the following is a post i threw together on a whim for my raw-fu peeps, but i thought i'd re-post it here, since someone reading this may also connect with the information...
let me preface this with the fact that i am not a doctor, nor do i play one on t.v.
what i DO do, is study and use wholistic and natural therapies, and have for 20 years... both in formal accredited classrooms and on my own.
i wanted to share some information @ a natural remedy that works for me regarding the ease of physical acceptance- especially during this poignant time of transformation that many of those who are [trying to and are successfully] loosing extra poundage are experiencing.
we all see these gorgeous before and after photos, and ooh and ahh at the severe and subtle changes that inspire and affect us. we share in conversations about plans, and hopes and fears, about raw vibrant living, but sometimes, we are faulted, and get down on ourselves, perhaps asking "why haven't i lost 956 lbs in 3 months... like so-and-so did! waaaaahh boohoo." or even this: "damned fat spare tire, i hate you!"
enough of that! STOP!
at this point, you need to re-group, center yourself, and just be.
but it's hard. maybe you're detoxing, feeling hormonal. perhaps the dog crapped on the rug, the rent is due, you have sunburn, etc. either way, life happens all around us. no stopping it, right? it's all okay. it's not you. you're just human. but in order to not beat yourself up too much and be super-cranky about your body in backlash to whatever... maybe you can take some CRAB APPLE Bach Flower Remedy!
bach flower remedies are homeopathic* tinctures made from plants which you take sub-lingually, for mental/emotional influxes. traditional homeopathy covers the physical, mental and/or emotional, but bach flower remedies are mostly taken for effecting our inner world. they are gentle and compassionate healers.
so you all know, i am not a retailer, a secret bach flower-pusher, nor do i have any affiliation to this company at all. what i do is: i have experienced hugely beneficial shifts in my mental and emotional states from taking these liquid drops.
maybe you've heard of "rescue remedy" for trauma, and stress? it's quite popular.
i could go on and on about the other remedies, but will not. that's another thread.
since i myself have been crabby and feeling rotten about my extra cushion, i have taken this lately, it helped me immensely. i look in the mirror and no meltdowns. not even a tiny one. i accept what i see, and am cool with my body, imperfections and all.
[ i'm taking the tincture once a day for three, then skipping two, then one three...etc.]
* homeopathy should not- as a rule of thumb- be taken within 15 mins of eating/drinking, be used in conjunction with mint, strong aromas, or coffee. it can anecdote the effects.
hope this helps.
xo,
violet
7.16.2008
Raw-Fu... for Me and You!
It's on! I am on board for Raw-Fu, the 100 day raw food challenge {a'la Bunny Berry's Raw-Fu website... check out her blog to the right, in my links arena.}
It is just the kick in the pants I need.
I tried to see if cukes gave me that glorious feeling that watermelon did the other day, and it was a bust. Bummer. Strawberries too. Tasty but not energizing or brain-euphoria-inducing. Maybe it's my inner sugar-demon crying out for the sweetness. Maybe not. At least I didn't feel less well than before snacking on either the berries or cukes. Come to think of it, leafy greens make me blissful and ecstatic. So maybe it's not the sugar. More trial and yummers until i find that bliss. Then my tastes and mineral needs will change, and it'll be kiwi and wakame all the time. And so on, and so on, etc.
Our bodies tell us such secrets and we must be patient and quiet enough to listen. Following a raw food lifestyle is such a challenge in and of itself, that this 100 days RAW-FU is going to be some wacky mad professor type of experiment. With benefits for living. I'm gonna need much support when it comes socializing/parties. That's my personal pitfall. I'm naturally a social butterfly, and as such a creature, I find it easy to fly around and sample tasty treats like it's no biggie. The Catholic or Jewish or Vegan or Whatever Guilt immediately descends upon me as soon as I drive home. Enough of that.
Last night, like some prisoner in Alkitraz or Folsom Prison, I had this "last meal" type of dinner- from this [used to taste] wonderful Chinese place my pals and I ordered from. I still feel kinda nasty. I was up ALL NIGHT with stomach pain and nausea. My body can tolerate cooked quinoa and steamed veggies and such, but other more complicated or heavy cooked foods, NO WAY! And I think that's great. I woke with a bloat, but after glass after glass after glass of water, and makin' moves... I realized I craved GREEN FOOD. Magical green smoothie brunch infused with gogi sure woke me up! And improved my day.
Whenever i am off that raw wagon, i seem to always crawl back towards RAW via green smoothies. Stephen Poplawski, in 1922, invented the blender.
Bless you Stephen Poplawski.
It is just the kick in the pants I need.
I tried to see if cukes gave me that glorious feeling that watermelon did the other day, and it was a bust. Bummer. Strawberries too. Tasty but not energizing or brain-euphoria-inducing. Maybe it's my inner sugar-demon crying out for the sweetness. Maybe not. At least I didn't feel less well than before snacking on either the berries or cukes. Come to think of it, leafy greens make me blissful and ecstatic. So maybe it's not the sugar. More trial and yummers until i find that bliss. Then my tastes and mineral needs will change, and it'll be kiwi and wakame all the time. And so on, and so on, etc.
Our bodies tell us such secrets and we must be patient and quiet enough to listen. Following a raw food lifestyle is such a challenge in and of itself, that this 100 days RAW-FU is going to be some wacky mad professor type of experiment. With benefits for living. I'm gonna need much support when it comes socializing/parties. That's my personal pitfall. I'm naturally a social butterfly, and as such a creature, I find it easy to fly around and sample tasty treats like it's no biggie. The Catholic or Jewish or Vegan or Whatever Guilt immediately descends upon me as soon as I drive home. Enough of that.
Last night, like some prisoner in Alkitraz or Folsom Prison, I had this "last meal" type of dinner- from this [used to taste] wonderful Chinese place my pals and I ordered from. I still feel kinda nasty. I was up ALL NIGHT with stomach pain and nausea. My body can tolerate cooked quinoa and steamed veggies and such, but other more complicated or heavy cooked foods, NO WAY! And I think that's great. I woke with a bloat, but after glass after glass after glass of water, and makin' moves... I realized I craved GREEN FOOD. Magical green smoothie brunch infused with gogi sure woke me up! And improved my day.
Whenever i am off that raw wagon, i seem to always crawl back towards RAW via green smoothies. Stephen Poplawski, in 1922, invented the blender.
Bless you Stephen Poplawski.
7.15.2008
food and mood- best pals or rivals for life?
here at the newly appointed headquarters for starting from scratch- again, i have decided to chart my food/mood correlations and then have a looksie later on in blog-land as the connections begin to unfold.
i have between 24-48 oz. of water in the morning before eating- to flush out and re-hydrate from the evening before. then i usually have a greens and fruit smoothie, or a breakfast salad or whatever. it's not easy for me to be on a strict dietary regime like some are. i do not enjoy the planning or rigid scheduling. or the predictability. some days i must have olives for breakfast, and if the calendar says cauliflower bisque... too bad.
this morning for breakies, i had some luscious watermelon slices.
from yumyum farms.
seriously.
how awesome is that?
if i had a farm, calling it yumyum would totally be on the top 5 choices for the name.
anyway, i noticed, after eating this gorgeous fruit, post- admiring it's color and juiceyness, that i felt calmly alert and happy. still do.
parsley is another one that effects me positively.
basil too- but less so.
cucumbers?
i am not talking about what foods make me happy while eating them- i am talking about the foods that leave me feeling well and whole and pleasant and happy after eating and digesting them, and hopefully for some time following as well.
so i think it's experiment time. strawberries and mangoes are two trusted favorites, but let's see how they fare the isolated eating/meal test.
i used to love the traditional, famous waldorf salad. but it's mayo-ness is on the "give me a break" list, so i whipped up, literally , a new recipe for my dining pleasure. if anyone out there in cyberland tries this, let me know how it goes.
it's WALDORF recipe time:
dressing-
in food processor, blend up @ 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, and 1/4 cup pignoli's with juice of 1/2 of a lemon until it's finely ground and turns very light in color.
to it, add a couple splashes of bragg's apple cider vinegar, a couple to a few TBS virginal coconut oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, a pinch or three of dill, a tad of sass and attitude, [i add a shake of this yummy non-salt herbal blend powder from the natural foods store as well,] and as much ice-cold water as it needs to make the dressing thin enough to pour- blending as i add the water thru the chute.
salad base-
soft lettuce greens- like red/green leaf, bibb, &/or boston lettuce[s.]
a generous amount of sliced celery and golden delish apple chunks.
toss some dressing over the lettuce/celery/apple melange while singing a little tune. it always makes it taste better.
garnish-
with avocado, chopped walnuts and purple onion slices.
eat and enjoy!
i have between 24-48 oz. of water in the morning before eating- to flush out and re-hydrate from the evening before. then i usually have a greens and fruit smoothie, or a breakfast salad or whatever. it's not easy for me to be on a strict dietary regime like some are. i do not enjoy the planning or rigid scheduling. or the predictability. some days i must have olives for breakfast, and if the calendar says cauliflower bisque... too bad.
this morning for breakies, i had some luscious watermelon slices.
from yumyum farms.
seriously.
how awesome is that?
if i had a farm, calling it yumyum would totally be on the top 5 choices for the name.
anyway, i noticed, after eating this gorgeous fruit, post- admiring it's color and juiceyness, that i felt calmly alert and happy. still do.
parsley is another one that effects me positively.
basil too- but less so.
cucumbers?
i am not talking about what foods make me happy while eating them- i am talking about the foods that leave me feeling well and whole and pleasant and happy after eating and digesting them, and hopefully for some time following as well.
so i think it's experiment time. strawberries and mangoes are two trusted favorites, but let's see how they fare the isolated eating/meal test.
i used to love the traditional, famous waldorf salad. but it's mayo-ness is on the "give me a break" list, so i whipped up, literally , a new recipe for my dining pleasure. if anyone out there in cyberland tries this, let me know how it goes.
it's WALDORF recipe time:
dressing-
in food processor, blend up @ 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, and 1/4 cup pignoli's with juice of 1/2 of a lemon until it's finely ground and turns very light in color.
to it, add a couple splashes of bragg's apple cider vinegar, a couple to a few TBS virginal coconut oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, a pinch or three of dill, a tad of sass and attitude, [i add a shake of this yummy non-salt herbal blend powder from the natural foods store as well,] and as much ice-cold water as it needs to make the dressing thin enough to pour- blending as i add the water thru the chute.
salad base-
soft lettuce greens- like red/green leaf, bibb, &/or boston lettuce[s.]
a generous amount of sliced celery and golden delish apple chunks.
toss some dressing over the lettuce/celery/apple melange while singing a little tune. it always makes it taste better.
garnish-
with avocado, chopped walnuts and purple onion slices.
eat and enjoy!
7.14.2008
slip slidin' away
taking deeper breaths into the abyss instead of away from it causes thunder to erupt in the form of resistance and slacking. then it mutates into insight and gentleness. if i play my cards right.
we're all butterflies, it's just that some of us are in the chrysalis stage, and others are dancing in flight.
i'm a caterpillar, climbing up the tree of experience.
i've fallen down a few times.
let's call it soul-gravity, and let's also say that it's very intense.
i know that some of you raw-sters out there have been generous with your sharing of your cooked-to-raw experiences- good, bad, ugly and whatnot, but i'd like to put my two pence into the mix. the telling of any story is cathartic even if over-stimulating or painful in the beginning. that's why it is soo important to share and communicate with one another. it can be isolating when making any grand changes in our life, regardless of the goodness or intent behind them.
so- here goes.
like alice down the rabbit hole, i literally fell into the world of raw. being veg [and mostly vegan] for the last 24 years, it did not appear to be a big deal...
looking around, some things appeared familiar and other things were a splendiferous anomaly. the challenge was to put the logical pieces together with the intuitive pieces, to complete a health-puzzle, for which what seems like lifetimes, was and is not joined. self-knowledge through the reading of the body. soul-knowledge analyzed by the flowing through and blockages around everyday existence. literally- creative anarchy.
my body demands raw and living foods. my soul perks right up.
but my brain and personality/character are brazen and they rebel- like teenagers. do i punish them? no- i listen to them. after all, no-one else will. the most resistant of emotions or thoughts i experience are the most important lesson-bearers of my transition, which i thought would not take as long. but i'm more complicated than alice, and have a lifetime of living to sort through if i am willing to live honestly. and i am. for me that's a stripping away through the years of conflicted feel-ing. we as americans reward goodness and achievement with food and/or alcohol. we celebrate our growing with sugar and unnatural blends of foods that at one time were real. grandma kisses the bump on the knee then makes cookies to soothe. the fact that many of us were medicated and rewarded with food is no shock. remove the reward system and the shock is shocking! for example- i got a new job, and what did we do to celebrate? nothing. owch. bump on the knee indeed. but no kiss or cookies from grandma. ready- set- go... trigger time. i do not want to substitute raw for cooked crap. i want to not want the crap. perhaps i am just one hyper-aware woman in a sea of those who do not wish to delve into the mire. i don't know. either that's true, or people are afraid to talk openly [to a stranger] about the emotional issues re: raw living after years of pleasurable cooking and eating. maybe the hippy-dippy-ism i sometimes encounter is bullshit. perhaps the lucky souls have had amazing and perfect lives, untouched by anything negative related to food or emotions. or they are robots. or just strangers. it's strange.
i know i am an unusually open person. closing myself off is something i absolutely cannot afford. it can be deadly for me. literally. openness and sharing is so vital, if i am not constantly open, i am not in the flow. my personal thoughts and ideas are not necessarily included in the openness equation. there is enough for me to keep private, and more than enough to share.
so i wanted to share the fact that in the last few weeks, or a month even, it has been so incredibly hard for me to be as raw as i'd like, due to the sprained ankle, the art festival i was involved in, and the new job combo. not being able to maneuver around the kitchen and pantry was a bust. i hopped and hobbled as best as i could, but my body cried out for the comforts of heated yumyums. so i ate them. and i secretly berated myself for not sticking with such a wholesome and health diet in the time of distress. i caved in to the opposite of what i "needed." and like dominoes, it set a motion in play which got out of control.
so- do i look up to the sky, or deeper down into the rabbit hole, all the while thinking "what now?"
i start from scratch.
those cookies grandma made were sweet.
what do i replace them with?
empty answers and the lack of celebration?
my energy is lulling and i'm hungry often.
i am short in patience with loved ones. very rare for me.
i have been having the most unrealistic yet horribly realistic nightmares lately.
i want to go back to school and complete my degree already.
i'd like to go swimming at the beach down the street, but it's not clean enough for that.
start from scratch.
be okay with the headaches. all over again. chill out more. go out less. kale kale kale. and collards. and chard. let some gunk out. heartfelt gunk. i have a plethora of gunk-globules to garnish the world with.
i spent years cooking for fun and for a living. i have penned notebooks filled with recipes i will never make again- not for myself anyway. this makes me very upset. i miss the creative joy derived from sharing nutrition i may never again be able to replicate raw. it's like if someone told me i could never paint with watercolors again, or use black and white film. how dare they?!?!? but it's me telling me what's best, so i rebel against myself. i had general tso's tofu. delicious and gross simultaneously. i had too much fermented imbibements when out with friends. and felt crappy for 2 days. angels and devils on both shoulders- having a screaming match that never resolves itself. i choose the high road. choose. not that it's an easy choice mind you. it's choosing the roller-coaster that you know may make you barf, but doing it anyway, because it's the most thrilling ride yet.
buckle up, it's gonna be a doozy.
we're all butterflies, it's just that some of us are in the chrysalis stage, and others are dancing in flight.
i'm a caterpillar, climbing up the tree of experience.
i've fallen down a few times.
let's call it soul-gravity, and let's also say that it's very intense.
i know that some of you raw-sters out there have been generous with your sharing of your cooked-to-raw experiences- good, bad, ugly and whatnot, but i'd like to put my two pence into the mix. the telling of any story is cathartic even if over-stimulating or painful in the beginning. that's why it is soo important to share and communicate with one another. it can be isolating when making any grand changes in our life, regardless of the goodness or intent behind them.
so- here goes.
like alice down the rabbit hole, i literally fell into the world of raw. being veg [and mostly vegan] for the last 24 years, it did not appear to be a big deal...
looking around, some things appeared familiar and other things were a splendiferous anomaly. the challenge was to put the logical pieces together with the intuitive pieces, to complete a health-puzzle, for which what seems like lifetimes, was and is not joined. self-knowledge through the reading of the body. soul-knowledge analyzed by the flowing through and blockages around everyday existence. literally- creative anarchy.
my body demands raw and living foods. my soul perks right up.
but my brain and personality/character are brazen and they rebel- like teenagers. do i punish them? no- i listen to them. after all, no-one else will. the most resistant of emotions or thoughts i experience are the most important lesson-bearers of my transition, which i thought would not take as long. but i'm more complicated than alice, and have a lifetime of living to sort through if i am willing to live honestly. and i am. for me that's a stripping away through the years of conflicted feel-ing. we as americans reward goodness and achievement with food and/or alcohol. we celebrate our growing with sugar and unnatural blends of foods that at one time were real. grandma kisses the bump on the knee then makes cookies to soothe. the fact that many of us were medicated and rewarded with food is no shock. remove the reward system and the shock is shocking! for example- i got a new job, and what did we do to celebrate? nothing. owch. bump on the knee indeed. but no kiss or cookies from grandma. ready- set- go... trigger time. i do not want to substitute raw for cooked crap. i want to not want the crap. perhaps i am just one hyper-aware woman in a sea of those who do not wish to delve into the mire. i don't know. either that's true, or people are afraid to talk openly [to a stranger] about the emotional issues re: raw living after years of pleasurable cooking and eating. maybe the hippy-dippy-ism i sometimes encounter is bullshit. perhaps the lucky souls have had amazing and perfect lives, untouched by anything negative related to food or emotions. or they are robots. or just strangers. it's strange.
i know i am an unusually open person. closing myself off is something i absolutely cannot afford. it can be deadly for me. literally. openness and sharing is so vital, if i am not constantly open, i am not in the flow. my personal thoughts and ideas are not necessarily included in the openness equation. there is enough for me to keep private, and more than enough to share.
so i wanted to share the fact that in the last few weeks, or a month even, it has been so incredibly hard for me to be as raw as i'd like, due to the sprained ankle, the art festival i was involved in, and the new job combo. not being able to maneuver around the kitchen and pantry was a bust. i hopped and hobbled as best as i could, but my body cried out for the comforts of heated yumyums. so i ate them. and i secretly berated myself for not sticking with such a wholesome and health diet in the time of distress. i caved in to the opposite of what i "needed." and like dominoes, it set a motion in play which got out of control.
so- do i look up to the sky, or deeper down into the rabbit hole, all the while thinking "what now?"
i start from scratch.
those cookies grandma made were sweet.
what do i replace them with?
empty answers and the lack of celebration?
my energy is lulling and i'm hungry often.
i am short in patience with loved ones. very rare for me.
i have been having the most unrealistic yet horribly realistic nightmares lately.
i want to go back to school and complete my degree already.
i'd like to go swimming at the beach down the street, but it's not clean enough for that.
start from scratch.
be okay with the headaches. all over again. chill out more. go out less. kale kale kale. and collards. and chard. let some gunk out. heartfelt gunk. i have a plethora of gunk-globules to garnish the world with.
i spent years cooking for fun and for a living. i have penned notebooks filled with recipes i will never make again- not for myself anyway. this makes me very upset. i miss the creative joy derived from sharing nutrition i may never again be able to replicate raw. it's like if someone told me i could never paint with watercolors again, or use black and white film. how dare they?!?!? but it's me telling me what's best, so i rebel against myself. i had general tso's tofu. delicious and gross simultaneously. i had too much fermented imbibements when out with friends. and felt crappy for 2 days. angels and devils on both shoulders- having a screaming match that never resolves itself. i choose the high road. choose. not that it's an easy choice mind you. it's choosing the roller-coaster that you know may make you barf, but doing it anyway, because it's the most thrilling ride yet.
buckle up, it's gonna be a doozy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
