David Wolfe In Belgium 3, A Trilogy

Arrival in the fog

I was surprised by the cold when I got out of my car at De Hoge Venen in Belgium, the place to see a Wolfe looking for mushrooms and wild herbs. I only heard the day before it would be a five hour long walk. I had a bottle of hot green smoothie with me (with nettles and lots of cayenne to keep me warm!), a thermos of hot ginger and black pepper tea and some chocolates I made with lots of maca to stay energized. Five sweaters and a thick raincoat, a pair of cotton stockings and a pair of ski socks, under a warm jeans, two scarves and a pair of rubber boots. I felt like a moon walker but wouldn’t be cold!

Foggy Day

We walked in a cloud of fog and misty rain. But it was beautiful. I didn’t see deer and hoped for a lynx, but a Wolfe made it all up. He didn’t stop talking one moment. How could he, with all these people around who wanted to know something about everything. He was barefoot, only wearing flip flops and I bet he was having a hard time walking through ice cold mud and water.

Barefoot

It took a while before we found our first mushrooms. But once we got to the woods we discovered real medicinal beauties on dead trees and birches, where they love settling and growing. I am trying to remember their names all week, still a very annoying leftover of what I went through. But… I now have what I need to feed my brains thoroughly, to activate my neurotransmitters and get just as smart as when before I became ill! I picked enough of them to get an IQ of 160 and make 700 liters of strong, healing tea. It will all come back to me then!

If I'd still knew the name, I would be happy telling you...

What I do remember is that these species contain neurotransmitters. This would mean that they can communicate to… you and me on a telepathic level. By preparing tea of them they will enter your brain. A lot of mushrooms have the ability to provide you these extremely high medicinal values. You only have to know what you can pick.

Now drying to make tea...

I am looking for a good mushroom guide now, because once you get intrigued by them you simply have to know. I know that these examples are all edible but it is just nice to know all about them. Reishi mushrooms for instance will enhance your immunity system and Natural Killers which fight cancers. They deliver improved adrenocortical function, have an anti-allergic activity, prevent you from getting bronchitis, lower high blood pressure, contain many antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. The right mushrooms are your free superherbs!

Picked lots of these black beauties!

Baby Boletus

I have been picking a lot of these little Boletus mushrooms and eating them. They taste wonderful. I have been extremely attracted to eating white mushrooms lately. I eat a whole box a day and can’t get enough. When I was looking into a solution to raise my ridiculous low levels of lymphocytes I discovered that you can raise these low levels by… eating white mushrooms! This is how our body is communicating with us; by giving signals of what you need. I thought this was a most amazing observation and I am so glad I followed these signs! My next blood test will have to tell me if they did raise!

Another very important observation is also required if you are picking mushrooms. They tell us everything if we can ‘read’ their language. It is written in their color and substance, their ‘belly’, the little ‘guests’ growing on them. Always be very careful when you get out there. Have a good guide with you, learn from others who know what they are doing, read, study and practice in the wild. Let me show you something.

On top

The Bottom

When you turn a mushroom upside down it will mostly tell you if it is poisoned or not. When they are shaped like this one, they are edible. When they have these little ‘ribs’ underneath, leave them be.

Inside..

Chopped Mushroom

One piece like this will make 10 liters or 340 oz of super tea! Put a piece in cold spring water on the stove and heat it up slowly until 80 °C or 176°F during 45 minutes. You can repeat this ten times with that same piece of dried mushroom before it has released all its nutrients. Dried mushrooms stay good for years if you keep them in a dry place.

Coral Mushroom

Brain Food!

Coral mushrooms are the real deal. They are medicinal and true brain food! I was amazed by their beauty and wonderful shapes. Without a guide I would have considered them as extremely poisoned. Now we were told to pick, dry, and consume them to fuel the brain.

"Why are trees always cold?"

The same reason his feet aren't?

I wish I could remember the exact explanation of why trees are always cold… but all I could think off during that story was how his feet could not be!

Misty...


David Wolfe in Belgium 2, A Trilogy

Calcification… a disease of civilization that hits all of us sooner or later. How come? Too much calcium, the wrong kind of calcium and calcium supplements. Consequence; cataract, arteriosclerosis, kidney stones, heart attack, Alzheimer, arthritis and so on and so on. In the past they were called old age sicknesses, now you can get them at young age already. That’s when I hear young people say sneering; “We are forty, we are on the decline!” A typical expression when one doesn’t know better and it is such nonsense to settle with it, no matter what age.

David Wolfe

David Wolfe confirmed my own suspicions; that a standard diet is accelerating these reactions. That raw food can turn your life around, react with strength and let your body revive. He wrote a program to reverse the process of calcification, to resolve calcium and to get rid of it. Intriguing. Why don’t we know about this? That’s also his question. I am wondering each time again why essential information isn’t shared with the population. Simple; industry, money, power. It makes me so angry!

So we need solvents to resolve all the calcium which is building up slowly, Wolfe claims. And he is right. Whenever a problem, there is a solution. The higher our intake of calcium, the more issues will manifest. He investigated the whole area, made a schedule and wrote a book about it.

But what are the alternatives? is what I often am asked. Magnesium, Phosphorus and Silica. Those three minerals are strong enough to build and reinforce our bones. By consuming more valuable minerals in a natural way we can prevent so much suffering. How? Green, green, green. How? Just start simple; with a fresh wheat grass juice and a green smoothie every morning; it contains more vegetables and fruits you can eat in a day.

So Wolfe created a plan and takes the problem by its horns step by step. No cheap steps, but so aren’t doctors once you start ailing. Always worth trying because doctors don’t know many answers either. Instead of admitting, they rather write an extra subscription for more calcium. Sigh.

The most important issue always is your body. It is like no other body and this is how you have to treat it, as a unicum on earth, with its specific wishes, moods and needs. What is good for one person can be a disaster for another one. So stay tuned with your body and listen what it has to tell you. Only you can understand its language.

Beautiful Nature

A short note about the Superherbs, as Wolfe is naming them. They are more powerful than any other herb and what more, they are out there for free, they grow in your garden, in the wild and waiting for you to pick them and use. What are you waiting for? Your immunity system will blossom, your nerve system will relive.

Shi Take

Some “bodybuilders” to grab in nature are:

  • Absolute top 1 of superherbs are wild mushrooms; Chaga and Reishi are the most powerful ones and you can find them all around in the woods to make strong tea. One small piece is enough to provide you of 340 oz. of tea. They also heal Candida.
  • Maytaki, Shitake (we all know that one) en Coriolis cure the nerve system. Coriolis is also an anti-cancer medicine.
  • Malva or Mallow ( marshmellows!)  – All parts are edible and deliver you 20 times more minerals than any other plant.
  • Chamomille
  • Artemisia (the name is coming from the protector Artemis)
  • Neem – the most powerful detox herb

And did you have any idea that asparagus is a medicinal vegetable?

We can do so much ourselves! Knowing where and how to start is essential and seminars like these can help you with this. tomorrow we will make a walk!

Resting

David Wolfe in Belgium, A Trilogy

Today I woke up after a ten hours sleep. My usual nights are about five hours. I was exhausted after a marathon weekend with David Wolfe. Mostly of the five hour long walk in fog and ice cold mud water. It was a huge challenge for me; the first long psychical effort since I cured. My legs and back are hurting like crazy but I am up and writing so this is another limit I put much higher and crossed. I am proud of myself.

Beautiful blooming moss

Day 1 – Vitality and Longetivity Seminar

I was a half hour too early. But I got a nice spot on the first row. At first I was hesitating to attend this event. I admire his work and his knowledge but am not a ‘follower’. I can read what I need to know. A friend though advised me to go because I would learn a lot from what he is telling besides what he writes in his books. And this is what I love; learn, learn, learn. So I subscribed. There was also a second day; a walk in de Hoge Venen in Belgium, to look for wild edible mushrooms and herbs. Now this is what really took me in because I am using more and more wild edibles in my diet and to identify mushrooms you need somebody to explain.

When David Wolfe started talking, he got me right where I wanted to be: in the area of not that often shared information This is what my mission also is about: telling everybody what isn’t been told. So I knew immediately my money was well spent. What was the seminary about? Immune rejuvenation, rebuilding adrenals, kidneys and reproductive energy and the most important medicinal herbs you can include in your daily diet to get there.

David Wolfe Lecture

What struck me was his phenomenal knowledge. It was much more than I expected and he went much deeper than I knew he would. On top of that he is a very good speaker who knows how to choose his words. And he knows how to sell a good show because let’s admit; he is passionate about health but he is also a real marketing man, a seller and an entertainer who knows how to get his audience where he wants it to be: at the stand where his books are for sale. He even got a ‘not follower’ over there: I bought two of them. So he is really gifted, talented and gets you in his grip.

The seminar took about 4 hours and a half. In between he didn’t stop but answered more questions coming from people at his feet. He took a brief bathroom stop and went on again. The stream of information didn’t stop for one moment and I soaked it all. I am glad I bought the book where I can reread his thoughts and process all of them in quiet.

The thread through the seminar where the foods we eat. He spoke of three groups of food; “Food, “Superfoods” and “Superherbs”. Food, being our vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts, is our daily nourishment. But it isn’t boosting our immunity system in a way we can experience the effects of what superfoods are delivering us. I had the same experience and it was a confirmation of what I felt when I went raw. I started with eating everything raw and I felt much better, but the real boosts came when I got my specific selection of superfoods and started using them every day in my smoothies.

I smiled when I heard his selection of superfoods; it was exactly the same one as I chose for after thorough study when I went raw. I first took my blood results and reports and wrote down all my issues plus what I was lacking off. Then I studied the benefits of all the superfoods and purchased the ones who could provide me the nutrients to boost my immunity system (which was still at minus 16 and no natural killers available), to regulate my adrenal gland, to heal my organs (they were all exhausted and some damaged from all the heavy metals and toxins I couldn’t even get rid of after three years of detoxifying), to heal the damage that was been done to my brain, to rebuild the muscles I lost, to get rid of all toxins and heavy metals, to stop and reverse the process of disease, to make my body strong enough to cure itself.

So here are the superfoods which will boost your immunity system, recharge your energy level and nourish your body thoroughly. One more thing before I go on; even if you are healthy it is good to include them into your diet.  Imagine the head start you have, wow! You don’t have to add each one every day, let your body talk and guide you through what you need to feel optimal.

Maca, Goji Berries, Beepollen/ Royal Jelly, Wild honey, Coconut (oil), Chocolate, Hempseed, Chlorella, Spirulena, Wheat grass juice,  Wild edibles, Mushrooms, Seafood and Marine Phytoplankton. Very often combining certain superfoods bring new forces alive. An example Wolfe gave was blueberries with chocolate. Everybody is different; try out what works the best for you.

Beepollen

I already knew my list worked because I became able to combat disease and regained my life. But hearing his list of top superfoods affirmed that I chose well and that I can feel the vibration of what is good for me. Another nice surprise was him, mentioning a 109 year old man. I asked him if he was talking of Bernando LaPallo and yes he was! (I wrote a post about this amazing man who is still young at heart and looking young!) Now Wolfe referred to it as well, I will repeat it here for you as well. It is a Bernando’s top five list of all foods so you can start working with this one… Cinnamon, Garlic, Honey, Olive Oil and Chocolate.

109 years old and rocking on raw food!

The principal is so simple; listen to your body and give it what it is asking for. It is all out there, all you have to do is… do it!

Superherbs is another very important group of foods to include in your daily life. I am saying ‘life’ instead of diet because there is more to it than buy and eat them. You have to take scissors and a bowl, put your jacket on and go out, walk in the fields or the woods while enjoying the freedom, silence and sounds of nature. This too is a powerful healing factor: being in nature and ground. I remember how important my daily (even if it was very short then) walk in the woods, away from everything and everybody. Walking and looking for the herbs that will refuel your body is just wonderful. Coming home with a bag full of fresh power makes you want to sing!

Or if you have a garden, look around at what is growing in there. Those are the plants you need for your health. Ask yourself if these are detoxifying plants, or if they will give you the minerals you are lacking. Pick the plants that come to you and eat them; they are there for a good reason. When I was ill, my garden was filled with Solidago , Thistles and Stinging Nettles, all plants with great detoxifying benefits, begging me to use them to clean my blood and liver. Check it out yourself and learn…

And of course there are the mushrooms, strong, full of healing power. Add mushrooms to your diet and your immunity system will boost! If you are suffering from immunity issues you will become stronger, if you can’t pass one winter without a flu or several colds you will notice germs are affecting you less and less. More about this in the next pot (this is a trilogy…)

Next post in this series of three will be about calcification and which herbs are very good for you.

Bilberry Plant

The Big Apple, A Story

I have a great story to tell you. Well, I don’t know if it is that great because it is a very serious subject. But today I got such a meaningful affirmation, a perfect fit for a story.

A year ago, more precisely in September 2009, I grabbed an apple out of a bowl on the service desk of a hotel  In New York to have something to eat on my way to the airport. I was hungry but for some reason the shiny dark red apple didn’t attract me. It was perfectly shaped, as every other apple in that bowl, almost looking like clones. No apple was shaped bigger or different than the other. So I put it away in my purse ‘for later’.

When I got home and unpacked, I found the apple, looked at it and put it on my kitchen counter ‘for later.’ After a week it was still just as shiny and showing off its beauty. I am so disappointed now that I didn’t take a picture of it, made a study of it. But who could have suspected that…

…this  very same apple was still staring me in the face a few weeks later. My fruit bowl had been filled up and eaten several times and I had to throw out a rotting apple from time to time. But no sir, not my apple from the Big Apple. It was standing up against time, beating coming and going fruits and facing my amazed looks with pride. Sometimes I would take the apple, push it a little to feel if something was happening inside but nope. Nothing happening there either, not one spot or imperfection, everything as firm as freshly picked fruit.

This apple became the center of my growing stupefaction. I even talked to it, encouraging it to start rotting. Or asking it how long it would stay this stubborn. Nope, it didn’t rot. It didn’t start moving, no maggot interested in its red cheeks, the fruit flies who were attacking my fruit bowl in summer flew around it. I didn’t even have to store it in the refrigerator. Amazing! I was intrigued! But after a while I started forgetting from time to time. A few months later I found it back, pushed away and lost in the back of my counter. And guess what! It was just as fresh and shiny as the first day I took it!

Now THAT drew my attention! I put it on a spot I could keep an eye on it. Just in case. No need. It was the perfect apple. You could keep it for months. What am I saying? For… no not yet.

I kinda started loving my apple. I got attached to it. It was a subject for discussion with a friend who was just amazed as I was. But I also got very happy I didn’t eat this apple. What was on there? Or no, what was IN there?  What happens to all the people who are eating a few of those every day? Will they be conserved just as well? Or will they… I should have then taken it to a lab and have it investigated. I didn’t think of it then. I do now.

My Big Apple fading after one year!

Halfway September  I looked at my apple. It was its birthday; Happy Birthday Big Apple. You are one year old and you look so much younger, only like a day or so! Still not one spot, a perfectly firm shaped body, no bumps, no cellulite, no nothing.

We are now October 14. Last week I looked at my apple and saw something was happening. Oh no! My apple! It started to wrinkle, it got a little bump and it started to feel soft. I was moved. I told my friend. We looked at my apple in silence. I took a picture and said; “I have to write about my apple”. After all this time together…

Today I felt the end is near. All of a sudden it is soft, bruised, dented, still standing out, but fading. My poor apple. I put it on a place where I can watch  it closely.  I must be cruel, watching it die slowly. But I can hardly imagine my intriguing, beautiful, poisoned apple will be gone soon now.

Happy Birhday To My Big Apple!

Something else happened today. I got a message from my friend; “You will laugh at this, but read the Huffington Post…” You can too, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/13/mcdonalds-happy-meal-photos-6-months_n_761364.html

The title of the article; “McDonald’s Happy Meal Unchanged After 6 Months.”

Pink Pineapple Smoothie

As promised here is the pink smoothie you saw a picture of in my post of the pineapple tool. It is a very easy and fast recipe and you don’t need much. This can serve four people if you use smaller glasses than I did. One drink  delivers you lots and lots of antioxidants and a boost of Bromelian. Pure Food for Radiant Health!

Pink Pineapple Smoothie

TOOLS

  • A sharp knife or a cool pineapple peel tool
  • A blender

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients

  • One pineapple, peeled
  • A bunch of strawberries
  • Some mint in fine slices

THE MAKING OF…

Glorious colors!

  • Cut the pineapple in large pieces
  • Throw about two hands full of strawberries (with green tops if they are organic) into the blender
  • Blend

Pink Pineapple Juice

  • Pour in a nice large wine glass and top with a cubed strawberry and mint
  • Yum!

This must be the shortest post I ever wrote. But I wanted to get something up before leaving for my organic farmers to buy my weekly supply. I will show you later what I purchase for a week. If you are new at raw you might want to know how much you need. You will love this abundance!

My Free Gifts For You To Go Raw

Raw For 3 Days! Your Step By Step FooDprint

You would like to try out raw food but don’t know how to start, what to get, what to make. I wrote a FREE eBook for you to help you on your way. Leave your email address in the sign up box and my eBook is all yours to go green.

It started as a book with ten easy raw recipes when I wondered if you would know how to implement them when you are new to raw food.  This is why I am guiding you with “Your Step-By-Step FooDprint, From Mindset to Ravishing Recipes” through an introduction to raw food. I looked for a way to make it easy and nice for you with lots of explaining  step by step pictures,. as I am doing here on my blog.  Because I want you to feel the first differences of eating raw, I decided to make it three raw days from morning to snack to dinner and why not, a lovely dessert.

Knowing how important defining your motivation is when you start eating raw food, I created a list of questions to help you investigate your mindset. By writing down where you are now you will be more aware of how much you want to commit to where you want to be. Finding your big “WHY?” will make you reach your goals. Feeling ready to dive into raw food is the step which will support you towards health.

When you are already raw but at a cross point in your journey, this eBook will help to invigorate your motivation. I hope you will all enjoy what I have for you.

What can you expect in “Raw For 3 Days?”

To start with some answers to find your motivation, fast and easy recipes for each part of the day with step by step pictures and an introduction, tips, tools and a shopping list for each day.

How can you receive my free eBook?

By joining  my emailing list in the right side bar. All you have to do is send me your email address through the sign up box so I can forward you the link to download “Raw For  3 Days!”

Raw For 3 Days! Your Step By Step Mindset”

But this isn’t all. I made a follow up questionnaire for you. Raw food isn’t just about food but about your whole life and the way you want to live it. It isn’t about counting calories to lose weight but about living healthy and regulate your body balances. It is a journey, a lifestyle. Once you can commit to changing your diet, you will lose the weight you are struggling with, become energized, feel better and look younger. If you know someone who made the leap and who’s success is making you consider to try it yourself, you will know what I am talking about.

This is why I want to invite you to answer the questions for yourself in all honesty. Find out what these three days meant to you, what they can mean for your health and well being in the future and how you can go on from here. This free eBook is an inner survey, “Your Step By Step Mindset”  after you finished your 3 raw days and will  help you discover the shifts you felt, what this experience means to you and how it can add new value to your life. The questions you answered can make the difference for you to add more healthy food to your diet or to go and stay raw and reach your ultimate dream goal!

I would love hearing from you what you liked about my eBook, if you liked the recipes, how you defined your motivation, if it made a difference for you, what your goals are, your questions… Email me with your thoughts and comments on my eBook so I  know what is on your mind, what you like me to write about a next time.

Take this Chance For Change, sign up and enjoy!

I am looking forward to hearing from you. Marie-Claire

Fascinating Fall

I love fall, the deep earth colors, that special light, the changes in nature and in people, another rhythm, abundance for free, the comfort of a fireplace. When I was walking in the fields today, a man came who lives there came up to me with a bucket in his hands; “Would you like some fresh chestnuts?” I was delighted. So was he because all the chestnuts of the tree in the fields next to his house are falling down in his garden and he didn’t know what to do with them. So I came back with a large bag of fresh, crunchy chestnuts, my arms full of dandelion I picked on my way to dry for tea and the dogs belt wrapped around one finger.

Chestnuts

I am picking dandelion and stinging nettles where I can lay my hands on them when I am sure they aren’t sprayed. I remember last winter. I missed those two herbs so much that I was looking forward to spring only to pick my power friends for my smoothies. The prices of free herbs are ridiculous so I didn’t buy them out of personal protest. I am not going to let this happen again, this is why I started drying them. I have a dehydrator but you can use a common oven too. Just wash your harvest well,  dry it by dipping with a clean paper towel, tear the leaves into large parts (they shrink a lot) and let them dry overnight on about 107° with the door a little bit open to release humidity.

Dandelion

I dropped by my friends and they had visit from a woman who ones promised me to give her small grapes in autumn. So there she was, with a big bag full of lovely baby grapes. She didn’t know what to do with them and they where just falling off on her terrace. “They make such a mess and they are much too acid to eat!” I was delighted and so was she because she didn’t have to throw them away and her terrace would stay clean. So I came home with many pounds of grapes to juice. The kitchen was one big mess and abundance; free grapes, free herbs, free chestnuts. I saw them priced in the store for almost 6 euro. I was all smiles.

Baby Grapes

Because these grapes aren’t fully grown in the Belgian climate, they didn’t develop their full sweet flavor but they have such a nice tart taste! So I made a wonderful “Grateful Grape Juice” with apples, kiwi and a pear.

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A juicer
  • A sharp knife

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for Grateful Grape Juice

  • A bunch of wild grapes out of your garden (or just organic grapes)
  • 2 apples
  • 1 pear
  • 1 kiwi (if organic you can use it with the peel!)

THE MAKING OF…

Cut large fruits, juice everything, shake it up, pour it into your favorite glass and enjoy!

Grateful Grape Juice

Perfect Pineapple

I found a great tool to cut the perfect rounds out of a pineapple and because we all want to spend our time in the kitchen as agreeable and fun possible, I want to show how you can play with it.

Pink Pineapple Smoothie

I love pineapples! No other fruit has this merged taste of sweet exoticism and a touch of acid. I add them lusciously to my smoothies, make juice of them, eat them as a mono meal in the morning or throw small pieces in a green salad. But they have to offer so much more than just beauty and taste!

Pineapple is about the most healthy fruit you can imagine and you will indulge your body as much as your taste buds with their healing power. Pineapple provides you a lot of manganese for the bones and tissue, a treasure of Bromelain with its anti-inflammatory, pain relieving (for the joints due to osteoarthritis)  and cancer fighting properties. Never throw out the middle hard part of the pineapple; this is where the Bromelain is located.

One warning though. Be moderate with Bromelain and don’t use it longer than 8 days in a row; it can provoke allergic reactions. Also never go on a diet purely existing of pineapple; it can ruin your stomach forever! If you are pregnant or suffering from disease, consult your doctor before eating Bromelain: it is a very intense nutrient and you first want to know what it’s influence might be on your body with specific conditions.

I myself can’t eat too much pineapple in one time; two rounds are my limit or my mouth and tongue get irritated. In a smoothie though, I can add more. You have to find out for yourself how much you can have. Other than this, nothing but great things happen when consuming this lovely fruit.

What else? Oh, getting a cold and coughing a lot? Having trouble with your digestion? Suffering from sinusitis? Feeling sick in the morning? Juice a fresh pineapple and let the results surprise you. I’m sure I am forgetting a bunch of benefits but I am eager to show you the play tool.

Pineapple Tool

This is it! Small, easy, cheap and fast when you forgot to slice up the pineapple when your guests are already arriving. It will make the perfect rounds and impress them how well you did on this difficult and juicy job. No more rounds with six edges!

Place your tool on a flat side

First slice the two ends off the pineapple with a sharp knife. Put the pineapple on a flat plate (it will lose juice that you can recover when you are finished) Then put the toy on top of a flat side.

Start turning

All you have to do now is turn the handle while slightly pushing until you reach the bottom…. which takes about fifteen seconds…

Take out the tool with the pineapple

When you reached the bottom, take all out. You will see, the pineapple is wrapped around the stem of the tool. My pineapple was a little over time so very juicy and a bit hurt. When your pineapple is very fresh, the flesh will be firm and nicely cut.

Take out the tool

Take out the tool. Looking great!

Cut

What you have now is one long spiral. Cut it all in one stroke.

The peel

This is what is left over. I scraped out some more flesh for my smoothie .

The stem is in here

The hard part filled with Bromelain is inside the tool. You can remove it very easily by pushing it out with the back of a wooden spoon. This will make a healthy smoothie!

The middle part after you took it out

This is how the middle part looks now. Ready for use AND you have lovely rounds to show off with.

That's it!

Wish I had a fresher pineapple because it is a little hurt. (I had so much fruit and left it too long on the counter) But you get the idea. Enjoy playing in the kitchen!

I will post you the 1,2,3 recipe of the Pink Pineapple Juice in a few days!

Drink it Wild!

Stinging Nettles

Last week when I working on my website while drinking a lovely smoothie, my father came in. His first question with frowned  eyebrows and a disapproving expression around his mouth: “Why are you drinking mud?” I am still laughing when I think of this. I must admit, the color was dark but only because it was a very wild composition.

One of the great things about smoothies is that you can throw in them whatever you have. Open your refrigerator, check out your deep freezer for frozen fruits, get some fresh wild edibles out of your garden (or  your neighbor’s if it isn’t sprayed:  they won’t be angry with you for weeding their yard), get your favorite superfoods out of the cupboard and start creating.

This is what I do every morning and wow, does it feel good to pick your weeds and looking forward to the energy they will recharge you with! All these greens filled with chlorophyll mean that you will be drinking direct sunlight. What else can fuel your body more than sunlight?!

What did I have in my frig? Kale and Rejuvelac and some fruit on my counter. I have to go get new supplies today! But no worry, nature offers enough to complete your smoothie when your refrigerator is almost empty: wild edibles! I came back with a basket filled with the arousing scents of mint, dandelion with roots and the soft tops of stinging nettles. Put together they make a wild thing!

Dandelion

Oh, almost forgot to give you my great tips.

  • When you have a blender with horsepower, throw in a half (organic) avocado pit. It is a very powerful ingredient in the prevention of cancer, a booster of your immune system. It also thickens your smoothie a bit when you like it more creamy.
  • When you have a large can on your blender, you can make two different tastes when you get bored easily. I often pour one liter in a bottle as a green smoothie, then add blueberries to the rest of it and blend again. You will now have two different smoothies to consume according to the mood you are in that morning.

You will see, you can’t impossibly eat all these greens from a plate in one day. Liquefied it provides you more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and proteins than you would probably get in a normal week. What am I saying… in a few weeks for the S.A.D eater. You can now understand where your new energy is coming from. Moreover because when you drink a smoothie, the digestion process is halfway, your body can keep its energy for itself and you can go wild!

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A blender
  • A sharp knife

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for Wild Kale Smoothie

THE GREENS

  • 3 leaves of kale without stem
  • 2 big dandelion plants (leaves and roots)
  • About 6 tops of stinging nettle
  • 2 or 3 sprigs of mint
  • 1 pear
  • 1 banana
  • 1 kiwi (with skin if organic)
  • Pure water, Rejuvelac (which is the best in your smoothie! It makes it come even more alive with enzymes and pro biotics) or coconut water. You can also make a combination of liquids.
  • Ice (made from pure water, not tap water)  if you want it cool right away.

Superfoods!

  • SUPERFOODS of your choice. (I wanted some superpower today so added 2 tsp. Maca for energy,  a handful of chocolate nibs for concentration, 1 TBS Beepollen for immunity before winter, a handful of Goji Berries for testosterone, 1 tsp. kelp granules to maintain healthy thyroid functions, 1 TBS. Green Superfood powder for more chlorophyll,  2TBS. Hemp seeds for proteins.
  • A dash of cayenne to spice it up, get the antibacterial benefits and get a deep body glow (it is cold today and my throat hurts a bit)
  • If you want it sweeter, add a medjool date (pitted)

THE MAKING OF…

Superfoods on top

  • Wash and throw your fruits and greens in your blender
  • Add the superfoods of your choice

Filled with abundance!

  • Add pure water or rejuvelac till about halfway the content

Up and Running

  • Blend, taste and adjust to your own taste if necessary

Two Tastes in One Effort

That’s it! The most nutritious breakfast you can think of and enough valuable content to live on all day long if you have to. Buy a well sealed bottle and take the rest with you to work for a pause. You can drink your smoothie out of a large tea cup if you want to avoid questions or comments from your colleagues.

By the way, don’t pour smoothie away if you can’t drink it all. You can freeze it in ice cubes and use later. Or give it to your pets; they love smoothies and will thrive on them just as much as you do.

Ravishing Breakfast!

Grooving Ginger Granny

Grooving Ginger Granny

This juice is rocking! It all starts with Granny apples. They have that particular mix of acidity and sweetness when they are in the middle of their season. A good reason to make a fresh juice of them, moreover because apple juice is such a healthy drink when you are longing for something to replace that soft drink in the back of your mind. Your granny will groove on apple juice: it prevents and helps fight Alzheimer disease when consumed on a daily basis.

Scientific research shows that apple juice can boost the brain function because of its increased production of the essential neurotransmitter acetylcholine. “We anticipate that the day may come when foods like apples, apple juice and other apple products are recommended along with the most popular Alzheimer’s medications,” according to Thomas Shea, Ph.D., director of the UML Center for Cellular Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration Research. What are you waiting for?

Apples For Overall Health

But there is more to say about apple juice. It is very rich in antioxidants and we all know what that means; they help prevent the development of cancer, heart disease, they reduce high cholesterol levels, slow down the aging process and promote weight loss. Other benefits are a high content of riboflavin, thiamine, carotene, vitamin B6, biotin, folic acid and vitamin C. So let’s make that juice!

To spice it up and give it the character of a fancy cocktail I like to add ginger and lemon. You won’t long for a canned version after tasting the pureness of your own juiced- in- a- minute long drink.

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A juicer
  • A sharp knife

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for Grooving Ginger Granny

  • 4 Granny apples
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • A chunk of fresh ginger (about 1 inch)

THE MAKING OF…

Just juice all ingredients, shake it up, pour in your favorite glass, finish with a slice of apple or a sprig of mint and enjoy!

Grooving Ginger Granny

Kale Salad & Chips

Kale is back! In America you can find kale at any moment of the year and they come in all kinds of wonderful varieties. But here in Belgium, we have to wait for the right season and be glad with that one common species. I have to ask my bio farmer to bring some change! And find new organic seeds for my own garden.

Awakening Kale In My Garden

I have been craving kale chips since the moment my last bag went up.  Even in summer I was fantasizing of which flavor to make with the first kale on the farmers market. I missed it in a lot of recipes, knowing how valuable its content  is and how tasteful its flavor.

But first of all I have to tell you how great kale is for your smoothies! Packed with vitamin C, A , E and K, chlorophyll, proteins, Omega 3, vitamin B1, B2, B3, manganese, magnesium, calcium, iron and so much more, kale is a source of smooth health. If you have some trouble with the bitterness of kale in winter, add lemon. It neutralizes bitter tastes and combines so nicely with this giant. In spring, the taste becomes softer.

Ravishing Kale

Last winter when I was making kale chips I couldn’t stop tasting before they went into the dehydrator. I ended up with a huge bowl of kale salad coated in a savory tahini sauce and only one small tray of chips. So this is a great recipe for when you are in a lazy mood and have lots of kale around. You can make a huge salad in no time and put half of it into your dehydrator. Next day they will be crisp and ready for your next craving. Don’t worry, you won’t gain weight with these healthy chips. Kale hardly contains any calories, nor will you eat a whole bag. You will feel satisfied after only a handful because of their nutritious contents.

Delicious in combination with tomatoes

If you make more than one head of kale chips, double or triple the ingredients for the dressing. The better you coat the kale, the better your chips!

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A bowl
  • A dehydrator or your oven

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for Kale Chips

FOR THE CHIPS

  • A bunch of kale

FOR THE SAUCE

  • 1 TBS Tahini. You can also use Almond butter.
  • 2 TBS Olive oil
  • 1 TBS Nutritional Yeast for a cheesy flavor.
  • 1 ts Celtic Sea Salt or Hymalyan salt
  • 1 ts cumin
  • A dash of cayenne

THE MAKING OF THE DRESSING

Throw all ingredients in a bowl

  • Place all ingredients together in a bowl and stir till they are well mixed

Stir well

THE MAKING OF KALE CHIPS

  • Wash the kale

Take the stem out

  • Take the stem out

Tear into large pieces

  • Tear up the leaves into large pieces (they shrink during dehydration)

Pour over the kale

  • Pour the dressing over the kale

Mmmmassage...

  • Massage the kale with both hands until it wilts and is coated with the dressing
  • Taste… is the taste right for you? You can still adjust with some salt if you want to

Spread over a Teflex lined sheet or on a tray of your oven

  • Place the kale chips on a teflex lined tray

Cheesy Kale Chips

  • Dehydrate on 105 °F for about six hours until they are crisp

Before you start dehydrating you can eat some of this kale as a delicious salad. It tastes great with some tomatoes mixed in it.

As a delicious salad

Number 61

A clean body is the first step towards health. Many people think of cleansing as a difficult process. But the more you know, the easier it becomes. Understanding your body and mind, knowing your physical, mental and emotional reactions to food, situations, stress and life brings you closer to health. And number 61 does.

I am talking about a juice. Not just a juice, but the most effective juice of Dr. Norman Walker for many, many complaints and illnesses. Most of you know Dr. Norman Walker. If you don’t, read about this man, who was a true pioneer in the beginning of the 20th century. He died at very old age in 1985 (over one hundred some say, others say at 99) His favorite secret? Drinking fresh juices every day.

He spent his life investigating the influence of juice on the human body. He discovered that when you mix certain juices in certain quantities, they release new healing forces. All his juices were based on years of scientific investigations. He developed the “Norwalk” Juicer, the most perfect machine for the most nutritious juices. He wrote several books but the one I absolutely cherish is “Fresh vegetable and Fruit Juices. What’s Missing In Your body?” It’s only small book but with priceless content.

He made a list of what combined juices to use for which conditions. Each juice has a number. My favorite juice is # 61. It has such healing power that he recommends it to support almost every issue of the body. Let me name some of them: acne, acidosis, allergy, anemia, angina pectoris, appendicitis, asthma, bladder trouble, blood pressure high or low, bronchitis, cancers, cataracts, cirrhosis of the liver (he cured himself of it by fasting on water and juices to start with) , colds, cramps, decay, eczema, fatigue, fatty degeneration, gallstones and gall bladder trouble, gout, goiter, hay fever, headache, itch, kidney trouble, neuritis, obesity, psoriasis, rhinitis, sleeplessness, toxemia, ulcers and on and on goes the list. All the juices are based on one pint of 16 oz.

Number 61 is a very simple, inexpensive juice made of carrots and spinach.

TOOLS YOU NEED

A juicer (preferably a slow juicer that guarantees all the nutrients after the process)

INGREDIENTS

  • Carrots enough for 10 oz
  • Spinach enough for 6 oz

THE MAKING OF # 61

Just juice, fill up a nice glass and drink.

NOTE

It is possible that you have a reaction on this powerful drink. Sometimes I feel tired and a bit dizzy. It means it is working! Take it easy and it will pass.


Eat Well, Live Long

This was a title I wrote about a while ago. But finding out what it can truly mean is something else.

Two days ago I received a message on Facebook from a friend who wanted me to have a look at a video. I was stunned and I still am! What I saw was an interview with Bernando LaPallo for his… you are reading this correct…. his 109th. birthday! He is looking 40 years younger! He is still alive and kicking, full of plans and dreams. I simply HAVE to blog about this amazing man and let you all know about him.

Why? He just finished a new book! It is a book with a beautiful title, breathing energy: “Age Less, Live More” Mr. Lapallo is living on raw food since 1979, thriving, still working and now planning on opening a restaurant. I am amazed AND energized by such living power.

109 years old and rocking on raw food!

What is his secret? “Superfoods” he said in the interview while taking the interviewer into his kitchen. He pointed at a big bowl of fruits on top of his refrigerator and showed us a large jar of the powder that “keeps me alive”. “Never miss it a day” he said, since the seventies.

This is such a hopeful message. I am trying to measure what it can mean for me. I don’t know what his health history is or his motivation to go raw halfway his life. Was he ill at that time or just eager to live healthy? I don’t know what raw food can restore in a body that has been very ill several years. But I am wondering since two days. Even with the knowledge around raw food and the proof I received of its healing power, I am not sure yet in how far raw food can turn the clock around. Seeing Mr. Lapallo is so inspiring that I gained a lot of faith. With the clean and raw lifestyle I am living, I can thrive till 100, no matter what my history was.

I want to invite you all to watch this short video of a man who will give you hope, inspiration and courage to live healthy, to become raw or to stay raw if you are on a cross-point in your raw food journey.

109 Year- Old Author Celebrates Birthday

Also have a look at his blog, where you can read about all his activities and lectures; http://www.agelesslivemorestore.com/

Website; www.RawLifeHealthShow.com

To end this short post, I want to share his three top health tips with you. When I heard them, I smiled because these are things I am writing about, trying to draw everybody’s attention to. It just feels so good to hear them from a man who is living long enough to prove to the world they are so true! You can see it all in this movie;

Raw Life Health Show

  1. Keep your colon clean! Keeping your colon clean means your liver can do its job (purify the blood) and keep you healthy.
  2. Take Dr. Schulze’s “Superfood” but it in the right manor; mix it with organic fruit and juice in the morning.
  3. Eat regularly and healthy: avoid fast food restaurants.

Colon Care with Colonics

All set for a Hydrotherapy Colonic

Colonic hydrotherapy is the best treat you can give your body. About 70% of all diseases find their cause in the colon. A high colonic  is very beneficial in the prevention and relief of many common ailments. You can choose between several options such as an enema which you can do yourself at home or a a colon irrigation with a professional colon hydro therapist. Good colon care means overall health.

I had my first colonic when I was raw for about a year and a half. I scheduled it after a detox on smoothies, juices and mono meals. This was the moment I felt ready and eager to get the old trash out of me. That first time knocked me out completely, physically and mentally. I was exhausted, incredibly sad and depressed. All I could do was stay calm and rest, telling myself this wasn’t me but a heavy detox I was going through. These side effects came as a total surprise to me. I had expected a bit of fatigue, rapidly followed by the euphoric feeling Matt Monarch always talks about. I missed that part. What happened?

I had three sessions that week because that’s what a colon needs the first time to release old waste. It took me a whole week to recover from the first one. I lost four pounds in one hour but that is only little compared to many others, who can lose up till sixteen pounds and more. This is how much plaque can be built up  in the colon due to eating bad food all life long.

Four days later I had a new appointment. I asked the therapist why I was feeling so awful.  She said my liver couldn’t take all the toxins and she decided to support it. I was afraid of the of a second session. It was a relieve that the following bowel rinses had less and less effect on me. I was recommended to schedule one every month to sustain my colon and to remove possible toxins on a regular basis.

Machine for Colon Irrigation

The one I have been looking forward to the most, was right after the liver & gallbladder flush. It was a tough colonic.  It took twenty minutes before stuff started loosening. She said I was so clean but I felt  like I was totally stuffed. Then suddenly a lot of small stones and bile appeared. I felt very sick in the stomach, had cramps, my legs felt weak and weird, I got a heavy migraine. Later on though I recovered very quickly and felt much better than before the colonic.

So what exactly happens during a colonic? When you never heard of it, it might be scary and you don’t know what to expect. But generally it is a very soft procedure. First of all I had to write down a whole week what I ate and drank. They advised me not to eat any meat or fish, lots of vegetables and fruit. I was glad because not all therapists want you to eat raw food before a colonic. During my research I saw certain websites were  they were forbidding raw vegetables and fruits. So you have to find out for yourself who is in alignment with your lifestyle.

After you lay down on your left side, the therapist places a soft tube into you. It is completely painless. You can then lay on your back and relax, covered with a towel. When the session starts, the hydro therapist starts running lukewarm water into you until the colon is full. Then he/she releases the pressure by stopping the flow of the water. The colon releases its wastes. It can take five or ten minutes before waste starts to loosen, depending on the kind of food you eat and the lifestyle you had. It is interesting when you can see the whole procedure and ask your questions, find out what is in your colon, if it is healthy, if there are parasites or -in my case- signs of other issues.

Choose for a hygienic place!

It is amazing how much a hydro therapist can see in your waste. They can track Candida for instance, if you are eating too many sugars, if you are eating healthy or fast food, if you have heavy metals and toxins in your body, or gall stones, protein in your urine, if your colon is active or lazy, how your bowl movement is improving after a few times. So it is very interesting and you learn a lot in forty five minutes to one hour.

Right after the session you have to go to the toilet to release the remaining water and waste. It takes several colonics to get the water up in the appendix and to remove all the old plaque. This is also why it’s called “High Colonic”. My therapist has a start package of three times to be sure you are clean. Others offer each cleansing separate. Also there are several systems. This one is with a machine but a friend of mine is having sessions with a gravity system that works very natural. Here you can’t follow the procedure yourself.

The effects aren’t always predictable. The first time I felt so energized right after the session! Ten minutes later I fell asleep in the car, driving. It is a good idea to take it easy after your first colonic. Schedule it on a day off so you can rest if you need to. And try to find a good one close to your home.

I am convinced that this thorough cleansing is determinative for my health. I might have had some struggle at first but I am feeling the difference now. It sure is a detox that I will build in my daily life by planning one every month. I can recommend to everybody who is on raw. A colon irrigation gives your body a complete new start and an opportunity to go to a next higher level in your raw food journey.


Gallbladder Flush

During my last colonic it turned out that I have gall stones and I was advised to have a gallbladder flush. “A What?” According to the therapist it would only take one day but back home I discovered a whole chapter in the new book I just got; “Raw Foods Bible” of Craig B. Sommers, N.D., C.N.. A great book by the way!

The Liver/Gallblader Flush is a very simple but thorough cleansing and helps eliminating the chemicals we breathe in, eat and who are penetrating our skin. If you have gallbladder stones, they will be removed to the colon. This is why I was recommended to schedule a new colonic after the cleanse to be sure the stones will leave my body.

According to Dr. Richard Schulz, it’s good for everybody to have this cleanse four times a year, once per season. It takes a week, it is very simple and inexpensive. All you have to do is drink a mixture of lemon, oranges or grapefruit with distilled water, olive oil, ginger and garlic on an empty stomach as breakfast. Then have it followed by two big cups of herbal tea and eat nothing else until lunch. The liver flushes itself out and the tea helps pushing it all through. The rest of the meals have to be simple raw dishes. If you want to accelerate the process, make it more powerful, fast on water or/and juices during the middle three days. If you want the detox more intense, you can double the portion of garlic and olive oil after a few days but it is not necessary. That’s it actually.

WHAT IS DOING WHAT?

  • The garlic is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, antiviral: it fights and kills bacteria, parasites. It is also disinfecting your whole system.
  • The ginger is preventing nausea and stimulates circulation
  • The citrus helps cleaning the kidneys and the bladder. Only use the peel when it is organic. The essential oils in the peel helps stimulate the liver and produce more bile.
  • It wasn’t in the book what the olive oil is doing, but I bet it is flushing…

THE EFFECTS?

I was surprised by the “flush”. It is worth its name. See to it that you can be home the first two days, so starting in a weekend is perfect. I had bad diarrhea during the first days. You can also expect some nauseousness from time to time. Mostly because of the garlic who is fighting and killing bacteria. Put more ginger in your next mixture and you will feel better or make fresh ginger tea after the flush.

Another effect I experienced was on the emotional level, as always when you are detoxing. Waking up sad, going to bed sad without a particularly reason, not wanting to see anybody… Next day can be totally different though and it is good to stay close to yourself during those mixed emotions. Let it flow and remember you are detoxing. The liver is connected to our feelings. If your liver isn’t in a good shape, your mental state is going down with it. So don’t get scared when you can’t explain what is going on in your head because your liver is working very hard now to get rid of its toxins. You will feel better afterward, I promise you!

I‘m in my fifth day now, two more to go. Regarding eating and being hungry, this cleanse isn’t difficult. You only have to see to it that you keep your meals simple, with lots of greens. So what I did, was eat small salads when I got hungry or make a fresh juice. The three fasting days require a bit more discipline but you can have as many fresh juices as you want. Considered all together I must say it is going smoothly. The most important rule is that you make some time to do this in quiet, listen to your body and rest when you feel you have to.

Oh, I have to tell you about the clarity. After a few days your mind becomes more clear. I feel more alert and finally can concentrate again. (less at the start and you can also feel a bit drowsy) So it is going into the good direction. But now the recipe.

Garlic

TOOLS YOU NEED

  • A juicer or a lemon press

INGREDIENTS FOR SPRING AND SUMMER CLEANSE

Ingredients for flush

  • 8 oz of distilled water
  • 8 oz of fresh squeezed citrus juice, lemon, lime orange or grapefruit or a combination of these
  • one clove of garlic
  • a piece of one inch fresh ginger
  • one TBS of cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FALL AND WINTER CLEANSE

The mixture is the same except you have to use fresh apple juice and grape juice instead of citrus

AFTER DRINKING THE MIXTURE

Wait for about 15 to 30 minutes and drink two cups (16 oz) of a herbal detox tea or a digestive tea. I like Maria Thistle because it is cleansing the liver.

Juicing

THE MAKING OFF…

  • Juice whatever you want the combination to be until you reached 8 oz. This morning I had pink grapefruit and it tasted so nice.
  • Add 8 oz of distilled water. (I couldn’t find any and am using spring water)
  • Juice and add the ginger and garlic
  • Add the olive oil
  • Stir
  • Drink with a straw: it is much better for your teeth. The acids won’t destroy the glaze. Always clean your teeth after consuming citrus or drink a glass of water for the same reason.

Flush Drink of Oranges and Lemon

Let me know how it worked out for you. If I can be of any help, feel free to write me with your questions.