Coming out of the closet with lemons in my pocket.

I’m going to do that darned lemonade cleanse. You know, the “Master Cleanse.”

The first time I heard about it I was working in a health food store in Calgary, and one of my co-workers had been on it for a loooong time. He looked amazing and felt great.

I’ve always been rather prone to subjecting myself to experimentation, deprivation and extremism of one kind or another. Maybe it’s the hair? A redhead, single, homeschooling, rawfoodist, self-employed mother with some highly unusual spiritual ideas about the world, admittedly puts me in a minority. Anyway, regardless of the weirdness behind me, there are a few things I know for sure, and they look like this:

Recently, I received a few emails from clients asking me about the Master Cleanse. Enough that I decided I better look into this and inform myself a bit more fully.

Here’s what I “think” about the cleanse:

Well, I don’t necessarily “agree” with it as an idea. I mean, it’s really just maple syrup and cayenne pepper and lemon juice with water.

First of all, maple syrup is cooked.

Cayenne pepper is an irritant, as far as I’m concerned.

And lemon juice… well, I wouldn’t just eat lemons, so why eat lemon juice, right?

WRONG!!

You see, I sat down and made the concoction myself the other day and I liked it A LOT!! Not just a little bit, I actually liked it A LOT! And it made me feel GOOD! Sometimes that’s the only judge I need to determine the value of something in my life. Sometimes “thinking” things to death has only gotten me into trouble or left me feeling lost. Nothing like learning by doing.

I’ve done enough human experiments and trial and error projects on myself that I know some thing just DON’T work. I know my body and how I respond to things.

Anyway, to get one up on the wagon, I decided to get in touch with Peter Glickman, author of this little book here featured on the right of the page. In fact, he’s going to be our guest tomorrow night as part of the Sisterhood, so you better believe I’m going to be asking him all the questions I can possibly ask him about this process. He wrote a book designed to support people through the Master Cleanse and respond to many of the unanswered questions he felt people had about this cleanse.

Here’s what I “know” about myself:

I’m a lousy faster.

In fact, one year, I decided that I was FINALLY going to do a 3 day fast. I had tried and tried and tried for years, but never got more than a day and a half. For me, a fast is WATER! That’s it. Anything else is a cleanse of some kind. Anyway, I had always wanted to do a 3 day fast, but never managed to do it because with kids, and working and stuff on the go, I just couldn’t pull it off.

So, I rented a room at a spa one year for my birthday. Just me.

First of all, a spa by yourself isn’t that much fun.

And fasting by yourself at a spa is even less fun.

I had my computer with me, probably a mistake, looking back. I should have just rested, or something. Anyway, I was happy, because I accomplished some amazing cleansing out of my computer’s files. But as for the experience itself, I HATED being alone and I just wanted to go home and EAT!!

*sigh*

So, it was a lousy experience, and I kinda gave up on fasting outside of the occasional 24 hour fast.

But I still wouldn’t mind that feeling of extended “cleansing,” though.

I know a lot of people are doing “juice feasting” but I’m missing a piece to my juicer, and I can’t bring myself to do it because I have a bit of a button on all the lost fiber. Call me an “indoctrinated natural hygenist,” if you will, but I’m not indoctrinated enough, obviously, because I’m going to give this lemonade thing a fair chance.

*sigh*

And to be honest, I’ve been having a rough go lately.

Nothing dramatic, just not feeling my bubbly best. Divas can be drama queens, as I’m sure you know. So, I’d really like something to recharge me and get me back on track. When you make your living recharging others and helping them get back on track, it’s hard to know where to turn when your own steam starts running low. And I’m not going to pretend for a minute that I don’t have rough days or weeks, because I sure as heck do.

So, for the next 10 days *GULP!* (Did I just say that?) I’ll be sipping back lemonade and limeade and seeing how that goes.

*Gulp*

And just the fact that I’ve said that gets a big ball of nerves all gopped up in my throat.

I know that I sure do like this lemonade. And I sure do need a bit of a boost from the ordinary to get me feeling my frisky little self again. Soo.. that’s the book. Lemonade is the name of the game.

And once I get through this, I’m starting my MARATHON TRAINING PROGRAM.

Darn tootin’. I’m gonna strap back on sneakers and I’m excited about it!
Okay… so that’s me. Comin’ out of the closet with lemons in my pocket. I’ll keep ya posted and I’ll try not to make it too self-indulgent.;-)

Camera Karma

Imagine my surprise when on Christmas morning I went to take a few snapshots aroung the Christmas tree and my camera was busted.

First of all, I have to confess that I’m not great at organizing things like that. This camera was a birthday gift in August from my mom–well, the money to buy it. But I didn’t actually manage to get organized enough to get it until late November. Naturally, I wasn’t very impressed when the thing just stopped working on Christmas morning of all morning. I’m secretly suspicious of a 4 year old, because there were an awful lot of pictures of feet and floors in there when I looked last.

However, I didn’t observe any major accidents, so reported it in for warranty to a scruffy-haired, bulgey-eyed customer service representative at the camera shop.

But I left the store grumbling a bit, because he was very doubtful that given the problems, it would be covered under warranty. They said it would be a couple weeks before I knew what their diagnosis was, because they were sending it back in to the manufacturer.

I so don’t like little annoyances like that.

Well, apparently, I’ve got some camera karma banked somewhere, because a couple days later, I  get a call from the camera shop and they tell me that the delivery man, who was supposed to deliver my camera to the manufacturer, LOST my camera!

HA! HA!

And that by default they would give me a new one at no cost.

Well,  then I was smiling.

So, I went in to pick up my camera, and they pulled out a little box and inside was a small black camera. I gasped and said, “but MY camera was PINK!”

I returned it saying I absolutely must have a pink one, because the case I bought was green and the two together are exactly the colors of my website. I was very serious about this, and I could see about 4-5 agents behind the counter giggling to themselves that it actually mattered to me to have a PINK camera.

ARE YOU KIDDING!??

I mean, one of my greatest joys in life is color coordinating. I have little woolen socks that match the teal colored patches in my snow suit and when I wear them with my teal colored neck warmer, I smile twice as wide as any other day of the weak. I mean, they’re my socks. No one sees them but me.

I digress. Sorry.

Well, they took back that dull black camera and the very next day called me in to tell me my pink beauty was ready.

And so she is: 

And just in time for our Green Smoothie Queen 3 Day Challenge which starts up on Monday!  If you were going to register, we’re closing down registrations really soon, and then next one will be in a month or so around St. Patrick’s Day.

Stay tuned cuz this blog’s about to have a lot more pictures. And no feet or floors, if I have anything to say about it.

Monique Gives The Skinny on Fat

How long can you go with eating fruits and green smoothies with little fat for?

Answer:
Here’s the skinny on fat.

Question: How long can you go with eating fruits and green smoothies with little fat in the diet? Lets take a look at some facts first.

There is a lot of different information out there on fats. Here is a few examples:

How much good fat should we use daily?

According to Udo Erasmus about 15% of calories from good fats is a minimum, 10% might be too low. But the quality of the fats you eat is much more important than the quantity.

According to the Dietary Reference Intakes published by the USDA 20% – 35% of calories should come from fat.

According to some Raw Foodists about 9-13% of your total body weight should be fat if you are a guy and for a girl about 12-19%. The average Olympic ‘Cardiovascular’ Athlete’s body fat ranges from 8-12%.

So who’s right? Think about it! In the meantime let’s look at why we need fat in the diet.

Why Do We Need Fat to Survive?

Although fats have received a bad reputation for causing weight gain, some fat (like linoleic and linolenic acids) is essential for survival. We need these fats for the following:

Normal growth and development
Energy (fat is the most concentrated source of energy)
Absorbing certain vitamins ( like vitamins A, D, E, K, and carotenoids)
Providing cushioning for the organs
Maintaining cell membranes
Helps in the prevention of cholesterol build-up and hardening of the arteries.
Provides healthy hair and skin
Contributes to normal glandular activity
Essential fats cannot be manufactured in the body

Essential Fatty Acids (Vitamin F) can be found in nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and their oils, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios, and coconut), fruit (avocados, olives), spinach, seaweeds, parsley, and broccoli.

By replacing saturated and trans fats in the (SAD) diet with unsaturated fat, (found in foods like olives, avocados, nuts, and seeds) has been shown decrease the risk of developing heart disease.

The Importance of Fat Cells

Once upon a time, experts believed fat cells were no more than inert tissues that merely stored energy, enlarged extremities and generally got in the way of people trying to move around. Popular opinions have changed, however, thanks to the intense interest in fat in order to find solutions to the obesity crisis.

Experts are realizing fat cells are dynamic and complex structures that affect many crucial bodily functions. These new insights are helping scientists better understand:

• How fat forms on bodies
• Why it hangs on so long
• How it causes disease

Fat cells work to dispatch many potent signals to tissues throughout the body, including reproductive organs, the brain, liver and immune system.

Fat does a great many things, far beyond regulating a body’s energy system and creating new fat cells:

Turns the body’s immune system up or down
Influences blood clots and when blood vessels constrict
Regulates when a women can reproduce

Some scientists theorize there are dozens more functions waiting to be discovered, including a few that may affect mood and behavior beyond eating and hunger.

Opinions began to change a decade ago when scientists identified leptin, the hormone produced by fat cells, that tells the brain a number of things, including how much fat a body has. The discovery of leptin also created a way of looking at fat as an endocrine organ not unlike the thyroid and adrenal glands.

Part of that complex communication systems between fat and other organs is adiponectin, a hormone that lowers the production of blood glucose in the liver and increases muscle burning to make energy. Scientists say this hormone also affects the sensitivity of cells to insulin, which may explain how obesity increases one’s risk of diabetes.

After the importance of adiponectin was recognized, scientists found resistin, (another fat cell hormone) that may play an important role in storing energy and insulin sensitivity.

Researchers have also recently discovered fat tissue is made up of much more than fat cells. In fact, fat tissue, combined with macrophages–key immune system cells–produce powerful substances that assist in regulating the body’s immune system. Some theorize that fats became closely connected to immune function over time because the body needs energy when threatened.

But a surplus of these substances, researchers say, triggers unnecessary inflammation which could explain why obesity increases the chances of many ailments like cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

There you have it. Fat is important. We need it daily to survive, these things are not in conflict, however how much we need is. But if you look at what the experts say, the amounts are very close. To play it safe, you can try to stay within the 15% range, remember we are all different (man, woman, children, big, small, tall, short) and we all have different needs. I do not believe that we all fit into the same mold, so to speak. Some of us will need more fat and some of us will do better on less. So bottom line I think that it’s safe to say that you should base how much fat you have in your diet on the facts, as well as how your body feels, trust iyour body and adjust your fat intake as your n

Three Interviews About Love: Heidi and Justin Ohlander, Dhrumil, and Oscar Grim and Tanja Andrews

This Valentine’s Day, we wanted to give you the chance to experience the Sisterhood. And in so doing, we get the chance to really honor some amazing people who contribute to the world of raw foods, and what we do here at The Raw Divas.

You see, we’ve just DOUBLED the number of guests we’re having each month, and let’s just say, our little black book is starting to get miiiighty interesting. You’ll really love checking out some of the people we’ve got in store as future guests in the Sisterhood.

Best Friend & Lovers Making Raw Food and Rock ‘n Roll A Sexy Thing To Do

Two people definitely worth acknowledging at this time of the year are best friends and lovers, Heidi and JS Ohlander. These two superheros got VERY up close and personal with us in a cozy interview not too long ago. You see, a diva has to know how to ask the right questions, and with Heidi and JS, there simply were no filters. What fun. Until the end of the call, when technical difficulties pulled Tera out of the came and Bob, our Love Male Diva, came to the rescue.

Enjoy this behind the scenes look at Heidi and JS Ohlander of Raw Food, Right Now, and send them loads of good vibrations this Valentine’s Day! I’m sure they’ll be wrapped in love and snuggles!!

“Smooching”: Where Passion, Creativity and Courage Come Together For an Explosive Experience

And, if you ever wanted a story of love that triumphed over pain and difficulties, this one is a juicy one. Oscar Grimm and Tanja Andrews of Freshtopia graced our Sisterhood stage with their presence very recently, and it was an honor to have had a closer look at who they are and how they love.

Their creative and courageous contributions to the world of Raw Food and sustainable living are significant. And so on this day when smooches and snuggles are at their peak we definitely thing you should send some lovin’ energy to these two crusaders for a better world.

Catch this interview HERE.

And for you single New York Divas…

Recently, we had an AMAZING interview with Dhrumil of We Like It Raw and Give it To Me Raw.

What can I say…?

I mean, we can see he’s got all kinds of amazing things going on, and the pictures portray a kind-looking fellow, but when we actually had the chance to get up close and personal with him we were BLOWN AWAY.

I can’t even tell you how many “WOW!”s I got in my inbox after that call finished.

And so, with no further ado, as part of our Valentine’s Day treats to the Divas, we’d like to offer you the chance to sit back, pull up a cozy couch and grab yourself an OJ, then get acquainted with a man whose middle name should be Integrity, but is probably something much more creative and inspiring.

Anyway, you know what I mean! Give It Up for Dhru who, in this exclusive interview with The Raw Divas, Gives It To You RAW!!

We love you, Dhru, and just want to say, “Thanks for making the world a brighter, more loving place to be!”

Oh, and pssst..

…he’s still single! hehehe… If you’re in his area, definitely, DEFINITELY take this prince for a night out on the town! But be prepared to meet his sisters on the first date!

This Valentine’s Day Tribute would not be complete…

…unless we honored two people whose love, witty comments, and constant support and encouragement are no small part of what we do here at The Raw Divas. They also happen to be huge supporters of the other above named lovers and crusaders for a peaceful world.

This week I received a notice in my mail box calling me to the post office for a parcel waiting. “Hmmm…What could THAT be?” I wondered to myself.

When I got there a perfectly cubic box was waiting to be opened, and open it I did within seconds of getting it into my hot little hands. I wasn’t expecting to find what I found there. I had no idea that I would feel as moved, as loved as I did when I found an artfully prepared arrangement of sparkly cards, calligraphy letters and a GORGEOUS, i do mean GORGEOUS, purple, snuggly, wooly scarf that was handmade by Keely and sent with love by both she and her husband, Bob.

Every day since last July, we have received some note of support, a gentle reminder, a word or two of love and appreciation from these two people. And, so, on this Valentine’s Day we really wanted to make sure we thanked these two for the love they have given us, and the remarkable and inspiring ways they love each other.

Thank you, Bob and Keely. We wouldn’t dream of doing this without you two at our side!

There are many more people who send us support and love from behind the scenes, and in time we will come around to bringing their contributions to ligh, too! Until then, know that we are grateful for all the support and kindness we receive.

Asking Our Nutritionist: MSM, Sulphur and Pregnancy on Raw Food

We’ve had a lot of people say that they’ve not been receiving our weekly newsletter, Health In High Heels. So, we’ll make sure we post things here as often as we can to help fight the battle against SPAM! If you’ve already read your copy of HHH, then forgive the doubles and just skip ahead to the new, juicy posts you’ve not yet seen!

If you’re looking for the low down, cold-hard facts on nutrition, then you’re going to love the fact that Monique Bastien, Raw Diva and in-house nutritionist is on board, ready and willing to answer your burning questions! Last week’s article on the importance of Sulphur prompted some further questions on the subject.

Question:

I have begun adding MSM (sulphur) to lemon water in the morning. I am currently adding about 1/2 tsp to 1 litre of water. My girls (ages 12&13) are asking for some too.  Do I have to worry about adding sulphur to their diet? Thanks. ~Kathy Wierenga

Answer:

Hi Kathy,

First I’d like to say, that it’s great that you are trying to make sure that you and your girls are getting the nutrients that you need each day.

If your girls are eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, then they are getting their sulphur and much more. Check over the list of foods from last week’s newsletter and you’ll see that they are getting what they need. If you are still want to supplement them, give them some dulse or other seaweed to snack on. My boys love it, but my daughter Kaylee does not. So I hide it in her food, she doesn’t even know it’s there. If your girls feel the same way as Kaylee, then hide it in their food.

Example:

Make a large salad and add small slivers of dried seaweed, mix it all together, pour on the dressing. They will not know unless you tell them.

Kale is another very good source of sulphur. Most kids have never tried it and are usually hesitant to try. But if you can get past the mind block with them, they’ll try it. I did this with two grade 5 classes and a grade one class, by making what I call a Shrek smoothie, out of all the things that I made for them; the Shrek Smoothie was their favorite. All it is is coconut water (or water), banana, frozen mango, and the star; Kale. Try it.

I checked into MSM sulphur (both) sides of the story, and I have to say that I feel strongly about getting what we need from our food, not a supplement.

Here’s why, real food contains more than one nutrient. There is much that we know about the nutrients in our food, but there is so much more that we don’t.

There was a time when we knew nothing about phytonutrients, and now we do. We are learning more and more all the time.

One thing that is constant is that a nutrient does not act on its own. In our food these nutrients act together in just the right amounts so that they can be assimilated  and used by the body. We can not duplicate it the same way; not in a bottle and not in a supplement. There are good supplements out there, but that’s all that they are; supplements. They are a far cry from the real thing; our food.

I’m not saying not to use any supplements at all, just be careful what you are using. Some supplements (sulphur) in too high a dosage can be toxic the our bodies. When we get these same nutrients from Raw/Living food it is not toxic. There are no side affects. I could go on and on. But I think you get the idea.

Real whole raw/living food is our best medicine

Question:

Thank you for your information on Sulfur. I would be curious to know how  heat affects sulfur? It’s valuable to learn about vitamins and minerals, but as a Raw Food enthusiast, I am specifically interested in understanding how these elements are affected by the cooking process.

Answer:

This is a quote I found from: Part I. Techniques for Protein Quality Evaluation: Background and Discussion

“Processing can also damage the sulphur amino acids of foods, and the full extent of the damage through oxidation of the amino acids cystine and methionine will not be detected by specific procedures for measuring the sulphur amino acids in proteins that themselves determine the oxidized forms, cysteic acid and methionine sulphone. Severe heat treatment in some forms of processing can damage the protein of foods, and the availability of all the essential amino acids may be affected in large part as a result of a decrease in the digestibility of the proteins.”

To make it simple here is a list of some of the things that happen when foods are heated, (studies on sulphur on its own; heated in a lab, have shown some interesting stuff as well). But for this we will focus on what happens to it in regards to heating are food:

Cooking deranges the molecular structure of the vitamins and minerals, (this includes sulphur in our food). Heating fuses the protein molecules together, making the protein unavailable to our bodies.

The bacteria that feeds on the undigested protein gives off toxic carcinogenic by-products. They become inorganic, the ash-like form found in soil. (Note we can not assimilate inorganic minerals, otherwise we could just eat the dirt. In large amounts this would kill us. That is why we need to get them from plants. Plants take up these inorganic nutrients and change them to an organic form that our bodies can use to nourish us. Plants are amazing!!)

Here is another quote:

“According to the textbook Nutrition Value of Food Processing, (which is written for food chemists in the industrial processed food industry), changes that occur during processing either result in nutrient loss or destruction. Heat processing has a detrimental effect on nutrients since thermal degradation of nutrients can and does occur. Reduction in nutrient content depends on the severity of the thermal processing.”

There is a lot more information out there, but one of the best ways to know anything is to ask yourself, “How does my body feel after I eat this food.”

And, Ladies, I’m not talking about the taste.

Dear Monique,

Iam expecting baby #5, yes 5, and I am desirous to eat a raw diet. I am 30lbs overweight. I am very concerned about dumping toxins into my system while supporting a growing baby. I have also read that elevated ketones (from weight loss) can damage my baby’s brain. I want to give this baby the best nutrition possible. I believe raw is it, but I don’t want to hurt him/her. It seems no one wants to speculate about raw nutrition during pregnancy. I know there have been many successful raw Mammas, but all of these were raw before conception. Can you please give me some guidance? Thank you.
~ Adrie

Answer:

Hi Adrie,

Congratulations on the coming baby.

Obviously, it would be very hard for me to make a complete assessment about your situation without knowing some very important information, like your age, whether your doctor is concerned about your weight, what your diet has been like thus far, what is an average day’s food consumption like, do you have high blood pressure, or any other medical problems?

Without scheduling a complete consultation, which would obviously be ideal, here’s what I can suggest:

I’m assuming that you’ve just started on raw foods. If this is the case, then I would suggest that, first, you don’t panic. Second, even though raw foods are the best foods you can eat, I want you to ease into it slowly. I suggest that you have one meal cooked. Vegetarian is preferable. Your other meals and snacks can be raw. Also make sure that you are getting enough calories each day, this is important. Make sure that you also inform your doctor about any changes you’ve made in your eating habits.

I would like to reassure you by telling you that my second, third and forth pregnancies were fine. I was eating a raw/vegan diet. Mind you I was not 100% raw that whole time. But each pregnancy my diet was better and better. The doctor that I had when I was pregnant with my forth child did not know much about vegan’s, let alone raw food, so she asked if she could do a full blood work on me to make sure that the baby and I were getting everything we needed. I said, “no problem” as I was fine and I knew that it would make her feel better.

Funny thing, when I had my next appointment she was going on and on to  (doctor in training), about my blood results, the two of them had their noses in my file. Here I was wondering what was wrong. She finally looked up and said that nothing was wrong and everything was great, She had never seen blood work like that in her life. She also told me that whatever I was doing to keep doing it.

Hope this helps you to feel more confident. I only urge you to please inform yourself, as I’ve seen people go vegan and raw as well–that didn’t know what they were doing and they ran into problems.

Of course, you’re welcome to contact me and The Raw Divas team to schedule a more complete consultation.

Take Care
Monique.

Send Monique your questions