The Joy of Food

What is the difference between gluttony and enjoying your food?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the Joy of Food. These two words don’t usually go together. I haven’t finished thinking about it yet but I wanted to tell you my thoughts so far.

If something tastes great then often it’s associated with guilt which is about as far away from joy as you can get. These days I prefer not to eat a food if I really don’t like it. I either find a way to prepare it so I like it or leave it out.

Often women (and some blokes) go on diets which inevitably equates with temporary misery only to be replaced by frustration when any weight loss is regained, plus a bit more.

Ah, the battles in our minds that we have become accustomed to over the years. Should I? No, I shouldn’t. Go on, no one will know. Okay. No. Well, just a little bit then….

But it’s never a ‘little bit’, is it?

Why do we do this to ourselves? Food is one of the great gifts in life. It could’ve been created for purposeful functionality only but it looks gorgeous, smells amazing, the texture so satisfying and the taste…sweet, juicy, crunchy, sour, salty, and so many more delicious adjectives.

The difference between indulging and relishing starts in our minds. At what point do you know when you've had enough and when the stage has been reached when more is too much?

I suggest you take a quiet moment and purposefully decide where the dividing line is for you at the moment.

It is hopeless for me to have a morning or afternoon tea/coffee without something to nibble on. It is part of my tradition and it feels wrong not to. Rather than change that habit, it is easier to change what I eat. A well chosen snack will give me energy instead of feeling tired, hungry and cranky. What can I eat that will serve my body and my mind?

I try to choose something that is ‘close to the earth’ most of the time. If I’m at a café this isn't usually an option. But that’s okay because it doesn't happen as often as my better choices do. A piece of cake with cream (of course) isn't going to ruin anything. Since they’re usually too big, what I need to learn is to leave some behind or take some home in a serviette. One of my children would see it wasn't wasted.

I propose that the expressions, “to die for”, “indulge” and “luxury” should be banned from foods. There is nothing immoral or wicked about cake and cream, ice cream and fudge sauce (raw or cooked) or hot chips, for that matter. Trim is not more virtuous than full fat and there are no bonus points for eating a plain boiled potato over a crunchy roasted one. Provided that you have sorted the balance, that is. Learning the difference between occasional and everyday foods is the key to freeing yourself to experience joy without guilt in your eating and drinking.

I have found the balance that is right for me with raw and cooked foods. If you’d like to talk this through or want me to help you plan how to achieve this blissful balance, book a Raw Foundations session with me.

Bring back the Joy of Food to your life!

Christine
www.gomoreraw.com
email: christine@gomoreraw.com
____________________________________________________

The Anglo-Far East Company
The Original Private Gold and Silver Bullion Custodian
Your reference when you order: an-001
____________________________________________________

The Science of Raw and Healthy

For those of you who wonder about the science of healthy eating, rather than just opinion of website owners, these links may make useful reading for you.



Perhaps you need to reassure yourself (when the going gets tough) or you have concerned friends and relatives worried about you. Why folk worry when you give up processed food for fresh, I’ll never know.

• How long before you benefit from a heath kick?
• Study links asthma to fast food.
• Eating fruit and veg will make you happier.

That should keep you busy for a while.

Keep the links handy; you never know when you might need to remind yourself or send on to a caring friend. some folk need science to convince rather than those closest to them. I don’t mind; whatever it takes for someone I care about to have their eyes opened and the opportunity to improve their health.

Hint: strongly resist the temptation to say’ “I told you so!”

Remember a couple of weeks ago I said I’d listened to an interview with the creator of InLiven and Fast Tract (Probiotic)? Well, here is the interview. It is slightly longer than an hour in length so if you don’t have a chunk of time, then break it up into tea/coffee/herbal break sizes of 15 mins each. Or if you’re really clever, download so you can play it in your car (I’m not this clever; I’m dependent on children – pathetic, really).

I hope it gives you the “Ah, ha!” moment. You can order via the  www.gomoreraw.com shop, or go to www.christinesmith.mionegroup.com. These can be delivered almost anywhere in the world.

Christine
www.gomoreraw.com
email: christine@gomoreraw.com
____________________________________________________

The Anglo-Far East Company
The Original Private Gold and Silver Bullion Custodian
Your reference when you order: an-001
____________________________________________________

Natural Remedies for Coughs and Colds

Are you looking for a natural remedy for coughs and colds in your household?

I can recommend these from the experience of what our household has had over the last week or so. A couple of my dearly beloveds had need of remedies.

One came down with the thick head and tell-tale sore throat that usually precedes a cold that lasts two weeks. The other,  a pesky cold-then-cough that creates general discomfort, a sandpaper nose and much coughing when people are trying to sleep. You know how it is.

The two-weeker turned into a three dayer; call it co-incidence if you wish but since one can’t time-travel and reset to compare results, I am going with the assumption that the ViroGone from Artemis actually helped. Naturally, I plied the Significant Other with fresh juices, lots of water and good food. But really and truly the recovery has never been as quick as this. Definite thumbs up and this product earned a place in the Go More Raw Web shop.

Although the second Case History coughed and filled copious tissues, she has recovered remarkably quicker than I am accustomed to. (Remember we’ve had five children with our fair share of viruses to observe over the years).  Actually, the amount of nose-emptying (sorry) was exactly what the Chest Relief was supposed to do.

I commend both of these products to your natural remedy approach for you and your family this winter.
These are on special in our shop until stock runs out.

Artemis Chest Relief, $31.85 (rrp $51.00)



Artemis ViroGone, $37.40 (rrp $60.00)



Don’t forget our Starter Packs: the Smoothie Pack will make 25 – 40/50 smoothies and the Sweet Treats #2 a minimum of 10 batches (give or take; really depends on how many Cherries and if you use them each time).

My last comment for the week: “25% of what we eat keeps us alive, 75% keeps our doctors alive.”

Apparently this is an Egyptian proverb. Whether or not the ratios are true for your life or not, it is still a proverb worth considering for our food choices.

Choose well, and enjoy your food!

Christine
www.gomoreraw.com
email: christine@gomoreraw.com

____________________________________________________

The Anglo-Far East Company
The Original Private Gold and Silver Bullion Custodian
Your reference when you order: an-001
____________________________________________________

Other Things I Like

You and I probably have a few things in common. Those drawn to a way of life usually share similar interests. Of course, there will be aspects of your life that aren’t in mine and vice versa. And that’s a good thing because we are unique and make our own choices for our priorities.

For instance, the chances are very good that a fair number of you like to garden, choose free range chicken and eggs, recycle/reuse and read the labels on groceries to see if MSG lurks in its many disguises.

Frugal living is something that I enjoy. Over the years I have got books out of the library that tell me how to save money, and/or time (you usually trade off one for the other), teach me how to mend or refashion, prepare food that sustains my family as well as my purse.

Since my early family-raising days the internet has now taken over for accessibility and speed. Although I don’t think I will ever get sick of the satisfaction of turning pages of a real book.

I subscribe to blogs* and sites that inspire me and reassure me that I’m not really crazy and even if I am there are so many others crazier than me that I’m never going to be lonely.

I love learning from other people, and gaining wisdom to better equip me. Much of what I now know I wish I knew in my very early days of raising a family, although I am told I was a sandal wearer way back then. Apparently I am now a veteran hippy but my version wears make-up, colours the encroaching grey hairs and loves colourful clothes and earrings.

Today I made a laundry powder instead of the normal liquid one I usually make (actually, I've bought natural ones for the last couple of months as my time priorities lay elsewhere). I don’t pretend to have made up the recipe** and there are plenty of similar versions on the ‘net.

Here’s the one I used:

2 cups Lux flakes
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 cup baking soda

Blend everything in the food processor. My contribution to the recipe was the addition of 10 drops of peppermint oil. One tablespoon per normal sized wash is all you need. A cold water wash is fine although the washing will benefit by agitating for part of the first cycle and ‘pausing’ for a few hours or overnight. Restart in the morning and let machine finish cycle. The extra soak improves the lifting out of dirt and a better result. It also means you can experiment with using less powder and so save a bit more money.

I could talk about many other things that you might share as interests such as parenting, slow living, DIY, knitting, repurposing, herbal remedies, etc, etc. Another day, perhaps.

BTW For those of you in Auckland the Green Living Expo is on this weekend at the Show Grounds. I’m looking forward to it. www.organicexpo.co.nz

 I found this recipe* on is www.soulemama.com

** www.flylady.net, Down-to-Earth.blogspot, Wendyl’s Green Goddess

Christine
www.gomoreraw.com
email: christine@gomoreraw.com
____________________________________________________

The Anglo-Far East Company
The Original Private Gold and Silver Bullion Custodian
Your reference when you order: an-001
____________________________________________________

Probiotics: sorting the best from the rest

It is quite likely you’ve noticed “probiotics”, “healthy gut” and “good bacteria” in media. There’s even a TV commercial with funny blue blobs fighting on a seesaw to demonstrate that gut balance is important.

A healthy gut is very important. Did you know that 85% of your immune system lives in your gut?

It is in your interests to understand this as well as you can so you can make an informed choice. (Oh, and your animals will do well on this, too.) Our elderly cat bounced back after an abscess and anti-biotics.

But how do you tell which is a good brand to buy? There are so many to choose from. Each bottle or jar brandishing impressive stats, claims and big numbers all vying to convince you to spend your dollars on their product.

Last week I listened to a webcast about the probiotic InLiven and Fast Tract.



I’m passing on some of my gleanings to help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

1. Is the product certified organic? This is a quality assurance that raw materials are of the best quality. Most other products on the market don’t qualify.

2. Are there prebiotics present? These are needed in a probiotic as food to feed the bacteria. The bacteria need to be fed.

3. Is it a viable probiotic? Is it a living culture and not dead bodies? InLiven’s bacteria are grown in their own labs from grain, fruit and vegetables. Believe it or not, some probiotics are created from faecal matter. Not nice.

Does it have the ability to on-ferment? Can it raise bread or make sauerkraut? InLiven and Fast Tract can do this.

At least 12 are needed preferably 13 (to properly balance the gut).

The bacteria in InLiven and Fast Tract have been evolved (or stressed) to create strength. The strongest ones only are harvested and then re-stressed. This has been done over and again until resulting in highly evolved strains resistant to ascorbic acids and chlorine.

Note that bacteria counts and large numbers are there to confuse and convince that more is better. The label won’t tell you if the bacteria are alive or dead. Probiotics must be living. Counts don’t matter.

4. Are they fermented? Probably the most important thing aspect of InLiven. This is a three week process for each batch. The company is not aware of any other supplier that does this. Fermentation preserves the food that feeds the bacteria and is a natural preservative. Fermentation improves digestibility, increases enzyme content and is easier to assimilate.

So there you go. Use this list to rate your own probiotic, if you use one.

If you have questions, email me. I have my own success story and those of others including nailing candida, dealing with adult acne and, improving the immune system of a young man to such an extent that both he and his mother are amazed. I love success stories.

To buy, either order on our site or contact me.

Christine
www.gomoreraw.com
email: christine@gomoreraw.com

____________________________________________________

The Anglo-Far East Company
The Original Private Gold and Silver Bullion Custodian
Your reference when you order: an-001
____________________________________________________

Starter Packs and Keeping Warm in Winter

Introducing…Starter Packs.

The ideal way to get started making some raw recipes. Try the smaller sizes and then you decide if you want to buy the bigger ones later!

Sweet Treats #1 (chocolate cheesecake, chocolate, etc)
Cacao Powder, 300g                                                      
Coconut Nectar, 250 ml                
Cacao Butter, 250g         
$56.85 (rrp $59.70)

Sweet Treats #2 (Date & Nut Rolls, Brownies, etc)
Cacao Powder, 300g                      
Sour Cherries,                                  
Shredded Coconut, 250g             
$48.25 (rrp $50.75

Smoothie Starter Pack

Coconut Oil, 500ml                         
Maca Powder, 250g                       
Chia Seeds, 250g                             
$57.80 (rrp $60.70)

One recipe suggestion supplied with each pack.

Thanks to Sharyn and Mary-Anne for a very good idea.

Winter Warmers for Raw Foodies

For those of us in New Zealand we are now seeking nourishing and comforting foods. For many of us who eat high raw, this may mean beginning to choose more cooked foods. It could be that our bodies ‘ask’ for these as we need to conserve energy to keep warm. Or perhaps to build a little extra layer of ‘body insulation’.

For those of you who would like to keep a high raw intake going, there are some little tricks to feel warmer. Include ginger in your juices and smoothies. I suggest you try to obtain organically grown fresh ginger but if you can’t, give them a good scrub with detergent and hope there are no systemic sprays used. You can use powdered ginger; start small and add according to taste. It is the herb to take for circulation, so that is why it makes you feel warm on the inside.

The other little ‘trick’ is to use more chili and/or cayenne pepper in your dressings, flaxseed crackers and other savoury raw dishes you make. Warms you up!

If you do find yourself wanting some cooked food, I advise you to have it. Please don’t waste emotional energy arguing with yourself about raw integrity, etc. Respect your body’s wishes and make your adjustments as the season goes on. There are many cooked side dishes you can choose which are nourishing just as there are those which are not. I'm sure you don’t really need me to tell you which is which…do you?

Christine
www.gomoreraw.com
email: christine@gomoreraw.com

____________________________________________________

The Anglo-Far East Company
The Original Private Gold and Silver Bullion Custodian
Your reference when you order: an-001
____________________________________________________

Energy Boosting Smoothies

When a cynical-about-raw-food male (who shall remain anonymous) wants to know what was in that smoothie that he had (because he had so much energy), then I know I must be on to something.

I served a similar smoothie to a guest with the fly-away comment he might find he had more energy later in the day. He most certainly did. An email arrived in my Inbox wanting to know what was in it so he could make it, too.

Chia Seeds

The secret ingredients would have to have been the chia seeds and maca powder. Chia is said to be the ‘endurance food’ of ancient Aztecs. Maca was eaten by a pre-Inca people and was known for its super food qualities – not that there would’ve been that word back then.

There was also bee pollen in the smoothie that is a good nutrient dense, high protein supplement. (Collected sustainably, might I add)

As I have told you before, I love my smoothies. They are a super easy and efficient way to get an amazing range of food into me that I probably wouldn’t eat if they were all on a plate and certainly not as quickly.

I commend them to your eating plan. Use a range of seasonal fruits, include some greens or use a green powder, pop in a spoonful of coconut oil or flaxseed oil, and whatever super foods or supplements you want.

So here’s the smoothie I made those two blokes:

Banana (frozen for the ice creamy effect)
Blueberries or raspberries
Nut milk 
Coconut oil
Honey
Maca
Bee pollen
Chia seeds
Whizzed in the Vita-Mix it is delectably ice creamy.

A brew like this will get me through the afternoon quite nicely; it’s been a long time since I suffered the post-lunch slump.

Pure health disguised as a thick shake that delivers energy. And who couldn’t do with more of that?

Christine
www.gomoreraw.com
christine@gomoreraw.com