Beets... the red headed step child of root vegetables

hahahahhahaa, when I went to Google a picture of a red head a lot
of pictures came up about gingers stealing souls LOL had to put one up

I happen to be fond of red heads because we have a lot of them in our family, however, somewhere along the way they got a bad wrap. Kind of like beets. I just started using beets in some of my juices and like them in small amounts in addition to apples, lemon, carrots, and ginger. That makes a really tasty juice that is super detoxifying.

I just came across a video for a beet salad that looks amazing! I've been itching to experiment with beets in salads lately, and plan on doing so once I get home. Yes, still in LA. Take a look. Hope this inspires someone to start using beets!

The perks of staying in a hotel

When I was packing to come to LA I didn't have any room in my bag for my running sneakers (mainly because I had to bring all of my monster heels). I figured it wouldn't really matter anyway because I wouldn't have time to workout between the conference and catching up with friends who live in town.

But now that I'm stuck here with some time to spare and a beautiful hotel gym, I want to workout. I had planned on getting a trolley over to the closest mall and buy a pair since I needed new ones anyway, but yesterday while I was in the bathroom I noticed a little message on the mirror.

This is the greatest thing I've seen a hotel do EVER! besides the hotels that are putting juice bars in their lobbies (hopefully that will be the trend soon). How convenient!?!?! This is one of those services that would seriously make me consider staying at a Westin where ever I could while traveling. And it is only $5 to rent them for your stay! and they give you a coupon if you want to buy anything New Balance online. Talk about a great marketing idea on both New Balance and Westin's part!

About to hit it hard!

I'm stuck

So a week ago I wrote that I was creatively stuck. Well I just finished the conference, got myself unstuck, and now I'm physically stuck... in Los Angeles. Hurricane Sandy has shut down the northeast so I'll be out here until Thursday.

It may be a blessing in disguise. I made so much progress creatively and personally while I attended the conference. Now I am stuck here with my computer and a lot of time to organize my thoughts, reach out to all of the great contacts I've made, and make a game plan for where I want to take Raw Generation after our other business wraps up after the holidays. It turns out being stuck here isn't such a bad thing.

all raw juices & kombucha from Whole Foods

I'm also gonna get some sun, a lot of sleep, and drink a lot of juice. Luckily, there was a Whole Foods a few miles down the road so I took a cab and stocked up for the next few days. I also have a bunch of Recipe #1's left over from the conference so I can get my greens while I'm here (hence the jugs of unpasteurized apple and orange juices- can't deal with straight veggie juice just yet). The thought of eating room service for the next 3 1/2 days makes me want to VOM, not to mention how easily it is to gain weight that way.

P.S.- if you are staying in a hotel and it doesn't have a refrigerator (or one stocked with alcohol and candy bars like mine) call the service desk and ask if they can have one brought up like I did.

Hope all of you on the East coast are staying alive and dry! XOXO

On the road again...

So tomorrow I'm going to L.A. for a conference filled with health coaches. These are my people. I went to the same conference back in May and had the most amazing 3 days and met a bunch of like-minded people. This conference couldn't have come at a better time because I've been really lacking creative motivation with everything in my life. I kind of feel stuck. Like, I know there are things I want to be creating and developing for Raw Generation, but I feel scattered. Part of it is because I am in the thick of our other seasonal business so my days are split between juice and Christmas trees.

I've also been completely unmotivated to cook which makes for a really dull blog about cooking. Sorry! I guess it should be expected that after a solid 14 months of cooking and writing I temporarily ran out of things to cook and write about....

Lately, my regimen of eating healthy consists of juicing at least once a day, eggs for lunch w/ chopped up veggies, and whatever I feel like picking on for dinner (last night I had air-popped pop corn with butter). I've been eating like a bird.

Hopefully this conference gives me the much needed creative motivation. Otherwise, I'm going to have to rename the blog to 'Plenty of Things to Do & NO THYME'.

The New Flu Shot

1000 x better than a flu shot

For those of you who are unaware...it is not really necessary to get a flu shot. People get sick because they have compromised immune systems. So all you have to do is work on building your immune system and you can avoid getting sick.

P.S. every time I have gotten a flu shot I have gotten the flu. When I don't get the flu shot, I don't get the flu. Go figure. You can see why I am against getting the flu shot.

How do I build my immune system? 

1) Take a vitamin D supplement every day. Check our Vitamin D guide for details about choosing the proper dosage.

2) Get as much sunlight as you can for as late into the year as you can manage. Even getting sunlight on just your face helps produce more vitamin D in your body. (I go tanning in the winter for a few minutes a few times a week)

3) Drink immune-boost beverages like Raw Generation Juices, which contains a blend of dark greens including wheatgrass! Get much needed vitamins and minerals in one bottle (or shot of wheatgrass juice). (shameless plug!)

4) Get regular exercise to boost your circulation and immune strength. This exercise should be frequent and moderate. Do not over-stress yourself at the gym, or your immune system will be temporarily compromised. 

5) Take supplements especially designed to protect your respiratory tract. These include Lomatium, Osha, Elderberry and more.  

6) Eat more meals that are rich in pungent spices. Eat more curry, which is rich in turmeric. Eat more ginger. Eat more cilantro, rosemary, thyme and other rich spices. This includes cloves and nutmeg, two spices you'll typically find in eggnog drinks. These spices boost immune function and taste great, too! 

7) Clean up your diet. If you're eating cheese and drinking processed milk, those substances are to be avoided during the winter influenza season, especially. In many people, cheese and dairy products tend to cause sinus stuffiness, which is really a lack of sinus circulation. This can make you more susceptible to physically catching and harboring a virus floating around. 

8) Boost your trace minerals intake, especially zinc. Both zinc and selenium are hugely important for immune function. Zinc is especially well known for functioning as a shield support against many viral attacks. One of the best ways to boost your trace minerals intake is to switch to a natural sea salt or a high-mineral salt.  

9) Move your lymph! Rebounders (mini trampolines) are great for this purpose. Jumping rope also works, as does just hopping in place for a few minutes each day. You can also do arm rotations and other simple movements to keep your lymph circulating. Lymph movement is crucial for immunity. 

10) Take immune-protective herbs such as goldenseal, garlic, echinacea, osha root and elderberry.  

11) Get plenty of sleep. A lack of sleep compromises the immune system. 

12) Reduce your levels of chronic stress, if possible. Stress also compromises your immune system, and it even "uses up" nutrients in your body, leaving you nutritionally depleted. 

13) Laugh a little! Watch some comedy movies, or spend some fun time with family and friends. Laughter boosts immune function at many levels. It's good for your body and your mental health. Find creative ways to expose yourself to comical situations and you'll benefit as a result. :-)

Instead of getting the flu shot... try a daily wheatgrass shot! I drink at least a bottle of our Recipe #2 each day (which includes wheatgrass).

A.W.O.L.

I apologize for my mini-leave-of-absence. I moved at the end of last week and have been all discombobulated since. But I've finally unpacked my office, put away all of my clothes, hung curtains in my room so I can sleep past sunrise without being blinded, and went through a week's worth of emails.

I'm getting back into the swing of things, just ordered lots of healthy food to cook, and have a bunch of recipes to try and write about.

On a completely different note (not related to healthy eating or cancer prevention), I've found what I'm naturally good at. Shooting zombies. I took a shooting class the other day (I know super important given all of the other things I have going on right now lol).

I highlighted the shots so you could see...
I swear this is no exaggeration.

Apparently I'm a natural, according to the teacher who I think wanted to recruit me to her shooting team. I shot 4 different guns, and killed every zombie. Who wants to take me hunting!?!?!?!?

Anyway, back to healthy stuff tomorrow!

Moving On

Today I am finishing packing my life for my move tomorrow. FYI...this is why I have been M.I.A. on the blog for the past week) It is a bitter sweet day. I've lived here for the past 3 1/2 years and absolutely loved almost every minute of it. I am for sure going to miss living 1/2 a mile from the beach, but there are some other memories I will be glad to not be reminded of every day.

It's weird how the move coincided with my 30th birthday. Not sure if I subconsciously did that or what, but I moved to the beach to be where the party is when I was 26 and not really caring about my job. Now I feel like I am starting a new chapter. I am more serious about my work now and am moving to make my life easier and happier.

Just some ramblings for today... gotta get back to packing!

Au revoir Bradley Beach!

In my 30's

Yesterday I graduated to the 30-34 age bracket. Leading up to my birthday I was a little sad that my 20's are over... but then I realized that I can still act as ridiculous as I always do. Age is just a number, and I definitely feel younger than I have in a long time.

It was a rainy gloomy day, but I had such a great birthday. Had some drinks and awesome Nutella pizza at my favorite restaurant with a few of my favorite people. My dad asked if I wanted to go to pick out Barbies for my birthday present (we didn't but I'm seriously considering). I heard from all of the amazing people in my life. It was a great day.

When I was younger I never really thought about getting older. I sure as hell didn't think about what I would do when I was an adult... which I guess I seriously am now. The only thing I really ever cared about was that I was having fun. That was always my priority. And while "having fun" has changed it's form, it is still a priority to me.

I hope you all are having as much fun as I am!

(If not...what are you waiting for?)

Prop 37: My Humble Opinions

On November 6, 2012, California voters will decide whether to require labeling of food products containing ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms (Prop 37). It is all I have been hearing about lately, and while I am completely against genetically modified foods, I am also completely against the government forcing companies to do anything about it. 

Here's why...

1. When the government gets involved in business it imposes tremendous costs on industry X, Y, or Z. This is often "in the best interest of the public", but it actually hurts everyone because it takes the responsibility and necessity of being informed away from the people. It tells people "don't worry the government will take care of you." 

2. The more regulations, the higher the cost. I'm sure that Prop 37 doesn't just effect companies that are producing foods including GMO's. There will for sure be collateral damage. Food will inadvertently become more expensive and the food available will not be any more valuable for the extra cost. 

3. The food industry is in bed with the government. I'm afraid that this monster is too big to tame overnight. There are a handful of corporations that own and control majority of the major food brands. They lobby in Washington, donate to politicians who will help them, have huge budgets. This is not to say that I don't believe that a few people can create a huge change (revolution if you must)... given the right circumstances a one person can change everything. But getting the government involved is not going to get GMO's out of our food. 

So what do you do? 

In light of the fact that most of the items at any given grocery store (including Whole Foods) contain genetically modified ingredients, you stop buying them. Companies are run off of profits. If the company loses profits it changes it's product(s) or it goes out of business. As much as it is important for everyone to not be eating genetically modified foods, it is more important for YOU to stop eating. And YOU don't need the government to tell you what is or is not genetically modified.

I'll tell you in a nutshell:

• any product containing corn that is NOT organic
• any product containing soy that is NOT organic
• any product containing canola oil that is NOT organic
• any product w/ high fructose corn syrup in it
• any product w/ hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in it
• any meat that was not humanely raised
• any dairy that comes from animals not humanely raised
• any fish that was not wild caught

Why the animals? Because they are fed corn and soy, and whatever they eat, we eat. 

The more fresh fruits and vegetables you buy, the less processed junk you will buy. It's that simple. But just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy. 

It took me being completely grossed out by certain foods to cut them out of my diet- cold cuts, conventional meat, conventional dairy, factory farmed meat, most processed/packaged "foods" that are sold in the grocery store. It's hard to get over  what you are used to, but it gets easier the more you know about the reality of our food industry.

What will it take you to start changing the things you put in your mouth?

Ethnic Food vs. American Food

I was having a conversation with my sister the other day about the amazing food we've eaten in other countries.  I have no idea how we got on this topic, but I have to admit it is one of the more intelligent conversations we've had in a while.

Anyway, she asked me if I liked Indian food, and I said 'yes, actually there hasn't been an ethnic food I've tried and not liked- ever!' One of the things our food (in America) is really lacking is spice. I'm not talking about hot pepper spicy, I'm talking about using different spices. That is one of the great things about eating different ethnicity's foods. A lot of other countries still use their traditional spices for cooking. And they still cook with traditional methods... i.e. everything is not deep fried.

We were both marveling at the fact that the food we've eaten in other countries is different too...it's real. Most of the food we eat here is heavily processed and either sweet, salty, or sour in taste. There are 3 other tastes that most American's don't even know about- bitter, pungent, and astringent.

When I was in the Bahamas I ate conch at least twice a day- prepared in all different ways. When I was in Puerto Rico I ate rice, beans, beef, and tropical fruit. Even the prepared foods were more homemade than the homemade foods most people eat here.

I encourage you all to start experimenting with different spices when you cook (hopefully you are cooking at least something :) I recently started buying all sorts of random spices as I came across them, and have come up with some very tasty combinations along the way. Spices are sooo very healthy for us all.

Here's a list of some common (and some not so common) spices.

IN SEASON: October

sweet potatoes

It's been a few months since I've written about what is in season... basically because during the summer almost everything is in season and it's easy to get lots of fresh produce. October is one of my favorite months not only because it is my birth month or Halloween but because the weather is always amazing and I instinctively want to start cooking again. During the summer I naturally want to cook less, eat less, and as of late eat a lot of raw fruits and veggies.

pumpkins

butternut squash

broccoli

spinach

lettuce

cranberries

apples

pomegranates

grapes 

Even though we live in America and it's possible to get every kind of fruit and vegetable all year round, it is still better to eat what's in season. Theoretically produce is more nutritious when it is in season (whether that is the case today with all the pesticides and junk is another topic for another day). And nature always provides the foods we need to thrive in each season. Until very recently we ate with the seasons. Roots, berries, greens, sprouts in the spring. Fruit and greens in the summer. Root vegetables, apples, squash, greens, nuts in the fall. Nuts, meats, root vegetables, and grains in the winter.

One of my long term goals is to continue to eat more and more with the seasons. I have been working on it over the past year and have come pretty close to now craving what is in season. I still get thrown off with "American" foods, especially on the weekends, but I am finding that certain foods are more or less appealing to me during certain times of the year. 

Stay tuned for some new recipes from me!