Fresh fruits, vegetables and sprouts are safe to consider raw; especially if they are organic. Raw almonds are usually raw; raw cashews however are rarely, unless you buy the special 'really raw' cashews that many raw wholesalers sell. I can vouch that they taste completely different.

If you're working at 100% you really need to consider most other things suspect until you talk to someone who knows. Someone had posted they had talked to the person who runs the product section of their local whole foods, and that person knew about raw foods, and could identify which of the olives were officially raw and which weren't. My husband and I actually call companies and verify if things are really raw (we did this recently for agave nectar (most aren't) and tahini (some are)).

If you're not aiming for 100% then you could choose to allow a certain percent of unverified foods. It's up to you really to decide where you draw the line. And it's okay to keep it simple!

Hope this is helpful to you!
Sheryl
 

Sea salt is a magnificent choice over regular table salt. Table salt is the salt equivalent to processed white sugar. It's chemically altered and bleached in a multi stage process. Sea salt is exactly as it is from mature (if you buy the unprocessed ones) with a full range of minerals from the sea. This is much less likely to cause imbalances int he body. Recent research has shown that sea salt does not after high blood pressure! That's amazing since people with high blood pressure have been told for decades to reduce salt. The real message for them might be to reduce processed table salt (added to food and in processed foods)!

Another idea if you're looking for a flavour boost is to dehydrate a selection of vegetables (onion, tomato, red pepper/capsicum, celery and a bit of lemon are delicious) and grind it to a powder. It makes an absolutely delicious flavour and with a natural salt boost from the celery.

Viva la raw!
Sheryl

You can pick up fully automatic ice cream makers now for about $50. All you do is keep the base in your freezer until ready to use. No ice and salt to buy or anything; you have ice cream within about 15 minutes of plugging it in. WOW! A FULLY  automatic one is about $500 - $1500 (out of range compared to most people's desire for ice cream).

There is a book now available called VICE CREAM! You might want to check it out. It's vegan (fully dairy free), and half of it is completely raw. The other half is easily adapted to raw. It's fabulous!! The author is Jeff Rogers.

This book is magnificent, and even has a testimonial by John Robbins (the son of one of the founders of the Basket Robbins empire who walked away to being a life campaigning for the rights of animals and the dangers of eating milk and othe animal products).

You can also make ice creams in your high speed blender. You'd just need to freeze most of the ingredients and combine them in your high speed blender.

Cheers,
Sheryl
 

I just got the following instant message from a friend back in Canada that Piers and I haven't seen since Christmas! WOW! I knew raw was having an impact on us, but I had no idea it was quite this extreme over only the last six months!

Dr. MQ I'm incogno baby... says:
"Did you guys get makeovers, I honestly didn't recognize you"

We certainly didn't have actual makeovers, however we certainly have made over our lives. I guess that’s what real change is all about. Deep life changes, not just changing your clothes or make up!

We'd love to hear some of your experiences, too! Share them here for the chance to win some great prizes from the store!


Cheers,
Sheryl

Ki,

You're this weeks winner of the fabulous book on CD called "Raw Pleasure: Loving Living Foods in Your Everyday Life". Email us your address at sheryl@raw-pleasure.com.aua and we'll put it in the mail!! Thanks for posting!

Cheers,
Sheryl

This is a little gentler than the salt scrub and feels divine! Icing sugar is too fine, any other will work. This is a great way to use up sugar you still have in your cupboards... don't eat it!! Bath with it!

•   Fill a small jar 1/2 full of sugar
         (you pick the type - the smaller the grain the gentler it will be).

•   Add oil, a bit at a time, until the sugar and oil make up a paste
         that you could spread on your skin. Mix as you go.

•   Add your favourite essential oils (a few drops).

•   Mix again and it's ready to use.

I even use this on my face. It's a little oily, but with a gentle rub on the towel all excess oil is lifted away, and your face is left radiant!

Enjoy!
Sheryl

Hey Gymgal!! (love the name!)

I have at times had similar experiences. When Piers and I did a 10 day green juice cleanse (cucumber, celery, spinach, Swiss chard and Chinese greens - juiced) my face broke out in acne too. I think it's tied in to cleansing. Piers has had similar reactions. I think diet changes can make some people more sensitive too.

Be gentle with your skin (just use water, or a gentle cleanser) and it will clear up in no time.  I used occasional gentle exfoliation too (to help increase whatever detox was going on). I'll post the recipe in a separate thread (Botanical Sugar Scrub (the only GOOD use for sugar)!

Cheers,
Sheryl

We talk to raw people around Australia almost every single day. In the last week I've heard from raw people in Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sydney. If you're reading this and you're from Australia, and want to meet other raw people then post here!

There are more of us than you think! Let's get to know each other and arrange raw dinners around Australia by the end of the year!! That would be amazing!

Talk to you soon,
Sheryl

Your email (including your address) came through this morning. The CD will be ready to ship Monday and yours will be the FIRST in the mail!!!

Thank you for the fabulous recipes you've contributed to everyone that reads this site! Please do let us know how you enjoy the book on CD!

Chers,
Sheryl & Piers
www.raw-pleasure.com.au

PS Did you know Sheryl is Canadian too? We've spent lots of time in Toronto and Buckhorn!

Now, durian condoms
June 14 2003

Jakarta: Durian-flavoured condoms have gone on sale for the first time in pharmacies and on street stalls in Jakarta as part of the fight against HIV/AIDS.

"We've sold about 150,000 pieces in the first week, which isn't bad for a new product," said Christopher Purdy, director of DKT Indonesia, the country's leading condom distributor.

Durian-flavoured Sutra Fiesta-brand condoms are the latest gimmick to socialise the message of safe sex in the world's most populous Muslim country, where an estimated 80,000 new HIV cases are expected this year, primarily among intravenous drug users and sex workers and their clients.

"The problem with condoms in Indonesia is people here are really shy about them, so when you have a durian condom it's something funny and we can get people to talk about them with their friends and their family because it's no longer just about sex," Mr Purdy said.

DKT Indonesia, a non-profit non-government organisation, has been marketing cheap condoms in the country since 1996 as a means of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and encouraging family planning.

It sold 36.9 million condoms in Indonesia last year, more than half of the 70 million total.

DKT condoms are subsidised; some brands cost only a few cents.

The flavoured condoms have yet to spark complaints from religious leaders, who have objected to some safe-sex campaigns as promoting bad morals.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur

2004 International Raw Foods Festival
 
Wednesday, August 18 through Sunday, August 22, 2004

For information on the 2004 International Festival registration, schedule of events, Transportation services, accommodations, renting a vender booth space, food at the Festival, childcare or all other details, please browse our websites after June 10:(www.rawfdestival.com or www.rawfoods.com/festival )or contact the International Raw & Living Foods Association at RawFestival@aol.com.

 
The 2000 Festival was focused on bring the, then, most visible raw & living food teachers together to network, create alliances & explore possibilities for themselves & the movement. The 2001 Festival was focused on showing the depth & variety of teachers, visions, disciplines, modalities & ideas currently in our Movement & in other compatible causes. The year 2002 Festival was focused on the people out there living the raw foods lifestyle & identifying their diversity, their needs, their commonalities & their worldwide issues, as well as their possible joint actions. The 2003 Worldwide Festival built our links to one another & expanded on the work begun at the other International Festivals.

This year’s  2004 International Festival will be about translating the raw foods lifestyle into mainstream living & how to make it more easily accessible for the rich diversity of beings & lifestyles represented on this planet. This year’s Intl’ Festival is all about “why & how”…not only for current rawfoodists, but the average person wanting to explore new `option`s. The other main focus of this year’s event will be more interactive discussions around issues important for the Movement as a whole. Is your voice being heard? Are you helping to decide what the Raw Foods Movement will look like worldwide? Come to this year’s event & get involved on a global scale!

Come & be a part of making this happen!!

Let’s introduce Raw Foods to hundreds of “new” people

At this year’s event …                          

Can you imagine being a part of changing that many lives?

 
Nourish Yourself…Nourish the Planet is the theme for this year’s International Festival...

This year’s event will be held August 18 through 22 in Portland, Oregon. The date this year will give the International Festival sunnier weather & more ripe, fresh, local grown, organic produce! We’re excited about all of this & know that you will be too… whether you are just exploring what raw foods are, beginning to move into a living foods lifestyle or have “been there/done that” for a long time we know that this year’s Festival will make your “mouth water”.

The worldwide Raw Foods Festival this year will feature up to 9 concurrent modules using speakers, food demos & experiential workshops lasting from 1 ½ hours to 6 hours each, as well as numerous panels & other opportunities to come together. As a Raw Movement we will also come together during the Festival to further define ourselves, our goals & our connections. Excitingly, part of the Festival will be open FREE to the public so that they can begin to discover the benefits of the living foods lifestyle. When you come, invite a non-rawfoodist friend to come with you!!

Modules will focus on the Raw Lifestyle from birth through Senior-hood & on the nuts & bolts of living this way: these will spotlight information for those beginning their raw foods lifestyle journey, those who have been on the path for awhile & want to expand their knowledge & those who are long time raw foodists who want “something new” to learn to further enhance their experiences, as well as special issues such as the raw lifestyle during pregnancy, for babies, youth, teens, women, special health issues, seniors & more. There will even be special introduction mini-classes for people who do not know what our lifestyle is all about & would like to have an overview before committing to the cost of attending the Festival presentations. Other modules will focus on our food itself: these will include food preparation demos, organic & GMO issues and all that surrounds the process of obtaining & preparing the foods we eat. Still other events planned will focus on the Raw Foods Movement: Presentations of differing raw life styles, the history of the Raw Foods Movement, intentional communities and raw food happenings worldwide will be a part of this visionary gathering.   Helping to make the worldwide Raw Foods Movement itself more visible still will be in the spotlight for this year’s event.

Raw Issues---World Issues

Nourishing Ourselves & Nourishing the Planet will all be a part of the 2004 International Festival!

The 2004 Festival begins this year with another chance to experience the Raw Haute Cuisine of Gourmet Chef Chad Sarno. Tickets for this formal (this means dress up & “put on the Ritz”) Wednesday, August 18 evening event are $75 per person for Intl’ Assoc. Members & $100 for non-members. Ticket price  includes the meal/beverages, entertainment & a chance to bid at the 3rd Annual Raw Foods Auction. Check out the link, Gourmet Dinner & Auction, on the websites for more details!

Thursday, August 19 during the day will consist of special Presenter Intensive Workshop with some very special speakers. Would you be excited to get to spend the day (6 hours) with your favorite speaker as part of a small group exploring a specific topic around raw foods? Then this extra event is made just for you! Cost is $75 per person. For more information about this `option` click: Presenter Intensives on the websites' menues.  Thursday evening, beginning at 6 pm everyone attending this year’s Festival can begin the Festival with a free “Why Raw” talk for your non-rawfoodist friends & plenty of panels on Raw Movement issues for you!  

The Festival itself begins at 6:30 am Friday, August 20 and runs through 7 pm, Sunday, August 22. Festival Tickets again this year will be $45US for a single day or $125US for the 3 days, with a 10% discount on the 3 day price if purchased before July 1, 2004. Members of the International Raw & Living Foods Association will receive an additional 10% discount on all 3 day ticket purchases. Membership in the Association is $20US per person per year or $35 for a family. (Children 14 & under are admitted free with a paid adult) Sign up early to be sure of your place…call the Intl' Assoc. right now or send an email to sign up right now: (503-246-1684 or rawfestival@aol.com)

Maximize your experience at this year’s event & stay next to the fair grounds at the Red Lion Hotel, the official Festival hotel, or in your own self-contained RV across the street at the fair grounds. (ALL other camping this year is limited to private farms in the area…see Accommodations section of websites for details) ALL Accommodations must be reserved in advance with the respective businesses indicated…the Intl’ Assoc. itself will not be taking accommodation reservations this year, unlike previous years. Hotel costs start at $64US per room with double bed per night at the Red Lion (Hostels & other Hotels/Motels are also available.)  

2003 International Raw & Living Foods Festival Basics
Site Location:

Washington County Fairgrounds Field

10+ Acres of grassy field across from the Main Fair Complex

About 45 minutes west from the Portland Intl’ Airport & across the street from the Hillsboro Airport

873 NE 34th Ave
Hillsboro, Oregon
Contact Information:

email: RawFestival@aol.com;

phone: United States

503-246-1684 voice

503-293-0916 fax

Website sites: www.rawfoods.com/festival Or  

http://www.rawfestival.com/
 
 

Reported today... a great big billboard on the 5 fwy (North) in San Diego California.  

It said:    
"Beef, its what is rotting in your colon".  

Apparently a takeoff on the
"Beef, its whats for dinner." add that runs in the US.

Gotta love that sense of humour!

In a shocking judgement FRENCH FRIES have been declared FRESH VEGETABLES in the US. Battering and deep frying has been accepted as equal to putting wax on cucumbers!!!  SHOCKING!!

The USDA lost the bid to have tomato sauce (ketchup) and mustard and relish also declared FRESH VEGETABLES!

Amazing isn't it?!?
Sheryl

Just wondering what everyone's experience has been eating more raw foods...

So far I have experienced:
+ the lost of about 70 pounds total since my highest weight
+ acne almost completely disappearing (about time... I'm 32)
+ lipomas shrinking (hard pockets of fatty tissue)
+ brown spots disappearing from my blue eyes
+ no more hang nails
+ more energy
+ more positive attitude - life is better every day!

I love eating raw foods... now I'm off to make myself a juice!

Cheers,
Sheryl

This looks absolutely DELICIOUS!! I can't wait to try it. We just bought a new 9 tray Excalibur dejhydrator.. so I'm ready to make LOTS of delicious stuff!

In California many restauants have tostadas. Similiar to the nacho recipe you posted above.

A corn flax shell, topped witha creamy dip, then a tomato dip, then shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, silantro, onion and sometimes olives. It's just incredible!