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"All things grow...all things know..."

  • May. 17th, 2008 at 10:53 PM
Wings
Mmm this week i got my first box of organic fruit & veggies home delivered via Organic & quality foods (http://www.organicfoods.com.au/) upon the recommendation of a couple of friends. And omg you guys, i forgot how *good* fresh, organic fruit & veggies can taste. Real, ripe tomatoes, not sad ones picked months ago before they're ripe, treated with poisons & chemicals that ruin the natural environment around them and in run-off, & pumped full of water to look bigger & better on the shelves of coles (i mostly bough local fruit & veggies from small shops, but i know many ppl get theirs in supermarkets). Investing in my health never tasted & felt so good =).

I made a really yummy raw meal today a (mostly)raw salsa salad nacho type dish. First i prepared a bed of lettuce & cut up some carrot & corn. I then made some sunflower seed 'cheeze' and a simple salsa of tomato, coriander(which you may call cilantro), salt & lemon juice (should've been lime but it will do) which i pulsed real quick in the blender so it was still chunky. And omg that salsa was SO good. I could have just eaten a bowl of that! But instead i enjoyed it with the salad and followed it up with an incredibly creamy & nutritious raw choc-chip vanilla/coconut ice-cream from these folks - http://fromearthandwater.com/services.htm. Yum!

So i'm getting into the swing of being raw now, i'm still eating cooked foods more often than i'd like as i adjust and slowly eat what cooked foods i have left, but i am finding my cravings for them diminish. Especially with green smoothies. They give me plenty of energy for the morning (comparatively, 'cos the cfs means i'm pretty low) and i find they really do make you crave salads. My body is adjusting to healthy, living foods, to eating the way nature intended.

I had a burger and potatoes at the forest on Thursday and honestly i found both to be a little bland. Although i looked forward to and enjoyed the cake i wasn't really looking forward to the cooked food. Once i get a food processor and eventually a dehydrator i'll be able to make raw bread & biscuits & cakes which will satisfy the physical and psychological urges i have for such foods.

I really think i could eat this way for life, whether it helps me a little or is a major factor in my complete healing it's the way i want to be. It's an amazing discovery really, food tastes better, i create less rubbish, and the intimidation and trepidation i felt at eating this way has pretty much given way to complete excitement in the new way of looking at & preparing food & the earth. It's changing my mindset for the better. The only down sides will be when traveling or eating out - boring green salads & fruit platters ahoyhoy :/. But there are ways around that in being prepared and taking supplements. But for now it's not too much of a concern, i just need to be organized and have my green smoothie or similar every morning & to take along prepared raw snacks so i don't get too hungry when out.

I really am enjoying learning all about health issues, hearing about how people have cured their chronic fatigue syndrome or thyroid issues and even depression on raw food diets! There are so many different theories on what to eat too. High fruit diets, people who think greens are where it's at, people who like to dehydrate & those who don't and so on. But i'm testing the waters and seeing what i enjoy and what works for my own unique biochemistry (high protein & more veggies than fruit i think).

I did think about making a filter for these raw entries, but then i thought well if you wanna skip you can. I'd only filter for things like sex-talk, things that might offend people. Keeping track of my progress is more for me than anything, but i figure some of you might be interested in this too =).

To that end this community is active & helpful so join if you're interested and let me know if you do so we can be buddies! It's like a social network site for raw foodies ^-^.
http://www.giveittomeraw.com/
This website has some really wonderful recipes that are quite inspiring, though they do tend to be a little gourmet but they certainly prove how yummy raw food can be. Lots of videos too. http://gliving.tv/greenchefs/
And here is a blog from a raw model who lives in New York. I've enjoyed looking about at his blog there are lots of nice pics, of both the food and him haha ;)
http://rawmodelcom.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html
Enjoy!

Comments

[info]aesiron wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 01:28 pm (UTC)
Should be interesting when I visit. I get veg*nism but raw food still seems pretty weird to me as a diet and lifestyle. If you're the one cooking, though, it's what I'll be eating and when in Rome, and all that.
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 01:38 pm (UTC)
Well i'll be 'uncooking' ;). I don't mind if you eat cooked vegan food around me though i'll rarely be eating it (or even non-vegan food, but while i live alone & have control of my environment i don't like non-vegan food in my home).

I certainly understand, as i used to think vegetarians were crazy & unhealthy. And then i became one. I thought vegans were crazy & even more unhealthy. And then i became one, and got rid of my IBS and stopped getting sick with viruses which i used to get almost weekly. And i then found out about raw foodists (& though they were the craziest of all) and then ;)...

Once you think about it and do a bit of research it's amusing how ones views can change ;). There is a lot of science behind my decision but quite simply it makes sense to me on a basic level - what other animal cooks it's food? And it tastes/smells/looks better and makes me feel better. I know this is the right diet for *me*, right now =). I look forward to making you awesome meals when you visit, you'll get to see how amazing raw food can be!
[info]aesiron wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 03:56 pm (UTC)
I'll probably be eating raw around you, anyway, because I don't plan on eating omnivorous foods in your home and I can't cook, so I'd be left munching on carrots if left to my own devices. :p
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 04:00 pm (UTC)
Lol and that would not be nice! Ah well, travel is all about new experiences isn't it? And you can be assured that i'll have the tools and the skillz to make some wicked gourmet raw food by the time you get here so you don't have to eat any of my mistakes :p.

Yay i'm excited, was just talking about our travel plans via e-mail today :D. This diet better bloody heal heal me so we can do the gahn & the great barrier reef and actually do some scuba diving & hiking as well as cocktails & relaxing :D.
[info]aesiron wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 04:02 pm (UTC)
I hope so. I really look forward to it. Who were you chatting about me with?
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 04:06 pm (UTC)
Either way we'll have fun just hanging, but having the energy ot think/drink/exercise would be nice!

The girl who bought me the weeks membership on pinksofa just to get my e-mail ^-^.
[info]birdynumnum wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 01:48 pm (UTC)
I actually think it's pretty neat watching you on this journey.

That's bone of the great things about livejournal, I find out the most interesting things about people that I never would've known otherwise!
[info]birdynumnum wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 01:56 pm (UTC)
Btw - bone = one.
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 02:01 pm (UTC)
Heehee being an old hand at lolworthy typos (one finger non-touch typing for me) i had a giggle but knew what you meant to type ^-^.

Thanks, i'm glad you're enjoying the ride too, while not on the raw or even vegan wagon with me you can certainly wave from yours, and even stop for a fresh juice one in a while ;D. But i'm pretty sure most of my flist will either go raw food = :/ and skip or do the whole tl;dr (i can't remember where you put the ;, but i assume you know what i mean ^-^).
[info]ilwen wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 02:22 pm (UTC)
Oh, your food sounds SO good :) Once Tim moved in we'll talk about getting organic boxes, too. For myself it wouldn't make much sense cos I hardly have the time and energy to eat fresh veggies :(
I don't think I'll ever be completely raw (I just love tea and soups too much :)) but I'm curious about trying more recipes. I have this raw vegan cookbook and I meant to try some of the cheeses for ages.
Thanks for being an inspiration ♥
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 03:25 pm (UTC)
It was, you should definitely make the salsa whether the rest of your meal is cooked or not =). Oh an i forgot to add you're meant to have a little fresh chilli & garlic (deveined) in there as well but i'm out of both :(. Organic boxes are so wonderful, you won't regret it!

Raw soups are actually totally yummy & there are heaps of recipes for them, but i certainly agree there is nothing like a nice hot soup on a cold day & there are many yummy recipes about for cooked soups.

Getting a dehydrator will certainly help with being raw in winter as i'll be able to have warm food :D. And you can warm soups on the stove, just not above body temp. You should be able to put your finger in it and have it feel warm but not so hot it hurts.

Even if you did decide to go more raw, you could certainly just have a raw breakfast & lunch and a cooked vegan meal at dinner - whatever works for you! I know this feels good for my body, and makes sense to me but we're all on different paths. Cooked vegan wholefood like you eat is one of the better diets out there anyway =).

OOh which book do you have? Is it any good? I'm on the look out for as many raw (un)cook books as i can find for inspiration! I do love raw cheeses though, so definitely try some out and let me know what you think.

*blush* aw thanks, i'm glad i can be to you, as you certainly inspire me a lot. Did you know i gave up honey this year after you made that comment on a post of mine Goddess knows how long ago now (2006)? So i and the bees thank you!
[info]sleepontheroad wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 03:11 pm (UTC)
I heart your journey so much. It brings me so much happiness reading through this, and I'm actually going to try and incorporate some raw food into my diet when I get back.

I'm going to do it all slowly though. Baby steps from being vegetarian ;)
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 03:16 pm (UTC)
♥ Yay, i definitely think done properly it can only bring positive results :).

And yeah take it at your own pace, it took me YEARS to get here, although it may seem like it happened overnight ;).

I look forward to sharing some yummy raw meals with you!
[info]sleepontheroad wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 03:17 pm (UTC)
I am looking forward to that more than you know! ♥
[info]luighseach wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 07:07 pm (UTC)
I for one like reading about it! :oD
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 18th, 2008 09:48 am (UTC)
I'm glad :D!
[info]maboheme wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 08:22 pm (UTC)
Your journey sounds amazing hon. I'm enjoying reading about it:)
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 18th, 2008 11:08 am (UTC)
It is! I'm glad you're enjoying my commentary on the ride...
[info]goddess_amy wrote:
May. 17th, 2008 10:53 pm (UTC)
I like reading about your food. There's so many different diets and ways of eating out there, I like finding out what works for people I know.

What is sunflower seed "cheeze" please? And how do you make it?

That ice cream sounds delicious. I was reading the webpage for the company which made it and I was wondering, is a raw food diet gluten-free by definition?
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 18th, 2008 11:20 am (UTC)
Glad to hear it, and yep different things work for different people, we all have such unique biochemistry after all :).

I used a pretty simple recipe thought there are lots of other recipes out there using other nuts & seeds - google 'raw cheese' until you find one that tickles your fancy. Here's the one i used (i have the book but my Mama has borrowed it so i found the recipe on-line for you) -

Sunflower Seed Cheese
(raw)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup Nama Shoyu (substitute with braggs/tamari/soy sauce)
4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 3/4 cups raw sunflower seeds, very finely ground in a food processor

In a high-speed blender, combine all of the ingredients, adding the sunflower seeds last. Blend thoroughly until the resulting cheese is smooth and uniform.

Beth¹s notes:
For pizza, tomato sauce and cheese can be mixed together and spread on onion bread, then add your favorite toppings, i.e. scallions, olives, red bell peppers, marinated mushrooms, basil, oregano etc.

Recipe from Raw Revolution by Matt Amsden

The first time i halved the seeds and forgot to halve the other stuff so it was a bit strong, but i made it with the right measurements this time and found it to be a bit bland. Not sure how long it should keep, but make sure it's tightly sealed and i'd say 2-4 days is prolly it's limit. I mixed in a little nutritional yeast with it and had it on tomato slices and found it to be yummy.
[info]katrina_splat wrote:
May. 18th, 2008 12:32 am (UTC)
That's great to hear, sounds really interesting. :) It is amazing how different organic food tastes compared to the supermarket variety :P
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 21st, 2008 01:53 pm (UTC)
Thanks :).

I know, it is *so* much better and i don't know how people can put up with the taste & production of the sad veggies that line supermarket shelves. But i guess if one doesn't know any better and rushes in from work or dragging kids along it's easy enough to do (hell i used to when i worked full-time). But the ethical, healthy decisions should really be a lot easier! Oh for a utopia ;).
[info]indriya wrote:
May. 18th, 2008 01:23 am (UTC)
I found those organic food guys went off the rails for a while, and went back to market-going. We buy mainly from http://www.sunflowerorganics.com.au now, who have stalls at West End flea market on Saturday and the Sunday organic markets. They are super good, and the main guy we deal with is vegan! Plus, he's insane, and gives us free kaffir limes sometimes, which is fun. And he wears a Herbivore hoodie sometimes, also... He reminds me a little of Stumpy at Trash video actually... I think Sunflower may be where Flannerdorks at Woolloongabba get their produce from...
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 21st, 2008 01:55 pm (UTC)
Oh thanks for the new link, i e-mailed them though i haven't gotten a reply yet :(. Buying from an insane vegan sounds great :D. And I'd totally do the markets thing too if i were well enough, it's lovely to wander & a little cheaper...
[info]greenglowgrrl wrote:
May. 18th, 2008 02:05 am (UTC)
I find the rawfood entries really interesting.
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 21st, 2008 01:56 pm (UTC)
:) glad to hear it.
[info]ilikerivers wrote:
May. 18th, 2008 04:28 am (UTC)
I'm loving reading more about your raw journey too. I know it wouldn't work for me (I have a terribly cold constitution) but I am inspired to eat a bit more raw by reading. I would love to see some of your recipes! :)
[info]bitter_moss wrote:
May. 21st, 2008 04:41 pm (UTC)
Yay, i'm glad you find it interesting. I am lucky enough to have a fire-y constitution, but having a cold one need not stop you from if not going 100% raw, at least 50%. It does depend on the person of course, everyones biochemistry is unique. Some of this does get covered in one of the books i bought (Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine) but Mum has borrowed it and i need to re-read and study it a bit for it to sink in.

I'm sure if you googled raw food+cold constitution lots would come up, but i can certainly understand you not doing that with limited time and energy! Hopefully I'll get back to you on it one day hopefully :).
[info]aimeethemuss wrote:
May. 31st, 2008 02:34 am (UTC)
Hey just wanted to say I joined give it to me raw - and much like facebook I have nooooo idea how to find anyone on there (or in this case, how to find you - lol as if I know anyone else already on there!).
though I feel a bit of a nimrod over there because I still know shit all about raw food ... this is why I joined up, but yeah. so the email i'm using on there is aimeebob@gmail

ahhh I have a headache. gonna go swap these contacts for glasses, get dinner organised (at 2.30... lol ... pizza dough is a lot of farting around in the kitchen though), and make a green smoothie.. hehe.
[info]aimeethemuss wrote:
May. 31st, 2008 02:38 am (UTC)
OH!! omg I can't believe I keep forgetting to tell you - remember how we were talking about easy ways to get omega 3s a while back?
well after a bit of fossicking around, I got the general impression that a tablespoon of ground flaxseeds is about all you need a day. of course I could be wrong, but apparently it seems like that's enough or at least a decent amount?
so anyway I've hardly been consuming it regularly, was just having some in the occasional fruit smoothie... now thinking about incorporating more raw foods into my diet though I'm hoping to make the smoothie thing a daily habit so basically i'm just gonna chuck the flaxseeds in with that. I put them in first, grind them up, then chuck in the water, give it a quick whizz then add everything else etc.

ok eyes feel like they're gonna shrivel up and die.. seeya ;)