We Like It Raw - Raw Food Goodness

Agave and Marketing

This article by Dr Mercola, Agave: A Triumph of Marketing over Truth, is certainly worth a read.

What have your experiences with agave been?

Personally, I've made an active effort to minimize the amount of agave I consume. About 2 years ago I started to notice that I got really "flemmy" in my throat after I had a smoothie or tea with agave. 

Outside of that, I also noticed that my teeth suffered from the amount of agave I was having (2 to 4 table spoons a day). The sensitively I once had to hot and cold returned and I had to bring back my strict ToothSoap + food grade hydrogen peroxide routine. Which worked very well by the way.

I know I'm going to be scolded by some out there, but right now I use raw organic honey as a sweetener. I use it sparingly, but I still use it. I've tried stevia, but the chemical taste doesn't work for me.

It would be interesting to hear about your agave and sweetener experiences. Are you down with agave? Do you like stevia? Do you use any sweeteners?

Beef and Hope

The largest recall of beef in the history of America is underway and surprisingly the nation is pretty calm. Or American media is calm. Sure the story has gotten traction, but disproportionately so compared to the hysteria around the spinach/e coli scare. Everyone's talking about the story, but almost every media report I've heard (except for the two I heard on NPR) closed their interviews with an expert who said that America has nothing to worry about.

Isolated incidents. Bad apples.

And people keep buying that bull. They eat it up because what else is there to do. Who's going to question beef? I mean come on... "Beef, it's what's for dinner," right?

Lots of people are saying, "Well no one died yet right? It's just a safety recall." Are you kidding me? Just take a look at the numbers. Ya, but no one's died of mad cow right? Here's some thoughts on that subject from The Ethicurean (thx Oscar):

"The United States hasn’t had any major outbreaks of mad-cow disease. Of course, that could be because we haven’t looked very hard. There are 97 million cattle in this country. In 2004, a busy year for the USDA, the agency tested 759,000 cattle and found three to be infected. That’s a sample rate of less than 1 percent."

Most beef eaters look at the undercover video that started this all and feel a mix of emotions. Sure it's wrong to treat animals like that, but part of them knew the process wasn't pretty. They didn't expect much else from the industry. In fact, except for a few people on the fence, I'd suspect that most people would rather not know what's going on with their meat. And the industry knows this intimately.

Is that because people stupid? Is that because people don't care?

I honestly don't think so. Rather, I think it's a case of hopelessness. No one wants to hear about tragically bad news if there isn't some sense of hope that accompanies it. Hope that makes it worth caring beyond just this recall. Hope that gives individuals inspiration to do things they previously wouldn't have felt were worth the effort. Hope that inspires people to give a damn.

Right now that hope is missing. Sure there are a lot of suggestions on what people can do, but most of them are not worth the effort to the public at large.

• Public advocates tell you to call your congressperson
• Ethical eaters tell you to switch to Organic / Free Range Beef
• Vegetarians say go without

Is the goal really eating less meat? Or calling my congressperson more often? Or switching to free range beef?

All these are fine ideas and I for one am truly thankful that we have so many conciseness individuals doing the best they know how where they can. AND I also know that the world is ready for more.

By "more" I mean true health. Health that comes from a shift in paradigm. Health that reevaluates the entire picture. Health that has the power to transform the way people show up on this planet.

If you're reading this blog post it's probably not by accident. You're here because you care about food and you know that there is real hope. Even if you aren't a raw foodie, you know that the idea of eating fresh foods filled with life makes sense. It makes so much sense that in a world filled with cooked everything, you're still willing to give a try. If I was a marketer I'd call you an early adopter. But since I roll on a spiritual tip I'll call you conscious.

Being the conscious cat that you are, I know you feel a shift taking place. Information is following and it's never been easier for the best ideas to find ripe minds. And, that being said, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done. Your friends, family, colleagues and strangers need to hear what works (and what doesn't). They need to hear about your success and they need to hear that there are others out there that are paving a new road to health. They need to know there is support - yes it is small right now, but rapidly growing everyday.

They need hope and they need you to give it to them. Show them what's possible by being a shinning example of health - both mentally, physically and spiritually.

Start juicing, start a blog, start a business, support businesses, start speaking, stat a potluck, tell a friend. It doesn't matter what you do, only that you're not playing small.

Play big, spread the Hope.

Pepsi Raw

Pepsi is launching a new "all natural" drink in the UK called Pepsi Raw. Don't get excited. It has nothing to do with raw food and is pretty much the exact opposite.

Via BuzzFeed:

Pepsi Raw: Apple extract, plain caramel coloring, coffee leaf, tantaric acid, gum arabic, cane sugar and sparkling water combine to make Pepsi's less fizzy, "healthy" new beverage, which has made its debut in England. You know what would go great with Pepsi Raw? Some free-range Twinkies or maybe some grass-fed Dipsy Doodles.

Actually, I am a little excited it's launching. Pepsi pulling this move is like President George W. Bush calling his school reform act No Child Left Behind or Pervez Musharraf promising to host "free and fair elections". All three of these things are so far from what they're claiming to be that they draw more attention and scrutiny from people who wouldn't have otherwise been bothered.

Side Note: Entire companies, fortunes and industries have been built on spin. Companies like Wonder Bread and Philip Morris built iconic brands by telling people their product was one thing when they knew it was another. Soda companies, which are clearly aware of the research on their products, are no different. But things are changing. It's getting tougher and tougher to spin to the masses. Especially in the world of natural foods, because the people that make up the raw, vegan, green, organic, local, and natural community are some of the most educated purchasers on the planet.

So thanks Pepsi! Thanks for shooting yourself in the foot. The raw food community applauds you.

Why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac?

So just why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac? (link via Kottke)

The Farm Bill, a massive piece of federal legislation making its way through Congress, governs what children are fed in schools and what food assistance programs can distribute to recipients. The bill provides billions of dollars in subsidies, much of which goes to huge agribusinesses producing feed crops, such as corn and soy, which are then fed to animals. By funding these crops, the government supports the production of meat and dairy products—the same products that contribute to our growing rates of obesity and chronic disease. Fruit and vegetable farmers, on the other hand, receive less than 1 percent of government subsidies.

Keep reading at PCRM.org

Reader Question: What about Organic Spinach?

Tim asks: I bought some spinach a few days ago. Some from a local organic farmer and the rest from a national organic manufacturer. What are your thoughts? Are they safe to eat?

WLIR Responds: Well Tim, early reports highlighted that both organic and commercial spinach supplied by Natural Selection Foods was contaminated.  But more recent studies have found that only commercial / non-organic spinach is at the source of the e.coli outbreak.

One of the major labels that receives organic spinach from Natural Selection Foods is Earthbound Farms. A recent posting on Earthbound Farm's website confirms that their spinach is not linked to the outbreak, however the FDA is still recommending that consumers avoid eating spinach:

Based on our work with the US Food & Drug Administration and the California Department of Health Services, we have confirmed that no organic products of any kind, including Earthbound Farm spinach or other products, have been linked to this outbreak at this time.

So far organic spinach looks like its in the clear. We'd probably get sued if we told you to eat it, so we won't. Rather, use your judgment and stay safe. Our editors hate spinach anyway, so we'd probably use this as an excuse to throw it out! ; )

We would recommend, however, staying away from all spinach (both organic and commercial) from national groceries such as Acme, Safeway, Super Fresh, Shoprite, Walmart and so on. Getting organic produce from your local co-op vs getting organic produce at a national grocery, (minus Whole Foods) is not the same thing.

Good luck Tim and keep eating those greens, but maybe a nice kale salad instead.

Realted

• Yahoo: Same question, different answers

Anthony Bourdain is pissed!

Don't 'f' with Anthony Bourdian, or you just might end up as a target in his next book. But if you do manage to pissed him off, don't worry, you'll have company with raw food enthuisist Woody Harrelson and Charlie Trotter. Via Bookslut

Bookslut: Your essay in “Nasty Bits” about raw food was almost polite. You’ve been much more mean to vegetarians in the past, but this essay talked about how every person finds their own path. You reserve your ire for Woody Harrelson. (In the essay, Harrelson refuses a meal in Thailand in order to stick to his strict raw food diet.)

Anthony: Clearly I’m angry at Woody Harrelson. I’m okay with people who are horrified by cruelty to animals. I understand that completely. Who isn’t? Well, a lot of people aren’t, but I am. I wouldn’t hunt for sport, as I’ve said. I’m grateful for annoying gadfly organizations that embarrass or use any legal pressures to encourage people to not hunt. Same with fur. Same with cosmetic testing on animals. I don’t see any reason for that. As a comedian said, however, if you tell me hooking a chimp up to a car battery is going to find a cure for AIDS, I’m all for that.

What really got me, as angry as I was, I think Charlie Trotter’s comments (in the foreword to his cookbook Raw) were pretty measured and I could kind of understand and even respect what he’s doing as an intellectual exercise or a creative exercise, but I was really furious at the thought of anyone lucky enough to travel to Thailand -- lucky enough, because I am aware at how lucky I am -- and then turn your nose up at it. So rude and anti-human and contemptuous of this planet and other nations and other cultures, and that’s where I get pissed off.

Bookslut: I thought the Charlie Trotter book was an interesting experiment on how to make raw food edible, because there are a few enormously expensive raw food restaurants here that serve, you know, salad.

Anthony: That stuff is incredibly expensive. Someone did a cost break down of what it would cost you to survive on that stuff, to buy all that equipment and just load your refrigerator with vegetables and starches to be able to replace the protein intake. Highly extravagant and difficult. I see it in a way as giving succor and comfort to the enemy. I think that Charlie Trotter… if anyone is aware of the magnificence and importance of Charlie Trotter it’s Charlie Trotter. As he’s all too happy to remind us. On one hand I think it’s important to acknowledge how talented and important he is. On the other, when he comes out against foie gras, or he personally chooses not to use it in his restaurant as he prefers to say, he gives succor and comfort to the raw food movement, I don’t think he realizes he gives political cover to the very people that I personally see as the enemy.

Anthony's latest book, titled The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones, is a showcase of "entertaining feast from the detritus of his years of cooking and traveling". You can learn more about Anthony at www.anthonybourdain.com

Related

• Foie gras

Dr. Cousens says boot the dairy (video)

Gabriel Cousens M.D. gives you his best pitch on why dairy, which was so in during the last spiritual season, is so out this season.

Anyway, I like to kid, but this is really good information from Cousens, and the fact that it is a video makes it that much more entertaining. You can thank Philip Madeley for that, he's the new tech and video guru at the Tree of Life.

Watch the video

One of my favorite quotes from the video is, "...this doesn't mean you can't achieve enlightenment eating dairy." I just heard someone in Wisconsin, "Thank Buddha!"

Perspectives on Dairy text excerpt:

There was a time when dairy was considered “rasa” or the subtle energy of richness, sweetness, and delight. In India, for example the general population would regularly have a little amount of dairy. This small amount was a way of supplying B12. The cows were treated with a great deal of love and respect. The milk was given freely and they were milked by human hands.  Even so, Swami Muktananda, a world-acknowledged master in Kundalini and Shaktipat transmission, taught that all dairy clogs the nadis (subtle energy channels).

Karen Finley smears Bush while eating an apple

Karen Finley, the "notorious performance artist", 80's erotic art queen, and winner of a National Endowment for the Arts grant has recently launched a controversial play (now a book) entitled George and Martha.

All that drama has led to some heat in the kitchen. This interview explains how The Nation "backed out" of an interview with Karen because of some of the play's reference's to anal sex. But even with all that heat Karen still isn't cook'n. As she mentions in one interview, “Yes, I can cook, though right now I’m into raw food."

George and Martha - Via Amazon

"This fantasy about a tryst between George Bush and Martha Stewart in a seedy Gotham hotel—the thread count on their pillowcases isn't even 200, as Martha astutely points out —pushes a lot of buttons. It depicts domination, rather lackadaisical fellatio, spanking, cocaine abuse, diaper play and baby wipes, and much pop psychoanalysis, all hung on a George and Martha as broadly drawn as Finley's doodley caricatures that adorn the pages" More

Dr. Weil on the Raw Foods Diet

Dr. Weil, the aging guru who was on the cover of Time Magazine, has his take on the raw food diet.

It's not that we disagree, we just recognize that we are talking about, and emphasizing different perspectives. With that said, we still think his dialog is a helpful contribution to the world of raw, whether favorable or not.

We'll list out Dr. Weil's response to a reader's question here, and this evening we'll respond point by point to his statements about raw food.

Q: I’ve been considering a raw foods diet. Can you discuss the pros and cons?
- - Meredith

A:  Answer (Published 08/16/2005)

The raw foods diet is exactly what it appears to be – a diet in which you eat only foods that can be consumed raw or after minimal heating. On the plus side is the fact that it provides plenty of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, all of which should be part of any healthy diet. You also get plenty of fiber and no processed food. And, because you don’t eat animal foods – meat, fish, or poultry – you avoid the contaminants they may contain. Another advantage: there’s little danger that you’ll consume too much protein or fat or the wrong kind of fat.

However, I’m not a proponent of the raw foods diet. First of all, when you eat everything raw, you lose much of the best flavor, texture and appearance of food. More importantly, however, is the fact that many of the vitamins and minerals found in vegetables are less bioavailable when you eat these foods raw than when they’re cooked. For example, you can get lycopene, the carotenoid pigment that protects against prostate cancer, only from cooked tomatoes, not from raw ones. The carotenoids in carrots are more bioavailable from cooked carrots than they are from raw ones.

I hate wheatgrass....and now I know why!

A few weeks ago Sarma and I were taking about this weird syndrome that a lot of raw foodist go through after having been raw for at least a year or so. It is called the "I can't stand wheatgrass and if you feed it to me I'll vomit syndrome." I use to LOVE wheatgrass...you know, like a fat kid loves cake and all. But then all of a sudden something happened. I didn't know what that something was, but it happened after about one year of being raw. Thanks to an email forwarded to me by long time raw foodist and visual artist Erez Sitzer, I may have an answer!

It turns out that indoor grown wheatgrass is filled with mold! Nasty! And after years of cleaning up your diet, according to Carol Macintosh (expert-outdoor-wheatgrass-lady), you become more and more sensitive to the mold till it starts to make you down right nauseous. I knew I wasn't feeling sick for nothing.

Anway...check this conversation out between reporter Steve Diaz and Carol Macintosh of evergreenjuices.com. It will help you get a better understanding of why you may be better off staying away from growing more trays and downing more of thoes double shots!

Steve Diaz: I'm speaking to Carol Macintosh. She is the owner of Evergreen Wheatgrass Juice. Carol, you were talking about the difference between indoor wheatgrass and outdoor wheatgrass?

Macintosh: Right. Wheatgrass, for the most part, has been grown on trays for 60 or 70 years. That's the only way people know how to grow it. That's the only way that's available. My father started growing it 18 or 19 years ago, and he did grow it indoors for seven years. The difficulty with wheat, whether you grow it indoors or outdoors, is there's a certain percentage of seeds that do not germinate and that's part of farming. A mold grows on the seeds that don't germinate. When you grow it on the trays, usually the seeds are so close together that the leaves of the good stuff will actually absorb the mold up into the plant itself. So even though you cut above what we call the "mold line" and wash it off, it's in the plant itself and you can't get rid of it.

A lot of people are very sensitive to mold and it's very common that people get headaches with wheatgrass. Sometimes they get nauseous and what we were taught and told our customers was, "Oh, you're detoxifying. That's why you feel like you want to throw up and why you do throw up." We believed that until one of our customers had an anaphylactic reaction and almost died because she reacted to it so severely. He called in the middle of this anaphylactic reaction, trying to figure out what to do with this lady, and they told him it was a good thing: It was a healing crisis; it was a strong detoxification and (they told him) to give her more wheatgrass.