Some food for thought!

I read an article in the "This Week" paper called "The Conscious Carnivore". What I'm about to say will bring up different feelings for everyone. So please if you eat animals try to understand what I'm saying. Before reading any further please try to let go (if only for a moment) of your desire to eat meat and open your heart to another possibility. The article says that in the good old days it was easy to spot the person who brought her ethics to the dinner table; she didn't eat meat. It goes on to say that as long as the meat was raised locally on sustainable ranches and honored and respected from birth till the day they are slaughter, killed, butchered, murdered, (well....I added a few words so you could understand what's going on), they had a cruelty free life till the bitter end. It also says that conscious carnivores are getting closer to their kill, even if it means getting their hands bloody.

I do give them credit for becoming aware of what they are doing by getting their hands bloody. This way they know blood had to be spilled to get the protein they think they need. I stopped eating meat when I was 17 simply because I realized I was eating flesh very similar to mine. That felt weird and scary. I started eating fish again in my early thirties for about a year when I was very ill at the request of my partner who was a naturopath and acupuncturist. One day I realized I wanted to stop because I felt yucky about taking the life of another creature to benefit my health. It's not that I think we need to suffer over another. I just realized I did not need it to become healthy and I was right. I have healed on a vegan raw food life style. I don't believe in the B12 scare. It seems to be the only argument out there right now. I have read that when we have a healthy digestive system our body makes it's own B12. Also while looking up information about B12 I found that not only some vegans were deficient but so are meat eaters. I am low in B 12 but not deficient. I did take a B12 supplement because my digestive track is still healing from the systemic candida I had for so long. I believe we get all we need from organic plants, cultivated and wild and that killing is really not necessary. I must speak for the animals. I can't just say that you can do what ever you think is best for you. I really want to say that their is no conscious way to kill another living creature except for being aware that you are actually killing. That is the first step in non violence. If we want a peaceful planet we must stop killing. I imagine that if we don't want to be killed and eaten then we should not kill others either.

Please understand, I am not judging you personally. I have eaten plenty of meat in this life time. I just wanted to say something because I have been reading and hearing so many arguments and reasons that support the innocent slaughter of our fellow earthlings. I felt it was time to speak up for them.

Here are some verses form the Mahabharata that talk about how we should not kill to sustain our life. I'm using the should word in defense of all the beautiful animal creatures on this planet.

He who desires to augment his own flesh by eating the flesh of other creatures lives in misery in whatever species he may take his birth. Mahabharata, Anu. 115.47. FS, pg. 90

One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Yielding to desire and acting differently, one becomes guilty of adharma. Mahabharata 18.113.8.

Those high-souled persons who desire beauty, faultlessness of limbs, long life, understanding, mental and physical strength and memory should abstain from acts of injury. Mahabharata 18.115.8.

Most of us grew up eating animals and it seemed perfectly fine. It is all we knew. Many of us were even taught that a creator gave us dominion over the animals and that they were put here solely for our food consumption. They even go so far as to say animals don't have a soul. These are people who believe that only humans have a soul. I say then, what gives that spark of life we see in all creatures with eyes, and why do we accept only some into our family life and not others. For instance, why would you eat a cow and not your beloved dog?

Please, I welcome all your responses and questions. I will do my best to answer them.

Freedom of Choice!

I've been thinking about choice! Sometimes we feel helpless to what is going on around us! I use to take everything personally! From the slightest frown to the biggest "I hate you" remark. I thought every thing was directed at me! I must be so awful, and so I felt yucky inside! I also could not receive love. Many people in my life gave me so much of it and I could not let it in. It's mind blowing to think about that!

Trying to convince people why they should love me while believing that no one did was exhausting. Wow! What a load to carry! I believed that I could not love them if they did not love me first, and I still fall into that pattern sometimes now, but I'm recognizing it sooner.

Making conscious choices to love myself and others unconditionally simply feels good, although not always easy. Well, it is actually easy once you make the choice, and the feeling of freedom is so awakening. I'm learning to observe and listen to my feelings, physically and emotionally. It's important for me to just watch for awhile and not do anything, this helps me to make wiser and healthier decisions.

Whether it's a choice to eat something that is good for my body or to respond to a situation in a way that generates love and trust I have it within myself to slow down a little and listen. Then after hearing that clear voice inside I can make a choice that is the most beneficial.

We all can listen and make choices that create love and connection!

Love,
Shanti

Listening Makes Raw Food Easy!

It really is easy to eat only raw foods. The hard part is realizing that. The only way to realize that is to actually do it! Eat only raw foods and just keep doing it. It is in the choices you make. Listen to what your body is telling you. Not what your craving or desiring but what does your body really need. Here are some things you can become aware of that will help you decide what your body is telling you.

1. Are you really hungry?
2. Are you thirsty?
3. When it is "time" to eat do you listen to your body or do you follow what everyone else is doing?
4. What do you tell yourself when passing by your favorite restaurant?
5. When your out with friends and they offer you something you know will affect you in a less that excellent way, what do you feel, and how would you like to respond?
6. Same thing at a family gathering. Do you really want to eat all of that? How will you feel afterwords?
7. What is in your kitchen? Know what is food and what is not. Educate yourself
8. When feeling emotional do you reach for food? If so what would be the best choice?
9. When you are craving something, ask yourself why, go deep. Then decide and love it.
10. Know that you are free to make choices and that what you chose affects what comes next.

Planing ahead can make all the difference in your success.

One simple fast and easy meal:

2 big green leafs (collard, kale, cabbage, romaine lettuce)
2 tsp raw pumpkin seed butter
1 avocado
3 chopped raw olives
some chopped tomato
some dulse seaweed

Spread the pumpkin butter on the leafs, then the avocado, top it off with the rest of the ingredients and eat!

Be gentle with yourself!
Shanti

Lime Ginger Cilantro Sauce with Noodles?

Life gets busy and by the time 3pm rolled around I still had not eaten. Realizing that I was hungry I went to my kitchen and opened the fridge. I pulled out:

2 zucchini
1 bunch cilantro
2 to 3 inches of ginger
3 inches burdock root
1 lime
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup water
1 T honey
1/2 t Celtic sea salt

Of course not all of it came out of the fridge and ideally it would have been nice if it came straight form the garden but hey we live in a corporate society.

Spiralize the zucchini and blend the rest. Pour the Lime Ginger Cilantro Sauce on the noodles and give thanks and eat! I loved it and feel good!

Made with Love,
Shanti

More Taste of India!

I felt so excited to create this meal! I love Indian food! When I was in my twenties I was involved in a Hare Krsna temple and learned how to make yummy Indian food from the best cook ever, Maha Bhagavata Devi Dasi. It is a dream of mine to offer a healthier raw versions of this tasty Prasadam.

Indian Flax Flat Bread:

3 cups carrots pulsed in food processor

2 cups soaked Golden Flax

1 Young Thai Coconut

1 cup soaked sunflower seeds pulsed

1 1/2 tbls curry

2 tsp Celtic sea salt

½ tsp cayenne or to taste

Blend the soaked flax seeds in the Vita-Mix till it’s dough like consistency, put in a bowl. Add pulsed carrots, sunflower seeds, curry, salt, cayenne, and young coconut. Mix together and make 2 round flat bread shapes on a dehydrator tray about ¼ inch thick. Dehydrate for 2 hours, turn over for about 4 more hours or until firm and soft.

Samosa:

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 medium cauliflower

½ cup soaked flax

5 tbls fresh, peeled, chopped mature coconut

1 1/4 tsp cumin seeds ground

2 tsp minced ginger

½ hot pepper minced

½ cup green peas (I used frozen)

1 tsp Celtic sea salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp turmeric

3 tbls raisins

¼ bunch cilantro

1/3 cups ground flax seeds

Pulse sweet potatoes, and mature coconut in food processor to a cornmeal consistency. Chop cauliflower into small florets. Mix all ingredients except ground flax. Form into triangles about 1 inch thick and coat in ground dry flax seeds. Put in dehydrator for 6 to 8 hours or to desired consistency.

Apple Currant Chutney

3 tbls lemon juice

2 tbls honey

½ cup currants

1 drop Mint Young Living Essential

A pinch of ground cloves

3 tablespoon coconut oil

2 apples

Put in food processor and blend till smooth but still a little chunky. Transfer to a small pot and heat on stove on low heat while stirring with your hand so you can feel the temperature. When it is warm and the coconut oil has melted into the mix it is done.

A Raw Taste of India!

Here's a taste of India in the raw!

I spent 1/2 the day Saturday and all morning Sunday preparing 5 Indian dishes that I translated form cooked into raw. My son Alleh came over Sunday morning and took some pictures, and my sweetheart Dave video taped the preparation and the photographing. I have not seen any of the finished film products but I do have some recipes for you.

This is my favorite one called:

Kobbari Annam, a classic south Indian dish.
Coconut Rainbow Rice:

1 1/2 cups jicama
1 cup fresh mature coconut (don't substitute dry)
1/3 cup cashews soaked and dehydrated
1 red hot chili or just enough for you taste buds
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt or to taste
1 tbsp coconut butter
1/2 tsp mustard seeds ground
1/4 bunch cilantro
1/4 each red, yellow, orange bell pepper
1/4 cup purple cabbage

Put jicama and coconut into food processor and pulse till it's a little like rice consistency.
Melt the coconut butter on very low just so it is very soft and mix in mustard seeds, chillies and salt. Chop up the rest of the veggies and mix all ingredient together! Give thanks and serve.

Widibooks: Jicama (pronounced hickama) is a legume, a relative of the beam family. It is a popular dietary staple in Latin America and widely grown in Mexico and Central America. There are many names for Jicama including: the Mexican potato, Mexican yam bean, ahipa, saa got, Chinese turnip, lo bok, and the Chinese potato.

More on the next post!
Enjoy,
Shanti

Carrot-Lime Tang Raw Food Soup Recipe – The Renegade Health Show Episode #482 | The Renegade Health Show – Raw Food and Vegan Diet Friendly TV for Health Nuts

Carrot-Lime Tang Raw Food Soup Recipe – The Renegade Health Show Episode #482 | The Renegade Health Show – Raw Food and Vegan Diet Friendly TV for Health Nuts

Posted using ShareThis

HIGH RAW! Kevin Gianni's new e-book

Grab A Free Digital Copy Today!

HIGH RAW!

Kevin's new book clears the confusion about nutrition science and gently encourages you to create a lifestyle of sustainable health. Download your FREE digital copy now and discover the simple health and diet secrets that give you amazing longevity.

I just have to say that I feel so inspired when I watch the RENEGADE HEALTH SHOW starring Keven and Annmarie Gianni! It feels like home~!~

He has the most answers to most of your health question! I have learned a lot for him!
They are both awesome!

With Love,
Shanti

Check out this show!

http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2010/01/13/carrot-lime-tang-raw-food-soup-recipe/

Put Vegetables First!

Eat your greens! Easier said than done for most. I have found through working with people, and in my own experience too that when we're eating a lot of sweets, even beautiful organic fruits we loose our appetite for greens. It takes me about 3 days of green salads, blended green soups, or juices to get it back. Why is that?

I did some research on line and could not find exactly why we have a harder time wanting to eat our veggies, but I did read a lot about addiction to sugar, fat and salt. I had to come to my own conclusion since all the studies were done on people who ate processed sugar, fat, and salt. We all hopefully know that white flower, sugar, and processed salts are addictive.

I believe we have conditioned our taste buds to want sweets to fill ourselves up when we feel sad, lonely, depressed etc.... and we go for sweets when we want to entertain ourselves. Eating fruits and raw food desserts are better than processed sweets of course, but I do experience an uncontrollable feeling even when eating organic dates. When I make my yummy date, almond, coconut, chai balls I always put a pinch of salt in them. Hmmmmmm. Once I start eating them it is hard to stop.

We love to eat things that taste good, so how do we bring back our desire for greens, and why is it important?

Greens are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and fiber. Experts suggest that you eat them along with your fruits many times a day. Antioxidants are phytochemicals, vitamins and other nutrients that protect our cells from damage caused by free radicals, and free radicals are environmental toxins like cigarette smoke, pesticides, pollution and radiation.

This is what you can do to start eating more veggies:

1. Drink them in a smoothie of 6o% fruit and 40% veggies.

2. Make my green soup recipe on this blog!

3. Eat what is seasonal that way you will always be trying something new.

4. Make veggie sauces and creamy salad dressing to go with your big daily salad.

5. Eat a big salad making the other portion of your meal real small.

6. Munch on raw vegetables that you have dipped into a veggie pate'.

7. Wrap them up in raw nori sheets with avocado and tomatoes.

8. Make veggies noodles with a mandolin or spiralizer.

9. Marinate your veggies! Check in tomorrow for some recipes.

10. Make a raw food sandWITCH form this blog!

Hope this helps you!

Come back tomorrow for more green yum!

Shanti

Sunflower in Winter!

Last night before I went to bed I soaked some sunflower seeds. So later today I can make a sunny pate'. They are light and easy to digest for me. I eat it with cabbage which I cut into strips and put in a big bowl, then massage celtic sea salt into it and let it sit for at least an hour. You can use kale instead if you want.

You know this raw life food life style is really sublime. When I am listening to my body and feeding what it really needs, not what my emotions tell me it wants, I feel soft and peaceful inside. Sometimes my energy gets so high I feel like I just might float. Usually I dance around the house for a while. The feeling of clarity and stability surrounds me and I can focus on......well on consciousness and love. My thoughts and decisions seem to be what is really best for me at that moment. It feels like magic because most of my life I have felt the gloomy foggy thickness of fungus producing foods that make a body compost itself. Dead food = death, even to a soul. Life food of course brings light into our hearts and opens it up to endless possibilities. This year is my year to find the strength in what nature has offered me for my highest potential and greatest love. She offers her nourishment with so much beauty I am always filled up. She even shows up in the most toxic places to remind us of her beauty.

Sunflowery Winter Pate'

2 cups raw sunflower seeds
4 cups filtered water for soaking
Soak overnight
4 celery stalks
1 lemon
1 tsp celtic sea salt or to taste
1/2 cup tahini optional

This is a basic recipe, you could add carrot, garlic, dulse, cayenne, or even some chopped up veggies like celery, tomatoes, and red, orange or yellow bell peppers. Get creative try something different.

Love to you ALL!
Shanti

Life Food and Heart Healing with Dr. David Jubb!

Dr. David Jubb was my first raw food teacher 10 years ago. He blew my mind! I asked him for a consultation and told him that I did not have money to pay. I was soooo ill I thought I was going to die! He smiled and said that he would help me. He gave me over an hour of his time. First thing he did is put his hand on my heart and said the first thing I need to do is heal this. I felt a connection right then because I had a big broken heart at the time. He told me to put my relationship with the father of my 3 year old on hold, and focus on healing. He knew what he was talking about and so did I, unfortunately I did not listen to that part. I only listened to the physical and life food part. Which helped a lot, but my healing took so much longer because I held onto my toxic relationship like my life depended on it. Not realizing that my life depended on letting it go.

Well, it took me years to let go. I was afraid to open up to the feelings inside because I thought they were too painful to look at or take responsibility for, now I know it is one of the most important aspects to LIFE healing there is. Letting go of toxic emotions and realizing the strength inside to take responsibility for our life.

Which brings me to Life Food healing. Dr Jubb teaches that we need to eat the foods that are grown close to nature. Food that can grow outside a farmers fence without our help. They have the strongest life force and can give that to our bodies. Hear is a list of some of those foods.

Life Food:
Kale and other Leafy Greens
Burdock Root
Heirloom tomatoes
Dandelions
Weeds
Seeds and Nuts that have been germinated, (soaked in water)
Sprouts
Parsley
Cilantro
Mustard Greens
Chickweed
Celery
Cucumbers
All Berries
Most Fruits
Honey
Bee Pollen

I will be posting some yummy recipes containing these nutritious nature foods!

Here is a list of foods that are high in starch and less than excellent for our bodies:

Bananas
Carrots
Corn
Potatoes
Parsnips
Dates
Grains

A quote by Dr. Jubb;

"Lifeforce allows a lifeform to be able to reproduce itself. If it can reproduce itself and is plant based it is a lifefood. If not it is not lifefood. If lifefood or herb is put with what came from nature it compounds synergistically to harmonize and maintain a confluence of vibration. This is not so for what can not exist for itself in nature."

Tune in tomorrow!

Shanti, (Susan)

Juice Fasting?

Well, I stopped at day 19, then I did 2 liver gallbladder flushes. My health jumped up another notch! That was in September, and now in January I just finished another gallbladder flush. I did it with a friend and we both had great results. Although I did this last flush while having a sore throat and a cough. The first cold I have had in 10 years. I think it is because I have been eating some cooked foods this year and I have been eating more sweet things than I usually do. Well, so far this year I'm back on track with 100% raw food and no sweets. I feel great after getting over the cold and feeling a little low energy after the flush. I feel best on an all raw mostly life foods! Foods that give life!!!! More on that tomorrow! I'm thinking about a 90 day juice fast in the spring. I will be listening to my body before I get to idealistic.

Love You,

Publish Post

Shanti