Green Smoothie Liver Tonic (Dandelion, Beets (root and leaves), Lemon, Apple and Ginger)

Come this time of year, I feel my body say, it’s time to cleanse so I can feel rejuvenated. This is a very powerful blend so start out using a small amount of beets. They are great and make one of the best tonics for the liver. The liver is the largest gland in the human body and is responsible for producing bile, metabolizing, and performing several other functions that keep us in good health. A healthy liver benefits all parts of the body. Without a properly functioning liver, the body can’t function at peak capacity.

Beets

Beets are a two-in-one vegetable as you can enjoy both their roots and leaves. Studies show that beets protect liver cells from harmful chemicals with the compounds betacyanin, a red pigment found in red beets and betaxanthin, a yellow pigment found in yellow beets. Both of these pigments can provide powerful antioxidant protection. Beets are rich in folate, a water soluble B vitamin important for a healthy heart and essential for normal tissue growth. The red pigment in beets raises antioxidant enzyme levels in the liver and may promote detoxification in the intestines, blood and liver.

Beet greens are delicious and are rich in vitamins and minerals as well as beta-carotene and lutein. They have almost twice the potassium of the beet root and contain high levels of folic acid, which can help ward off certain birth defects and lung cancer.

Dandelion

Dandelion has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a powerful liver tonic. Dandelion is said to enhance the flow of bile in your body, improving the function of your liver, and remedy liver conditions such as hepatitis, gallstones, and jaundice. A daily cup of dandelion tea is recommended for anyone who feels run-down, sluggish, and over-stressed. Dandelion greens are also an incredibly healthy food — chock full of vitamin C, higher in beta-carotene than carrots and richer in iron and calcium content than spinach.

Live Tonic Green Smoothie Recipe

• ½ small beet (juiced)
  *you can blend the beet in your blender, if your blender has a powerful motor
• 3 to 4 beet green leaves
• 3 to 4 dandelion leaves
• ¼ to ½ lemon
• 2 apples
• 1 inch fresh ginger
• 1 cup water

Blend and enjoy!
Tracy

Interview with Caroline Dupont

By Shannon Leone

I MET CAROLINE MARIE DUPONT at a Raw Festival 3 years ago and was instantly inspired by her beauty and grace.  She has been 100% raw, and has settled into a regime of high-raw that feels peaceful.  Her raw diet is balanced by a dedication to her inner life.  She has learned to attune to her emotions which are so tied to our eating, and now she teaches others to do the same.  Otherwise, she admits, most people will not succeed on a high-raw path without this inner work.  Caroline is the mother of 2 children, both university students and elite athletes, raised as vegetarians from birth. She is a holistic nutritionist, meditation and yoga teacher and author of the book Enlightened Eating and the soon-to-be released DVD by the same name, as well as 3 meditation CDs. In addition to her private practice and lecture schedule, she teaches for the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. See www.carolinedupont.com

Caroline’s recipe book is great for everyone because it is balanced with raw and nutritious cooked recipes.  I was happy to give a testimony and have shared this book with my grateful clients.

Here are some of the sections that you will find in Enlightened Eating:

• Nutritional Guidelines That Apply to Everyone
• Digestion: Differentiating Diet and Nutrition
• Supplementing a Whole Foods Diet
• Detoxification
• Vegetarianism
• Living Foods
• Enlightened Eating: A Self-Realization Diet
• Making Changes: Practical Advice on How to Start
• Dietary Transitions
• Stocking Your kitchen
• Meal Ideas
• Sample Menus
• 200 Recipes (half are raw)

What others have to say:

This is more than a cookbook, or a collection of amazing recipes with thought provoking quotes. It’s a loving, inspiring gift. Caroline’s spirit shines through on every page. -Sandra Entwistle

Her practical approach to vegetarian and raw food is contagious and her recipes can be easily replicated – no fuss required! -Evelyne Gharibian

It contains healthy cooked and raw food choices, which distinguishes it from nearly any other recipe book out there. -Shannon Leone

The sincere and absolute commitment she has to being an example of aliveness and total health is an inspiration to us all. -Jill Hewlett

Here are 2 of my favourite winter recipes featured in ENLIGHTENED EATING:

EARTH BOWL

This is a versatile and satisfying winter breakfast or light lunch or dinner. So simply but it works!

1 apple or pear, cubed directly into a good sized soup bowl

2 celery stalks, cubed and placed in the same bowl

couple TBS dried fruit (raisins, chopped apricots, figs, cranberries, dried blueberries, etc.)

chopped nuts or seeds to taste (walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, etc.)

juice (from an orange)

Great Earth Bowls I have loved:

• apple – celery – walnut – raisins – apple juice
• apple – celery – pecan – chopped apricots – orange juice
• pear – celery – pecan – fig – cherry juice concentrate (diluted)
• pear – celery – almond – cranberries – apple juice

CABBAGE DELIGHT

This salad is basic fare but very special in its own right, and has become one of my personal favourite raw salad meals.  It can be made with winter vegetables that most of us have on hand all the time. Serves 4 to 6. Notice the six flavours that make up a satisfying combination.   Sweet:  carrot, honey, apple, currants.  Sour:  apple, vinegar.  Salt: celery, Celtic sea salt, cheese.  Bitter:  broccoli, cabbage, parsley.  Astringent:  apple, broccoli, cabbage, walnuts. Pungent:  onion, cabbage.

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 Tbs olive oil

1 1/2 Tbs hemp or flax oil

1 Tbs honey

1 -2 tsp Celtic sea salt

1/2 tsp ground fennel

2 cups green cabbage or broccoli, chopped medium fine

3/4 cup red cabbage

1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped fine

1 rib celery, sliced fine

1 carrot, quartered lengthwise and sliced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 apple, cored and diced small

1/2 cup currants or raisins

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped, or 3 Tbs pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup raw cheese, diced small (optional)

Combine dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large salad bowl.  Add vegetables and toss to combine.  Keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF HEARING ABOUT RAW, AND WHO INSPIRED YOU AND HOW RAW DID YOU GO?

I first heard about raw when I started studying nutrition 20 years ago. I was immediately drawn to vegetarianism and along the way came across a book by Ann Wigmore which had some of the first raw recipes that I tried (aside from the usual salads and fruit). I was very inspired by the living food principles. However, at the time I had just become a vegetarian, was a new mother to 2 little ones and for me it was quite a stretch to raise my children without meat and dairy and eggs (remember this was 1990) let alone cooked food. And so although I was impressed enough to include alot of raw in our diets it felt most comfortable to also include cooked grains, legumes and vegetables, as well as high quality dairy products. Later, as my kids got older and I adjusted to a plant-based diet, I started including mroe and more raw. Although I have gone over 6 months on 100% raw, today, I eat anywhere from 60 – 100% raw. I tend to listen to my body rather than impose a particular percentage. In addition to loads of living food, I enjoy steamed vegetables and gluten free grains like brown rice, millet and quinoa. Occasionally I crave legumes in the form of dahl or in a soup. I am committed to doing my emotional work through a disciplined spiritual practice and can easily say that I feel more balanced, and am more content with my eating choices, than ever.than ever as a result.

YOU ALREADY GAVE ME 2 OF YOUR FAVE RECIPES…ANY MORE? (I know I’m greedy! Haha)

Lately I’ve been making alot of cultured vegetables, both the traditional way in a crock pot and also the ‘quick’ way as outlined in Donna Gate’s Book The Body Ecology Diet. One of my favorite simple salads is mixing a cubed avocado with a cup or so of cultured veggies, plus sunflower sprouts. Tonight I mashed shredded kale into the avocado and then added the cultured veggies, some halved cherry tomatoes and some sliced red pepper. Yum! I had a side of steamed Brussels spouts wth this and Mineral Broth with miso. Another recent favourite is Cacaochia Pudding. Make almond milk, using 1 cup of soaked almonds to 4 cups of water, and add cacao or carob to the blender as well as 6 fresh pitted dates and honey or agave to taste. Blend and strain. For one cup of almond milk add 3 Tbs Salba (chia seeds) and let sit for 1/2 hour in a bowl. Voila – it’s like tapioca except that it’s completely raw and so satisfying.

WHAT TRICKS OR TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR MOMS TRYING TO GET THEIR KIDS TO EAT MORE RAW?

My kids are now both away but when they were home I would always cut up fruit for breakfast (sometimes that was enough, other times they would want toast or cereal as well). In their lunches in addition to the ‘main course’ which was often primarily cooked (soup, stew, rice and bean salad, sandwich, healthy pizza), there was always an apple, a container of raw veggies, and a container of raw fruit (grapes, pineapple, pomegranate seeds, melon, etc.). When they got home from school, again I would make plates of raw veggies, fruit and nuts for them to snack on. Nut butters are great to dip the fruit or veggies into. Of course hummus or baba ganouj  are great raw veggie enticers. Fresh juice, citrus or vegetable, is also a favorite of my children’s and I always add a little apple and lemon so that they really enjoy it. Also, green smoothies of course are a great to way to pack a lot of raw goodness into them. So spinach, kale, pear, banana, juice, blueberries, spirulina or wheatgrass powder, ground chia seed are the ingredients of a typical smoothie.

ANY ADVICE FOR WIVES TRYING TO ENTICE THEIR MEN TO GO RAW?

All of the things that I mentioned in the last answer would be great for husbands. Mostly, I think it’s important to enjoy what you’re doing and let the rest of the family come along at their own pace.

A RAW BEAUTY SECRET OF YOURS?

There’s nothing like regular fresh pressed green juice to brighten up and clear the complexion. Also avoiding dairy, flour products, coffee and alcohol. I don’t drink coffee or alcohol but if I have the rare dairy product - (depending how much and  what type – I do enjoy raw goat or sheep cheese occasionally) or flour products, I notice it on my face the next day as pastiness and fatigue.

HOW MUCH SLEEP DO YOU GET, FROM WHAT TIME TO WHAT TIME?

I tend to get 7 to 8 hours sleep every night. I like to go to bed before 10 and get up around 6. I also nap for 12 minutes every afternoon. I don’t time it, it just happens - I love my naps and feel quite refreshed after!

HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU DRINK DAILY?

I drink 4 glasses of water or so plus a few cups of herbal tea, plus a fresh juice, and maybe a cup of mineral broth (which I make by boiling ‘older’ vegetables in water for a couple of hours and then draining.

WHAT IS A TYPICAL BREAKFAST LIKE FOR YOU, AND AT WHAT TIME?

I might eat my first food anywhere form 9 to 11 in the morning. It’s almost always fruit. Today it was a glass of fresh orange juice and later a cut up grapefruit. I eat the Earth Bowl every few days or so as well. Sometimes when I want something hardier, I eat Buckwheat Grawnola (the recipe is in my book). Often, I will make a green smoothie for a little later in the morning.

HOW LATE IN THE EVENING DO YOU FEEL IS OK TO EAT?

I sleep best when I stop eating a few hours before I go to sleep. It doesn’t always work out that way but that’s what I try to do. Sometimes I crave something sweet in the evening so I might add honey to my tea, or make almond chai,

WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST OR ARE INSPIRED BY MOST IN THE RAW MOVEMENT TODAY?

I admire Victoria Boutenko for her sincerity and Gabriel Cousens for his spiritual depth.

WOULD YOU CARE TO SHARE ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE?

Thanks for asking about that, Shannon – it is a cherished part of my days. If I’m know I’m not taking a yoga class that day, I will do a yin-style (postures held for a long time with a meditative attitude) practice first thing in the morning lately while listening to recordings of Adyashanti, an important spiritual teacher of mine. I follow that with 30 to 45 minutes of meditation. I walk in nature 4 or so times/week and I consider this to be part of my spiritual practice. Singing/chanting with my guitar often works its way into my day as well.  I usually meditate again in the late afternoon or early evening. When my kids were home I would send them off to school and then do my practice before going to work myself. I would often meditate in the car while waiting for them at their various activities. Where there’s a will there’s a way!

UPCOMING PROJECTS?

Besides my book and meditation CDs, I am just about to release my first DVD ‘Enlightened Eating – Easy Eating for the Body, Spirit and Planet’ This is a very personal project, shot in my home with the collaboration of family and friends  that highlights my holistic approach to nutrition that has evolved over the past 20 years of living, teaching and loving the natural lifestyle. Also I’ve recently started offering Silent Retreats which I’ve found so valuable for my own deepening. In the early summer I’ll be offering a Silent Retreat and Cleanse which will include a lot of raw food. Food and silence are such a powerful combination!

WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LOVE TO TELL RAW MOMS?

In my journeys, I have met many raw food experts and advocates, as well a people who aspire to adopt this lifestyle for various reasons, and have attended and lectured at raw food events. I have taught dozens of raw food preparation classes in my home. So all of this is to say that I love my vegetarian and mostly raw food diet.  But I do not recommend people go too fast when transitioning to a raw food diet.  I should also add that, although I don’t like to speak in terms of ‘percentages’, I am currently 60 to 100% raw on any given day. At one point I maintained 100% raw for seven months and for a couple of years was 90% raw. I’ve been a vegetarian for 20 years.

All foods are made up of energy of varying levels of vibration. The lower vibration foods would be processed foods, foods that contain chemicals, foods that contain elements of human or animal suffering, or that damage the planet in their production. The highest vibration foods are unprocessed, raw in many cases, whole, organic, locally grown, prepared and eaten with love and gratitude. If we have been used to eating low vibration foods (which the vast majority of people have) and switch too rapidly to a high vibration diet (say 100% raw) we are in for some intense physical and emotional detoxification to the extent that it can do more harm than good, and set us back in our soul growth.

Here’s why: emotions also hold a vibration in our bodies. We all store emotional imprints in our bodies from the multitude of experiences we have encountered since birth and absorbed on our journeys. These emotional imprints can be seen and felt as dense pockets of energy in the human energy field. If we adopt a high frequency diet too quickly the lightness in the body causes the dense emotions to rise to the surface into our awareness, through diffusion, at a pace that can be beyond our current ability to deal with. Also, it’s pretty clear that most people’s dietary choices come from an emotional place rather than true need. On adopting a raw foods diet, many, if not most of our food-based emotional crutches have been taken away. How will we now deal with these emotions? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful process to unearth old emotions, to move through them and let them go, in the process revealing more and more of our shining authentic beauty. But, for most it takes time, and by that I mean years, to develop the grounding, the spiritual practice and the emotional stamina to both maintain a very high vibration diet and stay balanced.

When I work with clients my recommendation is to start with 30 to 50% raw and gradually increase, while developing a steady daily meditation and spiritual practice. I encourage them to let their level of balance and joy be the gauge. Rather than imposing a certain amount of raw on ourselves or our children, we can let the process be fluid and joyful. Our bodies will surely tell us when to increase raw foods, and also when we need more cooked or dense food because we may be going through particularly accelerated spiritual growth which always includes emotional letting go. We need to give our children this same trust in their body’s ability to choose appropriate and health supporting-foods.

A few other things I’d like to mention …

• A living food and vegetarian diet makes us far more sensitive to surrounding energies which is why many raw foodists seem to live in the country. If you live in the city this needs to be considered. Again, it takes time to strengthen the energy field through spiritual practice to be able to withstand the effects or artificial lighting, electricity, radiation, traffic, noise, etc.
• I love eating primarily local foods and one of the reasons I eat less raw in the winter is that it doesn’t feel right to consume so much imported, unripe, irradiated foods.
• Raw vegetables can be hard to digest for many people. In that case steamed vegetables and gluten free grains are a wonderful choice.
• Given the questionable quality of many foods nowadays, even organic, I think it’s wise to give children some denser cooked foods to help them to feel grounded and satisfied.

Our food choices are supporting the soul on this incredible journey called life … may we trust and let joy be our guide!

When Our Kids Won't Eat Right (Part One)

By Shannon Leone

As moms, nothing seems to tug on our heart-strings, or simply irk us more than when our kids won’t eat the nutritious food we are trying to get into them!  As a RAW MOM, I think it is even harder for us because we are so well-educated in the importance of good nutrition and feel completely at loose ends if our kids eat less than healthy choices.  I was always very into making sure my kids ‘ate healthy’.  But when we all went raw, I realised the rice and steamed asparagus or broccoli actually wasn’t as healthy as I had thought. It was a finer distinction.  Everything went to another level- a whole other level!  And I KNOW you moms feel the pressure just as I did to give your young family the best start possible in life.  And we know for the most part, that means RAW.

My family and I sat down together the other night to watch a video called THE 11^TH HOUR.  It showcased everything that is wrong with our world today- chemical pollution in our air, water, and land (they didn’t even touch on our FOOD!) the extinction of thousands of species per year, the climate change crisis, top-soil erosion, deforestation, corporate greed, etc etc.  It was an eye opener especially for those who may not already realise these things.  My children and husband were quite moved and were very thoughtful after.  I realised if people would just GO RAW, soooooooooooo much of these problems would effortlessly, naturally reverse.  I told my kids that just the methane gas from the cows farts (sorry, is there a technical name?) that are raised for meat are contributing to global warming, and if people just went vegetarian…And they GOT THAT!  They saw the connection.  I went further (the grosser, the better the boys liked it) and I mentioned the excrement produced by this livestock has no sewage system in place and the toxic waste goes into the water bed and eventually ends up in human drinking water supply. They just couldn’t believe that human waste isn’t allowed to be dumped into the environment like the billion tons of feedlot waste is.

Cooking is a major reason for deforestation. In Africa, for example, the tropical forests are being cut and cleared for cooking wood. This is happening on nearly every continent.

Then we talked about the packaging and disposal crisis, the landfills, the plastic containers that make their way into the oceans.  Those juice-boxes all their friends use in school at lunch are used for 5 minutes then last practically FOREVER as garbage. When one eats raw food, these things all become non-issues to a great extent.

I know it is true that some of the raw foodists in our community talk in ways that turn off the masses i.e. ‘COOKED FOOD IS POISON’ or ‘YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT’.  I realise people are turned-off when their choices to eat meat or junk food are questioned or under scrutiny.  It is also clear that for the majority of people who are so numbed-out from a lifetime of stress, emotional dysfunction,  lack of support or resources and even mis-education about how to actually be healthy, that going high-raw just isn’t doable, especially right off the bat.  But still, I am convinced that whoever has the awareness, the clarity to see through all the confusion and destruction, and can go raw will benefit and contribute to the solution instead of the problem.

Moms write in all the time asking me how to deal with ‘picky eaters’, or husbands who are sabotaging there efforts, or even their own cravings.  (I am addressing all this and more in my upcoming book RAW MOM/COOKED DAD) There really is no easy answer.  No quick fix.  For me, it comes down to ‘What is your level of commitment?’ and also, to EDUCATE yourself and your family so THEY can see with THEIR OWN EYES how their choices will affect them, their future, and their planet, everything they care about.

When they are really small, under 5, I kept it light and matter-of-factly with my kids and food: this is how we do it was my attitude. They through the powers of their strong imitative force, perhaps noticed others eating differently, like relatives and friends, but they followed mommy. When they needed more, I included them in the things I was constantly learning.  I would show them videos, read them snippets from articles, ask them why they think their friends got sick, etc.  In short, I got them thinking.  Now, they make up their own conclusions about things.  After the movie they said, “Mom, we don’t need anymore toys- well… not until next Christmas” responding to what must have hit them hard in the movie about all the consumerism.  They both declared eating animals was something they felt was very wrong and when they were old enough they would be vegetarians or vegans (right now I insist on a little raw dairy sporadically and some fish a few times per year as of last year due to one of my son losing so much weight and developing very dry skin that even all the EFA’s he was getting in his raw diet- flax ground, hemp seeds, almond mylk, avocados, coconut butter in green smoothies, durian, and green juices etc- didn’t seem to help- yet within weeks of one glass of raw milk a day his skin was all better)  they also declared they would live on a piece of land in the country where they could go even 100% raw without all the temptation and distraction they face in the city. (Before this movie they used to always say that when they grew up they would STAY 80% and NO MORE! Lol!)

Life is process, a journey.  Nothing stays the same.  Your kids will move in and out of phases and conditions.  Do your best.  Do what you can.  Do what you want.  Do what feels right.  Determine your own level of commitment, and then act accordingly.  No guilt, fear, or shame.  And no pressure to do more!  Next month may be different.  Or next year.  Just keep moving in the direction that inspires and uplifts you.  Make compromises when necessary.  Record favourite raw recipes that work and you keep making those, and steadily build on them.  Keep coming back here for support and information, and honour yourself for being an incredible mom for doing all this!

You are making progress, even if it is only internally at first.  First the roots, then the fruits. I’ll give some concrete suggestions and ideas in an upcoming post that may be very helpful.  But in the meantime, cultivate your mindset.  Be proud of what YOU are doing.  Appreciate and radiate gratitude for even knowing about the power of RAW and for having the CHOICE of raw and being a PIONEER for the sake of your family.  You are beautiful, Mom! xo Shannon

Garlic Paste – Fast and Savory Green Smoothies!

This is an excellent way to add garlic to savoury green smoothies. It is also an excellent substitute for cream or butter to go with steamed potatoes! It is great having a jar of this one hand in the fridge for all sorts of dishes and snacks, and it keeps for ages. Well, if it isn’t eaten first, that is!

Garlic Paste Recipe

• 1 cup garlic cloves
• 4 cups olive oil
• 1 cup water (or to desired consistency)
• 2-3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp citric acid.

Blend garlic and salt in food processor until smooth.Gradually add oil and water. Continue blending.When mixture is smooth, add citric acid and blend well.

Store in glass jar in fridge.

Enjoy!

Blessings,
Veronica

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