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March 2009
My Way: Nancy Sun
Nancy Sun is twentysomething urban professional based in Brooklyn, NY. She loves her some yoga, snowboarding, running, blogging, and of course, tweeting. When Nancy isn't causing a ruckus in Brooklyn, she can be found chillin on the beaches of Costa Rica mastering her newest passion, surfing.
My Way: Nancy Sun
My participation in this series comes courtesy of 'My Way' alumnus Charles Balcer. One fateful Friday, I ran into him at Pure Juice and Takeaway. There, while we bonded over my first ever bites of their Moon Pie, I told him I could never do a My Way. I've been experimenting with this lifestyle for less than a year, am not 100% raw, nor 100% vegan. I am just a girl who discovered this lifestyle in the journey to eat consciously and live optimally. Of course, this excuse-slash-explanation prompted Charles to immediately and stealthily text Dhrumil that I should participate. So here I am and I suddenly feel like an awards nominee - thank you, thank you, it's an honor to even be considered.
Saturday
While most people sleep in on Saturdays, I go to a 9 AM Patternmaking class at FIT. That early weekend start time might make other people double think, but I enjoy the feeling of being up before others and being productive. My morning began with a tall glass of lemon water with MSM. I threw a bunch of organic fuji apples into my bag to snack on in commute and during class as I usually stay late to do my homework. Starved when I came home, I had a glass of green juice (kale, romaine, ginger, apple, lemon) and 2 more apples with raw almond butter. From there, I went to the gym for an hour of cardio and half an hour of weight training.
That evening, I attended the WLIR Meet Up at Pure Food and Wine where I hung out with the regular New York crew and was introduced to other raw foodies including Simona McIntyre and Matt Mueller. I paired a glass of shiraz with the restaurant's Winter Salad: composed of mache, frisee, arugala, local apples, candied walnuts, and dressed with a yakon walnut vinaigrette and smoked cashew cheese. For dessert, I split with Dhru a Blueberry & Lemon Bergamot Semifreddo with blueberry compote, lavender "ice cream," and lavendar cashew shortbread. "Splitting," however, is an overstatement: Dhrumil had only a few bites while I could've licked the plate clean.
Sunday
The next morning, I met up with my friend Dan at The Smith. As someone I hadn't seen since 2005 but of course recently reconnected with via Facebook, we caught up over an early brunch. While he had french toast with maple butter and caramelized bananas, I ordered their baby arugula salad with fennel and lemon (holding the parmesan) with a side of strawberries & bananas. I drank peppermint tea throughout our meal.
As an aside, as I transitioned into raw, I remember being concerned about ordering at restaurants. Would I have to limit the number of places my friends and I went to? Would I be judged for my "less traditional" orders at restaurants? I thought that my presumably complicated Sally a la Harry-Met-Sally orders would cause undue attention and that I would have to defend my "extreme" eating choices. The change, however, has been anticlimactic. Dan didn't even blink at my order as we launched into Catch-Up Mode regarding the last four years of our lives. After saying goodbye, I did my grocery shopping at Whole Foods for the week. There, I had Ciao Bella's Lychee and Raspberry sorbet.
As a Lazy, Single Girl Raw Foodie, Sunday is my day to prep meals for the week ahead. This way, I can function on 'eating autopilot' as much as possible in case there is a crazed workweek. To that end, I made salads to "brownbag" to work and a big bowl of raw gazpacho - fortified with bean sprouts. In addition to tasting as I worked, I grazed my way through the evening with half an avocado w/ lemon, salt, pepper, a tablespoon of raw almond butter, an apple, and a cup of blueberries and raspberries.
Monday
I started my morning with an hour of cardio at the gym and two apples eaten on my commute to work. Once I arrived, I made myself a glass of lemon water with MSM and St. John's Wort to drink while checking voicemail, email, and getting a start on the morning. I also usually sip ginger or peppermint tea throughout the workday. For lunch I had my raw gazpacho and snacked on a Cliff Nectar Bar - composed only of nuts and dried fruit - as the local deli appears to no longer carry Lara Bar. For an early dinner, I had a marinated seafood salad of crab, calamari, shrimp, red onions, and celery. Yep, I still eat seafood when the impulse strikes. I also snacked on dried turkey figs, cashews, and dates later in the evening. As I just start working out in the mornings again, sometimes I eat heavier foods in the evening while my body adjusts to the new routine.
Tuesday
This morning, I slept in and had an Asian Pear for breakfast. I continued with my weekly routine of starting each morning with my lemon water-MSM-St. John's Wort concoction. For lunch, I had roasted brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and marinated baby bella mushrooms. I snacked on dates and cashews and ended my day with raw gazpacho and dried figs for dessert.
Normally my weekdays are very boring and formulaic - with fruit breakfasts, at least one other raw meal, and a raw afternoon snack. Sometimes, however, I develop a mean dark chocolate habit. While ideally I'd love to only eat raw chocolate (Gnosis, Love Street, and Uli Mana being some favorite brands), I often find myself grabbing Green & Black's or Lindt's 70% Dark. This is because I tend not to keep sweets in my house - fearing I lack self-restraint and ability to eat all of it at once. As such, I often rely on what is carried in stores near my workplace to fulfill my chocolate cravings. Luckily I can still find the higher end lines and avoid milk in these products.
So that's a snapshot of what four days of my eating lifestyle looks like. As someone who does not fit into any specific dietary label precisely, I am definitely learning how to eat more raw, My Way.
Nancy Sun is twentysomething urban professional based in Brooklyn, NY who is grateful to be alive.
Moving Meditation: an interview with dancer Gabrielle Roth
20 minutes | Download the MP3 | Subscribe via iTunes
Raw Food educator Tim VanOrder has a great quote he often shares. The quote is, "You need movement to have a raw food movement."
It's easy to get caught up in the food part of raw food, but as many of us intimately know, what we eat is just one aspect of the holistic journey. Today we're talking about the movement aspect of the raw food moment with philosopher and dancer Gabrielle Roth.
Gabrielle has spent the last 50 years of her life exploring the world of music, theatre and dance. She is the founder of the recording label Raven Recordings, the inspiration behind the The Moving Center Schools, an author of 3 books, producer of over 18 albums, music director of the theater company The Mirrors and the creator of the 5Rhythms practice.
The 5Rhythms is a movement meditation designed to take the dancer through a journey that brings them back in alignment with the soul. The practice has grown into an international movement with over 120 teachers teaching it all over the globe.
Today in our interview with Gabrielle we talk about the 5Rhythms and how her journey into dance began.
Community Beat: Bunny Berry talks about RawFu - no perfect people allowed
32 minutes | Download the MP3 | Subscribe via iTunes
Today we're talking with the entertaining, the hilarious, the sometimes crazy, but totally lovable, Beth Berry, also known as Bunny Berry.
Bunny is the mastermind and curator behind the very supportive, and very popular, RawFu Community. RawFu is a place where both beginners and seasoned raw foodies go to sign up for raw food challenges.
Bunny started the RawFu community back in 2008 after having just completed a 100 day raw food challenge of her own. Now the community has thousands of members participating in challenges, providing each other support and producing fantastic content.
Today we talk to Bunny about the magic that makes her community special and some of the new projects that are part of her communities evolution.
Themes
- "No perfect people allowed"
- "It's not just about the food"
- "The most important thing when you start is encouragement"
My Way: Alina Vladimirova
The We Like It Raw Community is in for a real treat. Normally we have one My Way feature a week, but this his week we have two. Consider it part of the We Like It Raw Stimulus Package of Inspiration! Together we are all turning off the news, turning off the TV, turning off the drama and turning on the inspiration.
Speaking of inspiration... today's My Way feature comes to us from a strong female entrepreneur and raw food coach who is overflowing with it - inspiration that is!
Alina Vladimirova had always considered herself a "healthy" girl, but it wasn't until she went raw, back in 2006, that she truly understood the meaning of "health". In 2007, after a year of experimenting with raw foods, Alina took a 30 Day to Raw class with Karen Knowler and discovered her calling to serve others as a health coach. Today Alina is based in Brooklyn and works with clients from all across the globe.
My Way: Alina Vladimirova
I am writing My Way at the most exciting time of my life. I just returned from Peru where I went on a month-long spiritual retreat. I came back with a new perspective on my life, my business, and how I want to be present in this world. I’ve learned to go with the flow and trust the Divine, to listen to my body and my Self, to let go of my labels, and to be “in the moment”.
I am no longer obsessed with being 100% raw; after three years of experimenting, I’ve discovered that I am much healthier and happier when I eat a high raw diet focusing on lots of greens and sprouts with occasional organic, cooked vegetables and grains during winter months and all raw during warmer months. My diet is constantly changing to accommodate my lifestyle needs, but right now this way works best for me.
Monday
One thing I decided on when I quit my job was to not use alarm clocks and just wake up whenever I wake up. Today I wake up around 7:30 am, which seems like my natural time lately. Start my day with a yoga session followed by meditation. I drink tea with honey while checking my emails. Around 10:30 am I feel hungry and make banana-orange-frozen peaches smoothie for breakfast. My to-do list is quite big today, which means a busy day at the office: balancing two businesses (one and two) plus an online store is no easy task. Lunch is kale salad with avocado and cherry tomatoes. Wrap up my day around 8 pm. For dinner I make a mixed greens salad with avocado, bell pepper, cucumber, and scallions.
Tuesday
My day begins with yoga and meditation. Starting my year with a spiritual retreat was an amazing idea, because now I am really motivated to continue all my practices. I make a banana-orange with super blue green algae smoothie for breakfast. I spend most of my morning on the phone with several coaching prospects and my clients. I send out a newsletter to my prospects and take care of urgent e-mails. For lunch I finish kale salad left from yesterday then sit down to write some articles for my blog. For dinner I eat a mixed greens salad and cup of vegetable soup. Max, my husband, fixes the kitchen facet and re-connects my water ionizer back on so I can drink pure, alkaline water again (it’s been two very long months without it). Oh, how I missed my ionizer! Hubby and I get comfortable on the sofa and listen to Obama’s Presidential Address to Congress. We drink some organic wine and unwind after a busy day.
Wednesday
I am up at 6:30 am, feeling surprisingly well rested. This morning I decide to do Svaroopa Yoga session and Ujaji pranayama. For breakfast I make banana-orange smoothie with super blue green algae, maca, MSM, and bee pollen. Set up a couple of calls with raw food coaching prospects, take care of the orders placed on my online store, call my clients, and send out the Radiant on Raw newsletter. Another big salad for lunch – mixed greens with avocado, cucumber, red bell pepper, some dulse, and sprouts. I’ve been really craving greens lately (maybe because I ate so little of them in Peru I am now catching up). I have a really productive brainstorm session with my web designers, and then I spend my afternoon answering e-mails, catching up on Twitter and Facebook, reading newsletters from other raw foodies and network marketers, coming up with ideas for future blog posts and listening to training calls. I make some kale salad and flax crackers for dinner and finish my day with calling in on two teleclasses - never stop learning!
Thursday
Not feeling very hungry this morning I just a spinach-mango smoothie. The weather is gorgeous outside so I go out for a walk in the sun and to get some groceries - sometimes I have to remind myself that I am not chained to my desk! Around noon I drink a quart of carrot-celery-apple juice and then have a blended soup for lunch. Dinner is mock salmon pate with flax crackers plus banana-orange-frozen raspberries smoothie for desert. I load my automatic sprouter with a new batch of seeds: radish, alfalfa, mung beans, and wheat berries and read some “Inkheart” before calling it a day.
Friday
I get up very early (had to use my Zen alarm clock this time) to begin preparations for my Raw Food for Beginners class that takes place tomorrow. Breakfast is a delicious chocolate nut mylk, which gives me a nice boost of energy. I put flax crackers, marinated mushrooms and pizza base in the dehydrator and head out to Whole Foods in the city to shop for food I will need for the class. Green salad for lunch with some tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and dulse flakes. In the afternoon I print out handouts for tomorrow, clean the apartment and catch up on work. Nori rolls for dinner, one of my favorite things to eat. I love nori sheets – sometimes I just grab one and eat it straight up: crunchy and loaded with goodness. Off to bed early so I am well rested and energized tomorrow and ready to give the best raw food class ever!
This has turned out to be one very busy week but this is My Way and I love every second of it!
Alina Vladimirova is a raw food coach based in Brooklyn, New York. She blogs at radiantonraw.typepad.com
Interview with CuCu Diamantes: singer-songwriter & holistic health enthusiast
30 minutes | Download the MP3 | Subscribe via iTunes
Today on show we have a very special guest with us, singer-songwriter CuCu Diamentes.
Back in 2003 CuCu co-founded the Grammy nominated Latin fusion band, Yerba Buena. On March 17th she'll be releasing her solo debut album entitled CuCuLand, (available via iTunes).
MTV called CuCu's style of music a cross between "downtown new york city funk and Cuban glamour and passion."
What you won't read on MTV though is that CuCu is also deeply passionate about raw foods, holistic health, essential oils and social responsibility.
A few months ago I met CuCu at a book launch party for my friend Dr Frank Lipman. It was there that I immediately new I had to introduce her music to the We Like It Raw community. Just as it's so important to be intentional with what food you put in your mouth, it's also just as important to surrounded yourself with uplifting music from soulful spirits.
Today in our interview CuCu talks about her music, the motivation behind it, her passion for holistic living and the important of giving back.
CuCu's album release party will be hosted in NYC on March 19th at The Bowery Ballroom at 8pm. More details and tickets here.
We'll be giving away two tickets to our NYC crew to CuCu's show. If you're interested in coming drop us a comment here and tell us what world music inspires you. We'll pick two winners on Wednesday morning and notify you via email.
