Tag Archives: vegan

Dear Raw Girl: Flouride in Water?

bottled water

Dear Raw Girl,

I have just come across your site whilst searching for alternatives to toxins pesticides and all the rubbish there forcing upon us. Your write ups are very interesting and just wondered what your thoughts on fluoride in water are? Thank you for your inspiration!

– Miss S May

Dear Miss S May:

Thank you for your question! 🙂 I stopped messing with fluoride a long time ago, I don’t even buy toothpaste with fluoride. At the end of the day despite what a lot of sources purport, fluoride is a poison. Once I stopped brushing with fluoride, my teeth actually got stronger and were less prone to cavities. That said, if I am not willing to brush with it, I am definitely not willing to ingest it. Unfortunately, coming across clean drinking water nowadays takes a miracle or at least some real effort. In fact, the only way to ensure you are getting high quality water is to install a high quality filtration system or buy an ionizer which filters your water and adds extra oxygen to the water, making it superior for your health.

As soon as I started on the raw path, I started to avoid tap water completely, and most brands of bottled water. For the past couple years, I have been primarily drinking reverse osmosis water, which is free from chemicals, chlorine, etc. but is also stripped of some minerals that may be beneficial to the body. There are systems however, that re-mineralize the water after its been filtered through the reverse osmosis process. This month I am taking my next step and buying an ionizer! This water is truly healing and invigorating, and has helped tons of people recover from terminal illnesses, lose weight, heal minor aches and pains, clear skin, and improve digestion to name a few. If you can, I highly recommend you invest in an ionizer, if not, make sure to filter your water with the best system you can find. Check out the links below for more info.-XoXo Raw Girl

Here are 50 reasons to oppose fluoridation:

http://www.fluoridealert.org/50-reasons.htm

For more about water options, check out my article “Finding Pure Energized Water Amidst the Scarcity”:

http://rawgirltoxicworld.com/2010/02/24/new-article-fi…t-the-scarcity/

Have a question for the Dear Raw Girl segment?

Email rawgirltoxicworld@gmail.com and your answer will be posted on the blog!

The Benefits of Hot Yoga

alternative medicine

In this technological maelstrom of fast food and even quicker fixes, the growing practice of yoga continues to offer shelter from the constant barrage of hustle and bustle. Even those who don’t practice yoga, have at least heard that it may be good for them; whether or not they have the energy or believe enough to commit to laying on a mat once a week is a whole seperate matter. Our Western medicine, has yet to fully incorporate yoga and other alternative therapies for that matter including pilates, acupuncture, aromatherapy etc. and the beliefs in treating the symptom rather than the human being and popping pills as a cure-all continues to prevail. Despite this there have been studies conducted that have affirmed the viability of yoga as a healing mechanism that can assist with terminal diseases, psychological issues, depression, anxiety, reducing blood pressure, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, fatigue, cholesterol, maintaining blood sugar levels, insomnia, increasing muscle strength and respiratory endurance, and the list goes on.

Some of these studies were chronicled in a Time Magazine article I stumbled upon “The Power of Yoga”:

  • 2009 a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health studied a group of adolescent girls, some with bulimia and others with anorexia; one group had regular treatment, and the other treatment and regular yoga. The findings showed that the girls not in the yoga group were more likely to have symptoms return at the end of the treatment period.
  • 1998 Dr. Ralph Schumacher at UPENN School of Medicine along with yoga instructor Marian Garfield published their findings on the study of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome in the Journal of American Medical Association basically summing up that ” a yoga regimen is more effective than wrist splinting or no treatment in relieving signs and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.”
  • 1990 patients with heart disease were prescribed a vegetarian low fat diet and yoga regimen. At the completion of the study it was found that their cholesterol levels were about the same as if they had taken cholesterol lowering drugs. A follow up report was published in 1998 in the American Journal of Cardiology showing that 80% of the patients were able to avoid bypass by maintaining their prescribed lifestyle changes.

As much as the Western medical world tends to avoid prescription of yoga, for now the testimonies of regular practitioners continue to point to yoga as a viable option. Tonya Zavasta, one of my Anti-aging Sheroes has two titanium hips and through the regular practice of hot yoga and consumption of raw foods, she not only healed herself, she’s also more flexible than the average person with hip bones in tact.

Hot yoga has a long list of benefits, many of which perfectly compliment a raw or vegan lifestyle, because of course all true “yogis” are vegetarians and observe nonviolence and incorporate all five principles of yoga into their lifestyle including proper diet. Some of these benefits include:

  • Release of built up bodily toxins. Yoga practice stimulates and promotes the drainage of our lymphatic system which carries the waste from cellular activities.
  • Improvement of flexibility and range of motion.
  • Increased weight loss and muscle toning. (One of the only workouts that makes me believe attaining Michelle Obama arms is possible.)
  • Builds up the immune system and reduces the symptoms of chronic illness.
  • Improves blood circulation.
  • Promotes healing through relaxing and centering of the mind or mental chatter. As our heart beat slows, and we breathe at a slower rate, our blood pressure also drops, and the body literally goes into healing mode. Not to mention it’s also easier to be warriors in our daily lives when our minds aren’t going helter-skelter.

So why isn’t the use of yoga as a healing modality studied more or prescribed for that matter? There’s no money in it. At least not for the insurance companies or the pharmaceutical industry that usually profits from studies that confirm viable use of a range of medications. These days, it is up to us, the consumers, to take ownership of our health before we become a part of the machine that continues to feed the greed of capitalists who have no concern for America’s well being.

Last year I took on the regular practice of hot yoga in a big way, and then unfortunately I was in a car accident that led me to go through physical therapy pretty much the last half of the year. To my dismay, part of my prescription was absolutely no yoga, because it could aggravate the healing of my neck and back. With the help of ongoing pilates classes and physical therapy sessions, raindrop therapy sessions, and advice from holistic practitioners for natural alternatives to taking my prescribed blood thinning medications (ew), I am ecstatic to say that my back is finally healed! During that time I did visit my doctor, but when I mentioned some of the alternative therapies to him, I remember him actually chuckling to himself and saying some version of “Yea, whatever…” and then handing me a prescription for a high dose of pain killers. Thank heavens, I stuck to my guns and followed my instincts.

To celebrate, on New Years Day, I got down and got sweaty with two hours of Hot Yoga, and seriously felt like new money afterwards. For all of you that cringe at the thought of stretching in a sauna-like room, I feel you. I tried Bikram at one point and I used to want to run out of the room screaming. Bikram is however, an entirely different practice. It was founded in 1974 by Bikram Choudhury and classes incorporate specialized breath exercises. Hot yoga is practiced in a heated room, with the temperature set anywhere from 80-105 degrees. Some versions of hot yoga are practiced in the hatha style of yoga, my studio teaches the vinyasa flow style of yoga (my favorite) in a heated room. When I started to practice Hot Yoga, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the room was a little cooler and more manageable for me than Bikram. The temperature was hot enough to get a deeper stretch, but not so hot that you might hurl. Whether you choose to get down with the down dog in a hot room, in your bedroom, or in a quiet studio, the time is now. Everyone can benefit from a little asana in their lives and I hope you will find what works with you and get moving. Namaste. -XoXo Raw Girl

For more on the 5 Principles of Yoga, check out this previous post:

http://rawgirltoxicworld.com/2010/05/19/5-principles-of-yoga-living-the-life-of-a-yoga-warrior/

Get a Vitamin C Boost with Blackberries

antioxidants

 

When I shop for berries, I usually go for the popular varieties: strawberries, blueberries, and sometimes raspberries.  The other day while making my rounds for fruit,  there was a special on blackberries and I decided to give them a try. To my delight not only were they great in my smoothie, I discovered that they offer an awesome amount of nutrition.

Most notably blackberries, which are not true “berries” but are actually an aggregate fruit – a cluster of tiny fruits,  are packed with Vitamin C.  Just one cup contains somewhere in the neighborhood of half of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C, which can help to boost the immune system. In addition these “berries” have a nice amount of manganese, soluble fiber to assist in maintaining a healthy digestive system, and are extremely high in antioxidants which fight free radicals that could lead to cancer. Apparently in Germany, blackberries were recommended to treat mouth infections, sore throats, and even hemorrhoids because they are an astringent due to their high tannin content. These antiseptic properties also make blackberries a good source to tighten tissues and deal with minor bleeding. Some even go as far to claim that a dose of blackberries every now and then may decrease signs of aging, but then again we know raw food in general will do that! Below is a recipe for the concoction I created with my new batch of blackberries, Raw Blackberry Yogurt that can be eaten for breakfast or dessert. Feel free to try them raw, throw them in a smoothie, or sample my yummy yogurt concoction. – XoXo Raw Girl

Raw Blackberry Yogurt

Ingredients

1 small container of blackberries, 1/2 cup of fresh coconut water, 2 ripe bananas, 2-3 dates, 1/2-3/4 cup shredded coconut

Blend all ingredients together and add more coconut water if necessary, but take care to not add too much. It should blend into a creamy consistency. Pour in bowl and sprinkle coconut on top. Yum!

Back to One: The End of the Year Cleanse

2011

buckshappening.com

Sometimes it really feels good to reset and revamp. It’s not like setting the clock back, but more so starting from where you are and undergoing a process of renewal. I’ve been feeling like in many areas of my life this process of going “back to one” is happening, and thus, it felt like an awesome time to take on a cleanse. As the end of the year approaches (can you believe how fast it went by) cleansing allows us to rejuvenate our bodies, while letting our minds and spirits reflect on the time that has passed and our next steps.

I chose this time to take on a gentle two-week full body herbal detox in a box that cleanses my skin, liver, lungs, colon, kidneys, blood and lymphatic system. Also combining this with a parasite cleanse and seven-day liquid fast  so that I can move into the new year, with my body reset and full of vitality, and mind ready to take on new tasks.

Just as I am resetting my body through fasting and detox, I find that the New Year is a great time to reset my mind. It’s important to me to spend adequate time ruminating on the goals I accomplished, and also look at where I fell short to examine what new approaches or what character flaws may be standing in my way. Most people make resolutions that lose their legs by the second month of the year. In order for us to set goals that stand the test of time, we have to examine our motives and really connect to how our goals will increase the quality of our lives and also touch others.

We also can change the way we look at our goals and ourselves, by not only focusing on where we want to be, but also who is it that we have to become to get there? That shift in thinking alone, made me realize that in order to get to where I am going it won’t be through just daily actions, but also continuous self-evaluation and development of my character. Below is a list of New Year’s back to one actions that may inspire you to get “Back to One.” – XoXo Raw Girl

  • Create a vision board for 2011 in all important areas of your life: finances, spiritual, career, relationships, health. Place it in a visible place and look at it daily.
  • After you’ve created this vision board or wrote down your goals spend time visualizing how achievement of these goals will enhance the quality of your life and those around you.
  • Write a letter to yourself that describes in detail what goals you would like to accomplish in all areas of your life and what  kind of person you have become at the end of 2011. Seal it and do not open until the end of 2011. (I did this last year and it was amazing!)
  • Take on a Fast or Cleanse. Fasting can be as simple as abstaining from certain foods you are trying to cut out of your diet or going full-out and doing fresh juices only, blended food only, or even raw food only periods.
  • Clean House. This one feels really good. I hate going into the New year with too much baggage. Taking a day or however long to reduce the clutter in your life not only make room for more good to come, it frees up more mental space!

For more on juice fasting, check out these previous posts:

Tips for a Stress Free Fast

http://rawgirltoxicworld.com/2009/11/18/tips-for-a-stress-free-fast/

The Benefits of Juice Fasting

http://rawgirltoxicworld.com/2009/11/18/my-article-on-…-juice-fasting/

VEGGIE LOVE: Okra

constipation

A couple of months ago, we were overwhelmed by the large harvest of okra in the garden.  I had to get down and dirty in the garden to help pick all of it, and also put my creative cooking skills to work to whip up new uses for it. Below is the video for my delicious Okra Cobb Salad that I shot awhile back and am just now getting around to releasing. Before you check that out, here’s a few fun facts about okra you may not know that’ll make you think twice when you pass it by in the veggie aisle.

Okra also known as gumbo, lady’s finger, bamia, or bindi, is a member of the mallow plant family and is kin to cotton, hibiscus, and cocoa. It was also discovered in Ethiopia during 12th century B.C and cultivated by ancient Egyptians; Cleopatra of Egypt was known to regularly consume okra, possibly because of its beauty enhancing benefits as it protects from pimples and enhances the skin. The seeds in some regions are toasted, ground and served as a substitute for coffee!

Okra is a mucilaginous vegetable, full of natural fiber which regulates blood sugar levels by curbing the amount of sugar absorbed in the intestinal tract. It helps to relieve constipation and can aid with a host of other ailments including diabetes, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, and acne.

Besides being fat-free, okra is also low in calories it is packed with nutrients including: vitamin A, Thiamin, B6, C, folic acid, riboflavin, calcium, zinc and dietary fiber. In addition, okra feeds good bacteria/probiotics to flourish in the body. What’s not to love about this gooey veggie? If you need some inspiration, below is the raw okra salad recipe that had everyone in my household talking for days. I was surprised at how good it tasted raw; okra is now a staple for me.  Hope you’ll give it a try! -XoXo RawGirl

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDLFWwFVTSQ]

Black Strap Molasses: An Anemic’s Best Friend

anemia

As the winter months approach and the weather in the DMV area yo-yo’s from warm to freezing, you can start to point out the iron deficient from the iron sufficient very easily. On those slightly chilly days, me and my iron deficient posse can be seen shivering, wearing a ridiculous amount of clothing, and complaining about cold hands and feet. To remedy this, I found that taking a liquid iron and herbal supplement has helped me a great deal, and recently I was turned onto to another saving grace, black strap molasses.

I was visiting a friend in New York City and going through my “I’m so freezing I could die symptoms,” and she brought me a cup of tea with black strap molasses in it. Within three minutes, I felt like brand new and was warm from the inside out. Later I learned that black strap molasses, which is a black thick syrupy natural sweetener (that looks like tar), is not only rich in iron (2 teaspoons gives you about 13% of the daily recommended value) but a host of other vitamins such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, and manganese. It’s a lovely addition to anyone’s diet looking to get a nice  daily dose of iron but beyond that it has been known to help with a plethora of conditions including constipation, acne, fatigue,  lack of hair growth, and restoring loss of hair pigmentation (grey hairs). Say what?

If your thinking that the mineral content sounds groovy and your wondering how it gets packed with all this nutrition, then you should know molasses is the by product or “waste” from processing sugar cane or beet into table sugar. So, those of us who choose to avoid refined white sugar, because it has been stripped of its minerals; molasses is the by-product where all the minerals went in the first place. I’m not going to lie, it is an acquired taste and can overwhelm whatever you put it in, but it isn’t horrible at all. I’ve grown to dig it, especially because it’s preparing me to stay warm & cozy for winter. – XoXo Raw Girl

Invisible Crustaceans in Every Refreshing Glass of NYC Tap Water

alkaline water

So the next time you’re in the Big Apple on a muggy summer day and you head out to eat or over to your friend’s place, and you just happen to down that nice refreshing glass of ice water to quench your thirst, you know what else you’ll be drinking? Shrimp. Seriously, I wish it was a joke. Am I the only one who thinks this is utterly disgusting? I really hope not. Sometimes when I am visiting friends, eating at a restaurant, or on-the-go away from home I get that look of derision when I turn down tap water. It’s that knowing—- “Oh your one of those whose too good for tap water,” look.  Sometimes they actually just come out and say just that, (especially in New York). I just shrug, and smile, thinking about all the little critters that I am avoiding. 

I know that I am a bit of a clean water Nazi, and I really am okay with that. Why? Because I love to avoid at all costs parasitic infections, trace pharmaceuticals, and now apparently in NYC, tiny shrimp in my glass of H2O. A friend sent me a link and I almost gagged on my glass of reverse osmosis water.  Prior to this heads up, you wouldn’t catch me drinking water that was anything but alkaline or distilled  in New York anyway, but this just makes my case all the more firm. I hope that all you lovely raw foodies and vegans (really anyone nowadays), but you especially, will get on the clean (truly clean, not just clean in the commercial) water bandwagon very soon.

Too many diseases nowadays are born just from lack of clean water alone. I definitely feel blessed to have such a wide range of choices between tap, glorified tap, bottled water, distilled, alkaline water etc. but I am not ignorant enough to forget the fact that for many people in our world it isn’t even an option. -XoXo Raw Girl

Check out the picture of the Shrimp in your NYC Tap Water:

http://gizmodo.com/5626497/you-swallow-invisible-shrimp-with-every-gulp-of-nyc-tap-water

For previous musings on water options, check out this past article:

http://rawgirltoxicworld.com/2010/02/24/new-article-finding-pure-energized-water-admist-the-scarcity/

Smoothie of the Day: Acai Mango Rush!

acia berry smoothie

Today’s smoothie was exceptionally exciting  and of course tasted divine. I wanted to make use of this brand of organic Acai juice that my cousin found at Walmart of all places—-it is actually Whole Foods quality (all natural fruit puree and acai) and it only costs like five bucks. Great deal if you ask me. So I whipped up this smoothie which was a major energy and immune booster thanks to the spirulina, and got a little antioxidants to boot.  -XoXo Raw Girl

Ingredients:

1 banana

1 cup acai berry juice

1 mango

1 Tablespoon Spirulina

Blend & enjoy 🙂 Makes one serving.

The copyright of this recipe is owned by Esosa Edosomwan AKA  Raw Girl AKA Chef Eazy E. Permission to republish this recipe in  any format must be granted by the author in writing.

Raw Girl’s Guide to Avoiding Medical Injections…Part One

Natural Cures

This past week, I’ve been nursing whiplash from my recent car accident. Not so fun. But I had an amazing treatment this week that I promise to tell you about in more detail called Raindrop Therapy. This involves massage with pure essential oils, and realignment of the spine.  In addition to the treatment, the practitioner who performed the therapy gave me a gallon of Kangen water (highly alkaline water) to drink and to help flush out toxins and relieve inflammation. To make a long story short, it worked wonders! Literally, THE next day I did not need to take pain killers. It was amazing and I plan on doing it again this week. 

Now on the subject of my recent doctor’s visit… I really am so over it people!!! Not that doctors are not useful–because they are–especially in cases of major trauma.  But I must say it really is very unnerving that what they primarily do is prescribe or inject some sort of remedy for any ailment you may have, which in turn may of course cause additional ailments in the long run.

The doctor checked my range of motion in my neck and for pain spots in my back, and then recommended physical therapy–as I thought would happen. Then a series of things happened that I was not expecting. One, he asked what meds I was taking, I explained I was prescribed a higher dose of Ibuprofen (which I had switched out for natural pill sources because I hate aspirin–but I didn’t tell him that), and he immediately frowned and shook his head with disbelief and muttered “No, muscle relaxer?”  I told him no. He immediately went on to say he would prescribe a much higher dose pain-killer and muscle relaxer. He said worst case scenario if those didn’t stop the pain they could always INJECT me with steroids in my neck. WHAT? REALLY?? I just sat there trying not to give him the crazy eye, and then just for the heck of it I asked if he thought that the essential oil massage I was planning for the next day would help. He smirked, and said, “What the heck, I guess it couldn’t hurt?” And then he whisked off to send the order for my prescriptions to the pharmacy.

SIGH. I got in the car after being coaxed into buying these meds by concerned family members, and read over the ingredients and side effects. Both of them said things like may cause dizziness, nausea, constipation, and pretty much the whole gamut of other uncomfortable things that sounded pretty much like synonyms for DEATH to me. In addition, I did not know what any of the ingredients were–although I knew of course they were all chemical based. Right then and there I decided I was not taking those drugs. I immediately called a holistic doctor and asked his advice ( I will share what he said with you all shortly in another post) which saved me, and then later in the week I stuck to my plan and got my Raindrop Therapy. At least now, I have confidence that by the end of the month I will be feeling much stronger and as a bonus, I won’t have to worry about the side effects of some crazy blood-thinning meds that may do me a great deal harm in the long run. -XoXo Raw Girl

Planting 101 Cont’d: Organic Farming in a Toxic World

farming without pesticides

Sadly, this is the last of the planting 101 series… In this video, my mother discusses the difficulties that come with organic farming. I found this very interesting, because I had no clue how much our toxic environment can hinder organic farming. Since my planting 101 session, I haven’t been back in the garden. Nevertheless, I have seen and chowed down on  some of the fruits of our labor! I have to say I do feel a little guilty for being a lazy raw foodie, but the the scars from the bites on my legs remind me that the joy of planting may for me, be accompanied by another mosquito-make-out-sesh. We have some very cute cucumbers that have grown, and I’m still raiding the backyard for greens and scallions whenever I need them. Soon and very soon, I’ll upload another  video to show you some of these lovely veggies. For now, check this out! – XoXo Raw Girl

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-VrQgULFvc]