Food and Mood

Last year I was diagnosed with mood adjustment disorder and depression.  I was an emotional eater and relied on food for comfort and companionship.  However, these foods were affecting me and causing chemical emotional imbalance.  I couldn’t concentrate and was constantly irritable and suffered from extreme crying episodes.  During that period I was prescribed medication which basically turned me into a zombie, some days I slept on average 12 to 14 hours.  After doing some research and dealing with my problems I realized how certain foods have an adverse effect on mood. 

On diet primarily of meats I was aggressive and downright angry, frustrated, scared, and just pissy at times; constantly on attack mode.  My menstrual cycles were extremely heavy, and I suffered terribly with premenstrual syndrome.   It wasn’t until I decreased my intake of a standard American diet and embraced a more live food way of living my mood has settled, menstrual cycles and PMS are beginning to shift.  Although, my cycles are still at 7 days the amount of blood flow is lighter and the symptoms are lessening. 

I came across this article on mood posted on Raw Food Ideas’ website. 

Pool Fun and Watermelon Juice

A great time was had in the pool today.  I spent about 2 hours in the deep end doing laps, jump ups, flips, and splashing around.  This is a great way for me to get a full-body workout without feeling like a workout.  It was just an awesome time to be playful and free. Hopefully I can hit the ocean soon.  After pool time and a quick shower it was time to hit the kitchen and JUICE! I needed to refresh, rehydrate, and repair. So the juice of choice was watermelon. 

Watermelon Juice

In the blender – you can do as much or as little if you choose

½ cup of coconut water – great rehydration

2 cups of water melon

Juicer –

Juice about 6 to 8 pieces of watermelon rind this resulted in about 2 cups

Mix the two juices together add a splash of lemon or lime (optional).

Enjoy and repair

Check out the link below from Fruit Juice blog on the health benefits of watermelon juice.

Namaste

Raw Juice Blunder: Glass of green fire

Greetings and blessings. 

Okay I'm feeling much better and the pulled hamstring is really repairing itself very quickly.  I would have blogged more on Sunday but the pain was annoying and distracting. Yet I just want to share this funny funny real quick. Last Saturday I attempted to green juice.  I've green juiced before but it was the first time with cilantro. I tossed in a couple of green apples, celery, parsley, cucumber, and a whole entire bunch of CILANTRO.  The result was a beautiful  full-bodied glass of green love.

When I smelled it I knew it wasn't right.  Instant nose and eye burning. So I took a huge swallow and damn near set myself on fire.  It resulted in me throwing out the juice (big mistake).  Cilantro is naturally spicy and holds heat; and putting too much in messed up the juice for me.  It would have probably been awesome as a shot to remove mucus with more cooling vegetables.  Oh well. I will try it again. Just wanted to share my raw juice blunder.

Raw vs. Processed Raw

I may lose folk on this one however; I have to speak my TRUTH.  Over the past couple of years I’ve been researching raw living.  I joined a couple of web-groups looking for knowledge.  My intent on understanding raw living/eating had nothing to do with losing weight or being hip.  I wanted the benefits of a clear mind, an open heart, and be a vessel of healing.  Weight loss and aesthetics were the furthest from my mind.  Over time I became discouraged because a lot the websites that had recipes seemed difficult:  dehydrate this for four days, sprout beans for three days, blend this, and process that. And I was like whoa, this is crazy. So instantly I became turned off.  I was like, “no I’m good.”

Again the research picked back up and I started watching YouTube videos on raw living and I came across Dan McDonald.  So I’ve been searching and watching his videos because I knew in my spirit there would be a video that would touch me.   I found it (Dan's video). This video resonated with me deeply because being raw for me isn’t about eating foods that mimic cooked recipes.  I desire to be to connect on a higher plane of self-consciousness and healing.  I don’t desire to be a raw processed eater.  I want the essence of my food. And I look at a lot these recipes and all of this metal technology involved in a dish such as a raw cheese cake and I say, wow. It's no different than opening a can of vegetables and dumping it on my plate; and that’s not the path I want to go. 

Spiritual connectivity for me is about things simple.  The simplicity or the organic feel of my temple being holistically healed without this overly mechanical process of being raw just to satisfy having “spaghetti and meatballs” or “chocolate cake”.  There’s something connecting about holding your food in its original state. Just give me a watermelon or mango in its organic form and I’m happy.  By no means am I knocking anyone on their journey, but I want to get back to the basics, get back to the spirit. Thank you Dan for that video, you hit it right on the head.

Asian and Farmers Market

photo courtesy of Low Impact Living



Since I'm on a TIGHT budget, I often frequent my local farmers market and Asian Market. I really enjoy supporting both actually.  Of course the benefits of getting fresh and affordable vegetables which haven't been tainted with pesticides in wonderful. My diet is transition so the abundance of affordable produce is very important.  The Asian market I go to is great because of the variety of vegetables and fruits from around the world that you wouldn't be able to purchase in standard markets; not even Whole Foods. Fruits such logans, lychee, dragon fruit, cactus, fresh stalks of aloe, pepper of all sorts. It's AMAZING. I suggest anyone regardless of diet type to visit an Asian market and support your local farmers market.

Raw Cabbage Wraps

That's right raw!  This is a quick and fun easy recipe.  I sliced up some asparagus, red bell pepper, and green onion.  I made a marinade of with raw apple cider vinegar, two crushed garlic gloves, and enough honey to tone down the vinegar. 

This recipe is to taste and whatever veggies you have will work fine.  Toss the veggies in the marinade and let them sit for a few minutes. The longer the better, it's sort of like a pickling method.  I used the outer most leaves of the cabbage because they are tender. 

If you want them a bit softer just boil some water and once the water is boiling rapidly dip them in and take them out after about 15 to 20 seconds.  This will help the leaves roll easier yet remain crunchy.  Add the veggies, roll up the wraps, and enjoy!