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It’s no surprise that a dehydrator is almost considered a staple appliance  in the raw food kitchen, well – in any kitchen actually – they’re just so darn handy. Currently, I own an Excalibur dehydrator that I bought used on ebay years ago. But my original forays into the world of dehydrating began with one of the circular types, that had several stacking trays and a heating element underneath. In fact, before I got the Excalibur, I owned three of those suckers. And no, not all at the same time. The truth is that I would buy one, use it for 2 weeks, then store it. Then, when I’d move I’d decide I didn’t want to pack it and “I’m not using it anyway” so I’d get rid of it.

After the third time, I decided I’d buy a ‘real’ (HA HA HA that’s how I thought of it) dehydrator and I’d never buy another again. I saved up my money and bought the Excalibur. But that didn’t stop the dehydrator from finding it’s way back into storage… it just kept me from throwing out or donating it to charity. =) But don’t think that because you don’t have money burning a hole in you pocket doesn’t mean you can have a dehydrator. How are some pretty good instructions on how to make your own.

http://www.k-clements.fsnet.co.uk/dehydrator.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple_Deluxe_Sonotube_Food_Dehydrator/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make_a_dehydrator_from_a_dorm_fridge/

How about a solar dehydrator? http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Food-Dehydrator-Dryer/

Also, if you know of any other really good instructions or how-tos, let me know and I’ll add them.

1 – Provides Energy: Bananas provide energy through their high content of healthy carbohydrates and potassium, which makes them a perfect food for athletes and active people. Eating bananas also helps to restore the electrolyte balance in your body which is important after a strenuous workout.

2 – Promotes Cardiovascular Health: Bananas are a rich source of potassium, a mineral that has been linked to maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Studies show that a diet rich in foods containing potassium (such as bananas) significantly lowers the risk of stroke. The fiber in bananas also help promote cardiovascular health. (more…)

3 – Antacid and Stomach Health: Bananas have a natural antacid effect which protects the stomach against ulcers and ulcer related damage. Eating bananas helps to stimulate the cells in your stomach that compose the acid-protective lining. Some people complain that eating bananas gives them heartburn. Possible reasons for this might be that unripe or partially-ripe bananas have sugars and starches that are not as easily digestible for some people. Allergies might also play a role.

4 – Digestive/Colon Health: Bananas can provide relief for constipation and help normalize digestive function. Bananas contain tryptophan, an amino acid which is used by your body to produce serotonin. Serotonin plays a significant role in regulating intestinal movement and function. (more…)

5 – Balanced Mood And Brain Health: The tryptophan content of bananas which lead to the production of serotonin also helps regulate mood, sleep patterns, muscle contraction, appetite, memory and learning. (more…) Bananas are a good source of vitamin B6, which studies suggest may reduce the risk for Parkinson’s disease. (more…)

6 – Improved Mineral/Nutrient Absorption: Bananas are a rich source of fructooligosaccharide (more…) which helps nourish helpful bacteria in your digestive tract which are responsible for aiding digestion and the production/processing of vitamins and minerals. Bananas have been shown to play a role in the improved absorption of minerals such as calcium. Adding a banana to your fruit or green smoothie will help maximize the nutrients that are available.

7 – Promotes Kidney Health: Potassium and antioxidant phenolic compounds in bananas play a role in protecting against kidney disease and cancers.

8 – Immune System Support: Bananas are a great source of vitamin B6, which plays a roll in the production of antibodies to fight off disease.

9 – Weight Loss Benefits: Bananas are a low-calorie food, about 100 or so calories in a medium fruit. The fiber content in bananas helps you feel full which can help you avoid snacking between meals. Bananas are beneficial in helping you reach your weight loss goals. In fact, there is a popular “Banana Diet” that originated in Japan and recently took the internet by storm.

Banana Nutrition Highlights

A medium-sized banana about 7 or 8 inches long provides about 105-120 calories, about 20% of your daily value (DV) of vitamin B6, 18% DV vitamin C, 13% DV of potassium, 12% DV of dietary fiber and 9% DV manganese. Bananas contain many phytonutrients and antioxidants that contribute to the health benefits listed above.

Autumn is finally coming to us here in NC. Here’s a good ‘end of summer’ recipe that uses some of your late summer bounty. With this sweet and sour dressing, this salad is a real treat.

• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp EVOO (olive oil)
• 2 tsp sweeter of choice (honey, agave, palm sugar – have all worked well. Be careful with stevia as it can be way sweet , add a drop at a time. Date sugar did not dissolve for me and made the dressing grainy.)
• 1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt
• 3 cups fresh corn kernals
• 3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved
• 2 scallions or green onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped

In a bowl mix, vinegar, oil, sweetener, salt, and pepper (if you like). If using sugar, stir until it’s dissolved. Pour over vegetables and refrigerate.

I sat here this morning, having gotten only 3 hours sleep, making a personal mandala in my mandala diary. I find personal mandala’s very interesting. Normally, I think in words, phrases, and feelings. Mandalas force me to think in a more abstract fashion and translate that into something visual. The most interesting aspect of mandala’s, I think, is that after you have completed it is when you can begin to see meaning that you hadn’t previously thought of.

The mandala for this morning, entitled The Morning After, is a reflection of how I am feeling after last night’s binge eating session. The skies are filled with blues, purple’s and grays. Though the title mentions ‘morning’, there is no sign of light or the sun. There is a single flower in the picture, bent and drooping, as if it has been beat down. The grass surrounding it, is tall and unkempt – like someone hasn’t been caring for the patch of ground where the flower is. And at the flower’s base a tiny person appears to be hiding behind the flower’s stalk.

Obviously, I am the tiny person hiding behind the flower in shame and fear. I am the flower, beaten down by both neglect and the harshness of the elements. I am the grass, unmowed, untended, neglected. I am the skies, dark, brooding, and hopeless. There’s more meaning here then I would have discovered had I only sat down here to write a simply worded confessional. But is there more to be had here? Is there something good that I can take away from last night’s experience? Something more to be gotten from the mandala?

Perhaps the blue in the skies indicates a glimmer of hope in me; that things will not be this way forever. Perhaps the sun is right behind the clouds, and soon the flower will raise it’s head again, and greet the day anew. Perhaps the dark clouds indicate that rain is coming to water and provide nourishment to the wilted and parched flower and the little person is only trying to keep from getting wet or taking shelter from the storm. Perhaps the land is not unkempt, but rich in natural beauty.

Perception is everything. The way you see your world is the way it truly is for you. How are you seeing your life right now?

Late last year, I was trying to learn more about meditation and various belief systems. During that time, I found mandalas. Most of the ones I found online were quite beautiful to look at, though intricate. They hold a place of high esteem and regard in many of the world’s religions. Hinduism, Buddism, and even Christianity employ mandalas for use in focusing the mind and thoughts on a single purpose or subject.

In my research, I found references to Carl Jung, who apparently believed that the mandala was a representation of the unconscious self, and believed that his own personal mandalas helped him to identify emotional disorders and work towards wholeness in his personality. (See C G Jung: Memories, Dreams, Reflections, pp.186-197) His own personal mandalas, as well as those of his patients, are often of a different type than the Hindu and Buddhist type mandalas used in meditation (more picture-like than fractal). It is these pictorial, Jungian-types that I think can be particularly useful in figuring out your own personal obstacles to growth and fulfillment.

A really good set of instructions on how to make more ‘traditional’ mandalas can be found here.

There are quite a few resources where you can learn more about mandalas, and learn to draw your own.
Mandala Project
A Flash Mandala Creator
Mandalas on the Web
Carl Jung and the Mandala

Every accomplishment starts with a decision to try.

Does it ever seem like the whole Universe is working against you, trying to keep you from reaching your intended goals? Do you sometimes think that it’s all in your head? That you’re working against yourself? That it’s only you who’s against you? I’ve had both of those kinds of days… and honestly both just suck.

Today, however, it seemed not that the Universe was trying to thwart my efforts, but that my very own subconscious was working against me. I mean, you just would not believe the lengths to which my subconscious is going to make sure that I don’t get on the bike and exercise today. Of course, it did not succeed, because I’m typing this from the bike.

That said, I woke up this morning early so I could get on the bike and ride, but the console batteries were dead. So, I drove to work  with the intention of walking over to Walgreens and getting  batteries. I came out with an arm load of stuff, but no batteries – even after putting it on the list before I walked over there. So, I resolved to stop at WalMart on the way home and pick up batteries. Somehow, I managed to pick up the wrong size batteries (AAs instad of Cs). So then I stop at Walgreens again before going home just to get the right size batteries. Once I got home with the proper sized batteries, it took me several minutes to get them into the machine.

Persistence. Drive. Dogged determination. That’s what will get you to your goal. That’s what will see you through.

This is a time lapse video of a Kombucha SCOBY being made from scratch (aka WITHOUT a mother.) The whole video took about 19 days. I snapped one picture every hour. I replenished the tea about halfway through.

PROCESS: I split a bottle of GT’s Original Kombucha between the two bowls. To the bowl on the left, I added additional tea with honey (no sugar) and to the right bowl I added nothing.

As you can see, both created SCOBYs, though the tea with honey definitely made the SCOBY faster. Also, I used organic tea and made ‘suntea’ instead of the typical boiling/steeping procedures.

[youtube]6_Dq-ntKtNw[/youtube]

They are the biggest thing, it seems, to hit the Raw Food market/World. Apparently, since we have transitioned to raw, none of us can live without noodles!!! LOL Kidding aside, you would think with the number of posts being generated on this particular food item that they really are the best thing since sliced flaxbread. I’ve even bought some myself, and thought Meat-and-Potatoes Man didn’t particularly care for them.

I read the ingredients on a package of kelp noodles this afternoon and was startled by the “chemical-like” name of one of the ingredients. So, in order to enlighten myself (and possibly you too) I have just spent a while looking up kelp and “sodium alginate”, to make sure that kelp noodles are, indeed, a decent food for me.

Here is what I have determined so far:

Kelp noodles have little nutritional value.

Kelp is a “brown algae. (In my very quick research of “algae”, the definition seems to vary quite a bit in relation to it’s use. That said, all sources do agree that this is a “seaweed”, or “sea vegetable)

According to various sources, Wakame, Kombu, Porphyra (the sea vegetable used in “nori”), agar-agar (also known as “kanten”), and alaria (also known as dulse) are common kinds of kelp available in the U.S. since the 1960s. Alginate, a carbohydrate derived from kelp, is used as a thickener or a “gel-ing agent” in the manufacturing of ice cream, jellies salad dressings, and toothpaste.

SODIUM ALGINATE (from Wikipedia)

“The chemical compound sodium alginate is the sodium salt of alginic acid. Its form, as a gum, when extracted from the cell walls of brown Algae, is used by the foods industry to increase Sodium alginate is a good chelator for pulling radioactive toxins such as iodine-131 and strontium-90 from the body which have taken the place of their non-radioactive counterparts.”

What’s my assessment? Well, kelp noodles certainly are not a “natural” product or even really a whole food. The package says they are raw, but I have to question the validity of that. I won’t argue their value in creating ‘transitional’ foods that appeal to non-raw foodies, but I’m still not sure how these truly fit into an optimal diet.

No, I don’t mean vegetables – though you should know those too. I mean know your vegetarians and vegans. There are so many types of vegetarians, rather, there are so many different types of vegetarian diets out there.  Here is a list of all the many and varied types of vegetarian diets out there (that I am currently aware of):

Lacto ovo vegetarian

• The most common form of vegetarianism in western cultures.
• Avoid meat, fish, poultry and most foods arising from animal slaughter.
• Will eat dairy products, eggs and honey.
• Commonly referred to as “vegetarian”.

Lacto vegetarian

• Avoid meat, fish, poultry and most foods arising from animal slaughter.
• Avoid eggs and foods made with eggs.
• Will eat dairy products and usually honey.

Ovo vegetarian

• Avoid meat, fish, poultry and most foods arising from animal slaughter.
• Avoids dairy products and foods made with dairy.
• Will eat eggs and usually honey.

Vegan

• Avoid all foods containing animal products including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy and, frequently, honey
• Often avoid animal products altogether and will not wear leather or wool, nor use cosmetics and house-hold products with animal ingredients or by-products.

Fruitarian

• Eats only botanical fruits (including traditional vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, squash), nuts and seeds.

Raw Foodist

• Consumes raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains and legumes

The following is a list of what we call “Fake Vegetarians” or “Fake Vegans” because they still eat some meat.  Though they are worth mentioning in this list.

Pescetarian

• Avoid meat and poultry.
• Will eat fish, eggs, and dairy.
• Some will eat meat and poultry produced by non-factory-farming techniques.

Macrobiotic

• A dietary philosophy that advocates consuming seasonal foods.
• Diet varies according to the tradition being followed, with some allowing limited amounts of meat or seafood.
• Does not eat vegetables of the nightshade botanical family (potatoes, eggplant, peppers…)
• Foods are prepared and consumed based on the yin and yang principles of balance and harmony.

Rainbow Diet

• Eat according to colors.
• Based on the chakra system, the basic philosophy is that eating a variety of colorful food will yield a variety of nutrients, and that each color has a frequency vibration that is best suited for a specific meal or time of the day. Your reds, oranges and yellows (think melons, strawberries and bananas) are eaten in the morning, while your greens (think salads) are eaten for lunch and your pinks, purples and whites for dinner (think beans and rice or cabbage).

Natural hygiene

• Consume raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains and legumes, cooked grains and legumes and often limited amounts of animal products.
• Foods are consumed in specific combination for efficient digestion.

Have one you prefer? Think another is bad? Let me know! Let’s talk about it.

From Ellen Degeneres to André 3000 here is a list of 30 famous people who are vegan, so who do you think is the most famous vegan of all?

Famous Vegan Actors

1. Alyssa Milano
2. Casey Affleck
3. Pamela Anderson
4. Gillian Anderson
5. Ellen DeGeneres
6. Portia De Rossi
7. Woody Harrelson (Raw)
8. Carrie-Anne Moss
9. Joaquin Phoenix
10. Alicia Silverstone

Famous Vegan Musicians

1. André 3000
2. Bryan Adams
3. Fiona Apple
4. Erykah Badu
5. Lenny Kravitz
6. Prince
7. Paul McCartney
8. Moby
9. Alanis Morissette
10. Shania Twain
11. Emilie Autumn

Famous Vegan Athletes

1. John Salley (former professional NBA player)
2. Ken Bradshaw (Professional Big Wave Surfer)
3. Peter Brock (Australian touring car driver)
4. Mac Danzig (professional mixed martial arts fighter)
5. Scott Jurek (ultramarathon runner)
6. Carl Lewis (track and field star)
7. Mike Mahler (Professional strength coach)
8. Ed Templeton (Professional skateboarder)
9. Salim Stoudamire (Professional NBA player)
10. Ricky Williams (Professional American Football Player)
11. Brendan Brazier (Raw Triathlete)

To the best of our knowledge everyone on this list is vegan and not vegetarian.  Of course there are hundreds of other examples of vegans and vegetarians.

Famous vegetarians include Jude Law, Julia Stiles, Kim Basinger, Liv Tyler, and even Spiderman (Tobey Maguire).  We just want to note that Woody Harrelson is actually a raw vegan.