Blog / raw food

Greetings good people! Happy March! I don't know what March is like for you but it's the most intense month here in VT. Usually by March, people are pretty antsy for the snow and cold to end. We get more bright sunny days which further make us wait with anticipation warmer temperatures. And then things turn to mud so we'll get mud season soon and then it will be black fly time, etc. VTers are cute to have celebrations for such things. The seasons are serious business here! :-) Today I'm working on sorting out the archived recipes so be on the look out to more easily look up the recipes on my site. We are also adding more products as well. Please be sure to check the new products page regularly as we are trying like the dickens to get things up: http://vt-fiddle.com/shop/index.php?main_page=products_new - (As per usual, I have way more products in house than what is listed on the website. We are working to make the two more synchronous.) We also made deliveries to Hunger Mountain and Sweet Clover TODAY so please get your raw treats while the gettin is good! I'll be making a delivery to Healthy Living on Monday. Please check out our Facebook page! Become a fan and check out photos, events and notes. MM-kay? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++

hello good people! Has it really been since the 31st that I last wrote? Wow! Time flies when you are having fun! We are continuing to be busy which is great. We had a really good discussion after the documentary: Healing Cancer from the Inside Out, Part 1 last week. We'll see Part 2 in March (see below for info) and hopefully we'll show this again as it is very important to watch. For me, watching this film is pretty right on the money as far as what we saw with my mom's "treatment" of cancer. Another woman was there who is still trying to work on her immune system and healing her organs from having chemotherapy. Her story was powerful to listen to as were others. It's a shame that there are so many people who have direct or close experience with the sufferings of cancer and its treatments -- it's sooo hard to watch someone go through that and I'm sure it's hard to go through it. I'm so grateful to be able to show these documentaries and to hear the stories that get shared. One woman called me today to say that since watching the Simply Raw documentary in Essex Junction that her life is changing for the better! She's researching and eating raw food and is already seeing changes in her body as well as reducing her medication! HIP HOORAY! This is soooooooooo wonderful to receive calls like this. I'm happy to take them and grateful when you show up AND do the work yourself. That is great and I'm happy to help in whatever ways I can. OH Vermont Fiddle Heads is finally on Facebook! Be a fan and check out photos, events and notes. MM-kay? I have to include some more recent feedback. This one cracks me up and I love it and this woman so much: "I am dying for more of your Goddess Butter, and is out! (Maybe I should try ? Do they have any? I'll have to call and ask!) They don't have any more chick-un salad, either. :-( I've been eating the Goddess Butter spread (thickly!) in a banana sliced lengthwise. I am now addicted to Goddess bananas! I have to ration myself - and even then a jar only lasts about 4 days! :-D and then went to say: I LOVE your kim chi! I never had it before. The stuff they sell at looks - shall we say, "uninviting"? But your looks and tastes yummy! (pink - my favorite color!)" - YAYYYYY!! I am telling you I love the feedback so much. Keep it coming please. It inspires me to do more. So with all this good and powerful news, let's move on to the calendar, shall we? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RAW FOOD HAPS THIS WEEK AND BEYOND • Guess what tomorrow is? Valentine's day, right, but also something else... Remember that song: "When the moon is in the 7th house and jupiter aligns with Mars..." Remember? Well apparently, astrologically speaking, tomorrow morning at DAWN is the day! So get up and set your intentions for peace and love and other fun hippie stuff! :-D RIGHT ON! (NO need for drugs on raw food though, so put that pipe down, patchouli boy, and pick up a green smoothie instead!) • Raw food deliveries will be made to Hunger Mountain Coop, Sweet Clover Market and Healthy Living this coming Thursday. So get your VT Fiddle Head raw food goodies while the gettin' is good. Here's what someone has recently said about some of my raw food (they stocked up on it for a trip they were taking): "Just had one of your hazelnut spice cookies for my afternoon snack! had to bring some and the fudge down! I SHOULD be sharing but not sure I'll be able to! ...we'll see! Thanks for making such fab desserts!" You're welcome and Thank you! And don't worry about sharing - you're on vacation! hahaha • Different varieties of my raw food has been a part of the local food order since January. This is a local group so if you are in the Montpelier area and are interested in local food, herbal remedies and crafts, please check with Montpelier Commonshare to be a part of this wonderful group. I'm having fun with some MYSTERY BOXES! Yes, i do mystery boxes - didn't you know? I LOVE them. Ask me how to get a box for yourself! • Tuesday, February 17th from 6:30 - 7:30 - BERRY & NUT BREAKFAST BARS - I've been working on the recipe all week and the bars are GOOOOOOOOOD! Healthy raw breakfast bars that make wonderful hearty breakfast or snack treat! Join Linda Wooliever for an hour of fun with raw food talking and eating! Fee for the the class is $10 for members and $12 for non-members. Please contact Robin or Krystal to sign up at info@hungermountain.com • Tuesday, March 10th from 5:30 - 7:30 - Healing Cancer From Inside Out, Part Two. This is part two of an award-winning two-hour film (part one shown previously). Part 2, Healing Cancer, shows how cancer can be successfully healed with dietary treatments and natural supplementation. It explains common misconceptions about cancer, shows how diets designed to fight cancer are more successful than conventional treatments, discusses startling cancer research findings with T. Colin Campbell (The China Study) and has interviews with people who have reversed cancers using diet. It also discusses supplementation and why attitude is important in reversing not only cancer, but any disease.We'll have some raw treats to eat while we watch this important film. Please pre-register with Krystal or Robin at info@hungermountain.com or call them at 802-223-8004 x 204. Cost is $5 for members and $7 for non-members. There will be raw food treats to eat while we watch the documentary. • Fiddle Heads House Kim Chi is available and is delicious - made with local & organic: cabbages, turnips, shallots, leeks, carrots, radishes, garlic, fresh ginger and lots of love. This is hella good kim chi and it's pretty too - it's pink! (which is why it is the house blend) Comes in quart sizes and larger. $9.00/quart. Please contact me if you are interested in getting some. I'm also taking orders for Dill and Caraway Sauerkraut. This takes a month to make but worth the wait! Here's what someone has recently said about my kim chi: "Just so you know, I have been trying the different kim-chi month by month and by far prefer yours, so I am already ordering some! And yes, it is pretty - that is red cabbage, yes? As opposed to beets?" Thank you! And no, no beets were harmed in the making of this kim chi! hahaha (see the other great feedback on the kim chi ABOVE!) go on, read it again. It'll make you smile like it does me! :-) • gRAWnola available and delicious - made with all organic ingredients: apples, hazelnuts, sprouted buckwheat, soaked pumpkin seeds, dates, cranberries, dry coconut, agave, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon juice, and Celtic sea salt. Can purchase in 8 oz and 1 lb bags. Please contact me if you are interested in getting some. • our downloadable recipe book: over 70 smoothie, juices and soup recipes: http://vt-fiddle.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=52 - I've already started another in the series. Be on the look out for the breakfast recipes e-book! • NEW IN STOCK: Fruits of the Earth superfood powder, Maca Force Vanilla Spice, really raw oats, raw nori sheets, chia seeds, turkish mulberries, dandy blend, wasabi powder, kelp noodles, dandelion leek miso by south river, garlic red pepper miso by south river, Eating for Beauty by David Wolfe, Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe and Shazzie, Sun Warrior Biofermented Rice Protein powder (in natural and chocolate flavors), marine phytoplankton, lucuma powder, yacon slices, really raw cashews, artisana coconut butter and tibetan goji berries. Please contact me if you are interested in getting any of these items. With everything we sell, items can be picked up or I can mail them to you. ALSO IN STOCK: Vitamix pitcher replacements. If you have an old vitamix blender, you might want to consider a new plastic pitcher to replace the one that was made with bpa plastic - it also comes with a new lid that stays on so your hand doesn't have to rest on top when you blend. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INTERESTING THINGS TO READ • http://www.naturalnews.com/025560.html - an article entitled: Early Mammograms May Trigger Genetic Breast Cancer • http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html?_r=1&emc=eta1 - Pat sent me this article: Babies Know -- A Little Dirt is Good for You • http://www.naturalnews.com/025568.html - article on medicinal mushrooms • http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-mercury-corn-syrupjan27,0,2801323.story - and in case you missed it - mercury found in high fructose corn syrup. • http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090213/NEWS/902120283 - and this one is great. Look what makes the news here in Montpelier. I love it! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ AND NOW FOR THAT RECIPE My Green Smoothie Dinner Tonight this is what I had for dinner two nights ago. I used what I had and that is GOOD! Use what you have and what works for you. I wasn't really in the mood for anything so I thought a filling smoothie would be great. And it was! 2 bananas 1 head of romaine 1/2 avocado 1/2 cup hazelnut milk filtered water Blend until thick and creamy, and drink. I shared this with my son who smacked his lips and said YUM! The kids like the creamy green drinks. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Enjoy your week! Stay warm and healthy! Happy Valentine's Day! in joy and in health, Linda Vermont Fiddle Heads 18 Worcester Village Road Worcester, VT 05682 802-223-2111 802-408-1000 (fax) http://www.vt-fiddle.com P.S. Keep checking back on the shop. Adding products as we speak! Bulk nuts are now posted! http://vt-fiddle.com/shop/ P.P.S. Need some bulk food items? Well, send me an email or check out what I have on my products page! NEW IN STOCK: really raw oats, raw nori sheets, chia seeds, turkish mulberries, dandy blend (a dandelion coffee substitute), wasabi powder, kelp noodles, dandelion leek miso by south river, garlic red pepper miso by south river, Eating for Beauty by David Wolfe, Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe and Shazzie, Sun Warrior Biofermented Rice Protein powder (in natural and chocolate flavors), marine phytoplankton, lucuma powder, yacon slices, really raw cashews, artisana coconut butter and goji berries. Please contact me if you are interested in getting any of these items. With everything we sell, items can be picked up or I can mail them to you. To subscribe: http://vt-fiddle.com/mailman/listinfo/raw-news_vt-fiddle.com

Hi there,

Got a phone call today that was SO pleasant to receive. A woman called me to say she attended one of the documentary workshops I've held recently and she said she wanted to thank me because it has changed her life. She's been researching raw food and changing her diet and her own medication is dropped significantly and her blood sugar has also changed dramatically. She said it's so amazing and she can't ignore this. How cool is that! I love these kinds of phone calls and I want to hear more of them. It is so supportive to me personally. Just helps to keep me plugging away.

A heartfelt thank you to you that write me and send me feedback or call me with your stories. I love to hear them.

Many blessings to you!

Linda

There's so many conflicting things out there in both the cooked and the raw world. One place says "Don't eat cacao. It's poison" Another place says "OMG! Eat Cacao! It's a superfood!" One place says their cacao is better than the other dude's cacao. Same for the nuts. "Our nuts are of the highest quality - really raw. Don't get those schwag nuts from that dude." Same for the seeds. "Don't eat the white seeds - only the black ones. But make sure they don't come from China..." No green powders unless you check out this other site that says "Yes" to green powders. One place says "No" to greens like kale and chard and "Yes only to greens like micro greens and sprouts." No to oils - we're only supposed to eat as if we were foraging in nature... No to fats. Unless they are good fats like avocados. Other places say "Yes" to a high fruit diet and then you go to another site where you'll read "absolutely DO NOT EAT a high fruit diet." One place says eat whatever you want whenever you want so long as it is raw and other places will say "NO NO NO! Are you crazy? You'll get fat & sick!" It's rather maddening if you are really trying to look for something to help guide you. Some consistency would be nice, right? A few years back I just got rather tired of all the conflicting things I was reading. I used to get quite stressed over it all. And honestly, this isn't just happening in the raw food world, like I wrote above. In the cooked food world it might be even worse. Don't eat meat. OK, eat some of the leaner meats. Eat a high meat diet - well, unless you have high blood pressure or heart problems... Oh but then again if you are a certain blood type, then you want organ meats and the lean meats are not good for you. And then another book or site would go "No, no - vegan is the only way to go. It will safe your life and your earth." How about a lacto-ovo vegetarian? Or a flexitarian? "I'm a vegan that sometimes eats meat and cheese." :-D Coffee is not good for you. Well, actually, coffee can have many good medicinal properties... If you have asthma, coffee can help... If you are producing too much acid in your stomach, then maybe coffee won't be so good. Better try the low acid variety. Or just take this pill... High carbs used to be good - remember the Pritikan diet? High carb, low fat, low salt and very little taste. :-) OK, whatever - it doesn't matter now because high carb is sooo passe. Low carb is the way to go. Or no carb. And make sure you take your vitamins - just not this guys, his are no good. Oh and make sure to put sunscreen on. Oh but now we're finding that we're all vitamin D deficient. Hmm... well maybe we can be outside in the sun for 15-20 minutes without any sunscreen. But no more than that!! Yea, that should be fine... Nuts are good for you. Oh, except if you are pregnant - then your kid might have a problem with allergies or asthma... so forget I said anything about nuts. And tuna is GREAT for you. Whoopsie - wait a minute - there's all that mercury in there. Better not to have that if you are pregnant or young... OR too old... Hmm... well, dairy is good for you. Oh but wait, now we see a possible link with dairy and things like autism and diabetes and eczema, to name a few. High fat diets are fine - remember Atkins? Oh hold on - didn't he die of all these horrible things associated with a high fat, high protein diet? Oh and isn't there new research out showing a link to diabetes and high fat? Hmm... so we're back to low fat being the way to go. But I still want to eat ring-dings and muffins and crap like that. What's that? You've substituted fat with chemical fat replacers? Great! And what about sugar replacers? Got any of those? Artificial sweeteners? OK cool. Now I don't have to worry about eating a high fat and high sugar diet... Oh now wait a minute. What's all this I'm hearing about eating highly processed foods? So what if I can't pronounce the ingredients - there's no TRANS fat in this cookie! OY! What the hell do you want from me?! (Psst: you see why I used to stress over this stuff? I really used to take all this VERY seriously.) I just got to this point when I said, "Forget what 'they' say. I'm going to do it my way." And it's a big experiment. And I'm open to it. That's what life is, right? A big experiment full of choices. "Tell us Johnie, what is behind door number 3?" Now mind you, I still listen - I still read - I still watch what is going on. I'm just not as attached to "the latest research" as I used to be. I read my "Nutrition Action" newsletters that come each month. I read the latest from all the books & newsletters I get from the raw food world. I honestly just feel that it's always going to be confusing if/when we put all our faith in an another person when it comes to what is going on in our own bodies and our own minds. For me, it's important to remember that I've got this wisdom going on inside me that tells me clearly when it likes something, when it needs something and when something is appealing to my emotions more than my state of health. I do keep reading to make sure I'm up on things but I'm so happy that I'm not in that place anymore of needing to know what he/she thinks because knowing that will change *everything* in my diet. Read these raw food forums out there and you'll see what I'm talking about. There are so many postings that people write going "what does such and such have to say about this?" or "thanks for posting this. I definitely won't do that now since you wrote that." or "thanks for posting this. I definitely WILL do that now because you gave it such a good recommendation." It's fine and I'm not knocking it - I'm just saying that when I read these postings or comments, I hear a sense of urgency in a lot of them. And maybe it's because I used to write so many things like this and I used to feel like I couldn't really make a move unless others in the raw food world were doing it first and they said it was OK. You know what I'm saying? I definitely love trying new things and I definitely love offering a wide variety of my favorite stuff but I *SO want people to make up their own minds and eat what they feel works best for them. Otherwise, it starts feeling rather freaky, ya know? Anyway, new subject sort of. If you see me, you'll see that I'm not stick thin. I'm 38, and I was going to write that I'm full-figured although that connotes having a big chest, no? Well, I don't. :-) Since having kids, I weigh more than I would like but I also feel quite good. For me having kids has rocked me off center in more ways than one. I love love love being a mom and it has changed everything in my life. For better or for worse. But really there is "no worse" so it's all for the better. Anyway, I do find that I have gotten into some habits where I have packed on a few extra pounds and I think a part of that is to keep me feeling weighted and firmly planted on this earth. That may sound weird but if you saw me, I'm 6 feet tall. I am much lighter from the hip bones up than I am from the hip bones down. I have a flat stomach but have a big ass, curvy hips and big legs. I've seen some beautiful African art that I look at and go "Damn, I'd be a goddess in Africa! YAY FOR ME!" hahaha Anyway, this is what I mean when I say that my weight is distributed so that I am more attached to the earth than to the sky! :-) For a number of years, I was very upset and worried about how I looked particularly because I believed a lot of what I was reading in these raw food books. I thought I could eat whatever I wanted with raw food because this wasn't food anyway - rabbit food is not food! I thought most of my weight was coming on because of all the pasta and cheese I had been eating in the cooked food world. Right? There's no calories in raw food! It's fruit and vegetables! Well, yes and no. Some fruits are higher in calories than others and I was macking down the mangos and avocados baby! And yes, vegetables are not high in calories but what about all the nut creme dishes that I was making to go WITH the vegetables! Recently I made a raw lasagna with my sister-in-love and we were all eating it. It was delicious and I heard her say that this was "free food" - she was used to doing weight watchers and in weight watchers most vegetables are considered free foods meaning you can have as much of it as you want so long as you aren't heaping tons of dressing on top or whatever. But it's OK to munch on an apple because that's only like a point or have a lot of greens on your plate because that is free. She called the lasagna "free." Well no, it's not free at all. I'll put the recipe on the blog. It's really a great tasting recipe. But you really only need a SMALL SMALL piece of it and have it with a large salad. THIS will fill you up. It's very rich - this SMALL, SMALL PIECE. It's not free food. It's fattening food. And it is food! Rabbit food IS food! But I write this because I totally understand where she's coming from. Most everything has a lot of veggies in it. The marinara sauce, the pesto, the cheezes and the pasta is made from zucchini for god's sake! It's all delicious and it's so much healthier than pulling something out of a freezer and heating it up in a microwave. Or even if you made it "from scratch" (honestly, unless you are making the cheese yourself with the enzymes and the rennet and making homemade noodles from the ground flour that YOU ground yourself along with the eggs and whatever, you are not eating from scratch these days) there's still so much processed stuff in the recipe. So many refined ingredients. So I understand that this raw lasagna dish "FEELS" as is it's free food. "Eat as much of it as you want." I felt this way for a long time on raw foods. I felt like this wasn't really food so I had sort of double up on things in order to feel satiated. Well, it really does take a while to change a habit. Not just 21 days. Not when it's a lifetime of eating. Granted some folks can make a change and never look back but I think a good majority of us eat emotionally in the US and I am certainly one of them. :-) I was JUST reading in this nutrition action letter that said that psychologically, we don't feel like we are eating anything when we get our calories from liquids and so we tend to find ourselves eating something solid after having something like a late or soda or a juice. The letter did say that soup was the anomoly - that we have different associations with soup so we don't necessarily feel the need to eat something solid after having soup. And I agree and disagree with what they said. I agree that for the majority of people eating a primarily cooked food diet, drinking a meal will make you hungrier and probably more likely to eat more or snack more. But after transitioning to more living food, I think a shift happens. It's taken me a while but I really DO feel quite satisfied from a smoothie as a meal. Most of my smoothies keep me filled up quite nicely for the majority of the day. And same for juices PROVIDING they have greens in them. If they have greens in them, then I do feel quite satisfied with a juice for a meal. And even salads. I'm really getting closer and closer to being able to have only a salad for dinner and feeling quite satisfied. I read on one site that there are 3 stages for a live fooder. The first is the gourmet/transitional/dehydrated foods. The second is salads and the third is whole foods. I'm kind of confused by this. Mostly when I meet long time raw fooders, they typically do a lot of liquid meals and sprouts. Are liquid meals considered eating whole foods? I'm also unclear as to how a salad isn't considered a whole food. Because I chop it up before I eat it? But hey, maybe I don't understand because that's the phase I'm in! hahaha Anyway, I really digressed. I started to say that I used to feel quite badly about my appearance. I thought that once I went on raw foods, I'd be just like so many others that would lose weight so quickly that I'd be too thin and worrying about putting on weight. I did lose weight at first. I lost something like 25 lbs or so. And then I plateaued. And then I started to gain some weight back! How horrifying! Right now I am back down pretty much to that initial 25 lbs of weight loss. And yet I still would like to release a few more pounds. 20 would be awesome. That would be a great start. And then a few more. And for those of you who are reading this with gaping mouths as you read these numbers, try living in a six foot frame as a woman. :-) I really do carry weight well. For most people they lose 5 lbs and people notice something. 10 lbs gone and people go "Wow! You've lost some weight!" We're not even in the ball park for me with those numbers. 5 lbs is like having a big pee. NOBODY notices a thing when I lose 5 lbs. My 10 lbs is the average size woman's 5 lbs. My 20 lbs is her 10 lbs. You get where I'm coming from? I know you're reading this going "Wow! You've lost 25 lbs and you want to lose 20 more at LEAST? You must be obese!" - No, I'm not. I am over my ideal weight though. I am tall and I had this tested once: I have somewhere around 145 lbs of bones/muscle. When I was in high school, I weighed on average 145-150 lbs. At one point I weighed 135 and I was very thin looking - my brother said I had a dog's back - all boney but always had the legs and curves so I didn't freak people out. But I'm telling you, the minute I said I weighed 150 lbs, people would go "OMG! I'd never imagine you weighed that much!" or "Wow! You don't look that heavy!" So I stopped telling people my weight. If 150 freaked them out, then anything more would make them faint! :-) Anyway, I'm caring less and less about the number on the scale. It's all how I feel and how I want to feel. In my skin, in my clothes - this is what is important to me. I am taking more walks now. I am moving my body more than I have in years (I had an injury with the last pregnancy that left me rather immoble for *OH* about 6 1/2 years.) :-) I am overcoming many obstacles in my mind, in my environment, in my body. It's very cool. We'll see where this goes. So this is another long post but it feels good to just write. The moral of the story is START listening to that voice inside, that wisdom inside that knows how it wants to be fed - how it wants to be treated - how it wants to feel. And go with it. Shut out the noise that we willingly (or not so willingly) take in and just listen to your silence. There is wisdom in there - wisdom that will tell you what YOU need to hear so that you can make some choices in your life. Whether it be the choice to eat cacao or not to eat cacao - take a vitamin or not take a vitamin - have a piece of meat or not have a piece of meat - how & when to move your body - what weight you want to weigh - how you want to feel and look and be. Really - this really is about being gentle and quiet with yourself so that that inner you can really shine outward for all of us to see. I'm so looking forward to seeing it. Aren't you just so curious?! I'm off to bed. Bless you for reading my ramblings. :-) love and light, Linda P.S. For more info on raw food haps, please have a good read here.