My diet & detox journal

My blog posts between December 2004, and September of 2005 were initially posted on Alissa Cohen’s rawfood message board and journal site. A huge thank you is offered to Alissa, whose book, “Living on Live Food” has been a huge inspiration for me. Alissa, I wish you continued sucess as you bring the message of live food & enzymes to millions of people the world around!

Anyone interested in a quick and easy plan of how to integrate raw foods into your lifestyle, check out her book! On Alissa’s RawFoodTalk website, there are hundreds of people journaling on thier process of moving toward a raw diet. Some are 100% raw, others are transitioning, and still others are eating a High Raw diet. (The majority of the food they consume is raw and living.)

Since I am thanking Alissa, I might as well mention several other site authors whose information I have found helpful:

• http://rawfoods.com/ another great message board site. Like Alissa’s, they are a vegan site.

• http://shazzie.com/ her site has a great journal, one of the first I read back in 2003 when I first learned of the benefits of raw food.

• http://adasnatural.com/ I have to thank this company, and especially my former boss there Alexa, who was intrumental in my career, by paying for my Nutrition Certification program. They are a fantastic health food store in Fort Myers, Florida. Stop in if you are ever in the neighborhood.

So, enough of all the shameless plugs…

Cass

Fri Sep 23, 2005 5:02pm
So, thoughts are coming to me as I sit an ponder the detoxification of wheat. I noticed something quite clearly recently…My nails. I noticed that when I am not eating wheat or beans, (and of course consuming high raw) my nails feel MUCH stronger. Is that wild? In the big scheme of things I don’t think it is that crazy, as most of my body parts appear healthier when off wheat, cooked or otherwise. (better bms, better skin complexion, etc.) But seriously, after only 7 days after detoxing wheat, yet again, my nails feel like iron. I never connected it to the wheat. I always thought it was just eating raw that made them strong, and then soap, etc that weakened them. Lately, I have changed nothing other than the wheat, and here I am.

However, I had been trying to figure out, speculatively, WHY my nails are stronger, and my teeth seem brighter. Here is my speculation. Phytates as well as other enzyme inhibitors in beans and grains will bind with minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium in the gut, preventing assimilation. Therefore, since I am not eating lots of phytates, I am making better use of my calcium.

I wonder if anyone else has noticed this connection?

Cassy

Mon Sep 19, 2005 2:05pm
I was thinking about the lovely salad I had for lunch, which really filled me up. I was thinking that all the talk about certain raw foods being “heavy”, and how at times I think, “gee, I should cut the fat in my diet down. ” So, my thought is this, perhaps it is not the fats that make me feel heavy inside, but rather the bloatiness from the fiber…I am going to do an experiment on this. I know I can eat several tBsp of almond butter, and not feel “heavy”. Yet, several cups of cabbage will bring on that feeling. (I do use a lot of avocado in my salads though..) I will let you know how it goes.

I am also eating more whole nuts these days, rather than butters. seems like that is a safer bet, as I could polish off a jar of nut butter in less than a week if I am not careful!~

I am also eating these fiber bars that my company sells. They are organic raw and kosher, and totally adictive. I eat the cranberry one, as it doesn’t have the chocolate in it, which is organic and vegan, but not raw.

Giving thought to balanced meals as well. This week I have set up eggplant to make the fake bacon for some onion bread sandwhiches. All the pics on the board have inspired me, and my hubby says he says they look good too! I made the onion bread with less onions, so I can work without fear of dragon breath!

Well, its time to go back to work. oh- if anyone reads this and wants copies of issue 3 and 4 of my company’s free cleansing and health magazine, just drop me a pm or email and I will send one along. Just include your postal address. YOu can also call our company and ask for one, if you feel more comfortable that way. I forgot to post the offer for issue three, so I will send them both together to ya.

Caio.
Cassy