Sarah and the Pain Monster

Every month, women across the globe get a visit from a hideous beast. Without care for plans, activities, or intentions, this denizen from Hell holds tight, draws blood, and causes excruciating pain.

I don't know why there is so much secret surrounding the Pain Monster. We hide our oversized bandages and body plugs from view, and hope we get a female cash register. We don't talk about it in company, as it is far from polite. All forms of media politely explain its presence as a monthly 'friend' and never, never get into vibrant detail of its 'friendship.' And you never..

Never.

Never.

Never.

NEVER DISCUSS IT WITH A MAN! That, above all, is the most cardinal of sins and disgusting of offenses. Men, after all, do not get such visits and therefore need naught be bothered by it. They put up with any unfortunate incidents such as tantrums and complaining that might occur during this time, for they are our ever stalwart heroes in this desperate time of need.

As I write this, I am currently enjoying my visit with Aunt Flo. The past few days have been horrid. However, as I lay in my bed bemoaning life, I realized something - whenever I have my period, I have really, really bad days. Why is this? Why does it seem that my world falls apart? Why does it seem that I crave the most horrid foods? Furthermore, why do I eat them?

Then, it hit me.

I am sure other people have had this realization, but it is a new one to me. It seems that during these times of physical pain, I unconsciously seek to compliment the tangible with the intangible by creating emotional pain. Recently, I have gone through a very difficult time emerging from an abusive relationship. As much as I intelligently realize that this relationship was the spawn of pure evil, I find myself craving contact with that person during this time. That, of course, makes me feel small and worthless, which creates emotional pain that goes perfectly with my physical pain. I seek 'comfort' foods, which then provides me more physical discomfort to partner with my pain. I insert myself into this spiral of frustration and hate, all because I am seeking to justify the physical pain of menstruation.

Now that I have embraced this realization, the next time my period begins, I will take this knowledge and recognize these destructive thoughts for what they are - an unconscious effort to wrap my body in pain.

I will observe these thoughts the next time they come, but push them away from my mind and into colorless space. I will honor my physical pain, as it is this pain that signifies the beauty of my body's ability to create life. Thank you for these realizations, and those to come!

Growing Speenach

So, I've officially decided to change my dining room into a green growing jungle of spinach. I am in the process of researching the how-to, and will post pictures of the upcoming transformation. I've also decided to do my own 30 Day Challenges - for fun! My first is to dance every day for 30 minutes a day..by myself or with my kids and husband! Maybe I will post those pictures or, heaven forbid, a video?

I'm still raw, I still love it, I'm still vibrantly giddy!

See you guys soon!

<3!

Smoocing!

Recently, I've felt extremely drawn to juicing. Hours upon hours have been dedicated to researching juicers; which is the best, and which is most cost appropriate. I thought I had decided on a Breville, but several close friends told me they have difficulty yielding a high amount of juice from their greens. If I was going on a fruit juice diet, that would be great - but it is my intention to do a high green juice feast! Back to the drawing board!

After talking with quite a few people that have done juice feasts and own a juicer, I've decided that I want an Angel Juicer 3500. The only drawback is it costs approximately 900 dollars and, well, I don't have 900 dollars quite yet. I have decided to tuck away $300 bucks a month for my juicer, but I still really, really wanted to juice.

I can't juice quite yet but I can smooce! Smooce? Smoocing is feasting upon smoothies! I have been taking in a pound to two pounds of greens a day while smoocing. This is my second smooce feast - the first lasted 24 hours and it was a breeze! I am going for 48 hours this time around. I have been alternating between kale and spinach smoothies. Mmmm.

I love kale, but it's definitely a bit gloppier than spinach. My baby spinach gives me a nice, smooth drink with little fiber grains. Kale is good because it reminds me to chew!

I may purchase nut milk bags and strain them, but right now - I'm really digging the smooce! If you're looking for a good way to get more organic greens in your diet, try it out!

Pimpin' Lavender

So, last night, Jeremy made me a piping hot cup of peppermint tea. While this was very kind of him, somehow I didn't quite hold the tea right as he gave it to me and..splash.

Ouch! It hurt like nothing I've ever experienced. (Obviously, I've not had my own children!) In the midst of my crying, I managed to tell my husband to get my lavender. Since then, I have applied the oil liberally every twenty minutes or so.

I wish, wish, wish I had taken pictures of my stomach and legs before and at 3-4 hour intervals. Last night, my skin was so red and angry as the blisters formed. Today, about 15 hours later, my skin is calm and the blisters are growing smaller. They do not even hurt. It is AMAZING.

I heart lavender.

Winner!

Things have been busy! Today was the last day José was with us, which although sad, was an ending to a fantastic month. We really enjoyed having him with us, most of all Ester - it's been quite a long time since she's been able to live with her biological brother. Keep your toes and fingers crossed for us to buy a home with at least four bedrooms in it so he can live with us!

I've spent a lot of time with the kids these past few days, which is always rewarding. Two things happened, independent of each other, which made me feel so vindicated. On Friday, my oldest foster daughter Aileen, made two beautiful fruit salads for me. We were going on a picnic with my parents and she wanted to make certain we all had something beautiful to eat. I was humbled at her thoughtfulness.







They were delicious^nth.

Then, today, Ester felt hungry and asked to make her very own smoothie. She put an apple, grapes, a banana, blueberries, strawberries, and spinach in it. It was yum! Best of all, it was HER idea, HER creativity - you can see the pride beaming on her face.





I feel like the universe has won. Healthy living is starting to become normal in our family. It nearly brings tears to my eyes. They want living, vibrant food. Ester, Aileen, and Jeremy go into our garden and pick a tomato off the vine and eat it like an apple. We serve all vegan meals at our home now. Supper is cooked, but that's fine - I am more than pleased to serve them.

It's finally started.

This post is to all of you who feel frustrated at the ridicule you feel from your friends and family. Be the change you want to see in the world, let the light of truth shine from your soul, and the warmth of acceptance be found in your embrace. Eventually, their fear of change will melt away. Keep your chin up and your pockets filled with sunshine.

<3

Sarah's Shorts - The China Study, Chapter Two

Thank you, sweet little monkey, for the inspiration to the title Sarah's Shorts. While it could be mistaken as pervertish, I think it adequately explains my version of Cliff's Notes.

Chapter Two touches the importance of protein in our society and the beginning of T. Colin Campbell's journey into his studies concerning how animal protein affects our bodies. He also explains the meanings of some common scientific terms, for which I, the science n00b, am eternally grateful.

Chapter Two

Protein, at its root, literally means 'of prime importance.' Since discovered in 1839, protein has taken nutritional science's center stage. The families that had the most money at the most meat, effectively eating the most protein. According to the public perception, protein equaled meat which equaled wealth. As I was writing this, I pondered to myself, "Self. I wonder where the phrase 'bringing home the bacon' started? Could it have something to do with this bias, Self?"

Well..

European peasants c. 1500's could only sometimes obtain or afford pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man 'could bring home the bacon.' They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat.”

Ha!

Voit, one of the first scientists to study protein, found that man only needed approximately 45g a day to live healthily, but recommended 118 grams a day. After all, isn't bigger better? You can't have too much of a good thing, right? (Wrong.) Rubner, on of Voit's students, stated, "a large protein allowance is the right of civilized man." This assertion continues, evidenced as I was asked if my husband still felt like a man after taking me to an all raw meal for our anniversary.

Another of Voit's students, Atwater, became the first director of the USDA and made an official recommendation of 125g of protein per day for a healthy American individual. And, of course, that protein simply had to come from meat. Yikes!

The Nitty Gritties of Protein

Fats, carbohydrates, and protein are macronutrients, meaning the make up most of the weight of the food we ate. Vitamins and nutrients are micronutrients, though are no less important despite their humble offering to the final heft of our food. Protein is extremely vital to the body; it functions as enzymes, hormones, structural tissues, and transport molecules. Proteins are made up of 15-20 amino acids, but eight of them are considered essential to make tissue proteins. If one of the essential amino acids is missing, protein synthesis is slowed or stopped until it becomes available to the body through digestion.

Protein quality is thought to mean that, upon digestion, the substance has the right kinds and amounts of amino acids needed to efficiently synthesize tissue proteins. Guess what is considered the highest 'quality' of protein replacement? Human flesh.

Uh, pass.

Animal proteins, therefore, are considered next highest in quality. Plant foods are considered 'low' quality because they may be lacking in one or more essential amino acids. However, as a group, they do contain everything our bodies need for protein synthesis.

In a perfect world, the highest quality of replacement protein would promote the best quality of health, but it does not. This misleading language confuses Americans. It is a common misconception that plants do not contain protein or one most create carefully matched meals to take in the appropriate amino acids. Not so, my loves. Not so. Plant food does indeed contain protein and the body allows for a slow and steady synthesis for our protein needs.

The Protein Gap

Studies upon studies, meetings upon meetings, and councils upon councils have discussed what-oh-what we should do about the protein gap. These well-meaning individuals have set out to combat hunger and malnutrition. A great majority of these individuals have focused on animal protein, however. The UN declared, "..by and large, the lack of protein is without question the most serious qualitative deficiency in the nutrition of developing countries. The great mass of the population of these countries subsists mainly on food derived from plants deficient in protein, which results in poor health and low productivity per man."

Yes, plants do not contain all the replacement amino acids needed to be strong and healthy. However, it is important to point out that in these countries, variety of plant food suffers. Instead of looking at ways to increase plant variety, many of our top scientists and schools worked diligently to provide the suffering masses with animal protein.

After obtain his graduate degree, this is where T. Colin Campbell began his work. Employed by Virginia Tech and with the help of many colleagues, he set out to the Phillipines to empower the mothers of malnourished children by forming 'mothercrafts,' self-help nutritional educational centers. It was agreed that the most appropriate form of protein would be found in peanuts, but that presented a bigger problem: peanuts are often contaminated with a fungus-produced toxin called aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is shown to promote liver cancer, and it known as the most potent chemical carcinogen ever discovered.

They set out on a two fold mission:

• To find out who was consuming aflatoxin
• How does aflatoxin affect the liver

In their studies, it was found that children were the most affected. However, the children that were affected were from the best-fed families, which ate a mostly western diet including large amounts of animal protein.

This whole time, it was assumed that the high cancer rate was due to the low intake of animal protein, but the children that consumed the most animal protein had the highest cancer rates!

Around the same time as Campbell made this startling discovery, an Indian research team published equally startling results. Two groups of rats were given equal levels of aflatoxin; one group was given a diet consisting of 5% animal protein, the other a diet consisting of 20% animal protein. In 30 days, the group eating the highest level of animal protein had liver cancer or its precursor lesions. The group eating the smallest amount of animal protein had no liver cancer and no precursor lesions.

The wheels in T. Colin Campbell's head began to turn.

The China Study, Chapter One

One of the most important books of all time is T. Colin Campbell's The China Study. If you have read the book, you already know why I make this bold statement. If you have yet to read the book, I cannot begin to beg and plead enough with you to immediately rush to your library, online or f'real bookstore, or enlightened friend and obtain this book.

I read this book approximately a month ago, and my life has never been the same. When I would have urges to 'cheat' on raw, I would always go to cheese with the misinformed thought that 'it can't be that bad.' Uh, false. This book explains clearly and specifically the dangers of animal protein and, best of all, the author backs it with his decades and decades of his own scientific research. T. Colin Campbell has little to gain, aside from the revenue from his book. The China Study is not filled with product placement or nudges to attend some expensive retreat. It is just information; pure, simple, stark, and frighteningly beautiful information.

For those who are still hesitant and clinging to their blocks of Romano, I have decided to write a Cliff's Notes version of each chapter. If what you read and in the posts to come naggle at some far corner of your brain, please do not deny your urge and purchase the book. Also, as the book was published in 1998, I have done a bit of research on my own to update the statistics to our current day. My notes will very much be in Sarah-speak, which pales against Campbell's succinct manner of presentation. Forgive me! (Or don't. I promise I won't cry.)((Too much.))

Chapter One

Heart Disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, arthritis, Alzheimer's Disease, impotence (do I need to go on) can be largely PREVENTED and even REVERSED!! HOLY COW!



How? Lean close to your computer screen and I will tell you.

Psst.

Eat right and live a healthy lifestyle.

What?

No, seriously, that's it. The foods we eat largely determine our health. And, the sad fact is, we're not healthy. Despite spending twice more on health care than any other country, we are ranked 37th in the world for our health. It has been predicted that our health care costs will kick our face at the cost of 16 trillion dollars, and that 84% percent of our population will be overweight or obese.

In 1998, 12 million people had diabetes. Today, 24 million people have diabetes and 57 million people are prediabetic. 1 in 4 deaths in 2008 will be attributed to cancer. If you go to the American Cancer Society's web page, they make a small reference to cancer being linked to high amounts of ingested red meat, low intake of fruits and vegetables, and obesity. They never address animal protein as a whole and certainly do not tell you that animal protein is a promoter of cancer. Last year alone, 7000 Americans died from physician error, medication error, and adverse events. This touched my own family - my cousin's healthy father-in-law died after taking his PRESCRIBED medications. This is madness, truly. We do not have to suffer insulin injections, chemotherapy, and the crushing cost of medical care. Our families do not have to watch us deteriorate into bloated husks. What can we do to reverse this devastating prognosis?



Eat a diet of fruits and vegetables, devoid of all animal protein. The end.

How can Campbell make this assertion? 74 grant-years of research. With his colleagues, Campbell lead studies such as an investigation of liver cancer in Phillipine children and their consumption of a mold toxin, aflatoxin, a nationwide program of self-help nutrition centers for malnourished preschool children in the Phillippines, a study of dietary factors affecting bone density and osteoporosis in 800 women in China, a study of biomarkers that characterize the emergence of breast cancer, and a nationwide, comprehensive study of dietary and lifestyle factors associated with disease mortality in mainland China and Taiwan, known as the China Study. In fact, the China Study is still active over 20 years later! Campbell has nothing to sell - he markets no superfoods, leads no special and expensive retreats. In fact, he has the opposite beginning as the son of a dairy farmer. He spent most of his graduate work improving the 'quality' of dairy. It was this research, combined with the above studies, that unfolded the stark and frightening information surrounding our beloved animal protein.

Why do we not know this? Why isn't this information being shouted from the rooftops? To be honest, I am not too interested in the whole black helicopter government-is-out-to-get you approach. Neither is Campbell, but he does make a few damning points from his experiences on government and private councils. It's enough for even a dismissive cynic like me to raise an eyebrow.

Another reason is that science is obsessed with oversimplifying our health - they try to pinpoint it to a single vitamin or nutrient and miss the point - plant-based foods in their whole forms give us an intricate symphony of vitamins and nutrients. One instrument is not enough to complete the whole song.

A final reason is that we are drowned with twits out to profit from our sheepish desperation for health. We can eat limitless bacon and cheese and be healthy? REALLY!? (No.) Some of the most influential weight loss programs are based on NO scientific fact and are developed by salesmen with NO nutrition training. Ticket for one on the failbus, plz.

The solution to our health is simple. It does not require pills, supplements, or surgeries. It only requires that we take responsibility for our own health and make informed decisions. Hippocrates once stated, "There are, in effect, two things: to know and to believe one knows. To know is science. To believe one knows is ignorance."

Wisdom Teeth

Today, I had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted. I have made the decision to deal with the pain and threat of infection naturally. Wish me luck!

For the pain: ice, peppermint oil, plenty of lavender baths, and rest.
For the risk of infection: aloe vera, oregano, hydrogen peroxide, and raw food.

So far, so good. I had the surgery this morning at 11. I did allow them to put me to sleep, so I have those numbing drugs in my body still. My lip is in a perpetual pout! Once that wears off, the true test will begin. To soothe my husband's nerves, I allowed him to fill both of my prescriptions, a antibiotic and vicodin. I am confident I will not need either, but will be cautious. We are going to Maine tomorrow on vacation. In my opinion, what better place to recover than on a hammock near a lake, soaking in the healing embrace of nature?

Here are a few things I will need to watch for, according to my doctor:

1. Swelling. This is normal - he recommends ice, which I had planned to take advantage of already.

2. The blood clot. Apparently, the blood clot will be greyish or yellow in appearance, though I have not seen it. I am supposed to keep all poky things away from it to prevent its rupture.

3. Bleeding. Obviously, I am going to bleed a bit. If I am bleeding too often, my doctor suggests that I stop rinsing my mouth. (Though, I am not supposed to rinse my mouth in the first 24 hours.) They also encourage biting down on a moistened tea bag, which I found interesting. I have peppermint tea, so I may use that but I will do a bit of research tonight to find which tea best promotes healing. Right now, I am using gobs of aloe vera gel in place of the recommended gauze. Do not become excited - my mom says this is because it causes your blood pressure to rise which increases blood flow, which would increase bleeding. Pretty smart lady, my mom. <3

4. Swelling. Ice, ice, and more ice. If the swelling does not go down, use a warm cloth instead of a cold one. I am also going to research a few different methods for naturally reducing swelling, but I think my aloe vera will do wonders.

5. Pain. Duh. I am not planning to take medication, so I will be combatting the pain naturally with ice, rest, hypnosis, and meditation.

6. Food. Soft diet - hey, raw food is great for a soft diet! So far, I have made a smoothie of tomatoes, basil, oregano, and spinace. Tonight, I am going to make a warmish portebello mushroom soup topped with processed oregano and basil. Mmmm.

7. Smoking. Gross, I don't smoke.

8. Rest. Rest is good for body and spirit, as everyone knows. I fully plan to kick my feet back, relax, and let my husband do the laundry. Woohoo!

The following things are normal:

-swelling
-sore throat
-earache
-difficulty opening the mouth
-numbness
-discoloration, such as bruises

I look pretty silly right now! I have a big ol' scarf pressing two bags of ice to either side of my face. I am still numb, but eight hours after the surgery, I feel optimistic.

Don't I look fantastic?!?!?!?

Aloe Vera

Pretty much every day, I open up a thick green aloe vera leaf. I slice one side and carefully peel the leaf open, then slide my knife along the bottom of the thick gel. My favorite part of this whole ritual is picking up the aloe vera gel and sliding my hands over it; the feeling of the sap transports me back to my goopy childhood. I was always getting into stuff I shouldn't because I craved the touch and sensations of different textures. I turn my water on and run the gel between my hands, cleaning off the bitter sap before slipping the floppy piece of gel into my smoothie. I blend for about 10 seconds and enjoy my smoothie. (These days, the aloe joins frozen bananas, spinach, and blueberries.) I promise you, it is pure heaven.

Why do I do this? I have always been drawn to aloe, even as a child. Perhaps it was my innocent intuition, but I always loved breaking into a leaf and finding relief from cuts, burns, scrapes, insect bites, or whatever other childhood oopsie on my skin was bothering me. I have been raw for a bit over two months now, and my thirst for learning has been insatiable. In my reading, I have noticed a recurring theme: aloe vera. What I've found out in these few short months is enough to make me cry with glee.

Since using aloe vera, I have noticed the following benefits: hydrated skin, no more eczema, and better um, number 2. I used to have this little patch of eczema under my chin and, no matter what lotion I used, I could never get rid of it. Within 4 days of using aloe, it disappeared. WOAH! Seriously, it's gone. Also, I haven't put a drop of my standard and faithful Vaseline Intensive Care on my skin in weeks and my skin is the smoothest and softest it has ever been. My number 2 - well, I'm not going to get into that. If you are raw, you understand the number of times you poo in a day is elevated over the SAD eater. Aloe helps A LOT.

Apart from my personal benefits, I put aloe all over my kids. Every scratch, bug bite, itch, and boo-boo gets coated with aloe. Ester SUPER LOVES playing with the goop, which is great antibacterial fun. It's amazing to watch all her scratches virtually disappear after applying aloe.

Here are some more benefits of aloe. I used multiple sources and, of course, I cannot prove a darn thing. I almost want to become a scientist JUST SO I CAN STUDY ALOE IN A LAB. That's how much I love this stuff.

• Halts the growth of cancer tumors.
• Lowers high cholesterol.
• Repairs “sludge blood” and reverses “sticky blood”.
• Boosts the oxygenation of your blood.
• Eases inflammation and soothes arthritis pain.
• Protects the body from oxidative stress.
• Prevents kidney stones and protects the body from oxalates in coffee and tea.
• Alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits.
• Cures ulcers, IBS, Crohn’s disease and other digestive disorders.
• Reduces high blood pressure natural, by treating the cause, not just the symptoms.
• Nourishes the body with minerals, vitamins, enzymes and glyconutrients.
• Accelerates healing from physical burns and radiation burns.
• Replaces dozens of first aid products, makes bandages and antibacterial sprays obsolete.
• Halts colon cancer, heals the intestines and lubricates the digestive tract.
• Ends constipation.
• Stabilizes blood sugar and reduces triglycerides in diabetics.
• Prevents and treats candida infections.
• Protects the kidneys from disease.
• Functions as nature’s own “sports drink” for electrolyte balance.
• Boosts cardiovascular performance and physical endurance.
• Speeds recovery from injury or physical exertion.
• Hydrates the skin, accelerates skin repair.

I found this list on Natural News, but similar lists and praise is available all over the internet. There are quite a few studies and published papers available for your perusal, too. I get my aloe from Aloe King. They've been good to me so far, and they are far less expensive than other sites I've found. Eat your aloe today!

Essential Oils, Update

I have a feeling this is going to be long. My fingers are vibrating.

First things first, I got my essential oils! I ordered three: peppermint, lavender, and citronella. I shall explain!

Peppermint: I have a tendency to get migraines, between my wisdom teeth issues and an old neck injury. They suck, and I really don't want to ever take medicine. I want to DEAL WITH IT and get beyond the pain, not mask it. Peppermint oil is a cooling oil, so it feels awesome on your skin. When I feel a migraine coming on, I rub it on my temples, the back of my neck, and along my jawline; then, I inhale the scent of my hands deeply. You can refresh every fifteen minutes as needed, though I've only needed to refresh once. After applying the oil, I rest and enjoy the cool tingle on my skin. My headaches have always subsided and I am able to carry on with my day. This is a tremendous improvement over being bedridden for 24-48 hours, dependent on pills and muscle relaxers. Peppermint also makes you perky and alert. My daughter loves it hardcore because she thinks she smells like bubble gum.

Lavender: OH MY GOD THIS IS THE BEST STUFF. Seriously. I apply it before hypnosis and my sessions are so much deeper. My neighbor takes care of a fussy baby - I swear this child mellows out and collapses against me as soon as I enter into her house. My husband has given me full body massages with my CFO and a few drops of lavender oil - bliss. Pure bliss. Jeebus. People say it helps with stretch marks and burns, too. WIN!

Citronella - I am making my own buggie spray! No more crappy toxins on my children. :-D

I purchased my oils from Rocky Mountain Oils. They are really reasonable and I got my oils quickly. I highly recommend them if you are considering purchasing essential oils.

Now - on to the kind of negativish thing. :( I had intended to purchase Young Living products, but I did a bit of research on the company and its founder and I was less than impressed. Well - that's actually an understatement. I was pretty much horrified. This was really disappointing because I know a few people who participate in their distributorship program and really enjoy the YL company; also, I wanted to get the Thieves Blend available only through YL. However, I cannot support this company in good conscience. To each their own, but it never sat right with me. Ah well.

Back to the good stuff! I am not sure what I am going to get next, but I am thinking of making a vanity purchase and getting vanilla. I love the warm smell of vanilla, and apart from its obvious benefits, it would make a great perfume to stinkify myself with!

Edit: make sure you get 100% pure, therapeutic grade oil! A lot of what is available at stores is not 100% - far from it. This seriously impedes its effectiveness. Happy smellies!

Essential Oils, Part Deux

With permission, I completely stole this post from Kristi at Raw Food Cold Climate- she is wild about essential oils. In truth, it is her passionate belief in their benefits and her willingness to share knowledge that inspired me to research oils further in the first place.

So, without further adieu, here is her post on lavendar oil:

Let's start with a recap of why essential oils rock for healing.

1. Essential oils are small enough in molecular size that they can quickly penetrate the tissues of the skin.

2. Essential oils are lipid-soluable and are capable of penetrating cell membranes, even if the membranes have hardened because of an oxygen deficiency. According to Jean Valnet, MD, essential oils can affect every cell of the body within 20 minutes and are then metabolized like other nutrients.

3. Essential oils, according to researchers at the university of Vienna, stimulate blood flow, which increases oxygen and nutrient delivery.

4. Essential oils are some of the most powerful known antioxidants as determined by the ORAC test developed by Tufts University.

5. Essential oils are antibacterial, antifungal, antinfectious, antimicrobal, antiparasitic, antiviral, and antiseptic. Some essentials oils have been shown to destroy all tested bacteria and viruses.

6. Essential oils may detoxify the cells and blood in the body.

7. Essential oils containing sesquiterpenes (ex. Frankinscence and Sandalwood) have the ability to pass through the blood brain barrier.

8. Essential Oils smell fantastic.

9. Essential Oils promote emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.

Got that?

Lavender is one of the Holy Trinity of Essential Oils for at home healing, in my fair opinion. The other 2 being Peppermint and the Theives Blend.

The Story of Lavender Essential oil goes like this......

French scientist Rene Gattefosse discovered lavenders ability to promote tissue regeneration and speed wound healing when he severely burned his arm in a labratory accident. His arm on fire he meant to stick it in a bucket of water and instead stuck it in one full of lavendar essential oil. He tirelessly promoted it's healing benefits the rest of his days.

It is used on Respiratory infections, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, menstral issues, skin conditions (post birth perenium, acne, eczema, psoriasis, scarring, and stretch marks), burns, hair loss, insomnia, nervous tension.

I have put it on a cotton ball and inserted the cotton ball into the ear.....VERY GENTLY...for ear infections. Also, I like to draw a line with it from the behind the ear and under the jaw line for colds. It is unparalled for burns and cuts, and yes just pour it on.

Calming, relaxing, and balancing, both physically and emotionally, I have been diffusing it during my yoga class lately.

A drop massaged into your palms and inhaled a bed time will encourage easy, peaceful sleep.

The Sun

While I research and get into the nitty gritties of essential oils, I want to take a brief break to give props to that big ball o' gas up in our sky: the sun.



One thing that I have fully embraced from Dr. Graham's 811 program is to get at least 20-30 minutes of sunlight a day. This is information that has been spread by several different media, however - I somehow missed it. I also somehow failed to understand that just being outside was not enough. I um, thought it was being 'out in the sun' to walk from my house to my car to the store to the car to the house. I considered it an achievement. Eesh.

Every single day, I try to have my breakfast outside. It's so RELAXING and it fills me with energy for the day. I love it. I usually take refuge during the more intense hours (10 AM-4 PM), and then go back outside with Ester for the evening hours. I love gardening in the cooler evening hours and seeing all the bugs come out. That has literally bitten me in the ass a few times (ha!), but for some reason, the buggie world is just AMAZING to me.

So, let's get to a few known benefits given by the sun's rays:

1) It can prevent several types of cancer, from breast to prostate. Yes, please.

2) Vitamin D. Osteoporosis, what? Vitamin D plays a vital role in calcium absorption in our bones, strengthens our muscles, and boosts our immune system. It also helps break down cholestrol, and we all know that stuff is nasty.

3) It can prevent depression. SAD is sad. Avoid it, plz thx.

4) Lower blood pressure.

5) It gets you PUMPED. Your heart, that is. Sunlight increases the cardiac output of your heart, which means your heart is able to pump more blood. That's a good thing, for deffo.

Need more? Google it. It's AMAZING. (Has 'google' officially become a verb? Hmm.)

Yes, there is a risk of skin cancer, however: be smart about it. Don't excessively tan or burn your skin. It's vain, it's not necessary, and you will look like a sack of leather in ten years. Every time you burn your skin on purpose, you are courting skin cancer. I don't know if you're aware, but that is not such a good idea. If you know you are going to be out in the sun for an extended period of time, protect yourself. I have heard from the raw community to use coconut oil, but that's yet another thing I have yet to delve into!

Until then, get outside and smile at the sky. It smiles back and gives you a big old warm hug, and we can use all the extra hugs we can get these days.

Peace!

<3,
Sarah

Raw and Essential Oils

For quite some time, I have not wanted to take medication. I do take an extremely low (10 milligram) dose of Lexapro, which I would like to eventually wean myself off. Otherwise, I have not taken any other medication - no aspirin, no Tums, no excedrin migraine, no nothing. I used to get migraine headaches that would knock me out for 2-3 days. I was a little nervous to not take medication the first time I felt my migraine coming, but I quickly got a bag of ice and put it on the back of my neck and rested. I cannot express to you how amazing it felt that I was in CHARGE of my body. I did not need some weird medication that usually knocks me out and renders me useless for my family; I just needed a little ice and good old fashion rest.

One of the benefits of essential oils is relieving the aches, pains, groans, and complaints of your body. I have started my research, and been very surprised at what I've seen. I am constantly amazed, always muttering, "Why didn't I know this SOONER?"

Life can be simple. Did you know that? We don't have to hustle and bustle and overmedicate with pharmaceuticals and food and drugs and alchohol. We can simply BE. Essential oils are the beginning of my path - my journey to simplicity.

So far, I've been enjoying reading all I can on lavendar. Maybe tonight or tomorrow I will post some of my findings. I am also going to poke the brains of a few individuals that already use oils, and hope they have wisdom to share.

I'm about 50-75% raw at this point, and I am fine with that. I will up it soon.

Random

I could use a notepad, but my blog is just so handy-dandy. I am going to be reviewing a few different topics of interest to me, and sharing the results with you. So far, here are the things that are drawing me:

1) Essential Oils
2) Herbal Remedies
3) The link between autism and vaccinations
4) Liver flushes

I'm sure I'll think of more later, I just didn't want to forget THESE.

<3,
Sarah

UM!?

I have no clue what day it is, lol. I am definitely still raw, but I'm trying to find my 'niche' in the raw world. I have eaten cooked a few times, and subsequently felt like crap. During the week of my monthly flow, I ate a little bit of cooked food and charted my reactions:

Dairy - ew, mucus. My skin felt really oily, too. Bad bad bad.
Soy - HOLY CRAP THIS WAS THE WORST. I felt like I was going to die. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, never again, bad.
Grain - not that bad, but I felt very bloated and like I had glue in my stomach. Pass, please.

I'm almost glad I did these 'trials', because now I know how POSITIVE I feel when I am 100% raw. I've been doing a lot of reading, from liver flushes to essential oils. I am going to keep blogging my daily intake, but focus more on lifestyle than calories. I am also going to keep eating an avocado a day because I really, really, really like them. Bwahahoo.

100 for 100: Days 20 and 21

Ugh.

It's that womanly time of the month. I feel fat, bloated, and self-loathing. I am not stepping on that scale until this madness is over. Yesterday, I did a water fast and it was all right. I got a little hyper anxious at the end of it.

Today, I pwned the day despite my cramps. And they hurt. I just ate cherries all day because that's all I wanted to eat, lol. I have no clue how much I ate, but I'll do a better job of keeping track tomorrow.

<3
<3
<3

100 for 100: Day 19

I am so super tired, I am not logging anything.

I am going to sreep.

NEENER!

100 for 100: Day 18

Fruity day!

I totally neglected my greens today, but I will pay homage to the gods of spinach and chard tomorrow.

This morning, I weighed in at 253.5. That is .5 pounds down from yesterday. Go me!

For breakfast, I ate a mixture of cherries and strawberries. I needed to shop, so I was just picking off the ends of my fantastic fruits.

Strawberries - 260 grams, 83.2 calories, .8 grams fat, 1.7 grams protein
Cherries - 236 grams, 148.7 calories, .5 grams fat, 2.5 grams protein

After getting the wonder that is Ester McGester to school, I went shopping. I felt so empowered - I only shopped in the produce section! Well, I had to get Ester suntan lotion for school but that so doesn't count.

I came home, ate my pineapple lunch outside while reading my 80-10-10 book. I sat next to my big, big garden. What a really nice treat!

Pineapple - 680 grams, .8 grams fat, 3.7 grams protein

Afterwards, I had Aileen's PPT. Let me tell you, it is annoying as hell to tell these people how to do their jobs. They have the misfortune of dealing with someone that has had 4 years SPED experience at the high school level. I think she'll be okay for fall, but I'm not totally thrilled with the program she will be participating in. I would love to see her interact more with like-age peers. However, I am quite proud of the effort she's put in to studying and practicing for her finals and also happy that I was able to advocate for her today. I turn into such a nasty bitch when people are mistreating my children.

SPEAKING OF MISTREATING MY CHILDREN.

So, at dinner, Ester tells me that she was misbehaving at lunch. Her teacher made her sit on the foor, cross-legged and facing the wall, with her arms out and her hands placed against the wall. WTF? We're going to have a talkie talk tomorrow, for serious. That just seems a little inappropriate. Just a tad.

So, Aileen's PPT lasted quite a while and, after coming home and talking to Jeremy a while, I took a nap. I really need to stop taking naps, but gosh I love them.

I got up, hung out with Aileen, prepared dinner, hung out with the family. You know, the usual. I like the usual. For dinner, I made an awesome smoothie. This was my first pure fruit smoothie!

Fruit Smoothie:
Watermelon - 812 grams, 243.6 calories, 1.2 grams fat, 5 grams protein
Mango - 300 grams, 195 calories, .8 grams fat, 1.5 grams protein
Strawberries - 546 grams, 174.7 calories, 1.6 grams fat, 3.7 grams protein

Holy crap, it was so good! Of course, it lasted me all night. My original intention was to suck it down before and during dinner, then drink a green smoothie at night. Whoops?

Totals - 1172 calories, 6 grams fat, 18 grams protein
80/10/10 - 91/4/5 WOO!

I watched So You Think You Can Dance tonight, and the results pissed me off. I liked Ravyn. :(

Anyways, I'm rushing this along so I can scoot to bed. See you guys tomorrow. It will be a chlorophyll-filled day!

<3,
Sarah

100 for 100: Day 17

I DID IT! I GOT MY CALORIES UPPPPPPPPPPPPPP! HOOORAY!

Okay, I got that out of my system.

Anyways, today was a weird day. I had a really difficult time sleeping last night. I ended up getting out of bed and reading my 80-10-10 book, which is just a phenomenal read. It's very scientific, and I appreciate that approach. Don't get me wrong, I really like reading a fun, light-hearted book, but I love the detail Dr. Doug Graham provides. People tend to get really down on others sometimes: don't count your calories, just 'feel' what you want to eat, yada yada.

Look.

I am morbidly obese. "Feeling" my way through food has not worked for me so far. I felt my way into size 24 jeans. I felt my way into stretch marks that have marred my skin. I felt my way into not being able to fit on amusement park rides. I need the discipline. I need to UNDERSTAND what I am putting into my body, and how it affects me. I am changing my life. I am learning. Like I said yesterday, all knowledge is worth having. I refuse to just throw myself to the whims of my emotions for 'knowing' when and what I should eat, because I promise you - I will be at Taco Bell. I am taking charge.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled blog!

This morning, I weighed 254, which is steady from yesterday. I'm down with that!

For breakfast, I ate (literally) a pound and a half of cherries. THEY WERE SO NUMMY. I can't believe I am just experiencing natural cherries now for the first time in my life.

Cherries - 700 grams, 441 calories, 1.4 grams fat, 7.4 grams protein

I worked this morning, and it was again thankfully void of angry text-based customers. Then, I made myself a SUPER smoothie. I think I went overboard.

Fluffy Spinach Smoothie, Take Two:

Spinach - 340 grams, 78.2 calories, 1.3 grams fat, 9.7 grams protein
Chard - 296 grams, 56.2 calories, .6 grams fat, 5.3 grams protein
Bananas - 486 grams, 432.5 calories, 1.6 grams fat, 5.3 grams protein
Bananas - again! - 230 grams, 204.7 calories, .8 grams fat, 2.5 grams protein

I really put way too much stuff into this, and it took me all afternoon and evening to finish. I also had to put two more bananas in to make it a bit sweeter.

Jeremy and I had counseling today, which is totally going great. We're really laying out a solid foundation for our future, and that gives me a lot of comfort. We were so young when we got married, and I'm glad we have this chance to refocus.

I made dinner for my family tonight. My favorite.

IT WAS SO HARD TO WATCH THEM EAT BLACK BEAN TACOS WITH CHEESE AND SOUR CREAM.

Did you get that? Because, my God, I surely did. Of course, I had sauteed mushrooms with spices and chickpeas and lettuce and tomatoes, but god those black beans with the sour cream and cheese were just calling to me. They like it, and I like for them to be happy eating but I think I'm just going to crumple with each bite they take. I guess if I can make it through taco night, I can make it through anything.

After dinner, I snacked on cherries. Again. I love them. They are great to eat while you watch So You Think You Can Dance-Dance-Dance. OH, and the show was awesome! I was so thrilled to see some of the dancers and have them actually get me excited about this season. I've been clinging to the awesome that is Season 3 for so long that, well, I DIDN'T WANT TO LET THEM GO. My favorite performance of the night was Joshua and Katee, dancing to No Air. I also really, really like Will. I have a crush on him. Comfort is adorable, and her personality is infectious. Ravyn is a beautiful person, and I'm really drawn to her. And, of course, Twitch rules. Go Twitchington!

Cherries - 188 grams, 118.4 calories, .4 grams fat, 2 grams protein

Totals - 1331 (!) calories, 6 grams fat, 32 grams protein
80/10/10 - 87/4/9 (Whee!)

I made my total goal today, I made my total goal! WHEE! I also got enough iron for the day, which made me thrilled. Altogether, I am really pleased with today.

Big hopes for tomorrow!

<3,
Sarah

100 for 100: Day 16

Holy. God. It. Is. Hot. It was, like, 101 today.

Seriously.

Us northern white folks don't take that kind of heat! I AM WILTING! So, Jeremy awesomely took Ester in to school this morning, so I loafed. I really, really like to loaf in the heat. Also, I don't think I am getting enough calories (scratch that, I know I'm not getting enough calories), so my energy level is wicked poor. I made a decision to do my best to eat eat eat eat eat today - my goal is eventually to get my caloric intake up to 1200-1500. Right now, I'm only eating enough calories for a girl that weighs 80 pounds. Yikes!

Today, I weighed 254. That's one pound less than yesterday, yay. I am .9 BMI away from no longer being morbidly obese. How AWESOME is that?

For breakfast, I made a smoothie. I bought clementines, thinking I needed a break from oranges - but I just don't like them as much, so therefore I do not eat them. I added some kale for iron. It was yum!

Fluffy Spinach Smoothie-
Spinach - 128 grams, 29.4 calories, .5 grams fat, 3.7 grams protein
Banana - 472 grams, 420 calories, 1.6 grams fat, 5.1 grams protein
Kale - 84 grams, 42 calories, .6 grams fatm 2.8 grams protein

I am like, wildly crazy about cob houses so I did more research. I really want to find out local building codes and IF WE CAN, I want to build one. I did a little land pricing in Connecticut, and holy moly, is it expensive. However, I'd rather spend 120k for a huge 4 acre lot and build my house for 5 dollars than spend 200k on an existing house that I hate. Makes sense, right? Right. Cob is like, the future of America.

While I read and read and read and wrote emails and read some more, I ate strawberries. Like, a ton of them.

Strawberries - 762 grams, 2.3 grams fat, 5.1 grams protein

After all that, I settled in for a bath and Natalia Rose goodness. I reviewed food combining, which is kind of silly as I naturally gravitate towards mono-meals anyways. However, all knowledge is worth having! I got out of the bath late and had to hurry to pick up Ester for her dentist's appointment.

Pause for a moment.

This was a bad thing. I was just about ready to eat, but thought to myself: "Self, this will be quick and you can eat a snack when you get home." This was a bad idea. Not only did I have to get Ester to the dentist (wtf, when is that EVER quick?), but I had to go to Blockbuster and then to the store. By the time I got home, I was hot and sweaty and bitchy. SUPER bitchy. Not only that, but I had to cook for my family because Jeremy was running late. So, I was hot and sweaty and over a hot stove cooking food I won't touch. Yeah, that upped the bitch level to mega.

Note to self: bring bananas with you if you know you're going somewhere that will take longer than an hour. Self, please remember this because your family's peace depends on it.

Anyways, Ester was great at the dentist BUT she had four cavities. AAAAAAAGH! Now, I realize I have not had this child forever but I FEEL LIKE A BAD MOM. :( Ah well. It's just the baby teeth, so we'll have take two and this time, they will be pristine! Pristine, I say! And, of course, it took forever at the dentist's office because that's the law of the world.

Afterwards, I went to Blockbuster. I threw that stupid There Will Be Blood movie into the receptacle, and made a private promise to myself that the only time I will ever watch that movie again is if the director is next to me so I can facepalm him. Ester picked out Underdog, and I got The War (Jet Li, omg) and The Other Boleyn Girl. I think they are running out of options for movie titles.

At the store, I got mostly food for my family. I try to keep them vegetarian at least, but today I made a stand against the man: I got my daughter nut milk for her cereal. Cow's milk is just so bogus, even if it's organic.

After rushing home, I prepared dinner and threw together a salad for myself. This was my first avocado-less salad. I have to admit, I was a little sad not to have its tender goodness. Ah well! No time for tears, because we had a Blood Borne Pathogen training tonight for foster care. Zip to that! Whee!

Dinner -
Romaine Lettuce - 141 grams, 24 calories, .4 grams fat, 1.7 grams protein
Cucumber - 240 grams, 36 calories, .3 grams fat, 1.6 grams protein
Tomatoes - 250 grams, 45 calories, .5 grams fat, 2.2 grams protein

I'm still hungry, but I have a bit of salad left so I'll try that. On Give It To Me Raw, they suggested eating greens at night so I'm giving it a go. However - I STILL HAD LIKE NO CALORIES FOR TODAY. Tomorrow, it's on with the bananas. It's SO on.

Totals - 840 calories, 6 grams fat, 22 grams protein
For 80-10-10, that's: 85/6/9. Yay me!

Oh! I got my book today! It has so much information! I'll let you know how I like The 80-10-10 Diet. I think I'm going to curl up with it under the dulcet breath of my air conditioner.

The lady at the training was passing out candy for right answers. How about some carrot sticks, huh? Huh?

100 for 100: Day 15

I wish I was better about writing every day, but sometimes life gets carried away. Yesterday, I had a super busy day of birthday parties and concerts, which was awesome fun! I ate only fruit yesterday, which helped in the oppressive heat. I weighed 255, which is up .5 pounds from Saturday.

This morning, I weighed 255 which is exactly the same as yesterday. I think I'm about to get that monthly woman thing, so not losing weight isn't a huge deal. I know I'm still eating healthy, and I feel great - so THAT is the big deal!

I had another great and healthy eating day today. LOTS of fruit, because again - it was friggin' hot.

I ate like, four bananas to begin with. I am starting to really warm up to bananas, but oranges still rule as my favorite fruit.

Bananas -

I kept Ester home because it was so silly hot, and I really didn't want her running around outside at preschool. It was adorable, because she ate like me the entire day. All fruits, all at random intervals. I swear, she's a raw vegan in the making.

I had a midmorning snack of strawberries, which made me not so hungry for lunch. They really hit the spot! Aileen came home early; they dismissed school because of the heat. That reminds me, I have to email her teacher. Thank you, Blogspot!

Strawberries -

Then, early afternoon, I was craving cucumber. CRAVING. So, I ate a lot. Like, a cucumber and a half. BWAHAHAHA, watch out cucumbers!

Cucumbers -

Jeremy went to Rhode Island today and installed a plotter for one of his clients. The neat thing about him going to Rhode Island is that, despite the distance away, he usually gets home early.

For dinner, I had my very last of my yummy wraps. I can't believe I thought sprouted grain bread was raw! I picked my own mint from the garden, so it was extra special.

Ezekiel Bread Tortilla
Avocado (Sorry Ash, I'll be good when um, the book gets here!)
Tomato
Cucumber
Mint and Red Pepper to garnish

This is taking forever because people keep talking to me, so I will add all the numbers in tomorrow.

I watched Monster tonight, and HOLY GOD, that was a good movie. I never, ever thought Charlize Theron could be ugly. She was great!

<3!

100 for 100: Day 13

So, yesterday..

I fell off the wagon. It was rainy and cold and by-gum-it, I wanted cooked food. I had a vegetarian flat bread pizza for lunch. Let me tell you - I felt like CRAP. The bread was this horrid ball of glue in my stomach and I hated it. I felt sick for the entire afternoon. Last night, I ate a big bowl of cherries then waited for about an hour and ate a salad. I felt fantastic after getting vibrant, fresh, raw food into my system. Lesson learned!

Today, I had a *much* better day. I ordered the 80-10-10 Diet by Dr. Douglas Graham yesterday, and I am anxiously awaiting its arrival at my home. Until then, I shall wallow in the glory of my avocados. (I promise, Ash, I will cut back.)

For breakfast, I had two yummy oranges. I had a bit of a headache (probably because that big, nasty ball of bread glue was in my intestines and I hadn't gone #2 in a bit), so I lounged in bed for a bit with a bag of ice against my neck. You know, it's really interesting to me how much can be treated WITHOUT medicine. Time, rest, heat/cold, and healthy living - that's the most important. I read an article yesterday that there are actually placebo pills on the market (called Obecalp, which is Placebo spelled backwards) that mothers can give to children when they want them to stop whining about this, that, or the other thing hurting. People are actually teaching their children that the way to treat all symptoms, real or imaginary, is to pop a pill. Blegh.

Oh yes, my oranges.

Oranges - 220 grams, 107.8 calories, .3 grams fat, 2 grams protein

I got Ester up and dressed for her bio visit with her dad, then went to the store. I really, really love how I spend the majority of my time in the produce aisle. I used to just rush past it, if I stopped at all. WOW. Isn't that awesome?!

I had to work my dorky job and take peoples assists about their text-based clothing not fitting in the right slots. (Don't ask.) While I did this, I had a friggin' huge snack of pineapple.

Pineapple - 526 grams, 252.5 calories, .6 grams fat, 2.8 grams protein

When I came home, I had a really awesome lunch of watermelon. It felt really, really good to flush out my system.

Watermelon - 926 grams, 277.8 calories, 1.4 grams fat, 5.6 grams protein

I find that when I stick to fruit for my breakfast, lunch, and midafternoon snack, I have WAY MUCH MORE ENERGY. Usually, I get really sluggish after lunch and need an hour or two nap. Not this time! What made it more amazing was that it was friggin' hot today. 99! Us white New England folks were melting. After lunch, I took Ester and Aileen to the store and got them new shoes. Ester, of course, picked the ones that had the most lights to light up and the shiniest butterflies. Aileen, of course, picked sandals that had 094590 inch wedges in the heel to make it look like she is remotely tall. Ha.

We came home, and Jeremy prepared them a lovely meal of..hotdogs. Ugh. I hate that they are even in my house, but, at the same time, I don't want to be psychotic over their choices. After all, it is -their- choice. Still, the smell of hotdogs permeating the house was enough to make me want to bury my head in my lilac-scented sheets.

I made a meal of my omgfavorite wrap. While I do love this wrap, I can't wait until I use the last one tomorrow. Like I said previously, I hate wasting but it's hard to eat all of them by yourself!

OMGFAVORITE wrap:
Ezekiel Bread Tortilla - 57 grams, 85 calories, 2 grams fat, 3.4 grams protein
Spinach - 22 grams, 5.1 calories, .1 gram fat, .6 grams protein
Tomatoes - 150 grams, 27 calories, .3 grams fat, 1.3 grams protein
Avocado - 120 grams, 192 calories, 17.6 grams fat, 2.4 grams protein
A dash of red pepper to taste! Mmm.

Tonight, I tried to watch The Assassination of Jesse James. I incorrectly assumed that because it had Brad Pitt, it would be quality. I don't think I made it past the first 30 minutes. It made me so sad because I really, really like Brad Pitt and I think he's an uber actor. I popped in Casino Royale, which was slightly better but meh. I'm turning into a movie snob. You know, after watching and rewatching every episode of Firefly, I just have such a snotty standard for dialogue and plot development. Brown Coats forever, raaaaah!

Totals - 948 calories, 22 grams fat, 18 grams protein

My weight today was 254.5, which is 1.5 pounds down from Thursday. Go me!

<3

100 for 100: Day 11

Ester had an appointment today, so I took the opportunity to ask Jeremy to take her in to school while I lounged around. Oooh, and lounge around I did! Her appointment was not until 11, and I swear I did not get out of bed until 9:30.

An aside: It feels really weird to consider 9:30 as an extremely late time to get out of bed.

I weighed 256 this morning, which is .5 pounds up from yesterday. I think I am going to change my eating habits and eat fruits and smoothies all day and a heavier meal at night because I, ahem, am not eliminating like I should. I am usually only going once a day, and it should be much more than that. Someday when I have a bit of spare coinage laying about, I will go for colonics, but until then, me and my fruit smoothies will be people!

For breakfast, I had me some oranges. I friggin' love oranges.

Oranges - 360 grams, 169.2 calories, .4 grams fat, 3.4 grams protein

After breakfast, I picked Ester up from school and took her to her appointment. Let me tell you, she was a ROCKSTAR. I am always so proud of my daughter. She was beautifully polite to the attending nurse and doctor, and remained calm during her iron blood test. She does need a bit more iron - and get this! The multivitamin that I give her every morning does NOT have iron! Wtf, fail. :(

I ran into another interesting problem during the appointment. Ester was getting understandably anxious about getting her blood drawn and, in the typical mother fashion, I wanted to offer something to bargain with her for good behavior. Of course - my first choice, my second choice, and my third choice were all food! I found myself stumbling over my words, because I did NOT want to offer her icecream or anything else equally ridiculous. Instead, I reassured her and told her that, sometimes, life sucks. The little shot was going to hurt, but it would feel better later. I also promised her that she could cradle that poor finger while we watched the Bee Movie, snuggled up on the couch. :)

For lunch, I made myself another wrap. 1) I love these. 2) I hate to be wasteful, so I want to use up the Ezekiel Tortillas before they go bad.

Nummy Avocado Wrap:

Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortilla - 57 grams, 85.5 calories, 2 grams fat, 3.4 grams protein
Spinach - 40 grams, 9.2 calories, .2 grams fat, 1.1 grams protein
Avocado - 136 grams, 217.6 calories, 19.9 grams fat, 2.7 grams protein
Tomato - 148 grams, 26.6 calories, .3 grams fat, 1.3 grams protein
Mint and Red Pepper to spice. MMM.

Ester and I laid down for a nap and we, well, slept. I don't know why I slept, but whatever. Apparently we needed it! I woke up about an hour later, but stayed with Ester because - well, these times are precious. She's going to be attending kindergarten this fall, and I don't get these opportunities very often. Also, we will be finding out soon enough if she's going back to her biological father. June 12th will be our 2 year anniversary of having her in our lives, and it would suck if she went back, but them's the breaks for foster families. So neener, I'll snuggle her all the heck I wanna!

Jeremy stopped by Wal-Mart (boo!), and picked up - I am not lying - HOTDOGS, CRAP IN A CAN CHILI, GROSS HOT DOG BUNS, AND FAKE FLAVORED FRENCH FRIES. He is so fired. Ester and Aileen enjoyed their supper well enough, but gosh, it was hard to watch them eat that crap. Speaking of crap, I wanted to get some out so I ate a fruit monomeal of cherries.

Cherries - 524 grams, 330.1 calories, 1 gram fat, 5.6 grams protein

Daily Totals - 838 calories, 24 grams fat, 18 grams protein

I really want to get my fat down a bit, but heck - I love avocados. I think I'm just going to get eating them every single day until I don't want them anymore. :-D

Ester and I organized her room tonight and we all watched So You Think You Can Dance. I was so disappointed that my Gene Kelly dude got voted off. I really like him! Ah well, I'm still not as excited for this season as I was for last season. I will still watch it faithfully, though, because it is uber.

Peace, people!

100 for 100: Day 10

Eesh. What a day.

Let's start with the good stuff:

Today, I weighed in at 255.5. That is 7 pounds down from my start of 262.5 just ten days ago. Yay!

I always weigh myself about 15 minutes after I wake up. I go potty, putter around, check my email, tackle hug Ester, and weigh myself.

This morning, I had 3 oranges for breakfast.

Oranges - 334 grams, 157 calories, .4 grams protein, 3.1 grams protein

After I dropped Ester off at school, I came home and did my game host shift. Thankfully, there were no problems and I had a nice, relaxing morning. I love when the online community is calm and collected. While on my shift, I had a fantastic snack of pineapple!

Pineapple -634 grams, 304.3 calories, .8 grams fat, 3.4 grams protein

Jeremy and I had our weekly therapy meeting, and came up with some really great ideas. People, if any of you have any marital issues AT ALL - just go to counseling. If anything, it's great to have a mediator to bring clear perception to your problems. We've been going for about two months, and it has been SUPREMELY helpful. I really, really enjoy my sessions but danged, I am emotional worn out afterwards.

I came home, and made myself a wrap with an Ezekiel tortilla. I swear to God, those are my new favorite things. Yay for sprouted wheat bread!

Sarah's Favorite Wrap -

Ezekiel Bread sprouted Grain Wrap (these are RULE!) - 57 grams, 85.5 calories, 2 grams fat, 3.4 grams protein
Spinach - 30 grams, 6.9 calories, .1 gram fat, .9 grams protein
Tomato - 148 grams, 26.6 calories, .3 grams fat, 1.3 grams protein
Avocado - 140 grams, 224 calories, 20.5 grams fat, 2.8 grams protein


I also did my second YouTube video, which I am going to do my best to put up tonight. The difference is SO AMAZING. Not only have I lost seven pounds, but I have gained so much LIFE. I love it.

I took a little rest late in the afternoon, got up and prepared dinner and cleaned the house a bit. The family came home, and we all enjoyed our meal together. I, of course, had my fluffy spinach and banana drink. I think it is SO IMPORTANT to have dinner with your family, even if you're not eating WHAT they are having for dinner. It's crucial to reassure them that 1) you will not force them to change and accept them, no matter what they choose to eat and 2) they can be comfortable around you as you change your diet and lifestyle.

Fluffy Spinach and Banana Smoothie -

Spinach - 140 grams, 32.2 calories, .5 grams fat, 4 grams protein
Bananas - 428 grams, 380.9 calories, 1.4 grams fat, 4.7 grams protein
1 cup water

I watched So You Think You Can Dance tonight. While I love the show, I'm just not feeling the same vibe as last year. I was crazy about the show last year and this year - meh. I'm hoping after Vegas and the Top 20, things will pick up and contestants will become endeared to me. Tomorrow, I have big plans! I am going to finish packing up ALL my winter fat clothes and giving them away. Whee!

<3!

100 for 100: Days 8 and 9

Whoops! I've had two really crazy days!

I apologize for not updating my blog. I kept track of it in Nutridiary, and I've been doing really well. My only bad (?) thing is that I'm eating an avocado every single day. Mmm, natural fat tastes so creamy!

I'll spare you guys by not writing in my notes from the past few days and just start anew on Day 10!

-Sarah

100 for 100: Day 7

YAY ONE WEEK!

Go me, go me, go me!

I so rock.

Anyways, I had so much to eat last night that I wasn't even in the mood to eat anything today. Except fruit. I craved it! I blame all the nut stuff and veggies I had last night. SO FULL OF PROTEIN AND GREEN STUFF!

Yesterday, I weighed 258.5 pounds. Today, 257. That's a loss of 1.5 pounds from yesterday, and 6 pounds total.

Throughout the day, I had:

Oranges - 500 grams, 235 calories, .6 grams fat, 4.7 grams protein
Pineapple - 330 grams, 158.4 calories, .4 grams fat, 1.8 grams protein
Bananas - 250 grams, 225.5 calories, .8 grams fat, 2.7 grams protein

Total - 616 calories, 2 grams fat, 9 grams fat

Okay, that was unreal and totally low. It'll be higher tomorrow, I just swear I wasn't hungry! Peace, people.

100 for 100: Day 6

I went to my first raw vegan restaurant tonight! My husband and I enjoyed the fare at Ahimsa, a fantastic restaurant in New Haven. My favorite course, by far, was the eggplant manicotti. It was stuffed with macademia nut cheese and topped with a chunky marinara sauce. Holy Christ, it was SO GOOD. I have no idea how many calories I consumed, but I'm sure with all the nut cheese, it was plenty. I also had wine and unfiltered sake - we had the Chef's Menu with wine pairing. It was expensive as all heck, but I was stuffed full and it was definitely fun to not know what we were getting!

Today, I weighed 258.5. This is up 1 pound from yesterday, for a total of 4.5 pounds lost during my trial.

For my breakfast and snacks, I had:

(I'll do better about recording times and stuff tomorrow. ((Well, it is tomorrow at the moment.)) So, I'll do better today!)

Breakfast:

Oranges - 350 grams, 164.5 calories, .4 grams fat, 3.3 grams protein

Snack:

Cherries - 390 grams, 245.7 calories, .8 grams fat, 4.1 grams protein

Lunch:

Salad avec:

Avocado - 120 grams, 192 calories, 17.6 grams fat, 2.4 grams protein
Tomatoes - 140 grams, 25.2 calories, .3 grams fat, 1.2 grams protein
Cilantro - 16 grams, 3.7 calories, .1 gram fat, .3 grams protein
Cucumber - 290 grams, 43.5 calories, .3 grams fat, 1.9 grams protein

Total pre-dinner - 675 calories, 19 grams fat, 13 grams protein

<3,
Sarah

100 for 100: Day 5

Oh my God, I was so emo today! I need to snap out of this funk! I've already complained on the Give It To Me Raw forums, so I will spare you here. Tomorrow will be better, because I am going to my first raw vegan restaurant! I will tell you how it is. Whee!

Today, I weighed 257.5 pounds. I've lost 2 pounds from yesterday, and 5.5 pounds total since the beginning of my challenge.

I snacked pretty much all day today, so I never really had a 'meal'. In order to hurry my number 2 along, I decided to eat all fruit. Boooooy, did that work.

I ate:

Oranges - 470 grams, 230.3 calories, .7 grams fat, 4.3 grams protein
Cherries - 280 grams, 176.4 calories, .6 grams fat, 3 grams protein
Bananas - 500 grams, 445 calories, 1.7 grams fat, 5.5 grams protein
Spinach - 130 grams, 29.9 calories, .5 grams fat, 3.7 grams protein (Smoothie!)
Blueberries - 230 grams, 131.1 calories, .8 grams fat, 1.7 grams protein

Totals - 1013 calories, 4 grams fat, 18 grams protein

See you guys tomorrow!

100 for 100: Day 4

Oy. I'm really angsty today. Maybe it's because (and pardon me) I haven't taken a crap in 24 hours. I know there's some stuff wanting to come out! Maybe it's because I sat with my family while they ate my favorite cooked vegetarian meal. Who knows!

What I do know is that, although I am strong in my commitment, there are tiny things that are frustrating me. I don't want to quit, I don't want to break my 100%, but there's this little bud of anger inside of me that is rebelling against this change.

I have tried to reach out to my 'real' friends, but they just don't understand what I am doing. Despite the obvious benefits, they feel it is extreme. They talk about the tastes and memories they would miss, and it's hard for me not to do the same. One way I am trying to preserve those memories is to force myself into the 'normal' situations in which those memories were created, like our family dinner time. My husband has been super awesome about making dinner so that I don't have to cook meat or create familiar cooked vegetarian recipes that would entice me, but I still have to watch them eat it! Tonight especially, I felt like a kid outside the window of the candy store. I don't want to eat cooked foods; I only want it because I cannot have them.

Or I perceive I cannot have them. I do have a will. I do have a choice. I am choosing to be healthy. I just can't lose sight of that.

Oy. I'm rambling..sorry!

So, this morning I weighed in at 259, which is .5 down from yesterday and 3.5 down total since going 100% raw. Go me!

Today, I ate:

Breakfast:

Oranges - 490 grams, 240.1 calories, .7 grams fat, 4.5 grams protein

Snack:

Pineapple - 520 grams, 249.6 calories, .6 grams fat, 2.8 grams protein

Lunch:

Salad avec:

Avocado - 140 grams, 224 calories, 20.5 grams fat, 2.8 grams protein
Cucumber - 310 grams, 46.5 calories, .3 grams fat, 2 grams protein
Red Pepper - 220 grams, 57.2 calories, .7 grams fat, 2.2 grams protein
Tomatoes - 220 grams, 39.6 calories, .4 grams fat, 1.9 grams protein
Cilantro - 20 grams, 4.6 calories, .1 grams fat, .4 grams protein


(This was so super huge, it lasted me into a late afternoon snack.)

Dinner:

Fluffy smoothie:

Spinach - 130 grams, 29.9 calories, .5 grams fat, 3.7 grams protein
Banana - 470 grams, 418.3 calories, 1.6 grams fat, 5.1 grams protein

Totals - 1310 calories, 25 grams fat (eesh, that's high!), 25 grams protein

Well, I got more calories but I need to watch that fat! Darn those avocados!

<3!

100 for 100: Day 3

Yikes.

Okay, everyone talks about the emotional detox. I thought to myself, "Self, you'll be just fine."

Ha.

Ha ha.

Ha.

So, I lost it today. All these EMOTIONS just started pouring out of my eyeballs, and then I kept going because I realized I couldn't soothe and feed them with the normal gobs of ice cream and Taco Bell. Then I realized - I have to deal with them.

What?! What?! DEAL WITH THEM? Ugh.

So, deal with them I did and I made it through the day emotionally drained, but still 100% raw. I am still a tiny bit worried about my caloric intake. I think I need to throw in a few more random snacks or something. Eesh. I did have a bit of a headache in the evening because I waited for the rest of my family's dinner to be prepared. I should have just had a snack while they were cooking, and my smoothie at dinner.

My energy was awesome in the beginning of the day, but after my boohoo session, I was pretty zonked. HMM. What's good unzonking food? I need to investigate.

I weighed in this morning at 259.5 lbs. That is 1 lb. down from yesterday, for a total of three pounds lost. Go me!

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast. around 8ish:

Oranges - 300 grams, 147 calories, .9 grams fat, 3.1 grams protein

Snack, around 10ish:

Blueberries - 160 grams, 91.2 calories, .5 grams fat, 1.2 grams protein

Lunch, around 1ish:

Salad avec:

Spinach - 150 grams, 34.5 calories, .6 grams fat, 4.3 grams protein
Avocado - 90 grams, 144 calories, 13.2 grams fat, 1.8 grams protein
Tomatoes - 340 grams, 61.2 calories, .7 grams fat, 3 grams protein
Cucumber - 270 grams, 40.5 calories, .3 grams fat, 1.8 grams protein
Red Pepper - 22o grams, 57.2 calories, .7 grams fat, 2.2 grams protein

Dinner, around 7 ish: (yikes, six hours without a bit of love in my belly?!)

Fluffy Smoothie

Spinach - 100 grams, 23 calories, .4 grams fat, 2.9 grams protein
Bananas - 340 grams, 302.6 calories, 1.1 grams fat, 3.7 grams protein

Totals: 901 calories, 18 grams fat, 24 grams protein


<3!

100 for 100: Day 2

Wow! What a day!

First, I feel totally great. Last night, I ended up going to bed with a bit of a migraine; a little ice on my neck and a cold towel on my head took care of that, and I slept beautifully. My daughter sneaked into bed with me at 6:30. By that point, I had been awake for about a half an hour and spent some awesome mommy-daughter time with Ester.

I went shopping, did tons of housework, went to physical therapy (for an old neck injury), prepared dinner for my family - all with TONS of energy, love, and happiness. Usually, I have to sleep until 8:30 and take a nap after lunch. I haven't taken a nap since I started my raw transition.

WOW?!

Also, I've been gleaning quite a bit from the community at Give It To Me Raw. One poster gave me the link to a neat website called Nutridiary. I've been logging my food there - it's a great visual analyzing tool. Check it out!

My weight: 260.5 lbs. I'm down 2 pounds from yesterday, the start of my diet.

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast:

Blueberries - 200 grams, 114 calories, .7 grams fat, 1.5 grams protein

Snack:

Pineapple - 480 grams, 216 calories, .6 grams fat, 2.6 grams protein


Lunch:

Avocado salad thing:

Avocado - 100 grams, 120 calories, 10.1 grams fat, 2.2 grams protein
Cucumber - 220 grams, 33 calories, .2 grams fat, 1.4 grams protein
Red Pepper - 180 grams, 46.8 calories, .5 grams fat, 1.8 grams protein
Cilantro - 40 grams, 9.2 calories, .2 grams fat, .9 grams protein
Tomatoes - 320 grams, 67.2 calories, 1.1 gram fat, 2.7 grams protein

Dinner:

Fluffy Smoothie-

Spinach - 130 grams, 29.9 calories, .5 grams fat, 3.7 grams protein
Bananas - 560 grams, 498.4 calories, 1.8 grams fat, 6.1 grams protein

Total Calories: 1134 calories, 16 grams fat, 23 grams protein

Yikes! I need more calories! I also need to find a good way to get more iron in my diet. I can't wait for tomorrow. :-D

<3!

100 for 100: Day 1

Oy. Today was pretty hard, to be honest. I wanted to start on Memorial Day, but the picnics nearly did me in! Thankfully, I had my handy little bucket o' fruit and maintained my time with the family and my newly found raw food religion. Phew!

I weighed in this morning at 262.5 pounds. This is my starting weight, which is down from 286 pounds in December.

We started wicked late, so breakfast was around 9 AM. I had:

A fluffy green smoothie:
Bananas (4) 342 grams - 304 calories, 3.7 grams protein, 1.1 grams fat
Spinach 100 grams - 23 calories, 2.9 grams protein, .4 grams fat

Total: 365 calories, 6.6 grams protein, 1.5 grams fat

Lunch, after the parade (whee!) around 1 PM:

Spinach 154 grams - 35 calories, 4.4 grams protein, .6 grams fat
Tomatoes 284 grams - 57 calories, 2.5 grams protein, .6 grams fat
Cucumber 322 grams - 39 calories,, 1.9 grams protein, .5 grams fat
Red Bell Pepper 190 grams - 49 calories, 1.9 grams protain, .6 grams fat
Cold-Pressed Olive Oil - 1 T 120 calories, 0 protein, 14 grams fat

Totals: 1070 calories, 10.7 grams protein, 16.3 grams fat

Snackish Dinner, at the BBQ around 4 PM:

Watermelon: 1028 grams - 308 calories, 6.3 grams protein, 1.5 gram fat

Snack, around 8 PM:

Fluffy Green Smoothie:

Spinach 90 grams - 21 calories, 2.6 grams protein, .4 grams fat
Bananas (3) 400 grams - 356 calories, 4.4 grams protein, 1.3 grams fat

Total: 377 calories, 7 grams protein, 1.7 grams fat


Total for the Day:

2120 calories, 30.6 grams protein, 21 grams fat


Not bad! I have nothing to eat tomorrow (aside from breakfast nummies), so I get to go shopping! I friggin' love to shop, seriously. I'm pretty happy with my daily intake, especially with the fat - it's right at 10%. Right now, I'm keeping meals super simple, but I intend to experiment a bit more after I detox and get a bit more comfortable.

Oh! Detox. Today, I just have a bit of a headache. So far, so good.

See you guys bright and early!

First blog!

Go first blog, go first blog, go! If you can imagine it, I'm doing the cabbage patch. Well, not really. Whatever. Details, details.

My name is Sarah Hernandez, and today is my very first day (are you ready for it?) 100% raw! Cue trumpets, fanfare, and obligatory cheerleaders. I've decided to go raw for 100 days. 100% raw for 100 days. 100 for 100. Clever, ain't it? I do try.

I have been a vegetarian for about three months; well, not a vegetarian. A junkatarian. Cheese, pasta, pizza, chips'n'dips - these were my steady friends. While I was losing weight, I became increasingly aware of the lack of quality in my food. I like to think of myself as progressive, so I evaluated my choices and make a conscious decision to do better.

A few weeks ago, I came across a YouTube video of Angela Stokes and her experience with raw food. Researching vegan options, I found her AGAIN. All right, universe - I GET IT! I HEAR YOU! I started researching raw food and found Steve Pavlina, and the We Like it Raw community. I was hooked. Everyone who fully embraces the raw diet seems so healthy and vibrant, and I wanted a slice of that all-natural, uncooked pie. So I made the decision to take the proverbial plunge, and here I am - day one: raw foodie.

I will be blogging in greater detail my meals, my nutritional intake, and my health progress because I know there are so many people out there that, like me, have questions. I hope to draw people to this path. It's been amazing so far, and I've just begun.

Mucho love!