Never eat meat again.

[Susan Horn]

Gidget,

Best wishes for a move that is as easy as can be! I'll e-mail Renee to see if she's bringing figs any time soon. And when you have the time, you might want to check out her website:

www.twinoaksfarm.net

Very cute pictures of the baby ducks and some interesting articles, including one about eggs and one about the organic food business.

 

[Teresa]

This is SO totally true. As is relying way to much on dairy. Also, one can get such an array of "vegetarian" junk food out there. Yes, it is better for the animals, but when Nature provides such a variety of plant foods, it is crazy no to take advantage of the simplest of harvests.

Good observation Tootsie!

G

we're all learning, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, to reduce/eliminate processed foods. that alone will help improve our diets. but cereal is processed, right? I love my cereal!!!

 

[Susan Horn]

Tootsie,

There's cereal, and then there's cereal! If it's in a box and you pour it dry into a bowl and pour milk on it, chances are it's processed (granola being the least processed of that type). Less processed are cereals that you cook, like oatmeal (can also be done up raw quite deliciously), cream of wheat, etc., and grains usually done in more savory dishes like grits/polenta, bulgur (tabouli), rice, etc. Pasta is one my favorites and I prefer the white kind, but that is very processed!

What kind of cereal do you love best? La Loba's maple nut granola tops my list ;-)

 

[Susan Horn]

attention all fig lovers:

I checked with Renee Savary of Twin Oaks Farms, and she expects to have figs at the Saturday market in Seaside in about 3 weeks. If you can't make it to buy some of her fresh local figs, rest assured, her fig preserves are great and you can order those from her website (maybe also from Local Harvest) when they're ready.

There may be other local ources for buying figs. Mrs. White in Pt. W. used to let her grandchildren pic the figs, and you could buy them by the gallon bag. Not sure if she's still offering that service....the Whites used to sell yard eggs, fresh crabs, shrimp, you name it.

 

[Gidget]

I am posting this info under this thread because Jane Velez Mitchell is a huge animal rights advocate. She and I go way back to when we were suite mates at Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. She was a junk food vegetarian then and as she states in this video promo for her book, quite a drinker. Now, she hosts Issues on CNN and has really gotten her life together.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36ZCs1LzZWM"]YouTube - iWant by Jane Velez-Mitchell[/ame]

Another of her videos on animal rights and swine flu

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmyhItVZCYA"]YouTube - Jane Velez-Mitchell on Swine Flu[/ame]

I have her book on order - can't wait.

G

 

[bdc63]

I'm a raw organic vegan in-training (6 months and counting). Although I love animals, my journey did not start out for animal rights reasons.

I started down this path for health reasons. Its been said before, but I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Headaches almost every day, unable to sleep through the night, frequent heartburn, general fatigue, caught every cold and flu that went around, and general aches and pains that my 46 year old body shouldn't have. Then I had a real health scare, that I am now absolutely convinced was a response to the way I was eating. I don't want to take medications for the rest of my life, so I embarked on learning everything I could about holistic ways to address my issues.

I started out following Dr. Robert Young's 'The ph Miracle'. It's all about eating only foods that help to make your body more alkaline and less acidic. ph miracle followers believe that disease can only take hold in a body that is acidic. Alkaline foods are basically vegetables (raw or lightly cooked), beans, and goat cheese products. No fruit because of the sugar. And regular cleanse detox's are also required. Alcohol, coffee, wheat products ... all strickly forbidden.

Then I began understanding all the benefits of eating Raw, so for about a month I only ate things that fit into both RAW and Alkaline eating plans. Basically, raw vegetables. Talk about restictive ...

I've finally settled into an eating plan that I think I can live with. I eat 100% Organic/Raw/Vegan/Alcohol Free Monday thru lunch on Friday. I also try to do a one day juice cleanse each week. Then Friday dinner and over the weekend I cheat. So far cheating has only meant that I eat some cooked vegan, maybe have a morning coffee, and enough organic wine to make up for my abstenance during the week ;-) (oh, and there was that no-holds-barred lobster binge I went on in Martha's Vineyard over the summer ... ). I haven't felt the need for a burger yet, but if I do I'll wait and have one on the weekend (I couldn't quite get my head around the idea of never having a burger again in my life).

Its hard. Actually very hard. And I absolutely wouldn't be doing it if I didn't see the health benefits. I made a list of 14 health complaints back when I first started on the ph miracle, and they are all GONE (except one or two, which are greatly improved). People are commenting that my skin glows. Its been months since I've felt the need to take an asprin for anything. I'm pleased to say that today I take no percription drugs. And I have a mental and physical clarity and stamina now that I'm not sure I can even explain (after my first 7 day cleanse I actually felt a constant vibration under my skin all over my body -- like I was "buzzing").

Anyway, that's my story (thanks to Gidget for pointing me in the direction of this thread - its been very inspiring for me). I'm hoping RAW catches on in a big way ... it would be nice to have a wider selection of restuarants to visit!

 

[scooterbug44]

I don't doubt that you feel much better (as I totally think most of our health issues are due to poor nutrition, hydration, lack of exercise, and stress), but the raw diet is just too extreme and limiting for me.

There are a lot of foods that I love (and that are good for me in moderation) that don't fit into the Raw diet, but the real biggie for me (aside from my love of bacon, beef, and fresh fruit) is that many of the raw foods I have tried are rather yucky.

As it gains in popularity, hopefully I will find some yummy raw items to add to my diet (Jen has raw ice cream that I want to try), but that is the biggest issue for many IMO.

 

[Bobby J]

Great thread. Its all about diet it seems. I started keeping a journal and amazed at how I now notice what sets me off. Salt= headache. Raw is way too extreme for me but if I was down and out sick would probably attempt it over many other medications prescribed today.
I know people that would rather die then make the dietary changes it would take to make them better. Really sad. It reminds me of this song...
If you knew for a fact your diet was your problem would you make the change? Hmmmmm. Tough question to honestly ask yourself.

YouTube - Tracy Chapman - Change

 

[bdc63]

Salt= headache.

Have you tried Celtic Sea Salt yet? Its raw, organic, unprocessed, tastes great and is actually good for you.

Mortons is heated, processed, bleached and laced with additives -- it should be sold with a skull and cross bones on it.

 

[Bobby J]

Have you tried Celtic Sea Salt yet? Its raw, organic, unprocessed, tastes great and is actually good for you.

Mortons is heated, processed, bleached and laced with additives -- it should be sold with a skull and cross bones on it.

Yeah. I am good with sea salt. Its all the other places they sneak that stuff in. Popcorn at a movie theater will almost kill me. I read one time you would be better off eating 4 big macs then a small bag of popcorn at the theater! Crazy. Fried food is another one that kills me. I get dehydrated and a horrible Headache. I use to think all these things were just life and I was getting older. The more I have tuned my diet the more I have learned that whole feeling bad thing has more to do with my diet then aging or life. The cleaner I eat the younger I get. I guess when you are younger your filter just works better.