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Sunday, May 31, 2009
“Laughter for Radiance”
Laughter is healthy. I think that’s true, simply because it feels so good! When we laugh,
our whole body benefits. There are numerous articles that speak of the specific health benefits of laughter.
Some
things laughter is said to do:
Boost
the immune system
Relax your body
Attract people to you
Relieve stress
Strengthen relationships
Decrease
pain
Prevent heart disease
Improve mood
Improve health of breast milk
Increase
blood flow
We
have all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine”. Some doctors are now prescribing 15 minutes of laughter
a day! So, laugh it up! One my favorite ways to my laughs in besides talking to a funny friend is to watch cartoons. I love
them! There are plenty of great new toons to check out. Also, you can go back to your old favorites from your childhood. I
still love Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera cartoons. I have some newer faves too, like the Power Puff Girls, Ren & Stimpy & Making Fiends. Check out the Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network channels for more animated fun! Remember there are plenty of funny
movies and TV shows too! “Everybody Hates Chris”, a show about comedian Chris Rock’s life growing up has been keeping me laughing for years! Find your
joy in laughter every day, & radiance will follow.
6:25 pm edt
Sunday, May 24, 2009
“Make Your Own Nut Milk”
It’s pretty easy to make your own nut milk. The
hardest thing might be deciding which nut or seed to choose! My favorites are pecan and almond currently. They are expensive
nuts though. I also like to make milk with the more budget friendly sunflower or pumpkin seeds. More recently, hemp seed milk has been accompanying my raw granola. I was amazed that my Vita Mix could blend something as
small as hemp seeds. Well, I guess I was not too surprised. It is the goddess of blendes after all! The first thing you have
to do is soak your nut or seed of choice, except if you are using hemp seeds. I hear that they don’t need soaking.
My hemp seed milk comes out great without that extra step. Anyway, overnight is usually the way I do it, or from morning to
night. Basically, 6 to 8 hours is usually good for most nuts and seeds. Some take less time, like cashews. Which only need
about 2 – 3 hours. So, if you are using one cup of nuts, cover them in about two cups of water. After the allotted time,
pour off the soak water and refill the container again with fresh water, swish and pour off that water. If you are using almonds,
you will notice how plump they have gotten from absorbing the water! Ok, place your nuts in the blender and add about
twice the amount of water as nuts. You can adjust this ratio as you discover the consistency you like your milk to be. Blend
for a couple of minutes or so depending on the power of your blender. You will notice that the nuts and water will turn a
familiar shade of white as they blend together. You can add vanilla, raw honey, and a pinch of Celtic or Himalayan salt to
the mix if you like. Other nice things to put into your milk are bananas or medjool dates. They add sweetness without using
an actual sweetener. If you want to have pulp free milk, strain it through a nut milk bag. This will give it a much smoother texture and you can use the pulp to make burgers or crackers in
your dehydrator! You are gonna love making your own milk! It’s easy, fresh, & fun. Let me know how your favorites!
Love,Your RVG
10:13 pm edt
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
“Magickal Night”
Last Saturday was a blessed & magickal day. Honestly, it feels almost
like a dream. Except for my obviously worked muscles the next day, I would have thought I was visited by faeries & goddesses.
Anyway, here is what happened. I went to a workshop hosted by my awesome bellydance teacher Najia & taught by Jehan Kamal! She is a world famous bellydancer & master teacher. Actually, Jehan is a teacher of my teacher. Cool huh? It
kinda reminds me of the Indian gurus passing down the sacred teachings. You know, and then the student becomes the teacher
of something wonderful. So, Jehan lives, teaches, & performs in NY when she is not traveling to teach lucky souls like
me. I have wanted to study with her for at least a few years now. I am so happy to have gotten the opportunity to have that
wish materialize. She even enjoyed my dancing!!! How awesome to be complimented by a great talent like Jehan. I am no less
than thrilled. Now, I want to be even better! Besides learning some great choreography & dancing to her wonderful music
– there was shopping!! Jehan’s husband took care of all of us by bringing his wares. Everything was beautiful.
There were full costumes, music, & accessories. Tribal & cabaret style jewelry. Drool! I wish I had about a grand
to spend. It would have been really easy to do since there were so many great goodies. I will do everything I can to be at
the next workshop taught by Jehan. I really enjoyed meeting, dining, & dancing with her. Cheers! To all of the great ladies
that shared that beautiful evening with me. Glory to the Goddess!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
“Online Classes with Suhailia!”
I just finished another great kick-butt class from
Suhailia’s school of online classes. I have done four of them so far. I have done SSBD (Suhailia Salimpour belly dance)
1.1 & 1.2, also Dance Movement 1& 2. Dance movement is pretty much a ballet class. This strengthens your body &
gets you familiar with general dance terminology. There are also Folkloric Fusion classes & classes with Jamila Salimpour. I look forward to studying with her! If you sign up for a year, you get the great rate of $39.95
a month. Make sure you are quite serious before committing to that, even if it’s easy for you to afford. No need to
waste money. Though, there are a few great reasons to commit to a year besides the price. You get a free PDF of the Level
1 study guide & two downloads of Suhailia’s DVDs. You can try the classes for free for three days! Check it out! I guess all of this dancing will help with
the bikini this summer too! The warm-ups are very challenging, you’ll see. If you are a fan of The Indigo, check out the testimonials. Sharon Kihara will tell you all about it! Well, it’s been a little while since I finished my class & it
looks like I worked up some hunger. I am headed into the kitchen to create a yummy raw vegan meal. Later loves.
4:49 pm edt
Friday, April 10, 2009
“Not Your Average RVG”
I’m not your average RVG. What I mean is I
eat differently than most raw vegans. There are many recipes out there loaded with fat, salt, garlic, onions, cacao, sugar,
etc… that are just plain bad for you. The average raw foodies eat more fat than their carnivorous counterparts! I find
that shocking, especially when we are eating this way for health and beauty. In my studies I have learned that the average
fat intake of someone on a raw diet is about 65% of their daily calories. The average percent for someone on the Standard
American Diet (SAD) is 45%. The main health organizations recommend an intake of 25% or less. Health experts are said to suggest
15% or less. While Dr. Doug Graham a well known leader in the raw foods movement, recommends 10% or less. Here he comments, from the
book “Raw Secrets” by Frederic Patenaude.
“The sad (“Standard American Diet”) is, on average, comprised
of about 42% fat. Many people on this diet eat over 50%, or even 60%, of their total calories as fat. They have learned to
satisfy their appetite with fats. This is not what our physiology is designed to thrive on however. A diet dominated by the
simple carbohydrates found in fruit more closely matches our physiological needs. But when going raw, most people continue
consuming a high-fat diet. As they eat more vegetables, they get hungrier & eat even more fat to satisfy themselves. The
simple carbohydrate deficit accrues with almost every meal. When prospective
raw-foodists go off their raw regimen, they almost invariably find themselves eating cooked complex carbohydrates. Until they
learn to consume high amounts of sweet fruits to fulfill their carbohydrate needs, they will invariably fail in their health
and raw-food efforts. The high-fat raw-food diet is a recipe
for failure, both in regards to health and to staying all raw. Utilizing the high-fruit diet is the ideal, logical & healthful
method for achieving the low-fat, high-carb diet that every health practitioner on the planet recommends.”
Dr. Doug Graham
Let it also be said that vegetarians
& vegans on average also eat a diet to high in fat. We all need to eat more fruit everyday & greens too, including
the bitter ones. Please make those green smoothies for breakfast & consider having a big beautiful fruit salad for lunch.
Save the meal with the fat in it for dinner. Not to late in the evening though!
XO,
your RVG
9:40 pm edt
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