Last night there was a new moon for our monthly class. While we were congregating, we observed that it was not only the new moon, but also Chinese New Year and the beginning of Lent. Lots of transformational energy in the air!
First I'll review the general ideas discussed, then get to some specifics. First off, it's important to remember that we're not about converting people to raw-food-ism. All meaningful transformations are gradual; while some shifts are more noticeable than others, there's always a long build-up. Our favorite focus is on bringing more green into people lives, not getting cooked food out of it. We also place a lot of emphasis on achieving balance. This partly means that as you are more mindful of your food, you will learn how to listen to what your body needs, not what other people say you need. This might include meat, and it might include cooked food!
It will almost certainly include MORE GREEN and MORE MINERALS. There's a lot of information in previous posts (check out Of juicers and juicing, below!). There was a question last night about wheatgrass juice - which is awesome stuff, but doesn't take the place of a variety of greens in your juices. Also, frozen wheatgrass has usually been pasteurized, which means the nutrients have been cooked out. It's better than a soda, but nothing like fresh juice. Even juice that has vitamins and minerals added aren't really effective - because the additives are in a form that can't be absorbed.
That was one of the main points in the talk - it's not enough to simply consume a vitamin or a mineral - it has to be in an absorbable form. That's why we stock the Innate line - for example, One Daily. These supplements are crafted from whole food sources, so they have a 90% absorption rate, as opposed to a 10% absorption rate from the vitamins you get at regular drugstores. Another option is juicing and blended foods (which have the fiber still in them). There are a whole lot of other great supplements available, most of them involving sea minerals.
Spirulina is really popular, although it's easier to digest when taken in flake form, especially when it comes with soy lecithin, which has a lot of B vitamins and helps break down fats in the bloodstream. It can also be taken with enzymes. Another really good sea mineral is chlorella, which we eat like candy over at the shop. E3 live is one of the most phenomenal products we carry - it's the blue-green algae from Klamath Lake, cleaned and frozen and therefore virtually unprocessed. Its absorbability is amazing (the tradeoff being you have to keep it frozen or it loses its potency). Phenalmin is extracted from blue-green algae and is particularly good for brain function. Finally, our Shine is made of MSM and spirulina and ten amino acids, with cayenne (which helps deliver nutrients in the system and warm the blood).
Another fantastic sources of minerals is goat's whey, which we all sampled that evening. It's the non-lactose component of the milk, dried and powdered. Not only is it rich in all minerals and incredibly alkalizing, it tastes wonderful as a warm drink! Everyone really liked it a lot.
We closed with a few thoughts about toxicity. So many problems are just about what we're NOT taking in. Just as a mineral deficiency might be indicated by brittle hair and nails, or mood imbalances, you can become less toxic simply by taking in fewer toxins. One of the ways a nutritional cleanse works is by giving the body a break from digesting food and filtering out toxins, and freeing it up for the work of cleansing the toxins already in the system. By consuming less food, increasing the quality of the food we do consume and making a larger percentage of it green, our systems can detox as well as letting go of extra weight.
One thing to be aware of is that as we detox, our bodies change and cope in different ways. There are four organs that eliminate toxins: the colon, the lungs, the liver and the skin. When we detox, sometimes too many toxins are released into the system, and if the colon can't keep up, the skin might kick in, resulting in a break out. That's why it's best to take things easy... always. Another thing is the power of the mind in changing eating habits. If you constantly affirm to yourself that you care for your body and nourish it only with the best nutrients, your behavior will follow, and your body will convey its desire for healthy eating more clearly - partly because you'll be more attuned to it!