Day 202

Thoughts: Clean light foods. Freedom and lightness with light foods. I am becoming aware how I use food as a drug and how I use it to substitute and avoid feeling certain emotions. I am noticing the different experiences in the body after eating certain foods as if they are heavy or light. Light foods are raw salads, herbs, fruits, vegetables, orange and grapefruit juices. In between foods are avocado. Heavier foods are nuts, olive oil and salt. My body acts in accordance with the food I eat - I eat light foods I feel light, energetic, calm, peaceful. When I eat heavier foods - like yesterday I had a celery and brazil nut pate and for dinner had apple pie which had blended almonds and dates - and my energy is somewhat slower - heavier - dense. (Almonds are delicious soaked by the way!) I am enjoying becoming present in my own body - and can actually enjoy being in it - instead of resisting. I realize that when I become in tune with my natural vibrations I sometimes crave a light food or crave a heavy food as to serve my bodies purpose at that time whether it is working out - walking - watching a movie or working on the computer. I like the idea of eating light foods so that I am always ready for a dance session - which is becoming my favourite thing to do - dancing with myself - try it - it's best in front of a mirror because you can play with yourself - there are no rules - no one watching or judging you - go crazy - have fun - play - laugh - cry :)

I am discovering that my body has all the information I need about what to eat and how. Most people just do not tune in and ask. The result of allowing the separation from Earth is that you no longer feel what nourishes you.

"The food you eat contains much energy. It carries vitamins and minerals, but it also carries the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. It carries the energies of the place it grew and how it was cared for. The food may carry the energy of the bees that helped to pollinate it, the birds as they flew by. It carries the energy of the colors. In all food there is a level of light. Food contains a light fiber energy which can be diminished by disrespect. And this disrespect can rob it of its strength anywhere along the line – in handling, processing, cooking, or eating. However, it is also true that light fiber energy, being more flexible than vitamins or proteins, can be restored to food by respecting it and treating it as sacred – by ritualizing the activities connected with it." - Gina O'Connor from International Spiritual Experience.

Jinjee the creator of the 21 Day Cleanse of only raw foods said "My 9 year old daughter Shale wants to do the cleanse along with me and yesterday she was trying to get a handle on what the cleanse is all about. Its funny she thought the cleanse meant eating clean food, and of course, she is right, but I never thought about it in those words. She asked "Are mangos clean?" -- Yes. Then she asked "So, all fruit is clean, right?" -- Yes, all fruits and vegetables are clean!"

Yesterday I was being anxious - allow my mind to make up all kind of fearful stories and so I turned to food. I binged on brazil nuts and sesame seeds. Of course right after I had the food hangover and felt groggy from eating too many nuts, and when I say too many, I know it was too many for my body at that particular time as I was not even hungry - but simply eating to punish myself and to experience the heaviness which I have been so familiar with the majority of my life. I am constantly re-creating myself as a light being, open, creative, clear - and the remembering can be the challenge for me. That struggle between mind and self.

Jinjee says "If you are "cheating" it may simply be that your body is doing the program at your own pace in every way. Be patient with yourself. Remember our golden rule "No beating yourself up. Yesterday, while dealing with some stressful situations, I ran to food - and I really got to see how I use it as a drug! It was rather frightening, actually, to really become conscious of the extent to which I sometimes self-medicate all day with this drug. Even though it is raw, when I eat lots of raisins and cashews and salt and honey and overeat continuously, the effect is drug-like, numbing, allowing me to escape from whatever I'm feeling.

I am so grateful for this new level of consciousness regarding my behavior, which will allow me to deal with it, and take steps to come out of it. Indeed, I see myself totally re-patterning my habits through doing this cleanse. And sometimes self-knowledge and becoming aware is an important first step. So, today I am going to write down everything I eat!"

If I followed the standard 'food pyramid' in Australia or America I imagine I would experience feeling sluggish, heavy and slow as the top recommended servings is 6-8 a day of grains, rice, wheat. To much of heavy foods results in a heavy body. See my blog from Day 149.

Something we are focusing on during this cleanse is combating compulsive eating.

Jinjee says that if you feel yourself getting ready to start eating compulsively, try to distract yourself into doing something else that you do compulsively - like cleaning or work. Or seek pleasure elsewhere, such as the list of pleasures in life that you have written down…

My pleasures in life are clean foods, family, friends, love, hot epsom salt and lavender baths, my husband, oneness, little yellow flowers outside my window, my garden, the squirrels playing together, my herbs, babies, present beings, the beautiful big trees in Amityville, dancing with myself, full self expression, the internet, great films, sunshine, rain and wind, a smooth wave to ride, music, clouds, space, out of the box conversations, writing blogs, writing, massages, meeting new people, working on set, skateboarding, stretching, breathing, the ocean, eating blended almonds and dates, colourful open minds, the bush, herbal teas, Australian beaches, laughing, smiling, playing oh the list goes on ... try it out for yourself! I thought this was a 'dumb' exercise to do and reluctantly started writing things, and once I started it became enjoyable! Try it you won't want to stop! It's nice to focus on the pleasures in life :) Can it do any harm?!



Visit:
www.theearthdiet.org
www.thegardendiet.com/21days
www.internationalspiritualexperience.com
Artwork: lennyndc

Challenges: Alas, the fearful Unbelief is unbelief in yourself. Thank you for reminding me Thomas Carlyle!

Triumphs: A life lived in love will never be dull - Leo Buscaglia

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Orange juice with banana! Mmm energy!

Lunch: A scrumptious light herb salad! Have you ever made a salad from just herbs? I never thought to try it before this cleanse. The herbs go perfectly together - when I cut them up the flavours pour out and the smell is mmm sensational. Corriander (Cilantro), parsley, green onions, a dash of olive oil and salt with avocado slices and hemp seeds! The hemp seeds are one of the greatest things for protein (yes even more than red meat!) and on a salad they are like a perfect nutty topping :)

Dinner: A sesame do! A recipe from the 21 day cleanse. I had never had this before today - it is delicious - grounding - a nice meal for a relaxed night it. Ingredients: Soaked sunflower seeds, fresh basil, thyme and rosemary, a dash of olive oil and himalayan salt!

Dessert: A sweet organge :)

Snacks: My new favourite sweet snack dessert! Almond Joy I call it! Soaked almonds blended with dates, a dash of olive oil and salt. Oh my! So simple - so tasty - so sweet - it has the energy of playful, fun, young! Pure pleasure :)

Recipe: Recipe for the foods you see on here will either be in the earth diet book released November this year - or on thegardendiet.com

Exercise: I started the day with a walk at 6 am around my neighborhood - the morning is my absolute favourite time to be out and about - enjoying the early morning air - fresh sun - fresh air - the trees are glowing! It is quiet too - less people and less cars! I also had the greatest arm workout today - I lugged my suitcase for many blocks in Manhattan! Instead of taking the train I walked and in return a great overall body workout ;)

163 days to go!!!

Day 201

Thoughts: SOUNDBYTES AND SUBJECTS

The voices of Food, Inc. are food experts, farmers, businessmen, government representatives and food advocates, all of whom have helped to reveal where our food comes from and how it is made. Here is a sampling of their key quotes from the film along with brief information about them:

“There is this deliberate veil, this curtain that’s drawn between us and where our food is coming from. The industry doesn’t want you to know the truth about what you’re eating because if you knew, you might not want to eat it.”

“Not only do they not want you to know what’s in it, they have managed to make it against the law to criticize their products … In Colorado, it’s a felony if you’re convicted under a veggie libel law. So you could go to prison for criticizing the ground beef that’s being produced in the state of Colorado.”

“You look at the labels and you see farmer this, farmer that. It’s really just three or four companies that are controlling the meat. We’ve never had food companies this big and this powerful in our history.” Eric Schlosser, author of "Fast Food Nation".

Food, Inc. was the brainchild of Schlosser and director/producer Robert Kenner. Schlosser, who is a highly regarded investigative journalist and author, was instrumental in the film’s research as well as providing his expertise and opening doors to his impressive list of industry contacts for the filmmakers.

“The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000, but the image that’s used to sell the food … you go into the supermarket and you see pictures of farmers. The picket fence and the silo and the 1930s farmhouse and the green grass. The reality is … it’s not a farm, it’s a factory. That meat is being processed by huge multi-national corporations that have very little to do with ranches and farmers.”

“All those snack food calories are the ones that come from the commodity crops, from the wheat, from the corn, and from the soybeans. By making those calories really cheap, it’s one of the reasons that the biggest predictor of obesity is income level.”

“Cows are not designed by evolution to eat corn. They’re designed by evolution to eat grass. And the only reason we feed them corn is because corn is really cheap and corn makes them fat quickly … The industrial food system is always looking for greater efficiency. But each new step in efficiency leads to problems. If you take feedlot cattle off their corn diet,give them grass for five days, they will shed eighty percent of the E. coli in their gut.” -- Michael Pollan, author of “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto,” which bowed in January, 2008.

Pollan is an award-winning journalist and world-renown food expert who has
authored five books, including “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.” The book, which was named one of the 10 best books of the year by The New York Times and the Washington Post, was used as reference material by the filmmakers for this film. His other books include “Second Nature,” “A Place of My Own” and “The Botany of Desire.”

“I understand why farmers don’t want to talk because companies can do what it wants to do as far as pay goes because they control everything. But … something has to be said.” -- Carole Morison, a courageous chicken farmer growing for Perdue in Maryland who – despite fear of retaliation – spoke out when no other farmer in the area would.



Morison brings the filmmakers inside a chicken farm so Americans can see first hand what antibiotics and high-tech breeding are doing to the nation’s chickens. It used to take a chick three months to grow into adulthood, but with the chemicals put into the feed by the big industrialized food companies, the chicks grow in only 45 days and develop oversized breasts. Morison shows how it has affected the chickens -- some of the chickens can no longer stand and die before they are brought to market.
Carole subsequently lost her contract and is now left with few options. She is considering the worst-case scenario: Selling the family farm. “We reduced funding for the FDA and rely increasingly on self-policing for all of these industries, and now we just have really lost our system.” -- Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-Colorado), one of the champions for food safety in D.C.

“We put faith in our government to protect us, and we’re not being protected at
the most basic level.” -- Barbara Kowalcyk, a heroic mother whose 2 1/2 year old child Kevin died from E. coli. She has since become a food safety advocate, fighting to give the USDA back its power to shut down plants that repeatedly produce contaminated meats.



Day 201 of eating only foods naturally provided by the earth and day 3 of eating raw vegan on the 21 Day Cleanse! Eating only raw foods I don't have to worry about whats in it, who made it, there are no labels, no ingredient list, the food is whole straight from the earth, no processing, and no cooking is required, so the meals are quick and easy to prepare (and fun!) and there is not cleaning dirty pots or pans!

For more information go to www.thegardendiet.com/21days

www.foodincmovie.com

Challenges: Life's things that I label as 'challenges' are not supposed to paralyze me, they're supposed to remind me who I am. ;)

Triumphs: I don't mind the failure of my performance but I can't imagine that I'd forgive myself if I didn't try. For that to me is living in hell - not trying - not doing.

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: OJ banana smoothie, I juiced oranges and a banana mmmmm!

Lunch: celery chowder! "Celery nourishes your cells, balances your fluids as well as your salt and mineral levels, rebuild damaged nerve cells, dissolves calcium deposits and much more!" says Jinjee from the 21 day cleanse. Blended celery, brazil nuts, little olive oil, dash of salt and spring onion. It is quite a rich creamy filling meal, if you like creamy foods add the meat and water from a coconut.

Dinner: Apple pie. I did not believe it and now I do - today I made raw apple pie from one of the cleansing recipes from the 21day cleanse. It was delicious! So sweet and so filling! And all raw?! Huh! Ingredients for the filling were blended apple, salt, olive oil and dates. Ingredients for the



Dessert: More apple pie later on! hehe

Snacks: 2 avocados.

Recipe: Recipes will either be in the earth diet book being released this November or www.thegardendiet.com

Exercise: A walk around my block! Dancing to my favourite music for 20 minutes! Breathing :)

164 days to go!!!

Day 199

Thoughts: Grapefruit!

"Grapefruit dissolves plaque in the arteries and colon. If you have heart issues, drink 3 big glasses of grapefruit a day! It is like liquid draino for the heart" - says Jinjee and Storm the creators of The Garden Diet and the 21 day Spring cleanse that I begun today - eating only raw foods for 3 weeks :)

There is a lot of grapefruit juicing on this cleanse. So I wanted to find out the low down on the grapefruit, a subtropical citrus tree known for its bitter fruit and when found it was named the "forbidden fruit".

Meet our grapefruit friend:

-Grapefruit high in vitamin C and potassium
-A good source of folate, iron, calcium, and other minerals
-Pink and red varieties are high in beta carotene, a precursor of vitamin A
-High in fiber, low in calories
-Contain bioflavonoids and other plant chemicals that protect against cancer and heart disease
-Contains the fiber pectin
-The pink and red hues contain the beneficial antioxidant lycopene
-Studies have shown grapefruit helps lower cholesterol
-The seeds have antioxidant
-The low glycemic index is able to help the body's metabolism burn fat
-Inhibits enzymes necessary for the clearance of some drugs and hormones
-Significantly decreases breast cancer risk
-Grapefruit contains large quantities of a simple polyamine called spermidine, which is necessary for cell growth and maturation, and as cells age their level of spermidine is known to fall. Scientists have shown that feeding spermidine to worms, fruit flies and yeast significantly prolongs their lifespan. In addition, adding spermidine to the diet of mice decreased molecular markers of aging, and when human immune cells were cultured in a medium containing spermidine, they also lived longer.
-Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) has been claimed to have strong antimicrobial properties, with proven activity against bacteria and fungi.

Buying
Choose grapefruits that are heavy for their size, quite firm, with tight and shiny skin. Avoid overly soft fruits with dull- colored skin.

Medicinal Value
Grapefruit stimulates the appetite and is used for its digestive, stomachic, antiseptic, tonic, and diuretic qualities.

Grapefruit and Weight Loss
Over the years a number of people have promoted the grapefruit as possessing a unique ability to burn away fat. Grapefruits are a good food to include in a sensible weight-loss diet; a serving contains less than 100 calories, and its high-fiber content satisfies hunger. If you're trying to lose weight, make grapefruit your first course to help prevent overeating. It's also an ideal snack food. It is surprisingly filling!

Grapefruit and Cholesterol Control
Grapefruits are especially high in pectin, a soluble fiber that helps lower blood cholesterol.

Grapefruit for Cancer Control
Recent studies indicate that grapefruits contain substances that are useful in preventing several diseases. Pink and red grapefruits are high in lycopene, an antioxidant that appears to lower the risk of prostate cancer. Researchers have not yet identified lycopene's mechanism of action, but a 6-year Harvard study involving 48,000 doctors and other health professionals has linked 10 servings of lycopene-rich foods a week with a 50 percent reduction in prostate cancer.

Other protective plant chemicals found in grapefruits include phenolic acid, which inhibits the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines; limonoids, terpenes, and monoterpenes, which induce the production of enzymes that help prevent cancer; and bioflavonoids, which inhibit the action of hormones that promote tumor growth.

Other Uses of Grapefruit
Some people with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory disorders find that eating grapefruit daily seems to alleviate their symptoms. This is thought to stem from plant chemicals that block Prostaglandins, substances that cause inflammation.

Interactions With Drugs and Medicines
Don't mess with the grapefruit! Grapefruit can have a number of interactions with drugs, often increasing the effective potency of compounds. In the field of polyphenolic compounds, grapefruit contains the flavanone naringin, alongside the two furanocoumarins bergamottin and dihydroxybergamottin, which inhibit the protein isoform CYP3A4 predominately in the small intestine, but at higher doses, hepatic CYP3A4 inhibition is present as well. It is via inhibition of this enzyme that grapefruit increases the effects of a variety of drugs by increasing their bioavailability. The effect of grapefruit juice with regard to drug absorption was originally discovered in 1989. However, the effect became well-publicized after being responsible for a number of deaths due to overdosing on medication. Let nature do it's thing - there is no need to use medications - unless you think there is.



If you want to do a spring cleanse and drink lots of grapefruit too then check out The Garden Diet website:

* Everything in this program is delivered to you online in the form of eBooks, emails, online audio, and online videos. There is also a weekly phone call, as well as email and phone support from Jinjee and Storm.

* When you sign up you receive an email with a website address, a username and a password to access your Garden Diet Account.

* From your account you will download all of the eBooks and Videos for this Program. The first eBook "The Garden Diet 21 Day Cleanse Overview" will give you the schedule and instructions for the Program.

* Your materials will include Recipes, Menu Plans, Shopping Lists, Quick and Easy Demo Videos, How-to's, 20 minute body-sculpting workouts on video, full food and exercise schedule leaving plenty of time for work and including 60 minutes of walking daily, an Online Log with Online "Program Pal" Check-Ins, and more!

- 1 hr Q & A conference call each week with Jinjee and Storm

- daily email coaching from Jinjee and Storm

- An assigned "Program Pal" to be accountable to (and for)

- online forum to share stories and get support (and offer support, too!)

* Scientific research shows that people who have a support group or counseling lose three times as much weight as those who go it alone!

For more information go to www.thegardendiet.com/21days
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit
http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/_Herbs/h_grapefruit.htm

Challenges: I can say if I can or I can't.

Triumphs: Day 1 on the 21 Day Spring Cleanse of eating only raw foods. I am surprised already at how energetic I feel! I went to bed feeling clear, clean and light ;) I was so impressed with the salads, light, tasty, full of flavours, rich and filling!

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Orange juice! I juiced 5 oranges. Mmm such a sweet and satisfying way to start the day :)

Lunch: Tabouli. Mmm I had never thought to use herbs as a salad base before! It was delicious! Ingredients: Cilantro (Corriander), parsley, green onions, tomato, avocado, hemp seeds, lemon, olive oil, himalayan salt mmm mmm mmm! Surprising filling, satisfying and the flavours stayed in my mouth for hours after :)

Dinner: Guacamole with Jicama. Ingredients: Avocados, tomato, onion, lemon, salt, jicama!

Dessert: 2 mint teas with fresh mint :)

Snacks: No snacks.

Recipe: Recipes will either be in the earth diet book being released this November or visit www.thegardendiet.com

Exercise: A run around the block and 30 minutes dancing to my favourite music :) No rules - just a bendy body and what ever happens ;)

166 days to go!!!

Day 200

Thoughts: Is this you?

"Carrying excess weight is a way for us to retire from life for a while. Dropping the weight will also entail a return to life! It is about so much more than just dropping the weight. It is about love. Loving yourself and your fellow-humans." - From The 21 Day Spring Cleanse Program http://www.TheGardenDiet.com/21days

Be aware that most of the media is controlled by just a few. Use discernment! Look for the hidden agendas. Why is this information being presented to you? What is "their" real agenda? Is it a case of problem-reaction-solution? Do "they" create a problem so that "we" react and ask for a fix, then "they" offer their solution? The "solution is what "they" really wanted in the first place. However, who you truly are is in fact much greater than what you have so far exhibited in this lifetime. You are all physical Angels of superhuman abilities and intelligence, having the capacity for immortality. Presently, you pass through an aging process plagued by many degenerative diseases and, due to your belief in innumerable limitations; you face a severely reduced degree of success in your chosen endeavors.

Humanity is in the midst of an unprecedented shift of energy, vibration, and consciousness. Planetary and celestial events are causing the frequency of vibration to be greatly accelerated within every atomic and subatomic particle and wave of Life on Earth. This shift of vibration is tangibly affecting every man, woman, and child at a cellular level. Even if people do not understand exactly what is happening to them, everyone seems to be aware that something very unusual is taking place in their physical bodies, their emotions, and their thinking processes.

People around the world are experiencing all kinds of unusual things due to this accelerated vibration. Millions of people feel like they are in a blender or riding an emotional roller coaster as they go about their daily activities. People are having dramatic mood swings, which are very out of character from their usual behavior patterns. Other people are having abnormal bouts with fear, anxiety, stress, and even panic attacks. I know there are a lot of stressful things taking place in people's lives due to the collapse of the economy, the housing debacle, and the loss of jobs, et cetera, but at some level, this phenomenon is happening to everyone regardless of whether or not they are personally affected by outer-world circumstances.

People are experiencing all kinds of unusual physical symptoms, which they have not suffered in the past. Many are having headaches for the first time or painful back problems. Others may not be able to focus their thoughts or their short-term memory may seem to be failing. People are experiencing unexplained flu-like symptoms, allergies, excessive fatigue, sleepiness or insomnia, joint and muscle pain, digestive problems, dizziness or lightheadedness, and every other physical, mental, and emotional malady under the Sun. There are a few very easy things we can do in addition to using the tools and techniques that have been given to us. We can raise our vibrations by eating more organic raw fruits and vegetables and by drinking pure water. We can also raise our vibrations by using less chemicals on and in our bodies, listening to uplifting music, thinking positive thoughts, walking in nature, relaxing in water, reading inspirational books, playing, loving, laughing, and anything else that opens our hearts and fills us with joy.



Challenges: Remembering who I am ;)

Triumphs: Day 200!!! 200 days of eating only foods naturally provided by the earth. I have not had any chocolate, lollies (candy), chips, takeaways, soft drinks (sodas) or processed foods for 200 days!!! wooo wooo! Haha and think back to 1000 years ago - the humans that occupied the earth then ONLY had natural whole foods!

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Grapefruit juice! 5 grapefruits - surprising filling and satisfying. I wrote a blog yesterday about grapefruits.

Lunch: The yummiest salad I have ever had to date! Ingredients: Mixed lettuce greens, kale, grated carrot, grated beetroot (beet), sliced avocado with a dressing made from olive oil, lemon, and fresh herbs, thyme, rosemary and dill! Oh yum!

A colourful salad!

The salad topping: Olive oil, lemon, water, dill, thyme and rosemary!

Dinner: Salsa wraps! Blended tomato, coriander, spring onion, olive oil, lemon, salt, cayene pepper, wrapped in kale with avocado! Oh yum! This is definitely not a challenging detox. Instead of feeling tired, depleted and malnutritioned I feel replenished and fulfilled, like I am absorbing love and nutrients every time I eat and nothing less.

Dessert: A BIG bowl of cherries!

Snacks: Pieces of grapefruit.

Recipe: Recipe for the colourful salad and salsa wraps will either by in the earth diet book published in November or The Garden Diet.com

Exercise: I exercised my body today by riding my bike to the store to buy water, I danced for 20 minutes to my favourite music and then went for a walk around the block - I took notice of the big beautiful trees that there are around here. And then I was craving some sweet so I rode my bike to the store to buy cherries!

165 days to go!!!

References:
www.chemicalfreeparenting.com
www.thegardendiet.com
Article from: www.2012unlimited.net
Art from: www.thezeitgeistmovement.com

Day 195

Thoughts: In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Facts from Food, Inc:

- In the 1970s, the top five beef packers controlled about 25% of the market. Today, the top four control more than 80% of the market.

- In the 1970s, there were thousands of slaughterhouses producing the majority of beef sold. Today, we have only 13.



-In 1998, the USDA implemented microbial testing for salmonella and E.coli 0157h7 so that if a plant repeatedly failed these tests, the USDA could shut down the plant. After being taken to court by the meat and poultry associations, the USDA no longer has that power.


Kevin aged 2, died just 12 days after he ate an American hamburger with E Coli.

-In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections. In 2006, the FDA conducted only 9,164.

-During the Bush administration, the head of the FDA was the former executive VP of the National Food Processors Association.

- During the Bush administration, the chief of staff at the USDA was the former chief lobbyist for the beef industry in Washington.

- Prior to renaming itself an agribusiness company, Monsanto was a chemical company that produced, among other things, DDT and Agent Orange.

- In 1996 when it introduced Round-Up Ready Soybeans, Monsanto controlled only 2% of the U.S. soybean market. Now, over 90% of soybeans in the U.S. contain Monsanto’s patented gene.

- Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas was an attorney at Monsanto from 1976 to 1979. After his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Thomas wrote the majority opinion in a case that helped Monsanto enforce its seed patents.

- The average chicken farmer invests over $500,000 and makes only $18,000 a year.



- 32,000 hogs a day are killed in Smithfield Hog Processing Plant in Tar Heel, N.C, which is the largest slaughterhouse in the world.

- The average American eats over 200 lbs. of meat a year.



- 30% of the land in the U.S. is used for planting corn.

- The modern supermarket now has, on average, 47,000 products, the majority of which is being produced by only a handful of food companies.

- 70% of processed foods have some genetically modified ingredient.



- SB63 Consumer Right to Know measure requiring all food derived from cloned animals to be labeled as such passed the California state legislature before being vetoed in 2007 by Governor Schwarzenegger, who said that he couldn’t sign a bill that pre-empted federal law.

- Corn products include: ketchup, cheese, Twinkies, batteries, peanut butter, Cheez-Its, salad dressings, Coke, jelly, Sweet & Low, syrup, juice,Kool-Aid, charcoal, diapers, Motrin, meat and fast food.

- Corn, which is the main ingredient in animal feed, is also used as a food additive. Those products commonly include: Cellulose, Xylitol,Maltodextrin, Ethylene, Gluten, Fibersol-2, Citrus Cloud Emulsion, Inosital,Fructose, Calcium Stearate, Saccharin, Sucrose, Sorbital, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid,Di-glycerides, Semolina, Sorbic Acid, Alpha Tocopherol, Ethyl Lactate, Polydextrose, Xantham Gum, White Vinegar,Ethel Acetate, Fumaric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Baking Powder, Zein, Vanilla Extract, Margarine, and Starch.

- 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will contract early onset diabetes; Among minorities, the rate will be 1 in 2.



- E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks have become more frequent in America,whether it be from spinach or jalapenos. In 2007, there were 73,000 people sickened from the E. coli virus.

- Organics is the fastest growing food segment, increasing 20% annually.

www.foodincmovie.com

Challenges: Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Triumphs: It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. - Ghandi

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Macadamia nuts!

Lunch: 2 avocados :)

Dinner: A mango. A buckwheat pancake with agave syrup! The most delicious pancakes I have ever had!

Dessert: Chocolate cookies with peanuts! Ingredients: Cocao powder, crushed peanuts, agave syrup, buckwheat, oats, water, whole peanuts.

Recipe: Recipe for cookies of chocolate and peanuts!

Exercise: I exercised my body by walking around Amityville.

170 days to go!!!

Day 196

Thoughts: Nutrition and Spirituality

Here is an interesting article by James Redfield the Author of The Celestine Prophecy, The 10th InSight and The Secrets of Shambala, regarding pH Miracle Living and what he calls the Spiritual theory of food.

Most of those reading this article would agree that a new spiritual awareness is emerging in human culture. We believe that human beings are essentially spiritual beings slowly awakening from the mistaken idea that we are material beings living in a material world. We are made up atoms, which are much more mysterious than we ever thought, consisting of so-called elementary particles of minuscule size separated by mostly empty space.

What most physicists are understanding of course, is that these particles, rather than being material are actually fields (patterns) of energy. At our core, we humans are not made of matter at all, at least not in the ordinary sense. We consist of a most fascinating and mysterious energy that is capable of shifting and changing dramatically. How else can we explain the numerous documented cases of wounds healing and tumors disappearing suddenly in our bodies - and not in days or weeks but instantaneously.

We are spiritual beings learning how to conceive of ourselves as spiritual, and to live in a way that increases our energy and raises the level of our vibration toward ever higher ranges. In fact most of us believe that the systematic progress in energy level, generation by generation, is what animates human evolution. Our destiny as a species is to eventually achieve a state of vibration so high as to be pure light, just like the mystics and prophecies of every religion have indicated. We know, finally, what human life is all about.

Interestingly, as this awareness increases, an old issue is again rising to the fore. If we are essentially spiritual beings learning to vibrate at a level of light itself. How does food and nutrition relate to this process. Can we eat anything we want and still increase our energy levels? Despite the common idea that we can somehow transmute bad food into good, I believe most of us realize that our diets have to somehow be congruent with the spiritual reality of our being and destiny.

For some time now, I've been looking for a higher more evolved spiritual theory of food. And recently I have discovered the work of Robert O. Young, who I think takes us a long way toward just such an understanding.

I would characterize Dr. Young's theories as complex and yet simple. On the one hand, he is a respected biological researcher who knows the chemistry of the human body, but on the other, he has reduced these complexities to a simple understanding that there is only one disease that ever afflicts humans, and only one cure. I would add, as well, that there is only one diet, which solves all the problems of obesity, and why the usual ways of dieting don't work, and healthy weight maintenance.

That truth is this: health can be measured in one basic way, whether our tissues are more acidic in PH or more alkaline. And that condition is determined in large part by the kinds of foods we eat. You see, when the foods we eat are utilized by our cells, they leave an ash that is either acid or alkaline. If it is alkaline, it is easily handled by the body and kept in balance. But if it is acid, it is extremely toxic and throws the body into stress and eventual disease and decline.

What's amazing is that Dr. Young broadens this truth to include the larger picture of what happens during human disease -- including both infectious diseases and such chronic ailments as arteriosclerosis, cancer, and AIDS -- and how germs and microbes all fit into this process. To begin with, Dr. Young explains the shortcomings of the Germ Theory of disease advanced by Louis Pasteur, which essentially states that we live in a world where dangerous bugs exist out there that can invade our bodies, overwhelm our defenses, and kill us.

Current scientific evidence presented by Dr. Young shows something different. Microbes live in our bodies all the time, and change form into bacteria, viruses, yeast, or mold as the internal environment changes. In healthy bodies these microbes are inert, or have positive roles in cell and gene repair. But when our body tissues become overly acidic, these microbes come alive and take on a different purpose in the body, a role which is perfectly logical if you think about it: they are there to decompose dead tissue and recycle it back into the soil of the earth. That is what Dr. Young means by only one disease. When our tissues become overly acidic, this is the condition that all organisms go into just before death, so the microbes inside get the signal that we are dying and go into action to decompose us. The symptoms would begin at the weakest link in our bodies, so it might start with any of the diseases humans get. But in reality there is only the one disease: over acidification that tells the microbes we are ready to die and decompose.

Dr. Young shows that every disease is associated with this process in one way or another, and in this light, such mysteries as auto immune disorders like arthritis, as well as cancer and AIDS, become understandable. Arthritis happens when the immune system desperately tries to get rid of acidic tissues. AIDS is a systematic overwhelming of the immune system by microbes flourishing in an acid environment, and cancer is one of the end point diseases. What happens when an organism (an animal or a piece of lettuce left out of the refrigerator) decomposes? It Molds. Cancer is our tissues molding! If, then, there is only one disease, there is only one cure: the re-alkalization of our tissues. To do this we have to begin to eat foods which are alkaline in nature, food that Dr. Young has carefully researched. They are just the ones you wound expect, what I have called alive foods: fresh, green vegetables, the juices of green sprouts, such as barley and wheat and soy, and beans and peas of all kinds. The killers are moldy, stored grains, breads that turn into sugars that feed the yeast in our bodies. Meats and milk products, liquors, and some nuts and other sugars as well. If you think you are being healthy by drinking a lot of the sweet fruits and juices, you should think again. They create an acidic tissue environment.

If you are interested in these ideas, I would suggest that you look into Dr. Young's work directly. Is he right about everything? I don't know... You will have to check into them for yourself. What I am endorsing is his theory of nutrition and the relationships between health, energy, disease, and diet. I believe that this theory will ultimately gain supremacy in human culture and science.

We have crossed a threshold of understanding. If we believe we are spiritual beings here to further evolution toward an ever higher human energy level, then we now know how what we eat is related to this mission, and its implication for how well we can pull it off. Changing what we eat is difficult. Each of us must make a choice. We are either raising our energy and expanding our aliveness or we are in the process of decomposition.



- James Redfield Author, The Celestine Prophecy, The 10th InSight, The Secrets of Shambala.

phmiracleliving.com
www.2012unlimited.net

Challenges: The truth is out. There is no way to go back to sleep.

Triumphs: “Zen. . . does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.” Alan W. Watts (1915-1973) The Way of Zen, 1957

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Buckwheat pancakes with agave syrup! Mmm mmm mmm!

Lunch: A beet, carrot, celery, ginger juice. Chocolate cookies with peanuts.

Dinner: Kale from the garden I am growing with avocado. Mmm nothing beats a fresh green from your very own garden!

Dessert: No dessert.

Snacks: Peanuts

Recipe: Recipe for Chocolate Cookies with peanuts will be in the earth diet book that is released in November this year.

Exercise: I exercised my lungs by taking deep breaths :)

169 days to go!!!

Day 197

Thoughts: In 2 days, on Monday I will begin the 21 day spring cleanse! Wooohoooo I am excited as when I eat raw foods I experience a lightness, peace, energy and wholeness that is undeniable! The Earth Diet is eating only foods naturally provided by the earth - I still eat cooked foods and so I am looking forward to the experience I will enjoy after eating only raw foods for 21 days!!!

Storm Talifero, who was the inspiration for this program, is a 61 year young baby boomer. He has been raw for over 35 years and looks like he is still only 30 years old! His journey has seen him through the lean skinny days of early raw-veganism and through the rebuilding of a body-builder's physique through a 100% raw vegan diet. His favorite saying is "Fresh is Best".

Storm is an extreme athlete, sailor, mountain-climber, motor-biker, cyclist, and a champion at mixed martial arts, fencing, and swimming. He maintains a rigorous work-out schedule and a pure organic raw vegan diet. He does not use supplements, super foods, or powders, but maintains that the best source of usable nourishment is directly from the freshest organic raw fruits and vegetables available!

Storm is a fine artist, craftsman, architectural designer, and film-maker. He is currently working on his new documentary film "B.A.D., The Black American Diet".



Jinjee Talifero is a 43 year young Mother of five very healthy and intelligent children….and she still has her figure and her health.

As a raw food mom, she knows a great many of the pitfalls, challenges, short cuts, tips, tricks, and do's & dont's of the raw food diet.

"After 17 years raw my knowledge and experiences are gel-ing into what could be called the budding of a little wisdom...I'm having fun writing the materials for the 21 Day Raw Cleanse as they come to me from my daily experiences, thoughts, and insights. I think I'm finding my purpose in the raw movement.... to help make it easier for others like myself who struggle with weight, inertia, and emotional eating, through maintaining a healthy state of mind!"



Jinjee and Storm have successful raw food life experiences and credibility. Their family is living proof that long-term raw vegans can thrive and that the raw diet is healthy for people at all stages of life! They have been teaching raw foods for over 15 and 30 years respectively! They have authored 16 raw eBooks, publish a raw magazine and a daily newsletter online, produced a raw documentary and several online videos, and are now building a raw vegan green village!

Check out these before and after photos: (I will also be taking before and after photos!)

Julie before and after:

Chris before and after:

Jacob before and after:

Vicki before and after:

Storm and Jinjee say:

"A Life-Changing Program to help you lose weight with.....Food, Exercise, and Happiness!

1. Food: Our Delicious Raw Foods, Juices, Mylks, Teas, Fruits, and Veggies!

2. Exercise: Our Fun and highly effective exercise program!

3. Happiness: Our Ground-Breaking 21 Day Happiness Program cultivating inner joy, an absolutely essential ingredient for long-lasting health and true beauty!

-- This is a program that you do at home, online, and at your own pace!

-- A raw bootcamp and detox-cleanse in which you will rejuvenate, lose weight and feel great!

-- This is not a diet, but the doorway to a healthy happy lifestyle!

-- The Garden Diet 21 Day Spring Cleanse starts Monday May 24th and ends on Sunday June 13th…..just in time for summer vacation!

-- Lose 10 - 20 lbs. in just 3 weeks! And keep dropping weight after the cleanse with your new skills, mind-set, and outlook!

-- The menu is designed for healthy weight loss. You'll be amazed at how pounds will melt away with our specialized menu plan including….

-- Green Smoothies, Salads, Fruits, Veggies, Juices, Nut Milks, Storm's Secret Herb Teas and other simply delicious Raw Recipes!

-- Workouts by raw vegan fitness model and personal trainer Koya Webb will take you from fat to fit in an amazingly short time!

-- Doctor-approved: Safe even if you are nursing or pregnant, have type 2 diabetes, or if you are taking medications."

After ordering the cleanse I got a list of all the farmers markets in my area and sent on a mission to buy fresh ingredients for Storm and Jinjee's raw recipes!

Storm just uploaded a video where he talks about his philosophies on cleansing, detoxing, and transitioning to raw foods. He talks about how we came up with the 21 Day Cleanse, why he's doing it, and how you can use it to transition a raw vegan diet. You'll learn how the body cleanses itself, and why you drop weight during a cleanse. You'll hear about how we help people to detox gently and gradually so that there are no uncomfortable detox symptoms, and about some of the delicious foods they are including in the cleanse. Check out the video here: http://www.Youtube.com/jinjee

To order the 21 Day Spring Cleanse visit:
www.thegardendiet.com
www.thegardendiet.com/21days

Challenges: Wanting to eat cooked foods, potatoes and my chocolate balls!

Triumphs: “You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.” - Ralph Marston. Oh I will Ralph! ;)

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: A grapefruit and water with lemon squeezed in it.

Lunch: Baked potato wedges with a spicy tomato basil sauce with broccoli and green beans! Ingredients : Garlic, onion, red chilli, basil, tomato, broccoli, green beans, potatoes and Himalayan salt or sea salt.



Dinner: A plate full of delicious fruits! 2 small nectarines and some cherries and a mango!

Dessert: Balls of chocolate with peanuts! Ingredients: Blended peanuts, whole peanuts, cocao powder, agave syrup, and water!

Snacks: No snacks.

Recipe: Recipe for home made wedges with tomato basil sauce and balls of chocolate will be in the earth diet book that is released this November!



Exercise: I exercised my lungs by breathing in big gulps of fresh air in the morning, went for a run, did some squats, sit ups and danced to Travis my favourite band! In the arvo I rode my bike to the supermarket :)

168 days to go!!!

Day 198

Thoughts: Letting go.

It takes courage for one to do a cleanse or detox. It is easy to stay with what is familiar - and welcoming a cleanse or detox if like welcoming a new life, a new being with new thoughts, new feelings, new experiences. Shedding the old and creating a new. Courage.

I am not doing this cleanse because I think my current being is wrong or bad, or needs fixing or changing, no it is perfect. I am cleansing because I choose cleansing right now. I am looking forward to a new way of being, new thoughts, new experiences, a new body. My predictable future from the way I am being now is that of the SAME. So I altered the process, messed up the SaMeNeSS and took on the 21 day Spring Cleanse. I am excited to experience the lightness, the peace, the love, the grace, the cleanliness, the appreciation, the integrity, the respect for self, the clarity, the strength. All that comes with a cleanse. It is a cleanse of everything, cellular - cells in the body - imprints in the mind - stagnant energy being moved. A new me becoming awakened.

It starts tomorrow with rawists Jinjee and Storm from The Garden Diet. We will eat only raw foods for 21 days and cleanse my body, mind and energy with juices, light foods, lots of greens and creative recipes. Thank you Storm and Jinjee for this journey we are all about to embrace. You can also join the cleanse - see below.

I also know that with a cleanse may come pain, suffering, aching or being uncomfortable and at a loss of power. Being uncomfortable is not a sign that you are lost, powerless, or disconnected.

Kelly Wells gives a great example of this. Like a snake shedding its skin. During the shedding process, the snake is visibly uncomfortable and unproductive. It doesn’t eat; it is irritated and sluggish, devoting all of its energy to this of ridding the old to make room for the new.

Why is the snake shedding? To grow into a larger, more capable and more evolved body and existence. While snakes do this physically, we as human beings metaphorically shed our own skin when it is time to grow personally, professionally, or spiritually.

You may voluntarily elect this process, as in the case of letting go of a job you hate in search of work you love. Many times this “shedding” occurs in a forced fashion, as in the case of an unwelcome illness, weight exceeding, financially trying times, or an unexpected loss. These times are particularly painful, yet may profoundly alter your experience and catapult you to a new spiritual plane.

When you are shedding your old identity, I realize that I will often lack my typical energy, feel out of sorts, and perhaps be angry and confused. Only after I begin to wear my new skin, my new identity, then I will have the clarity of vision to better understand the test and the growth that has occurred.

Wells also says that getting comfortable in your new skin takes time as well. After all, you are, in essence, a new person and your old beliefs and way of being have fallen to the waste side. The result, however, is that you are now a bigger person than your old self, cloaked in new consciousness and greater potential. You will be stronger, more enlightened, and more capable than ever before. Old challenges are old hat. You easily overcome the circumstances that previously seemed insurmountable.

"I am so ready to step into my authentic self and really embrace all that I desire, but I still feel part of myself resisting it.

Why is that??

If I can see who I want to be, what is stopping me from jumping in with both feet? Why do I find myself falling back into my old way of being and my ‘not-me’ behaviors?"

Leah from Defy The Box answers "Commit to feeling things fully so that you no longer need those ‘not-me’ behaviors and old ways of being. Deciding to do the work to change your life is a conscious activity, especially if being truly authentic is your goal. Part of being conscious is to be fully present to what you are feeling…..which equals feeling things fully.

This is a major shift for many people.

The Ego convinces you that the intellect is king and it is all about thinking, where as your higher-self knows that all the information you need is right here in this moment for you to feel.

What do you think? Are you ready to jump in to your ever abundant flow?

One reason we hang onto the past is because we derive our identities from our history. We know who we are because of what we've done, what we own, who we relate to and how we've behaved. When we experience a major life change – starting or ending a committed relationship, having a child, entering a new career or retiring, moving to a different home or location or taking a big leap in our personal growth – our identity changes. This is an important part of our development, but it can leave us feeling like we don't know who we are. The tendency is to resist, to hold onto the old identity. Instead, we need to let it go and embrace the new one.

Fear of the unknown is probably the biggest obstacle to letting go. It's easier to cling to "the devil you know" than risk moving forward into the unknown and unpredictable. But not moving forward is not an option. When you don't, you stagnate and fall into lethargy and depression. Neuroscientist Gregory Berns, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta, advises that to be happy, you have to challenge yourself to do things you've never done before, to embrace uncertainty. It is through the unfamiliar that we find the exhilaration in life.

If you're having trouble letting go of something, try this visualization: See yourself standing on the shore of a lake. See a representation of your problem issue in a small boat. A rope is attached to the boat, and you hold the other end. Let go of the rope and see the boat (with your issue) drift off. Wave good-bye as you let it go. As the boat drifts out of your view, turn your back on it and walk away.

For example let go of your bulimic identity, by seeing yourself as no longer being bulimic you will start acting like you are no longer bulimic.

Am I done growing? Not hardly. The process will repeat again, with new adventures and new challenges, all a part my self's evolution.

Let the cleansing begin.

To join the cleanse visit www.thegardendiet.com/21days

Jinjees undeniable beautiful body, especially for being 42 years old!

www.intuitivelifecoaching.net/Article/Shedding-Your-Old-Identity.html - Kelly Wells
www.defythebox.com - Leah
www.goodlifecoaching.com/CreativeLife67.html Sharon

Challenges: My mind when I let it.

Triumphs:

"To linger in the past is to do so at the expense of your future." ~ Ron Rubin and Stuart Avery Gold, "Tiger Heart, Tiger Mind"

"Finish each day and be done with it...You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Much as we may wish to make a new beginning, some part of us resists doing so as though we were making the first step toward disaster." ~ William Bridges, "Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes"

"It would add much to human happiness, if an art could be taught of forgetting all of which the remembrance is at once useless and afflictive, that the mind might perform its function without encumbrance, and the past might no longer encroach upon the present." ~ Samuel Johnson

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Buckwheat pancakes with agave syrup ... the yummiest delicious softest with crunchy edged pancakes I have ever had!

Lunch: A nectarines. A avocado and mouthfuls of macadamia nuts!

Dinner: A avocado and some baked potato wedges!

Dessert: Chocolate balls with almonds mmm mmm mmm!

Snacks: Some almonds.

Recipe: Recipe for chocolate balls and buckwheat pancakes in the earth diet book being published this November!

Exercise: I exercised my body by riding my bike to the supermarket! The bike I ride has no brakes ... so uh yes it exercises my body and my attention! No day dreaming when I ride, focus needed, or I will crash into a car or object! Hehe! I also exercised simpleness by chilling with nature, and watching the trees in the wind. It's like they are waving ... saying hello.

167 days to go!!!