A day in the life of a raw food traveler

Veggie Medley Coleslaw

2011-03-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

I posted a healthy veggie coleslaw recipe on this site here.

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-make-a-vegan-fat-free-veggie-slaw-recipe

Enjoy!

Raw Food Travel: Jackson, MS to Nashville, TN

2011-02-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

My last post concluded with the sun setting over the Mississippi River bringing our day to a close in the town of Jackson.

The next morning was day 2 of our raw food cleanse. I went on a jog while Evan made us breakfast:

Strawberry-Mango-Orange juice smoothie

For one smoothie:

Combine roughly 2 cups of fresh-squeezed orange juice

plus one mango

and a pint of strawberries. Simple and delicious.

Now that we had some sustenance in our bellies, we continued onward and upward to Birmingham, Alabama where we stopped at a market to replenish our stock of fresh, raw ingredients.

Alabama Farmers Market

Open year-round.

Summer hours: Mon - Sun 5AM - 8PM

Off-season hours: Mon - Sun 6AM - 5PM

This market looked a little different than the small-scale farmer's markets we were used to seeing at city parks or in vacant lots with 10 x 10-ft booths of produce from a handful of local farms. This Farmers Market was comprised of produce from farms spanning the entire state of Alabama (and Mississippi) all of which held membership with the Jefferson County Truck Growers Association and reserves space in this giant warehouse containing 16 loading bays.

The actual market itself is located directly across from the warehouse in a covered shed-like structure.

It was quite long...

We finally parked the van, hopped out, and surveyed the Alabama produce that lay before us.

Gobs of brightly colored, nutrient-rich, fresh, raw produce.

None of it organic, unfortunately. Come to think of it, I vaguely remember the look of confusion that came over the cashier's face when I asked her if they had any organic produce.

Towards the other end of the market, there was a section for Mexican produce. A sense of nostalgia enveloped us at the site: (75¢/mango!)

Green habaneros.

This looked interesting.

We left with at least a basket of strawberries, which is one of the most pesticide-laden crops you can get (and should avoid), by-the-way. Mexico really softened my ironfisted stance on eating conventional produce.

Driving around, we observed the ramshackle state of Birmingham's periphery...

...neglected houses...

...dilapidated buildings...

But we did find a natural food store close to downtown named after what looks like a spring water delivery service.

Golden Temple Health Foods & Cafe

1901 11th Ave South

Birmingham, AL 35205

(205) 933 - 6333

M-F: 11:30AM - 6:15PM

Sat: 12:00PM - 2:30PM

Offering a range of services - yoga, massage, clothes...

...pricey Dr. Bronners ($14.99/bottle)...

...and a dismal produce section. Organic (yay!), but lacking.

Oh, and I distinctly remember our failed attempt at refilling our 5-gallon water jug with Golden Temple's water dispenser. They shot us down because we didn't have their particular brand of water jug.

Disgruntled.

We did find success at Publix grocery store, however.

We found an impressive selection of organic greens...

...organic, raw nuts...

...and organic nut butters...

Even Smuckers was on board.

We found some sprouts...

...and believe it or not, in all of my 26 years I had not once come across bagged kale. I have since seen it dozens of times in supermarkets across the country, but outside of Birmingham was the first.

Of course, the main reason we stopped here - the water.

Back in the van, dinner was being prepped. That night I served up raw-vegan sushi rolls and lettuce wraps with a thick orange-walnut dressing.

Part I: Raw-Vegan Sushi Rolls

What you will need:

- 1 package of raw nori sheets

- 2 carrots, shredded or thinly julienned

- 3 green onions, chopped

- 3 large portobello mushroom caps, sliced

- 2 healthy handfuls of your favorite sprouts (we used broccoli)

- 1 large avocado

Step 1: Assemble your nori sheets

Step 2: Mash up some avocado and smear on a nori sheet

Step 3: Lay down a few pieces of portobello mushroom strips

Step 4: Add carrots and green onion

Step 5: Top if off with sprouts

Step 6: Roll it up - be sure to tuck the veggies in as you roll along to ensure your sushi slices stay tight and compact

Step 7: Once it is rolled up, you need to seal it by using some type of liquid (apple cider vinegar, water, juice, etc) to moisten the end. I used an orange. If you use water or vinegar or soy sauce, etc, you can just dip your finger in a small bowl and glide it along the edge of the nori sheet to moisten.

Step 8: Let it sit for a few moments while the adhesive properties go to work and then slice into 1" pieces.

Do the best you can. Working in a moving vehicle is not always conducive to making clean cuts.

Raw-Vegan Sushi

Part II: Lettuce Wraps with a thick orange-walnut dressing

What you will need:

- 1/2 an orange, chopped

- 1/2 cup onion, chopped

- 1 carrot, sliced

- 1 large portobello mushroom cap, sliced

- 3 large leaves of romaine

- 2 oz walnuts - ideally, soaked from 8 - 12 hours in water to remove tannic acid/enzyme inhibitors

Directions: Literally, throw all of the ingredients into a blender and blend on high until sufficiently homogenized. However, here is the breakdown for using a highly incompetent Magic Bullet blender should you find yourself unfortunate enough to use one.

Step 1: Add onions and oranges into the blending vessel. Blend.

Step 2: Then the carrots.

Step 3: Then the 'shrooms. Blend.

Step 4: Then the greens. Blend.

Step 5: Then the walnuts - be sure to rinse them first.

Step 6: One final blend (This diet is not always pretty).

Step 7: Slop a generous layer of sauce on a romaine leaf, add 'shrooms, carrots, sprouts, onions, or whatever else floats your boat.

Step 8: Then munch! (Gracefully, plz)

What happened next was a situation we will not soon forget. We had been driving down the freeway for quite some time when Evan looked down at the fuel gauge and realized we had neglected to fill up the tank before we left Birmingham. Just as he was bringing this to my attention, the van started losing power. Fortunately, we were on a slope of highway that kept the van moving at a good clip without any help from the gas pedal and what's more, the next exit was conveniently located to our immediate right (THANK YOU, GOD). As we exited the freeway and managed to make it up the incline, the van literally puttered to a standstill on the side of the road. We could see the gas station not more than 40 yards away. With one last oomph, Evan turned the ignition, the van magically started, and as we approached the gas station we coasted the last 25 feet underneath the awning and stopped perfectly alongside a gas pump. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Celebration feast

And the BP gas station forever etched in our minds.

We arrived safe and sound in Nashville, Tennessee later that night. Stay tuned for my next post to find out the controversial new additions to the van thanks to our amazing friend, Mashewshmalls!

I love and appreciate you.

Raw Food Travel: Austin, TX to Jackson, MS

2011-01-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

My last post from Austin, TX concluded with a real cliffhanger moment as we were abruptly woken up at three o'clock in the morning by someone pounding on the side of the van. Fearing another run-in with the police, we quickly gathered our clothes and awaited the booming, authoritative demands that were bound to, any second now, penetrate the walls of our makeshift "mobile home" directing us to step out of the vehicle.

We waited...

...and waited. And then we peeked out from behind the curtain in both the front and back of the van looking for signs of movement.

....nothing.

When our heart rates normalized, we decided to relocate the van around the corner in the parking lot of this 24-hour coffee shop.

Epoch Coffee

221 West North Loop Blvd.

Austin, TX 78751-1919

(512) 454-3762

Open daily 24 hours

Both of us had bladders to relieve, so we figured we'd use the facilities available in our immediate vicinity.

Inside, we looked around impressed with Austin's coffee shop patronage at such an ungodly hour. Then we learned that it was finals week and everything made sense. On a whim, I asked Evan how he felt about getting a head start on our travels by skipping town right then and there. He was ready to leave so we bought some coffee and tea to-go and off we drove. It was 3:30 A.M.

Before I move on by discussing our next destination, it should be noted that Evan was momentarily thrust into the spotlight of Austin's local news while getting his hair cut. The reason for this was because a) he needed a hair cut and b) Bird's Barbershop had begun collecting hair trimmings to send to Louisiana in an effort to soak up the mess left by the Gulf oil spill. At one point, I would have been able to link you to the particular news clip where Evan was interviewed, but I really have no idea if it's even available anymore. Nine months later, a simple photo of the news report will have to suffice.

Scratch that: Here's the link to the exact article and video pictured above: http://weareaustin.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=62695

After a good two hours of driving, we stopped at a picnic area to get some shuteye and marvel at the gorgeous sunrise brewing along the Texas skyline.

We woke up after a few hours and got ready to head back out on the road. Because this was a travel day, I tried to get short spurts of exercise during each pit stop. I started by doing some step-ups on this ledge.

Position 1:

Position 2:

I did jumping jacks, squats, and lunges as well.

This day also happened to be the commencement of what turned into a 4-day raw food cleanse for Evan. We referenced Doug Graham's book 80-10-10 for recipes, often adding our own twist by adding spices, garlic, and tomatoes (considered "avoid" foods to the staunch 811-ers). To start, I made both of us an organic banana shake consisting of 5 ripe bananas, 3 organic dates...

...and 1/4 cup of organic raw carob powder...

...all from the amazing Wheatsville Co-op in Austin, Texas.

It was simple, delicious, and energizing! Often people don't think fruit contains any protein, but this shake contained 10 grams of easily broken down and assimilable amino acid protein. We drank this throughout the morning and into the afternoon.

Along the way, we saw signs for a rose garden outside the town of Tyler, Texas. We stopped for a free walkthrough and I managed to get in 10 more minutes of exercise by jogging around the garden instead of walking. If you ever have the opportunity to jog through a rose garden, it is one of the most aromatically exhilarating experiences ever.

There were ponds...

...fountains...

...photo ops...

...and, of course, the sweet, sweet smell of roses.

Everything you'd expect in a rose garden.

From there, we continued on to the town of Tyler, Texas...

...where we snagged some free wifi in the central square. Evan sent some emails while I fit in another round of jogging.

Later on I made us lunch and dinner. A fruit smoothie comprised of strawberries including the green tops and pineapple cubes...

...followed by a salad (judging from the photos) made up of one head of romaine lettuce and a hot pepper & sundried tomato sauce.

I soaked 5 sundried tomatoes and 3 dried black peppers in some water and lemon juice.

Then I chopped them up to make it easier for the Magic Bullet to pulverize.

I washed one head of organic romaine with produce wash...

....diced up 3 cloves of garlic...

...chopped 1 red bell pepper...

...and added some of this middle eastern spice combo of thyme and other ingredients (will get back to you on specifics).

I blended the soaked peppers & sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, red bell pepper, romaine lettuce, and thyme mixture together to make a sauce.

Then I sliced up some onion and made a couple of lettuce wraps.

I proceeded to make a salad with the remaining lettuce along with some spinach, onion, and sliced strawberries dressed in the pepper & sun-dried tomato sauce. An odd combination and far from my favorite recipe, but still relatively palatable.

By the time I emerged from the back of the van (i.e. the van kitchen), we were crossing the Mississippi River.

Soon after, we found a parking spot in the town of Jackson, Mississippi and called it a night. In fact, we most likely found a Wal-Mart with a red box movie rental machine, watched a movie in the van, and fell asleep in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Stay tuned for my next post where I will be discussing Mississippi farmer's markets, van trouble involving an empty gas tank, and our welcome gifts from Nashville, Tennessee. As always, thank you for your readership and I welcome your questions and comments below or click here to email me directly.

Airport Travel: Hood River, OR > Austin, TX and beyond

2010-10-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

My last post touched on all my favorite places in the vegan-friendly city of Portland, OR. Today, I'll be taking you through another bout of airport travel from PDX to SLC and finally to my temporary destination of Austin, TX.

On the morning of my flight, I woke up extra early to allow myself ample time for airplane food preparation:

A green smoothie and a salad.

The green smoothie consisted simply of 5 ripe bananas, 3 leaves of purple kale, and 1.5 cups of water blended to perfection in your standard, run-of-the-mill Oster blender. You'd be surprised how delicious this tastes without any added sweeteners, but you can always add a touch of stevia or honey to brighten it up. This blender works so much better than the pitiful Magic Bullet that we were using in the van (no chunks!). I saved my dino kale stems from the day before and added them into this smoothie as well.

The remaining kale was used in my sea palm salad.

Sea palm is a sea vegetable found off the Oregon and California coast. It is high in minerals like iodine and calcium and also contains zinc, boron, selenium as well as vitamins A, C, E, and B12. It is not a significant source of B12, however. I recommend getting B12 injections or supplementing with a quality B12 source like my newest discovery, the Healthy Habits B12 patch. That goes for carnivores and herbivores alike. Why? Because this important vitamin is nearly as ubiquitously deficient as vitamin D (don't quote me on that). B12 not only aids in the production of red blood cells and protects us from anemia, it is also responsible for the creation of myelin, a protective layer that forms around nerve cells and shields them from damage. People suffering from multiple sclerosis have a degeneration of myelin, which leads to a loss in motor skills. Another important function B12 carries out (with the help of folic acid) is the conversion of the amino acid homocysteine into methionine. This process is important because an overabundance of homocysteine leads to blood clots, clogged arteries, and stroke. Methionine assists in the break down of fats, detox of the liver, and fights free radicals by releasing antioxidant sulfur compounds. Wow, discussing the nutrient properties of foods can really drag things out. Moving on...

...up! Flying over Portland.

In-flight food and reading material (kale, sea palm, mushrooms, snow peas, nutritional yeast, low-fat organic vinaigrette)

And then a lovely descent into Salt Lake City.

I want to be on that plane. The Sky West party plane.

And this just got me all riled up - "natural snacks"

Let's see how healthy and natural these snacks really are:

Cherry Sours

Unfortunately, I can't read the blurry ingredients.

Milk Chocolate Peanuts

This contains the word "artificial" directly in the ingredient list - vanilla flavor (artificial flavor).

Honey Mustard Mix

I see monosodium glutamate, the dreaded MSG. What else? FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Yellow No. 5 - Not so natural after all.

Mango Slices

This contains sulfur dioxide and as if that wasn't enough color retention, yellow 5 and yellow 6 were also added for good measure.

Just Nuts

To me this means no oil or added salt, however corn oil, peanut oil, and salt were all added to this batch of "just nuts".

I set up shop at the Delta station - free wifi at the SLC airport.

I arrived in Austin around 11:00 PM that night, took a 3-hour nap and woke up to someone knocking on the van at 3 o'clock in the morning. Stay tuned for my next post to find out what happened next!

To be continued...

Portland, OR

2010-09-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

This is one of two trips I made to Portland during my week-long stay in Hood River. I arrived mid-morning and immediately headed to my old stomping grounds in the area of the city simply known as "southeast". My first stop was at The Herb Shoppe on Hawthorne street.

The Herb Shoppe

3327 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

Portland, OR 97214

Mon - Fri 11 AM - 7 PM, Sat 10 AM - 6 PM, Sun 12 PM - 5 PM

This place is full of great stuff - all kinds of herbs, pre-blended dried herb tonics for bladder/kidney troubles, candida, low energy, women's tonics, relaxation, adrenal fatigue (etc), essential oils, supplements, superfood powders, massage oils, aromatherapy, and it even has a massage room in the back. The employees are extremely knowledgeable, patient, and helpful. This is one of my favorite places ever and I'm sad I won't be living down the street anymore.

My second stop was at Mirador - a "green" gift and household goods store.

Mirador

2106 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97202

Mon - Sat 10 AM - 6 PM, Sun 11 AM - 5 PM

This is the kind of place that has everything you need and even more of what you don't need. They have items and knick-knacks ranging from kitchenware, water bottles, aromatherapy, toiletries, juicers, soaps, teas, other odds and ends - and they're all either locally made and/or made of recycled material and/or made with organic ingredients and forever generally better for the environment than going to a drug store or a supermarket like Fred Meyer. For example, I left with a toothbrush made from yogurt containers, a ylang ylang body spray that I adore (Uncle Henry's brand), and a sea salt mouth rinse (also Uncle Henry's brand).

From there, I went across the street to New Seasons Market, a Portland-based chain of natural foods. It's very similar to Whole Foods, but it's not Whole Foods and that's why we love it.

New Seasons Market

1954 SE Division St.

Portland, OR 97202

Mon - Sun 8 AM - 11 PM

Their salad bar, while not all organic still boasts a pretty good price at $6.99/lb. I've admittedly never had their salad bar and you'll find out why if you read on.

It does look pretty darn good, though.

I will often reserve a trip to New Seasons if People's Co-op, of which I'm a member, doesn't have what I need. More about People's in just a few scrolls. People's, for instance, doesn't carry the makeup I used to wear, Dr. Haushka - all fair-trade, organic, natural and preservative-free. I'm now a big fan of the Jane Iredale line (if anyone cares).

Some of the treasures you might find at New Seasons Market: I saw that they were carrying a juice brand called Genesis, which claims it is unpasteurized (unheated). I just went to their website and read that instead of pasteurizing their juice, they use a method called HPP - High Pressure Processing. Instead of heating the juice to high temperatures to get rid of food-borne pathogens and other organic material they use high pressure that squeezes the unwanted materials out, but keeps most of the good stuff in resulting in a fresher tasting juice with more of the nutrients preserved. For information on HPP click here

They have a giant produce section, of course. They carry both conventional and organic produce.

Organic signs in green, conventional in grey.

I took this picture becuase I wanted to remind myself to make this vegan arugula hazelnut pesto.

Just a few blocks down from New Seasons, you'll find my personal all-time favorite, People's Food Co-op. I'm always raving about it so I'm stoked to finally get to share it with you.

People's Food Co-op

3029 SE 21st Ave.

Portland, OR 97202

Open daily 8 AM - 10 PM

I've been a member of People's since I moved to Portland in April 2009. They've done an amazing job of meeting all of my needs except when it comes to things like makeup and maybe perfume and hair products (but I'm a bit of hair and makeup snob, so I don't hold it against them in the least).

I volunteered at the co-op while I was in Portland as a "hands-on owner" (HOO) for a 15% discount. Once a week I would arrive bright and early to set up the front patio and stock the produce section from 6 - 9 AM every Tuesday. It was awesome aside from the fact that I had to work at Papa G's Organic Vegan Deli the night before and wouldn't get to sleep until often times 1:00 AM or sometimes later, and then I would have to go back to G's that afternoon. The only thing that got me through Tuesday was the fact that it was my Friday (the end of my week).

So what makes People's Food Co-op so outstanding? For one, they have a top-notch, all-organic produce section. In addition, most if not all of their grocery and dry goods items are organic or contain only organic ingredients - including locally made salsas, cultured veggies, pesto, cheeses, and more. They research each product to make sure it's of the highest quality before they start stocking their shelves.

They do their best to carry local organic produce all year round and hold the only year-round Farmer's Market in Portland on Wednesday afternoons from 2 PM to 7 PM.

They have an out-of-this-world bulk section. Below you'll find seven or eight different types of seaweeds and sea vegetables....

...some of which are from the Oregon coast!

They have a stellar bulk spice and herb section, too.

If you can't find what you need here, they will special order it for you and that goes for pretty much anything else in the store (or not in the store, rather).

Good price on chia seeds today.

They carry Healthforce Nutritionals products as well as New Chapter and other quality supplements.

People's also provides locally made raw food from Portland vendors (More on Blossoming Lotus below).

Of course they have a raw food section filled with pre-packaged crackers, snacks, chocolate bars, cacao spreads, onion bread, and protein powders among other things....

...including Artisana raw nut and seed butters.

One of my favorite Portland-based raw food companies is It's Alive! I used to set up Papa G's seasoned tofu demos next to Eric's booth (owner of It's Alive!) during People's year-round Farmer's Market. They make delicious raw "sauerkraut crackers" with their raw sauerkraut blends and different spices. You may find It's Alive! crackers and seed mixes in your local stores. We've seen it in certain parts of California and Texas on this trip. You can also place orders online I believe. Check it out at: http://www.itsalivefood.com/products.htm

This partiuclar day at the co-op they had kombucha on tap by Brew Dr., a local kombucha company. Some of the best kombucha around.

*Side note: I'm currently writing from the teahouse where this kombucha is brewed:

Townshend's Teahouse

2223 NE Alberta St.

Portland, OR 97211

Back to People's...

People's provides free filtered water...

...and their bathroom is equipped with a dual-flusher to conserve.

Another favorite local joint I used to frequent is the Sip juice and smoothie trailer, which is parked directly outside People's on the patio I used to set up during my once-a-week, 6 - 9 AM volunteer shift.

Sip

3029 SE 21st Ave

Portland, OR 97202

Mon - Fri 10 AM - 8 PM, Sat & Sun 9 AM - 8 PM

During the colder months they'll add hot soup to their juice, smoothie, and shakes menu. Today's drink special is the Red Pepper Cooler with fuji apple, red pepper, and parsley.

I tried it out and it was quite refreshing.

Served up in a compostable cup.

Here are a few of the things I bought during my tour of the co-op: local dino kale, cultured coconut meat (coconut yogurt), Oregon coast sea palm fronds, snow peas, nutritional yeast (not pictured), and a couple of small travel containers of Healthforce Nutritionals vitamineral green.

I brought my trusty tupperware container and made a salad right there on the patio for all to see. I wasn't trying to draw attention to myself, I was just hungry and fairly used to making food outside of a kitchen by now. Most of the patrons passing by paid no mind, but I did get a few questions about what I was making and the ingredients I was using (which I always love to answer).

I started by washing the kale. I filled my tupperware container with the filtered water provided by the co-op inside.

Then I washed the snow peas.

Then I soaked the sea palm.

Next, I destemmed the dino kale. I'm bummed I don't have photos to show you how I did this. Maybe I can find something online that illustrates this quick and easy process.

I let the sea palm soak for about 15 minutes while I destemmed the dino. I would normally let the sea veg soak a little longer maybe 20 to 30 minutes, but 15 is fine as long as it softens up and expands.

I tore up the kale leaves into semi-small pieces and then massaged it a bit by squeezing and releasing the kale with both hands. This allows the juices to escape and breakdown the cell wall so it's easier to chew and digest. After about a minute of massaging the kale, it should take on a cooked or steamed appearance (and shrink in size).

Oila! Kale digesting in its own juices (no added oils or dressings of any kind).

I brought some dressings from home because I wanted to finish them up before I left town.

I drizzled my kale and sea palm salad with a low-fat organic balsamic vinegrette, Annies Naturals Organic Green Goddess, and fresh organic salsa.

Oh, and I topped it off with some nutritional yeast.

Nutritional breakdown:

1) Sea Palm: All seaweeds and sea vegetables are super high in minerals. Especially in important minerals like iodine, calcium, and iron.

2) Kale: High in calcium and vitamin C as well as chlorophyll, which gives plants their green color and cleanses the blood.

3) Nutritional Yeast: A yeast grown on molasses (not an active form of yeast, so technically not a "raw" food), but very high in amino acids and vitamins, particularly the B vitamins.

This one guy, John, serenaded me as I ate and asked me questions about my food. I gave him my blog link and took his info so I could send him this photo. He never got back to me.

From Peep's I headed to my former place of employment:

Papa G's Vegan Organic Deli

I wanted to do some work on my blog and fill up on the best salad bar in the world.

It's $9.75/lb and one of the only all-organic salad bars I've ever seen (quite possibly the only all-organic salad bar I've ever seen) and they've stocked it with a myriad of raw food options to choose from including:

...their house-made raw sunflower seed cheeze (bottom left) and It's Alive! raw dill sauerkraut (bottom right)

...house-made dressings including a raw fruit-based lemongrette (center) and non-raw green goddess (left), ranch dressings (right). I hear the vegan ranch dressing is delicious - it always smelled fantastic, but I've yet to try it.

...house-made raw zucchini pesto pasta...

...not to mention a whole host of rotating raw fruits and vegetables that are all farm-direct and organic.

Aside from their salad bar, they carry similar raw salads in their deli case that you can buy per pound ($9.75/lb).

Here's their raw zucchini pesto pasta.

It's Alive! raw dill sauerkraut

My favorite: Raw cashew yogurt ($9.99/lb) - the flavors change with the season.

And their raw sunflower seed cheeze.

They make several other types of non-raw pasta salads that are popular as well - macaroni salad, potato salad, and curry penne pasta just to name a few.

They sell this chart for $10. I've always wanted to buy it. It'd be nifty to have around the house (for when I live in a house again whenever that is...)

Other raw items on their menu include raw sandwiches and collard wraps - the sandwiches are placed on a purple cabbage leaf or raw onion bread at your request.

They also have house-made raw coconut kefir and raw cashew milk (chocolate and plain) available on most days.

They stock a few pre-packaged vegan and gluten-free goodies like It's Alive! crackers and seed mixes as well as non-raw vegan cookies by Sift and also Sweetpea Baking Company (two Portland vegan bakeries)

I worked for a bit and then got a few items to-go: A salad from their enticing salad bar, of course...

and an extra container of raw zucchini pesto pasta for my brother and Jenny to try that I ended up eating before they got home.

Back at the ranch, Muir and I made a bangin' batch of fresh salsa.

Ingredients: tomatoes, sweet onions, jalapenos, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, sea salt, cayenne, and chili powder.

For dessert, and I know this looks extremely unappetizing (I'm almost too embarrassed to post it), but I tried out the Culturebiota coconut yogurt that I bought at People's earlier that day by mixing it with these autumnal spices - allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, ground clove, and several drops of stevia concentrate. Oh, and a few random chunks of banana. It tasted better than it looks, but it still wasn't very good. I think if I had blended it in a blender it may have come out more appealing, perhaps? Cultured foods like Culturebiota (cultured coconut meat) are insanely good for your intestinal flora and aids digestion. I had never seen it before so I thought I'd give it a try. It's left unsweetened and has a sour taste to it, so I sweetened it up with the stevia and spices.

Finished the night off with a movie.

I went back into Portland a couple of days later to meet my two raw-foodie/health-conscious family friends for lunch at:

Blossoming Lotus

1713 NE 15th Ave

Portland, OR 97212

MON - SAT 11AM - 4PM

SUN - THURS 5PM - 9PM

FRI & SAT 5 - 10PM

SUNDAY BRUNCH 10AM - 2:30PM

This is Blossoming Lotus' second location. I heard they recently closed their downtown spot (Update: their downtown location is now called Prasad). You may have heard of the Blossoming Lotus located in Hawaii, which went out of business a couple of years ago. This is the same restaurant on the mainland. I've only been to BL a few times and they haven't let me down, yet. Their food is all vegan and organic with several raw food options on the menu.

Here's a look inside. This location is more upscale than their original restaurant in Portland's Pearl District. There is now a serving staff whereas their original restaurant was strictly counter service. I can only speculate that their original space in the Pearl - which was shared with a yoga studio - didn't allow enough room for all their customers. At least at this new place in northeast, there is more seating available.

Jane and Ciel - my vegan cohorts

We started with some fresh juice ($5.00) and raw soup ($5.00). I forget what this soup was called, but I remember commenting on the salt content. It was a little too much for my palate.

As my main dish, I ordered the Garden of Eden salad ($8.00) replete with mixed greens, spiralized beets, carrots, sweet & spicy eden nuts/seeds with a creamy ginger dressing. It's the perfect combination of leafy green vibrancy with a hint of crunch. The sweetness in the clusters and the spiraled beets brings out the mild saltiness of the creamy dressing and the spicy ginger quality is just right - subdued; tiptoeing across your taste buds. This is a delightful salad.

We also indulged in their Live Nachos appetizer ($9.00):

Spiced tomato and walnut chips, seasonal squash nacho cheese, and taco crumbles, topped with onion, tomato, cilantro, scallion, cashew sour cream, and avocado goddess sauce served with lime wedges. The photo is blurry, but this was also a fabulous dish. The chips were not crispy like your standard tortilla chips would be - it was more like slices of raw bread (if you've ever had that). The "chips" were crumbly in the mouth, but in a pleasant way - mixed with the rich nacho cheese and sour cream, sauces, and fresh pico de gallo - it all melded together quite nicely.

Ciel opted for a cooked entrée - I believe she got the Basic Bowl with tempeh ($10.00):

Choice of brown rice or quinoa, daily beans, and steamed kale, choice of house-made sauce (see sauce selection) -

For dessert we went for the raw Turtle Cheesecake. I think their dessert selection is constantly changing, but this was really good. So rich and creamy (most likely made out of cashews) and topped with crushed walnuts, cacao nibs, and shredded coconut. The crust was made out of maybe walnuts as well? You really can't go wrong combining nuts with sweets (agave) when it comes to pleasing the gustutory system. Your digestive tract may beg to differ, however.

Before we wrapped things up at BL, Jane handed me a small bag of her famous raw cinnamon bread. I heard about this creation from my mom who had previously sampled Jane's Raw Cinnamon Bread with rave reviews.

Jane graciously gifted me a bag of these lovely treats for the plane ride back to Austin the following day. Ha. Yeah right. Those tasty slices of veggie pulp and sugary spices were gobbled up on the drive back to Hood River. They were so good.

And she even emailed me the ingredients so you can make Jane's Raw Cinnamon Bread yourself:

(TBA)

~Back in HR~

My friend, Mariva (owner and operator of Dawn Patrol, the coffee shop and snack bar off Hwy 35 in Hood River) invited me over to get some foodie input on salad recipes for DP. She was at home slaving away in the kitchen preparing for the big grand opening the next day.

Outside, we gawked at Trevor (her hunk)'s new gutted cargo van. Not quite spiffed out or road trip-ready, but well on its way! Needless to say, I was envious. It was so clean and untouched and dent-free and probably doesn't make strange noises or lose its steering when you drive over bumps.

And look who joined the party? Mark (Mariva's dad) walked by with uke in hand.

Then I said goodnight with Mt. Adams in the distance.

Next travel post: Life after Texas (Yeehaw!)
~Thanks for reading~

Questions or comments? Email me at: soyvey (at) aol (dot) com
(or comment below)

Airport Travel: Austin, TX > Hood River, OR

2010-08-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

I left off in Austin, Texas...

...where I was preparing for a flight to my hometown of Hood River, Oregon. Evan and I needed a little break and my parents wanted to see me before their trip to Europe. Pictured below is the airplane food I concocted with my remaining van produce and some help from Beets Living Food Cafe. Check the refresher of my last post here.

On board, I couldn't resist the temptation of ordering tomato juice. While it is one of the healthier options in the realm of airplane beverages, it's still a pasteurized fruit juice (super acidifying) and loaded with 980 mg of sodium. It sure was tasty, though.

I also brought along the remaining few clumps of the softest, chewiest, tastiest goji berries ever by Ron Teeguarden's Dragon Herbs...

...as well as his Spring Dragon tea made from gynostemma, an energizing, anti-stress adaptogenic herb often referred to as "poor man's ginseng". This tea tastes great and works with your body to give it what it needs in terms of having an energizing or calming affect. If you're feeling anxious, it will calm you down, if you're feeling sluggish and depressed it will bring you up. I love it and it's naturally sweet so you don't have to add any additional sweetener. Find out more about Ron Teegaurden Dragon Herbs here.

There was no one sitting next to me on the plane...

...so I could really spread out.

I landed in Minneapolis as the sun was setting...

...and finally arrived in Hood River, Oregon around 11:00 PM PST

(photo taken the following day).

This was the first day back in HR. I went for a refreshing 55ºF morning jog to my Dad's office from my brother's new house. I was a little surprised that it was still so chilly here at the end of April, but I guess that's normal. It was so moist and shweaty in Texas and Mexico, I forgot what it was like for temperatures to drop below 70 degrees.

I took this photo on the way to Dad's office. (Pictured below: the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge and the Hood River toll bridge)

I jogged all the way down to Mother's Organic Market.

Mother's Organic Market Place

106 Hwy 35

Hood River, OR 97031

Mother's has got it all and the employees/owners are super sweet peeps. It's only slightly off the beaten track because it's not on Oak Street (the main hub of Hood River where all the hip sh** is), but it's well worth the 1/4-mile detour for it's healthy vegetarian/vegan and raw food offerings.

At mother's you can look forward to: all organic vegan juices, wheatgrass shots, and smoothies...

...including green smoothies...

...an all vegetarian deli with plenty of vegan options...

...a well-stocked bulk section. They carry goji berries...

...other bulk spices and teas...

...and several dried goods, grains, nuts, and seeds.

You will find a small, but adequate organic produce section...

...superfood juices...

...quality enzyme supplements...

...and an expanding raw food section.

I was thrilled to see this.

They even had young thai coconuts.

(I want this license plate)

I left with a green smoothie and fresh juice.

If you ever make it over to Mother's Organic Market, also stop next door to check out Dawn Patrol Snack Bar and say hi to my good friend, Mariva, who is now running that joint during the tourist season.

Dawn Patrol Snack Bar

They've always got bangin' salads. They're not always raw or vegan, but I'm sure you can find something or they will accommodate you otherwise.

After that, I went to Mom's new office...

...and gave her the gift I got her from San Miguel De Allende in Mexico.

A new painting to hang in her new office.

Later that day I stopped at Farm Stand, a relatively new produce market in Hood River.

Farm Stand

2305 12th Street

Hood River, OR 97031

(541) 386-4203

I was surprised with the amount of local, organic produce they had available.

Local organic mushrooms...

...local organic spinach...

...local organic braising greens...

...and tropical fruit as well.

They even had chia seeds (expensive, but at least they had them). Wait, $8.25 per lb for chia seeds? That's not outrageous, but it's not a great deal either. Props for carrying such an amazing product. Chia seeds are high in omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids, high in fiber, awesome energy booster, great source of protein, and considered a superfood.

Their raw foods section included organic Raw Revolution bars...

and organic Go Raw bars

I picked up a few things including fiddlehead ferns, which I had never seen before. Apparently, they are big in the northeast during this time of year (early spring).

I prepared the fiddlehead ferns by washing, lightly steaming, and then drizzling them with olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, and red chili pepper (sea salt to taste if you so choose).

~Next day~

Betty's Place

416 Oak Street

Hood River, OR 97031

My family has a Thursday morning ritual at Betty's place on Oak Street in Hood River. They meet for breakfast around 8:00 A.M. before Muir and Jenny open their store (Waucoma Bookstore), before dad opens his office (Middle Mountain Tax Services - wow, I can't believe he still doesn't have an actual website) and before Mom begins her day in the travel nurse department at Providence Hood River Hospital. They all have very legit jobs and here I am bunny-hopping across the continent writing about my twenty-something foodie experiences. I wonder how I will one day fit into that mold of legitimacy...

Anyway, here we are at Betty's on Thursday morning. Everyone ordered eggs and toast and pancakes or some variation thereof. I ordered a blackberry-banana smoothie blended with water instead of pasteurized orange juice or yogurt. Thumbs-up delish.

For dinner that night I tried to make some kind of marinara-pesto sauce using sundried tomatoes (soaked for ten minutes)...

...fresh basil...

...probably some garlic, onions, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and other spices to taste (wow, I was Super Slacker on my note-taking/photographing during this trip)

Then I tried to steam an artichoke and failed horribly.

Instead, I ate more steamed fiddleheads with some of the marinara-pesto paté stuffed in a cabbage leaf. Not the most glamorous shot ever. It tastes better than it looks.

~Next Day~

I took this on the way to Friday morning yoga at the Mt. Hood Town Hall. My dad won't stop raving about his yoga teacher, Sybil, and he invites me to Friday morning yoga whenever I'm in town.

Dad preparing for yoga. Kind of adorable, no?

For lunch that day we met the rest of the fam at Pietro's Pizza, a childhood favorite for end-of-season sporting events, birthday parties, and Friday night arcading. I suggested this spot because I remember it having a decent salad bar buffet (pre-apologies for the blurries).

Pietro's Pizza

107 2nd Street

Hood River, OR 97031

The salad bar actually looks much smaller than I remember.

I thought it was funny that they used kale as a garnish and filled the large salad greens bowl with iceburg lettuce and an even smaller bowl with spinach.

The plates seemed smaller, too, but I guess I've just grown so much since those carefree days in middle school. Probably a whole 1/2 inch.

I brought my own salad fixings - local Penny's organic salsa and Annie's Naturals salad dressing. I'm not a huge fan of Annie's because they use some not so awesome ingredients, but I settled because this is what I had with me and it's a huge improvement over msg-laden salad dressings you find at the majority of restaurants that don't make their condiments in-house.

I went back for seconds...

...and stole some of the kale garnish for my salad. Probably not the best idea I've ever had. You never know what they do with the food they assume nobody's going to eat. By-the-way, I have this sudden obsession with baby corn and I have no idea where it came from. This strikes me as odd for several reasons 1) it doesn't even taste good 2) it sits in brine and who knows what kind of preservatives (primarily salt, I guess) 3) it's most likely gmo-corn because on no packages or jars purchased over the past month have I seen a "non-gmo corn" label and 4) it doesn't even taste good! (worth reiterating). So what's the deal? I can't resist the cuteness factor.

On the drive home down Hwy 35.

Back in town for River City Saloon's last night as River City Saloon. It's now under new ownership with a new name. There was an epic party.

This band played:______

and this guy played: ____ It was entertaining to say the least.

The following day I hit up Rosauers, another local grocer with, perhaps, a few more locations around the state. They had a great organic vegetable section.

...as well as organic fruits.

A ton of local salsa companies (preservative-free, but often not organic)

They even had aloe vera leaves!

...for $2.99. Not bad, HR.

Hood River has a large population of Hispanics so I wasn't shocked to see such a wide selection of peppers. It even made me a little nostalgic for Mexico.

Rosauers added a natural food section to their store about eight years ago.

It's called Huckleberry's Fresh Market. They have all kinds of organic and natural processed foods, bottled fruit juices, crackers, chips, rice cakes, baking ingredients, supplements, health and beauty supplies, yogurts, ezekiel bread, ice cream, soy dream, rice dream, hemp and coconut "ice-creams", cheeses of various kinds (soy, almond, rice, dairy), yogurts, energy bars, gluten-free foods, etc

They had raw honey available in the bulk section at a great price: $2.75/lb

And a rainbow of dry goods to peruse.

Back at the ranch, a herd of deer were munching on some goodies in the backyard.

And then I went to Portland.

Stay tuned for my whirlwind trip in Portland, OR. I hit up all my favorite spots.

Thanks for reading and supporting.

Love you.

In a nutshell: My raw food journey

2010-07-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

July 29th, 2010

Burlington, VT

Bon jour!

Greetings from Burlington, VT. I love this town. I'm writing from the City Market Onion-River Food Co-op.

City Market Onion River Food Co-op.

82 South Winooski Ave.

Burlington, VT 05401

Great stuff here. They've got locally-brewed kombucha on tap (a real steal at only $2.69 per lb!)...

...an awesome organic and local produce selection...

...affordable salad bar at $6.49/lb...

...and nice folks all around. I am currently savoring a salad I threw together in their cafe/seating area, which includes some ingredients from their produce section: local organic baby beet greens, local organic sunflower sprouts, organic yellow onion, local fresh sliced okra, Flack Family Farm organic cultured raw vegetables (best cultured veggies ever!), dried dill weed, organic apple cider vinegar, organic tahini, kelp powder, and black pepper. Yummmmmm. Yum, yum, yum.

And my stainless steel water bottle is filled with local ginger kombucha provided by Aqua Vitea Kombucha. I couldn't be happier.

I recently decided to start keeping a daily log of our explorations abroad so I could more easily remember what we do day-to-day, rather than base my blog entries solely on the photos I've collected along the way (and my horrible, horrible memory).

When I sat down yesterday to begin catching up on the past few days we spent traveling out of Canada, I started writing and I couldn't stop. Not because our visit to Quebec was anything short of spectacular, but because I went off on a tangent talking about my current food preferences, my diet of choice, and the problems I've dealt with and am dealing with as a raw foodist. I feel like the material I've explained in the following paragraphs is appropriate to post immediately rather than withholding it until I finally get around to posting the entries of all the towns/cities/countries we've visited between Texas and Quebec. I hope you find this information helpful and insightful.

-------------------------------------------

I'm writing today to bring you all up-to-date on my current health issues. Part of the reason why I'm keeping a blog, is to share my experiences with others so that if you've recently taken the plunge into the world of raw, are only interested in getting your feet wet, or have been going at it for a long time, but still aren't quite getting the results you've heard so much about (e.g. "the raw glow", increased energy, optimum health, vibrancy, better digestion, longevity, increased athletic performance, weight loss/gain, etc), you will be better equipped to navigate the potentially treacherous waters that lie ahead. It's not all smooth sailing all of the time and raw foodism, while extremely beneficial and life-enhancing in many cases, is not the end-all answer for everybody. Health issues come up, life issues come up, stress is a huge factor, internal imbalances - these all need to be addressed when you are left floundering in the middle of the ocean with no lifejacket. Allow me to throw you some floaties.

My raw journey began back in August 2008. I was living in Los Angeles working a 9 AM - 6 PM music industry job at a band management company called 10th Street Entertainment. I had already been vegan for several months and I had experimented with various forms of vegetarian (pescetarian/lacto-ovo/vegan/ayurvedic) diets for 15 years prior to that. Nutrition, fitness, and overall health and wellness has always been a part of my life and a passionate hobby of mine. Why I went to music school instead of pursuing a job in the health field is still a question I'm trying to answer. (It was not in vain, Mom and Dad)

My greatest health concerns at that time had to do with my immune system and premature aging. I felt very weak, malnourished, and frequently came down with sore throats and coughs/colds. At one point I got the flu twice in one month! One day I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize myself. I was pale, dry, and sickly. I didn't think I would have to worry about wrinkles until my 30s. I was only 23. Did I really have to resort to botox at this age?

I knew I was doing something wrong and considered adding fish and dairy back into my diet in hopes of boosting my immune system. However, I was aware that I didn't digest dairy very well and the idea of eating fish all the time didn't appeal to me either. Besides that, supporting the dairy industry went against my morals of being vegan in the first place. I was at a loss.

Fortunately for me, I was in the presence of wisdom. My roommate at the time had a friend who was a nutritionist specializing in the raw food diet. I asked her what she would recommend to help boost my immune system. She suggested a few things - a B12 supplement, avoiding tofu and other processed foods like bagels, and she mentioned the concept of food combining. She also told me about a book by David Wolfe called The Sunfood Diet Success System. This book has become my bible. It has completely changed my life. I've since read it front to back several times over and it's in the van right now just in case I need a little inspiration. Therein began my raw food journey.

When I started out, I transitioned slowly. I increased the amount of raw foods I consumed and gradually weaned myself off of cooked food. It was a very natural process; I didn't feel any pressure or restriction or like I was forcing myself off of cooked food. There was really no sense of deprivation either. It was a choice I was making for myself and my body naturally started craving and preferring raw foods over cooked.

I'd begin the day with a green smoothie in the morning, a salad for lunch with a couple of pieces of Ezekiel sprouted-grain bread, and a burrito with black beans and fresh vegetables or some type of vegan cooked-food dinner. Eventually, my smoothies got larger, my salads got bigger, and the sprouted grain bread went form two slices to one slice to raw flax and sprouted-seed crackers. I ate energy bars labeled "raw" like lara bars and Organic Food Bars.

I remember about a month after I started consciously eating more raw foods, I had this urge to clean out my closet. I went through and took out the clothes I didn't wear, got rid of things I didn't use or need. I felt that my living space needed a detox, a de-cluttering, a cleanse. I also had a moment of clarity one afternoon at work. I was outside on my break, the sun was setting (it was winter and it got dark around 4 PM). I asked myself why I was there, living in LA. I was working as a receptionist at the time. I thought to myself - I could be a receptionist anywhere. I wanted to write music. I wasn't writing music anymore and I wasn't particularly happy with where I was in my life and where it was going in the foreseeable future. Call it a quarter-life crisis. Call it depression. Call it what you will. I decided to leave.

Two months later, I moved out of my apartment. I studied at the Living Light Culinary Institute in Fort Bragg, CA, which specializes in raw vegan, gourmet cuisine (read more about my experience at Living Light here). My one cooked meal a day turned into a raw gourmet dinner - spiralized zucchini/carrot/beet pasta with raw spaghetti sauce or an almond-based alfredo sauce, collard wraps with zucchini hummus, sprouts, avocado, and other vegetables; raw nachos with cashew cheese and raw corn chips; raw lasagna, and maybe a raw dessert of raw carrot cake or cashew cheesecake with cherries or raw goji-cacao treats. Soon I was eating nearly 100% raw every day. My mindset went something like "as long as it's considered 'raw', it's good for me". I started feeling more in tune with my body and my environment. I felt spiritual for the first time in my life. I felt like I could pick up on people's energies more easily. I felt like I had more control over how I viewed the world. I felt more calm and stable and grounded than ever before. And I was 10 lbs lighter! It was an amazing transformation.

So after nine months of living with this mentality and feeling great, I finally hit a plateau. I couldn't figure out what was going on. Suddenly, I didn't have as much energy. I was having digestive issues. I was gassy and bloated and constantly hungry. I had unexplained emotional ups and downs; mild anxiety, depression, and irritability. The raw diet didn't seem to be giving me the results I had heard so much about on the websites, books, and resources I'd been buried in since September 2008. I believed (or desperately wanted to believe) in the raw lifestyle because intuitively it made sense. Why wouldn't raw foods be the ultimate food for human consumption? It's as clean as you can get - unprocessed, unadulterated, high-vibrational foods bursting with enzymes, vitamins, and nutrients. I knew my body was trying to tell my something, but I didn't know what and I didn't know where to go to figure it out. By this time I was living in Portland, Oregon.

It took me about a year to come to any conclusions. I read books, I asked questions on forums, I troubleshot and experimented with different foods. In the process, I tried several different version of the raw diet: The Raw Revolution gourmet raw diet (Cherie Seroria), the Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine (Gabriel Cousens), and the 80-10-10 low fat, raw vegan lifestyle (Douglas Graham). None of them worked for me in the long run. I also went through two months of cleansing and juice fasting with the help of the book Juicing, Fasting, and Detoxing For Life by Cherie Calbom. That experience is a - let me abbreviate: Yet Another Blog post (YABpo) - in itself, but here's the short of it:

I read through the book Juicing, Fasting, and Detoxing For Life back in September 2009 and based on my symptoms, I decided that my organs needed a makeover.

This book contains juice fasts for all your major organs - kidneys, liver, gallbladder, colon, thyroid as well as acidic conditions like candida. It comes complete with menus, recipes, and easy-to-read explanations. I started at the beginning with the intention of doing cleanse after cleanse after cleanse working my way through the book in its entirety.

I began with a preliminary three-day juice fast to get my body primed. A week later I did a seven-day colon cleanse, which entailed juices, smoothies, and a colon cleansing "shake" of various powders - charcoal, ground flax seed, and psyllium husk among other ingredients. My detox symptoms included sinus congestion, nasal drip as well as a 24-hour, low-grade fever of 99ºF-100ºF. Then two weeks after that I started a 15-day liver cleanse of vegetable juices, smoothies, a blended soup of steamed vegetables, and herbal supplements like milk thistle. During the liver cleanse, I had experienced more sinus issues, lethargy, mood swings, and cravings. At the end of the liver cleanse there was an optional gallbladder flush in which you drink vegetable juice in the morning, water all afternoon, and then at night you drink a concoction of warm apple juice and olive oil. If all goes well, the next morning you should release gallstones or "sand" in your urine.

The day following the gallbladder flush, I came down with a 104ºF fever that lasted four days. I had no symptoms of the flu - I wasn't achy, I didn't have a cold or a cough, no congestion. I was just extremely hot with a severe headache. I remember Evan going out to buy a thermometer and when I finally took my temperature, I was astonished that it was over 103ºF. I didn't feel that sick. I still had an appetite and a sense of humor - I was smiling and laughing and eating bananas. I remember thinking that maybe the thermometer was broken so he actually went out and bought another one just to confirm, but sure enough it came up with the same results. My body was cookin'.

I went to the naturopath and she basically called my condition a "toxic fever" resulting from the massive influx of toxins in my bloodstream. Your liver is your primary processing plant for toxins and they build up over time if you don't allow it to cleanse and detox. Anything from pesticide sprays, pollution, mercury, alcohol, and other toxins get filtered through the liver. The naturopath told me to stop juice fasting immediately and to wait until the spring - the best time of year to cleanse your liver - to continue any type of fast. The whole ordeal with my liver pretty much deterred me from attempting any other cleanse for a long time. In fact, the next time I did a liquid fast or detox was eight months later in Hanover, NH when I completed a seven-day Master Cleanse (more on that in a future post).

If I couldn't actively cleanse my organs, I looked for other ways to deal with my less-than-optimal health. Essentially, I've deduced or self-diagnosed (Evan thinks I'm a hypochondriac and he's probably right) that I suffer from candida. Now, let me be frank here, this is not because my cooter itches and smells like fish with a cottage cheese-like discharge. No, sir. I have none of those symptoms. This is candida, an overgrowth of "bad" bacteria (yeast) that lives in my gut and possibly my bloodstream spreading to other areas of my body. This candida is concentrated in my intestinal tract and it's feeding off the sugars I ingest. It's crowding out the good, micro-flora and beneficial bacteria, in turn, making it more difficult for my body to digest and absorb the vitamins, nutrients, and minerals it needs in order to function optimally (I say this while I'm snacking on a non-raw, nut and carob "energy" bar - Nobody's perfect).

Through my friends on the raw food site, giveittomeraw.com, I was turned on to the Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine method of eating as taught by Gabriel Cousens. He founded the Tree of Life Rejuvination Center in Patagonia, AZ that Evan and I visited back in March 2010 (See more about our experience at the Tree of Life here). I experimented with the Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine in January, which is based on principles of low-to-no fruit sugar of any kind, high fat with plenty of nuts, seeds, vegetables, leafy greens, and coconut products. I felt incredibly sluggish and lethargic on this diet from all the fat, which, in retrospect may have been a reaction to the candida die-off. I only continued on it for 30 days.

In the meantime, I was reading the book 80-10-10 by Douglas Graham, the antithesis to the Gabriel Cousens teachings. Considering the way I was feeling on Cousen's approach, 80-10-10 seemed like the better option.

With travels to Mexico in the near future, this diet seemed even more appealing. 80-10-10 is based on the principles of 80% carbohydrate (high fruit), 10% fat (low fat), and 10% protein. Basically, you should be eating a ton of fruit and greens and very little nuts and seeds, while also limiting high-fat fruits like avocados, coconuts, and olives (all oils are off-limits). I will admit, this diet made me feel the best out of all of them. Being in Mexico with the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables allowed this diet to be extremely easy and inexpensive, too, so it worked well for me the six weeks I was there. All the fruit sugar kept my energy high and my mind clear.

For the past several months I have continued with this way of eating. While I did notice a decrease in bloating when and only when I kept my fat very low on 80-10-10 (it was hard to avoid the avocados and coconuts), I experienced tooth & gum sensitivity, cravings for fatty foods and cooked foods, and an underlying feeling that I wasn't quite doing it right.

*Note: Doug Graham says this diet is not ideal for people with weak adrenals and/or thyroid issues.

Perhaps, these symptoms (bloating, tooth sensitivity, cravings) were simply a result of all the fruit sugar I was consuming or, perhaps, it was due to the fact that I was not keeping the fat low enough on most days to really thrive on this low-fat, raw-vegan lifestyle (learn more about 80-10-10 here). Either way, I was feeling like I needed to try something else.

I had suspicions that maybe my thyroid was impaired. I had read that your thyroid needs iodine to function properly. I avoid iodized table salt for the most part and aside from some dulse flakes and other forms of sea vegetables here and there on occasion, I wasn't getting any iodine in my diet. Your thyroid is important in regulating metabolism and hormonal balance. I have gained weight over the past 12 months and I feel like hypothyroidism could be playing a role in that. It's not that I think I weigh too much, let me be clear. The trouble is that I feel puffy, bloated, and uncomfortable. And without much salt intake it is difficult for me to put my finger on exactly what is causing this discomfort.

Nourishing my thyroid became a priority before I was even sure there was a problem. I began eating more seaweed, kelp powder, parsley, chard, apricots, maca, and tahini while avoiding cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage because they are goitrogenic. Goitrogenic foods impair thyroid function especially in people with hypothyroidism. Some experts believe the goitrogens are subdued or eliminated when these foods are cooked, but I'm not sure if that's proven, yet. Other goitrogenic foods include kale, unfermented soy products like tofu, and also some fruits like peaches.

Seeking a change from the 80-10-10 lifestyle and running on the assumption that my thyroid function was failing, I added in foods that would help support my thyroid while slowly filtering out sweet fruits to transition back to a lower fruit sugar, higher fat way of eating. I began eliminating the sweetest fruits from my diet first - dried fruits like figs and dates and then bananas, which for a long period of time were the staple of my diet. I would eat upwards of 10 bananas a day and sometimes more. Of course I had cravings when I made the switch initially, but I tried to transition slowly by replacing the dried fruits and bananas with less carbohydrate-dense fruits like berries, apples, and cherries. Even with these replacement foods, I felt like crap coming down from all that sugar - light-headedness, brain fog, lethargy, and drowsiness were some of the side-effects I experienced. These symptoms continued for a few days until I finally got a bit of my clarity back. I upped my fat-intake during this time as well by including more nuts and seeds, nut and seed butters, coconut oil, and this amazingly rich treat I created - Chia Seed Porridge. If you don't know about the omega 3-packed chia seed superfood, learn more about them here.

Recipe:

1/4 cup chia seeds

1.5 (or more) cups water

1 tblsp tahini

1 tblsp coconut butter

and optional - a few drops of stevia

Instructions: Let chia seeds soak in water for at least 10 minutes before mixing in the other ingredients.

In fact, I probably went a little overboard (or a lot overboard) on my fat intake, but that's just the way it goes for me. I gave myself a little breathing room to explore and I conquered the entire bulk bin aisle - brazil nuts by the handful, sunflower seeds, tahini, almond butter. I really let myself go. The bloating dissipated, however, which was one of my main reasons for making this change. Additionally, I started to get into an exercise routine jogging every day and doing lunges, squats, sit-ups, push-ups, and inversions. It should be noted, too, that I did notice an increase in acne, which I attributed to the dramatic change in fat intake. And I have found that when I eat meals higher in fat, I immediately want to take a nap. Instead of a catnap, I call it my "fatnap".

As of late, my diet has looked something like this: I've been eating a lot of apples, cherries, and berries for breakfast and lunch. I snack on celery sticks with almond butter or other nut/seed butters. Dinner is a big salad with greens, vegetables, apple cider vinegar, tahini, seaweeds and/or dulse flakes and kelp powder. I ran out of my Vitamineral Green powder over a month ago (a good source of iodine from the inclusion of seaweeds and algaes) and recently bought some Hawaiian spirulina that I've been mixing with unsweetened almond or rice milk on a daily basis. The blender broke awhile back, too, so I haven't been getting my green smoothies.This has lead me to feel a bit malnourished lately. I'm missing my greens!

My health is failing and I'm still not sure what's wrong. It could be my thyroid. It could be a parasite of some kind. It could be that I am just not exercising enough. But above all, I'm convinced that the problem lies in my gut: candida.

What lead me to this conclusion began months ago - about 12 months ago as you've been learning in the aforementioned recap. Basically, I have been experiencing all or several of these symptoms on a daily basis for the past year:

- I wake up bloated and heavy

- It doesn't matter what or when I eat, I feel bloated. Even now that I'm conscious of proper food-combining (YABpo), I eat a banana, I feel bloated. I eat a salad, I feel bloated. I eat a green smoothie, I feel bloated. I eat nuts, I feel bloated. I eat an apple, I feel bloated. It doesn't matter if I'm low-fat, high-fat, low-carb, high-carb, fruitarian or otherwise - When I eat, I get bloated.

- I'm always hungry. I eat and eat and eat, but I still don't feel satiated even when my stomach is full.

- I have acne/breakouts (this started soon after I went raw and hasn't stopped since)

- I have to pee ALL THE TIME - frequent urination (This is especially noticeable when you live in a van without a toilet)

- Unexplained irritability and mood swings after I eat or when I go too long without food.

- Unexplained weight gain (I thought this was impossible on a raw food diet. Not so).

- My memory is awful. I can't remember what I did last night, much less where we were last week.

- Dehydration! I experience dry "cottonmouth" regardless of how much water I drink.

- Cold hands and feet even when it's warm outside

There are probably other symptoms that I'm forgetting, but basically I don't feel at all awesome most of the time, which is what I thought a raw food diet was all about - feeling awesome and healthy and full of energy.

So how do I know for sure that I am suffering from candida and not something else? I don't. But I did take a test, a questionnaire that uses a point-system to rank the likelihood of a candida overgrowth. (Note: A certain amount of candida in your gut is normal and healthy, but you're looking for a balance of good bacteria to "bad" bacteria that's why I put "bad" in quotation marks. You need a balance).

You can find that test here.

I scored a grand total of 209, soaring well above their projected 180-point ceiling that "yeast-connected health problems are almost certainly present".

This brings me to my newest endeavor: the Body Ecology Diet. This is a diet based around the premise of intestinal health - getting your digestion in tact so you can absorb foods for optimal nutrition and well-being. You do this by flooding the system with probiotics in the form of cultured vegetables, kefirs, miso paste, and yogurt (or coconut yogurt in my case). Probiotics are the good bacteria, which literally means "pro-life", the opposite of antibiotics "anti-life". The Body Ecology Diet includes sour fruits (like berries, pomegranate, grapefruit, lemons/limes), fresh non-cruciferous vegetables (unless the cruciferous vegetables are fermented - think: sauerkraut and kim chi), and alkalizing grain-like seeds (quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, and millet). I have been dabbling with this diet for the past few days and I've already noticed a difference. For example, I ate a granny smith apple this morning (the sour green apples often used in pies) and it tasted surprisingly sweet! Usually those apples are very tart and sour tasting in comparison to the sweet fruits I have opted for in the past. I'm less bloated as well and I find that I finally feel satiated and eat less frequently (3 meals a day versus snacking all day long). I also noticed today that I didn't feel that crash after eating my meals (and they were high-fat meals with tahini, and other nuts and seeds) This is a very exciting discovery.

I haven't yet read the The Body Ecology Diet book by Donna Gates, but I've put my order in at Waucoma Bookstore (owned and operated by my brother and sister-in-law, Muir and Jenny :) I should be picking it up in Detroit next week where I will be spending a few days with my folks, my grandma, and my mom's side of the family.

I plan to officially begin this diet in the fall or winter months when local fruits are unavailable and my body will be craving those cooked grain-like seeds, steamed veggies, and soups. The Body Ecology method of eating is a great way to nourish the kidneys, adrenals, and thyroid, which I have suspected have been out of whack since I began investigating my symptoms last summer. This suspicion was confirmed when I went to the naturopath complaining of kidney pain earlier this month in PEI (Prince Edward Island, Canada). You'll hear more about this in a future blog post. She told me my adrenals were weak and that I have poor circulation (cold hands and feet), which negatively affects the thyroid and kidneys.

I've since made it a point to eat foods and herbs that will nourish my kidneys, adrenals, and thyroid. Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, sugar, processed foods, meat and dairy is also recommended, but I do a good job of avoiding these foods already. One of the biggest factors in adrenal fatigue is stress. I could eat all the alkalizing foods and herbs in the world and stress would still prevail by creating an overall acidic environment in the body. An overly acidic environment in the body, also known as acidosis, leads to dis-ease. The body's acid-alkaline balance is a YABpo (yet Another Blog post) that I will elaborate on someday in the future, but here's the condensed version:

Your blood is slightly alkaline and needs to stay between a pH of 7.35 and 7.45 in order for you to exist in the world (stay alive). The more acidic your body is, the harder your body has to work to keep it alkaline. The harder your body works to keep it alkaline, the more free radicals get released and the more compromised your immune system becomes.

Things like meat, pasteurized dairy products, processed foods, sugar, cooked grains, most nuts (except raw almonds), and stress are acidifying to the body. In order to counteract the acidic environment, your system seeks out alkaline minerals to help bring it back to center. For example, it takes calcium from your bones and teeth. This is why so many people deal with osteoperosis as they age. The body has been depleting calcium from the bones for years in order to keep the blood pH between that narrow range of alkalinity. And don't assume your calcium supplements are going to protect you. That's a YABpo I will discuss further concerning the toxins found in vitamin supplements, the effectiveness of isolated nutrients especially synthetic forms of those nutrients, and how you are more than likely doing harm to your body rather than helping it when you take standard vitamin supplements.

On top of that, it's quite the conundrum that the dairy industry promotes pasteurized dairy products to help build your bones when pasteurized dairy products are acidifying! Raw dairy products, however, are slightly alkalizing so if you're going to eat dairy - get the raw stuff, eh?

As a way to deal with stress, I've been implementing EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) also known as "tapping". EFT is, literally, tapping on meridian end points located on the hands, face, and chest while repeating affirmations or other concerns to help release stress, physical pain, worries, fears or whatever it is that is weighing you down.

Chart taken from this site: http://www.jancisek.com/tapping/

Why am I stressed? This lifestyle is very stressful for one. Living on the road, traveling non-stop, not having a real "home", limited space, working on the road, a constant change in scenery, new people all the time, new faces, new geography, new vibrations, etc. It may sound like "the life" to some people and, don't get me wrong, I am so, so, so, so happy to be doing what I'm doing and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but it does put a bit of stress on my virgoan body. Living in such close quarters with my partner is straining at times.

Over the last few days, I've been taking probiotic supplements (by Dr. Ohhira) in the morning before I eat anything. I've also been taking an adrenal-kidney homeopathic that I got from the naturopath in PEI as well as a stress homeopathic. I've been sharing the stress homeopathic with Evan, too, and I've noticed a difference in both of our stress levels and ability to deal with day-to-day stressors. In addition, I picked up a green powder formula from the co-op here in Burlington. I can't find Vitamineral Green anywhere, but I found this and I think it's pretty good: Garden of Life Perfect Food Raw - Raw Organic Green Super Food.

I've notice it gives me a little boost of energy and curbs cravings. It's similar to Vitamineral Green in the sense that it contains a combination of greens (barley grass, alfalfa, wheat grass) as well as probiotics and enzymes. It does not contain any seaweed or algaes, though. Learn more about Garden of Life Perfect Food RAW here. I've also been eating cultured vegetables with my salads and taking a hydrochloric acid tablet called Quantum Betaine HCL

after each meal to aid in digestion. I can tell my digestion has improved from taking these measures. There is definitely a noticeable difference.

Anyway, I've been meaning to give you all "the story" for a long time and I'm glad I finally sat down and barfed it out. I realize I didn't really address food-combining, but you can read more about that here. I will discuss it in a YABpo sometime down the road.
Chart taken from the site: http://www.momssoapbox.com/fad-diet-food-combining/

I feel really confident about this new diet discovery, the Body Ecology Diet (BED). I think it's the key to curing my ailments and imbalances. One last thing I plan to do in the near future regarding my health is go to directlabs.com and order the "Comprehensive Wellness Profile". Directlabs.com is an online labratory and dispensary. It's essentially a site that works like this: You order a test or multiple tests, it gets sent to your home in the form of a kit, you take it to one of 3,000 test centers nationwide, get your blood drawn, and then send the kit back and wait for them to send you your results via email (they claim within 24-48 hours). It's way cheaper than going to a doctor's office to get lab work done. Especially if you don't have health insurance (or a plan that will cover things like blood work). The CWP profile that I plan to order, includes the following:

Lipid panel: This is a group of simple blood tests that reveal important information about the types, amount and distribution of the various types of fats (lipids) in the bloodstream.

Complete Blood Count(CBC's): Used as a broad screening test to check for such disorders as anemia, infection, and many other diseases. It is actually a panel of tests that examines different parts of the blood.

Fluids and Electrolytes: Includes Chloride, Serum, Potassium, Sodium, Serum, and Carbon Dioxide

Thyroid Panel w/TSH: Includes T-3 Uptake, T4, T7, TSH

Liver Panel: Includes Albumin, Alkaline Phosphatase, Alanine Transaminase (ALT) (SGPT), Aspartate Transaminase (AST) (SGOT), Bilirubin, Total, Bilirubin, Direct, Protein, Total

Kidney Panel: Includes Albumin, Calcium, Carbon dioxide, Chloride, Creatinine, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, BUN

Glucose (Diabetes)

Mineral and Bone: Iron, Total, Calcium, and Phosphorus

I've been meaning to get my blood work done for awhile now in order to see the areas of health I need to really focus on and where my deficiencies/weakness are in terms of minerals, organ and hormonal function, and B12 levels, etc.

Ok, my last words and then I'll shut up for awhile:
The raw food diet hasn't been a complete failure by a long shot. My digestion has suffered, yes. My acne has increased, yes. But I haven't gotten ill since I started this journey other than during times of cleansing and detox, which says A LOT in terms of my immune system. I didn't get a flu shot last year for the first time in probably ten years and I have had no issues - no cough or cold, no aches and pains (other than headaches during my "toxic fever" episode). So what does that tell you?

Check back soon to read about my progress with BED and my results from directlabs.com. I'm hoping to get a travel post up next week detailing my trip back to Hood River, Oregon.

Merci and au revoir!