Going Raw

Namaste Holistics January 21. 2008

So it has now been a year since we tried to go completely raw. I found that did not work for me. However, Akom on the other hand has been sailing along quite nicely. We have found some pretty yummy recipes which I will post later.

However, the reason I have not posted in quite some time is because of our new business venture Namaste Holistics. So my goal with the company is to help people find the balance between their busy lives and health.

So if you have ever wondered

how you could increase energy,
why one diet has worked for your best friend and not you,
how to stop your sugar cravings
how to cook delicious quick healthy meals in your busy schedule

or any number of other health related questions, then I encourage to come visit us at namasteholistics.com

Taz Monday, January 21. 2008 @ 13:58
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Onion Crackers/Bread Recipe March 17. 2007

Currently the house smells YUMMY. We have Onion Bread in the dehydrator. The recipe is adapted from the one found on Gone Raw

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Dehydrating: 24 hours

3 large yellow onions
1 cup unsoaked flax seeds (golden, brown or a combo)
1 cup unsoaked raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup Nama Shoyu
1/4 cup filtered water
1/4 cup first cold pressed olive oil

1. Peel and half the onions. Using the slicing disc of your food processor slice onions.
2. Place onions in large bowl
3. Using the S blade of the food processor grind the flax & sunflower seeds. Grind to desired coarseness. (We left ours half ground and half whole to add to the texture)
4. Mix onions, flax & sunflower seed mixture and rest of ingredients until thoroughly combined.
5. Spread mix thinly over a Teflex sheet and repeat until all of mixture is used.
6. Dehydrate at 105°F for 8 hours.
7. Flip and cut into 9 equal pieces for bread size pieces or smaller for cracker size pieces.
8. Return to dehydrator for 16 hours.

*Tip - If you don't have a teflex sheet for every tray in your dehydrator don't worry. I use saran wrap. Works like a charm.

Tazin Raw Crackers, Recipes Saturday, March 17. 2007 @ 09:07
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Raw Granola Recipe March 16. 2007

I finally made raw granola (based on kandace recipe on gone raw ) two days ago and Akom really likes it. Here is the recipe:

Sprouting: 1 day
Soaking: 1 hour
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Dehydrating: 16 hours

1 cup oat groats (these must be sprouted which turns into about 1 3/4 cups)
1 cup medjool dates (soaked for at least 1 hour in 1 cup water)
1 diced apple
1/4 cup dried coconut flakes
1/4 cup unsoaked sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsoaked almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. vanilla powder (use more if you are using extract)

Note: soaking the sunflower seeds and almonds do make them easier to digest

1) Blend dates, soak water, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla powder
2) Mix date mixture with all other ingredients
3) Spread on teflex sheet
4) Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 16 hours (or desired crispiness)
5) Enjoy!

Akom has been snacking on this since I made it. Today he had it as a meal with unsweetened kefir. I on the other hand am very used to store bought granola - so really crunchy. I think because of the apples it doesn't become crunchy like that, so I have not had this as cereal.

I found that raw oat groats are hard to find. I bought them from Sprout People. A little expensive but I think the quality is worth it.

Tazin Raw Breakfast, Recipes Friday, March 16. 2007 @ 21:35
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Akom - Master Cleanse - Day 10 March 11. 2007

Forgot to weigh myself again

I ate today, and even had a salad for lunch. It was a very nice mix of vegetables - I cut up grape tomatoes, carrots and turnip. It didn't need any dressing, and when I put some home made mustard/maple syrup dressing on it I realized that I prefer it undressed. My taste definitely changed.

Taz gave up Oreos today! That is one of the biggest changes she could have possibly expirienced

Fruit for dinner - Taz is attempting to get me to stop picking, but rather eat predefined meals and then stop. Berries, starfruit, apple, banana, etc. Tried a sweet mango too but it wasn't ripe.

As evening drew near I felt more free with eating that I have in a while - so I decided to have some Kefir. Mixed with Agave it's quite good. I even tasted some of the hot chocolate Taz made. She is looking at me like I have three heads!

Next morning update: This is the most energetic and strong I've felt in over a month! I am not sure if it's the cleansing that allows me to derive more from the raw food I eat, the B12 (and whatever else) in the Kefir, or what - but I feel awesome.

Akom Sunday, March 11. 2007 @ 21:32
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Akom - Master Cleanse - Day 9 March 10. 2007

Afternoon weight: 132.5 (lowest yet)

It's strange, I already feel more energetic, and nothing has happened yet! It's all in my head, as always.

I couldn't wait for lunch, I made orange juice by 9am. And then some more. And then I ate an orange. It felt good, but I'm eating very mindfully, and slowly. Body is reacting, something in there is booting up. By lunch I had more oranges and we headed out to a birthday event. There I actually ate mixed fruit, and survived. More fruit when I got home, and some more orange juice before bed.

I feel a little heavy (especially compared with yesterday, but it's not bad). I know I wasn't following instructions, fruit wasn't supposed to start till like monday I think, but I feel fine.

Akom Saturday, March 10. 2007 @ 21:32
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Taz - Master Cleanse - Day 9 March 10. 2007

My weight - 124 pounds.

Today I had cereal in the morning, nothing for lunch and pasta at the birtday party.

Interestingly enough, there were cookies and brownies and a lot of other things with sugar in it - where in the past I would not be able to help myself. I actually did not want to eat it. I did not want brownies. SHOCKER!!

I did feel a little heavy after the pasta but not uncofortable. Just a good satiated feeling. I do have an internal feeling of eating for vegetarian meals, raw fruits and veggies, and cutting out the meat, coffee, desserts. I think this is a good change.

This is also the first time in our relationship where Akom and I have been on a similar page when it comes to eating.

Taz Saturday, March 10. 2007 @ 21:27
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Akom - Master Cleanse - Day 8 March 9. 2007

(No access to a good scale this morning)

I wasn't home so didn't get to run or exercise, and since I got barely any sleep I had to work extra hard to get myself moving. Made lemonade for today using unfamiliar measuring equipment, and for some reason I only used 3 or 4 limes... I hope that's right, I had to convert to fluid oz's - and I wound up with 6 oz syrup, 6 oz lime juice and the rest water (2L total volume, I'm using 2 soda club bottles).

The lemonade turned out to be fine, but a bit tart. Since I always felt it a bit too sweet, I actually shifted the balance towards lime a bit - it was closer to 7oz lime and 5oz maple. This made it a lot more tart and less sweet, but I liked it overall. I once again did not drink the entire 2L today. Elimination became... well, eliminated from my schedule - it simply wasn't happening.

Evening rolled around and we were out shopping for oranges - I'm breaking the fast tomorrow. We found oranges we didn't like at a farm market, and onces we liked at ShopRite - go figure. I'm still running very cold but I'm more optimistic now - maybe it's the anticipation of change.

Akom Friday, March 9. 2007 @ 21:31
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Taz - Master Cleanse - Day 8 March 9. 2007

My weight - 124 pounds.

I just couldn't do it. I couldn't not eat. So I had an orange yesterday for dinner.

Today I started with a glass of orange juice and had oranges all day after that. No adverse affects. I have actually gone to the bathroom more in the last two days than the last 3 days on the cleanse.

Feeling good with solid food.

Taz Friday, March 9. 2007 @ 21:27
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Akom - Master Cleanse - Day 7 March 8. 2007

Morning weight: 133.5 (unchanged)

Still feel very weak. Couldn't bring myself to run or work out (yes I know I gave in to self pity there). Movement was sluggish and I slept on the bus again. Haven't had anything in my mouth yet today though, we'll see what happens later.

If I don't feel any significant improvement or cleansing progress, I am considering ending this sooner. The breaking phase consists of 2 days of fresh orange juice, which I am much more likely to have access to on the weekend, so tomorrow could be my last day.

By 10am (unusually early) I started drinking - I couldn't get myself moving. It helped, but only marginally. I skipped the tea (largely because I didn't have any with me, but I doubt I would be up for it). By lunch time I was done with half my lemonade. As work intensified I started waking up (external stimulation being the energy source) and when a one-hour phone interview was dumped in my lap, I finally became energized to the point where the top of my body warmed up (not so much for the lower half though).

This is something I neglected to mention - for the past 5 days or so I've had a difficult time maintaining normal body temperature, with dominant extremes tending towards being cold. I would occasionally get hot after too much lemonade but that would wear off quickly.

That said - my observations of internal intensity and its effect on my state emphasize just how much of a mental thing my state is. I am just gonna stop making excuses and put in the work. But if I don't feel the need to continue for the full 10 days, I don't need to.

I was away from home this night, and I failed to account for my total inability to produce passive body heat at this stage. I was in a cold room (below 70F) and had only one blanket - completely inadequate for sleep. If I'm conscious I probably can sustain some intensity in these conditions, but my goal was to sleep - and I couldn't. I eventually turned up the heat to 76° and then certain body sections were finally warm. In retrospect, a few extra blankets would have done the trick, but I wasn't thinking clearly. It would still have taken me a while to heat up the bed but it would have become possible.

Akom Thursday, March 8. 2007 @ 21:31
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Taz - Master Cleanse - Day 7 March 8. 2007

My Weight - 123.5 pounds - 6 pounds less than day one and holding steady
Akom's weight - 133.5 - 4 pounds less than day one and holding steady

So today was the first day for me to break the fast. I bought 12 oranges, thinking that would hold me over till tomorrow. 12 oranges cost me $11 and they are not even organic!!!

3 oranges gave me 10oz, I think I will have to run out and get some more oranges.

So I drank the orange juice at 8:00am. It is now 10am and I am hungry again. However, as soon as I drank the orange juice, my stomach started to gurgle and I had to go to the bathroom. Success!!!!

Why did I end the fast early? Well I think there were several reasons. One was, I couldn't find why 10 days was chosen as the number of days to do the fast, nor could I find a rationale behind the measurements of 2T + 2T + 8oz of water, or the 32oz of saltwater. Second, my body did not want to eliminate on its own and any sort of help ended up in diarrhea. I was willing to deal with that for 1 or 2 days, but for 3.5 was too much for me. Third, I had reached a taste change with the lemonade. I actually no longer enjoyed drinking it and was starting to dread it. It made my mouth dry and sticky. Finally, my tongue had returned to its pink color. Also yesterday, I felt very weak. Today as well. If I just sit in my chair, then it is not a problem. But if I exert myself I get dizzy and my heart starts to race as if I just did a 30 min cardio workout. I know that I may be out of shape, but this is a new one for me, and not one that I am comfortable with.

I don't feel like a quitter. I truly feel that I did the cleanse to the extent that it was good for my body. People may think that I am making excuses and so be it. I didn't do this to impress people. I did it start eating on a "clean slate."

Akom is still going through with it, but I think only till Saturday. I think he would have stopped with me today, if it was easy for him to make fresh squeezed orange juice at work, which it's not.

Taz Thursday, March 8. 2007 @ 21:26
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Akom - Master Cleanse - Day 6 March 7. 2007

Morning weight: 133.5 (the lowest it's been yet, though it's only 4 lbs down)

I finally went running (though it was snowing - but not as cold as it has been), worked out, drank a sip of water.
Relaxed on the bus, got to work and had the Smooth Move again. I am still feeling a bit of motion in the system from the last time. And it's still emptying, so that is a good sign.

I spoke with my reference yogi the other day and he pointed out that I have simply replaced one pattern with another - I used to eat constantly, and now I drink the lemonade all the time. So I figured I'd divide it into 'meals'. I had 3 cups or so at lunch time, and then I actually felt a bit of a sugar high. So I drank a bit around 4-5pm before getting on the bus going home, but didn't even finish it. Interestingly, as I got home I felt weaker than before, and actually started shaking a bit. Had some lemonade, it stopped. I guess that would be a sign of a sugar addiction?

Got the new phone system largely working, migraded hard drives, went to sleep. No tea or anything tonight.

Akom Wednesday, March 7. 2007 @ 21:30
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Taz - Master Cleanse - Day 6 March 7. 2007

My Weight - 123.5 pounds - 6 pounds less than day one
Akom's weight - 133.5 - 4 pounds less than day one

So yesterday I told Akom that I was going to go off the master cleanse today. I think he was a little disappointed.

Going off the cleanse, has nothing to do with food. I actually do not have any cravings for food. I am just worried about me health. I have had diarrhea for the last 3 days with it only getting worse each day. However, this morning there was a change for the better. So, since that is the case, I am going to stick with it for the remainder of the time.

I know I said this another one of my posts, I am simply amazed that my hypoglycemic tendencies have gone away. I am not dizzy or lightheaded when I don't eat. I am just hungry. Very interesting. However, unlike Akom I do have strong hunger after 12 hours of not eating, ie in the morning.

Still strong and energetic. With the exception of the diarhea which is showing signs of improving, no adverse symptoms.

So I had the tea this morning and it made things swing the other way and worse. I am going to take myself off the cleanse starting tomorrow.

Taz Wednesday, March 7. 2007 @ 21:25
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Akom - Master Cleanse - Day 5 March 6. 2007

Morning weight: (I forgot)

Just a workout, a little water.
Bus took a while but I was half asleep/half meditating.

As I was about to have the tea I stopped and wondered if it's really doing anything... so I used Smooth Move (that I only used the first day). It is certainly more effective. As the day progressed I felt rumbling and motion, and sure enough by 4pm I was saying: 'oh boy'. So I wasn't all cleaned out after all.

Taz thinks she's done on the cleanse based on her bathroom stats, but from my experience today I am wondering if that would be jumping the gun. I had next to nothing going on for 3 days and then it turned out I wasn't finished. We shall see.

No evening tea tonight, I am still processing this morning's.

We talked a bit about raw and other lifestyles, and I am growing more comfortable with not being 100% raw in the long term. I am enjoying the all-raw experiment for the time being and I would like it to be a clean one, but after I feel that I am done with it I will try to go on feel and expand my choices in an 'instincto' kinda way. I should practice the esoteric techniques I'm learning sometimes - not just talk about them

Akom Tuesday, March 6. 2007 @ 21:30
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Taz - master Cleanse - Day 5 March 6. 2007

My Weight - 124.5 pounds - 5 pounds less than day one but 1/2 pound more than yesterday
Akom's weight - ?

So the laxative tea yesterday didn't do anything.

This morning I woke up very bloated. I took the Smooth Move tea this morning instead of the SennaLax, which has not taken effect yet either.

I am also supposed to get my period sometime today or tomorrow. No PMS symptoms though. None. No cravings, no mood swings, no back pain, not tired. Interesting. Coincidence?

So far the day has been uneventful regarding the Master Cleanse. Energetic and no food cravings.

Yeah...the tea definitely does not agree with me....

Taz Tuesday, March 6. 2007 @ 21:23
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Akom - Master Cleanse - Day 4 March 5. 2007

Morning weight: 136.5

No running, some workout, barely any water in the morning.
I am lugging two bottles of lemonade to work.
And this is my first time on the bus, which worked out just fine.

Had some of the fancy tea in the morning, then started drinking sometime after 11am. Made a valiant effort to further my cleansing progress today, but with basically no success.

I do still feel fine though, energy level is fine, though my focus is a bit... lacking. I can work on one thing but keeping track of a lot or really focusing and staying focused on one thing (eg a specific meditation) is just not working. Nor am I really putting that much effort into it (I admit).

Got home past 7pm, made some fresh lemonade and had some more of the fancy tea. Results: none.

Continued working like crazy on setting up the phones and sites until bedtime, which is of course not the best idea ever

Akom Monday, March 5. 2007 @ 21:29
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