How to Set Up a Raw Vegan Kitchen

Setting up a kitchen for raw food preparation can be daunting, especially in a world where your kitchen is already equipped to COOK your food!

In the midst of your oven, cook-top, microwave and toaster oven, where do you find room for you dehydrator, food processor, vita-mix, spiralizer and trays of wheat grass?

What do you really need in a raw food kitchen? What is just a nice-to-have?

These are questions I asked when I made the commitment to go raw. Perhaps you can get some ideas from this article.

New Lens Up Featuring Taste The Difference

Taste the Difference in Gluten-Free Cooking!

Gluten-Free & wheat-free cooking need not be boring and tasteless! With a little creativity and some help from a good resource; be it a great cookbook, a class or a support group, within a short period of time, you should be able to duplicate your favorite recipes and find splendid new ones to delight your palate!
Here are a few keys to your success:
1 – Find someone who can help you
2 – Buy a few good cookbooks
3 – Check your local library for resources within your geographical area
4 – Be prepared to make a few mistakes (Fail your way to success!)

Find more information here: Taste the Difference in Gluten-Free Cooking

Raw Vegan & Gluten-Free SuperFoods!

If you are new to the Raw Vegan & Gluten-Free Lifestyle, you might be a bit overwhelmed, confused or lost right now. Embarking on a new eating adventure has it’s rewards, but the learning curve can be steep.

It is comforting to know that there are ready made solutions to get you through your introduction period. If you are an old hand at Raw Vegan & Gluten-Free, you will appreciate these delicacies and delights for what they are (and are not)!

SuperFoods are the food/medicine not just of the future, but of the present. Recharge your body’s immune system and feel great! It is especially handy to have some of these goodies when traveling, or when time is at a premium, and you want to maintain you highest value food choices.

Topics included are:

1. Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future
2. Goji Berries
3. Chocolate Powder
4. Raw Power!
5. Dark Cacao Mint Truffles
6. MacaPunch Maca Powder
7. Spirulina, Hawaiian
8. Live Liquid Marine Ocean Phytoplankton
9. Hemp, Sprouted Flax & Maca Protein Powder
10. Acai Powder by Amazon Thunder
11. Camu Camu Berries
12. Incan Berries
13. Laughing Giraffe Organics
14. Raw Vegan Superfoods at Amazon.com
15. How to Prepare Raw Vegan Recipes
16. Love This Lens?
17. Please share your comments here
18. Raw Vegan Recipes

Read the full article

Visiting Family and Friends & Staying Gluten – Free

Visiting family and close friends can sometimes be challenging with a restricted diet. Sometimes, it’s a nightmare! Like the time I was invited to a potluck dinner and everyone brought pasta! My salad became my dinner! Which taught me a huge lesson. From that point on, if invited to a potluck, I brought a one-dish-meal!

Here are some tips for dining with friends and family that I had to learn the hard way!

• Call your host/hostess and ask questions about the menu.
• Inform your host/hostess about what your dietary restrictions are
• Volunteer to provide a list of safe foods and foods that you need to avoid
• Bring something you can safely eat (I frequently bring a wonderful dessert. That way I get a treat, and others can broaden their horizons!)
• Eat something at home before going to dinner if the menu is suspect. (You will be less inclined to take chances if your aren’t famished)
• Be prepared for hurt feelings somewhere along the way. (Sometimes, rejecting someone’s lovingly prepared food can be interpreted as a personal rejection)

Above all, take care of yourself. Regardless of what others may say and do, you are responsible for yourself. If that means offending Aunt Betty, because you aren’t eating her blintzes, then so be it. Your health is paramount. You are the only you that you’ve got! Besides, Aunt Betty will get over it!

Namaste

For other ideas, see: Taste The Difference Cookbook

Is Massage Therapy an Extravagance? Or is it a Necessity?

Massage Therapy

OK! So is massage something I NEED to do? Or does it just make me feel good?

In these very interesting economic times, I hear a lot of talk about cutting back on luxuries. In this lens I intend to discuss this topic in a little more detail as to how it relates to massage therapy. I’ll take on the questions: Couldn’t I spend my money in better ways? Is massage a luxury? And perhaps a few others.

Stress!

This topic gets me going, so enter at your own risk!

Massage is probably one of the oldest healing arts around. It’s been traced back over 3000 years in India as a shamanic healing practice in the form of what’s now called “East Indian Head Massage.” That being said, today, we all hear a lot about cutting back and eliminating “extras”, but before you cut our your bi-weekly massage, I would like to offer you some food for thought.

Stress, likely the number one killer in our society today, has been linked to nearly every disease known to man. No matter what direction we look in, we can see the ravages of stress in our own lives and in the lives of those that we care about. Stress has been linked to heart disease, cancer, depression and the list goes on.

Massage Therapy has been proven to help alleviate the symptoms of stress in many ways; by lowering hormones like cortisol (known as the death hormone), by activating the parasympathetic system, by lowering blood pressure, and by raising other hormones associated with pleasure.

Could anyone experience more stress on a daily basis than what our culture is going through at this very moment? Do you suppose that watching the evening news might be escalating our stress levels?

http://www.squidoo.com/MassageNecessity

PARADE Magazine | The Scoop on Sugar Substitutes

Sugar SubstituteOnce upon a time, your choice for a sugar substitute was pretty much limited to one product—saccharin, commonly sold as Sweet’N Low. Twenty-four years after “the pink one” debuted in 1957, aspartame Equal or NutraSweet was introduced, and 17 years after that, sucralose Splenda gained the approval of the Food and Drug Administration FDA. No other sugar substitute has ever come close to the popularity of the Big Three. But now, a number of natural sweeteners may give those familiar packets a run for their money.

The mainstays. Before we get to the new guys on the block, let’s take a look at old pink, blue, and yellow. The FDA has given its stamp of approval to saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose. The Center for Science in the Public Interest—a health advocacy group—disagrees about saccharin and aspartame, citing studies that indicate those sweeteners increase the risk of cancer, and advises people to choose sucralose. I don’t think it matters which product you choose if you consume less than two artificially sweetened items a day. Or you could ditch artificial sweeteners altogether and switch to one of the new natural sugar substitutes.

Surviving The Diagnosis: Gluten Intolerant

Winning Image

Surviving the Diagnosis

If you were like me, the drive home from the doctor’s office was a pretty traumatic trip. I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant. A celiac. The list of foods containing gluten was terribly long, and I was convinced that there was nothing left to eat. I cried all the way home, the rest of the evening, and into the next several days.

I have no idea why it hit me so hard. I had been dealing with a number of other health problems for a few years, some of which were pretty difficult to manage. This was perhaps the straw that broke the camel’s back. What next, Lord?

That was 13 years ago. I’m still here. I can find food to eat. I can eat out. I can entertain guests. Yes, there was an adjustment period, but I made it through. And, so can you.

First things first, take your list and look over the food in your kitchen. You might want to separate out the things you can eat from the things you can’t. Place the questionable items in their own space – these you will want to contact the manufacturer and ask about. Instruct your family in the way you would like your safe food stored on the shelves, in the refrigerator etc., so that you don’t get confused as to where “your” food is.

Make a list of your favorite foods that just hit the list of not good for you items. Then take a trip to your nearest co-op or health food store and try to find some acceptable alternatives. For me, it was snacks. Once I found “Pamela’s” brand cookies and mixes, I knew that I could survive this. There was just something about being able to find ready made or fast food that was comforting to me. Once I got to looking around, I found frozen pizza, bread, biscotti, pancake mixes, baking mixes, all the things I felt were necessary to life, were just made by different folks.

Once you have your alternatives, and have made notes on which gluten-free manufacturers make what you need, you are halfway home. Now you are ready to experiment on your own. That is where these recipes come in. If you are missing Bran Muffins, try out the Flax Meal Muffins. If you want an Angel Food Cake, just make one. They are easy to do, and will satisfy that craving.

You also might want to check out the chapter on Basics. There you will find some flour mixes that will enable you to take some of your own family recipes and adapt them to your needs. You may have to experiment a few times to get the desired end result, but it can be done.

Best Wishes and Happy Experimenting!

JoDee Vale

Taste the Difference:

182 Sensational Solutions to the Wheat and Gluten-Free Diet Problem!

via Surviving The Diagnosis: Gluten Intolerant.

Quinoa, the SuperGrain…but how do you eat it?

Quinoa Image

Quinoa, the SuperGrain…but how do you eat it?

Quinoa Plant

Most people conscious of their health or shop at health food stores have heard of Quinoa, but it still remains an undiscovered grain. Among vegetarians, it contains all the essential amino acids to be a complete protein. It’s high in magnesium and iron, and full of fiber. So why isn’t it all over the restaurant scene? Not a lot of people know how to cook and serve it.

By itself, it’s a bitter tasting bland version of cous cous…at best. However, boiled correctly and dressed with some tasty and healthful pairings, it can become a culinary treat…for your taste buds as well as your body’s health. The following is a quick recipe for a dish that is unique: it can be tasty either hot or cold. If possible, choose organic quinoa for best nutritional results.

To boil, don’t follow a time constraint from some recipe that pretends that all altitudes or stove temperatures act the same. Whatever amount you decide to cook, place in a pot tall enough to hold double the amount in water. Because quinoa absorbs so much water, I don’t season the water with salt, but rather after it is done. Properly cooked quinoa should not be mushy, but rather still individualistic. You will see little strands of what looks like string (its outer hull lining) when done, which typically occurs 10-15 min after gently boiling.

Here is a quick salad recipe that is based off of 2 cups of cooked grain: 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 tsp raw minced garlic, 1/2 cup diced red onion, 1 cup diced bell peppers (variety of colors looks great), salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 cup sliced celery, a pinch of dried oregano, a pinch of dried thyme, and a teaspoon of red wine vinegar. Garnish with shredded parmesan.

The recipe is vegetarian, vegan, dairy free and gluten free. Add other ingredients if dietary restrictions aren’t necessary, such as sliced pepperoni, salami, a dab of butter, sliced olives, etc. Get as creative as you want, and your body will thank you!

www.quinoa.net/

via Denver Sustainable Food Examiner: Quinoa, the SuperGrain…but how do you eat it?.

Study Links Cancerous Tumors With Depression

WEDNESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) — Doctors have long known that people with cancer often suffer from depression.

A new study in rats has found that the cause of the depression may be the properties of the tumor itself, rather than emotional distress over the diagnosis or side effects from chemotherapy.

The study is the first to identify a biological link between tumors and negative mood changes, according to the researchers, who published their study in the May 18 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

About 15 percent to 20 percent of patients diagnosed with cancer experience depression, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

Researchers put about 100 rats through a series of exercises commonly used by researchers testing antidepressants in animal models. Some of the rats had cancerous tumors.

The investigators found that the rats with tumors were less motivated to escape when submitted to a swimming test, a condition that is similar to depression in humans. The rats with tumors also were less eager to drink sugar water, a substance that healthy rats usually find irresistible.

“In this case, examining behavioral responses to tumors in non-human animals is particularly useful, because the rats have no awareness of the disease, and thus their behavioral changes were likely the result of purely biological factors,” said senior study author Brian Prendergast, associate professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.

The team determined that substances associated with depression are produced in increased quantities by tumors and are transmitted to the brain.

Additionally, pathways that normally moderate the impact of depression-causing substances are disrupted when a tumor develops.

Tumors induce changes in gene expression in the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that regulates emotion.

Rats with tumors had increased levels of cytokines in their blood and in the hippocampus when compared with healthy rats. Previous research has linked high levels of cytokines, which are produced by the immune system, to depression.

via Study Links Cancerous Tumors With Depression.

The spark of life – Local News – News – General – Bellingen Courier Sun

The spark of life

HELEN PROUD

5/05/2009 8:48:00 AM

Sarah Wilkinson is an American who has lived in Dorrigo for three years with her husband Eric. For the past 20 years Sarah has been mostly a raw food vegan and last month was a guest speaker at the Green Lifestyle meeting which is held on the second Monday of every month at the CWA rooms from 6 p.m. So what is a raw vegan I hear you ask?

Sarah explained. “As a teenager I noticed that if I ate junk food my skin would break out so I tried to eliminate things that did this. I gave up eating meat and I noticed a difference in my skin so I started to eat lots of salads and vegetables and all the blemishes went away and my skin became radiant. I went into modelling when I was 26 and I became a catwalk and photographic model. The owner of the modelling agency asked me what I used to make my skin look so good. I said I don’t put any product on it at all – I am just a vegetarian. He then asked me to teach nutrition and good eating habits to the other models.”

Sarah said she was on a quest her whole life to be healthy, not knowing that she was a celiac. Eating carbohydrates created swelling and her skin would become sore to touch. At 42 she was diagnosed as a celiac which means she has an allergic reaction to wheat, barley and rye and anything with gluten in it. So there were even more things to eliminate from her diet. She and Eric also eat no dairy products.

The first book Sarah read about eating raw was called “The Uncook Book” by Elizabeth and Elton Baker. Elizabeth cured herself of colon cancer and other diseases by eating raw food. There are countless stories now of people being cured of cancers by eating raw food.

Sarah brought delicious samples of her raw food preparations to the Green Lifestyle meeting for everyone to try. Here is a sample: Fettuccini Alfredo, meat loaf and barbeque sauce, lentil soup, carrot cake slice with whipped cream and her own granola recipe. We were fascinated to find out how she prepared the food because it didn’t taste raw and there certainly wasn’t prepared fettuccini or any meat in what we ate, even though the recipes contraindicated that. In fact the fettuccini was strips of zucchini, the cream was macadamia and cashew nuts processed with lemon juice and peppercorns and the meat loaf was full of walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, mushrooms, garlic, celery etc.

via The spark of life – Local News – News – General – Bellingen Courier Sun.