo Raw Girl
P.S. Want more recipes? Over fifty awesome raw and cooked vegan recipes in my forthcoming book Got VEG? Preorder Now!
Simple Healthy Rituals to Ring in 2015 with a Bang!
As we approach the end of year holiday season many of us are thinking about our health. What goals did you set this year? How much have you accomplished for yourself in the realms of mental, spiritual, and physical wellness? If you have fallen short, don’t worry, now is the time to start dreaming about your new vision for a healthier you in 2015. Below are some simple rituals that may help you close out this current year and start next year off with a bang.
- End the year with a juice cleanse or fast
- Create a vision board for 2015 that includes goals in all areas of your life work, family, spirit, health, and finances
- Clean House and remove clutter in your home or work environment
- Write a letter to yourself that you will read at the end of 2015 seal it and do not open it until next year
- Write a gratitude journal for as many things you can think of that you are grateful for in 2014
- Make a list of healthy milestones or progress made physically or spiritually in 2014, then write goals in those areas for 2015
- Dance it out! You made it to year’s end so you deserve to shake your groove thang on whatever kind of dance floor suits your fancy
- Commit now to your #MoveThatBody regimen for 2015. Whether it be hot yoga, pilates, or the gym, start your fitness routine now so you don’t have to jumpstart in the first week of January.
No matter what rituals you choose, make sure to take a moment to celebrate all you accomplished in 2014. Celebrate the experiences that brought you to where you are now, and the baby steps you have taken to ensure that you are living into your vision of optimal health. Hope you have an incredible holiday full of love, laughter, and healthy eats!
~Xo Raw Girl
Give the Gift of Health!
20% off All E-Books and Detox Plans until January 1st!
To help you ring in the new year right, all E-Books & Detox Plans in the Raw Girl Store are 20% off until January 1st!!! Discount will be applied at checkout. Visit The Raw Girl Store for details.
New Release Date: Thrive on VEG!
Veggie Lovers,
I regret that the release date for my next book Thrive on VEG! is going to be pushed back one additional month, a new release date is coming soon. Extra time is needed to hone all of the recipes that will be included. For all who have pre-ordered thank you; you will be receiving a bonus for your patience and will receive an email shortly. Very excited about sharing this book with you, which will include some recipes that will be great to use for the upcoming holiday season. Below are a few images of dishes I have been working on to include in the book which will feature raw and cooked vegan recipes. As always, appreciate your patience and support!
-XoXo Raw Girl
Ayurveda 101
Ever since I was introduced to Ayurveda, I’ve been hooked. Learning more about doshas and energy imbalances while at Wanderlust (the yoga festival) helped me to realize that I needed to move from the East Coast and that the stagnant energy of where I was living was affecting my health. As soon as I took steps to relocate everything shifted back to optimal. The wonderful thing about Ayurveda is that it emphasizes the bio-individuality or uniqueness of every being and takes into consideration the whole person, mind, body, and spirit.
Ayurveda is the traditional system of medicine that originates from India and has the goal of maintaining health and preventing the onset of disease. This is system is personalized and considered a macro-explanatory model for disease because it takes into consideration the whole person being treated along with environmental factors. Ayurveda is based on three entities called doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha. The doshas help to explain the makeup of the body along with the temperaments of individuals for the purpose of understanding balance and imbalance. Ayurveda is based on energies of the elements including: fire, air, ether, water and earth; and each dosha corresponds to one or more of the element energies. Every single person at birth comes into the world with a specific makeup of these doshas that is fixed, and referred to as Prakriti. One’s Prakriti is the most important factor in ayurvedic medicine because it determines the treatment plan for each individual. Optimal health is achieved when there is optimal functioning of the doshas and the interactions between them to maintain balance in the body. Proper elimination, clear thinking, proper functioning of sensory organs, and a peaceful mind are also considered signs of good health.
Diagnosis of disease in the ayurvedic system is holistic involves examination of the manifestations of disease, subtypes of disease, and severity of condition. Development and progression of disease within Ayurveda, is explained by deviations or imbalances in the doshas. Imbalances of the doshas can be caused by a range of external or internal stressors including: environmental conditions, nutritional deficiencies, physical stress, or emotional turbulence. Treatment of any condition is highly personalized and includes parameters for overall health, diet, digestion, immunity, and response to environmental factors. Ayurveda also takes into consideration six tastes: bitter, sweet, sour, pungent, astringent, and bitter. These can be used to determine dietary changes or herbal treatments that also help to counteract imbalances. Herbs may be used in tandem with manual treatments, massage, dietary and lifestyle advice, nutritional supplements, and yoga to restore balance. If you are experiencing a health challenge that seems to be a impossible to diagnose, or if you just want to try a different perspective, Ayurveda may offer you interesting new insights. -XoXo Raw Girl
References
Sumantran, V., & Tillu, G. (2013). Insights on Personalized Medicine from Ayurveda. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 19(4), 370-375.
Iyer, J. (2013, July 1). The Goal of Ayurvedic Treatment. Tampa Bay Wellness, 7-7.