and it didn't taste like popcorn. Don't get me wrong- it was delicious, but it just wasn't popcorn-y. I also tweaked the recipe since I'm not a big cayenne pepper kind of girl. Check out his video demonstration on renegadehealth.com
So, Philip McClusky- thank you so much for the delicious recipe. I can't wait to try it dehydrated.
1 head of cauliflower
nutritional yeast to taste
sea salt to taste
garlic powder to taste.
chop cauliflower, put in ziplock bag, add rest of ingredients. Shake the bag, dance around, be happy. Eat and enjoy! I will probably dehydrate these and make them a little crunchier (hoping for pirate booty consistency, but will see.)
On a side note, these would be awesome with agave and cinnamon also. make it like a caramel popcorn, dehydrating on teflex sheets until they're super crispy and sweet and perfect.
so, I'm happy to be raw again. It takes very little to fill me up, my body knows it's fuller faster and there's no need for me to keep stuffing my face to try to get the nutrients that are void in the "foods" that are cooked anyway.
Well, I'm done with this particular blog. OH! aside from the fast that my 3 year old LOVES this- kids are awesome to get to eat raw; well my kids anyway. They enjoy the smoothies and stuff that I make, so introducing then to new stuff, they tend to like it. Judah adored the "popcorn" and it will definitely become a summer staple for us. :)
catcha on the flipside!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
food addictions
I never realized how strong addictions were until I tried to break one. Like any addiction, chemicals are released on your brain to make you want it more. My parents have argued with me (my dad moreso than my mom) about cigarettes are more addictive than food. I don't think so. I think that food can be just as addictive. I mean, you never heard someone after trying 1 cigarette go "that's positively sinful! Ugh, if I don't get another one of these, I will absolutely die!". What you DO hear is hacking, wheezing, gagging and usually friends laughing at you for not being able to hold it down. cigarettes don't become addictive (IMHO) until you've had several. I may be wrong on that, and if you have scientific proof, please post it. I would be interested in learning more.
Back to addictions- SUGAR. there are so many moments in any given day that I CRAVE sugar to the point where I would just make something bad for me, or reach for a premade (insert sugary, goopy snack here) brownie just to satisfy the craving and then cope with guilt for a few hours afterward.
WHATS UP WITH THAT??? It's like my mind isn't strong enough to conquer my body and then I feel regret, sorrow, and anger revoltion, fear, and even satisfaction in feeling that way because it's comfortable.
Well.... how do I break that? do I need a life coach, or a "sponsor" like AA meetings? can I tackle it on my own? ugh I wish I knew. Oh well. Again, I will do research on it and see waht can be done about it.
Back to addictions- SUGAR. there are so many moments in any given day that I CRAVE sugar to the point where I would just make something bad for me, or reach for a premade (insert sugary, goopy snack here) brownie just to satisfy the craving and then cope with guilt for a few hours afterward.
WHATS UP WITH THAT??? It's like my mind isn't strong enough to conquer my body and then I feel regret, sorrow, and anger revoltion, fear, and even satisfaction in feeling that way because it's comfortable.
Well.... how do I break that? do I need a life coach, or a "sponsor" like AA meetings? can I tackle it on my own? ugh I wish I knew. Oh well. Again, I will do research on it and see waht can be done about it.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
chemical changes in your body.
Okay, so in my blog on 3/15 I promised that I would do research into how cooked foods alter our health and why the cells don't work properly. Here's what I've found so far.
Apparently it all breaks down to enzymes. Enzymes in living (raw) foods are what keep our cells going. Now, we can obviously eat a pizza but that pizza becomes part of our genetic makeup. (not our DNA, but literally a part of ourselves) and it's not like you are a machine where you put a corn cob in the top, and a corn cob comes out teh bottom.... well, let's use another analogy, corn probably wasn't the best here. An apple doesn't go in and come out whole. Well, neither will the cheese curls we snarf. our bodies break them down getting every molecule of nutrition we possibly can out of them. If we're eating processed foods, (let's stick with cheese curls here) there is zero nutrition that our body can use. No enzymes in them that our cells need to replenish themselves with. As cells are living organisms themselves and are in a constant state of repair, reproduction and dying, they need living foods to replace themselves with healthy versions.
For those of us who have had kids, you want them to be healthier and not have the problems that you've had, right? I mean, who wants to have to watch our children suffer- off topic, sorry.
according to rawfoodlife.com- cooking destroys all enzymes and nutrition. This process is a chemical reaction that food takes when applied to heat (energy). In fact, all things change when applied to this form of energy. The food that we need to live is now being replaced with a toxin. You can't breathe in smoke adn expect to be ok, this is the same with the byproduct of fire applied to your food. It alters it in such a way that it then becomes bad for you. SIMILAR to hydrogenated oils. We take a perfectly good oil, force hydrogen into it, agitate it and that oil that once was semi healthy with living enzymes and a short shelf life, now becomes a chemical configuration of crap that can sit on your shelf for an indeterminate time for your convenience. mmmm. let's pump some of that through my arteries!
So, humans are the only animal in existance to cook their food. (some monkeys smoke, but I digress...) According to: jonbarron.org: Raw foods and enzymes
I've covered the issue of digestive enzymes many times before. Processing and cooking destroy enzymes in food. (Man is the only animal that cooks his food.) In fact, any sustained heat of approximately 118-129 degrees F (48-54 C) destroys virtually all enzymes. This means that, for most of us, the food entering our stomachs is devoid of enzymes. Why is this important? Because enzyme rich foods actually "predigest" in your stomach through the action of their own enzymes in a process called autolytic digestion. Before stomach acid enters the process, you can actually break down as much as 75% of your meal. Without that "autolytic" digestion, you force the body to compensate by over producing stomach acid and digestive enzymes in the pancreas in an attempt to break down the "dead" food.
The bottom line is that eating a diet of cooked and processed food puts incredible stress on the body -- particularly on the pancreas since it has to produce massive quantities of digestive enzymes since they did not come with the food itself. The less digestion that takes place before food reaches the small intestine, the greater the stress placed on the endocrine system. Is it any wonder that the incidence of diabetes is exploding in the developed world? If your diet consists of predominantly cooked and processed foods, then supplemental digestive enzymes are the "sine qua non" of minimal good health.
Eating a predominantly raw food diet, on the other hand, takes stress off the pancreas (and the entire body) by providing the enzymes required for digestion. It is one of the primary advantages of a raw food diet.
(the last 3 paragraphs were taken directly from his website)
Okay, so this makes sense- our pancreas has to work harder increasing the amounts of insulin produced, which leads to problems such as hypoglycemia (sp?) and diabetes.
Well, apparently cooking foods also releases free radicals into our bodies when we consume them. For those of us not in the know, free radicals are organic molecules that are responsible for tissue damage, aging (not gracefully!) and possibly some diseases. They're unstable molecules and so they need to connect with other molecules to give them structure. Kind of like a virus to a host. Viruses are no good without something to perpetrate them into growing, and that's how free radicals are. The reason they're not stable and are looking for other molecules is because they have an uneven number of electrons, and because nature is symetrical they have to have it to survive, but in attaching to your molecules, they leech off the good stuff that you need, making you weak. (think vinegar to an egg shell) Well, when they attach to your molecules, they destructure your cells, making you sick. Free radicals can be blamed for damaging your body, clogging your arteries, etc, HOWEVER you (and I) are to blame for putting them there. They can be increased by stress levels, cigarette smoking, alcohol and other factors but mainly from our food intake.
So, how do we fight free radicals? I'm so glad you asked! Antioxidants. antioxidants neutralize free radicals so they can no longer do harm to us. Antioxidants are found in the foods we eat. If cooking food causes free radicals, where can we find antioxidants- it's counterform raw food! In it's natural form, food is perfectly designed for our bodies to digest, process and so we can extract all nutrients possible to make our systems run as they should. Can't put dirty gas in a car and expect it to perform at it's peak.
Our bodies are designed (read my previous blogs to find out how I feel about that) to absorb maximum amounts of nutrition from minimal amounts of food when fed properly! This is why we feel full after a large salad (minimal calories vs quantity of food) instead of an entire bag of cheese puffs, or chips, or insert other deep fried processed junk food here.
Apparently it all breaks down to enzymes. Enzymes in living (raw) foods are what keep our cells going. Now, we can obviously eat a pizza but that pizza becomes part of our genetic makeup. (not our DNA, but literally a part of ourselves) and it's not like you are a machine where you put a corn cob in the top, and a corn cob comes out teh bottom.... well, let's use another analogy, corn probably wasn't the best here. An apple doesn't go in and come out whole. Well, neither will the cheese curls we snarf. our bodies break them down getting every molecule of nutrition we possibly can out of them. If we're eating processed foods, (let's stick with cheese curls here) there is zero nutrition that our body can use. No enzymes in them that our cells need to replenish themselves with. As cells are living organisms themselves and are in a constant state of repair, reproduction and dying, they need living foods to replace themselves with healthy versions.
For those of us who have had kids, you want them to be healthier and not have the problems that you've had, right? I mean, who wants to have to watch our children suffer- off topic, sorry.
according to rawfoodlife.com- cooking destroys all enzymes and nutrition. This process is a chemical reaction that food takes when applied to heat (energy). In fact, all things change when applied to this form of energy. The food that we need to live is now being replaced with a toxin. You can't breathe in smoke adn expect to be ok, this is the same with the byproduct of fire applied to your food. It alters it in such a way that it then becomes bad for you. SIMILAR to hydrogenated oils. We take a perfectly good oil, force hydrogen into it, agitate it and that oil that once was semi healthy with living enzymes and a short shelf life, now becomes a chemical configuration of crap that can sit on your shelf for an indeterminate time for your convenience. mmmm. let's pump some of that through my arteries!
So, humans are the only animal in existance to cook their food. (some monkeys smoke, but I digress...) According to: jonbarron.org: Raw foods and enzymes
I've covered the issue of digestive enzymes many times before. Processing and cooking destroy enzymes in food. (Man is the only animal that cooks his food.) In fact, any sustained heat of approximately 118-129 degrees F (48-54 C) destroys virtually all enzymes. This means that, for most of us, the food entering our stomachs is devoid of enzymes. Why is this important? Because enzyme rich foods actually "predigest" in your stomach through the action of their own enzymes in a process called autolytic digestion. Before stomach acid enters the process, you can actually break down as much as 75% of your meal. Without that "autolytic" digestion, you force the body to compensate by over producing stomach acid and digestive enzymes in the pancreas in an attempt to break down the "dead" food.
The bottom line is that eating a diet of cooked and processed food puts incredible stress on the body -- particularly on the pancreas since it has to produce massive quantities of digestive enzymes since they did not come with the food itself. The less digestion that takes place before food reaches the small intestine, the greater the stress placed on the endocrine system. Is it any wonder that the incidence of diabetes is exploding in the developed world? If your diet consists of predominantly cooked and processed foods, then supplemental digestive enzymes are the "sine qua non" of minimal good health.
Eating a predominantly raw food diet, on the other hand, takes stress off the pancreas (and the entire body) by providing the enzymes required for digestion. It is one of the primary advantages of a raw food diet.
(the last 3 paragraphs were taken directly from his website)
Okay, so this makes sense- our pancreas has to work harder increasing the amounts of insulin produced, which leads to problems such as hypoglycemia (sp?) and diabetes.
Well, apparently cooking foods also releases free radicals into our bodies when we consume them. For those of us not in the know, free radicals are organic molecules that are responsible for tissue damage, aging (not gracefully!) and possibly some diseases. They're unstable molecules and so they need to connect with other molecules to give them structure. Kind of like a virus to a host. Viruses are no good without something to perpetrate them into growing, and that's how free radicals are. The reason they're not stable and are looking for other molecules is because they have an uneven number of electrons, and because nature is symetrical they have to have it to survive, but in attaching to your molecules, they leech off the good stuff that you need, making you weak. (think vinegar to an egg shell) Well, when they attach to your molecules, they destructure your cells, making you sick. Free radicals can be blamed for damaging your body, clogging your arteries, etc, HOWEVER you (and I) are to blame for putting them there. They can be increased by stress levels, cigarette smoking, alcohol and other factors but mainly from our food intake.
So, how do we fight free radicals? I'm so glad you asked! Antioxidants. antioxidants neutralize free radicals so they can no longer do harm to us. Antioxidants are found in the foods we eat. If cooking food causes free radicals, where can we find antioxidants- it's counterform raw food! In it's natural form, food is perfectly designed for our bodies to digest, process and so we can extract all nutrients possible to make our systems run as they should. Can't put dirty gas in a car and expect it to perform at it's peak.
Our bodies are designed (read my previous blogs to find out how I feel about that) to absorb maximum amounts of nutrition from minimal amounts of food when fed properly! This is why we feel full after a large salad (minimal calories vs quantity of food) instead of an entire bag of cheese puffs, or chips, or insert other deep fried processed junk food here.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Okay, so I went shopping today.
yowza! I went shopping and while everything I bought wasn't necessarily raw I only spent $170. Not bad for 4 people for two weeks. I am going to be making sevearl recipes today, hopefully for the next week or so. I found an amazing recipe for "popcorn" that Phillip McClusky made, it's supposed to be awesome. If you want the recipe I found it from renegadehealthshow.com. You can check them out on youtube also.
So, I apologize for not writing to you in Raw land since January. As soon as I wrote that blog, that very night my HP computer decided to crap out. I now have an acer and we will see how long this thing lasts. :) It's brand new, not refurb, so I'm rather excited about it! My man spoils me!!!
So, I haven't exactly been raw lately. I'm a little upset at myself for it, but I REFUSE to beat myself up too badly. Everyone is entitled to a slip up now and then, and we all know how often new years resolutions stick. I DO promise to give myself 100% though, because my body is worth taking care of, as yours is!
I'm also looking into exactly what happens to our cells when we eat cooked/ processed foods, and how the enzymes in living foods help us, etc. I really want to know waht happens to our bodies and how they work. Not just the feel-better aspect of raw, but the actual WHY it's better for us.
Well, another day another dollar! Must go finish all that I was doing and prep for my guild meeting tonight! Hugs and kisses everyone!
OH! - I've just started 2 more blogspot blogs. Check me out at HeatherAndCharliesWedding.blogspot.com; all aobut my upcoming wedding, what's going on, how to get in touch with us, etc and SSHdiva.blogspot.com; a smart, savvy homemaker diva blog, listing things you may want to know, or that can help you in your homemaking in the future! LOADS of helpful hints, natural cleaning recipes, etc!! see you there, adn become my stalkers! :)
So, I apologize for not writing to you in Raw land since January. As soon as I wrote that blog, that very night my HP computer decided to crap out. I now have an acer and we will see how long this thing lasts. :) It's brand new, not refurb, so I'm rather excited about it! My man spoils me!!!
So, I haven't exactly been raw lately. I'm a little upset at myself for it, but I REFUSE to beat myself up too badly. Everyone is entitled to a slip up now and then, and we all know how often new years resolutions stick. I DO promise to give myself 100% though, because my body is worth taking care of, as yours is!
I'm also looking into exactly what happens to our cells when we eat cooked/ processed foods, and how the enzymes in living foods help us, etc. I really want to know waht happens to our bodies and how they work. Not just the feel-better aspect of raw, but the actual WHY it's better for us.
Well, another day another dollar! Must go finish all that I was doing and prep for my guild meeting tonight! Hugs and kisses everyone!
OH! - I've just started 2 more blogspot blogs. Check me out at HeatherAndCharliesWedding.blogspot.com; all aobut my upcoming wedding, what's going on, how to get in touch with us, etc and SSHdiva.blogspot.com; a smart, savvy homemaker diva blog, listing things you may want to know, or that can help you in your homemaking in the future! LOADS of helpful hints, natural cleaning recipes, etc!! see you there, adn become my stalkers! :)
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2 lbs, 1 day...
well, as of about 3:00 this afternoon, I've dropped 2 lbs. :D water weight? possibly. I am digging it though. :)
So, I wasn't entirely raw today- I had the rest of the sloppy joe on a hot dog bun for lunch, but for breakfast I had a tangerine, peach strawberry smoothie with some agave and a few dates. And for dinner I made a dip from cashews, coconut oil (next time I will use olive oil- won't leave a sweet taste) dehydrated onion, and garlic powder as well as a little salt. Not bad liquified in the food processor.. well, not liquified, but as close as you can get with my little machine. :) I also ate with that some sliced cucumbers and 1/2 of a red bell pepper. Pretty good. :D
Well- it's 8:00 and I'm exhausted. I've been up since 5:oo or so this morning, so I'm going to go to bed. I have church tomorrow, and since I'm church shopping it should be interesting. What is it with the new trend of pastors putting their wives on the scene to be part of the church. Whatever, different subject and this is for my RAW journey. :)
YAY, day 2, and not too shabby if I say so myself. Will post tomorrow morning after weigh-in. hugs, health and blessings!!!
"RAWby" Rose! :) (digging that! read the comments section of my last blog to understand it!)
So, I wasn't entirely raw today- I had the rest of the sloppy joe on a hot dog bun for lunch, but for breakfast I had a tangerine, peach strawberry smoothie with some agave and a few dates. And for dinner I made a dip from cashews, coconut oil (next time I will use olive oil- won't leave a sweet taste) dehydrated onion, and garlic powder as well as a little salt. Not bad liquified in the food processor.. well, not liquified, but as close as you can get with my little machine. :) I also ate with that some sliced cucumbers and 1/2 of a red bell pepper. Pretty good. :D
Well- it's 8:00 and I'm exhausted. I've been up since 5:oo or so this morning, so I'm going to go to bed. I have church tomorrow, and since I'm church shopping it should be interesting. What is it with the new trend of pastors putting their wives on the scene to be part of the church. Whatever, different subject and this is for my RAW journey. :)
YAY, day 2, and not too shabby if I say so myself. Will post tomorrow morning after weigh-in. hugs, health and blessings!!!
"RAWby" Rose! :) (digging that! read the comments section of my last blog to understand it!)
holy bejeesus!
So, I stepped on a scale yesterday and got a little shock. I wasn't expecting that much, (and no, I'm not telling you, yet. It's too touch-and-go for me right now, and honestly it's a LOT painful. I have lost a lb. since yesterday and that I'm excited about, however this morning is still super early, and the reason I'm up is because I had a 4 hour nap yesterday and slept from 10:00pm on, so in essence yesterday I slept 11 hours. yikes! must have needed it.
Well, I'm about to go do dishes, and since it's only 6:47 in teh morning, I won't be running my blender. I WILL be making some seriously yummy dishes to get me through the next few days though.
Sunday, I need to publicly thank you!!! You have saved my life by showing me the raw diet, and your support has been amazing! Girl, I wish we lived closer so we could get together, and btw- found a GREAT place for natural spring water here in TN! :)
So, yesterday I had a smoothie. I also had a sloppy joe for dinner, and yes I "failed" in not being 100% raw, however most people will tell you that if you go 100% you'll experience a detox. Well, while I don't really have a problem detoxing- I'm used to feeling like crap- I do have a problem being the only one here to do it. I don't want to go through that with the kids here, or while my honey is work.
Today, I'm going to try the 100% raw. :) TRY being the key word. I loved it a few months ago when I dropped 12 lbs in the 1st week! it was frigging awesome, so I"m going to try that again.
Oh! Medically- I notice that my asthma is flaring up. Well, it's been that way for weeks. I went and met my fiancee's family for the first time and they all smoke like chimneys, so that took it's toll on my lungs as well as not having my medication. WELL, I'm stopping my meds for a while. When you get so much nutrition, your medication will be more intense in your system, so i can't take what i was on.
I guess I'm doing a whole system detox for a while. This should be interesting. Here's to a prosperous new year!
Well, I'm about to go do dishes, and since it's only 6:47 in teh morning, I won't be running my blender. I WILL be making some seriously yummy dishes to get me through the next few days though.
Sunday, I need to publicly thank you!!! You have saved my life by showing me the raw diet, and your support has been amazing! Girl, I wish we lived closer so we could get together, and btw- found a GREAT place for natural spring water here in TN! :)
So, yesterday I had a smoothie. I also had a sloppy joe for dinner, and yes I "failed" in not being 100% raw, however most people will tell you that if you go 100% you'll experience a detox. Well, while I don't really have a problem detoxing- I'm used to feeling like crap- I do have a problem being the only one here to do it. I don't want to go through that with the kids here, or while my honey is work.
Today, I'm going to try the 100% raw. :) TRY being the key word. I loved it a few months ago when I dropped 12 lbs in the 1st week! it was frigging awesome, so I"m going to try that again.
Oh! Medically- I notice that my asthma is flaring up. Well, it's been that way for weeks. I went and met my fiancee's family for the first time and they all smoke like chimneys, so that took it's toll on my lungs as well as not having my medication. WELL, I'm stopping my meds for a while. When you get so much nutrition, your medication will be more intense in your system, so i can't take what i was on.
I guess I'm doing a whole system detox for a while. This should be interesting. Here's to a prosperous new year!
Friday, January 1, 2010
It's been months!!
I'm so disappointed in myself. It's been months since I've posted a new blog and honestly I feel kind of ashamed about that. It's amazing what will fall to the wayside when you're busy, and I guess my health and this was one of them.
Well, Ruby is back. (Ruby is not my real name, it's my pinup name, so I use it here. :) if you know me personally, you know my real name.) Oh, and I'm kicking some serious raw butt this time. It's a brand new year, and I'm sticking to my guns. Hopefully we'll see how long this lasts, but so far, so good. :)
I am starting BACK on raw foods today. Yeah yeah, I've done it before, and I'll do it again, however if you read any of my blogs, I feel totally healthy when on it, and when I'm not, I feel like crap again. I don't like feeling like caca and honestly don't know anyone else who does! I have the support of a VERY incredible man, and while he's a strictly meat and potatoes kind of guy, he already knows that I will be sneaking some raw food into his diet. :) I can't wait! LOL. I just want to see what he thinks when he gets a supersmoothie, or something.
Depending on my planning, I may have to quit raw foods for a few days around the 6th through the 8th, as I have to go back to DE to finalize my divorce. Wish this crap could be taken care of, but apparently not. (long story and a little painful at that!)
So, I am going to be making myself a green smoothie and loading it down with fruits. maybe a little agave nectar. :) (best stuff EVER!) I will also be taking and posting a picture of me later on- thank you baby!
So, again- if you have ANY recipes or recipe sites for raw foods that you can't get enough of, PLEASE send them my way! I appreciate it and I'll catch you later on today.
blessings and good health,
Ruby Rose
Well, Ruby is back. (Ruby is not my real name, it's my pinup name, so I use it here. :) if you know me personally, you know my real name.) Oh, and I'm kicking some serious raw butt this time. It's a brand new year, and I'm sticking to my guns. Hopefully we'll see how long this lasts, but so far, so good. :)
I am starting BACK on raw foods today. Yeah yeah, I've done it before, and I'll do it again, however if you read any of my blogs, I feel totally healthy when on it, and when I'm not, I feel like crap again. I don't like feeling like caca and honestly don't know anyone else who does! I have the support of a VERY incredible man, and while he's a strictly meat and potatoes kind of guy, he already knows that I will be sneaking some raw food into his diet. :) I can't wait! LOL. I just want to see what he thinks when he gets a supersmoothie, or something.
Depending on my planning, I may have to quit raw foods for a few days around the 6th through the 8th, as I have to go back to DE to finalize my divorce. Wish this crap could be taken care of, but apparently not. (long story and a little painful at that!)
So, I am going to be making myself a green smoothie and loading it down with fruits. maybe a little agave nectar. :) (best stuff EVER!) I will also be taking and posting a picture of me later on- thank you baby!
So, again- if you have ANY recipes or recipe sites for raw foods that you can't get enough of, PLEASE send them my way! I appreciate it and I'll catch you later on today.
blessings and good health,
Ruby Rose
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