Review/Recipe: My Favorite Trail Mix

There is a fabulous trail mix that my local health food store sells, that is both raw and organic. I tried to find it online so I could link it here, but I couldn't find it anywhere. However, you could easily mix up your own if you could find a store with the right ingredients, or you could order them online.

Shop around, as the prices can really vary. And be sure what you are buying is not only organic, but raw--meaning not heated more than around 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Even organic food is often put through processes that include heat-treatment, and the word "raw" doesn't necessarily mean it is. Look for wording on the labels that confirm the product has not been heated to the point that it is no longer raw, and has not been refined or had sugar or anything else added. You can get some of these ingredients at The Raw Choice, though I can't say if they have the best prices or not.

The ingredients:

Cacao nibs, broken in pieces
Goji Berries, dried
Mulberries, dried
Cashew pieces, sprouted, then dehydrated (you can do your own sprouting/dehydrating)
Pistachio pieces
Raisins (I think they are Himalayan Hunza raisins)

Mix together, then eat! You may want to play around with the amounts, until you get what you like. The raw cacao is strong, so you want to have less of that. It's important to have enough berries in each bite that it gives sweetness to the cacao nibs. Also, be sure to mix it before eating. I eat mine out of a bag, and shake it occasionally as I eat--otherwise, the cacao settles to the bottom, and you get very little til you hit the bottom of the bag. You'll still end up with extra cacao at the bottom, but you can save it for the next batch you make.

I pay almost $10 a pound for it, which is kind of high for me. I have the ingredients to make it at home, but I haven't calculated yet whether or not making it at home is less costly when buying ingredients retail. If you bought the ingredients in bulk online, I would think that it should be much cheaper.

I absolutely love this trail mix. It is extremely delicious, and very good for you too. Raw chocolate (cacao) has a lot of excellent nutritional properties to it, it's good for your heart, and is a mood enhancer--it is MUCH better for you than regular chocolate. Goji berries are really big in Chinese medicine, and have anti-aging properties. This trail mix is great when you want a sweet snack or dessert on the go, and is completely guilt-free.

Enjoy!

The Raw is Kicking In !!

Wow, when the minerals and enzymes from raw food kick in, they really kick in! Yesterday I had planned to take a nap, because I didn't get a full night's sleep. But when the time came around, I wasn't the least bit sleepy or tired--even though the Percocet I'm on right now makes you sleepy.

I did decide to at least try to nap, in case I ended up being really sleepy an hour later, when it would be too late to sleep. I fell asleep for a while, but I think I could have lived without a nap if I had to.

This morning I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 7:15 am. I got a snack and eventually went back to bed. It took a long time to fall asleep, but I probably got one more hour til I had to get up. Getting up wasn't too hard when the alarm clock went off.

I did get sleepy a couple of hours later, but that's not too much of a surprise: it was a long day, as my husband went to work very early today. Usually he gets up with the kids to let me sleep in, and he heads off to work at noon. I plan to take a nap today since I have to go food shopping tonight. But all in all, my energy level is really going up...which is good, just in time for some necessary pre-baby nesting!

Eating Raw in the Hospital

Recently I had to stay for two nights in the hospital for observation and testing when I had abdominal pain. It proved to be...well...and interesting experience. I brought along a bunch of bananas and apples in case of "emergency", and thank God I did.

The first night, the dinner was ridiculously small, and all full of refined carbs. This was their idea of healthy food for a pregnant woman with gestational diabetes. I looked over their diabetic menu choices for the following day, and was appalled...potatoes, muffins, white toast...pure garbage for anyone, but for diabetics?! Sheesh! And the amount of food they gave was less than I feed my five year old...and he's not a big eater.

After being promised a visit from the nutritionist (who didn't show up til the next day) I was so starving, I spent the night constantly snacking on the only food available in the snack kitchen on the floor...saltines, graham crackers, peanut butter and jelly, bread (white and "wheat"), refined cereals, and ice cream. I've seen healthier food choices at McDonald's! When the nutritionist finally showed up the next day, she promised to order me two big, extra snacks every day, and put in the computer that my carb counts wouldn't be as limited (otherwise fruit would be out of the equation, and fruit and salad were my only choices there). That day I had enough food, and it was all raw.

The third day, I was served one orange and a teeny tiny bowl of rice krispies. Hello? I ordered two oranges, two bananas, and a salad! My one year old eats more than they brough me. I wanted to cry. I called my nurse, who never came, then called down to the kitchen. By that time I was so hungry, I just wanted to be full, so I ordered pancakes, an orange, some juice and milk, and some yogurt. They said that the yogurt would put me over on my carb limit. I was irritated...I wasn't supposed to have a low carb limit anymore!

After waiting over an hour and a half, they finally brought me ONE SINGLE small pancake, some milk, and some yogurt. I broke down. I was SO hungry and stressed out, I cried my eyes out. I ended up, once again, eating peanut butter crackers and ice cream from the snack kitchen. I was so frustrated, I forgot I even had the fruit I brought with me, and just ate junk.

The next week, I mentioned my frustration to my o.b. nurse at a check-up. She gave me the number of a coordinator for the maternity ward, and suggested I speak to her. I may do that, but at this point, I'm not taking any chances. When I go in for the delivery, I plan to take a plug-in cooler full of food.

I thought ordering meals ahead of time from the raw food restaurant might be a good idea, but I don't know if they'll taste old the next day, and it would be outrageously expensive. I think I will get some pre-made salads from Wal-mart (not organic, but big, cheap and better than hospital food), some cut-up food in containers, that I can mix into fruit salads, and some pre-blended smoothies and fruit juices, for immediately after the surgery when I can't have solids yet. I may have my husband pick up some fresher juices and some wheatgrass juice from the health food store on the second and third day when he visits.

Moral of the story: no matter what they promise, don't trust hospital staff to care enough to get your requests right. They're more worried about leaving for home on time, and may forget to do what they've promised. Meanwhile, the kitchen will close down and you will go hungry. Be prepared and bring your own!!

Book Review: Living on Live Foods

This week I finally found Alissa Cohen's Living on Live Food book at my local raw food restaurant.

This book has it all. Most raw books I've bought or seen are little more than recipe books with a couple of chapters of very basic information about the raw food diet in the beginning. Alissa's book has very good information about the science behind the diet (but in a concise, easy-to-read format), the hows and whys, the benefits, success stories, before and after pictures, and much more. Plus all the recipes, which look really good. I'm really enjoying reading this book.

There are two negatives to the book, however. First is it's price. At first, I didn't mind the $30 price tag because it is a very large, high quality book. The pictures are great, the pages are glossy, and the layout keeps the reader's attention. But after reading the book, I realized quickly that this book didn't NEED to be so big...which brings me to negative point number two: the size.

This book is HUGE. It is very heavy. I feel like I'm carrying around a dictionary. It doesn't make for easy transporting. The easiest way to read it is to lie it flat on a table, or possibly in your lap, if you don't mind the weight. Laying on your side in bed is impossible...it is forever sliding off the bed, or slipping out of your hands. I dropped it spine-first onto the side of my foot while sitting in bed--a six inch drop--and it HURT!! Really hurt!

Also, the words on each page are in narrow columns, with one column per page. Only half of each page is used. Then, each chapter uses one whole page just to display the chapter number on it. And many of the chapters have less than one page to them...and remember, only half of each page is used! While this does make for an easy-to-read format, it goes too far. I think the book easily could have been condensed into a smaller, easier to carry book without sacrificing quality or readability.

I do like the heavy, glossy pages, as I think this will be a book I will read and use often, especially in the kitchen. But when so many people in the raw food movement are environmentally conscious, the amount of wasted space in this book seems to be a bad business decision. I think the size and weight of the book could be reduced enough to lower the price to $25 , which would make the book easier to sell to people on a limited budget.

All that being said, I'm still glad I bought it. I'm sure it will prove very useful. There is also a companion DVD available on Alissa's website. The price of that seems extremely high to me...$29.95! There is a discount if you buy the book with it, but again, people like me might not be likely to buy such an expensive DVD without reading the book first to see if they like Alissa's style. But having read half the book so far, I would like to check out the DVD someday, when I can afford it.

Alissa carries other products on her site, such as raw food items and appliances. Be sure to price shop, though. I think a lot of her prices seem to be okay, and she's running a really great special on the Vita-Mix right now. Her raw food forum is a great resource as well.

I haven't finished the book yet or tried any recipes, but based on the first half of the book, I'd give it at least four stars, maybe five. Definitely a great introductory book for those wanting to go raw.

Coconut Butter - An All Natural Moisturizer

Not long ago I purchased some Raw Organic Coconut Butter by Artisana. I had wanted Raw Organic Coconut Oil, but they didn't have it raw. I wasn't sure if Coconut Butter is the same thing or not, but decided to try it. It is made from the whole flesh of the coconut, instead of just the oil.

I know I've heard of the many health and beauty benefits of coconut oil. Since Coconut Butter is made of the whole coconut flesh, rather than just the oil, I figured it would be just as good if not better.

So last last night I tried using it on my feet, which lately have been very dry, especially on the heels. My left heel especially has had stubborn dead, dry skin on it, and nothing seems to work. I worked in some of the Coconut Butter on my feet and ankles, and also my elbows, where I have some dry patches of skin that I think are psoriasis.

It is amazing! Today, I would have to say there is at LEAST a 50% improvement both on my heels and my elbows. NOTHING else has worked, but this is working overnight! I tried it today on a few more places, including some little spots that tend to appear on my sides...not sure what it is, possibly smaller breakouts of psoriasis? Those tend to heal up after a while, but the spots on my elbows are always there, to a lesser or greater degree. They seemed to clear up a bit when I first went on raw, but maybe the coconut butter will speed up the healing process.

I'm sure coconut oil would probably work good too. But whichever you choose, I would recommend you buy RAW organic. Conventional or plain organic may work fine, but I would be willing to bet that the raw organic works a lot better, because it still has living enzymes and extra nutrients in it.

I don't know if Artisana is the best brand or not. I know Alissa Cohen says on her website that she tested many coconut oils before choosing the Coco-de Creme brand that she carries. I bought my Coconut Butter in my local health food store. I don't remember the price, but I'm thinking it was ten dollars or so for 16 ounces. Compare that to the chemical-laden synthetic moisturizers out there, that can go for a hundred dollars for only an ounce or two, and don't even work nearly as well!

Another thing to think about, for those of us who are pro-life: did you know that there are many beauty products out there, moisturizers in particular, that contain collagen from aborted fetuses? I was shocked to learn this. Just one more reason to stick with something all natural, so you KNOW where it comes from!

I'm also trying this on my face, to see how it helps. Being overweight, I've neglected to moisturize my face, because I don't have many lines yet (they're all filled out with fat). Now that I'll be losing weight, I need to think about taking care of my skin. Although going raw is well known as a remedy for aging skin, I think using a natural moisturizer is still a great idea.

Sugar is From the Devil!

As you may have guessed from my lack of posting, I fell off the raw wagon for a few weeks. Boy, am I sorry, too! Not only did I rapidly gain back almost all the weight I lost, but I started having back pain, fatigue, pubic bone pain, lethargy, and a general bloated feeling. My rings started getting really tight again, and I was not a happy camper.

There are two main reasons I went off the diet. One is, I was getting tired of all the chopping and peeling, and really wanted to do some different type of recipes, which I don't yet have the equipment for (saladacco, Vita Mix). Then, I started having some weird nausea and abdominal pain. I wasn't sure if it could be from the diet, though I didn't think it was. I just started eating anything convenient. The pain didn't go away, though. It progressively got worse, til I ended up in the hospital for a few days for some tests and observations. The tests were all negative--no gallstones, liver problems, ulcers, etc. It wasn't acid reflux, round ligament pain (obstetricians think EVERYTHING is round ligament pain) or morning sickness.

The only thing they can figure out is that it's probably adhesions from a previous surgery. It's the only thing that makes sense. They say since I didn't have a problem with adhesion pain before, I should be better after delivering, when I'm no longer all stretched out (I sure hope so). Until then I'm on Percocet, but I'm trying not to take much. I hate taking any kind of drugs, but in this case, it's necessary. After two weeks of this nauseating pain, I can't function without some kind of relief.

Meanwhile, it took me over a week of false starts to get back on the wagon, after two weeks of eating processed cooked junk. The last straw was after three days of eating sugary stuff (mostly ice cream). All of a sudden, my sugar and chocolate cravings came back with a vengence (they were controllable before that) and my back pain and pubic bone pain were awful...even while on Percocet!! I have no doubt it was the sugar. That just goes to show you how much of a poison refined white sugar is.

Sugar is evil, people! It is an unnatural poison that pollutes our bodies and ruins our emotional and spiritual well-being. Sugar turns you into an addicted, fat glutton. Sugar makes you depressed. God did not make sugar. God made honey, agave, and sugar cane, but not refined table sugar. I kid you not, sugar is straigh from the Devil! (Okay, Evil Sugar rant is over.)

When I finally had enough of the pain, I went back on raw food, last Wednesday. I started by making it easier on myself, and buying pre-cut fruit trays and pre-made salads at the grocery store. They weren't organic, but it would be an easy start. Thursday I went to the raw food restaurant to bring home a couple of meals and goodies. I also stopped at the health food store for some raw trail mix, Lara bars, and various fruit.

My husband wasn't too thrilled at having to throw out all the organic produce that went bad during my three week "slip". Neither was I--all that money, and good food! But I'm back in the game now, and so excited.

My body is taking a bit longer this time to shake the symptoms...possibly because the toxins I ate were more of a shock to my system this time, after being raw a while. Or because I'm on the pain medicine. The good news is, I started losing weight right away, over a pound a day. I had been back up to 287, but now I am 283.6. My rings are looser already. I'd love to be no more than 280 when I have my c-section, which is in 2 1/2 weeks.

Today the back pain is mostly gone, the pubic pain is almost gone, I think, and I'm a lot less sleepy today...which is big, because this medication makes you sleepy. I'm actually feeling pretty jazzed up right now.

One of the best things about going back on this diet is that I can stuff myself on raw to overcome any temptations, which makes going back on the wagon much easier. Really, the first day was the toughest. Today I've just been eating like crazy. But I don't have to worry about it, or even feel guilty, and that is awesome! I made up a dessert, with cashew butter, crushed macadamia nuts, a mashed banana, some raw agave nectar, and some ground raw cacao nibs. It pretty good. And I felt great about eating it, because it is GOOD for me!!

I know once I have the baby and shift into weight-loss mode, I may have to watch my intake of nuts, avocados, bananas, etc. But since I'll be nursing I don't think it will be a real issue, unless I go totally crazy.

I am so committed to this way of eating. I really do enjoy it. I can't wait for my taste buds to continue to change, so I can enjoy even more different kinds of healthier foods. When I eat raw, I feel like I am eating the way God designed me to eat, and that my body is functioning the way it was created to. Finally!