Hi Friends and Juice Feasters!
If you are familiar with JuiceFeasting.com, my presentations, or the book I researched with Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D. called There is a Cure for Diabetes, then you KNOW I am an avid researcher.
Well, I am at it again. This time, it's Vitamin B-12, and the information is HUGE.
I am doing a free webinar on Vitamin B-12 next Tuesday, May 24th, where I will present to you my latest research on this important nutrient that most of us are lacking - and that is SO EASY to fix once and for all. The Vegan community does not need to be low in this essential nutrient. You can click the video below to check it out:Did you know: Even If You Eat A Raw Vegan Diet, You Are 80% Likely To Be Low In Vitamin B-12?
Low B-12 Means: Low Energy, Foggy Thinking, and Poor Digestion...and the research I have uncovered shows that low B-12 will actually create health conditions that can largely eliminate the GAINS you achieve by eating a plant-based diet!Join This Free Online Training, Bust Through All The B-12 'misinformation', And Easily Raise Your B-12 Levels, Once and For All... With David Rainoshek, M.A.
Here's what you'll learn at this live free online training:
+ The 3 ways to determine if you are B-12 deficient or not (most people have no idea)
+ The GOLD Standard for testing B-12 levels.
+ 3 Powerful Little-Known Methods to properly raise your B-12 levels and KEEP them there.
+ Which B-12 Supplements Are a COMPLETE Waste of Time (and money) and Might Actually Damage Your Health.
+ Why Your Doctor May Not Even Know Anything About B-12
+ The Most Common Signs Of B-12 Deficiency Including Ones You May Not Be Aware Of
+ Why most of the time Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Goes Completely Misdiagnosed.
Seats to this free online training are FREE, but they're on a first come first serve basis. Whether you are or ARE NOT concerned about your B-12, don't miss this, because low B-12 is so easy to miss (most people don't even know they're deficient)
...AND it's easy to fix... I'll show you how.
See you soon!
Sincerely,
David Rainoshek, M.A.
http://www.JuiceFeasting.com
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Vitamin B-12!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Are You On A Hero's Journey?
What does the film Never Cry Wolf have to do with Juice Feasting?
The Hero's Journey!
I (David) addressed the connection at the Raw Food World Conference here in Vilcabamba, Ecuador this week in my two-hour presentation on Juice Feasting: A Modern Hero's Journey.
The Hero's Journey is a going out, and a return, and during the talk I spliced in excerpts from Never Cry Wolf - the movie - to illustrate this path. I highly recommend both the short book and the beautiful film in building a knowledge and a felt-sense of what the Hero's Journey is.
If you are working to transform your life, you are on The Hero's Journey!! I have dedicated a whole Day of JuiceFeasting.com to this important mental / emotional / spiritual aspect of Juice Feasting and life transformation. I have a 50-minute talk on The Hero's Journey on that day, complete with an interview with Angela Stokes about her 92-Day Juice Feast.
Members can find this excellent Day here: Day 9: The Hero's Journey
You will also find a talk by Joseph Cambell on The Hero's Journey on Day 9, as well, along with a whole file I have created for you to download and enjoy.
(If you are not a member of JuiceFeasting.com. you can sign up now and receive access to the entire 92-Day Program, with 92 Days of important files, videos, articles, information and inspiration to spur you on in your own Hero's Journey!!!)
WHAT IS THE GREAT STORY OF MY LIFE?
The great psychologist Carl Jung asked himself, "What is the myth I am living by?" Jung, when he realized he did not know, wrote, "I took it upon myself to get to know 'my' myth, and I regarded this as the task of tasks."
This question burns in many of us. What is the great story of my life?
If you want some help answering it, look to Joseph Campbell. The Hero with a Thousand Faces is an excellent book, and even more approachable is the series The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell presented on PBS. You can find it here:
With peaceful steps,
David Rainoshek
Hanging out with my daughter Sophia between busy moments!
www.DavidRainoshek.com
http://twitter.com/
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Raw Food World Conference!
First of all, I am so glad that so many of you decided to include this FILM in your health and wellness libraries. David and I were living and working at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center while the film "Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days" was being edited and we were even there for the very first viewing in Dr. Cousens' office! Very exciting to see it out there in the world doing its magic.
We are still loving the valley and so excited that our time here is lining up with The 2011 Raw Food World Conference, sponsored by Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes-Monarch along with Dave the Raw Food Trucker and his dear ally Teresa. I love, love, love that this is held as a free event, opening up so many opportunities for sharing, community building, playing, learning, and loving. And what a beautiful group of people! I am so excited to be spending the next two weeks with all of you and looking forward to getting to know you much better!
David gave a talk on Juice Feasting last night, and I was hoping to go but little Sophia had other plans...such as sleep! No matter though, there are plans to create a video of his presentation soon and I plan on seeing that! (I hope!) ~Motherhood brings all kinds of opportunities to go with the flow :)~
I've created an album for photos I've taken during the event here for those of you who, like me, are passionfilled for pictures! xo (If you happen to be in any of these photos and would like a copy, please leave a message and I'll send them along!)
And, last but not least, one of the less important but countless reasons I fell in love with David...his Brazil Nut Pate Nori Cracker!
Matt says "This is by far the best raw food recipe for Nut Pate and Crackers Angela and I have ever tasted." And I say, yeah, I know!
Hope you enjoy it too!
xxxx
Love and blessings,
Katrina
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Diabetes: Owning the Truth
Hi Friends and Juice Feasters,
Do you want proof? Most of us do. How about a FILM and a BOOK that prove we can heal diabetes?
You can find the goods in the powerful documentary film "Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days." If you haven't yet seen this film there's something really special going on this week only that you should check out.
You can see the trailer for the film right here:
When Dr. Cousens and I released the book There is a Cure for Diabetes, we were certain that the proof was in the Green Vegetable Juice: A live, plant-based diet is the most powerful way to bring down high blood sugar and heal the health challenges associated with diabetes.
One out of three children born in the U.S. today will develop diabetes, if we maintain our current course. Wow. As a researcher and health practitioner, I can tell you that this is a precursor for the decline of a civilization, if left unchecked. OR it is an opportunity to reassess, to reorient to the Hero's Journey of healing. That is what you will witness in the film: heroics in healing.
It's all part of the April 25th Reversing Diabetes Action Day celebration which is taking place this week.
Make sure to check out the trailer right away…
Finally, on JuiceFeasting.com, I have dedicated a whole Day 72 of the 92-Day Member Program to Diabetes, so that excellent information is available, as well!
With peaceful steps,
David Rainoshek, MA
www.JuiceFeasting.com
www.DavidRainoshek.com
http://twitter.com/DavidRainoshek
http://www.facebook.com/davidrainoshek
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
South of the Equator!
I am writing to you while listening to a beautiful cacophony of highland birds and looking out over big yellow hibiscus flowers to a lush green valley and hills beyond.
Yes, we are in Ecuador in the gorgeous valley of Vilcabamba!
Our decision to come was both a long time coming and very swift. Long time coming as in we've been wanting to come down for a visit ever since a friend of ours told us he was buying land down here in late 2007, and very swift as in deciding to come one week and flying down here the next!
We had everything in storage accept what we needed for daily living, we didn't have a lease or mortgage to maintain, we have very good friends who live here and who just happened to have a guest house where we could stay while we got situated, we were set! All that was left was to buy a ticket, and so we went for it.
Just half a week after arriving here, we moved into a beautiful little house tucked into a garden, right next door to our dear friends and are feeling very blessed to be here.
But, phew, what a ride the past year has been! We have been on a whirlwind tour of free-style daydreaming and the pursuit of so many different possibilities it makes my head spin! Little Sophia, who is not even two yet, has already lived in 5 different houses (if you count our tent-home of last summer as a house!) and David and I have toyed with the idea of at least 10 more. You would think we were out to break a record! Now we are off on yet another adventure.
We are here until mid-September at the earliest, gently exploring and staying open to where life will take us.
Each day it feels easier and easier to be here, the sharpness of so suddenly adjusting to a new place is slowly wearing off as we build community and explore the land surrounding us.
I'll leave you with a few pictures, and for more you can always check out our Flickr site!
Baby Rain Dancing in the Rain.Oh, and I had the most crazy amazing juice yesterday morning. For the first time in my life I tried Passion Fruit Juice, squeezed by my love David (click on the link for health benefits of this juice!) If you really want to try a high voltage juice, this one is for you, bring on the passionate juice baby!
Sending love that you are all well and juicy,
Katrina Rainoshek
www.JuiceFeasting.com
Monday, March 14, 2011
Seaweed and Seaweed for Dinner.
Today's menu at our house included lots of spirulina, chlorella, bee pollen, miso, kelp and dulse. In light of the recent meltdowns at Fukushima in Japan, I hope all of my friends and loved ones are filling their beautiful bodies with similar foods!
Anti-Radiation Foods:
Blue/Green Algaes
Spirulina (5-10 grams/day)
Chlorella
Klamath Lake Blue Green Algae (Aphanizomenon Flos-aquae
(AFA))
Bee Pollen (2-5 Tablespoons/day)
Sea Vegetables
Kelp
Dulse
Sodium Alginate (naturally present in kelp, arame, wakame,
kombu, and hijiki)
Chlorophyll-Rich Foods
Beets
Garlic
Yeast
Siberian Ginseng
Miso Soup
NOBLE MUSHROOMS
Reishi, Shitake, Maitake, Agaricus, Lion’s Mane
Mushroom Complexes
CLAYS
Hydrated Bentonite Clay shakes
Edible Clays
Liquid Zeolite
Potassium Iodide to protect thyroid (only in a nuclear event)
For more information please check out:
the book Conscious Eating by Dr. Gabriel Cousens: Chapter 29: “How Diet Can Protect You from the Dangers of Radioactive Radiation” (593-622)
and this article has some great info on kelp: Kelp: A Prophylactic Protocol for Radiation Emergencies.
That is all for now, going to bed to send dreams of love and healing to all of creation.
In love,
Katrina.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Spring 2011 Juice Feast!
Its that time again! Spring cleaning!
Check it out here and join us for a rockin' good juicy time coming this March.
Love, juice, and inspiration,
Katrina Rainoshek
www.JuiceFeasting.com
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Home From Houston!
While we were there we:
~Celebrated our Mom and Dad Rainoshek's 50th wedding anniversary.
~Enjoyed a few sunny days in the midst of an unusual winter storm that swept across Texas.
Sunshine for our little sunshine.~Drank juice every day made with the original Sampson Juicer that David used to cure acid reflux when he Juice Feasted for the first time in 2003.
Sophia says: Thank you little Sampson for a healthy, happy Dada!~Drove a lot (I am so glad to live in a pedestrian friendly city!)
~Played at the Houston Museum of Natural Science where I found the Hall of Minerals most fascinating. (Although the dinosaurs were pretty amazing too!)
Houston Museum of Natural Science~Listened in on The Great Health Debate every night. (If you missed it, it is still up for purchase at the event price until this Friday!) While this event has made a lot of people hot under the collar, I really enjoyed listening to so many different views on health and diet. I haven't had a chance to listen to every talk yet, but one of my favorites thus far was the conversation that Kevin Gianni had with Donna Gates of The Body Ecology Diet. I can certainly vouch for her views on probiotics and fermented foods, as I've been eating some form of sauerkraut almost every day and am thrilled with the happy digestive tract that I have right now. Happy gut = happy brain = happy me! For a great little video to get you started with making sauerkraut, check out Sandor Katz.
~Explored giant abundant grocery stores where the word "local" is becoming easier and easier to find and the juice bar is fully stocked.
~Watched this show at the planetarium which put me in an altered state thinking about the fact that we are all made of stardust, literally.
~And more.......!
It was a wonderful trip, and watching Sophia and her grandparents playing together is dearly special when we live so far apart.
Back in B.C., spring is just starting to peek out from the gray of winter. Snowbells are filling our front yard and I saw the first daffodil buds today on our walk home from the library.
Hope you are well and keeping it juicy!
With love,
Katrina
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Closing the Feast!
We've come to the close of the January Juice Feast! Today was the infamous "prune day," the day when solid foods begin to slowly come back in after an extended time of juicing. For more information on closing your Feast, be sure to check out Breaking The Juice Feast!
And, for a little inspiration, here is my favorite Feast Breaking video:
After her epic 92 Juice Feast in 2007, the beautiful Angela Stokes-Monarch shared her first prune and inspired many to embark on Juice Feasts of their own. Here she discusses her Juice Feast, just prior to breaking the feast with her first meal in three months... Recorded live on Feb 20th, 2007.
Read more about Angela's juicing and raw journey at http://rawreform.blogspot.com
Congratulations to all who joined in on the January Juice Feast, may your adventures continue with blessings!
All love,
Katrina Rainoshek
Wednesday Thoughts From Kyra and Baby Smoothies
January Juice Feast. Day #6
"Yesterday I was very much enjoying and deeply appreciating the arrival of the longed-for sensation of peace and relaxation that Juice Feasting brings ... one of its greatest gifts. I've done many Juice Feasts, some long, many short, and this is the first time I am consistently incorporating an easy and effortless daily meditation and deep breathing, and what a difference this makes. It is a boost into the stratosphere of feeling wonderfully empowered about life, bringing a peaceful feeling that anything and everything one desires can be manifested via focused attention and allowing. I love how Juice Feasting facilitates new thoughts, sweeping away the limitations of yesterday, and building a momentum of positivity that grows day by day."
~KyraAnd, just for fun, some smoothie pictures with the little one!
Snowdrop and smoothie and little one dancing, waiting for her lunch.
Serious smoothie drinking. She drank down all 8oz of this one, it is a keeper! (Apple, spinach, blueberry, and banana.)
The smile she gave me when I said "smile for the camera!" Enjoy your moments!
All love and light,
Katrina Rainoshek
Friday, January 21, 2011
An Afternoon at Bliss.
To add to that, 3 of the adults are men working from home, and 2 of the adults are moms with kids/babies at home. Very busy house!
We are all in transition, between phases, on the move, and we have all come to rest temporarily together. Believe it or not, it is working out beautifully.
AND, one of the adults living in this old house right now is my beautiful sister of Cafe Bliss! The cafe has been a popular destination for all of us, a good home away from home when a little more space is needed.
And hey, it doesn't hurt that we get served the best food ever! A few photos from a recent afternoon at Bliss:
Chai tea with almond mylk, banana coconut pie, and chocolate orange pie. All raw, all vegan, all YUM!
Sister time for me, auntie time for Sophia. And one last one, for all of you Juice Feasters:
David with a Pure Green (celery, cucumber, and kale), me with a Green Gingerale (apple, celery, spinach, lemon, and ginger), Sophia with a Finnerty Island Smoothie (apple, banana, blueberry and lime.) Enjoy your Juice!
With peaceful steps,
Katrina Rainoshek
www.JuiceFeasting.com
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Body/Mind and the Gift of Connection.
Jump for Joy!The January Juice Feast is now well under way!
It is always an exciting time in our lives when David is engaged in coaching a group Juice Feast, and it goes with out saying that growth and transformation never get boring to be around! I'm a sucker for a good Juice Feasting story, and I get to hear lots of them when there is a Feast going on.
While David treats his client's privacy with great respect, I have the honor and joy of sharing in some of the most amazing stories of personal development with him at the end of each day. We both share so much reverence for people's never ending journeys towards self actualization. It seems at times that there is so much to overcome and yet people persevere and move above and beyond even the most debilitating illness, hurt, loss, and trauma.
You are all superstars, every single one of you!
Something that comes up again and again for people who Juice Feast is a much deeper awareness of the body/mind connection. When you take the junk (food) out of your body, the mind really does become strong and clear. Life is much easier to navigate and more readily enjoyed with a mind that is strong and clear! Once this is an awareness that you have cultivated, it becomes much easier as well to choose to put the foods in your body that help to build a mind worth living with!
To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. ~Buddha
I loved this email, which exemplifies the mind/body connection beautifully, from one of David's students. (Used here with permission):
"An observation: When I was out shopping for a few things for my family, I had a very different experience in the grocery store. I noticed faces more, or well, in a different way. I often notice faces...details of faces. I seemed more connected to the people who had those faces. More connected to their conversations. Last night when I was holding a bell pepper in my hands and was about to tear it apart for my juice prep, I was slightly saddened to be tearing it apart...like it was a being, and had its own being-ness. I thanked it, and was just struck by this never-before felt connection with a bell pepper. Yesterday I was looking at the dashboard of my car and noticing many details of how the designers made elements smoothly transition together, how the door lock-unlock tab looked smooth and well balanced (design-wise) when it was locked and unlocked.
Hey, if this cleansing feast allows me access to these things, and if I can learn how to access these states...awesome! It's worth my whole life just in the knowing how to connect.
~Rees Maxwell
Founder and Lead Instructor: Whole Earth Nature School
http://WholeEarthNatureSchool.com
Love it! Thank you for sharing Rees, many blessings for your beautiful journey!
Have a Beautiful Day!
All love,
Katrina Rainoshek
www.JuiceFeasting.com
Saturday, December 11, 2010
January Juice Feast.
We are all tucked in for winter, and David is gearing up to coach yet another exciting group of people on their own Hero's Journey.
His most recent client just finished months of one-on-one coaching, and I thought you might like to hear about her experience first-hand (and there is an upcoming coached Juice Feast in two weeks!) Here is her experience in her own words:
"August 2010, I signed up for a 30 day coached juice feast with David Rainoshek. To be honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into but my original intent was to nourish my body, lose a few pounds, get my blood pressure and cholesterol in check and balance my life – everything in my life was out of balance, I needed help. I'm a wife, a Mom to 2 small boys, employed in the high tech industry - I was wiped out and checking out of my life.
The first 30 days, I felt like a sleeping child whose Mom gently woke them up every morning – David prodded me - get up, it's time to wake up. Wake up? Where are we going today? I’m tired, I’m really tired. Wake up! Where do you need to go? Somewhere else. I was overwhelmed and eager to learn and do and change all at the same time. I learned how to meditate, big mind practice, bring my vitamin D level to normal, balance my intake and include essentials like fish oil, integral life practice, being mindful, read a few books, and started feeling my life again. Strangely enough, for the first 30 days when David & I skyped during our daily sessions, it was never about my juice, it was waking up my mind. And, wake up I did. I’ll add that I did lose a few pounds and my blood pressure and cholesterol are in the normal range – a good juice feast does wonders for nourishing and normalizing the body. But, my mind, oh my mind was going bonkers – I was thinking and being and living and smiling. David the entire time listened – sometimes I babbled, sometimes there was nothing to say, sometimes I just listened to David the coach giving me things to try, to experience, to do. I loved the fact David met with me every weekday– it allowed me to work on the challenges of day to day life.
I have to say that being coached wasn’t easy for me. During the process, I once wrote in my journal – David isn’t my friend, he is my coach. I’m glad he is brutal and honest, however I don’t like being coached anymore because it makes me feel ugly. I’m talking about and changing the things in my life that I don’t like about myself and that’s really uncomfortable. Instead, I’d just prefer to keep hiding. But…
For some reason my mind tells me to keep plowing ahead and even better things are going to happen in my life. David kept listening, offering guidance and I kept changing. David stays on as my coach for another 3 months. I quit the juice feast after 60 some odd days, I quit counting. During some conversation with David, he decides to tell me about somebody that died of smoking related causes. I drop the phone. It all resonates with me and a dagger is put into my back and twists so hard I am lost for a moment – yes, I smoke. I have smoked for 30 years. Quitting smoking wasn’t part of the coaching plan, or was it? It wasn’t. I’m mad, I’m angry, I confess that yes I’m cleansed from juicing but not cleansed from the toxins of cigarettes. Where do I go. David let me decide. I decide to quit smoking and David coached me through my journey.
I have to stop here and smile because as you read this you must know that I truly believe David invested some serious time into my life as my coach. We had a few extra talks on the weekend, he researched smoking, my ailments and detox symptoms, some of our scheduled 30 minute conversations went overtime, it was obvious the journey was more important than just being "a day job", he did more research, we laughed as my meditation brought on Harry Potter daggers into my forehead, he listened to me cry from physical withdrawal, also cry because I was so overwhelmed with happiness I couldn’t mutter any words, he offered more advice, gave more mindfulness practice, pushed me hard and 2 months later - I emerged. As a non-smoker!
I don’t know how to end what I’d like to pass on to anyone about coaching with David – perhaps I’ll just simply say – if you allow yourself to be coached, David might take you on a journey of discovery and change too –
I love my life,
M..."
If you are ready for this level of coaching, we look forward to hearing from you!
The January 2011 Juice Feast begins in two weeks! As I write this post, there are just three more spaces available in this amazing 30 Day Program! Here is the info:
January 2011 Juice Feast with David Rainoshek, MAHave a dynamic, meaningful final few weeks as we move into the New Year.
All Love,
David, Katrina, and Sophia
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Summer 2010 Juice Feast!
Katrina and I have been on a very remote part of a remote island off the coast of British Columbia, climbing mountains to get internet access... and we are finally hooked up.
And there is a private Juice Feast coming up! Here is the info:
**NOTE: David will be coaching no more than 8 people (to ensure a deep coaching and group experience), so early registration is important to hold your space, and to set up a Initial Consultation. This is not a Global Juice Feast, but an incredible opportunity to be coached personally by David Rainoshek in an extended 30-Day Juice Feast!Whether you are moving beyond Industrialized Nutrition, fine-tuning for the summer season (or fall/winter to come), orienting to plant-based foods, or wanting to better honor your life’s authenticity, David Rainoshek will personally orient you to a deeper understanding of nutrition and deep living during this 30-Day Juice Feast.
BENEFITS
Have a great week
With peaceful steps,
David Rainoshek, MA
Watermelon
Blueberries
Celery
Cucumber
Lemon
It sounds simple, but it is divine!
Monday, April 26, 2010
House of Honey, or The "No Agave Here" House
Ohhh Sweet Honey! (honey at Cafe Bliss)
Something that my intuition and my body has always told me is now being confirmed by some of the very people who worked so hard to bring agave to the mainstream: agave is the worst “bandito” of all sweeteners!
I bought one bottle of agave about 4 years ago after seeing pictures on David Wolfe's site of a beautiful young woman pouring it down her throat, straight out of the bottle! I thought, wow, a sweetener that is so good for you that you can drink it like water!?
I tried it, I didn't like it at all. It tasted like corn syrup to me, and made me feel awful. So I went back to what I have always used and loved, honey. Over the years since then, I have had many opportunities to enjoy raw treats made with agave. While I do enjoy them in my mouth, everything after that point is a mess. Or should I say, I am a mess! Katrina + agave = basket-case. I feel edgy, anxious, hungry, grumpy, and all those unpleasant things that go along with blood sugar imbalance. So I do my best to avoid the stuff.
If you are still using agave in your household, please read the following articles and then go and pour it down the drain!
The Agave Blues by David Wolfe
This "Tequila" Sweetener is Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup by Dr. Mercola
Agave Nectar, the High Fructose Health Food Fraud on Natural News
So, that brings me back to honey! I felt inspired to write a little ode to honey..... Honey is magical. Bees are magical. Flowers are magical. Eating honey makes me feel magical.
In Organic Farming and Beekeeping, it becomes a partnership between bee and honey farmer. The symbiosis is beautiful, and as a honey eater I feel tapped into a beautiful, life affirming circle. And, honey is LOCAL! We get our honey from Babe's Honey Farm, and it is beautiful, and it gives me a pleasant, gentle buzz.
And did you know that bees will produce up to 3 times the amount that they need to survive? In ethical beekeeping practices, both the bees and the honey eaters benefit.
I love visiting honey farms and listening to the hum of the bees. See if you can find a honey farm near you and start to visit whenever you need a little sweetness.
Honey is expensive (at least compared to conventional sugar) but in my mind this is a good thing. It just means we use less of it and are more careful of our consumption. When it comes to sweetener, a little mindfulness is a very good idea! It also means we are paying the honey farmer a living wage rather than paying pennies for sugar grown by people living in abject poverty in countries miles and miles away.
Of course there are other alternatives to sweeten you treats, and honey may not be the one for you. If you are working with blood-sugar issues such as diabetes or candida, you will want to be even more aware of your sweetener choices. The above articles do a good job at listing out other sweeties to choose from.
In closing, if you needed another reason to start buying organic, this might be it. Saving the Honey Bee Through Organic Farming.
I'd love to hear your experiences with agave, and what your household's sweetener of choice is!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Nettles!
It has been a mild winter here on the West Coast....wet, gray, fogged in day after day, but mild. And that means early nettles!
Here is some info on nettles from Susun S. Weed in her book The Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year (a book I HIGHLY recommend if you are planning on having babies) :
The common stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica, is one of the finest nourishing tonics known. It is reputed to have more chlorophyll than any other herb. The list of vitamins and minerals in this herb includes nearly every one known to be necessary for human health and growth. Vitamins A, C, D, and K, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and sulphur are particularly abundant in Nettles.
Benefits of drinking Nettle infusion before and throughout pregnancy include (Katrina's note: I feel that many of these benefits are sure to be true after the birth as well!)
~Aiding the kidneys.
~Increasing fertility in men and women.
~Nourishing mother and fetus.
~Easing leg cramps and other muscle spasms.
~Diminishing pain during and after birth. The high calcium content, which is readily assimilated, helps diminish muscle pains.
~ Increasing the richness and amount of breast milk.
~ Improves the elasticity of the veins. Good help for varicose veins.
Feeling inspired to get out to the nettle patch and do some picking!?
As with any wild food harvesting, make sure you know what you are picking before you eat it! I find a pair of garden gloves and a plastic bag works best for harvesting nettles, but a pair of rubber gloves or even a thicker plastic bag for your picking had will work too (they really do sting!) Picking the top 1-2 inches of the plants in early spring (or late winter on the West Coast this year) gives you the tenderest treat, but I found that picking and using even the tougher late summer leaves was fine.
I did loads of nettle smoothies (and nettle tea, and steamed nettles) while I was pregnant with Sophia last spring and on into the summer. My intuition is that nettles and other green smoothies were part of the reason that my iron levels stayed in good range throughout my pregnancy (I was not taking any iron supplements or eating any meat.)
My favorite nettle smoothie:
1-4 cups nettle tops (they are very strong tasting, so if you have never had raw nettles before, start small!)
2 bananas
3 cups blackberries
1 apple
2 cups water
BLEND! YUM!
I also really love steamed nettles (yes, I am using some cooked food this chilly winter!) with a little bit of coconut oil and tamari. Simply put a huge pile of nettles, stems and all, into a pot with some water on the bottom. Bring water to a boil, and then turn off, leaving the lid on the pot and letting the nettles steam for about 5-10 minutes. Remove steamed nettles from the water and add a little coconut oil and a dash of tamari. After you have eaten the nettles, you can drink the water that they were steamed in!
Nettle tea, or infusion as Susun Weed calls it, is another staple in my kitchen. Here is how Susun recommends making a water based infusion:
Use one ounce of dried leaves (two handfuls of cut-up leaves or three handfuls of whole leaves) in a quart jar. Fill the jar to the top with boiling water, put the lid on and let it steep for four hours at room temperature.
Leaves contain the potent healer chlorophyll. Long steeping extracts all the chlorophyll, as well as the vitamins, minerals, and other medicinal components of the leaves. Steeping in a closed jar keeps the water-soluble vitamins from escaping in the steam.
Having the time to harvest and dry your own nettle leaves for tea is wonderful, but if you don't, you can almost always find dried nettle in the bulk herb section of your local health food store! If not, try out our favorite bulk herb shop on-line, Mountain Rose Herbs.
There you have it, one of my favorite wild foods, the common stinging nettle.
I've never tried it in juice, but I bet some one will! Let me know what you discover with nettle juice, oh potent!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Make a Wish!
Hello Juicy Friends!
I hope that winter is finding you enjoying plenty of cozy moments!
We certainly seem to be flying through winter with a baby in the house to light our days with her smile! Sophia is now seven months old and seems to be learning something new every day. I can't believe it is February already, and that March is right around the corner which means that SPRING is right around the corner!
From the Divas themselves:
It sees women have always come together as part of a
community to support one another in their tasks and times of
need. Now, in our electronic world, we can facilitate the
coming together of much larger groups of women and a much
more diverse range of knowledge, wisdom and support.
That's why Tera Warner and Shannon Leone have created
W.I.S.H. Women's International Summit for Health. In
celebration of Women's Day this year, they're extending a
one-time-only invitation to attent an online summit where 40
of the world's leading experts on health and wellness for
women will be coming together at the same time.
http://www.wishsummit.com
For a series of 10 days, women will be given access to a
series of recorded interviews with some incredible people. You
can catch all of the interviews for FR@E!! by registering before March 8.
http://www.wishsummit.com
Whether it’s the kids, the cellulite, the hot flashes or
steamy romances, W.I.S.H. brings women together to find
solutions and recharge their batteries.
W.I.S.H. promises to be the world's biggest empowerment
party for women and I invite and encourage you to sign up
and be a part of this extraordinary event.
http://www.wishsummit.com
I hope you will join me in listening in and share a cup of virtual tea (or orange juice!) with me while we soak up some inspiration!
With peaceful steps,
Katrina Rainoshek
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Green Beauty Soup
Well, I've fallen madly in love with photography again and as part of my plan to take my skills to the next level, I have committed myself to Project 365. Yep, a photo a day for a whole year. So far I am 26 days in and have already learned so much, especially that I have more to learn than I ever imagined! I'm having a lot of fun with it.
Today's photo was the above, Green Beauty Soup, and I felt that it was worth writing about here. I can't seem to get enough of it, so simple to make, so satisfying, and so full of those leafy greens that make my world go round. Getting a pound of leafy greens (or more) per day into your body is one of our top priorities, we want you to THRIVE!! This is why David is always talking about the "Four Means to Get Your Greens," because getting in that many greens can seem daunting until you realize that you can:
(If you don't yet know all about these things, Google around and find some recipes to play with. There are so many people blogging about raw food and raw recipes now, and you will be in good company. Learn how to make versions of these things that knock off your socks so that you will be inspired to make more and prosper! You can also check out my favorite raw food books here.)
Yep, simple as that. If you do at least three out of those four, JUICE, SALAD, SMOOTHIE, or SOUP, you'll be getting in close to a pound and probably more of leafy green goodness.
The Four Means to Get Your Greens can be added to any diet, any time, for a wonderful boost to health and vitality. So, if you just finished a cheese burger from Burger King, try starting with a green smoothie every day, and work your way up to having a green smoothie, green juice, cheese burger, and then a green soup :).....I'll be honest, I don't usually do three, but almost every day I have at least two of the four and get in close to a pound of greens because I make my morning smoothies so heavy on the greens, and my soup, salad, or juice so loaded with leafies.
Here is today's version of Green Beauty Soup:
Start with guacamole. Mash two ripe avocados with the juice of one lemon, a generous dash of Celtic Sea Salt, a generous dash of dill, and 4-8 cloves of crushed garlic.
Then, blend in your high-speed blender the following: 1/2 pound spinach. 1/2 pound mixed baby greens. 1 handful of cashews. 1 TBS hemp oil. 1 small head of broccoli. 1-2 cups water. Blend on high until nice and creamy.
Next, pour your blended greens over your bright green guacamole and mix the two together. Add more salt and dill if needed. Garnish with big red pepper pieces to crunch on the side, and sprinkle with hemp hearts and cashews.
Serves two lucky darlings.
I made this as a good-bye lunch for my mom who headed off on the 3 o'clock ferry today, on her way down to California to be with her husband who is working there for the winter. I wasn't crazy about the broccoli, but it was still delicious. Sophia enjoyed sucking on a piece of red pepper while we enjoyed the soup.
In other news, the January Juice Feast sold out (!), and is currently flowing along beautifully with an amazing group of folks. The next group Juice Feast lead by David Rainoshek will be during the Third Annual Global Juice Feast...more information to come on that soon!
Love and leafy greens, Katrina.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Raw Food World TV Show
Part One: Attuned Awareness after birth, episode #348 Today we had the pleasure in interviewing David Rainoshek. David discusses how they juicefeasted before conception and how more attuned awareness is experienced after birthing a new child.
Part Two: More on Juicefeasting w/David Rainoshek, Episode #349 Today we've got the second part of this Q & A discussion with the Rainoshek's. We go deeper into discussing Juice Feasting... Enjoy...
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Membership!
Here are the seven favorite juices, yum yum!
1. Cucumber/ Celery/ Cilantro/ Burdock Root/ Parsley/ Dandelion Greens/ Ginger/Lemon or Lime/ Red Bell Pepper/ Apple or Pear
*add cayenne after all ingredients are juiced. ~NaturallyMariam
WOW, what an amazing, full juice! Full of powerful medicine, this one will really take you places!
2. My favorite juice is what I call my "soup juice". Satisfies dinner cravings while juice feasting every time: Carrot/ cilantro/ parsley/ celery/ green onions/ spinach
Tastes like a soup broth of carrots, celery and onions..
My 16 month old, Mara, loooves my juices, too!! ~Jamie
So glad to hear that lucky little Mara is getting beautiful green juice! I loved "soup juices" too while Juice Feasting, and made a similar one to this but with tomato and basil added too! So good!
3. My favorite juice is really quite simple but oh so satisfying:1 head of greens/ celery/ apples/ carrots/ lemon ~Michelle
This is one of my favorite combos too, clear, clean, light, hydrating, and nutritious! I also like adding cucumber to mine too.
4. carrot/ apple/ celery/ ginger/ lemon ~Melomel
I've been adding ginger to all my juices for the winter too, a great way to stay warm from the inside out.
5. celery/ cucumber/ lacinato kale/ lime/ fennel ~Christine
I love the freshness of fennel and lime!
6. My favorite juice is made of celery/ cucumber/ kale/ apple/ lemon. Sometimes I add some ginger. ~ Lisa
Pure goodness. My sister has a juice just like this at Cafe Bliss called Pure Green. I always get a quart of it when I am there!
7. An old, simple, favorite is one we call Sunshine Rising: 10 Carrots/ 4 Apples/ 1-2" Ginger ~Rees
That sounds delish! We need some Sunshine Rising in these winter days of North! I love it that these ingredients can be found locally at this time of year here, we've been drinking lots of carrot/apple/ginger juice in this house!
Thank you all for your beautiful juice masterpieces! I look forward to having you on www.JuiceFeasting.com and hearing more about your juicy adventures....
Sophia and I making an evening juice: baby bok choy/ cucumber/ celery/ apple/ lemon, and ginger.
With blessings and love, Katrina
