Day 7: Easy Does It Every Time

Today is Day 7 of our 90 Day Detox. 90 days is a long time. I thought I’d include a picture of the dreamy wonder boy I had a date with this week. He he… Just kidding. But this picture is important and I’ll explain in a moment. First…

Yesterday I dipped my spoon a few times in the “Cream” of Broccoli Soup I made for the kids, so that’s my official cheat for yesterday. If you want the recipe, it’s a knockout and you can find it here! If you’re not on the 100% raw path for this adventure, this is a great vegan soup that is loaded with greens or whatever good veggies you have in the house.

I sure noticed how it threw me off to eat late the other night. Today I started off with some nibbles of grawnola, but I’d like to stick to water for the rest of the day and evening. I’d like to get back on track to eating first things in the morning and stopping in the afternoon.

3:00pm would be my last meal target.

Do you wanna try that with me tomorrow, Sunshine?

Here’s a very, very, very valuable piece of information that will really help you in life and help you if you’re going to take the 3:00 pm challenge with me this week:

Where you struggle to control some area of your life as you would like, simply approach the situation on a gentle gradient and soon you will have it handled.

It doesn’t matter what the subject is, the approach is the same. It can be a nasty relationship with your ex-husband (I love you, Jason!) It can be a office desk with clutter out of control. Food addictions, personal obsessions and phobias all fall under the same rule. Take change on a gradient. If you can control a small area of something and increate your control by a gradient over time, you’ll eventually master that area of your life and you’ll get it! (Whatever it is you’re trying to get, that is!)

Let’s take the example of eating late. Well, if this happens to be your main area of difficulty, something that you REALLY struggle to control, then gradually move toward your target on a gradient. Don’t jump from porking out on midnight corn chip sessions to expecting yourself to finish your last meal at 3:00 pm. Start creeping toward your target. You’ll get there.

If you’re not sure that you can make it at 3:00pm for tomorrow’s last meal, then how about if you eeeease and creep your way there with me this week? We can just stop eating an hour earlier every day. Then on Friday, you can stop at 3:00. If you think you can do 3:00pm right away, then go ahead! I’m going to try.

I hope you’re still wondering what’s up with that hot stallion above…

On March 7th, my brother, who I TOTALLY LOVE AND ADORE, has invited me to celebrate his birthday with him at a WRESTLING MATCH!! CRAZY! You should see the Facebook invitation he sent. I can’t believe he’s inviting me to get drunk and go wrestling. First of all, a few thimbles of any alcholic drink and I’m on the floor. We’re going to be shopping at second hand stores and dressing the part. Making posters and wearing greasy, neon t-shirts.  It’s going to be the strangest thing I’ve ever done and while a big part of me is completely repulsed by the idea, I loooove the strangeness of it all.

While the chances of me burping back beer are slimmer than he might like to think, I’m thrilled to be included in such a Trashy Adventure in spite of all my eco-obsessions! I’ll keep you posted when it gets a bit closer!

Speaking of wrestling and raw divas… this is so funny! When I first started this adventure, I had no idea that there were some hot wrestling babes known as the “Raw Divas”. Seriously. Anyway, it would perturb me that when people googled “Raw Divas” it came up wrestling babes everywhere. Well, Google says that we win the search engine war. At least, in text we do. While the first 2 listings in Google are our sites now, Google images pops in some hottie photos right on top. Anyway, for March 7th, maybe I’ll wear my “Raw Diva” hoodie and people will think I’m cool!

There’s something really important that I’d like to address tomorrow. A kind of detox that doesn’t get discussed very often, but amidst all that we’ve been doing, it’s the thing I’m most committed right now to “releasing” in the name of detoxification.

I love what we’re doing here, because it’s not just about the food.

I hope you’re doing well, Sunshine. I loooove it when you leave me comments. It boosts me, too. It really does. Like the little “Go, Tera, Go!” that I need to continue and make this my priority.

Thanks.

Tee RAH! Tee RAH!

Today’s Inspirational Story:

(I know I owe you another one from yesterday!) This comes from Alissa Geurink who has been an incredible support to our community and programs behind the Diva curtain. Here’s a story that is at the heart of the things that matter most to me in life–getting people off psychiatric drugs. There are few things that spark my inner fire than knowing people are being put on psychiatric drugs. The fact that the innocent are the primary target through school systems is the kind of thing that would make me a popular writer on Mike Adam’s website. The guy kicks Psych-butt and I love him for it. Around here I try to keep things more positive, rather than rage against the evil of the world. It’s not that I can’t see it, or am not aware of the things that are going on out there–it’s just that I believe that what we put our attention on grows… validate what you want to create more of in the world. There are enough merchants of fear and choas in the world. ‘Round here we like to keep it poppin’ with good vibrations. So give it up for an incredible sister with a powerful story of tranformation: (loooove you like glue, Alissa! Thank you for all you do to support us ’round here!)

When you are on anti-depressants you are treating the symptoms and not the cause. There are several things that can trigger depression from a life changing event to a change in your diet. All of my life I feel like I have suffered from depression. I just did not feel right. Life in general did not click. I managed it pretty well for a long time, often times that would include putting up a fake façade and hiding in the crowd. I started to lose it when I had a year of changes. It was 2002: the year after the terrorists crashed into the twin towers, the year that I got married, the year I moved to a different city, the year my mother died, the year my brother died, the year I started to lose it. I think I pushed that back in my head and didn’t give myself enough room to cope with all of the changes. I went on with life.

A couple of years later, hormones entered my body as I started gearing up for the biggest change in my life – A child. That was it; after Alexander (whom I refer to as my little angel – different story) was born I went into a huge depressive state. It was not a matter of coping – it was hitting me hard. I felt all of the changes that occurred flood back into me. At that time my job was shaky, and I was butting heads left and right with my mother-in-law. I also felt the past depressive state come forward too: all of the feelings that I had all my life – the feeling that life was not clicking, not being worthy to be on the same plane of existence, feeling ugly, fat, the list goes on. I went to the doctor and explained what was going on (at that point I did not want to live). She put me on a high dosage of Lexapro. This helped me to cope with some of the issues that were going on in my life. I tried to go off of it about 6 months after I went on it, but found myself going right back on it. According to the doctors Lexapro is not addictive, but I found myself needing to take it otherwise I would get dizzy and fuzzy minded. I wouldn’t have control over what I was saying. That was about 2 ½ years ago. About 4 months ago, I wanted to get off the stuff. I felt that I was walking around like a zombie; I was in a constant state of “whatever”. I started losing my creativity. I wanted my passion and fire back, only without the ups and downs of my depressive state. I wanted to look in the mirror and love the person staring back at me! I wanted to be the me that I have always wanted and dreamed to be!

They tell us depression can come from a chemical imbalancement. I have explored gluten and dairy free options before and I knew that I had felt so good when I wasn’t eating wheat or dairy. I thought why not give it a try. During my research I came across the raw lifestyle. It clicked. I knew it was going to be an uphill battle with lots of protesting and questions from my meat eating husband (I think we had one of our biggest arguments over raw food), but I wanted to give it a try. And I did… I got tons of cook books (okay, un-cookbooks) and went out grocery shopping for raw food type substances. But it never happened. I was too addicted to cooked food and by that time to wheat and to dairy. Some time in the fall, I received a flyer for the Body Enlightenment System through one of my raw food websites that I joined. It looked pricey, but I knew that this would be the push that I needed! It was a support group for people who wanted to get a better lifestyle through raw foods. I would even get a buddy! Someone who I could get a hold of when I felt like eating a donut! This seemed like an amazing program so I spent the money and joined up.

It is now about 2 months after the program ended. There is a new program starting up in March. I have never thought twice about the money I spent. Going on this program has been the best decision I have made. It connected me with so many wonderful people. Some helped me, and I know that I have helped others. Eating the way that the BES showed us allowed me to lose about 10 pounds and slowly go off of Lexapro! To this day I do not regularly take Lexapro, I am off it and I feel great!!!! But most importantly I feel like I have a grasp of what life is. I feel connected to it and know what path I should take. Every day I wake up smiling and ready to give a big hug to who ever wants it. I can’t help to giggle in the morning when I blend my green smoothie. People have noticed and have asked what my secret is: I tell them the BES system!

making a killing

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you, or someone you know, are currently taking psychiatric medication, I think really think you should see this. It’s a DVD called, Making A Killing and my only professed Raw Food hero, Mike Adams is a shining star feature in this DVD. (He’s even on the back cover, which is what made me pick up the DVD in the first place.) This DVD is a reality-shattering film. It totally uncovers the psychiatric drug story for what it is.

Watch it and get a whole new perspective on life. Buy it, watch it, then leave your copy on a coffee table in the waiting room at the doctor’s office when you’re done.

There is a way out and people deserve to know this.

One more good reason to go dairy and gluten free!

I loved this film so much I ordered a case so that I could help get the message out there. You can order your copy HERE! (only 96 copies available!)

Day 6: The date.

It’s Day 6.

So much for the “Daylight Diet” last night. I didn’t eat dinner until 11pm.  I’d planned this late night picnic before and so I decided to just go with it. I can confirm that this morning I certainly felt a bit groggy because of it.

What follows is addressed to the ladies in the house. While I don’t mean to exclude men, and perhaps there are lessons to be learned here for them, too, I want to address something of importance to me.

Ladies,

You know that feeling when someone looks you “up and down” in the wrong way? Or the feeling that someone is “checking you out”? It’s a threatening feeling–a violation of one’s space. It causes us to turn inward, to feel self conscious and introverted.

Imagine the opposite of that. Imagine a situation where you’re with a person who GIVES you space. Someone who doesn’t appear to have judgment in their eyes at all. It’s not that he is unconscious or just doesn’t notice you, but that he doesn’t appear to have an agenda. He doesn’t care if you have mascara on or not. He doesn’t care if you wear pumps or flats, and wouldn’t even notice whether or not you have cellulite on the back of your thighs. He’s just there, with you, because he wants to know WHO YOU ARE.

Well, that’s how I felt last night.

No offense to the men in the house, but I’ve never been with a person and felt that comfortable. I don’t think it would have mattered if I’d had on a designer tomato red bikini or a parka. It was ME he wanted to get to know, and so because of that, it was one of the most satisfying date experiences I’ve ever had.

I’ll let you know how things progress, if they progress. I’ve been through enough life experience to know that I’m keeping my eyes on my goals:

1. Creating a thriving community of women ON FIRE about health and about life!

2. Living my passion and expressing it passionately in the work I do.

3. Commit to the things and people that make life work–that make me stronger, more able and that AFFIRM who I am.

4. To be, as Sebastian calls me, “The Best Mom in the Whole Wide University.”

5. To be unapologetically ME, and to have that be a good thing with the people around me.

And so, while I was all giddy and playful last night, this morning I feel a general sense of calm, appreciation and…

…serenity.

I know I have a lot of enthusiasm, I have playfulness and all these glorious action-filled emotions. But I think serenity sits just slightly higher than these on the ladder of life’s expressions and it comes with a certain sort of ease–like you just know all is well in your world and it always will be. And you don’t fight against your mess and you don’t race against a clock. You just ARE and in that space the world and all its elements just sorta fall in place like pieces of a puzzle. You hit all the green lights when you drive, you make it to the bus on time and Sally calls you just 2 minutes after you’d had her “on your mind”.

That’s a fun place to be.

I think I’m going to sit there for a while, and I’ll get back to you later.

Still love you like glue, Snickerdoodle.

Thanks for being here. Thanks for being you, too.

TeeeeRAW!

Day 5: I Feel ALIVE!

It’s Day 5 and I feel ALIVE, Girlfriend! (Or boyfriend if you’ve managed to brave the pink storm and join us for some detox fun!)

I think I need to take a nap before my spa adventure. Did I mention we’re also going skating under the stars, too?! How fun is THAT!?

There is A LOT going on around here and I just want to take a moment and take inventory on all that we’ve got on the go:
Health In High Heels has officially rolled off the diva presses! You can CHECK IT OUT HERE! Thanks to Shayla, we’re able to get these out a lot more regularly now. I have to admit, we’re so fortunate to have an incredible team of people supporting us. Maureen Lauder has been doing some great writing behind the scenes and I can’t wait to show it off. Angela Elliott and Shannon Leone are hard at work in preparation for the release of our new natural Beauty Book. This is SUCH an incredible book–sassy, natural and loaded with great recipes. We haven’t picked the release date, yet, but watch for it.

There is a cozy team of women also preparing a very special release for the 2 year anniversary of The Raw Divas. You’ll LOVE IT! And and and and aaaaaand, we just got word from Blendtec yesterday that they will be sponsoring us with a gorgeous, shiny RED LOVE MACHINE as part of their sponsorship for our Spring Twitter Festival. (I’ll tell you all about that VERY soon) You should also know that we have a St. Patrick’s Day version of the Green Smoothie Challenge coming up, too. Usually the Green Smoothie Queen dons her crown for 3 days at a time only, but in the name of the luck of the Irish, we’re doing lucky number 7 days of a Green Smoothie Challenge for St. Patty’s Day!

The Body Enlightenment System will start up again when the tulips pop their heads!

Vanessa Stewart, our Clutter Free Diva is going to be hosting a steamy call about romance and how to use the tools of Feng Shui to enhance and improve your current relationship or attract your ideal mate! This call is going to be on Sunday, March 1st at 4:00 p.m. EST, and you can read about it here. Once spring comes, watch our Clutter Free Community prepare for a MAJOR office clean-up, too!

Behind the scenes in Raw Mom land we have some AMAZING projects preparing for release. A gorgeous (and I mean GORGEOUS) new recipe book for kids written by Joanne Newell and illustrated by my kids’ Dad (yup! my ex-husband) who is doing a fantatic job making this book come to LIFE!

You know what’s crazy about all that I just wrote? That’s not the half of it!!

May 24th marks the impending release date of an incredible program for women that I am creating with Catherine Garceau, an olympic medalist and recovered bulimic. Together she and I and a panel of experts in health and medicine will be putting together a support program for women with “eating disorders”. This is going to be such a passion-filled and life-changing program, I am on the edge of my seat with excitement about what’s coming and the people that will be involved.

And there’s more, my dear. So much more, but I can hardly think it all in a day. That’s why, if you did sign up for the high-support version, and you ARE going to do some volunteer work, we can always use help! There’s a lot to do and the more we connect as a community, the more exciting things get around here.

WHOoooooooaaaa, Nellie!

I just finished up the most energetic, enlightening teleseminar I’ve had in a loooong time. Paul Nison, YOU ROCK! If you missed the teleseminar, please listen to it HERE! He’s on to something and I hope that call will inspire you to make some changes in your lifestyle. This call was practically MADE for me. These are all my biggest stumbling blocks–eating and working too late at night. I’m thrilled about this call and really looking forward to implementing some of the changes.

ACK!

Only 3 hours until my date. I haven’t even done my hair, yet! I made pizzas and my grawnola and a sweet potato pudding. It’s delicious. now I’m just going to whip together a creamy cashew drizzle for decoration and then I’m throwing my skates over my shoulders, my bikini in my backpack and I’m outta here.

I LOVE YOU, you crazy raw food eater, you! I don’t know how you got here, but I’m sooo grateful you made it. I’m having a blast getting to know you, hearing your stories and receiving your positive feedback and encouragement.

Do have a spectacular day and you better darn-well believe I’ll be updating YOU on this evening’s adventure’s tomorrow. Mmmmmmuah!

It’s a red bikini, by the way. Deep tomato red. Gorgeous! Love IT! Hand made in Montreal at my FAVORITE shop.

Love you like glue, my little snickerdoodle,

TeeeeeRAW!

Day 4: Nothing But Good News

Hi, Lovebutton. Only 86 days to go!

How was your Day 4? I’ve been eating very little and feeling pretty good for it. Mostly just one meal a day! I haven’t had much of an appetite at all, so just going with the flow. Today I wrapped some sprouted chickpea hummous in a collard leaf with sprouts and a sprouted sunflower seed dressing. It was pretty good. That and a bit of citrus are all I ate today.

Tomorrow I have a  date! I’m going to the Scandanavian Spa where we do hot room, cold rinse and repeat until well done! I’m totally excited and I had to go and get myself a new bikini for the adventure! This is just a friendly date, but with SUUUUUUCH a nice guy ao I’m TOTALLY excited. He’s been busy making raw food recipes this week (he’s been raw for 2 years already) and I made some of my Mountain Girl Grawnola! Yuuummmm!

Time For Treats and Special Giveaways

Chica, if you post a comment below, letting me know you read this post, I’ll TOTALLY send you my AMAZING Grawnola recipe. You’ll need a dehydrator, but it’s AMAZING!!

I’ll have to take a picture of my new bikini and let you see it! (Not on me, of course!)

I hope day 4 is going well for you so far. I have been busy preparing to make a few announcements. Tomorrow we should be sending out the latest issue of Health In High Heels. We have another new book from Angela Elliott to show off and some other treats and surprises. Buuuuut, the thing that I am the MOST excited about telling you today is the fact that WE FOUND THE PERFECT DOCTOR to support the second half of our 90 Day Detox!!!

Yeeeeeehhhhaw!

I know many of you were hoping to be able to do a 90-day deep tissue detox, and we’ll definitely be working with our new Doctor to make this happen. She’s great and has already been supporting what we do around here. You can learn a bit more about her here! Dr. Ritamarie! I’m So, so, soooo excited about this and as you’ll see poking around on her site, we’ve got a winner on our hands. I’m sure many of you will be able to relate to her, as she’s a family woman and a working girl all wrapped up in one. Let me know what kinds of things you’d like us to interview her on? I’ve got some ideas brewing, that’s for sure.

Oooooh! The other thing I did today was meet with this CRAZY intuitive friend of a friend who does Iridology. HOLY SMOKES!! It was soooo interesting. He’s taking off for Costa Rica, but back in a couple months and we’re going to take pictures of my eyes and he’s going to do a little mini consulation with me ON THE BLOG so that you can see what he does. VERY fascinating stuff.

I think this is the most exciting thing we’ve every done around here. I’m just thrilled, thrilled about the process and hope that you’re enjoying things too. I know my inspirational messages aren’t coming out like clockwork on any particular time of the day, but they’re coming. My 90-day commitment to myself, to this community and to my blog is DEFINITELY going to be in place, I just can’t promise sometimes when I’ll get my cheerful message of love out here to share with you all!

Tomorrow I’ve got to leave early and run the kids to school. Tonight I still have some pizza crusts to make (yes!! Raw pizza crusts) for after the spa tomorrow night.

I want to leave you with raspberry kisses and a couple inspirational comments I’ve received this week soa far already. Again, I just want to say, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for being here. I hope you’re doing okay and if you’re not, weeeell, just drop me a line and let me know. We’ve got a hug, an ear and a kick in the derriere if you need that, too, just waiting for you.

Read and Believe It! Hopefully your story will be next, Sugarplum:

“Dear Tera,

When I found the “raw divas”, I was looking for a natural detox because I’d been feeling bloated for a while. I had recently done a “detox” that included some morning concoction and weird pills to take during the day and at before bed. About a month after I was done, I ballooned up like I’d never seen before – I knew something went wrong. So I started to look for a healthier alternative and landed on the “raw detox diet” and then the raw divas!

I initially signed up for the 7 day detox program, but I didn’t go through with it. Then, last month, I tried the 3-day green smoothie challenge and just LOVED it! I literally lost 5 pounds right away and I was sooo impressed that I decided to try the 7-day program again. Although it was tougher to do, I got through it and lost an additional 5-6 pounds (my scale won’t make up its mind).

I’m sooo happy with the results! I feel soo good just from less than 2 weeks of eating good food – I’m more clear-headed and focused, I drink more water, I have less cravings (although I still get some occasionally), I definitely think less about food, etc… I never thought of myself going “raw” (and I’m not completely there either) and now here I am, salivating at the thought of a green spinash smoothie – thanks to you and the wonderful community of raw divas out there!

Green Smoothie Queens all the way!!!!!!

Nora”

Okay, and here’s something that came in this afternoon that totally warmed my heart! One of the volunteer/work exchange participants of the program is going to be translating all of our materials into Spanish! AAaaand, we’re actually going to help her set it up as her own website, so she can start making a living doing what she loves, just like we do! Here’s one of the messages she sent me today:

Yeiiippp!!

I can’t believe that we’re doing this!! It is amazing and I’m starting to work in the translation so it will be ready very soon.

I feel so full of motivation to do this work as well as to follow the 90 days of detox that it is just incredible how life is! Since Monday, I cut all chesse and gluten from my diet. This week was a little bit difficult to fast or to be completly raw, but I’m going to be gentle with myself and as you said, and I won’t be obsessed with the food. Just one step at a time!

Yesterday at night I was craving for some bread and then I just realized that I had some raw corn bread in the frezeer, so I just warm it and eat it with some avocado and a little salad! I felt great with myself!! and also I did yoga yesterday and today I did pilates! I’mm sooooo motivateddd!! I sent an email to all my friends inviting them to join us in the 90 days detox! I hope that some of them decided to do it.

Thanks again and again for this amazing opportunity!! and yes!! Raw DIVAS are crossing the language boundaries! yeipp!!

Love and a lot of pineapple hugs!

Lau-raw

Can you see how totally amazing and perfectly serendipitous it is when we all come together to make things happen? I’m on fire! I love this program and all you gorgeous people involved in making it happen.

But just in case you might not be having an easy go of things… just in case you’ve already fallen off the proverbial “wagon” I want you to know you can tell me that, too. Tomorrow I’d like to share a story about a very special friend who is having SUCH a hard time in life right now. I want to let you know the ONE THING that is going to get her through this difficult time and why YOU need to know about it.

Loooove you like CRAZY and hope you’re swirling and spinning in your own good news and great vibrations. Wish me luck tomorrow night! Skating under  the stars, the Skandanavian Spa (in my new, super-gorgeous bikini), the tea by a fireplace! Mmmm…

Adventure and celebration of life are in the air!!
Can YOU smell it, too?

Love,

Tera

p.s.

YES! I do have a cake recipe to go with that icing recipe from yesterday. I’ll pass it along tomorrow.

Green Smoothie Made With Love (Dinosaur Kale, Blackberries, Bananas, Medjool Dates)

Today I thought about the conversation that I had with another mom as we were waiting to pick up our children from school.  It’s funny how I am known as the mom always talking about ‘green smoothies’.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this at first because my first reaction was that I do so much more than just talk about green smoothies, but I had to check in with myself and feel gratitude that I could be in a place (mind, body and spirit) where I could feel happy to share the many wonderful benefits of drinking green smoothies.

When friends or family members see me coming, I usually have a green smoothie that I’ve made for someone.  I feel so blessed to be able to share something with someone that I made with LOVE.

Growing up, my mom was not much into cooking and I didn’t embrace the idea of cooking until I moved from Chattanooga, TN to New York City.  I prepared meals for myself that were healthy and tasty, but I never shared my food with friends because most of my friends back then were meat eaters and weren’t too impressed with my vegetarian cooking.  So when I make green smoothies for friends, family or just about anyone I meet, I have a smile not only on my face, but in my heart.

Who will you share a green smoothie with today?

Dino Blackberry Green Smoothie Recipe

• 1 to 2 handfuls dinosaur kale
• ½ C. blackberries
• 2 bananas
• 3 to 4 Medjool Dates (remove pits)
• 1 C. water (optional)

Enjoy!

~Tracy

Day 3: Confessions of a Late Night Nibbler

Weeeell, my little Sparkle Puff of loooove!

How are YOU??

My nose is running, my hair is a mess, the snow outside is DUMPING, but I feel FANTASTIC! I am so, so, soooo excited about this 90-day detox. The responses that have been coming in are SO moving and I am just completely invigorated by this whole process.

I promised I’d tell you a little confession, but I’m not quite ready yet.

First, I want to say how totally excited I am about this week’s special guest. Paul Nison is a really great guy, and I have been so enjoying getting to know him better recently. Paul has some very exciting things to announce on the call, and I know that teleseminar is going to be JAM-PACKED with valuable info to support you in this process.

Some Important Changes:

A lot of people seem to be a bit confused about how to follow along on the blog. That’s why we’re putting together a new page for people who are just coming on board. If you’d like to tell other people about this 90-Day Detox, then it would be best if you sent them HERE!

I Need YOU!

I know the experts have lots of great things to say, but I’d really appreciate you sharing YOUR stories with us on the blog and throughout this program. So if you have an inspiring story you’d like to share, could you please write me a note about it. This month we’re focused on eliminating dairy products and gluten. Tami left some great feedback on the comments. If you’d like to learn more about the effects of gluten on the body, then do some google searching on gluten.

WHOOOOA!! STOP THE PRESSES!

I just came across the most amazing article.  Yuu have to stop everything you’re doing and READ THIS NOW!! I was looking for more specific information about gluten, and I know that this organization gives amazing lectures to practitioners of functional medicine, but, you have to be a student. Soooo, I signed up to be notified about the next semester’s registration, and they gave me THIS!

DOWNLOAD THIS FREE ARTICLE!!

There’s some medico jargon you should definitely skip over, but the crux of this article is AMAZING and inspiring. I think it will really teach you to stop comparing yourself to others–to stop expecting that your situation should be like everyone else’s situation. It will also give you some reality on what functional medicine is all about.

I’m doing some research right now on what you should expect from your health care practitioners. I think this article is really valuable. So check it out and let me know what you learn from it!

It’s time for us to take our health back into our hands! Inform yourself of what your health care practitioner’s are learning. I loved reading this article because it gave me a “behind the scenes” view of what doctors see and are learning.

Okay. You want the confession now, right?

Last night I broke my fast by eating…

…Chocolately Icing!!!

Okay, it’s not THAT bad, because it’s not real chocolate or “real” icing, but I broke my fast at 10:30pm. That’s not great.:-( I really got to see that I have a habit of eating at night to keep me awake!! I was dozing off at the computer, then got up and decided I needed a snack!  But I wasn’t hungry. I just was trying to keep myself awake. In light of Paul’s upcoming lecture, I’m going to focus a lot this month on not eating after dark. Today I stopped eating at 5pm. I’ll let you know how it goes. But I think I also have to commit to going to bed on time. That will help, too! If you want my chocolatey icing recipe, Ill give it to you, but you have to promise not to eat it after dark.

Chocolately Icing/Dip

fresh dates (1 cup)

coconut oil (1-2 Tablespoons)

carob powder

water to make it smooth

Directions:

Whip it up in the blender or food processor until smooth. It’s totally delicious, dairy and gluten free! I say GO FOR IT!!

Today’s Success Story:

This comes to us from a darling diva in Toronto, Canada!

Doreen On Eating Raw

Friends shrieked “YOU”RE DOING WHAT???” “Eating raw’ I happily replied. I love new experiences and challenges, so when an email appeared in my inbox entitled, Our 30-Day Raw Food Weight Loss Programme, I ran to get my credit card and signed up immediately. At first I was overwhelmed by all the recipes, scheduled calls, buddy emails, etc. Then I decided I would do what I could and let the rest go. Saying ‘yes’ to  the 30 day raw food program was one of my best decisions in 2008.

Looking back over the year, I realize that I was steadily heading towards eating raw. I just hadn’t made the decision consciously. Back in March I had bought a great juicer. Almost daily I juiced greens and my taste buds really shifted. In August I bought a rebounder and started gently bouncing on it. These days I’m running up to 30 minutes/day on it. In September I heard Dr. Clement from the Hippocrates Institute speak about longevity and living foods. I was hooked.

Eating raw the first thing I noticed was that my skin looked healthy and felt incredibly smooth. People told me I was glowing. Somewhere during the 30 days of eating raw, I was twenty pounds lighter. I felt great – motivated and super charged. In the past I’ve often been overwhelmed by food cravings. As much as I don’t like labels, emotional eater aptly described me. I use the past tense because I didn’t experience food cravings during the 30 days of eating raw and the following weeks. It is mid-February and I’m still maintaining a predominantly raw diet. I do eat cooked vegetables when I’m out for dinner, whether in a restaurant or at friends. I still haven’t experienced cravings like I used to – for that I am incredibly grateful. My weight is no longer the focus and that is a big change. I gave away my scale years ago, so I am no longer weighing myself constantly to see if I’ve lost/gained any weight. I feel so free! I only weigh if I stop by my doctor’s office and in mid-January I was 40 pounds lighter than Nov 1st. Yahoo! As my focus shifted off of my weight and onto being healthy, I named my new way of eating/being as ‘Excavating Doreen’. I believe that excess food and weight has hidden my true essence for many years and I am ready to let all of that go and let myself shine.

After the month of eating raw I was motivated to de-clutter my apartment. I’ve gotten rid of many, many things, including my favourite dolls from my childhood. I lined them up against the wall – just like I did when I was 4 – took their picture, several times. Then kissed them good-bye, thanked them for being my favourite dolls and gave them away. I have lots of space in my life – both physical and psychological – these days. I am going to start a colon cleanse in the next couple of weeks. This excavation process is invigorating. I’m excited about what I’ll discover next.

Video of the Week: GreenSmoothieGirl on How to Make a Green Smoothie

Robyn of GreenSmoothieGirl does a great job meeting her goal of “helping families eat whole foods.” In this wonderfully simple video she shares that by starting your day with a green smoothie you can get 15 servings of fruits and vegetables in at one time — yes, that is 15 servings! I would say that is a great way to start your day!

Robyn is also conducting some official green smoothie research, and you can take part in the research by answering a questionaire. You can read about it on her blog.

Special Teleseminar Guest #1: Guess Who’s Not Coming To Dinner?

Good morning, my dear.

How are you doing with this adventure, so far? If you’re new around here, we’re working on Day 3 of a 90-day detox. You can read all about it here. I learned some lessons the hard way last night, my friends, and I will tell you all about it a bit later, but the first thing on my agenda this morning it to announce to you this week’s Special Teleseminar Guest.

He’s a prominent Raw Food educator, and I’ve been chatting a lot with him lately about his upcoming projects. I thought one of them would be just PERFECT for us to learn about this week and so I asked him if he’d join us and was delighted when Paul Nison agreed to fit us into his schedule!

Mark this in your calendar! You do NOT want to miss this interview that will definitely make all the difference in getting your detox started on the right path! And I admit, the confessions I’ve got for this afternoon have a lot to do with this subject!

EVENT: Paul Nison is NOT Coming to Dinner!
DATE & TIME: Friday, February 20th at 1:00pm Eastern
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW…

In order to attend, all you have to do is click on the link above at the appropriate time (1:00pm EST on Friday, February 20th). IF YOU CANNOT MAKE THE CALL, don’t worry. The call will be recorded and you can come back and listen to it at your convenience. Just click that link above when you’re ready, and  the recording will be there waiting for you!

In this teleseminar, Paul Nison is going to be revealing some of the things he’s put in his upcoming book, The Daylight Diet. Here’s a sampling of the things you’ll learn more about on this call:

• Overeating: what triggers it and why we should avoid it.
• Late night eating: If you have ever been a late night binger, you MUST listen to this call!
• The importance of sleep and digestion!
• Why regularity in eating is vital to creating a healthy rhythm in your body.
• How many meals should we eat a day?
• What are the ideal times to eat? to sleep?
• What is a late night eating disorder?
• How can you recognize the feeling of TRUE hunger?

I can’t believe how appropriate this is to what I’ve learned this week, and I just know this call is going to be a HUGE help to many of us who are late night nibblers and bingers. So, my dear! I really hope you’ll join us for this call on Friday, and if you’re not already signed up for the FREE or high-support version of the 90-day detox, well, then you can do that by clicking RIGHT HERE!

Enjoy your day! I’ve got to get the kids to school, but I’ll be back more with a confession this afternoon.

Love you like crazy,

Tera

Day 2: I’m faaaaaaasting and I feel GREAT!

Well, I’m having a blast so far on this detox!!!

I’m actually having the most wonderful adventure I’ve had in a loooong time and I’m sooo excited about this 90 Day Detox I can hardly believe it! It feels like EVERYTHING in my life is getting a detox at the same time.

I tried hard to fast yesterday, but didn’t make it. However, I did manage to keep my general food consumption pretty low, and I realized that I had a TON more energy than I usually do. Now, I’m not one who could consider herself short on energy, but last night was ridiculous!

I feel ALIVE! Pleeeeease don’t compare yourself to me or anyone else on the program. We all have to commit to this 90-day adventure for what it will contribute to our personal progress. We’re all at different places taking steps forward. The destination is the same: healthy living and freedom from struggle! We’ll get there, if we stick together and support each other in this journey.

I’m sooooooooo excited about this week’s special guest. I’ll let you know tomorrow what time I’ll be hosting the teleseminar with this person. He’s a GREAT man with some very exciting things up his sleeves and I can’t wait to share these ideas with you this week, because they have been instrumental in influencing my own success the last few days. More to come on that soon!

Today is Day 2. I’m going to fast for real today. I’ve always, always wanted to do a 3 day water fast. Maybe the pressure of having all eyes on me will encourage me to pull through. Who knows? All I can say is for today’s menu, I have nothing but regular gulps of water planned.

Depending on where you’re at in your beautiful process, I recommend keeping things simple. Remember, the menu planner we’ve provided here will give you lots of ideas. Even though we’re starting in mid February, those who have taken the high support version will have a FULL FOUR MONTHS of complete menu planners.

If you’re not needing the menu planner, then that’s perfect! Just stick to what makes sense and feels right for you! I was really impressed with some of the feedback I’ve received so far about those of you who are taking this at your own healthy gradient. BRAVO!

There are a few questions I want to take the opportunity to address:

“How Do I Sign Up for the FREE 90-Day Version?”

You don’t! You just come here and watch the action. I put together a new page to describe the program a little bit better, and you can see it here: 90 Day Detox! This is also the page I recommend you refer others to who want to join in and play along.

I could have had everyone sign up, and maybe we will do that, but I just wanted to keep the doors open. If you feel you need that support of the email coming into your inbox everyday, then let me know. Otherwise, just come here. Check in and see what’s new.

If you’re starting late, don’t worry about it. Just scroll back and follow along!

I loooove this question! I think it’s adorable:

“Squirrely bread says it’s not made with flour, but sprouted grains.  Does this mean it’s OK to eat? “

Anything containing wheat contains gluten. The grains you CAN include are: rice! (This includes rice cakes, rice wraps, and rice noodles of all kinds. You can find these anywhere! Even Asian sections in standard grocery stores have all kinds of rice-based foods that you can include to help you get over those glutenous desires of yours.) Other grains that are okay to use; quinoa, millet and armaranth. Outside of these, I wouldn’t stretch very far.

I’m going to find you some great resources on why to eliminate and avoid gluten, but a few google searches will likely lead to some interesting discoveries. I’m trying to track down a few references and will let you know more about that tomorrow.

In the meantime, find substitutes to get you through this. They say that people who are gluten sensitive, should COMPLETELY avoid even traces of gluten, in order to really experience the benefit of eliminating this food from the diet.

We have a choice here, in how we do things and in how we learn. Science is there and it is good. We can use science to teach us a lot. But we do not need to become so dependent upon the teaching of the scientist that we overlook our own powers of observation and common sense.

Whether you ever find all the scientifically-supported evidence to suggest that gluten is harmful for the body, consider the facts:

If you were hungry in a field of wheat, it would be one of the most inefficient sources of energy you could consider. Sitting there peeling the husks off the grains, then chewing them would bring very little nutritional reward for the effort expended by a body your size. Eating wheat doesn’t make sense. Just from an anatomical perspective alone. I understand we’ve resorted to compromises in our nutritional choicesI’m not completely opposed to the use of non-glutenous grains, as I’ve heard of people who forage food in the wild and do encounter grains like amaranth and sustain themselves with these foods. But amaranth tends to be far more seed-like, anyway.

Even if you take all the rationale aside, all the explanation and intellectualizations about gluten (or any other food) you have ALWAYS at your disposal, and ability and opportunity to OBSERVE what’s going on in your body.

Ask yourself in front of a plate of noodles, how much could you eat? Have you ever had that feeling of just wanting more and more and more, and not being able to stop??! (Who hasn’t!?!)

Do you get that same response with a plate of steamed broccoli? What about apples?

There’s probably a REASON that North Americans wake up to toast and cereal, have sandwiches for lunch and noodles for supper, or soup with bread on the size. Wheat has infected just about every meal of the day. Maybe there is something more going on here. Chemical responses in the body creating addictions to these foods?! These are the things I’ll have you read more on soon!

For now, observe what’s going on in your body. Ask yourself:

How does my skin feel?

How is your elimination? your sleep? your energy? outlook on life? What about your eyes?

I can tell you that just in the last 36 hours, I feel like I’ve lost 3 years off my face. I had not been making the best food choices, and now I’ve really reduced my calories and am fasting today and I feel and LOOK better.

THESE are the markers you use to confirm progress in your journey. If you depend on the intellectualization of everything you encounter, you’ll drive yourself crazy. On the other hand, I understand there are real, underlying health conditions going on for people.

There’s a lot to discuss. We’re going to cover a loooot of territory throughout this program. I know you can get through this. Just stick to the first month of gluten free and dairy free eating. One step at a time.

Observe the changes this makes in your body, your emotional state, your energy levels, etc.

I encourage you to keep a journal that allows you to monitor these changes over time. Looking back you’ll be able to see how far you’ve really come. Ultimately, you choose the things you put in your body. There’s a lot we can control here, to improve our situations. There are a lot of success stories that I can pass your way to inspire change, persistence and determination.

Here’s one more major question I want to address before I let you get on with your beautiful day…

“I want to take the 90-Day Detox, but I can’t afford it.”

Well, Sunshine. I don’t know if you noticed, but around here, we have a policy. The policy is: “No person shall be refused because they cannot afford a service.” However, we also have a policy, “Free Ride = Big Slide”. The healthy exchange of flows and energy is what makes life work well. We are more than happy to sign you up for the HIGH SUPPORT VERSION of this program for FREE (Usually it’s 90 days for 90$) but it is on the condition that you find some way to exchange with us.

We need help getting the word out there. Anything you do to promote our services to others in your community is a very valuable exchange for us. But we know many of you have ideas, skills and resources that can make this community stronger, better, etc. So we’re open to all kinds of suggestions, but just ask that you maintain a “fair exchange”. If I had to chase down every person who came on board, I wouldn’t be able to maintain this policy for very long. I offer it in love with respect for people in all conditions and circumstances, because I believe PEOPLE change their conditions and circumstances, and don’t like anyone to think that circumstances and conditions control THEM.

So I do want to continue to make this opportunity available to those who need it, I just request that your efforts to support us are proportional to the support we give you. Maintaining healthy exchange is vital in life. No one feels good showing up to a potluck without having brought something to the party.

I know many of you, naturally, will go above and beyond in delivering support and assistance to us. Thank you for this.

The doors are open and we just ask you to be proactive and communicative in fulfilling your exchange with us.

That’s it for now! I’ve got meetings up the wazoo and a whole lot to do. But I loooove you like crazy and hope your day is loaded with peaceful moments, pleasant surprises and unexpected shivers that cause you to remember just how beautiful life can be.

You’re on the path to making things go right for yourself.
There are a lot of amazing people here to support you in this adventure.

Reach out!

Climb aboard and enjoy the journey!

Love and gratitude,

Tera

p.s.

Here’s today’s testimonial by Sandee! May it inspire you to continue along your path in spite of the obstacles that present themselves:

How I Got My Family and Myself Off Drugs

I started at the age of 20 hearing doctors tell me it’s not if you get breast cancer it’s when you get it.  If you look at my mom’s side of the family every female had breast cancer going back 4 generations then if you look at my Dad’s side of the family it every female had breast cancer going back 5 generations.  So since I am the only female in this generation every doctor said I would also get breast cancer.  I said WAIT.  I’m going to change that.  It took me over 20 years to fully understand and take a stand on this.  But, the day I turned 40 they gave me nitroglycerin said I was a prime candidate for a heart attack.  The doctor gave me high blood pressure medicine.  They kept telling me its hereditary I could never get off either one of them.  Since my father died of a heart attack had high blood pressure and diabetes I was scared.  My husband at the same time had been on Nexium for a few years he asked the doctor when he could come off and the doctor laughed and said no one has ever gone off this medicine.

Needless to say we felt something had to change.  We met someone who introduced us to Juicing, becoming a vegan, and raw food.   Immediately I decided to just jump in and become a raw vegan.  It was amazing.  The oncologist I had been seeing every 3 months (who drained cysts’ from my breast every time I saw him), I did this for the past 4 years.  He finally said after 9 months Sandee I don’t know what you are doing but, keep it up.  You can now come back in 6 months the cysts are getting smaller in number.  This continued for 2 more visits until he told me I could wait a whole year before I came back.  After that year he told me to just send him the mammograms every year, that he didn’t know enough about nutrition but, I didn’t have any more cysts they were ALL gone.  The nitroglycerin and high blood pressure medicine was stopped about 3 months after I went raw.

My husband went completely off Nexium and still to this day neither one of us has taken any medicine.  This has been since 2002, so this year on April 1, it will be seven years I have been a raw vegan.

I can’t say it’s been the easiest thing to do.  BUT I know it’s the Best thing to do.
So that’s my story.  Thanks for letting me share it.

Sandee

Day 1: Starting the 90 Day Detox

I know this kinda snuck up on everyone, and if you’re just finding out about this now, don’t worry. It’s no big deal if you start a bit late. You can register HERE, for the high support version, or just follow along on the blog to listen to the low support version. Leave your questions in the comment box below and I’ll do my best to answer them the next day.

Day One:

Today I’m fasting. It’s Day One of the 90 Day Detox and, Sister, I’m ready! I admit I feel like I’ve already been fasting for days and it’s probably only been 15 hours! I’m a nibbler. I like to snack all day. I’ve never been great at fasting, but when I get into it, I love, love loooooove the way it makes me feel:

Clear

Concentrated

Focused

Productive

Peaceful

I don’t necessarily recommend that you fast if you’re coming from a bacon and egg background. Just stick to simple, cleansing foods today. Spring is just around the corner and with it will be all kinds of wonderful fresh fruits again! We still have gorgeous citrus, pears and apples and if you can find some other sweet, juicy fruits that haven’t been shipped in from Timbuktu, then I say, “Go for it!”

I have no problem with eating fruit, but understand that some people’s systems seem to be upset by eating too much fruit. We have two versions of the menu planner that are available for this program, if you want them. The menu plans themselves are entirely Raw Food menus. There aren’t any cooked food suggestions in them. We figure you’ve got enough of those. We have a low fat/high fruit version. And a version with a bit more fat and more emphasis on greens! By default we’re sending out the higher greens with a bit more fat, but for those of you who are signed on for the full support version of the program, then you can just let me know and I’ll get you the other.

Some people are writing saying they don’t know how to sign up for the detox. I understand that I didn’t make it very clear. I will make it more clear, but wanted to first alert the people who are an every day part of what we do around here.

You can read this blog post and go down to the special announcement. That’s where you can sign up for the program. I will be rewriting it and making this all a more official program very soon. I think this is a fabulous lead in to something like the Body Enlightenment System.

For people who have no prior experience with Raw Food, this 90-day program is a great way to get things rolling. Last night in my private coaching group call we had a lot to laugh about–mostly a series of blushing confessionals about how we’d all fallen a bit off the bandwagon lately. Admittedly chocolate was on the lips of the ladies last night.

It was incredible to see how, despite the miles between us, we’re so connected. It just affirms for me the importance of what we do here. It just validated further my reasons for doing this “Don’t Be So Obsessed About What You Eat” Detox.

We ARE all connected.

When one falls, we all go tumbling down–at least it can feel that way sometimes. But the reverse is also true, which raises the level of necessity for us as the pilgrims, pioneers and trail blazers of this movement to stick to our guns! To make this work and improve our health and our lives. People are watching and our actions DO influence the choices other people make. Think about THAT next time you want to shove a donut in your mouth.

We have a responsibility to take care of ourselves even more when we realize that our actions directly affect the well-being of others.

Every day I get testimonials, stories of transformation and tearful appreciation for how “I” have changed someone’s life. I mean, it’s hardly me changing anyone’s life, but clearly, having made the choice to share my message with the world, it is having an impact. Well, what if we ALL did that. What if we all took a giant step forward and were willing to put our story out there to inspire others in our community.

This program is being offered for FREE! There’s no reason not to direct anyone you love to some support to guide them through 90 days that could change their lives. The more each one of us can take responsibility for our “zone of influence” the faster things improve, the better life gets, the easier it is to achieve the things we want.

I hope today goes well for you! I’ll give you a few resources at the bottom of this page related to things I suggest you read this week!

I’ve made a commitment to myself and to this community for the next 90 days. I’m going to come here every day and post and offer my suggestions and support for getting through this detox. But I also promised that I’d share a story. Someone else’s transformation. I get them by the dozens every week. These are my real paycheck!

**Today’s Transformational Story**

This little firecracker of a diva has been nothing but sparkle and enthusiasm since she came on board. Here’s what she sent me today:

Hi Tera. I just wanted to thank you for all the work you put into the BES. The last 29 days have changed my life, to say the least. I’ve learned to listen to my body before I eat, and I’m much more aware that unstable emotions are what drove me to overeat or binge on junk foods in the past.

I no longer do this. I am full and satisfied all day on Raw foods, and I have come to expect and desire the feeling of energy and lightness that I’ve experienced on Raw. More important than the release of 21 pounds, is the release of the toxic relationship I had with food, and with myself. This BES has been about love, primarily for myself, and subsequently, for everyone around me. Never would I have expected that the girls on the BES forum would be the best part of the whole program! I have made true and lasting friendships, and I have become part of a community I will not soon forget or turn my back on. I went from a couch potato, to an active mother who goes to the Gym 5 days a week at 5:30am!!!! I am stronger, wiser, and more in love with the process of change than I ever thought possible! Something amazing and miraculous has happened to me on the BES, I’ve woken up to find that life is still very much worth living, and there’s happiness and health in abundance, all I have to do I reach for it, every hour, every day, one day at a time.

Thank You for the opportunity to experience all of this and more. May you be blessed for all the love and support you’re giving thousands of women, all over the world.

Sincerely, Tanya Schroeder

Your Detox Assignment for Today

If you’re just starting out, keep it simple.

Don’t eat until you’re hungry.

Try not to eat too late tonight. There are sooo many things you can do to improve the way you live and how you feel. Changing your diet is a big one. If you’re new to this, be gentle on yourself and get to sleep at a good time tonight. If you want to have an even better night’s sleep and wake up feeling rejunvated, then go to sleep on an empty stomach. That means leaving 3-4 hours between the time you hit the billow and your last mouthful of food.

On my menu today is water, water, water. I’ll let you know how I do!

Remember, the focus this week is on keeping GLUTEN and DAIRY off the table. I’ll be sending you links to resources throughout this process. Today, I think you should check out one of my favorite links ever:

www.MILKSUCKS.com

There are fantastic resources, articles and thought-provoking art pieces to get you to realize how silly it is to even consider drinking milk in the first place, and some startling facts about why if you care about your health and well-being, you’ll avoid it completely.

*This week’s special guest is going to speak to us on the importance of not over-eating and also of the benefit of following a “no-supper diet”* I’ll keep you posted as the details fall into place.

Whew!

Love and hugs and good vibrations!

Tera

p.s.

Stay busy. Get things done. Organize a book shelf or sort through a stack of cluttered papers. Detox disorder, chaos and confusion whenever you can to really FEEL how this detox program will help bring all aspects of your health and life into harmony.

p.p.s.

This is the perfect chance for you to get people in your community involved, by letting them know about this free program! We might make the sign up process more official so that there’s less confusion for everyone, but in the meantime, just send them to the blog and have them start here, then work their way forward!

Mmmmmmuah!