Tags
acne aging anti-aging beauty detox diet exercise fasting healing health healthy lifestyle healthy living healthy recipes inspiration juicing Living la Vida Raw meditation mindfulness Move Your Body Natural Beauty natural cures Natural Cures natural remedies nutrition nutritionist parasites raw raw food Raw Food for Thought raw foods raw girl Raw News raw recipes Raw Spirit Recipes skin spirulina stress vegan vegan lifestyle vegan recipes vegetarian Veggie Love wellness yogaNewsletter Sign-up
Tag Archives: vegetarian
The Anti-Parasite Diet: Foods that Make Parasites Run for Cover
Embarking on a parasite cleanse can be extremely frustrating. You are dying to get those critters out of you, but have to work against the fact that a lot of times, parasites dictate your cravings. Another frustrating point is that different parasites feed on different foods to thrive. So in order to really do some damage, a general parasite cleanse can be a great help but its also necessary to consume a wide range of foods that irritate parasites to ensure you have killed the various types.
As I continue on my parasite cleanse for this year, I have done a great deal of research on what foods and herbs people say assist the body in killing worms. This is the list of foods and herbs that I have compiled thus far and have incorporated in my diet, in order to really whip out a gangsta can of Raw Girl whoop-ass and rid my body of parasites.
1. Raw Garlic – One of the number one ways to kill parasites. All effective parasite cleanses always include garlic.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar – Increase stomach acids with Apple Cider Vinegar prior to your meals. This will keep the stomach free of parasites and will also ensure that you will kill off any larvae you inadvertantly eat with your meals.
3. Pumpkin Seeds – Can help to get rid of tapeworms.
4. Pineapple – Contain an enzyme bromelain, that is anti-parisitic. A couple sources claim that a three day pineapple fast will kill tape worms.
5. Cranberry Juice (unsweetened) or Carrot Juice & Carrots – Cranberry juice can be diluted in water. Carrots the juice or the veggie eaten plain kills em as well.
6. Coconut Oil – Contains lauric acid which is found in coconut products. Coconut oil is about 50% comprised of this saturated fat which after converted by the body creates a substance that efficiently kills parasites, yeasts, viruses, and pathogenic bacteria in the gut.
7. Fennel Seed Tea – Is a mild laxative and can be an irritant to certain types of parasites.
8. Herbs: Cloves,Wormwood, Black walnut hull and husks – These herbs are always incorporated into an effective parasite cleanse and should be among the ingredients listed in the capsules you take daily from parasite cleanses that can be bought in health food stores. Cloves kills the parasite eggs that may be lingering in the intestinal tract. Black walnut hull and wormwood kill the adult and developmental stages of around 100 different types of parasites. All three are essential.
9. Pungent Spices – Spices such as: turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, chilis, horseradish, and cayenne, all make parasites run for cover.
10. Probiotics/ Fermented Foods – Some options that can be made at home include: sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) or drinking rejuvelac (a drink made from fermented grains such as wheat berries). You can also take probiotic supplements. These help to replenish good bacteria and kill the bad.
Once again, if you didn’t know, you can get parasites a myriad of ways: from your pets, your loved ones—or anyone you kiss, also from shaking hands (washing hands regularly is key). So if you de-worm yourself and your partner does not, you’ll be back in the boxing ring with the parasites again sometime soon. Armed with my parasite cleanse, incorporating this list of foods into my diet, avoiding sugar, and consuming a lot of greens, I am determined to knock them out in this second round. Check out my newly published book Parasites, Be Gone! for more in depth info and a 14 Day Cleanse with original recipes. Take precautions and get to cleansing!
– XoXo Raw Girl
9 Ways to Get More Bang for Your Beauty Without Spending a Buck
Somehow, we have all been duped into believing we need a product for every separate beauty endeavor. We have to have several types of moisturizer, face washes, and scrubs for different parts of our body. One of the first things I did when I started going raw is simplify. Not only is this good for your health but it eases some strain on your wallet to boot. I tossed out products full of chemicals and parabens, and started to search for all-natural options to my once full medicine cabinet. When I started to get concerned about what I was putting on my body being as pure as the food I was consuming, I realized that a lot of products could be used for both. Below is a list of some versatile items that can offer double duty and add a little extra wiggle room to your budget.
1. Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil – Awesome total body moisturizer which can also be used in the kitchen. If used as a moisturizer it protects the skin against the aging effects of free radicals, minimizes wrinkles, and can clear up dark spots on the skin. It can also be used as an excellent conditioner. Most oils when heated turn rancid, coconut oil happens to be the most heat-resistant oil and therefore the best for cooking. The chained fatty acids in coconut oil have the ability to internally kill parasites, bacteria, and viruses in the body.
2. 100 % Natural Shea Butter – I heart shea butter. It’s like ten products in one. Shea butter is made from the nuts of karite trees in West and Central Africa. I use it as a moisturizer and also on my hair. A lot of people with locks use beeswax or other products that can leave residue in the hair, but I am extremely particular about avoiding chemicals or anything that may damage my hair (which might be why it grows like wildfire). Shea butter has been used to heal burns, scars, sores, dandruff, dermatitis, stretch marks, and also protects the skin from environmental and free radical damage. In addition it contains cinnamic acid which protects the skin from UV rays. Also works as a conditioner and makeup remover. If I was stranded on a deserted island, I could live easily with shea butter as my only beauty product. Isn’t it a lot more glamorous to be rescued skin glowing and protected from uv rays, hair conditioned and shimmering in the sunlight, and body moisturized and scar-free? I think so.
3. Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil – Another fabulous oil that you can take out of the kitchen into the bathroom. Olive oil is an excellent moisturizer or night cream, best when applied to damp skin so you don’t feel “greasy.” If you need to exfoliate, mix olive oil with sea salt and use as a scrub. Awesome to use to remove eye makeup, and can also prevent wrinkles in the process! Also can be used as a deep conditioner, and dandruff controller that can be massage into the scalp after shampooing. And don’t forget after all that if you need to make a quick, easy, and tasty salad dressing you can put a capful or two of olive oil with a squeeze of lime or lemon and some sea salt. What more can a girl ask for?
4. Essential Oils – These oils are powerful! In particular, Young Living Essential Oils, which are the highest grade, and can be taken externally and internally are magnificent. If you are feeling tired or lethargic during the day you can rub a couple drops of peppermint behind your ears and on your temples and inhale. You will feel alive in seconds. You can also add peppermint to your tea. A lot of the oils are nice to add to baths as well. The most miraculous thing is that you can relieve headaches, cramps, fatigue and a myriad of other symptoms with these oils in addition to using them for aromatherapy to promote psychological and emotional wellness. Ladies: the Young Living essential oil blend called Dragontime, is incredible and when rubbed over your tummy can relieve menstrual cramps. It has helped me get through a day effortlessly that would have quickly turned sour without relief. Forget midol this works well and it’s also better for you.
5. Oats, Citrus, Honey – Of course you can eat these things, but you can also make a banging facial mask out of them too. Check the archives I included the recipe for the mask recommended to me by makeup artist Ryan B. Anthony. It is awesome for exfoliation and leaves your skin glowing. You can tell everyone that is truly a 100% natural glow–because they will ask!
6. Avocados – I may just have to write a veggie R&B love song in the style of Barry White in honor of avocados. They truly are my first, my last, my everything. I love love love avocados! They make great additions to smoothies. Guacamole is my favorite, and it’s good to know that after I get down with my guac and finish scraping my bowl, I can also mash up a side plate and moisturize my skin with an avocado mask.
7. Watercress – For skin spots, watercress juice can be applied externally. Watercress juiced along with other veggies helps control inflammation of acne because of its high Vitamin A content. Try cantaloupe or honey melon juice which helps flush out toxins mixed with watercress.
8. Bentonite Clay – Internally this clay can be used as a natural detoxifier, to clean the colon, and to regulate elimination. Externally bentonite clay masks draw toxins out of the skin and will leave you glowing.
9. Cucumbers – Juicing cucumbers is refreshing and always makes a good base that can be mixed with other veggies. Cucumber juice has high water content and helps to flush out the body and also cools body temperature. On your face, we all know the age-old tip that cucumber slices over the eyes can reduce puffiness. In addition to that cucumber when blended or juiced makes an awesome toner. It can be mixed with celery juice, honey and or lemon, or even a bit of apple cider vinegar.
Hope you’ll give some of these tips a try, it’ll give you some extra dough for those stilettos you’ve been eyeing without sacrificing your diva glow. I’m going to get my veggie mask on!
– XoXo Raw Girl
VEGGIE LOVE: Jicama
My girl Kenzie is back again and this week we are having a love affair with jicama. I used shredded jicama in the video this past week on how to make guacamole nori rolls. So check it out! Also jicama is great for the raw french fries everyone raves about. I like them dipped in hummus as well. – XoXo Raw Girl
This week we’re going to talk about jicama (or yam bean): a textually satisfying, water rich veggie so creative and versatile it deserves all of your attention. Jicama may be another grocery store scare—with a dull outside skin, usually hidden in the produce aisle amongst its misunderstood non-traditional vegetable friends. But the inside is crispy white, nutty, and a little bit sweet. And obviously, it’s extremely good for you!
The nutrients in jicama should get your stomach growling alone. The most notable being potassium. Potassium is important for maintaining a steady heartbeat and balancing fluid inside and outside cell membranes which promotes normal cell functioning. This nutrient aids in many metabolic reactions—transferring energy to the right parts of the body. Consuming potassium will also help prevent blood loss and kidney stones.
The high level of Vitamin C in jicama provides powerful antioxidants that protect from cell damage, help wounds to heal, fight infections, promote healthy bones, teeth, gums and blood vessels, and aid in the absorption of iron. Jicama slows blood pressure by balancing out salt or sodium, lowers blood cholesterol, slows digestion to stabilize blood sugar, promotes healthy digestion, and aids in attaining weight loss goals.
Ready to dive in? To prepare, remove the brown outer skin. You can do this with a knife or also a good vegetable peeler. The simplest way to eat it is to chop or food process it, add a little lemon juice and then just throw on top of a salad with tons of other veggies. This adds some dimension but keeps it really simple.
If you’re feeling more creative try this recipe for Jicama ‘Cheese’ Crackers, which recently made an appearance at my Opening Ceremony party for The Olympics—my non-vegan friends even loved them! It’s a variation from the pierogi recipe in Matt Amsden’s Rawvolution; these are less soy-heavy and takes the pressure off making perfect crescent shaped designs. They may be reminiscent of Ritz-Bitz cracker days back in middle school—only REAL FOOD, HEALTHY, and RAW.
Jicama ‘Cheese’ Crackers
Ingredients:
¼+ cup lemon juice; 1/3 cup Nama Shoyu; ¼ red bell pepper; 2-3 cloves garlic; ¾ cup cashews; ½ cup pine nuts; large jicama
Peel the jicama with a good peeler. Using a sharp, large knife cut thin circular slices. Make the pieces thin, but not so thin they aren’t full circles (Use a mandolin slicer if you have one). Cut the jicama into triangle shapes (cutting an ‘X’ on the circle). Combine all other ingredients into a blender or VitaMix and blend until smooth. Scoop spoonfuls onto jicama and make sandwiches. Beware: They could get messy! But have fun with it…and please share your knowledge, and share the love.
–Kenzie, Signing in for Raw Girl
How to Make Quick & Easy Guacamole Nori Rolls
This is one of my favorite quick and easy raw meals-on-the-go. I started to eat more seaweed when I was looking for foods that added a great deal of nutrients to my diet. Nori, quickly became my favorite seaweed, and nori rolls are an awesome way to have a burrito-like meal packed with a bunch of veggies, that doesn’t take all your time in the kitchen. Suitable for raw foodies and vegans alike. You can experiment with other variations to this recipe based on your diet: using hummus instead of guacamole, adding in sprouted or cooked quinoa, brown rice (if your a vegan), and of course playing around with the types of veggies in your roll (sprouts and zucchini are both yummy when added). These also work really well as party finger food–trust me your guests will be begging for more!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE4S0NQpfck]
Ingredients:
(untoasted) sheets of organic Nori, 1 small beet, 1/2 small jicama, 1 carrot, bowl of organic seasonal greens, 2 ripe organic avocados, 1 tablespoon yellow curry, 1 tablespoon red pepper, 2 wedges of lemon, diced red onion (and tomatoes if preferred), capful extra virgin olive oil, sea salt to taste
For the filling:
Start by shredding your veggies in a bowl. Shred beet, jicama, and carrot then mix in with seasonal greens and add olive oil. Squeeze in the wedge of lemon, and add sea salt to taste. Give your veggies a nice sensual massage.
For the guacamole:
Cut and scoop out your two avocados into a bowl. Add in the red onions (and tomatoes if preferred). Sprinkle in the yellow curry and red pepper, squeeze a wedge of lemon, and pinch in some sea salt to taste. Use a spoon to mash up the avocados and mix until creamy.
Take a sheet of nori and spread the guacamole evenly onto the sheet. Grab a small handful of your veggie filling and layer on top of guacamole. Roll into a tight cylinder and cut in half. Use remaining veggie filling as garnish or a side salad.
Makes around 8 rolls or 2-3 servings. Enjoy!
-XoXo Raw Girl
Go Alkaline! Shed Pounds, Change Your Mood, & Renew Your Health
The issue of alkaline vs. acidic diet is a very important one for veggie lovers and meat-eaters alike. Below is a video clip of CNN coverage featuring Dr. Robert Young, author of “The pH Miracle,” where he stresses this fact and shows the results some of his clients have had by focusing solely on making their diets more alkaline. He basically emphasizes elimination of meat and dairy which cause acidic build up in the body. I love that he talks about eating greens in the morning. I can get down with greens in the morning, noon, and night. Also, he makes an important mention about our thoughts creating acidity. If you are still on the road of eating highly acidic foods, you will will find yourself more often than not sick, tired, depressed, or highly irritable. Next time your about to go on an emotional rampage, please get down with some greens. It’s like taking a chill pill. – XoXo Raw Girl
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09NGcwQ7n-M]
Say What: McCain is Messing With My Supplements?
I smell a cat fight. For real people, somebody might have to hold me back while I take off my earrings and stilettos, because I’m about to lay down a can of whoop ass.
Apparently the beloved Senator McCain has filed a new bill called the Dietary Supplement Safety Act. This law would in essence give the FDA the power to ban certain supplements, and reclassify others making some only available as drugs, no longer over the counter. As nutrient-starved as we are in this culture, now they want to regulate our supplementation?
Some recent incidents with “supplement abuse” (more like steroids) by professional athletes was one of his primary arguments for this bill. Do the actions of a handful of professional athletes really have to impact the availability of supplements for the general population? Something smells very fishy, besides all the salmonella recalled produce. Please visit the link below to read more, and also click TAKE ACTION which will allow you to join the campaign to STOP THIS BILL! – XoXo Raw Girl
Click Below to Read More on the Alliance for Natural Health website:
How to Make a Mushroom Quinoa Salad
We are snowed in down here in the DC area, again!! So I managed to hook up this recipe, but didn’t dare brave the ten inches outside to get two essential ingredients that take this salad to the next level: corn and cilantro. I added them into the steps below. If you don’t know about quinoa, it is a complete protein and awesome for very active vegans because consuming it helps your muscles regenerate from intense workouts. All vegans know the first question non-veggies ask is, “Um, where do you get your protein?” Well quinoa is a bangin’ answer to that question. Check in the Raw Girl archives for an article I wrote that breaks down the wonders of quinoa.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMtiMva-nzo]
Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa cooked or sprouted, 1 small beet shredded, 1 carrot shredded, 1/3 of a jicama shredded (can also use zucchini instead–yummy), chopped red onion, a wedge of lemon, two capfuls of extra virgin olive oil, several dashes of cumin and paprika, celtic sea salt to taste, 2 cups peeled and chopped mushrooms soaked in warm water for 10-15 minutes, a small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped, and 1 ear of non-GMO organic corn
Start by putting your mushrooms in warm water and letting them soak. If you are cooking quinoa, put it on the stove, if you sprouted it, you are ready to go. While the mushrooms are soaking and quinoa is cooking, shred your veggies adding the cilantro and shaving in raw corn as well, season with paprika, cumin, and salt, and give them a nice massage. Strain your cooked quinoa of water, and then mix into veggies until it changes color. Season mushrooms with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and thyme. Mix in mushrooms and your ready to eat.
Makes around 3-4 servings and keeps well in the fridge. Enjoy!
-XoXo Raw Girl
Why Eat Organic? Dangers of GMO Foods Proven
While browsing and doing research on an entirely different topic, I stumbled upon an article on Raw Food Life, which discussed a new study on Monsanto’s genetically modified, what they rightfully called “frankenfoods.” If you don’t know anything about Monsanto, please watch Food Inc. or do some research. These gangsters patent our seeds and have been responsible for delivering and selling us GMO food and putting a great deal of farmers in America out of business. The gist of the findings is that all GMO foods have pesticide residue that is very harmful to the body and do real damage to major organs including: the kidneys, liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and more. Does that GMO apple look as good to you now? I hope not. If you haven’t jumped on the organic bandwagon, you are putting your long-term health in jeopardy. Read below to get the full low down. – XoXo Raw Girl
Hines Nut Co. Announces Pine Nut Recall
After just watching Food, Inc. and ranting in my last post about the pitfalls of our industrialized factory-based food production, here goes another mention to add fuel to the fire. Apparently, our nuts aren’t even safe. A friend forwarded the press release below. If you know anyone who regularly shops at Harris Teeter, and happens to love pine nuts, they may be at risk for salmonella poisoning. Spread the word! – XoXo Raw Girl
Hines Nut Company Announces Recall of Pine Nuts Because of Possible Health Risk
Contact:
Chris Hines or Deborah Hines
214-939-0253
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Dallas, TX, January 15, 2010 – Hines Nut Company has initiated a recall of 270 packages of Pine Nuts, packaged under the brand name Harris Teeter Farmers Market. The Pine Nuts were purchased from Red River Foods in Camarillo, CA, and have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The recalled product was sold in 8 oz foam trays wrapped in cellophane and carry the UPC code 0 72036 88121 0. The Pine Nuts were distributed solely to Harris Teeter Markets in North Carolina. Consumers who purchased this product between December 30, 2009, and January 14, 2010 should contact Hines Nut Company for information on how to return the product for a refund.
There have been no complaints or any reported illnesses related to the products to date.
The problem was discovered through routine sampling by the supplier, Red River Foods.
Consumers with questions may contact Hines Nut Company at 214-939-0253 (M-F, 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM CDT).
Food Inc. Movie Review: I’m Hungry for Change!
Was going to take today off from blogging, but I’m snowed in! So I netflixed the movie: Food Inc. which I recommended last week. It is a MUST SEE for all Americans, and was a very well put together documentary that really gave insight to our food production from seed to consumption in this country. I used to think that ignorance was bliss, when it came to the foods we eat. Now I just think it’s very dangerous.
I was struck by many emotions while watching the film: disgust, frustration, and surprise from some revelations that were new to me. This world we are living in today, people, truly is toxic. We are pumped daily with negative vibrations from the food we eat to the entertainment and commercial imagery flashed at us every 2.2 seconds. It is incredible as a human race, how far we really have strayed from a sacred garden culture in tune with universal order into a strange and sadistic death consuming culture that thrives on hoarding resources from each other and mother earth and mass producing and cloning animals as if they were robots with no life force. Then what happens to us when we consume these vibrations? What do we become? Think about it.
The majority of us actually believe that our food comes from the grocery store and have no idea how to cultivate plants. If you were left out in the wild, would you know what to eat to survive? Very few people still do. I sure don’t, but my mother could. A couple years ago, when she visited me in my days of inhabiting the concrete jungle in NY, she recognized an edible plant, a derivative of spinach that was growing wildly right outside my brownstone in Crown Heights. She has two large gardens in our home, and just before the winter hit us hard, I was going into my backyard to “make my salad.”
This simple daily act, brought back the realization and frustration with our modern system. FOOD IS SUPPOSED TO BE FREE! Now the entire world has been infected by this Western mental illness that thrives on greed and leads us all to believe not only that we should pay for our food, but that we should pay less for foods that have been engineered and more for life sustaining food that is from nature? A major point emphasized in the film was that our genetically engineered, processed foods are cheap because of the government subsidizing of the corn industry. All of those crazy non-pronounceable names like xanthan gum, malodextrin, sucrose, ascorbic acid etc. that are in cheese, coke, jelly, fast foods, cereals, and on and on—-are all derivatives of corn.
We are living under the illusion of freedom, our seeds are now being controlled by a corporation. What happens if they decide to stop production? That is a lot of power in the hands of people that have clearly demonstrated they have no concern for the well being of any form of life. I just pray that when and if the *&%$ really does hit the fan, there is some safe haven left on this planet for me to retreat to. David Wolfe said half-jokingly in a video I watched recently that the major problem in this world isn’t our wars, or the economy, or crime, it’s constipation. Most people really are full of *&%$ and it has repercussions for all of us.
I really wish that we could invade Capitol Hill, and force all of the representatives to get a colonic. Since we can’t, and these food laws that help corporations thrive on exploiting the general population and patent our seeds–the true source of food– are already in effect, it is up to us to take actions that instigate change whether it’s eating raw or at the very least a processed-food-free diet, learning to grow plants, buying local and organic, or finding our own little way of supporting the rights of our farmers, our animals, our planet, and our right to be healthy.
All that said, I am frustrated, but hungry for change. Are you? For the sake our toxic world, I really hope so. Below I have posted the trailer for Food Inc. once again. WATCH THE MOVIE. -XoXo Raw Girl
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2sgaO44_1c]