The-Lefthander

Hey what's up everybody, Dhrumil and Philip here with our latest podcast. The We Like It Raw crew moves to LA... what! We are bringing some East Coast flavor to Cali, and we'd love to meet you.

We run across so many amazing people, books, and ideas to ponder, we thought we'd share them with you, and give some shout-outs too. Plus, check out our favorite west coast spot, Au Lac, and our new friend, Dave the Raw Food Trucker.

We want to connect you with people that are making moves, and really stepping out to make a difference in this world. Looking for some inspiration, or even just some enjoyable late night reading, then this is the podcast for you.

You got it, everything we share in this new series of podcasts is a Big Deal.

We hope you enjoy!

Question: What is your Big Deal? Give someone a shout out! Drop us a line in the comments.

24 minutes | Download the MP3 | Subscribe via iTunes

Topics Covered

Book: Way of the Superior Man by David Deida

• Recognizing the masculine and feminine qualities in each of us
• Attracting the opposite in relationships
• Conscious relationships and sexuality 
• YouTube Video Series: 12 Parts  
• Where Are the Men article by John & Jenny

People: Lori Painter

• Mother of 2, runs CSA in LA region.
• Buying Club with weekly themes
• Organic, fresh produce for over 1,000 people
• Power of community and lower prices
• Inland Empire Organic Produce Buying Club
• We Like It Raw podcast by Lori

Ideas: We Like It Raw moves to LA

• Dhrumil and Philip move to SoCal
• Excited about future events and connecting with community
• Shoutouts: Ani Phyo, Chef Ito from Au Lac, Debbie Young, Teresa Jordan, Disa Jean-Pierre, Tresa Yung, Dave the Raw Food Trucker.
• Please consider donating to Dave's Recovery Fund.  Dave lost over 230lbs with raw food and juicing.
• The 2nd Annual International Day of Juice Feasting
• Debbie Young and Anthony Anderson speak Sept 25th at Whole Foods Foothill Blvd, Pasadena
  

Question: What is your Big Deal? Give someone a shout out! Drop us a line in the comments below.

In this episode, Susan Schenck, author of “The Live Food Factor,” explains more about he decision to stop eating the vegan diet… She also talks about raw chocolate (cacao), yacon syrup and more. Take a look… Your question of the day: Keep the discussion going… what more have you learned? (Or have you ever been to Sedona?) Click [...]

It happens often that we receive letters from our community thanking us for the work we do. Sometimes it’s just friendly appreciation for the little things, and other times we receive letters from people insisting that we’ve changed their lives (or saved them) by the work we do and the community we’ve created. We decided that Donna’s story was very inspirational and wanted to share it here with you so that no matter where you are or how you’re feeling you know you’re supported and that there is a way out. Enjoy! -Lyn

2008 – The year starts off so wrong!

Hi!  My name is Donna and I’m from Grimsby, Ontario.  The beginning of my raw food journey began in 2008.

I woke up one morning feeling sluggish, overweight, along with a few other health issues. I couldn’t believe I had let myself get in such bad shape.   I had always been a very active person.

I decided to start off my day with a bike ride and start getting in shape.  It was a beautiful morning and I was really excited about doing something healthy for myself.

I had ridden about 5 miles and was just heading for home when a car coming out of a driveway hit me and threw me and my bike into the air.  I hit the ground hard and it knocked the wind right out of me.  Once I realized what had happened, I tried to get up, thinking I would just walk home with my mangled bike.  But, to my surprise, I couldn’t move my legs at all.  I was scared to say the least.

The guy who had hit me had already called the ambulance.  At the hospital they found I didn’t have any broken bones, so they sent me home to recover.  My husband called a very good friend of ours who happens to be a chiropractor.  He wanted me in his office as soon as possible but I was so shaken up I just wanted to sleep.   I went to see him 2 days later and for the next 5 months we did acupuncture and adjustments.

Then my sister died of ovarian cancer. The loss of my dear sister and my discouragement over my slow recovery made me just about want to give up, crawl into a corner and die.

I discover the world of Raw Foods and The Raw Divas

I had all but given up when a friend who was really into health suggested I read a book by Natalia Rose about a raw food detox diet.  I began to read it and I couldn’t put it down.  I had never heard of this kind of eating in my life.  I had thought my diet was healthy but now I knew I was onto something big and I started reading everything I could get my hands on.

Then I decided to do a Google search and that’s when I found The Raw Divas website. I went to the Powder Room to find out what it was all about.  Turned out it was a great community of women sharing their experiences and supporting each other. I was totally amazed that there could be something this great on the internet.  I had almost forgotten about my legs, until I went to get up and about fell flat on my face.

I started to journal, join in and really got inspired

I kept going back.  I was silent for a long time, but then I began sharing some of my experiences with the other women.  Wow, I was having such fun!  It really touched my heart to feel the warmth from everyone on this website.

I was inspired.  I sent my husband out to buy me a juicer and a blender.  He thought I was totally crazy.  I started juicing, making smoothies and changing my diet.

I especially liked my new favorite breakfast: I would soak raw oatmeal overnight.  In the morning I would add soaked almonds, apple, coconut oil, and bananas.  Blend it all up, put it in a bowl and add some raisins with a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Really yummy!

I also started eating a lot of salads and making green smoothies.  I love using weeds like chickweed, lambs quarters, stinging nettle and dandelions, right out of my garden.

My husband would have no part of it, so I was making two different meals every day.  He liked the S.A.D. diet while I was eating a Raw Diet.

I was still using a wheelchair at this point but, was determined that this was only temporary.  My dear sister who had passed away would have told me to get up, dust myself off and get back into the game of life!

Things get a lot better.  I started doing The Raw Divas Programs and I made it out of my wheelchair!

It was the most wonderful blessing in my life to be a part of the Powder Room community and I became inspired to join in the programs.

I joined the 7 day detox. I couldn’t believe all of the recipes they sent me for free and the emails every day to help me succeed. Wow!   I hope to get to meet Tera and Doll one day, as they are two of the angels who run this website.

I began to feel better and was now out of the wheelchair and using crutches.   As I ate more and more raw foods I felt healthier and had more energy than ever before.

Next, I did a 14 day fasting cleanse and talked about it in the Powder Room.   I would write about what I ate each day and any detox symptoms.  I got a lot of response and support and I lost 20 lbs!

Then I signed up for The Raw Diva’s free 90 day detox.  I learned so much and I was telling everyone who would listen about The Raw Divas website.  People were starting to notice all the changes that where happening to my body.

2010 – Bad news hits again – but turns out for the best as it brings my husband on board!

This year I was hit with yet another tragedy.  My wonderful, husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I was shocked.  Hadn’t I already been through enough! But, I wasn’t about to lose another loved one to cancer.

So, onto the battlefield we went.  We are facing this enemy together.  He is now listening to what I have to say and is on board with all my green smoothies, juices and salads.

He doesn’t like a lot of things I make but he is willing to do whatever it takes to beat this thing.  Today I made him a pineapple, mango, smoothie with a few greens in it and he actually said he is beginning to like it!  He went out and bought me a Vitamix blender.  Boy, I was so happy!

I am using a lot of the recipes on The Raw Divas website and from books I’ve read.  I really like David Wolf’s books, he is truly amazing.  I also really like ‘The Uncook Book’ by Juliano with Erika Lenkert.  It is full of great recipes that are easy to make.  ‘The Raw 50’ by Carol Alt is another favorite.

The future is looking good now…

A BIG thank you to The Raw Divas for giving me my life back! The friends I’ve made and the support I’ve received in the Powder Room has really meant a lot.  It’s my community now! I hope I get to meet you all one day, as you have been a big part of my life for the last two years and will be for the rest of my life.

And I just have to mention.  This story wouldn’t be complete without my little border collie Mandy who has been a part of my journey.   She is 14 years old and I am sure she wouldn’t still be here if I hadn’t put her on a raw diet.  So, The Raw Divas helps more than people.  It works for our furry children as well!

My husband will have his surgery in October and I will be writing about that in my journal in the Powder Room.   My Powder Room name is ‘Miss Ginger’ if you’d like to join me. By surgery time he will have lost 20 lbs, be 75% raw and no longer digging his grave with his teeth if I have anything to say about it!

Again, thank you for putting up this wonderful website and caring enough to help people find their own path on their journey to health.  I am now a walking, living testimony to this raw food life style.  I have recovered 100% from my injuries, have greater health than ever before, and I owe it all to The Raw Diva’s website.  Keep up the good work ladies!!!!!

Donna and Mandy

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After a lot of back and forth, I’ve finally decided to do a full hour long Renegade Health Radio Show! My promise to you is that you’ll have fun, learn something and eventually be able to call in and ask questions. It’s going to be awesome. Today, we have our inaugural show… In this episode, you’ll meet [...]

Like I said last week, I had no idea that my interview with raw food author Susan Schenck would turn out like it did… But, the best things in life aren’t planned, right? Today, Susan talks more about her transition out of the vegan diet. She also addresses something that I’ve been talking about for a [...]

Hi guys!

I'm sorry to say that Summer has seemingly left us during this last week. It dropped something like 30 degrees overnight. Yikes! Let's just hope that we'll be getting at least a few more warm days before Fall really sets in.

With the arrival of the cooler weather, I've been spending a lot more time indoors, experimenting in the kitchen. Besides doing recipe development and testing for a new book (Yay!), I went on a major kale chip kick, filling the dehydrator twice with different variations of these yummies. Why haven't I gotten into these earlier; they're so utterly addictive!

I also managed to sneak in a couple of trays of Rosemary Crackers. I'm always on the look out for a good cracker to add to our list of staples, so when Velvet shared the recipe on Raw Freedom Community and mentioned that she couldn't stop eating them, it got my attention. These are probably the simplest flax crackers I've ever made and are soooo delicious! I'm having a hard time not popping one or two in my mouth every time I walk by the jar!


Rosemary Crackers
Posted by Velvet on Raw Freedom Community here

Rosemary crackers are very easy to make, and are the perfect snack or addition to salads. Rich in omega 3 fatty acids, B vitamins, iron and seasoned with mineral rich salt, these crackers will ensure you get top nutrition while loving every bite.

Ingredients: (fills 1 dehydrator tray)
- 1 cup sprouted flax seed powder*
- 1/2 cup whole flax seeds
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbs dried rosemary
-  Salt to taste (about 1/4 tsp + more to sprinkle)

Directions
- Combine the flax powder, flax seeds, nutritional yeast, salt and rosemary in a large bowl.

- Mix about 1 cup of water by hand until well combined.

- Spread on a ParaFlexx dehydrator sheet to cover the entire sheet. Gently, score the batter into squares, or any shape you like.

- Dehydrate overnight, and flip onto a mesh screen. Dehydrate further until crispy.

* Or use regular ground flax seeds, which will give you the same result but are less nutritious.

Carmella's Note: I didn't have sprouted flax seeds powder so I used regular ground golden flax.

Hey, Sunshine!

Before I explain what I mean by that subject title, here’s a bit of what’s shaking around here and what we’ve been up to.

My First Video Blog! (And my last video as “The Raw Divas”)

I did it!!!  It took three years, and you’ll soon see why, but I finally did a video!!! You can check it out here, and you’ll be happy to know that doing this one certainly helped me get over some of my fears about it, so you won’t have to wait another three years for the next one!! If all goes as planned, you should have it next week!

Raw Mom Cooked Dad

If you’ve ever struggled to stick with it on the raw food program because cooked foods are everywhere you turn, or if you struggle with different food philosophies in the same home, then you’re going to want to get on board our upcoming FREE event called “Raw Mom, Cooked Dad.” We’ve got some half-baked ideas and steamy solutions that will help keep peace on the plate!

You’ll be hearing from David Wolfe, Ani Phyo, Frederic Patenaude, Alissa Cohen, Markus Rothkranz and over 30  featured speakers who are going to come and give us the goods on how to stick with it when the
going gets tough, how to know when to compromise and what kinds of compromises are safe to make. Batch baking, recipe making, you name it, we’ve covered it in this event!

We’ve surveyed over a thousand moms to get their tips, tricks, recipes and inspiration and we’ll be sharing it with you as part of this event, so if you’d like to be on board, you can sign up right away. There will be lots more information made available in the weeks to come.

Green Smoothie Detox

We’ve had so many requests to do another round of the green smoothie detox, that we’ve decided to start another round of it first thing next week. But we had to squeeze it in since we have some other big things coming up. This is the only message you’ll receive about this event, so if you’re interested in joining this detox, now would be a good time to make it happen. You can read more and sign up here.

What’s Happenin’ in Divaland

Before I scuttle off to scoop up the muffins, I just wanted to let you know about a few things worth checking out on the blogs this week:

Diva Blog (www.therawdivas.com/blog)

3 Deficiencies You Can Develop on the Raw Food Diet  by Dr. Ariel Policano

My First Video Blog! (Find out why it’s taken three YEARS to do the first one!)

Meet Lyn Wright: The New Director of The Raw Divas website.

Raw Mom (www.rawmom.com/blog)

Papaya Facials, Easy Salt Scrubs & Luscious Locks

A 3 Part Series on Homeschooling. Here’s Part One!

How to Treat a Vaginal Yeast Infection with Raw Garlic

Green Smoothie Queen (www.greensmoothieblog.com)

Stacey’s Busting Free From Bagels!! Learn More About How She’s Going to Do it HERE.

Green Smoothies Go North!!

Stacey’s Writing a New Green Smoothie Song. (Check out the old diva song here!)

Now, onto the juicy stuff about my upcoming “retirement”:

I’m Stepping Down From the Raw Divas So I Can Step Up to Life!

It’s been just over three years since the first raw divablog post and a lot has happened along the way. We now have a subscribership of over 52,000 women around the world–a mere trickle in the bottom of the bucket, because in so many ways, we’re just getting started.

So, naturally, you might be surprised to hear that I am “retiring” from the Raw Divas.

Let me explain…

While I’ve been plucking away behind my computer over the last few years, I’ve come up with some pretty good ideas and worked with fabulous people to help make things happen. And I’m grateful and excited about everything we’ve done so far.

But as clever creatures know, there are no flat lines in life.

In life things are either expanding or they’re deteriorating. You grow or you go. You know we’re not going anywhere, so the only direction from here is grow! Grow! Grow!

My father asked me one question that would change my life forever.

“Tera, what did Mary Kay sell?”

“Make-up?!”

“No. She sold something people could believe in and belong to.
She sold a community and she sold opportunities for women to empower themselves. ”

B-I-N-G-O!

I’m no Mary Kay, but the projects that we have built were never intended to stuff one woman’s  pockets, nor was I looking to create a self-indulgent empire all about me. These projects were built upon the hope that many women could become a part of it, could come on board and use the tools, the system to help make themselves a living doing what they love.

In order for me to really focus on the projects that I love and that I know are going to help me realize my vision for this company, I need to get out of my own way and let someone with better skills, more attention, less multitasking, oodles of passion and a strong desire to create a powerful community take the lead.

I’d like you to meet a few of the women who are making this happen now:

Meet Stacey

The “Green Smoothie Queen” made her début a few years ago with our first ever 3-day green smoothie challenge. Since then, tens of thousands of green smoothie guzzlers have come on board to experience the goodness of blended lawnmower pulp, and the demand for green smoothies was more than this raw diva could manage on her own. So, I invited Stacey on board to start making it her own.

Stacey is witty and pretty, she writes well and she’s a fiddlin’ gal who sings like an angel. From her cozy little apartment in Winnipeg, Manitoba she spends her time working on the green smoothie blog, green smoothie detox programs and cuddling her new cat, “Cash.”  She’s the creator of our Raw Diva themesong (did you know that we had one?!!) and you can catch her singing it here.

Her personal goal is to turn the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba into the Smoothie Capital of the WORLD!  (it’s currently the slurpee capital of the world). She’s got her work cut out for her but we’re confident that donut shops in her city will be chanting choruses about chlorophyll in no time.

Meet Fiona

Passionate and fiercy loyal to all things that make the world a better place, Fiona is the director of our Raw Mom site. She’s got experience teaching young  children, in marketing and promotion, and she has a beautiful family of her own with three children.

She’s collaborating with me on the production of the Raw Mom, Cooked Dad event happening very soon (!!!) and has some amazing products and resources for moms and children that will be coming up on the site.

She’s busy building class planners that you can print off and take to your school with all the materials you need to give classes on ice cream, sprouting, green smoothies and other cool stuff kids love. It’s about more than just helping your kids get healthy, but having a positive impact on the youth in your community. Helping your kids inspire change in others!

She’s got big plans for Raw Mom and since she’s come onboard the community has really started to come alive! Fiona lives all the way over the ocean in the U.K. and her dream is to provide as much support as possible to mothers and families inspired by healthy living and the raw food diet.

So… we’ve covered the Green Smoothie site, we’ve covered the Raw Mom site…

Which leaves us with The Raw Divas. This project has been the heart and soul of all we do until now.

I can assure you that choosing to give up the throne on this project wasn’t easy. It required someone who shared the same world view as I do, who could market like a ninja in high heels, and who could make the Raw Diva project something better than I could do on my own. And I found her.

Meet Lyn Wright.

If Lyn and I were aliens, we most definitely came from the same planet!! And while the color of our hair may
lend itself to different generations, she’s got the experience and wisdom of a wise woman and the spunk of a frisky teenager!! Lyn’s passion is health and the well-being of others and she’s made her living up until now in marketing and promotion. You can actually read all about her here on the blog.

She’s here to help make the Raw Divas something bigger and better than I could do on my own, and she’s going to keep that blog hopping and get a lot more more Viva in our Diva!

Lyn’s goal is to work with me to expand this project so that Mary Kay can one day look down at an army of electric pink eco-cars and smile from above in admiration of the things we’ve accomplished.

So you see, my sweet, I’m not disappearing completely.

There are a lot of changes that will be happening in the months to come.  Until these changes are put in place, you’ll still find my sassy contributions on all these sites. But I’ll be moving to a behind the scenes role so these women can step up to make these projects even better than I could have done on my own.

And as for me, dear %$firstname$%, I will be rolling out some very exciting things and while I will wait to give you more of the details until next week, I will start by saying that it has something to do with this very brave and courageous act done by Doll this week, my assistant and our customer service queen.

I’ll let you take a peek and fill you in on more details next week.

Until then, have a fabulous weekend and know that I am simply glowing with gratitude for your presence and your support of what we do here. None of us could be here without YOU making it all happen.

Gushing with gratitude,

Tera
p.s.

Since I will be weaning myself off the diva blog, most of my personal updates, pictures and articles will be happening on my new facebook page. Please come join me here and check out why yesterday was one of my best days EVER!!!

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When I started this interview, I had no idea that it would take the turn that it did… Though I was glad Susan Schenck, author of “The Live Food Factor” was honest and open about her decision to no longer be vegan… in fact it seems like she didn’t have a choice based on the information [...]

This week's article was all about going back to basics - except for most of us when we experience the "asking big questions" stage of the raw food journey for the first time, the basics we are going back to are ones we've usually never experienced in our lifetime before. But going back to basics is not a one-time affair. Finding our truth and living it does not ensure happy ever after unless we are vigilant about what we do (or don't do) moving forward. Life does indeed become magical when we change our "centre of operations" but the magic... KarenKnowler

In last week's article we looked at how to support yourself emotionally as you transition cellularly and spiritually to a life lived on raw. This week it's time to turn our attention to how to support yourself in the outside world as you go through your journey of raw transformation. First of all, to set the scene: At a certain stage in the raw food journey - usually pretty early on - the emotional stuff starts to rise up. As the fog of years of less-than-great eating/living lifts we start to see life, and ourselves, differently. Sometimes very differently. This... KarenKnowler

Today, I answer a host of questions on raw foods, health and supplements… I explain if aloe juice is OK to drink, how to get your vitamin D levels up, how to deal with muscle cramps and more. Check it out and be sure to watch to end for the extra bonus quiz we have for you. [...]

We are destroying our own life sustaining system. Raw Chef Dan

Lemon Balm Berry Ice Cream by Heather Pace Last summer I tried lemon balm in a recipe for the first time. I was so impressed! This tangy refreshing ice cream is packed with the lemony tasting, soft, fuzzy green herb.... Philip McCluskey

by Dr. Ariel Policano

So, you are loving the raw diet, right?

You’ve lost weight, you have more energy, and a positively juicy new outlook on life. Fantastic! A raw vegan diet is filled with nutrition, vital force, enzymes and is free of nasty preservatives and chemicals. It is truly amazing. Still, even on a raw or high raw diet, it is good to have a health “check-in” from time to time. The fact is there are actually a few deficiencies that could develop on a raw, vegan diet if you aren’t aware of them. They can develop if you are not meticulous about having diversity and perfect balance. And really, who is? Here are 3 markers I feel are crucial to keep your eye on. This way, you can be sure you are staying healthy in every way on your raw vegan diet.

1) Ferritin (your iron stores).

2) B12 Levels, measured as methylmalonic acid (MMA).

3) Cholesterol (wait to be surprised here!).

1) Ferritin.

It is important to keep your levels of iron healthy. Of course, iron allows the transport of oxygen to your cells via the blood. Low iron levels are commonly referred to as anemia. One of the most common signs of iron deficiency anemia is sensitivity to cold weather. You feel like you cannot get warm no matter what! Another sign you can look at are changes in your thumbnail. Yes, your thumbnail. Look at it from a side angle. Do you see a dip in your nail? This can happen from the deoxygenation of cells over a period of time. It is a “secret” sign of your body that you need to check your iron levels.

Now, back to those labs. The iron levels in your blood may show up as normal even if you are on the edge of becoming anemic. Ferritin, which are your stores of iron, provides a much more accurate check of whether you are running out of “gas”. It has been said that iron-rich blood gives you charisma. Now, who wants to be without that for very long?

Ferritin levels are very important to check to avoid iron deficiency anemia. The range for women is 12-300. I would address levels below 50. Depending on how low it is, supplementation may be in order. The company Floradix carries and “Iron and Herbs” mix that is tried and true for vegans. If you are very anemic, however, this is going to be a slow intervention. In this case, you may want to supplement with a chelated iron such as iron aspartate. For those worried about iron supplements causing constipation, no need to lose any sleep. Ferrous sulfate is a form of iron is prescribed by many MD’s in high doses (325mg) at one time. This type of iron is more likely to cause things to “slow down” or to be clear, cause constipation. Also, the dose we are talking about with the iron aspartate is about 30mg, more or less.

Keep in mind some foods that are high in iron so that you can avoid a deficiency. They include Jerusalem artichokes, cherries, blackberries, nettles, spinach, dates, Swiss chard, burdock root, sea vegetables like kelp, and (yum) figs. Iron needs to constantly be renewed, especially if you are physically active. So, round up some of these foods soon!

2) B12 – Methylmalonic Acid.

MMA is considered to be a more accurate check of Vitamin B12 levels. It will tell you if you are developing a deficiency before it will show up in the serum (blood) B12 levels. Having a B12 deficiency is serious business. It is probably the most risky deficiency that can develop out of a vegan or raw vegan diet. There are many things you can do to prevent it, you just need to be aware of them!

Just getting back to MMA for a moment. If you don’t have enough B12, MMA levels will increase. That is because B12 helps to convert MMA to a crazy substance called succinyl CoA. Succinyl CoA is a raw material that helps you to produce ATP, the raw fuel of your body. Which is why…one of the signs of low Vitamin B12 is fatigue.

The more serious sign of a vitamin B12 deficiency is parasthesia, or numbness in the extremities. The old pins and needles feeling, but for an extended time. The reason this is so dangerous is that it is irreversible. Yep. As in, permanent. You really don’t want to dance with the possibility of a B12 deficiency.

As a doc, I do recommend that this is the one place that you consider taking a B12 supplement on a regular basis. Why take any chances?

Here are some food-based ways to keep your B12 levels up. You can have nutritional yeast for vitamin B12. Caution, caution, caution! I recommend you look at Red Star Nutritional Yeast if you want to go with this option as they have one of the highest quality nutritonal yeast products. Get it fresh! Nutritional yeast that is out in the bulk bins, or has been sitting on the shelf for a long time is less likely to have sufficient levels of B12.

Are you a clean freak? You might be a good candidate for a B12 supplement. Washing your fruit and vegetables really thoroughly is excellent for clearing the germs, but you may also be washing off the soil-based organisms that build your B12 levels.

Foods that contain B12, but are questionable for reliable supplementation include spirulina, blue-green algae and sea veggies like dulse. I love these superfoods for many reasons, but I would not rely on them for sufficient quantities of B12. In Healing with Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford lets us know that this type of B12 may be an analogue of the B12 that our body utilizes. Enjoy the other high nutrition of minerals and amino acids in these foods.

Are you in love with raw sauerkraut? How about kombucha? Like to take mega-doses of probiotics as a hobby? Well, if your intestines are rich in healthy bacteria, you may be producing sufficient quantities of B12 internally. Of course, with people taking so many antibiotics and not having a healthy share of probiotics they are more at risk of having a B12 deficiency.

3) Cholesterol

OK, hold on to your hats and your shares in your pharmaceutical companies! Your cholesterol may be TOO LOW. If you have total cholesterol below 160, you may want to consider getting those levels UP, yes up.

Is cholesterol just some pesky toxin that we are trying to ban from our bodies with every opportunity? The drug companies make it seem that way, don’t they? Cholesterol is a crucial raw material for healthy hormones including reproductive hormones and adrenal hormones. It is also an important component in cell membranes. You want to love up your cell membranes! They surround your cells, allowing only certain things in (like good nutrition) and making sure that all the waste products get out. A healthy cell membrane is crucial to disease prevention including cancer.

Low cholesterol levels have been correlated with depression, anxiety, risk of hemorrhagic stroke and premature births. Pretty crazy! You might notice that you are craving saturated fats, or that you are feeling a little fatigued or just “not right”. Have your labs done and then check out the parameters below.

If I were looking at your labs, I would want to see total cholesterol above 160, LDL above 90 (even up to 110), and HDL above 50. If your total cholesterol or LDL is low, I want to recommend that you really make an effort to get some saturated fats into your diet. Of course, coconut oil satisfies this need, and so does cocoa butter (the fat portion of raw chocolate). Red palm oil is also another oil to consider. It is really beautiful to look at because it is also rich in beta-carotene, which is pretty cool. This is the palm oil that is NOT partially hydrogenated. Check out organic virgin Palm Oil from Tropical Traditions.

I suggest that once per year you give yourself a gift and check in with a health practitioner who is knowledgeable about raw vegan nutrition. Here are the labs that I suggest you have done each year:

• CBC – Complete blood count
• Chemistry Panel – numerous checks including fasting blood sugar, liver and kidney markers
• TSH – Thyroid marker
• Lipid panel – fats including good and bad cholesterol
• Vitamin D-25-Hydroxy – Best marker of your Vitamin D levels
• Ferritin – Iron Stores

It only takes a small investment of your time and attention to truly inform yourself about what you need to thrive and avoid deficiencies. You’re worth the effort.

To you health,

Dr. Ariel Policano

Dr. Ariel Policano has been studying live food nutrition for over 15 years. She is a licensed naturopathic physician and a graduate of the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Ariel helps people to optimize their health with a balanced diet of living foods, superfoods and other cutting-edge nutritional interventions. She is the creator of the Body Bliss Cleanse, which is an effective 14-day supplement program. Dr. Ariel is available for phone consultations and works with clients around the world.

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Today, we are making another of your requests… You all asked for a raw food recipe for gooey cinnamon buns, so here it is! Beware, these could make you scream out in pleasure… LOL! Take a look… Your question of the day: Do you like cinnamon buns! Click here, scroll down to the bottom of the page and leave your [...]

Noelle Twiggs is the founder of Green Lemonade, a healthy living guide. It’s for women everywhere who want to live more naturally, eat well and still do it in style. Friend Noelle on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. Noelle... Philip McCluskey

This recipe is the one I recommend to clients when they want something sweet and comforting. It's very simple but lovely and could easily be called a "hug in a glass" that we sometimes feel we need - especially when tea and coffee are a thing of the past! Being a vanilla-lover, vanilla in my recipe is never optional : ) Enjoy! Makes 1 large drink Ingredients: * 1 pint of pure water * 1 level Tbsp cashew butter OR 1/3 cup cashew nuts * 3 Medjool dates OR 1 Tbsp agave nectar * OPTIONAL: Small piece of vanilla bean... KarenKnowler

Since meeting Jeffrey Smith, we’ve learned a lot about GMO foods… There is a lot of back and forth, but in this episode, I’m going to review some of the health issues with eating GMO foods as well as a great resource to do more research. I also cover what to do with a dry, flaky scalp [...]

I have always been a woman of words, but I don’t think I realized how much I prefer those words be written, rather than spoken, until I tried to record my first video with MAC.

It’s been over 3 years now that I’ve been humming and hawing about doing my own video blog. I did one with Mika and Sebastian, but then I was just the silent assistant, so it was easy. MAC helped me take the camera out into a sunny place and we tried to do a video for the Believe in Green project.

Here’s about as far as I got.

Now that I’ve broken the video ice a bit, it doesn’t feel that difficult, and I’ve already started getting ready for another one next week.
Stay tuned and thanks for cheering me on through my stage fright.

Tera

p.s.

Please let me know what kinds of topics you’d like me to cover in an upcoming video blog? Spare us all from another cheesy home video and let me know what kind of funky topics you’d like me to

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