What’s In That? How Food Affects Your Behavior

Food additives and poor diet could help explain poor school performance, criminal behavior, alcoholism, and the growing numbers of Alzheimer’s patients.

According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, high sugar content and starchy carbohydrates lead to excessive insulin release, which in turn leads to falling blood sugar levels, or hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia causes the brain to secrete glutamate in levels that can cause agitation, depression, anger, anxiety, panic attacks and an increase in suicide risk.

The glutamate that causes this is identical to the flavor-enhancing monosodium glutamate (MSG) and its chemical cousins, which are found in thousands of food products, further exacerbating the problem.

Repeated hypoglycemic episodes increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s). In children, hypoglycemia often leads to hyperactivity. In both children and adults, it can cause violent and aggressive behavior. In older people, there can be mental confusion.

I have often wondered about the salmonella scare around tomatoes (and spinach, too) if it was just a perpetrated hoax or a blundering scheme to cause the public to be fearful of fresh tomatoes and spinach. Deep down inside, I just knew it was a scheme to cause the public to WANT their fruits and vegetables to be irradiated and literally have the life in them killed. They have been irradiating all California almonds since last fall. All because of some ’scare’ about raw almonds containing salmonella….yeah, and who reported it? How much were they paid to lie to the news about it? To fake it?

People have been eating raw fruits, vegetables and nuts for years and never (that I am aware of) has there ever been a report of someone getting sick from them (unless of course the food was handled by someone who didn’t wash their hands after using the restroom). Irradiation is NOT the answer, and it saddens me to see our government endorsing this procedure, causing the life giving nutrients naturally contained in our fruits and vegetable to be killed.

Just another nail in the coffin for us little people while those in power are allowed to control us and rob us of our God given right to a healthy diet. Follow the money trail, folks.

The post below is from Mike Adams, advocate for us little guys, standing up against the big guys. I highly respect and support Mike and encourage everyone to do the same. Visit his site here: Natural News

Mike writes: Watching the FDA trip over its own clumsy self while groping for answers on Salmonella is a sad affair. Following the FDA-encouraged destruction of tens of millions of dollars of perfectly good tomatoes, this confused, bewildered agency admits that tomatoes may not have been the problem after all, and it has now set its sights on destroying the peppers industry. Is there no vegetable safe from the destruction of the FDA?

Tomatoes don’t harbor salmonella, by the way. Neither do peppers, onions, cilantro or spinach. Salmonella only festers in factory-farmed animals, folks, and that means the real source of contamination is no doubt some animal factory upstream from the vegetable processing centers. So why isn’t the FDA going after the animal factories that likely caused this whole fiasco? Because making Americans scared of their vegetables is a great way to advance the FDA’s food irradiation agenda which would destroy virtually all the medicinal phytonutrients in plants.

As intelligent, informed consumers are now discovering to their own dismay, the FDA appears to be purposely dragging its feet on this food safety crisis, milking the fear for political gain just like President Bush after 9/11. Fear is a powerful tactic for pushing an agenda that the People would otherwise refuse to accept, and since most Americans are strongly opposed to food irradiation, the FDA is more than happy to drag out this salmonella issue as a way to make American consumers increasingly afraid of fresh vegetables.

This accomplishes three things the FDA supports:

1) It advances the FDA’s pro-irradiation agenda where ALL fresh produce might someday be irradiated without your knowledge.

2) It makes consumers buy more processed, dead foods, which produces profits for the very same junk food companies that have strong influence at the FDA.

3) If food irradiation is put in place, it will destroy the medicinal properties of fresh produce, thereby blocking the prevention of diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. This, in turn, has the effect of creating a windfall of sick people that will fill the coffers of drug companies (who are, of course, the FDA’s clients).

But would the FDA play politics with the safety of American lives? Sure it would…
Wait a sec. Am I saying the FDA would purposely put American lives at risk in order to play politics with food safety?

Well, gee, if you haven’t noticed, the FDA has been putting American lives at risk for well over a decade, pushing dangerous pharmaceuticals that were recalled by other nations, colluding with drug companies to bury negative information about the drugs, outlawing safe, natural alternatives to dangerous pharmaceuticals and even going so far as to threaten its own top scientists who attempt to speak out against dangerous drugs.

Want to know the truth about the FDA? Read the shocking facts, if you dare, at NaturalNews.com/the_FDA.html

This salmonella scare, you see, isn’t about tomatoes, peppers or cilantro. It’s about creating a state of fear in the minds of consumers — a state that can be invoked to further the FDA’s pro-irradiation agenda.

These scare stories, in other words, are a lot like false flag operations in the military, where conflicts are staged against one’s own nation in order to blame the enemy and declare war. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_flag

So as it turns out, the FDA isn’t fumbling around so much after all. It only acts like it’s clueless about these salmonella outbreaks in order to prolong the problem, generate more fearful press coverage, and then appear as the hero when it calls for widespread food irradiation.

Don’t be afraid of fresh food, folks. Be outraged at the FDA’s use of fear as a manipulation tactic to invoke a backlash against fresh food.

Vegetables are not the problem, and food irradiation would make them LESS safe for consumers, not more.

Mike Adams Natural News

Hi there, and hope your summer is going well. We’re having a relatively mild summer so far here in the midwest, although it we are finally beginning to warm up to the ’90s!

It seems that most people who learn that we are vegan raw foodists are baffled as to how we can even exist without eating any form of baked bread / rolls / biscuit products, etc. Actually, I thought that I would miss my morning toast, but not when there are so many wonderful ways to make dehydrated crackers and bread that truly rival the baked varieties! Plus, no more IBS symptoms which I think were related to wheat bread and other baked products. So today I wanted to post a dehydrated cracker and raw dip recipes that are both nutritious and delicious, travel well to a picnic or potluck, and everyone will enjoy them.

These recipes require a high speed blender and the dehydrated crackers require, well…of course, a dehydrator! How did you guess? When you make a commitment to become a vegan raw foodist, two appliances become household necessities: a high speed blender like the VitaMix or BlendTec, and a dehydrator. I used to think that I would also need a food processor, but find that my high speed blender works perfect as a food processor too.

Dehydrated crackers are very easy to make, keep well for a long time, and you can vary the flavors and textures to your own personal preferences. Just about any vegetable works great and soon you’ll be creating your own unique cracker or bread recipes for everyone to enjoy!

Simple Flax Seed Crackers
Note: All ingredients for the following recipes should always be organic whenever possible

You can soak the flax seeds in freshly juiced vegetable juice instead of plain water. Soaked flax seeds are very gelatinous and goopy, sort of like cake batter - you spread them on thickly and they look very “handmade” when they’re done - I love the way they look!

1 lb golden flax seeds – soaked in filtered water or fresh veggie juice for 8 hours
1 carrot
1 thin slice onion
1 thick slice tomato
1 thick slice red pepper
Celtic salt and some pepper - to taste
1 tomato - chopped
1 onion – chopped

Process the carrots, onion, tomato, and red pepper in a high speed blender. Drain the flax seeds and add to the blender, and process until blended well.

Lay the chopped onion and tomato down on teflex sheets, and spread the flax seed mixture on top. Dehydrated at 105 for about 12-13 hours, and then turn the sheets upside down and peeled the teflex off, and continue dehydrating until the veggie slices are dry.

Remember to chew the crackers really well, like you should! All of the benefits of flax seeds can’t be assimilated unless they’re ground, either by mills, or teeth!

Vegan Mayonnaise: Avocado and Basil Mayo Recipe

Transitioning over to a raw food diet means no more mayonnaise. For some, that can be very difficult since mayonnaise is used in many different meal preparations from sandwich spreads to creamy salad dressings.

Since eggs are not a part of the raw vegan food lifestyle, then a great alternative to egg-based mayonnaise is the following vegan mayo made with avocados and basil.

Avocados are probably my most favorite food. I generally eat one or two a day, since avocados are abundant in healthy fat (mostly monounsaturated), fiber, potassium, and folate. Avocados are one of nature’s best sources of lutein, a natural antioxidant that is needed for healthy eyes and skin.

Basil is rich in volatile oils that have natural anti-inflammatory properties. Basil is also an excellent dietary source of vitamin K, fiber, iron, calcium, beta-carotene, and magnesium, making it one of the most nutrient-rich herbs that you can eat.

So the following vegan mayo recipe made with avocados and basil will provide you with loads of flavor and nutrient-density; I hope you enjoy this avocado-basil mayonnaise recipe - it’s really very tasty!

Basil and Avocado Mayo
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, scooped
¼ - ½ cup of fresh basil leaves
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Combine basil, garlic, and a pinch of sea salt in a blender or food processor and blend until well blended and pureed. Or you can chop everything up very fine by hand.
2. Add avocados and blend until smooth. With blender still running, add the oil and lemon or lime juice, and then season with sea salt and pepper.
Use this delicious avocado and basil mayonnaise in place of regular mayonnaise - it’s particularly tasty on dehydrated crackers with tomatoes, onions, and romaine lettuce leaves. Very delicious when used as a salad dressing too!

Below are a couple of videos that I thought everyone should see. It is good to be aware of what is going on regarding the quality of food, and how it impacts the health of the people in the world. The more people make a conscious decision to change their diet from the Standard American Diet to a plant based vegan and/or raw vegan foods lifestyle, then and ONLY then will we begin to see a significant drop in our country’s obesity rate, heart disease, chronic illness, cancer and other debilitating diseases that are so unnecessary, and caused by poor dietary choices.

What a Nightmare!

Still think milk is good for you? Watch this first!

For more information, you’ll want to see this document from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

We’re back home again after an awesome vacation and some much needed quality time spent with family. Unfortunately, it will probably be the last time we fly for awhile. It seems the whole experience was spent in a ‘hurry up and wait’ mode, and all the extra charges and security checks pretty much took the fun out of flying.

You are allowed to bring your own food aboard the plane, but not your own water bottle, or any other liquid unless you purchased it inside security for an inflated charge. So we guzzled the last of our water, then ditched our bottles before security check in. Fortunately, we had plenty of fresh fruit and trail mix to munch on until we got back home. I think next time we’ll drive out to California to see our family.

So I got to thinking about the best ways to staying raw on a road trip. I figured I’d post something here for those of you still getting ready for your vacation, whether it’s to see family, go to Disney World, or fly to another country. It’s important to know ahead of time and plan your meals so that you aren’t forced to eat food you don’t want in your system. Keep in mind that if you are spending any mealtimes with your family, you’re going to be in for quite a bit of scrutiny, questioning and ridicule.

As you can imagine, traveling is one of the biggest obstacles to maintaining a diet high in living foods. And you are much more likely to stay raw if you pack accordingly, and are prepared. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is. Traveling with little preparation and then left to eat what is provided or available makes it difficult to get the support you need to stay raw while on the road. Good intentions are basically useless if you aren’t physically prepared with all your raw goodies to stay mostly raw. It simply does not matter how long you’ve been following the raw path - if you go somewhere without your raw food snacks you’ll find yourself being compromised!

Maintaining a live food diet while traveling can be easy if you have the right information. Once you’ve made the decision to go raw, the small inconveniences of your new lifestyle are quickly outweighed by renewed energy, rapid weight loss, and improved health. After a month or so, you should have an exciting repertoire of new foods to enjoy—some that involve more or less work than others, and some recipes that require special equipment like a dehydrator, a Vitamix, or a food processor.

So what should a “raw foodie” do when it’s time to hit the road? You can’t very well pack a five screen dehydrator and Vitamix in your overnight bag, can you? Fortunately, there are many quick solutions that will enable you to stay 100% raw and feeling great. I will say that I did pack my BlendTec blender and had fun making some raw food dishes, as well as smoothies to share with our family. But for most people, it is not realistic to pack a blender, unless you have a small portable one, like this one: Elite Cuisine Mini-blender.

So it goes without saying that you are much more likely to stay raw if you are prepared and pack accordingly. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is. I found out the hard way myself when I showed up as a guest at someone’s house and I didn’t bring some of my own raw food. Good intentions are basically useless if you aren’t physically prepared to stay mostly raw. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been eating raw…if you go somewhere unprepared you’ll find yourself in a tough situation.

Grocery and Health Food Stores
Be sure to do your research before leaving to locate hotels with organic grocery stores within walking distance of your hotel. A simple search, for example, for “organic stores, Boston” provides a Google map of the city with about 15 choices. Find one you like, and then do another search for a nearby hotel.

What to buy:
• Salad in bulk (if there’s a big organic salad bar)
• Pre-packaged guacamole (make sure it’s dairy free), salsa, or olive tapenade to for dipping with carrot sticks or the crackers you made at home
• Lots of fresh fruit to keep around your hotel room in case you get hungry
• Buy a bag of pre-washed baby greens, some olive oil and raw nuts, and mix up a salad right in the bag!

Room Service
Room service is usually NOT what you want to eat, so don’t bother even looking at the menu…. Unless you need to order fresh fruit – but generally it’s best to get outside, get some exercise and find a fresh fruit stand (no, not a bakery or deli!)

Even if you are in a remote location sans organic food stores, order plenty of fresh fruit for breakfast, double portions of salad for dinner, and request olive oil and vinegar or a light vinaigrette dressing. Eat until you’re full—and stay away from the bread basket!

In Case You get Stuck in Timbuktu!
Always remember to pack a Live Greens type of supplement no matter where you’re going. You never know you might be out in TimbukTu and not a grocery store for miles. In case you end up in some far-flung place and no grocery store in sight, and unable to get any fresh produce—organic or otherwise—you can still travel stay raw. With a small mason jar, and filtered water, you can shake-shake-shake to health!

You might want to consider purchasing a battery-operated portable blender to pack in your suitcase. Throw in a banana and distilled or filtered water, mix with your organic green powder like Live Greens, and you will survive!

Keep up the Greens
A big challenge will be maintaining your daily consumption of greens at a proper level. I always travel with a big bottle of Live Greens, and bring along little mason jars for easy mixing while on day trips. It’s easy to simply add your green powder to filtered water and shake it up.

Remember the experience is more important than the food!
It seems when you travel, either to some exotic location or just to visit family, it always turns into a big eating fest. Shopping, planning and preparing the next meal before finishing the plate in front of you seems to become a time consuming endeavor. When you haven’t brought along any of your own food, it’s easy to become concerned about where your next meal will be coming from, or your hosts are concerned about having enough food available to feed you and your family. It would be great to learn to enjoy the vacation experience, sights, sounds, and smells of new and different places. Packing your own raw food makes this possible, because no longer are you concerned about your meals, restaurants, etc. And it puts less pressure on your hosts if you are staying with friends or family.

Also, the benefit of taking the pressure of meal planning and preparation away from your hosts is that you can prepare some of your favorite raw food dishes and introduce them to new flavors, and share the benefits of a raw food lifestyle.

When your vacation is no longer just about the food anymore, it provides you with time and opportunity to explore the area, such as historical museums, art, theater, festivals, shopping, and day to day life.

Travel with Raw Food Partner or Friends
It definitely helps to have a raw foodie partner or friend who shares and enjoys the same meals as you do. It makes the experience so much easier and definitely more fun. Together you can enjoy the raw food journey while traveling to exotic locations or simply visiting family. It also helps to have the support and encouragement that you can give each other. Larry and I enjoyed our raw food snacks together, and I helped him to stay strong when dealing with pressure to eat this or that from his family members.

If your friend or partner is not a raw foodist, then you’ll be able to share and example with them why raw food is important to you. Make time to sit down with them, go over menu ideas, food preparation suggestions, and really set the intention for what’s to come. Getting them excited will get you excited too, and you’ll be able to support each other along the way.

What to pack
Below are some suggestions to pack for your trip:
• Green Superfood: Live Greens are my favorite, but also Vitamineral Green, Sun is Shining, Pure Synergy
• Raw Honey or Agave: Only good quality dark agave or organic honey, forget about the cheap stuff, you deserve the best.
• Bee Pollen (some vegan purists don’t do honey or bee pollen)
• Goji Berries and/or Cacao Nibs
• Dried fruits and nuts: take it easy on these and always try to soak them the evening before consumption.
• It’s very important to pack a variety of easy snacks in your carryon bag in the event that you can’t find healthy snacks in the airport, train station, or hotel when you arrive. It’s easy to forget just how many options there are:
• Fresh veggies: carrot sticks, celery, broccoli and cauliflower.
• Dehydrated vegetables: sweet potatoes, white potatoes with salt and vinegar, zucchini, and yellow squash.
• Fresh fruits: a banana and grapes for the plane/train/car; apples, oranges, and pears packed in your bag.
• Dried fruits: dried apricots, apples, and pears; raisins, prunes, figs and dates.
• Raw cookies or snack bars: made in your dehydrator at home, last 3-5 days in Ziploc bags.
• Raw crackers: a huge variety can be made, a wonderful, crunchy treat when you’re craving salt.
• Granola: make a big batch in your dehydrator before you leave
Many organic grocery stores are beginning to carry prepackaged raw food bars. They’re a bit expensive ($3-5 US dollars each), so it’s best to make your own if you can, but some great brands are:
• Raw Organic Food Bars: cinnamon raisin is a favorite
• Raw Revolution bars: cashew is terrific
• Pure Bars: ginger snap—yum!
• Smart Monkey Bars: chocolate brownie
• Think! Organic: apricot coconut

Many of these brands can be pre-ordered by the case. Stock up before you leave. Note that international flights may not allow perishable items in carryon bags. Find out the rules before you leave.

Be on the lookout
Be alert for exotic fruits and try everything. Check the local paper for farmer’s markets, fresh fruit stands, and organic restaurants and shops. Don’t be discouraged, more and more towns and cities are providing organic and fresh vegetable shops. Don’t be shy, ask the locals where to find the organic food stores.

If you’re traveling overseas, you may want to look into the services of a local guide, who can be hired for as little as $1 an hour to show you around and help you locate organic foods by asking detailed questions to vendors like…”Are pesticides used? Do you have raw honey? Do you give discounts?” and so on.

Restaurants and Juice Bars
United States
• Atlanta: (live food truck that will deliver meals to your hotel or office)
• Boston: Grezzo (Alissa Cohen’s new restaurant, open 2/1/08)
• Miami: Tree of Zion (raw-friendly, fresh juices)
• New York: Pure Food and Wine (amazing gourmet raw food), Jubbs Longevity LifeFood Store (take-out live food)
• San Francisco: Alive! La Vie Cafe
International
• Amsterdam: Unlimited Health
• London: VitaOrganic
• Rio de Janeiro: Universo Organico (first live food restaurant in Brazil, great juice bar and raw food with local flavor, won Best of Brazil)
• Toronto: Live (affordable, delicious raw food), SuperSprouts and Remedy Café
• Vancouver: Eternal Abundance (organic produce, raw food in the back of the store)

Traveling Overseas
Traveling for pleasure overseas is a luxury for most, and if you’re going to a foreign country, remember to be a positive example of your home country…(The USA needs all the help it can in that area right now) … get a foreign language phrasebook or go online and write down some key phrases, like:

• Thank you
• Please
• Hello & Goodbye
• How much?
• Yes & No
• and of course, “cheaper?”

I think you get the point, a little goes a long way!

Needless to say a little planning definitely goes a long way. Kind of like the Boy Scouts’ motto: Be Prepared. Remember to pack your essentials, and your chances of having the best trip ever will skyrocket.
Safe travels…and never stop exploring. You will always discover more of yourself in the process.