Honestly guys you are NOT MISSING MUCH by not having foxtel. My parents pay for heaps of packages so we have about 50 + channels but almost every night we sit and my Dad flicks around again and again saying "there's nothing on!" like a whingy child.

I did see a few minutes of Gillian's new series the other night, she had this massive tub full of milk (the amount the guy drank in 6 months) and then she put some meat in it (again, 6 months worth) and let it sit for a while. Then she stirred it with a big thick animal bone for a while, took it out and snapped it in half really easily. Talked about how meat and milk combined leaches calcium from bones, causes osteoporosis etc etc. Very cool.

Gillian has written several books, they're quite good.

Brett, life sounds great for you at the moment, if somewhat tiring, lol! Loved readin about it! 

I'm glad people have found my experience valuable/interesting, thanks for all the replies.

Torachanau: Yes, as others have pointed out here many raw fooders (and non raw fooders!) do eat raw dairy products. I personally am strictly vegan and was for some time before discovering raw, I do not believe it is right for human beings to drink the milk of other species for both animal rights and health reasons. No other animal drinks milk beyond infancy; no other species consumes the milk of another species. 'Nuff said.

Harls: Thankyou. It is not easy and I certainly don't try to pretend it is but I believe it is worth it. You know I agree with everything you're saying.

Aguacate: Yeah... I was pretty grossed out by the milk and I didn't even eat it.

Paul: Thankyou for your detailed response and providing another side to the argument. I disagree with you on many points but as you said, there are far worse things, like battery hen farming, going on in the world. It's also interesting to see that while M and J were doing a good job, based on your list there are still many improvements they could make.

Brett: Rock on Brett - saving flies, toads and mozzies is right up my ally. It is not the individuals' fault that they were born a pest and not a human! So few people think ... but at least you do now. Many go through their whole lives never using that thing in their skull. So thankYOU for being receptive to learn.

And I too would be interested to know the unfortunate accident that befell NW? 

Hey Jenhen, I know what you mean about stuff you listened to as a teenager having negative undertones, LOL! I know I am still a teenager but stuff I used to like was all so SAD! 
Anyway, I don't actually listen to much music but I absolutely LOVE Mika's stuff... especially 'Love Today.' It is so happy and boppy and fun. And I saw him interviewed last year and found out that he is dyslexic (he wears heaps of colourful watches, but can't tell the time on any of them!) but he was so comfortable with himself, it was awesome!

Now, shouldn't you be popping off to bed missy? Lol! 

Have an amazing weekend gorgeous!
 

For a product to be certified organic, it simply has to be grown without the use of any chemicals, eg insecticides, pesticides, fungicides, chemical fertilisers etc. Many organic producers do choose to grow only/mainly heirloom varieties but at the same time they need to make a living and many people do prefer the hybrids eg seedless grapes.

I personally prefer seeded grapes too - you should definitely be able to find an organic farmer who grows them somewhere!

*Disclaimer* This is a personal experience of mine, I"m not trying to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do. Take it as you wish.

As you probably know, I'm studying to be a vet (though I'm not actually going to be a vet when I finish my degree... but that's another story!) Anyway, as a part of my course I have to spend time on a number of farms to gain a deeper understanding of the farming way of life etc etc. Yes, it is horrible and I hate it. I have thought MANY times about dropping this course and taking up another one simply to avoid this one aspect.
Last week, I got to experience life on a chemical-free (though not certified organic) goat dairy, which produces raw milk, cheese and yoghurt. It was entirely owned and run by an older couple, lets just call them J and M, who have been doing it for 22 years now. They are lovely people - J is a bit of a know-it-all but I learned to take a lot of what he said with a pinch of salt; M was in many ways what I would call a 'typical farmer,' harsh/brash, to the point, but she was in many ways different.

They are both very interested in being as environmentally friendly as possible - solar, greywater re-use, biodiesal for the vehicles, chemical free, permaculture etc. M is also very interested in raw (though obviously not vegan) foods, has a vita-mix and even went to see Sergei's talk last year!  As for the goats themselves, they are in excellent condition. There are less than 50 goats on the 6 1/2 acres of land, so they are all well cared for and any sickness/injury can be rapidly detected, but M and J practise a very low interference way of farming. They only use antibiotics as a very last resort and now firmly believe that the incidence of problems in the herd has massively decreased since they completed their soil-remineralisation project. The goats also have constant access to seaweed and mineral blocks.

From an animal welfare stand-point, there are few improvements that could be made. Obviously, from an animal-rights perspective I still disagree with the very concept of farming but again, that is for another topic. What I really want to mention, is the health side of things. M and J told me on countless occassoins how goats milk/goat dairy products are so much healthier/better for you than cow dairy, how it doesn't cause allergies, it was fine for all their kids who had terrible reactions to cows milk etc etc. And I have heard a similar thing many times before. Yet I could see nothing healthy about them!

J had a huge 'beer-gut' (though he told me that both his parents were alcoholics and he never drinks, so I guess it was a 'goat-milk gut'); M was very overweight all over; he spent about half an hour on the toilet every morning; she had bags under her eyes and seemed to have mood swings; they both had a cold/flu quite badly even though it's the middle of summer and 38 degrees!!

So there you go - that's my experience of a goat dairy farm. If anyone in WA is interested in trying goat dairy products and would like details of the farm, pm me. 

Freedom 

Well I'm in Perth not melbourne but cooler months = persimmons first (YUMMM!) then apples (so many varieties!) pears, grapefruit, oranges, mandarins, bananas, loquots... that's all I can think of now but I'm sure I'm forgetting some!

Hey Suay,
Glad to hear you are feeling much better... cold in 37 degree heat sounds like no fun (not to mention the rest of it!)
Can I ask, why you chose to start including cooked foods in your diet rather than just changing back to a raw diet similar to what you were eating before you went up to 90% fruit, eg with more veggies, seaweeds, some avocado etc? Just curious!

Hugs, Freedom 

Hey Greg,
I don't eat any other veggies apart from leafy greens either. I used to like carrot and sweet potato but the thought just turns me right off these days - they are so dry and starchy! Hard to digest (compared to fruit) too. I love lots of non-sweet fruits that Michaela mentioned like tomato and cucumber but I honestly think you should be absolutely fine, no better than fine - thriving - without veggies.

Hope this is the kind of answer you were after!
Freedom 

I have noticed a distinct change in my dreams since going raw Michelle! Not in the type of dream so much but my dreams have a lot more clarity; I have always dreamt in colour but now the colours are much more vibrant and the details clearer when I wake up. I have also had some dreams filled with a lot of rage/huge sadness - detoxing out some old emotions there! 

Emi, I hope you didn't feel that I was judging your choices on what to feed your little girl. I certainly wasn't! And now I know that oat groats are the same as steel cut.

Hugs, Freedom

I agree John... to an extent. I am just as sad for him and his family as I am for every child, man and woman and their families who also died today.

He is a person, no more no less.

And who know whether to believe what 'they' are saying but for what it is worth, 'they' are saying it was accidental.

Hey Wassail,
Most people say melons should be eaten alone because they digest really quickly - about 20 minutes - and if they are eaten with something that takes longer, they are slowed down and start to ferment. Ick! So I'd have melon by itself. Steel cut oats aren't technically raw, alternatives to make a yummy 'muesli' type breakfast include raw oat groats (though raw grains aren't recommended) or buckwheat.

That is SO awesome! Way to go!! 

Ooooh Jen, how exciting!!! 

Thanks Joybell!

A bit of an update - Mum's main problem was hot flushes, we found out that parsley is good for those and she has been putting lots of that in her green smoothies and she is now down from 4 or more a day to none! Woohoo! NEither of  us can believe how simple it was - so many women use so many drugs etc when all they need is some parsley! Lol! 

Apparently passionfruit is good for libido, by the way.