Merry Christmas to you too Patricia! Have a lovely New Year!

Peace

Michelle

Thank you Ivan, this is a wonderful reminder of love as truth...

*Peace*

Michelle

Hi guys

Sounds like there a few of us interested in raw foods in NZ now - I'm not in Auckland but am not far away in Hamilton - *waves*.

Normally I buy my fruits and veges from the organic store but farmer's markets are quite good if you don't mind fresh non-organic food that is still better than the produce in the supermarket and you eat a lot of fresh foods. Sprouts are good and inexpensive way to add lots of goodies to your diet and are relatively easy to grow.

Hope that helps.

Michelle

Hi Emi

Wow it's awesome to hear your little boy is choosing his foods so wisely - it makes you wonder how we would all have been eating growing up if we had been given the option to eat whatever fresh foods we liked...good on you for actively encouraging your son in his instinctual eating! 

Your craftwork is beautiful!! Absolutely stunning!

Thanks for the tips re. the bread thing - I definitely feel like I'm not eating enough fresh fruits...just bananas in smoothies is not good enough for me and I agree, too many nuts make me feel tired!

Have a lovely Christmas and New Years, please post more pictures of your crafts if you can!

Michelle x

Hi Pinky, that's great news thanks for the update. Take care!

Michelle x

Hi Lovefood

Funny you should ask, I came across an interesting recipe yesterday whilst experimenting - for some reason I had 'spices' cravings and made up the following, which was quite tingling and yummy and I imagine would be warming in the winter too:

Wheatgrass milk smoothie with spices:

1/2 cup wheatgrass sprouts (2-3 days)
1 1/2 - 2 bananas
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp cinnamon (yep you can tell I was into the spices!  )
dates or agave nectar etc. if wished

This was yummy and warming, if I had had cloves or mixed spice I would have added that as well to create a 'chai' milk smoothie. (As to whether or not spices are recommended on a raw food diet I couldn't tell you, I just went with my instincts).

Another way to warm up is to add crushed ice to your smoothies - a contradiction but it's really true - the breaking down of the ice causes your body to warm up and increases your metabolism.

I hope that helps.

Michelle 

Yummmm thanks Jen these look divine! I have been trying to think of a good raw pesto so will definitely be trying this out...mmmm pesto-y mushrooms...yum!! 

Hi Pinktulip, sending lotsa good vibrations to you and your little one. 

Thanks Rosal,  must warn everyone that Johnny Depp is NOT in the book as such...if you are wanting more Johnny Depp candy than chocolate candy then I would suggest you stay with the movie!! 

In the meantime I'll be plotting my first batch of raw cacao chocolate and other yummies...watch this space!

Michelle xx

Hi Emi

Thanks for sharing what you've been experiencing lately...it's quite comforting to know in some ways that people who follow the living foods lifestyle experience the odd hiccup! For myself, I had been pretty much effortlessly 95% raw for about two months, then decided to do a 7-day detox. Well, I felt great after the first day which included a very short fast in preparation for the detox of about 24 hours, then just raw fruits and veges with no seasoning etc. and no snacks or fats.

I was fine up until day three...then my (emotional, not physical) craving for bread came up...and guess what, I've been eating bread and margarine (urgh!) and cheese (gross - I wasn't even eating cheese 99% of the time before I went raw!) for the last couple of days, albeit I have been eating everything else raw with a good helping of sprouts in green smoothies.

Needless to say, my little body doesn't know what's hit it and is protesting - but instead of beating myself up, like May said, I've let the experience teach me something. Slipping up doesn't necessarily mean going backwards, you definitely learn something from it! And like you I've learned it's easier to be 100% (or 95% with the carob powder and dashes of tamari etc.) raw than to let that little bit of addictive food in. But, every once in a while a 'slip up' can just show us how far we've come! So, now I know I have quite big emotional connections to bread and cheese and my body definitely doesn't like either of these things - and that I'm not quite ready to do a 'regimented' detox - rather doing what I was doing before and perhaps lessening the amount of salt/seasoning will do a similar thing over a longer period of time.

Good on you Emi!! 

*big hug*

Michelle

LOL Aguacate you are so very droll... Hehe I know what you mean though...the good old days hey?! :D

You guys are making my mouth water...those recipes sound divine, I can't wait to try some raw cacao! I guess if I wanted the powder I could just grind up the nibs - has anyone tried this?

Miss giggles please can you come live with me and have a raw chocolate station in my kitchen? What bribes do you accept..?

Welcome Erica I'm quite new here too, this is a great forum, everyone makes you feel welcome and at home. I'm also curious as to how much extra I'll be needing to spend on food as well, although generally I do buy a lot of fruit and veges anyway. Having a non-raw partner is quite expensive as well I guess so it does kind of balance out.

Thanks everyone...raw chocolate just became a great deal more appealing...yes Chocolat is a great movie, the book is awesome too, but the worst thing to read/watch if you don't have a 'naughty' chocolate substitute or you're on a detox...lol

Cheers

Michelle

*chuckles* I'm glad to see some of my favourite 'unusual' smells are up here - yippee!

I know what you guys are saying about newborn babies - I love their scent but it also creeps me out a little bit. Not sure why - maybe because I would love a baby some day but don't think I'll ever be read - probably for me more of a psychological thing! 

Favourite smells:

Freshly-cut grass (including ground-up wheatgrass)

All those fragrant flowers - jasmine, lavender, rosemary, gardenia, rose

Sea air

Forests

Any air after it's been raining

My beautiful kitty's fur

My man after he's just a little bit sweaty and after he's drunk a little bit of beer - yes it sounds weird also.

Fruit esp. mango, bananas and fresh organic Braeburn apples

Rawgreengoddess I think I know what you're talking about...if so then I agree! 

Yes cooking bacon too though I haven't smelled it for a while - it used to be my favourite food but the last time I tried eating it it tasted disgusting and made me feel sick...

Garlicky anything...

Chocolate anything cooking...

Freshly-baked bread (also don't eat this anymore)

'Green air' in the garden

Thanks for sharing!

Michelle

Hi everyone

Being somewhat of a raw newbie I haven't yet explored the realm of raw cacao (powder, nibs, beans etc.).

I'm just curious to know how raw cacao tastes to YOU (individually). Does it taste like super-dark chocolate, cocoa powder etc.? I love dark chocolate anyway and am curious so I know what to expect when I order some of this superfood - I hope it is as yummy as it looks! 

Thanks everyone

Michelle

Hi Kittykat

Not sure if you were having problems with the heaviness of flow or not...if so apparently lots of extra vitamin C/bioflavonoids can help by strengthening the capillaries, which somehow reduces the flow. Lemons and other citrus are recommended and I would imagine sprouts and other fruit would help with the vitamin C, veges helping with the flavonoids.

Hope that helps

Michelle

Hi Rawgasm

For me it has been a gradual path to raw food. Where to start?? 

Long story:

Decided to become vegetarian age 14 or so (many years only shovelling down red meat because I was told I had to - still got anaemia!)

Had 'incurable' chronic fatigue syndrome as a teenager, left home to do health course and started doing yoga and eating healthier - first introduction to raw food, I thought my tutor was a complete weirdo! 

Ate lots and lots of cheese and a fair amount of chocolate mid-teens to age 21.

Age 21 decided to do something about weight and lack of energy, CFS had cleared up by then. I found Marilu Henner's THM, (lost a lot of weight over a period of three years) found Shazzie's website the same time I discovered THM and devoured information about raw but wasn't ready for it.

Late 2006/early 2007 Found Leslie Kenton's the Powerhouse Diet, tried briefly but wasn't having enough variety, tried 80% raw for a few weeks but lack of decent equipment (i.e. a decent blender) put me off, also lack of varietyStopped eating chicken completely early 2007.

September 2007 did the Liver Cleansing Diet for about three weeks, enjoyed the fresh vege juice every morning and felt more energised and 'cleaner'.

October 2007 decided that I was ready to try raw foods for real. Currently am on about week 4 of 95% raw, I must admit I have 'cheated' a couple of times but am not beating myself up about it. I ate cooked food with my raw sprout salad dinners on the weekend as my Mum was staying with us and she watches what I eat with an eagle eye as she thinks I'm too skinny - I'm really not but as I have a smal framel it makes me look smaller than I am.

It's interesting to read how a lot of us have had a 'push' from the Universe to try raw - It seems to bring up the idea repeatedly until we finally 'get it'.  My reasons for being raw are really to help detox my body, my mind and my life. I'm getting the feeling that being raw makes you a lot less tolerant of what doesn't suit you - for example I'm dreaming about a career as a raw food nutritionist or something similar...getting in touch with my dreams I suppose.

What is your story?

Michelle