I’m joining the fast – are you?

At the time of this writing more than 4000 people across the US have joined in solidarity in a hunger strike inspired by World Food Prize laureate David Beckmann, who presides over Bread for the World, to boycott the GOP’s devastating budget cuts to programs that assist the poor and the hungry while at the same time increasing defense spending. I believe the numbers joining in on this monumental event will be fast growing (no pun intended!) The fasting populace are particularly targeting cuts to food stamps, WIC and aid to the international poor and farmers. NY Times food columnist Mark Bittman (who’s joined in the movement) says, these supposedly deficit-reducing cuts will barely make a dent, Bittman writes, ‘they will quite literally cause more people to starve to death, go to bed hungry or live more miserably than are doing so now. And: The bill would increase defense spending.’

Watch the full episode. See more Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

View the PBS Video Prayer & Fasting Campaign on Budget Cuts

If you are one of the many bright Souls who are joining the fast or considering adding your name to the ranks to Protest GOP’s budget cuts to needy here is my thank you gift to you…

I have lots of experience with fasting. I’ve typically done extended fasts – for 10 days or more – at least twice a year. And I often fast at least one day a week. So I know the experience of fasting need not be debilitating and exhausting but can actually be not only invigorating, cleansing, but centering and clarifying to the mind and opening to the heart – if done correctly.

A brief but comprehensive guide to fasting that I wrote in my book, Soul-Full Eating: A (Delicious!) Path to Higher Consciousness, my gift to you.

Complete the form below to receive the gift: The Soul-Full Eating Guide to Spiritual Fasting

Enjoy!

In solidarity,

Maureen

A: Hello Nicola,

Thank you for your important question.
First and foremost you do not want to establish or reinforce the idea of “victimhood” in your children. So despite what you may be now seeing, this situation with your neighbors is happening for you and your children not against you. But to see that you must ask yourself, “What’s the most productive and empowering way for me, and my children, to look at this situation?”

Here’s my suggestion: First sit down with your kids. Then, all three of you ask yourselves, “Why? Why is this happening?” And then with your children look at all of the reasons why this scenario is happening. But here’s the catch. Realize that because of this problem with your neighboring family you all have been given a great opportunity to share something very valuable – something that will aid and empower you all and enhance the rest of your lives.

You are now getting the opportunity to very carefully look at a situation that appears to only be detrimental in order to find the gift in it. That’s right. THE GIFT! You have been given an opportunity – a wonderful way – to remind yourself and to teach your children that no one has the power to upset you in any way – but yourself! Who can make you feel bad, or sad or disempowered if you choose not to feel that way?
The answer is, no one.

As a somewhat extreme, but beautiful example, I recently heard a story from a Holocaust survivor who was a teen at the time she was taken prisoner and sent to Auschwitz. She told about how every week, despite her emaciated and starving condition, she was chosen to give blood. When she found out that her blood was going to be given to the wounded German soldiers she said she thought, “How wonderful, they can have as much blood from me as they want, because I am a peace loving person, so the more German soldiers who have my blood the better. With my peaceful blood in them they will never win the war! ”

So where is your gift in this scenario? If you guide your children into seeing that there is often much power and insight to be gained from adversity you will be giving them tools that benefit them their entire life. You can teach them a little very empowering phrase, “I can see peace instead of this.” Then help them to look for the peace in the situation.

One way I often tell people to easily find the peace or the gift in any unsettling relationship is to realize that, when it comes to any conflict “only love is real.” By that I mean that love is the only real, strong and triumphant empowering emotion that is worth focusing on. It always feels good and joyful to feel love. Whereas fear, on the other hand makes us feel weak as well as a host of other negative emotions.

So we can look at everything in life as either love or fear – as either love, or a call for love. What are your neighbors children doing then? They are giving a call for love. Afraid of what? Who knows… you don’t have to figure that out. All you do have to know is that the one and only antidote to fear is love!

Maybe other people might not realize this, and therefore buy into their seemingly dramatic, combative story, and therefore experience “hell” right along with them as they war and battle it out. But consider what would happen if, just like that amazing teenager in Auschwitz (who is alive and loving her great-grand children today!) you taught your children to see something entirely different here. They can see that they are so strong and powerful that they can give love in return to any apparent assault. Not because your children are superior, or any better than your neighbors next door, but because EVERYONE deserves to feel loved. And what we give, we receive.

If your children return kindness and love to an assault from anyone, they’ll feel their own power and peace and love. And amazingly enough, they’ll feel like they live in heaven! Now, enjoy this great lesson in life fully as you sit down with your children and discover together how you can all unearth the love in this situation. Good luck and have fun as you all bring heaven to earth!

Buying organic foods means supporting both the health of agricultural workers (the use of pesticides have been linked to cancer among some farmers and pickers) and the long-term health of our land. But it’s no secret that organic produce can often be more expensive than its conventional counterpart. Many people see organic food as a long-term investment—buying better quality food today will likely save you money on health costs down the road—but for those of us feeling a pinch in the pocket, it’s important to know that it’s more important to buy some fruits and veggies organic than others.

Below is a portion of the Environmental Working Group’s list of the 47 most-toxic produce (1 being the most toxic, either because of the amount of pesticides normally used on that particular crop, or its vulnerability to the chemicals). Whenever possible, it’s important to buy these items organic:

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Sweet Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes, Imported.
11. Carrot
12. Pear
13. Collard Greens
14. Spinach
15. Potato

Find the full list, along with each item’s toxicity rating, here.

And another handy list from EWG:

Yesterday, I woke up to a typical morning: a walk on the beach at sunrise, brisk swim in the sparkling ocean, sliced a bowl full of fresh, organic strawberries and bananas. And then the untypical…

As I sat down to eat, spoon in hand, I checked the label on the box of strawberries—which I’d bought on sale at my local supermarket, Publix, for $2.99 the night before—to see whether the strawberries were locally grown. I was already certain that they were organic (strawberries are often listed as one of the top foods to buy organic, due to high levels of pesticides used to grow them conventionally), but March is strawberry season in Florida, where I live, so locally-grown was not out of the question.

What I saw stunned me. A tiny label on the box read, “How’s my picking?” with a website and code number for my particular box of strawberries. I immediately went to my computer, typed in the website’s URL and found that, through the site, I could actually communicate with the grower of my strawberries and tell them exactly what I thought about their product. FreshQC (which stands for Quality Control) links your comments directly to the individual that picked your produce.

When my daughters were young, we grew wild strawberries on the side of our suburban house—tiny red buds that burst in the mouth with flavor every June and July. It was through that garden, watching the joy of my children as they picked food and popped it directly into their mouths, that I learned the value of being connected to the source of my food. Now here I was, years later, suddenly able to communicate with those responsible for bringing me my breakfast.

Here’s what I wrote to the picker of my strawberries, via QC:

To the picker of my strawberries: I love you! Just so you know, I will be sending you my gratitude all day today. What a breakfast I had giving thanks for you while munching my berries, thinking of you spending your valuable time doing something so important and humble, for me.

For me, the energy exchanged in my everyday actions means a lot, so when it comes to the foods I choose to eat, I try to sense the energy of it first, before I consume anything. Does it feel like it will add to my energy, and my life, or detract from it? Even seemingly delicious-looking strawberries can sometimes feel just awful. It can be hard to explain this to some people, but I think you understand exactly what I’m saying. When I buy organic produce it feels right to me. I’m happy to know that I’m not helping to expose the people picking my food to toxic pesticides. I would be eating just one little strawberry laden with chemicals, which my healthy body is probably able to handle, but if I support chemical agriculture, it means that you have to be immersed in the stuff all day.

Thank you for what you do. Big blessings to you and your family. Love, Maureen.

What would you write to the picker of your strawberries, your cucumbers or collard greens? Take a look around your kitchen today and—even if your produce doesn’t come with a website like QC—take a moment to send a mental note those who touched your food along the way. A simple acknowledgement or heartfelt “Thank you!” can make a wonderful pre-meal prayer, connecting you to the farmers, pickers, and producers of your meal. So often, gratitude is the key to feeling truly full, before we even have a bite to eat.

With thanks to dulcelife for the image.

Eat with love, what’s grown with love, prepared with love and served with love.

The restaurants, café’s, juice bars and markets listed here are proof that by showing up to your table with love, chefs, servers and customers can share a Soul-Full meal, based in awareness and appreciation. But don’t take our word for it. Visit any of the locations listed below and have a Soul-Full Eating experience of your own!

Here’s how our rating system works:

SOOOOO! Good (5 Os) is our highest ranking. This establishment meets, and may even exceed, our Soul-Full Eating standard of excellence, and you can most definitely expect to have a superior and love-filled eating experience here. At the very least, the stage has been very well set for you to show up fully to a delightful experience.

A SO rating (one O): The experience you’ll have here is above average and meets the Soul-Full Eating criteria on some accounts. The chefs and servers intend to provide their patrons with conscious sustenance, making it worthy of your personal exploration.

Our SOO (2 Os) and SOOO (3 Os) and SOOOO (4 Os) ratings correlate very closely to a typical 5 star restaurant rating system. We encourage you to patronize and visit the establishments mentioned, to give us your feedback and to share your personal opinions and experiences with us.

Come back often to view updates and additions and please offer us your Soul-Full Eating Award nominations.

Enjoy and Bon Appétit!

Our Rating: SOOOOO Good
Address: All Santa Monica Farmers Markets are open rain or shine – year round!
Wednesdays – At 2nd and Arizona 8:30am – 1:30pm
Saturdays – At 3rd and Arizona 8:30am – 1 pm
Saturdays – At Virginia Ave. Park 8am – 1pm
Sundays – At 2640 Main Street 9:30am – 1 pm
Contact: 310-458-8712 ext. 2 (ask for Darra Adler), smgov.net/farmers_market/

Review via Maureen Whitehouse

Simply put, it doesn’t get any better than this. Imagine stand after stand of farmers with big smiles, wide-open hearts and the dirt from last night’s pick (which they’re selling today) still under their fingernails. Row after row of eye-poping, organic, pesticide-free, sustainably grown produce.

On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, throngs of tuned-in food enthusiasts, including not only LA town folk but (often celebrity) chefs, browse the goodies available from the small scale, quality-obsessed farmers at the famed downtown Santa Monica’s farmers’ market. Friendly and knowledgeable vendors (many of them are the farmers’ family members) are happy to explain the difference between a pluot and a plum (a puot is ½ plum, ½ apricot) and why their Cabbage is better than any found at a supermarket.

The sights and smells—fresh cut flowers, aromatic herbs and spices gigantic, fresh from the ground, tree or vine produce alert shoppers to the high-quality standards of these dedicated growers. For first-timers I’d suggest strolling this market, perusing each stand if possible before buying anything. Many vendors set out samples, but if you don’t see any, request a taste of whatever you’re most interested in. Chances are good you’ll find yourself stumbling across some varieties of fruits and vegetables you’ve never even heard of, let alone seen before. Once you get the lay of the land, and have filled your senses to the brim, then go back and make your purchases from the vendors you resonate with most. Don’t be surprised if they offer you a recipe, storage or preparation tip along with your acquisition. That’s when it dawns on you that this is far from the end of the fulfillment found in this experience – it’s just the beginning, heading straight to your own kitchen. This one Soul-Full experience you do not want to miss!

*Fun Fact: The first LA County Farmer’s Market opened in 1979 in Gardena. It was a Saturday morning market, consisting of four stands. Interfaith Hunger Coalition sponsored it in the parking lot of a church. Today there are over 300 certified farmer’s markets in California.

With thanks to Bliss_Priss for the image.

The physical symptoms of toxic buildup are so commonplace that unless you cleanse your body regularly, you most likely experience at least one or two of them often. They include skin blemishes, rashes, headache, nausea, loss of memory, irritability, insomnia, a coated tongue, aches and pains, gas, stomach disorders, susceptibility to colds and flus…you get the picture. Meanwhile, turn on the television, and in 10 minutes, you’ll see a commercial featuring some pharmaceutical product you can take to alleviate one of these symtoms. However, there is a much better way—you can cleanse your body! Detoxing will enhance your physical, mental and emotional outlook and well-being.

THE BASICS OF JUICE FASTING

Juice fasts release toxins more slowly than strict water fasts. Also, fresh fruit and vegetable juices can be healing to the body. They are rich in minerals salts and help neutralize toxins. They are also easily assimiliated, require minimal digestion, help stabilize blood-sugar levels, and supply calories while your body is cleansing.

You might consider fasting one day each week, or for 2-3 days during seasonal changes. However, if you do choose to fast for more than 2 days, we suggest that you read the more thorough chapter in fasting, “Getting on the Fast Track” in Soul-Full Eating: A (delicious!) Path to Higher Consciousness, to be sure that you are prepared. Also, don’t fast if you are pregnant, and if you have any medical conditions or are taking any medications—please consult a physician or nutritionist first.

Use between one and three parts water to each part vegetable juice. Vegetable juice (especially when the less-sweet vegetables are used, such as leafy greens) can be taken undiluted, but fruit juice, which is high in fructose, is best diluted.

Use fresh, organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible.

It’s very important to take an enema or colonic while fasting. Your body will be getting rid of huge amounts of waste, a lot of which will come through the bowels. During a fast, the normal bowel movements cease to take place, and if you don’t take an enema, the excess waste will be reabsorbed into the system and transported to the kidneys, which can be damaged by the overload of toxins.

No smoking, drinking, or the use of any other kinds of drugs—both prescription and nonprescription—as well as vitamin supplements. If you’re on a medication for any kind of condition, you should see a health practitioner who can supervise your fast.

Your body will need exercise during the fast, to aid in expelling waste and to generate new body cells. Up to three hours of moderate exercise if recommended per day, such as long, brisk walks in fresh air or a swim in fresh or salt water.

Daily baths are also important. Your body will expel about 1/3 of its waste through the skin. It’s important to keep the skin clean, and the pores wide open in order for excretion to occur as efficiently as possible. Sauna and steam baths can be taken if your heart and circulation are strong, and if these facilities are available. Hot and cold showers, followed by a dry brush massage, are also beneficial.

Even if you’re drinking a large amount of juice, you may drink as much water as you need if you become thirsty. Just make sure that all the water is filtered and pure. Distilled water is fine. Avoid chlorinated or fluoridated water.

The positive effects of the fast can easily be erased if you go back to an unhealthy diet afterwards. You can keep your body detoxified and healthy with a diet including as many raw fruits and veggies as possible.

DAILY FASTING SCHEDULE

Upon arising—Take an Enema. Then do a dry-brush massage followed by a hot and cold shower.
9 am—Drink a cup of herbal tea—warm, not hot, or an 8 oz. glass of water with the juice of one lemon squeezed into it. Choose teas that have effects you may be looking for—such as mint to settle your stomach or chamomile to calm your nerves.
11 am—Drink a glass of freshly pressed fruit-juice, diluted 50-50 with noncarbonated spring water.
11 am-1 pm—It’s time for a walk or mild exercise, and perhaps brief sunbathing. You can also take therapeutic baths or a body massage at this time.
1 pm—Drink a glass of freshly made vegetable-juice, green juice or a cup of vegetable broth. (Recipes are below.)
1:30—4 pm—Rest.
4 pm—Drink a cup of herb tea or fresh coconut water.
4:15-7 pm—Here you’ll get involved in a walk, therapeutic baths, mild exercise, such as yoga, and/or other treatments such
as a body massage (if you have not already done that earlier in the day).
7 pm—Drink a glass of diluted vegetable or fruit juice.
9 pm—Have a cup of non-caffeinated herbal tea.

GREEN JUICE RECIPE

Chlorophyll, the pigment in plants that converts sunlight into plant energy, is transferred directly to you when you drink chlorophyll-rich juices from green- leafed vegetables. Just as hemoglobin is the blood in our bodies, chlorophyll is the blood in plants. A significant difference between them is that hemoglobin molecules center on iron, while chlorophyll molecules center on magnesium. Drinking green juice is like getting a transfusion of light directly from the sun to your body. It is extremely high in alkaline minerals. This is my friend Josh’s recipe for his favorite juice they sell at the organic market next door to my home.

A handful of Romaine Lettuce
A handful of Kale
A handful of Chard or Collard Greens
2-3 stalks of Celery
1/2 to 1 Cucumber
Parsley or Cilantro to taste
A small amount of garlic, ginger and/or aloe vera can also be added to promote the purification process.

Find more info—including a green juice recipe and daily fasting schedule, in Chapter 34 of Soul-Full Eating, from which this post was excerpted.

With thanks to Karyn Bosnak for the juice image, macxoom for the kiwi image,  Nick Atkins for the cucumber image, and Carlos Portos for the collard green image.

Share the Love!

Do you have a favorite recipe that symbolizes love to you? Share it with our visitors and you just may find your recipe/story in an upcoming issue of Soul-Full Eating Magazine or in the upcoming Soul-Full Eating recipe book.

Here’s the idea… give us your recipe along with a short story or explanation illustrating why it represents any, or all, elements of our Soul-Full Eating axiom: Eat with love, what’s grown with love, prepared with love and served with love.

Perhaps you remember yourself as a child pushing a chair up to the counter so you could stand on it in order to help your grandmother prepare her blueprint for other-worldly tapioca pudding, or you recall setting this particular dish on the table amidst candles and holly during the holidays to the oohs and ahhhs of typically hard-to-impress guests, or perhaps a cherry pie, made for the first time with cherries from a backyard tree. Think bliss, elation, euphoria…whatever makes this dish love-ly to you will delight and gift us all.

Submit your recipe and Soul-Full story to us here and we’ll let you know when it posts.

With thanks to mollycakes for the image.

Review via Maureen Whitehouse

This independent, non-“commercial” yet sizable 7,500 square foot store offers a substantial array of organic fruits and vegetables, natural supplements and homeopathy, grocery and care products. But it’s the staff’s knowledge and commitment to meeting their customer’s needs, more than any single item sold here, that allows patrons to most substantially feel the love, care and pure purpose of this little gem of an establishment. On top of that, their prepared food menu is superb!

I’ve enjoyed many a snack and even an entire meal here while visiting my parents who, fortunately for them, live just minutes away, It’s easy to see why people travel to from miles around to sample and purchase from New Morning’s unique fresh prepared foods counter, The Provender. This gourmet source for ready-to-eat natural and organic foods that are created by executive chef, Carol Byer-Alcorace easily rivals many of the top health food eateries in the country.

Customers taste fair-trade chocolate samples in front of New Morning’s café.

New Morning also has a growing list of classes and lectures open to the public throughout the year, consistent with its mission to educate people on achieving a sustainable lifestyle that is naturally better for them. They hosted a very successful Soul-Full Eating book signing in June, and hosted a Soul-Full Eating workshop in November 2008.

What impressed me most about New Morning is the store’s owner and founder, John Pittari. He is not only a well-spring of knowledge but so tangibly infused with enthusiasm and vision. It’s easy to see that John has been walking his talk and that still, after many years enmeshed in the business of health and wellness he is crazy in love with the world of “natural foods.” Currently he shares his passion with about fifty other people, his staff, who share his dream and work together daily to see it progress. John not only works in the store but out in the community, building relationships with local environmental groups to help further awareness about healthy and sustainable lifestyles in the community. New Morning’s annual celebration of Earth Day has become Woodbury’s single largest community event, an occasion for a full day of family activities and opportunity to sample the latest and best of natural and organic products.

Founder John Pittari at the store’s opening in 1975.

*Building a permanent home for New Morning has been a vision of John’s for many years and he’s determined that his new store is “sustainable–practical and eco-friendly with a long, useful life.” Significant time has been spent during the engineering phase researching materials and systems, and designing floor plans and interior layouts that will work well together. The building site is environmentally sensitive because it’s in an aquifer protection area, part of which is in the 100 -year flood plain. New Morning sees this as an opportunity to install a storm water management system that protects local water resources and also serves as a model for how others might approach a challenge like this in the future.

*New Morning has recently gotten all the necessary approvals for building its new permanent home at 129 Main Street North in Woodbury – so stay tuned for their new store Grand Opening info.

Photos courtesy New Morning.

Review via Maureen Whitehouse.

This organic, vegan, raw café presents thoughtfully prepares and artfully presents their meals with intention to deeply satisfy their customers. The atmosphere is simple and stylish, the wait staff attentive and the food well prepared. I liked the variety of the menu, catering not just to raw foodists, but to discerning vegans with simple tastes and distinguished palates. The prices are reasonable. But I did feel the salad section to be a bit lacking, especially for a raw food restaurant. I had the house salad, expecting the likes of what I’d experienced at other raw food digs and instead found myself in front of a rather common looking and tasting pile of greens smothered in a way-too-spicy-for-me (and my dining companion, who’s been known to down habanero peppers 3-4 at a time without blinking an eye or shedding a tear) chili lime dressing. I don’t mind eating very spicy food when I’m in the mood for it, but I feel that it should be indicated somehow on the menu.

However, the caponata bruschetta more than made up for my dismay. Made with a very fresh Italian chopped vegetable spread in a savory herbed sundried tomato sauce with cashew cheese on a very light but substantial buckwheat flat bread, this appetizer is tastefully bold and satisfying. The wraps, raviolis, pizzas and mezze platter all looked fresh and inviting for those inspired by “fusion” style Asian, South American or Mediterranean dishes. Raw foodists who are especially turned on by cacao—raw chocolate—will be particularly interested in Cru’s dessert selections. Chocolate Brownie a la Mode, Raspberry Chocolate Crepes with Fruit Sorbet and Chocolate Fudge Cake present you with a virtual chocolate nirvana.

Photos courtesy Cru.