The V Word

Is it just me or is everyone going vegan these days? I am hearing the term tossed around like crazy. Of course it could be one of those things that once your mind is on it seems to appear everywhere- like a car you like and you suddenly start seeing them everywhere on the road. But it has got me thinking. I spent a lot of my time over the holidays pondering my own diet as well as the human diet as a whole. (In reality, I would say a good 75% of my thoughts go there anyway.) But at this time of year when there seems to be extra time for walks and an inner desire for reflection, on the year past and on the one to come, food and diet were extra predominant for me as I am sure for many of you too.

I see many things in my life as synchronicities so that my sister had just happened to rent "Food Matters" on Netflix the week before I visited her in Massachusetts and had not yet watched it, it seemed like I was really ready to recieve the message of the movie. We had seen the previews of this film at IIN back in 2008 and here I am 3 years later (?!) finally watching it. Perfect timing. The main message I recieved, though there were many, was that of including more raw foods in the diet. One of the men in the movie stated that he believed the diet should be at least 51% raw. A lightbulb when on for me. That seemed doable. The going 100% raw seems scary, intimidating and limiting. So here is step one. 51% RAW.

So then we have to think about WHY. Of course we need to know why this makes sense. So here we go:

#1. Enzymes-there are naturally occuring enzymes in raw fruits and vegetables that help us with digestion and nutrient assimilation. When we cook foods past a certain temperature (117-118 degrees fahrenheit), these enzymes are denatured and cannot preform their vital function. So in essence, God/Nature/Mother provides us this awesome food with all the perfect combos of nutrients and enzymes for our bodies, and when we cook it too hot, we destroy it all. Womp, womp.

#2. Nutrients-Just like with the enzymes, the higher the temps we use, the more nutrients that seep out of the food or are denatured. ALSO-when we don't have adequate amounts of enzymes to properly digest foods, we tend to get an accumulation undigested food film along the sides of our intestines. Nice huh? Well this causes an issue for the water/moisture needed to get INTO the intestines to move things along (hello constipation) as well as the blood that needs to get through to carry the nutrients from newly-eaten food out to the cells of the body (and hello to you vitaman/mineral definciencies, inflammation and free-radical damage). 'Nuff said?

#3. Energetics/Prana-Oh the prana! This is a yogic term for 'life-force energy'. It's the stuff that makes us alive vs. dead. Think of it like the electricity running your computer. No battery/electric, no running...dead. Soooo...we want to be alive and energetic?!!? YAYA! So we should eat food that is just that? YAYA! Awesome.

Now back to veganism. Pretty much if you go raw, you may as well be vegan. Ideally I would eat a gluten-free, vegan, >51% raw diet...and someday I am sure I will. I would take all the correct vegan Omega-3, whole food vitamins, trace minerals from the earth, and B12 supplements. But I am finding this hard and expensive at the moment. So there has to be STEPS. I want to take others along this path of discovery and in the finding/creating the steps to living this way in the 'real world'. And so THIS is what I am working on. You hear me 2011?! I want to bring to the world easy steps to get to the highest vibration diet that is still FUN, YUMMY, AFFORDABLE, SUSTAINABLE and (mostly) EASY. In the meantime, I think it's great for everyone to give your body a break from animal products for a week or two at a time. This can be a very nice, slow and easy cleanse. For now I go egg-free vegetarian with limited dairy and 51% raw :)

Thinking about going vegan? Check out these resources:

The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

Vegan Action

My last word & current thoughts on veganism are these: when profits and animals become intertwined, then there is likely to be exploitation. If your reasons for a vegetarian or vegan diet have anything to do with ethics and karma, this is something to think long and hard about. And even if it's purely for health reasons, it would still be good to think about how our subconscious mind, knowing of the partaking in animal exploitation, effects our health.

All for now. Om tat sat. (FYI-that is Sanskrit and means "All that is the Truth" and while I don't claim what I speak is Universal Truth, it is my Truth).

To a Happy, Healthy and Simble New Year!

Can Ola Oil?

Ever wonder exactly what IS the omnipresent 'canola oil'? I have. When I was studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in 2008 the myriad of teachers had for the most part said it was no good. And us health-nut-wellness-seeking type students had all but demonized this slick processed-food fixture. But certainly we can't run around telling people to eat this and not that without giving reasons.  I mean, we find this stuff in EVERYTHING…in junk food of course (crackers, chips, cookies ect.), but also ‘health foods’ like granola, soymilk and organic salad dressings. So I did you all the favor of sleuthing around and finding out the deets on why this oil should be on your 'no thank-you' list. (You're welcome-Happy Holidays!)

What is it? I have never heard of a Canola plant.

Canola oil is hydrogenated rapeseed oil. The rapeseed plant is a member of the mustard family and rapeseed oil is a potent pesticide. It also contains high levels of euric acid which is toxic to people (and why rapeseed oil as-is could never be used for human consumption. More on this below).

So why is it called Canola oil?

Rapeseed oil is a Canadian export product; it is the CANada Oil-Low Acid, hence, Canola. So

the word itself is an acronym. (I LOVE acronyms! Of course they are much more useful for names of organizations and helpful reminders rather than euphemisms for crappy products, for example CANOLA versus Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil).

So why is it bad for my health?
1. Heart Health: Sally Fallon (of the Weston Price Foundation author of Nourishing Traditions) notes that "heart healthy" canola oil actually creates a deficiency of Vitamin E in the body, which is essential to cardiovascular health. This was also reported in Nutrition Research, 1997, Volume 17. I will explain other heart-health implications below, but the Vit. E issue coupled with the inflammation it can cause makes this stuff is REALLY bad for people with heart troubles.
2. Hidden Trans-Fat: Like all modern vegetable oils, canola oil goes through the process of refining, bleaching and de-gumming--all of which utilize high temperatures or chemicals of questionable safety. And because canola oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which easily become rancid and foul-smelling when heated, it must be deodorized. The deodorization process removes much of the now-rancid omega-3s when turning them into trans fatty acids. (Hydrogenation makes oils more shelf-stable). So then we are not only eating a rancid oil, but trans-fat too! Research at the University of Florida -Gainesville determined that as much as 4.6% of the fatty acids in canola are trans fats formed in the refining process.

3. The Omega-6 Issues: In the process described above, we noted that the naturally-occurring Omega-3 fatty acids go rancid. This in turn makes them Omega-6 fatty acids. There has been a lot in the news on these EFAs. Many products on the grocery store shelf are even advertising that they are high in Omega-3s. (It's the new 'low-carb'). While both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids ARE essential, it is the balance of these two that create health or havoc in the body. When our levels of Omega-6 are too high we experience what is called 'Low-Level Chronic Inflammation'. This can manifest in individuals differently with the most common diseases being arthritis, chronic fatigue and obesity but ranging into heart disease, and even cancer. When the body is in a constant state of having to 'put out the fire' of inflammation, it puts the immune system into over-drive leaving other systems (like healthy-cell building, healthy digestion, energy for positive thinking and so depression/anxiety ect.) to falter. This can be remedied by upping the intake of Omega-3s. However, the high levels of the Omega-6 in the modern diet make it important to also be reducing them.

Hopefully this clears up any confusion regarding canola oil. It is hardly edible. Look for healthier oils like coconut or palm for frying and olive, sesame, or sunflower for sauteing and baking. And when buying any foods that come with an ingredient list, be sure to check for Canola! Unfortunately, most vegetables oil (corn, safflower, soybean ect) all go through this same refining process and are therefore less than desirable for human nutrition and health. Look for oils to be cold-pressed.

And one more thing: about cottonseed oil…were we meant to eat cotton?!?!

Bottom Line: Keep it simple with less processed foods! Choose healthier oils! Love your Self.

OM Tat Sat.

***Looking for some help with your diet and nutrition in the new year? Hire me!

It's Cookie Time!

Oh tasty morsels~nectar for the soul! I am attending a cookie-exchange party tonight and decided to bake up a delicious egg-free cookie that is as easy as it is scrumptious. It's also pretty low in sugar which is a plus! I try to make a lot of my baked-good recipes without eggs. This is for two reasons: first being that if I want to adapt/develop a recipe into a vegan version, it's important to understand how to substitute for eggs correctly. And second, the Yogic Diet, which I specialize in, does not include eggs. So while butter, milk, yogurt and a little cheese are considered OK, eggs do not fit the bill in the diet for the mind. The Yogic Diet is intended to not only keep the body in tip-top health, but also to keep the mind at even-keel. Food that can tend to either lower thought-vibrations (eggs, mushrooms, and rotten or over-ripe foods) or over-excite thoughts (onions, garlic, processed foods, caffeine, under-ripe and stale foods) are avoided so that it becomes easier to meditate. Interesting huh? I will be writing more about the 'energetics of food' as it's an area of great interest for me.

Here is the simple cookie recipe to try. Matched up with a nice cup of cocoa, tea or milk, will surely be a crowd-pleaser. I bet Santa would even really like these ;)

Basic Pecan Shortbread
Prep 45 min Chill 2hrs
Bake 10 min Oven 350

½ cup raw sugar
½ tsp. flaky sea salt
2/3 cup organic pecan pieces
16 Tbsp. organic unsalted butter, slightly soft
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached, unenriched flour (I plan to experiment with spelt, kamut, and GF flours too)
6 oz. white or dark chocolate

1. Pulse sugar and salt in dry bowl of food processor until fine and powdery. Add pecans; pulse until finely ground. Add butter in large chunks and vanilla. Pulse until butter is smooth. Add flour; pulse until forms soft dough. Transfer to bowl and knead briefly to even out mix.
2. Form a rectangle log about 12 inches long of dough. Wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350. Cut log into slices ¼ inch thick. Place at least one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are golden.
4. Wait until cookies are nice and cool. Melt chocolate and drizzle over cookies.

*You can really top the cookies with whatever you like, or enjoy them plain. In the 3rd picture above, I topped some with a white chocolate frosting and coconut so they look like snow...and I love any excuse to use coconut:)

And an update on the Goat's Milk stuff. I have been having bits and morsels of goat cheese and yogurt and lo and behold, my body seems pretty cool with it. The bottom picture is my current favorite way to enjoy a little raw goat cheese: I toast a piece of Ezekial Cinnamon Raisin bread (this is a sprouted grain bread). Slice up some raw goat cheese (you could also spread some Chevre), top with walnuts and drizzle with honey. Pair with a warm cup of tea and DELISH! Amazing breakfast or snack.

Om shanti & Enjoy!