Raw Food | Vegan | Vegetarian Diet

An Interview With Rizopia – Tips on Cooking Rice Pasta

Diana — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:59:56 +0000

Who doesn’t love rice pasta? Organic brown rice fettuccine is my absolute favorite. It’s thin delicate strands makes it taste so much better than whole wheat or white fettuccine. However every time I cook rice pasta, it sticks like glue together. This is especially true for the fettuccine!

VeryVeryVegan.com had the opportunity to interview Ivan Shih from *Rizopia and ask him, how exactly does one cook rice pasta without it sticking? The organic brown rice fettuccine (pictured above) was the specific pasta that Very Very Vegan staff were having problems cooking!

*Rizopia is an organic rice pasta manufacturing company from Toronto that has been dedicating themselves itself to producing rice pasta products under 100% gluten-free/nut-free premise since its first introduction in 2001.

VeryVeryVegan: So how do you cook rice pasta properly, specifically fettuccine, without having it stick so much?

Ivan: Rice pasta is a lot more delicate to cook than white or whole wheat pasta. There is a lot of starch in rice pasta. You need to use a lot more water than regular pasta to cook it to dilute the starch. Here are my three other tips for cooking rice pasta so that it doesn’t stick.

First you want to make sure that the water is at a rolling boil before you put the pasta in. This will stop the pasta from sticking together.

Secondly, separate the pasta throughout the pot and stir it frequently making sure it’s separated.

Lastly, after you cook the pasta rinse it with water.

VeryVeryVegan: Do you recommend people rinse it off the dry pasta beforehand to get off starch? Much like if you were cooking rice.

Ivan: No. The most important thing is to make sure you have enough water, bring the water to a rolling boil and stir it.

VeryVeryVegan: Do you recommend salting the water to separate the water.

Ivan: No it won’t make a difference. People only add salt for taste.

VeryVeryVegan: What about olive oil?

Ivan: Some people add olive oil to separate the pasta more, but I think it’s more for taste. Most of the time, the reason why your rice pasta sticks is because there is not enough water.

VeryVeryVegan: Thank you for your time!

So in summary, get a large pot and fill it with more water than you normally would to cook rice pasta, stir it frequently and rinse it when the pasta is done cooking. The water will become extremely cloudy when you are cooking rice pasta because of all the starch that’s coming out. So make sure you rinse well! Good luck.

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Natural Raw and Vegan Happy Supplements

Diana — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:28:01 +0000

This is a post that is part of theRaw Foodist and Vegan Nutrition Deficiencies article. Click here to read it now.

Vegan Nutrition Challenge #6: How to change your attitude from being a dogmatic, serious, dry, mean, moody, mental, judgmental person that nobody wants to be around.

Cacao (raw chocolate nuts) takes dogmatic, serious, dry, mean, moody, judgmental individuals and helps illuminate for them a pathway towards becoming an ecstatic being, filled with laughter, heart energy, compassion, and appreciation. This part of the article, although funny, is important. I have met thousands of dogmatic, judgmental omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, and raw foodists over the years. I have been left with the impression that these types of individuals are subconsciously acting from a belief that “everybody must be miserable like me.” The energy of dogmatism and judgment repels prosperity and charisma.

Natural Raw and Vegan Happy Supplements:

Cacao and Cacao products are happy foods. Cacao (the food all chocolate is made from) is the best natural source of magnesium (alkalinity), iron (circulatory system support), and chromium (blood sugar normalizer). Blood sugar irregularity has been linked to every psychological disturbance from moodiness to schizophrenia. Mean, aggressive behavior has been identified by alternative medicine practitioners and herbalists for decades as indicative of being biologically too acidic. Alkaline minerals like magnesium help alkalize our tissues, thus creating more calm and relaxed behavior. Cacao contains the minerals that assist with normalized blood sugar as well as alkalinity. Cacao is a rich source of anandamide (the bliss chemical). Anandamide makes us feel euphoric and happy. Cacao also contains PEA compounds that are similar to those chemicals we release when we fall in love. Cacao is also the highest natural source of antioxidants. In addition, cacao has the highest content of vitamin C of any known nut or seed (cacao is a tropical nut).

Superfoods beyond cacao such as goji berries, maca, bee pollen, marine phytoplankton, spirulina, blue-green algae, hemp seeds, etc. and aloe vera as well as superfood formulas such as Sun Is Shining and Pure Synergy, go a long way to towards making judgmental vegans and raw foodists more well balanced in behavior and demeanor. I believe this is due to mineralization and the superior well-rounded nutrition that superfoods provide.

Kelp powder: One of the things you may notice is that if kelp powder is finely ground into a powder, it will (like cacao powder and cacao butter) magnetize when exposed to a magnetic field. This is because kelp (like cacao) is extraordinarily rich in minerals including alkaline minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Sufficient mineralization (from proper nutrition) has been known to normalize and calm behavior. A lack of proper mineral nutrition has been implicated in practically every symptom of poor health and emotionally extreme behavior.

Minerals: Several liquid angstrom minerals in particular are important in influencing behavior: chromium, vanadium, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Chromium and vanadium for supporting more balanced blood-sugar, and calcium, magnesium, and zinc for their alkalinity.

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Vegan Nutrition Challenge #5 – Naturally Detoxifying the Body

Diana — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:27:36 +0000

This is a post that is part of theRaw Foodist and Vegan Nutrition Deficiencies article. Click here to read it now.

Vegan Nutrition Challenge: Naturally Detoxifying the Body. Pollution, toxins, industrial byproducts, solvents, glues, antibiotics, pesticides, petrochemicals, depleted uranium, etc. are, more and more, being found in the food supply and in the human body.

Pure, clean, mineral-rich, organic food is perhaps the future’s most important commodity. However, clean food alone is not enough to reverse the toxic load acquired during a lifetime of toxic exposure. Certain superfoods, herbs, and minerals have a specific ability to help us alleviate our toxic load.

Ethical Solutions for Naturally Detoxifying the Body:

Liquid Activated Zeolites: This product is perhaps the greatest detoxifier ever discovered. Liquid Activated Zeolites are scientifically known to safely draw out heavy metals (e.g. mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, uranium 238, etc.) and volatile organic compounds (formaldehyde, o-Dichlorobenzene, toluene, methylene chloride, benzene, tetrachlorodibenzodioxin, p-Dichlorobenzene, tetrachlorodibenzofuran, xylene, hexachlorobiphenyl). Liquid Activated Zeolites are also scientifically known to normalize pH and help stop viral replication.

MSM products: Methyl-sulfonyl-methane (MSM) and the products containing it have a known ability to remove mercury from the system. MSM also helps the liver detoxify a wide range of toxins. MSM detoxifies because sulfur (the primary mineral in MSM) is a primary liver detoxification mineral along with iron and zinc.

Angstrom Zinc: Heavy metal poisoning can displace zinc from the cells. Angstrom liquid zinc helps to restore difficult zinc deficiency syndromes. Zinc aids in assisting the liver to cleanse. Zinc assists the immune system in removing unwanted toxins, especially viral toxins. Zinc is also required from the adrenals to function properly. Long-term zinc deficiencies are associated with adrenal exhaustion.

Natural Vitamin C products (Camu Camu berry powder, Pure Radiance C, etc.): The Vitamin C complex has a tremendous research history suggesting its effectiveness in healing connective tissue, improving the immune system as well as detoxifying the liver, brain, and kidneys.

Chanca Piedra (herb) tea: This extraordinary herb helps the body rid itself of microscopic “bad calcium,” “stone” formations that have been implicated in nearly all conditions of chronic illness from gall stones to arterial plaque to arthritis. “Bad calcium” or microscopic “stones” are toxic to the body and are a primary cause of aging.

Medicinal Mushrooms (Reishi, Cordyceps, Maitake, Lion’s Mane, Immune Builder, Host Defense): The medicinal mushrooms contain dozens of compounds that help increase the weapons and cleansing agents available to the immune system. The medicinal mushrooms also detoxify the body of certain synthetic chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) found in plastics.

Kelp powder: The iodine in kelp helps restore thyroid function allowing one to lose weight swiftly. The iodine and other minerals in kelp help to increase the mineral content of all the organs allowing them to function more effectively. The better our organs function the more readily they are able to throw off toxins and rejuvenate. Also, kelp helps displace toxic minerals with healthy minerals (e.g. radioactive iodine with healthy iodine). This is called “chelation by replacement.”

EJUVA Organic Cleansing products: EJUVA is a brand of gentle organic herb cleansing systems. EJUVA products help one to lose weight, eliminate cellular waste toxins, inhibit and reverse candida, improve digestive health, eliminate poisons in the blood, and more. The EJUVA systems come with instructions and are done in a step-by-step way.

Chlorophyll (green, organic vegetable juice): Chlorophyll is a detoxifier of heavy metals and blood toxins.

Cilantro and Chlorella: This combination has been known to detoxify the brain and nervous system of mercury.

Coconut oil: This oil assists in helping to displace toxic hydrogenated trans fatty acids (e.g. partially hydrogenated soybean oil). Coconut oil restores natural saturated fat levels to the skin, subcutaneous fat layers, as well as to the individual cell membranes. Coconut oil speeds up metabolism allowing the body to drop excess weight and toxins accumulated by an underactive thyroid. Coconut oil is also valuable for the immune system as it contains healthy anti-viral saturated fatty acids such as lauric acid.

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Raw Foodist and Vegan Nutrition Deficiencies

Diana — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:17:27 +0000

The following is an article on vegan nutrition by David “Avocado” Wolfe, world renowned raw food expert, author, lecturer and of course, raw foodist. In the following article he talks about raw food and vegan nutrition deficiencies and how to combat them with the right foods and supplements.

“Over the last 20 years I have experienced various dietary lifestyles, including being a junk foodist, an ethical omnivore, then a vegetarian, then a vegan, a raw-foodist, and now a superfoodist. After years of dietary repair, I feel that I have completely recovered from my first 18 years of the “anything goes” Standard American Diet as well as completely healed myself of all past physical injuries.

My dietary transformation happened when I was 18 or 19 and was living at a University away from my family home. For the first time ever, I began purchasing my own food. I realized through the process of elimination that something I was buying was not agreeing with my digestion. That “something” turned out to be “milk, cheese, and eggs” – in essence – dairy products. Due to the discovery of this food allergy (which affects millions of people), I stopped consuming dairy products completely. After a few weeks, I thought it would be appropriate to begin to read about nutrition in order to be sure to have enough “calcium and protein” which I was no longer getting from dairy products. I began reading nutrition books: dozens of them. This led to the discovery of a deep, all-consuming passion I have for the subject of nutrition and eventually led to the creation of Sunfood.com and my career.

After reading nearly every book I could find on nutrition, vegetarianism, veganism, raw foods, superfoods, and herbs, and after over 1500 public presentations on the subject of ideal diets and human health as well as interacting with tens of thousands of people specifically on this subject, I have concluded (as have most others in our field) that the moral ethics of vegetarianism, veganism, and raw-foodism are wonderful and an intrinsic part of creating peace and health on Earth for all beings as well as a clean and sustainable future for all.

However, I have concluded, as have many others, that serious health conditions can develop as a result of improper nutrition due to unbalanced omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, and raw-food diets.

Dozens of factors are involved in creating nutritional imbalances as well as nutritional deficiencies including: daily stress levels, pregnancy, candida, disease conditions, special needs due to age-related nutritional requirements, metabolic differences in human genetics, the uniqueness of the human soul as it expresses itself through the physical body, physical injury recovery, drug addictions, etc. All of these factors must be accounted for and sufficient nutrition must be provided to meet these factors. On top of this, I believe that these challenges can and should be solved with high moral and ethical considerations. That is the basis of this report. By reading this report and maintaining a “solution oriented” perspective you will be able to greatly benefit from years of research by simply adding into your diet some of the foods, herbs, and superfoods mentioned. In fact, I know that by taking action on the information found here and the foods recommended, you will have the best day ever.

The key nutrients that standard American food consumers, as well as conscious omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, and raw-foodists may be missing and how I (and my company Sunfood.com) ethically solve these deficiencies are as follows:

Click each title to open a new window and read more.

As much I support the ethics of vegetarianism, veganism, and raw foodism, I am bound by an equally great or even greater moral obligation to give people the complete truth as best as I understand it as a health professional with all my years of direct, personal experience.

Please keep in mind that I have been a raw-foodist since 1994. My company Sunfood.comhas pioneered enormous advances in vegetarian and vegan nutrition over the last 13 years. I currently run four companies and directly employ over 30 people. In addition to that my team and I still conduct over 80 educational events each year. I have written four books (The Sunfood Diet Success System, Eating for Beauty, Naked Chocolate: The Astonishing Truth About the World’s Greatest Food, and Amazing Grace: The Nine Principles of Living in Natural Magic). I run two new sophisticated farming projects in remote regions of the world. I have traveled the world constantly for over 13 years and have not been in one place for more than four weeks in all that time.

From all this you have probably concluded that I am under a tremendous amount of responsibility and stress. In spite of all this, I am in perfect physical health. I never get tired, worn out, sick, etc. Sometimes I stay up for 2 or 3 days in a row without sleeping more than an hour a night. My immune system has never been stronger, my reflexes are as fast or faster than when I was 16 years old. I am more flexible than ever before. I am never in pain.

My commitment to ethical solutions to the world’s food challenges is not a joke. Review my track record and decide for yourself. I believe we can find moral and ethical solutions to every challenge we face including those surrounding food and diet. I believe that we must eat more plants in the food chain and let our bird, reptile, amphibian, and mammal friends pursue life, liberty, and happiness without our wholesale slaughter of their beauty. I believe we must discover and implement real solutions as quickly as possible so that we may all enjoy a healthy and prosperous future. Most importantly, I believe that these issues must be discussed openly and clearly so all confusion is removed. “

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Combating Sugar sensitivity, Hypoglycemia and Candida Naturally

Diana — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:58:04 +0000

This is a post that is part of theRaw Foodist and Vegan Nutrition Deficiencies article. Click here to read it now.

Vegan Nutrition Challenge #4 – Sugar sensitivity, hypoglycemia, and Candida.

In conjunction with mineral deficiencies, many individuals in the western world are afflicted with hypoglycemia. Estimates range as high as 40% of the population is suffering with hypoglycemia, but do not know it. The explosion of adult-onset diabetes also points to chronic mineral deficiencies as well as the over consumption of hydrogenated oils and refined sugar. Nearly everyone with digestive disturbances is suffering from some level of candida.
Ethical Solutions:

Coconut butter: Sunfood.com pioneered raw, organic coconut butter on the Internet in 1999. Coconut butter is a candida fighting, skin friendly, super oil. Coconut butter is a great clean source of vital energy. Coconut butter helps the body produce the pre-cursors to hormones.

Hempseeds and hempseed protein: The extraordinary content of protein in hempseeds can help stabilize blood sugar in those individuals with high-protein requirements.

Spirulina: The extraordinary content of protein in spirulina can help stabilize blood sugar in those individuals with high-protein requirements. Mixing hempseeds and spirulina together in a hempseed bag with pinches of Celtic Sea Salt is a valuable snack recipe for those with high protein requirements who need some low sugar, high-protein snack that is simple, easy, and that travels well.

Cacao nibs (beans): The magnesium and chromium content of cacao and cacao products has been demonstrated by Dr. Gabriel Cousens to clinically help type 2 diabetics lower their insulin requirements. That’s right…natural raw chocolate (cacao) actually improves the health of diabetics.

Yacon Root Syrup and yacon products: Our yacon root syrup has been specifically standardized to have at least a 30% FOS (fructo-oligosaccharide) count. This means that yacon is food for our friendly bacteria like acidophilus and bifidus. It also means that even though yacon syrup has a sweet taste, it does not significantly increase blood sugar levels. It can actually lower blood sugar levels. Yacon root syrup is a technological breakthrough in non-glycemic sweeteners. And yacon tastes better than stevia, xylitol, and other “no sugar” sweeteners.

Pau D’Arco (herb) tea: Pau D’Arco is a Central American and Amazonian tree bark that makes a delicious tea. Pau D’Arco is one of the best destroyers of candida known to humankind. Three to eight cups of Pau D’Arco tea each day are recommended for individuals suffering from candida or chronic digestive disturbances.

Probiotic bacteria: Friendly bacteria, especially acidophilus, are the natural enemies of candida. Sun Is Shining superfood formula contains friendly bacteria.

Aloe vera: Aloe vera is highly anti-fungal. Not only does aloe vera kill candida, but it stops digestive inflammation. The aloe must be raw, fresh, and the skin removed to have its entire medicinal effects. Fresh, raw aloe can be blended into teas or other beverages or consumed straight. Also, the long-chain sugars in aloe (called polysaccharides) provide long-term, even energy and therefore normalize blood sugar. Our company www.sunfood.com pioneered shipping raw, fresh aloe vera on the Internet in 2003. This is still one of our most loved products.

Kelp powder: An unrivaled source of minerals. As blood-sugar disorders are usually mineral deficiency syndromes, kelp helps to heal the problem at its root cause.

Low sugar fruits (cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, okra, etc.): Ingesting more low-sugar, raw, organic fruits in one’s diet can help blood sugar disorders as well as substantially influence a more balanced and positive demeanor with less moodiness. Eating a low-sugar diet (even low in natural sugars such as fruit, honey, etc.) creates a feeling of calmness and “lightness.”

Cinnamon: A great natural source of blood-sugar balancing chromium.

Seaweeds (especially kelp powder): The mineral value of kelp continues to surprise everyone in the nutrition field.

Powdered green superfoods: Sun Is Shining and Pure Synergy lead the field in helping to remineralize our bones and body. As previously mentioned, Sun Is Shining also contains friendly bacteria.

Olives: Olives provide some of the best fat-soluble alkaline minerals in the entire plant kingdom.

Wild rice (raw and sprouted or cooked): An excellent source of minerals and protein. Wild rice is great for those needing more protein and slow-burning fuel.

Ocean-grown agriculture (ocean-grown wheatgrass, sprouts, and vegetables): By improving the mineralization of our soil and food with dilute ocean water (twenty parts pure water to one part ocean water), we improve our own mineralization as we eat that food. When plants and animals are deficient in minerals they become ill. When the required minerals are available, plants and animals become healthy. Mineralized food provides more balanced long-term energy.

Angstrom liquid minerals (especially: zinc, chromium, vanadium, selenium, manganese, and calcium): These liquid minerals lead the field. They are highly absorbable, orally active, and easy to travel with. Sunfood.com pioneered the distribution of these minerals by placing their availability on the Internet in 2002.

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Vegan Nutrition Challenge #3 – Mineral deficiencies, Bone loss and Teeth problems

Diana — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:00:40 +0000

This is a post that is part of theRaw Foodist and Vegan Nutrition Deficiencies article. Click here to read it now.

Vegan Nutrition Challenge #3: Mineral deficiencies, Bone loss, and Teeth problems.

Mineral deficiencies affect nearly everybody across the entire planet. Minerals deficiencies have been found to contribute to nearly all conditions of illness. Increasing and improving mineralization has been found to help in practically all cases of illness. Mineralization has been scientifically associated with longevity. Dr. Maynard Murray discovered that proper mineralization was able to help plants, animals, and humans with genetic disorders.

Bone density improves when rich, mineralized foods are eaten, especially food and supplements rich in magnesium, silicon, calcium, ormus minerals, and trace minerals. Bone density improves when hormone levels are sufficient and/or abundant. Improvement is also seen when proper weight-bearing or vibrational exercise is practiced regularly. Additionally some exposure of the skin to direct sunlight improves mineralization.

Excessive sugar and cooked starch (potato, bread, grain) intake (even natural fruit and honey sugars) may contribute to mineral deficiencies in some people. Excessive acid-forming diets filled with meat and chemical sodas also contribute to bone and mineral loss.

Mineral and organic salt deficiencies are common when one has been dealing with digestive disturbances, especially if they have continued for some time.

Vegan Nutrition Ethical Solutions for Mineral Deficiencies, Bone Loss and Teeth Problems:

Seaweeds: Including sea lettuce, dulse, nori, and especially kelp powder are outstanding sources of minerals.

Cacao: (an unrivaled source of magnesium, iron, and chromium) Magnesium is critical for the proper formation and repair of bones and teeth.

Powdered green superfoods: Sun Is Shining and Pure Synergy lead the field in helping to remineralize our bones and body. These green superfoods contain nearly ever trace mineral and are a great place to start with a remineralization program.

Sunfood.com’s Oceans Alive Marine Phytoplankton (liquid): This product contains perhaps the most nutritious living food in the world – marine phytoplankton. A complete source of immediately usable living minerals. Actually, this product contains over 90 different minerals! One drop of this product is enough to feel some effects.

Olives: Olives provide the best fat-soluble calcium in the entire plant kingdom.

Maca: A powdered superfood root that helps the human body produce more hormone precursors. Sufficient hormone precursor levels help improve bone and tissue mineralization. Maca is also known to contain up to 20 trace minerals.

Wild rice (raw and sprouted or cooked): An excellent source of minerals, especially for growing children.

Celtic Sea Salt: A great source of natural, living, ocean minerals and salts. This may be very helpful for improving trace mineral availability.

Ocean-grown agriculture (ocean-grown wheatgrass, sprouts, and vegetables): What is ocean-grown agriculture? The ocean contains all known minerals. If you dilute ocean water at a ratio of at least 20 parts pure water or rain water to one part ocean water and then water your plants, fruit trees, garden, sprouts, and/or wheatgrass with it, all minerals become available to them. With this one trick, you can grow extraordinarily mineral-rich food right on your window sill.

Vegetables (raw, organic): Although we cannot rely on simple vegetables for all our mineral needs, we can say with certainty that organic vegetables are rich in alkalinity and are superior to conventional vegetables in mineral content. Organic raw vegetables provide energy with no calories. Chewing green vegetables is great for mechanically cleaning the teeth and supplying the minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and silicon that nourish our bones and teeth with minerals.

Orgono Living Liquid Silica: An ideal source of one of our most important, yet neglected minerals – silicon. Orgono represents a technological breakthrough in arthritic pain relief and bone remineralization.

Flora’s Horsetail Extract: This product is a great bone remineralizer and is the premier product of Professor Kervran’s life’s work including five books and 5,000 pages of scientific notes focusing on the science of mineralization.

Ormus gold (in Miron glass)
: This is a member of the class of minerals known as Ormus. This product also contains bone-building silicon. David Radius Hudson, the discoverer of Ormus minerals, estimated that as much as 5% of the dry matter weight of our nervous system could be Ormus minerals (formerly mistaken as carbon, iron, and other minerals).

Angstrom liquid minerals (especially: calcium, zinc, chromium, vanadium, selenium, magnesium, and manganese): These liquid minerals lead the field. They are highly absorbable, orally active, and easy to travel with. Sunfood.com pioneered the distribution of the angstrom minerals by placing their availability on the internet in 2002.

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Vegan Nutrition Challenge #2 – Protein Deficiencies

Diana — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:46:47 +0000

This is a post that is part of the Raw Foodist and Vegan Nutrition Deficiencies article. Click here to read it now.

Vegan Nutrition Challenge #2: Protein deficiencies. Information: Contrary to some vegetarian and vegan propaganda, some individuals do need plenty of protein to retain mental and emotional stability as well as muscular size.

The Max Planck Institute discovered that cooking destroys 50% of the protein in food. It is likely, that due to the bad habit of cooking food, the amount of protein actually required by the human body per day is closer to 25 grams (or even less) than the average prescribed 50 grams a day. Additionally, due to the danger of consuming animal products created by poor quality control, antibiotics, growth hormones, animal diseases (Mad Cow, Hoof and Mouth, Blue Tongue, chicken cancers, etc.) as well as greed, animal products are becoming less and less reliable sources of protein or any nutrition at all.

However, an ancient-old, brand-new re-emerging class of foods is able to meet our requirement of a clean, highly-usable form of complete protein (as well as many, many other nutrients) and that ancient-old, brand-new class of foods is superfoods.

Ethical Solutions for Vegetarian Protein Deficiency:

Superfoods appear to completely solve the protein problem. The most important complete protein superfoods are as follows:

1. Hempseed and Hempseed protein.

2. Goji berries and goji berry powders: Beware of “Wildcrafted” goji berries. They are not wildcrafted. They are domestically grown and often fertilized and sprayed with chemicals. Nearly all “wildcrafted” goji berries we have tested are heavily sprayed with sulfur dioxide. Some “organic” brands of goji berries failed the sulfur dioxide text (they were sprayed with sulfur dioxide). Sunfood.com’s organic goji berries and Tibet Authentic goji berries are tested to be free of all chemicals, artificial fertilizers, and sulfur dioxide.

3. Bee pollen (organic): Very few foods even compare to bee pollen in overall nutrition. Bee pollen is arguably the most complete food found in nature. Take bee pollen samples and sample them in your mouth for 20 minutes without swallowing in order to detect if you are allergic to the pollen. Itchiness, swelling, internal mouth reactions, etc. are all signs of an allergic response. If you are allergic to a batch of bee pollen do not eat it. You may still be able to eat other batches of bee pollen from different sources.

4. Sunfood Nutrition Marine Phytoplankton (liquid): This living phytoplankton product is unparalleled in the world. Not only a complete source of living protein, but also arguably the most nutritious food on Earth. One drop of this product is enough to feel some effects.

5. Spirulina: Spirulina contains the highest concentration of protein of any food on Earth. This food fed Mexico City and met all protein requirements for millions of people for 5,000 years.

6. Blue-Green Algae and Chlorella: These are both complete protein sources. Blue-green algae and chlorella are found in superfood formulas such as Sun Is Shining and Pure Synergy. These formulas can be added to foods, beverages, or even water and consumed daily to meet protein needs.

7. Maca: Although maca is not a complete protein it is such a great source of hormone precursors and amino acids, that it provides many of the same effects created by a high-protein diet.

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Vegan Nutrition Challenge #1 – Omega 3 Deficiencies

Diana — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:31:43 +0000

This is a post that is part of Raw Foodist and Vegan Nutrition Deficiencies article. Click here to read it now.

Vegan Nutrition Challenge #1: Long-chain omega 3 fatty acid (DHA, EPA) deficiencies.

Information: The omega 3 fatty acids found in most plants (hemp, flax) are not long chain. They are medium chain. The conversion of medium chain omega 3 fatty acids to long chain fatty acids is not easy. In some metabolisms, it does not happen at all. Many individuals are suffering from long-chain omega 3 fatty acid (DHA, EPA) deficiencies. These deficiencies inhibit proper brain and nervous system development as well as impair cognitive abilities. Traditionally, the DHA, EPA nutrition requirements had been solved using cod liver oil or other fish oils. Fish oils are not a long-term sustainable option due to the â€œfishing outâ€ of cod in the Atlantic and the increasing presence of mercury, heavy metals, and pollutants in fish oils. Long-chain omega 3 fatty acids (DHA, EPA) are extremely important for growing infants and children.

Ethical Solutions to Omega 3 Deficiencies:

Klamath Lake Blue-Green Algae Sunfood.com distributes blue-green algae in various forms due to its extraordinary nutrition profile. Blue-green algae contains DHA.

Algae Oil Sunfood.com was one of the first internet sites to make algae oil, a clean source of DHA, available. However, algae oil does not contain the equally important long-chain omega 3 fatty acid known as EPA.

Oceans Alive Liquid Marine Phytoplankton This is a plant-based solution to the DHA and EPA problem that can work for most people. This is a phenomenal, vegan solution to meeting DHA and EPA nutritional requirements. Sunfood.com actually pioneered this living vegan product and has made it available to the public for the first time ever.

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Super Energy Boosting Vanilla Bean Chocolate Smoothie Recipe

Diana — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 02:02:36 +0000

This vegan and raw vanilla bean and chocolate smoothie recipe is so jam packed with nutritional goodness it will help you get a huge boost of energy guaranteed! Fresh coconut water, if used as a base, is a great source of electrolytes. Raw chocolate, or raw cacao, has the highest antioxidant content. Click here to learn more about raw chocolate. You can also click on any of the highlighted links below to learn more about the health benefits of each ingredient.

To make this raw and vegan vanilla bean and chocolate smoothie recipe you will need the following ingredients:

4 cups liquid – we recommend hot or cold tea, fresh coconut water, or any nut milk
3 tablespoons Sunfood Nutrition’s Cacao Powder (pictured above)
1 tablespoon Maca, or Maca Extreme if you dare!
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon Sunfood Nutrition’s Cacao Nibs
2 tablespoons Artisana Coconut Butter
1 tablespoon Sunfood Nutrition’s Wild Jungle Peanuts
1-2 tablespoons sweetener (we suggest any of Sunfood Nutrition’s yacon syrup, amber or dark agave, or any of our raw honeys)
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 small pinch Celtic Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger (optional)
1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4-1/2 leaf fresh Aloe Vera gel
1/2 fresh vanilla beans
3-5 capsules Immune Builder Mushroom Supplement, open capsules and pour powder in (optional, for an even greater immune energy boost!)
1-3 cups organic frozen berries depending on how thick you like your smoothie

Mix all ingredients in a blender or Vitamix blender, for best results, and serve. This recipe serves 4 people, or you can have the vanilla bean and chocolate smoothie all to yourself throughout the day. Feel free to add in more fruits and experiment with different types of fruits as a base to see what you like best. Enjoy!

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Combating Syndrome X (Metabolic Syndrome)

Diana — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:10:18 +0000

The following article on combating Syndrome X (Metabolic Syndrome) is by world renowned raw food expert and author David Wolfe.

Beating Syndrome X (Metabolic Syndrome)

According to the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Survey Examination Survey, about two thirds of the United States’ adult population is overweight – and fully one third of this group is obese. The percentage of overweight adults in the US increased from 44.8% to 65.2% from 1960 to 2002. During the same period, the level of obesity increased from 13.3% to 30.5%.

Somebody asked me why I believe we have an epidemic of obesity. That’s when I thought it would be important to discuss Syndrome X as this could be a syndrome that either ourselves or our loved ones are suffering from without knowing it. With more understanding about Syndrome X we create compassion for ourselves and others as well as gain greater understanding of how to strategically overcome Syndrome X with patience over time.

What is Syndrome X (Metabolic Syndrome)?

Decades of consuming conventionally-grown food, pesticide-sprayed and artificially-fertilized food, chemical preservatives and sweeteners, as well as literally being sprayed with chemicals beginning with DDT and automobile exhaust and now chemtrails has, over time, given rise to the development of a new syndrome, now known as – Syndrome X. It has been estimated that as many as 47 million Americans may be dealing with Syndrome X.

Syndrome X (or Metabolic Syndrome) is characterized by the inability to budge one’s metabolism no matter what techniques are tried. Syndrome X’ers usually have the following symptoms:

Obesity (this is usually to such an extent that the individual has, in their heart, “given up.”).
Thyroid disorders (likely caused by exposure to radioactive elements in the biosphere such as Uranium 238. Radioactive elements have been detected in conventional dairy products).
Pre-diabetes hypoglycemia or diabetes type II (likely caused by too many refined carbohydrates, chronic mineral deficiencies, years of consuming toxic factory-farmed meat products, and the intake of trans-fatty acids over a lifetime).
Immune System disorders (getting flus and colds each season may not sound like a disorder, but it certainly is symptomatic of a deficiency of the immune system due to Improper nutrition and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. With proper nutrition and a clever strategy as well as natural factors such as exercise, fresh air, and sunlight, we should be able to avoid all flus and colds. Immune system disorders felt by Syndrome X’ers appear to be getting worse).
Low energy – Due to carrying extra weight and a toxic burden, as well as interference in ATP production due to improper nutrition (lack of zinc) and heavy metal exposure many Syndrome X’ers have to resort to stimulants such as coffee and cigarettes to keep going.
Inflammation – This is likely caused by an elevated nanobacteria count (nanobacteria are calcium-forming organisms like microscopic clams that initially cause inflammatory problems and eventually form the calcium blockages that lead to a heart attack or stroke as well as arthritis. The likely source of the overexposure to nanobacteria is factory-farmed meat products such as chicken, pork, and beef). Nanobacteria find it easier to grow in acidic tissues filled with trans-fatty acids, heavy metals, and synthetic chemicals.
Reliance (or addiction to) one or more pharmaceuticals. In a “Drug Free America” it is amazing how many people are addicted to “legal” drugs.

Dissolving Syndrome X

The way to move Syndrome X off of one’s metabolism is to spend focused attention on the four following areas over a period of months or even years:

Shifting to an alkaline, balanced diet of organic, enzyme-rich, raw and living foods, tonic herbs, and superfoods.

All the symptoms of Syndrome X are associated with hyper-acidity. This has been caused primarily by consuming junk food and non-organic food, eating chemicals, as well as an overall focus on a “root (potato products), seed (bread products), muscle (meat, chicken), glue-like (pasteurized dairy) diet.” The “root, seed, muscle, glue diet” lacks certain key foods that create alkalinity (or more specifically) an acid-alkaline balance.

The alkaline-forming, organic, raw foods that can be added immediately to balance out this type of diet include:

Vegetables
Superfoods
Herbs(especially the Medicinal Mushrooms)
Seaweeds
Sprouts
Grasses (wheatgrass)

2. Detoxifying and cleansing the acidity present in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of ourselves.

Acidity can also be created by other factors than food that should be cleansed in a step-by-step manner. These acid-forming factors include:

Chronic dehydration - In order to remain hydrated both pure water and some full-spectrum salts are required. Discover the best water available to you. Cold spring water at the source is the best type of drinking water. I recommend Celtic Grey Mineral Sea Salt to meet your salt needs. Celtic sea salt should replace rock salts and kiln-dried salts in your home (such Morton’s Iodized Salt).
Exposure to physical toxins - These toxins include chemtrails, pesticides, auto exhaust, nuclear fallout (depleted uranium 238 from the Iraq and other endless wars), as well as household toxins found in rugs and paint. Liquid Activated Zeolites play a critical role in helping to detoxify ourselves from these dangerous substances. 30-day detoxification systems such as the herbal EJUVA cleanse along with colon cleansing (colonics, enemas) also play a key role in helping our body dump toxins quickly.
Emotional toxins (parental and spousal abuse and sexual abuse) – This is one of the key aspects of overall healing. Releasing and healing parental and spousal emotional abuse and sexual abuse will do more for improving your diet and life than just about anything else. Working with others (counselors, friends, shamans, spiritual leaders, psychiatrists, etc.) to release stuck emotions is a critical part of the healing process.
Non-educational media (for example, the nightly news whose goal is to keep viewers hooked by a constant barrage of “shocking” bad news). The news is not the news, it’s the “olds” – the same old bad news. Turn off the news if you want to feel better.

3. Gradually stopping the intake of all pharmaceutical drugs.

Iatrogenic illnesses and deaths (caused by doctors due to inappropriate prescriptions and reactions to pharmaceutical medications and addictions) are now considered the third leading cause of death in the United States. The “pop-a-pill” culture drug concept and theory is completely bankrupt and totally incapable of dealing with the monumental challenges created by decades of massively toxic, chemically-sprayed and treated dead food, industrial toxins, charred petroleum debris in the atmosphere and soil, depleted uranium contamination, chemtrails, and massively contaminated municipal water systems (now known to contain drugs such as SSRI’s and synthetic antibiotics that reverse osmosis systems cannot filter out). Start healthy habits and stop taking drugs if you want to feel better.

4. Avoiding recreational drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol.

Abusing recreational drugs has been linked to nearly every health challenge known. Alcohol is a leading cause of dehydration, water retention, candida, bloating, inflammation, liver toxicity, nervous system disorders (schizophrenia), and vitamin B deficiencies.

Cigarettes become addicting because, due to stress (psychological) and poor nutrition (lack of vitamins and amino acids) vitamin B3 becomes deficient. Vitamin B3 or niacin is very closely related to niacinamide, nicotinamide, and nicotine. Nicotine from tobacco has the ability to “substitute” for Vitamin B3 in our metabolism. When we get Vitamin B3 back into our diet, this helps alleviate the desire for tobacco. The highest natural source of Vitamin B3 is the Amazonian Jungle Peanut. With the simple addition of one food like the Jungle Peanuts, relief can be felt from cigarette withdrawals.

David Wolfe’s Recommendations and Why They Help Alleviate Syndrome X

At different events, conference calls, and shows I am often asked what foods and products I specifically recommend to help individuals combat Syndrome X. The first things I recommend are those items listed above; namely to add vegetables, seaweeds, sprouts, grasses, superfoods, and herbs to the diet. To expand a little on the superfoods and herbs, what you will find below is what I select to combat Syndrome X and at least part of the reason why I continue to make these available through Sunfood.com.

Superfoods:

Amazonian Jungle Peanuts- A superb source of Vitamin B3. These peanuts and the peanut butter made from them are also wild foods with a high level of minerals and amino acids.

Cacao Nibs(raw chocolate pieces) – Chocolate always has been the #1 weight loss food due to its therapeutic content of magnesium, chromium, and iron.

Goji Berries – Goji berries are an extraordinarily nutritious, complete protein source. Goji berries taste great and make for a great snack, superfood alternative. Don’t be fooled by non-organic brands that are sprayed with sulfur dioxide. Go organic. Eat organic goji berries.

Maca- Maca helps to activate the glands and the endocrine system. The endocrine system includes the pineal, pituitary, thyroid, thymus, adrenals, ovaries, testicles, etc. Most Syndrome X’ers have glandular deficiencies (usually the thyroid). In addition, maca is excellent at increasing overall vitality and vigor. When maca is an aphrodisiac for you, then you know it is working.

Ocean’s Alive Marine Phytoplankton – This is the only bottled food product in the world that contains all known minerals. Mineral deficiencies cause us to continually eat until we get the minerals we are looking for. Because junk foods contains no minerals, eating them will never satiate the appetite. Mineral-rich Ocean’s Alive Marine Phytoplankton also contains EPA. EPA is an omega 3 fatty acid that is important for a healthy nervous system and brain chemistry. The GLA and phospholipids in the Phytoplankton have anti-inflammatory properties.

Herbs (Medicinal Mushrooms) and Botanical Supplements:

Reishi Gano 161 by Mushroom Science

Lion’s Mane by Mushroom Science

Agaricus H1X1 (the most powerful mushroom supplement available)

Syndrome X is often characterized by high amounts of tissue acidity. In order to create balance, alkaline nutrients, herbs, and superfoods are required. The Medicinal Mushrooms are the most alkaline of herbs. The Medicinal Mushrooms help restore a normal glucose metabolism as well as an active and healthy immune system. The polysaccharides in Medicinal Mushrooms also contain Ormus minerals that help bring “lifeforce energy” and “vitality” back into our bodies.

Beauty Enzymes – No weight loss program would be complete without enzymes. Enzymes are catalysts that help move a “stuck” metabolism. The key factor about raw and living foods and their ability to help get a Syndrome X metabolism going is their enzyme content. Supplemental enzymes like Beauty Enzymes make the difference and that is why the demand for this product is so high we can barely keep up with production. In terms of quality, there is no other product like Beauty Enzymes on the market. Test and you’ll be convinced.

Blue Mangosteen – Blue Mangosteen is perhaps the most potent natural anti-inflammatory botanical product on the market today that also fights debilitating nanobacteria.

DHA Algae Oil – DHA, like EPA, is an omega 3 fatty acid that is important for a healthy nervous system and brain chemistry. Long-chain omega 3 fatty acids like DHA are chronically deficient amongst the population, especially amongst long-term conventional-food consuming vegans and vegetarians.

Celtic Grey Mineral Sea Salt – Celtic sea salt contains four times the mineral content of any other salt including Himalayan salt (which is second best). Celtic salt is much fresher and more “living” than rock salts that come out of the Earth. A pinch or two of Celtic salt to a liter (quart) of drinking water can do wonders to increase your hydration.
Detoxification and Cleansing:

Liquid Activated Zeolites- This the most powerful single cleansing product ever developed. This product is proof that the more problems we face, the more powerful the solutions become. This product is the only product ever proven to remove heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, etc.) and volatile organic compounds (synthetically made chemicals that can interfere with a healthy metabolism).

Angstrom Zinc – Syndrome X’ers are typically chronically deficient in zinc. Zinc plays a critical role in energy production as well as detoxification in the human body. Angstrom Zinc comes in an easy to use liquid form. This is the most effective form of zinc we have yet found.

EJUVA – EJUVA is an entirely organic 30-day herbal cleanse that generally is “softer” than most cleanses of its type. It is designed to help turn candida into healthy digestion as well as help assist the healing of digestive disturbances – especially small and large intestine (colon) challenges. EJUVA can assist the removal of toxic, old waste matter from the body. It is common for those on the EJUVA cleanse to lose 20 pounds in a single month.
Psychological Support:

David Wolfe’s 21 Day Peak Performance and Weight Loss Program – If you enjoy the constant support and education provided by a reassuring voice that you can listen to at home, in your car, and/or with your iPod then this 21 Day Program will do wonders for you. Each day you select two cards from two separate decks and follow the instructions from there. This is an innovative, fun audio program
that is guaranteed to entertain, empower, and educate as you lose weight and gain healthy habits.

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