Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Raw Food and Me Update

The process of detoxification is more than a physical cleanse. There may be substantial physical debris collected in the liver, colon, or any other organ, but we all have emotional debris. I may not have noticed much in the way of physical changes with my cleanse in January and currently with raw food meals, but I will confess decades of memories, people, and conflicts surfaced. It took a few days of insistent floods of memories and sensations before I welcomed them in. Once I did, ironic events allowed me to revisit similar situations or the exact physical locale of my memories. I finally worked (hopefully completely) through a couple patterns. I am making a concerted effort to incorporate some authentic traits and qualities that got waylaid over the years. It is possible that the whole process could be a little overwhelming; you may only know this because you just won’t be able to handle the same amount of stress or requests from others. These situations could also be opportunities for learning improved boundaries. At certain points within the cleanse I just needed to step back from assisting friends and clients in their process.

I also learned that a raw diet hasn’t worked at a total foodstyle for me. One, I can’t eat that many nuts. Every entrée consist of and some sides contain cashews, pistachios and walnuts. The food also tends to have an odor that permeates the refrigerator that no amount of baking soda can absorb. I am able to obtain my daily need of oils from sautéing veggies or from adding flax or hemp oil to smoothies or breakfast cereals and getting protein from legumes instead of nuts. Two, my body shut down the first two weeks fearing starvation; maybe if I was persistent my body would learn otherwise but raw food is an adjunct to my regular foodstyle. Think before you decide to consume surf and turf. I found out and so did my companion that I can not tolerate an animal product-based meal in the midst of three months of raw food.

I have noticed energetic shifts with the diet change. I have to say that when I didn’t eat raw food for a week, my energy level was slightly lower but still adequate but literally the moment raw kale and sun dried tomatoes hit my tongue, every cell realigned and I zinged back to life. I was a little shocked. The week away from raw food, I ate veggies, beans and a little wheat. Apparently, there is a major difference with raw food veggies than the lightly sautéed veggies I would normally consume. I mentioned previously I wanted to incorporate raw food to raise my vibration – increasing my sensitivity to energy. Fruits and vegetables are higher vibration foods because they are “alive”. Animal products and grains are lower vibration foods. I can say I do have a greater sensitivity within the work that I do.

I haven’t delved into researching raw recipe and I didn’t try to make any at home but my favorite side from Cousins has been lacinto kale (surprise, surprise always my favorite) with goji berries or sun dried tomatoes. Since all is raw they “massage” their greens. Nope, haven’t tried massaging my vegetables. But you should try some lightly steamed kale with the berries and a light sweet vinegar oil dressing. The other item I call eggplant jerky and they call bacon – dehydrated eggplant slices coated with raw cayenne-laden tomato paste is very tasty and a little chewy. Also, the ravioli with the nut crème filling is decadent.

Since we are part of the macrocosm and influenced by anything happening out there in the universe, you might want to plan a cleanse around the planetary activity. I’m serious! I was told Mars was in retrograde this January and that time period would bring up anger and conflict. I was irritated and annoyed with imagined violence to anyone I called “idiot” under my breath. It wasn’t very nice of me but I really didn’t need the planetary alignment to influence my liver as I was attempting to be kind to it. There were other shifts in the macrocosm during these few months; so many people were in a state of emergency in their lives.

So in concluding your inclusion in my raw food experience:
Decide which approach is most manageable for your lifestyle
Plan it out – consider upcoming life events, planetary changes and seasonal changes
Be aware of the process
Be flexible and accommodating to what you and your body need
Don’t be attached to expectations or outcome

I came across short interview in February’s
Natural Health magazine with Carol Alt, model and raw foodist. Here is a raw recipe from her new raw “cook” book.

If you have any nut sensitivities this isn’t for you. The raw tomato sauce even at Cousins is so good!

Broccoli Cannelloni
Thinly sliced zucchini and a creamy cashew filling replace traditional pasta and cheese in this hearty meal. To sprout sunflower seeds, rinse and set in a sprouting container for 2-3 days.

½ c sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours
¼ c water
½ tsp fresh lemon juice, plus a ¼ cup
1 T cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
1 T fresh thyme
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
½ c chopped fresh basil
½ c fresh oregano leaves
1 tsp Himalayan salt
2 broccoli stalks (with crowns) cut into chunks
1 T nutmeg
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 T chopped fresh sage
½ c raw cashews, soaked 2 hours
½ c sunflower seeds, sprouted
1 lg zucchini
¼ c raw pine nuts, optional

In a blender, combine sun-dried tomatoes, water, ½ tsp lemon juice, olive oil and thyme. Blend until smooth.

In a food processor, combine sun-dried tomato mixture with fresh tomatoes, basil, oregano and ½ tsp salt. Pulse until combined; do not puree. Pour into bowl and set aside.

Wash food processor, towel dry, add broccoli and finely chop. Add nutmeg and rosemary, process until incorporated.

Transfer broccoli to mixing bowl and without washing food processor, combine sage, cashews, sprouts, ¼ c lemon juice, and remaining salt. Process until smooth.

Stir cashew mixture with broccoli until well blended. Set aside.

With mandolin or vegetable peeler, shave long wide strips from the zucchini. Place 4 strips side by side, overlapping slightly.

Place a few tablespoons of broccoli cashew mixture along zucchini ends. Roll the zucchini slices over the mixture to make a long filled tube. Repeat with remaining zucchini strips and filling.

Serve in pool of tomato sauce. Top with more sauce and add pine nuts if desired.