Take the Pledge: 2010 Take My Health Into My Own Hands Pledge

With all the dialogue about healthcare reform, I can't help but to encourage all of you to really start educating yourself about your own health and making radical changes and decisions in regards to your health and really learn how to take care of yourself and really take action and stop talking about taking action.

For too long, we have left our health into the hands of physicians who look at us with money in their eyes and a government who only wants to control us with medications and more vaccinations. So I put together a pledge that I am committing to myself and also asking those who desire to be more healthy to take as well.

• I pledge to take care of myself first and foremost before I take care of anyone or anything else and not let anything like time, money, energy, or a person become a challenge in taking care of myself. I know this may be a challenge as I have family, children, etc, but I pledge to understand that my health is my greatest source of wealth and that I can only take care of everything and everyone else once I take care of myself.

• I pledge to listen, abide, and obey what my mind, body, and spirit needs and is thus asking for through and then take action in nourishing it. I trust that the answer or the answers will come and that what I need will be supplied to me so I pledge to keep my eyes and ears open to receive what I am asking for.

• I pledge to educate myself and the ones that I love about our health and its needs through books, classes, websites, webinars, retreats, workshops, radio shows, etc. I understand that information is all around me and that I must learn to decipher what is right for my lifestyle and my needs.

• Because I know food and products free of pesticides and chemicals is best for my body, I pledge to support businesses who manufacture, distribute, endorse, and sell organic products as much as I possible can.

• I pledge to make myself responsible for my health and no longer depend on a physician or a government to take care of my health.

• I pledge to partner with like-minded individuals, organizations, businesses, non-profits, etc in maintaining optimal health.

• I pledge to trust myself and my intuition when making decisions about my health.

• I pledge to surround myself with like-minded individuals who also pledge to take better care of themselves as I know that building community and support are essential tools when transforming one's life.

• I pledge to take big action in regards to my health and the health of the planet. Because I know I am of a greater whole and that any little action on my part contributes to the greater whole of humanity I pledge to do one of the following or support one of the following: start mini-coops, healthy potlucks, dinner clubs, health education sessions in my home, community gardens, a weight loss program for myself and my loved ones, a medication-no more program, a FREE from vaccination child program, learn how to grow my own food, help someone grow some food, write letters to my congressman about getting better food in public schools, exercise with my family members, exercise early in the morning, take time out to meditate for myself, etc.

Make 2010 the best and the most healthiest year for you and your family!

Let's rawk & roll!

The revolution starts at the dinner table!

Feel free to copy and paste this pledge on other websites as long as you use the following blurb below.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
Nwenna Kai is the author of The Goddess of Raw Foods available for purchase at www.amazon.com and the FREE e-book Nwenna Kai's Holiday Recipes. You can get the e-book by signing up for her e-newsletter at her website www.the-guide-to-raw-foods.com. She is the previous owner of Taste of the Goddess Cafe, one of LA's pioneering organic raw food cafes. She is the 2007 winner of the Elizabeth Dole Young Entrepreneurial Scholarship sponsored by Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) for her work as a health and wellness entrepreneur. Visit her website at www.nwennakai.com and her blog at www.theguidetorawfoods.com/blogspot.com.

Healthcare Reform: Take Your Own Health into Your Own Hands

The other night I watched the 60 minutes interview with our President Barack Obama and I watched the Primetime Oprah interview with the First Lady and our President. In both interviews they referenced the whole healthcare debacle.

Also recently a good friend of mine asked me why I didn't go to doctors and when I told her that I'm more scared to see a doctor than not, she was shocked and dismissed me as being crazy.

I also found out that my sister pays upwards of about $250 a month for healthcare for herself and my niece and so my mental juices started going about this whole healthcare thing and how we can turn it around for ourselves to benefit everyone.

I tell my personal story about health and wellness in my book, The Goddess of Raw Foods about how sickly I was in my early 20's. I had everything from constipation to migraines, to depression to a thyroid disorder and through the blessings of discovering raw foods, yoga, acupuncture, herbs, detoxing, fasting, cleansing, prayer, and meditation, I brought my mind, body, and spirit back into alignment. That's the short end of the story. It hasn't been an easy journey and it definitely had its bumps and bruises, but now that I look back, I recognize that what I did was I reformed my own healthcare plan instead of relying on a government and a doctor to decide what to do with my life.

I don't advocate anyone NOT seeing a physician. Even though I haven't been sick like that in years, from time to time when things in my life get out of balance and I might come down with something, my mind and spirit intuitively knows how to handle it because I've re-programmed myself to go in and heal myself with the tools and resources that I already know and have.

If I feel like I may be getting a little under the weather, I go and sweat it out usually at a spa or I take a Bikram yoga class. And you know yoga is cheap, sometimes you can go for free. Did you know that sweat releases up to 20% of the body's toxins. That's more than urine (7%) and defecation only releases up to 3% of the body's toxins. The breath releases up to 70% of the body's toxins. Go figure and you can breathe for FREE.

I can tell you that your body, mind, and spirit has all that it needs to heal. The journey, the path, the tools and the resources may seem a bit cloudy, a bit daunting and challenging but like I said nobody said it was going to be easy.

But with all this talk about health care reform I have to encourage you all to focus on reforming your own health and take your health into your own hands and come to your doctor as an informed client. After all, only you know more about yourself than a doctor who barely touches you or looks at you.

What I think my friend didn't realize is that we are capable of taking care of our own health. We know better than any doctor what is wrong and what is right with us, when something is out of balance and not feeling right.

I also think about my sister shelling out all that money for health care and she barely gets sick. She recently had to go to the emergency room because she cut herself cutting up some raw veggies for herself and my niece. Spending $250 a month equals to $3000 a year which could pay for a Vitamix blender ($325), a dehydrator ($125), monthly yoga classes, some acupuncture appointments, a few raw food prep classes, some great books on health and wellness, an air purifier, and much much more.

So my tip for you now is to not wait for our President on reforming your health, step up and transform it for yourself and your family.

My experience with doctors has never been a great experience. Every time I went to a doctor in the past (the last time I saw a doctor was in 2003) I always got sicker and felt worse after the appointment.

Health is more than just herbs, raw foods, yoga, and breathing. A lot of it is mind over matter and the belief in yourself that you can take charge of your own health.

Its the end of 2009 and 2010 approaches us soon, so I encourage you to start to reform your own health care now.

One of the World's Healthiest Foods: The Magic of Kale

The kale vegetable is an amazing green food with an earthy flavor that has an abundant amount of benefits for the mind, body, and spirit. I used to wonder why I loved the green leafy vegetable so much as a child. Kale gave me the warm fuzzy feelings of comfort, cleanliness, and a sense of lightness that made my digestive system smile a little more that day. The intricate dance of the beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, and other vital nutrients that kale produces in the cellular structure of your body fights against cataracts, ovarian cancer, heart disease and other age-related diseases while promoting lung and vision health.

Although it is available in stores all year round, kale is much sweeter in taste when it is eaten in season which is in the middle of winter up through the beginning of spring. Black kale or Lacinto kale is the sweetest of them all, although purple kale gives salad a beautiful texture and look to its presentation.

Here are some variations of a kale salad!

Cheddar Kale Salad

1 bunch of kale greens preferable black kale or lacinto kale
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tablespoon chopped white onion
2 tablespoons liquid aminos from Braggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped apple (optional)
1 tablespoon pine nuts (optional)

Wash the greens. Put them in a bowl that has a top. Sprinkle the nutritional yeast on top of the kale. Add the garlic cloves, aminos, lemon juice, and olive oil. Put the top on your bowl and shake vigorously so that the nutritional yeast is evenly distributed onto the kale.

Avocado Kale Sprout Salad

1 bunch of kale greens
1 avocado
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon flax seed oil
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 tablespoon dulse seeds
handful of alfalfa sprouts
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts.

Chop kale into fine pieces. Dice avocados. Add kale and avocado to a mixing bowl. Add the sesame seeds, hemp seeds, dulse flakes, sprouts, and walnuts. Douse the salad with the flax seed oil. This salad is best enjoyed when everything is thoroughly mixed together. Add more dulse flakes as needed for flavor.

Enjoy your kale today!

For more salad recipes, purchase my book, The Goddess of Raw Foods available at www.amazon.com.

Congratulations to Andrea Leigh Martin who has won Angela Stokes-Monarch's book Raw Emtions!

Congratulations to Andrea Leigh Martin who has won Angela Stokes-Monarch's book, Raw Emotions. We literally just put all the names in a bowl and chose a name because we had more entries than we expected. Thanks to everyone who has participated. We will have more contests so we encourage you to follow us via Facebook, Twitter, subscribe to our blog, and to our websites at www.the-guide-to-raw-foods.com and www.nwennakai.com.

Again congratulations to everyone and we wish you many many blessings on your raw fooods journey!

Blessings,

Nwenna Kai

Raw Vegan Diet Weight Loss: An amazing story with Angela Stokes-Monarch tells it all! PLUS A FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Introducing Angela Stokes-Monarch. She has a an amazing weight loss story with raw foods!

Just recently married with a lot of on her plate traveling the country lecturing and teaching, Angela takes us back to the days when the weight and the health issues were taking her vitality away and how she flipped it all with raw foods!

NK: First how is married life?

ASM: Blessed and blissed, thank you – we seem to unfold deeper into love and enjoyment of each other each day :)


NK: Please tell our readers your story with raw foods? How and why did you first starting learning about this lifestyle? What life circumstances prompted your choice.

ASM: Prior to choosing a raw food lifestyle, I used to weigh nearly 300lbs – I was morbidly obese, always ill and miserable. I was introduced to a raw food lifestyle when a friend lent me the book 'Raw Family' by the Boutenkos, in May 2002. I read the whole book in one night and went 100% raw the next day. I released 160lbs in the first two years of this journey and the excess weight has stayed off ever since. My life has gone on to shift in every way imaginable, far beyond simply the physical weight release – emotionally, spiritually, socially, mentally – my life is pretty much unrecognisable now from my pre–raw days ;)


NK: You've lost a lot of weight with raw foods. There are a lot of people who want to lose weight permanently. How can raw foods serve as a lifestyle to keep weight off?

ASM: From my perspective, eating and living raw is all about coming into alignment with our true selves – our true nature – and part of that involves shedding off excess lbs. Especially in the US, many people seem to be overfed and undernourished from other–than–optimal food choices that have very little nutritional value. When we give the body fuel that it can actually use, rather than the empty calories of highly processed, refined foods, the body finally has something to really work with and excess pounds simply melt away and stay away. It's not rocket science – lol – it's simple: eat the foods provided straight from nature, especially water–rich, fresh, organic veggies and fruits and your body will naturally take you towards optimal health.


NK: I think this question might actually be more for me than others, but how can people like me who want to gain weight, gain weight on a raw foods diet?

ASM: There are a number of things that may help someone GAIN weight while eating raw, these include: eating plenty of denser foods such as sprouted nuts/seeds/grains/greens, daily nut/seed milks and smoothies made with them, avocadoes, bee pollen, hemp protein powder, durian, spirulina/chlorella, young coconut, etc. You may also like to look into doing a parasite cleanse, as internal parasites may be preventing you from gaining/holding weight – the Intestinal Parasite Formula from Healthforce is great. You may like to also take enzymes with your meals to increase nutrient assimilation. Getting into regular light weight lifting/endurance/resistance exercises can help build up muscle too. Eating late at night and poor food combinations also often encourage weight to stick on people, these aren't necessarily the healthiest lifestyle choices though ;)


NK: I find that a lot of women more so than men gain weight on a raw foods diet eating a lot of nuts and sweets. In my brain, this just sounds impossible. How does this happen? Do you think there is another cause to this?

ASM: When many people first go raw, they eat masses of food, including nuts and dried fruits and still release weight. This is primarily because of what they are NOT now eating – i.e. they have stopped eating all the junky, refined, processed foods and are instead eating whole, raw foods; they might even be eating bags of nuts a day and still releasing weight because they are finally giving the body fuel it can use (I know this was true in my case). HOWEVER, over time, the body adapts to the new way of eating, the bloodstream and digestive tract get cleared up and we find ourselves more efficient at assimilating nutrients from food. At this point, if someone continues to eat large amounts of food, they can easily re–gain weight, or stay at a 'plateau'. The body is always working towards optimal health and efficiency and most people find that over time with a raw lifestyle, they gravitate more towards greener, 'cleaner', lighter food combinations and meals. If for some reason (emotional or otherwise) a person at this point is not willing/ready yet to consistently eat smaller amounts and instead eats a lot of packaged/dense raw food, they often end up carrying more weight than might be optimal for them. Food = calories, even if it is raw food and if you're overburdening your body with more food than it needs, you're likely to carry extra lbs, even if the food you're eating is raw ;)

NK: What's on your plate today?

ASM: Today I am mostly on juice: watermelon juice, greeeeen juices, freshly–made goji berry juice, plus some bee pollen, a little energy soup, some flax crackers and soaked Incan berries. You can see everything that I eat on a daily basis as a 100% raw foodist over at my blog: http://rawreform.blogspot.com.

NK: What are your favorite foods?

Mmmmmm...durian, sunflower greens, cherries, papaya, bee pollen.


NK: How do you find that a raw foods lifestyle has affected your life spiritually? Do you have more peace, balance, in your life? What are your moods like?

As a young child, I felt very connected to 'Spirit' and had multiple 'psychic' experiences, however I shut down most of that connection, as I felt awkward about it socially. After going raw in my early 20s, I experienced a dramatic resurgence in my 'spiritual' life, especially in terms of the connection to my chakra system. Without doubt my life feels more serene, relaxed, balanced and flowing these days than prior to eating raw. I read my old diaries form my pre–raw days in shock – I was so incredibly angry and bitter at the whole world back then – my outlook on life was very 'negative'. These days I am happy to say things are very different: I feel compassion, a connection to all of life and a willingness to be open and honest that I never experienced before. I feel very blessed.

NK: When you first started eating raw, what was your experience like? What were your challenges?

ASM: When I first went raw my detox was HUGE, as I was nearly 300lbs at that point and very unhealthy. I went 100% raw overnight and was detoxing heavily. It actually felt like too much for me at that point, so I took a step back to about 70–80% raw and that's how I ate for the first couple of years on this journey, during which time I released 160lbs of excess weight. The weight loss was so fast and dramatic that I felt like I could see new aspects of myself every time I looked in the mirror. I changed 10 clothing sizes and all my jewelry was falling off.
Emotionally and socially I often felt quite challenged in the beginning: people around me were used to seeing me eat plate after plate of pasta, pizza etc and suddenly I was eating raw – my friends didn't know what to make of this shift and many 'teased' me at first, before they started to see the changes in my life ;) I also felt awkward socially at first as I released all the extra weight and came into a smaller body, as I felt people 'expected' me to now be someone who I felt like I didn't know how to be...I was used to 'hiding' in an anonymous 'fat friend' role and suddenly it seemed like men were interested in me and women were seeing me as 'competition' – it felt very odd and unnerving for me and there was a lot to breathe into and release. I was also living at that time in a village of about 100 people in the countryside in Iceland, so I felt isolated at times – monthly raw food potlucks in Reykjavik were my lifeline back then ;)

NK: What advice do you give to those who are brand spanking new to raw? What do you tell people who have no idea as to even how to put together a salad or who say to you its too expensive or complicated?

ASM: I usually encourage people to start out eating at least 50% raw and to take it from there, towards 100% raw, if they ever take it that far. This might mean that they eat a raw breakfast and lunch and a 'cooked' meal in the evening, or maybe it means that at every meal they enjoy at least 50% raw foods. Many people find green smoothies a good breakfast to start with, or fruit salads, grawnola mixes with nut/seed milk and so on. Lunches might include a big yummy salad with greens, sprouts, healthy fats like avocado/olives and seaweeds, or maybe nori wraps/lettuce wraps with some kind of simple seed cheese/pate and veggies. Snacks might be fresh fruit, pre–packaged raw bars, home–made raw truffle balls, soaked nuts/seeds/trail mixes, chopped veggies with a dip and so on.
Eating raw can be as 'expensive' or 'complicated' as you like – one could purchase the most costly items and create lavish gourmet raw dishes, or pick and eat some wild greens and berries straight from the wild – there is no exact 'protocol' for eating raw ;)
In terms of purchasing any new kitchen equipment, I feel getting a high–speed blender (e.g. Blendtec) is usually the ideal first choice for most people, as so many things can be created: smoothies, puddings, cake and cookie mixes, ice creams and even juices if you have a nut milk bag too...
I recommend people aim to drink at least one green drink a day, plus eat seaweeds and sprouts daily. Making the choice that everything sweet going into your body is going to be a raw food can revolutionise peoples' health journeys.
I thoroughly recommend getting support from others who have gone down this path before you – whether in your local area or online. Be prepared with your own foods when you go out in public, keep yourself motivated by reading raw books/watching raw vids on YouTube/DVD, visiting websites, connecting with raw friends etc and above all...ENJOY ;)

NK: You are originally from the UK. Do you find that a raw foods diet can be enjoyed in any climate and in any culture? Or do you find that the lifestyle is more of a trend or more of a cultural thing?

ASM: My sense is that people can live and eat raw wherever they are – it is always simply a choice. I actually went raw when I was living in Iceland back in 2002 – if I'm still here 7.5 years later, I believe people can do this anywhere ;)
I always like to bring things back to nature and simplicity; I do not see any wild animals eating cooked or processed foods, no matter where they live on the planet. I've never seen a zebra for example say "Mmmmmm, no, raw food doesn't work for me, I'm going to have some pasta instead." I feel that eating raw is the optimal way to fuel the human body, in the same way that all other animals in the wild fuel themselves. However, that being said, I am also aware that many humans seem to currently have major emotional/social/cultural attachments to food that make it very challenging for them to choose a raw lifestyle. There are also some important things to consider if you're in a colder/damper climate, such as supporting your spleen (perhaps with beneficial herbs), getting Vitamin D somehow if not from the sun and so on...


NK: What do you have coming up for you? Any books, classes, lectures that you would like to share with our readers?

ASM: My most recent book 'Raw Emotions' just came out earlier this year – it is all about re–structuring our emotional relationships with food, handling cravings/overeating patterns and so on. My partner Matt Monarch and I are on very big tours all over the USA at the moment, giving raw food talks, signing books and so on.
We have a new monthly raw food radio show at TheRawFoodWorldRadioShow.com, where we interview well–known raw foodies, plus we do a daily raw food 'TV Show' at TheRawFoodWorld.TV.
We are very excited to get down to our land in Ecuador sometime soon and get started there with growing our own food, starting a family and feeling more connected to the land.

NK: Going back to the nut issue, a lot of people are allergic to nuts? What substitutes would you suggest to them? Also what would you recommend to those who have allergy issues to certain foods?

ASM: Dr. Ann Wigmore suggested that all illnesses and 'allergies' are the result of either an excess of waste/toxins in the system (toxemia) or deficiencies. It may be that some people who believe they have allergies to certain foods/objects, find that once they start eating more raw and clear out some of the waste in their systems (especially with colon cleansing), they can now tolerate foods more easily that caused them issues before. This might not be something people with potentially fatal nut allergies might be excited to play around with though ;)
In that case, I'd suggest to focus on seeds, sprouted grains, algaes, coconuts, durian, leafy greens and so on instead for denser food sources. Most long–term raw foodies don't eat many nuts anyway, so this need not be a stumbling block to eating raw ;)

NK: You travel a lot. How does this if at all does this affect your meal planning and diet?

ASM: Mmmmm, yes, my partner and I actually live on the road at the moment, doing raw food events all over the US...and I've been on the road for most of the last 13 years or so...so, for me, eating raw and living on the road are not so much of a challenge to combine, as that is simply the way I live ;)
We do our best to be prepared at all times on the road in terms of food – we travel with dried raw foods such as seaweeds, chia seeds, nut/seed butters, dried fruits, algaes, bee pollen and so on, plus we have a cooler with ice packs with us for fresh foods. We manage to eat totally raw wherever we are; there is always somewhere to find fresh produce and this combined with our dried supplies gets us through, wherever we are...where there's a will, there's a way ;)
We travel with a Blendtec blender and currently we often make a green vegetable juice in the mornings using the blender and a nut milk bag, then just before we set off on the road for the day, I will blend a little 'energy soup' and we'll eat that with crackers or something, as we start our travels. Later in the day we'll have more juice if we can find it, or maybe chlorella tablets, handmade goji juice or smthg similar and I might have a very light meal like a couple of apples with some bee pollen. That's about it for the day, besides water: we've both been eating raw for quite a few years and we eat pretty simply these days. Our intakes are always changing though, depending on where we are and how we're feeling, so if you want to know exactly what I've been eating lately, you can always check that on my blog, where I put my daily food intake every day: http://rawreform.blogspot.com ;)

NK: How do you see the raw foods movement affecting the food industry and also the healthcare issue at least in the States that is?

ASM: I think there is enormous potential for the raw foods movement to have large and lasting impacts on the food and healthcare industries. It is very clear that the more people who are out there choosing to buy organic produce, for example, the more demand there are for organics, which can have knock–on effects for agriculture, healthcare, the environment and far beyond...
Personally, what I am excited to see unfold is more and more people getting to the land and growing their own food, taking responsibility for their own health and well–being, raising happy, healthy, 'unschooled' children in communities and so on. That is the path my partner and I are starting down, on our land down in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. My sense is that most people in modern, 'civilised' societies are vastly disconnected from nature and my desire is to instead strongly reconnect to the land, set up our own food forest, disconnect from the 'rat race' and grid and really live a life of abundance and flow in nature :) There is the potential for this kind of lifestyle to be replicated all over, if people are willing...

NK:Anything else that you would like to share with our readers about your journey please feel free to do so.

ASM: I truly feel that if I can do this, anyone can. Eight years ago I weighed nearly 300lbs, was miserable and pretty much eating myself into the grave. I started this lifestyle in Iceland (of all places) and I am still here 8 years later, happy, healthy and delighted with my life path. Eating raw is simply a choice, like everything else in life...and it is a choice that I absolutely love and wholeheartedly recommend ;) I wish everyone the very best with their own unfolding paths...

Angela has also offered to give a FREE book, Raw Emotions. Tell us why you would like to have a copy of the book and how it can benefit your health.

You can only qualify for the GIVEAWAY if you have not received a FREEBIE from us before.

Post your comment to our page along with your name, city, state, country, and email address. We will announce the winner on Monday, October 19th.

7 Ways to Listen to your body's intuition

Many of you asked me about my own personal story with health and healing. Some ten years ago when I was in my early 20's, I suffered from migraines, constipation, sciatica, depression, anxiety, low-self-esteem, acne, chronic fatigue syndrome, vertigo, and I had a thyroid disorder that kept me emotionally imbalanced.

With a raw foods diet, regular cleanses, herbs, juicing, yoga, meditation, prayer, and learning to really listen and trust my body's intelligence, I learned how to stay healthy and wise.

I don't like doctors myself and I choose to stay away from them as much as possible and although I don't advocate anyone not to see a doctor, I do strongly encourage you to visit your doctor as an informed and empowered client which requires you to learn how to listen and trust your intuition.

Here are some ways to start listening to your body's intuition.

-Whenever there is pain, there is opportunity to heal something or change something.

Whether it is your diet, maybe you need a colonic, a cleanse, some rest, some alkaline water, fresh air, a change in your physical routine, etc. Get honest on where the pain is. Don't worry about fixing something so quickly. Intuition is a step by step process. The reason why it might take a while to get the answer is because intuition is an inner technology and it only works when you get it exactly right, so it will lead you to the next step once you have fully realized the present condition and the solution and then it will lead you to the next step but know that there is no pain greater than what Spirit can fix.

- Look around you at all the possibilities.

When I'm telling you that you have everything around you that you need it is really true. Intellectually I used to get this idea. I used to tell it to all my clients. I used to preach it at my speaking engagements but then one day I got it on another level and it opened up new possibilities for me. Sometimes things don't always look the way we in our heads wanted them to look so that confuses the psyche a bit, but when you take away what you thought something would look like and really look around you at the people in your life, the things both in the physically and not in the physical of what you have now to help you get through whatever discomfort or pain you are in, you will find a treasure. You might not find all the treasures all at once. Remember intuition is not a microwave heat it up quick and instant fix it tool. Its a guide that endlessly guides you to the next and the next step as long as you stay open.

- Learn to work that intuitive muscle.

Intuition is a muscle and what happens when you work your muscles, they become stronger, but when you don't they become weaker, so you have to work that muscle. You can test yourself by doing things like guessing who might call you that day because the phone is nothing but a psychic sound/vibrational chamber anyway.

- Pay attention to patterns

Everything is a pattern of things that forms something. The computer is a pattern. A chair is a pattern. Even pain and diseases is a pattern. If you ever do some real research on this stuff, you will find out that most women who have issues with fibroids have had similar experiences in their lives, similar patterns. So when you learn to follow patterns, you will learn to attune yourself to your intuition. If you notice how sluggish you feel after eating a bunch of nuts, you might want to stay away from nuts or you might want to try a different type of nut. If you notice how dry your skin gets when you don't drink enough water, you might want to start getting more raw foods and more water into your diet.

- Learn to ask yourself questions.

Get comfortable with asking yourself questions. And know that there is a solution to every problem and every challenge and there is an answer and a plethora of answers to every question. Sometimes we are afraid of asking because we are afraid there isn't an answer on the opposite end. Spirit is designed perfectly. Everything out here has an equal and opposite match. Everything. So learning to ask the right question becomes vital and this comes with time. Am I getting enough rest? Am I getting enough water? Do I need more greens in my diet? Do I need to walk more? Do I need more sunshine in my life? Or why am I always tired? Why do I have digestive issues?


-Learn how to receive the answers.

Intuition is a really really simple inner technology. It is not complicated and it won't give you the run around. When you ask, it will answer. You know how when you google something and that something will immediately pop up on your computer screen, intuition usually works in that same way. It usually doesn't wait to answer you either, so be prepared, when you ask, you might just immediately get the answer, so open your ears, open your heart, trust the first thing that comes to your mind even if it is crazy and if you don't understand, ask for more understanding and allow yourself to be lead by the answers. Also never be afraid of the answer. Sometimes a lot of us don't ask, because we are afraid of the answer, but always know the answer is always in your favor and not anyone else's.

-Go in and trust even when your mind doubts it.

Because intuition is stronger than our minds, it is communicating to us all the time. We have just learned how to ignore it, but it never leaves us, so sometimes limiting our outside physical distractions can help us to trust it more.

You can never go wrong listening to your intuition. And trust me you will pay a high price not listening to it, so you might want to learn how to tune into this muscle a lot. It is your strongest band aid, your greatest doctor, and your most reliable insurance. I'm actually going to be practicing my own does of medicine today as well so join along with me.

We love to hear from our readers. Tell us how you strengthen your intuitive muscle or tell us any stories you have with using your intuition.

Dr. Ariel Policano discusses fibroids, infertility, raw foods, and the Women Go Raw Tour

The raw foods movement is on tour with the Women Go Raw headed up by Dr. Ariel Policano, a Naturopathic physician who studied live foods nutrition since meeting Dr. Ann Wigmore in Puerto Rico in 1993.

The Women Go Raw RV tour is a video project designed to document the impact that raw food is having on women's health and women's lives in the U.S. It will document these powerful changes by visiting one-on-one with women across the nation during the entire month of September and listening to their incredible stories. Daily interviews, health tips and food demonstrations will be dispatched through video blogs on the WomenGoRaw website. They will include true stories from inspiring business owners, healers, moms, authors and experts in the field such as Susan Schenck, Angela Elliott, and Angela Stokes.

Dr. Policano's mission is to show people how to keep themselves healthy and disease free and to bring humor and fun into the process. For more information about the Women Go Raw Tour, please visit, www.womengoraw.com

NK: Could you first please tell our readers a bit about your project that you are doing with WomenGoRaw.

Women Go Raw is documenting the impact that raw foods are having on women's lives and women's health issues. For the month of September, I have been traveling via Biodiesel-Solar Powered RV. I have completed 25 interviews as of today, September 19th. These include interviews with Cherie Soria, Ani Phyo, Victoria Boutenko, Terce Englehard of Cafe Gratitude and many more. With each interview, I would say to myself, "That is one of the most amazing women I have ever met in my life!"

What I have noticed is that each woman interviewed looked years younger than their age. They all seemed to be very healthy, at peace, and happy. That isn't to say that I don't expect that these women have bad days or that they are not human. However, it was obvious that they were living their lives in a way that was deeply fulfilling to them. They didn't seem to be struggling with life! Obviously, health is important to these women. They also worked hard to continue to evolve their concept of a healthy diet over time. They changed their diet from heavy, nut based raw foods to a lighter fare that included salads and lots of green foods in the form of green juices, green smoothies, spirulina and chlorella.

NK: I work with a lot of women clients who want to improve their health with diet and exercise and I work with a lot of women who are older in their 40's who want to have children and they feel helpless. I am not a doctor but I do believe in the healing work of Mother Nature so I suggest a raw foods diet, yoga, meditation, a regular herbal cleanse, prayer, I even suggest taking belly dancing classes and pole dancing classes because I know the benefits that it has afforded me and I know that metaphysically its not that women are infertile, its just that there is a blockage. What is your take on infertility and women and how can women increase their chances of having children in their late 30's, 40's and even 50's?

I believe a lot of infertility stems from toxins in the environment which creates a hormonal state called estrogen dominance. This not only puts women at risk for female reproductive cancers, but causes an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone. This imbalance is a major cause of infertility. If women follow your instructions, they will have good success in resolving their infertility issues. Here are a few specific suggestions:

- Drink liquids out of glass, not plastic. This will reduce your exposure to plastics that increase estrogen levels
- Eat organic fruits and vegetables. Pesticides also increase harmful estrogen levels.
- Use flax oil daily. I recommend Barlean's Flax Oil.
- Consume hemp seeds and chia seeds as often as possible in salads and smoothies.
- Help your liver, which breaks down the harmful estrogens for us, through a clean diet and regular liver cleanses.

NK: You do a lot of work with women and fibroids? What recommendations do you have for women who have fibroids? Where does fibroids come from and why do you so many women have it?

Lou Corona is a mentor to me. He has eaten a raw, vegan diet for 36 years. He believes that the growth of fibroids is due to an enzyme deficiency. I recommend that women, even on a raw food diet, consume 5 medical-grade enzymes with each meal every day. That may sound like a alot of work, but the benefits are well worth it. What exactly is happening in this instance?

By consuming cooked food over many years, you place a burden on your pancreas to produce all the enzymes necessary for digestion. This challenges the body and leads to the incomplete breakdown and assimilation of food. It also reduces the effective elimination of waste. In naturopathic medical philosophy, we see the fibroids as a build-up of waste. So many women have fibroids because they consume a diet of mostly cooked foods. But there is more to the story as well.

A diet that causes an imbalance of hormones also can cause fibroids to grow. This goes back to estrogen dominance. If a woman consumes very little essential fatty acids, which are the building blocks for health hormones, and lots of processed foods then it is very likely she will end up being "estrogen dominant." Many fibroids are "estrogen sensitive", which means that they grow more easily in the presence of high estrogen levels.

NK: I always feel like if we as a planet do most of the healing work with women, then the whole planet will heal eventually? Why do you focus on working with women? What is your passion behind it?

75% of health care consumers are women. I have found that women, more than men, are interested in taking a proactive approach to their health. However, we are very interested in men and children! Through my own workshops I have discovered that women also bring the information to their partners and their children. So, ultimately everyone benefits and gets the message about raw foods, which is what Women Go Raw would like to see happen.

NK: What's on your plate today?

Is this a food question? If it is, I started my day with watermelon, juiced and then blended with Pure Synergy. Pure Synergy is a powerful greens supplement designed by the herbalist Mitchell May. There is a great blend of healthy greens and antioxidant and adaptogenic herbs in there. In general, these help a person to have sustained energy, cleanse daily, and protect themselves from the harmful effects of toxins.

I then had a nori roll filled with sprouts, raw sauerkraut, avocaodo, and other veggies and a raw dressing. Later some fresh organic raspberries from the local farmer's market here in Ashland. I am staying in Ashland, Oregon for a few days after interviewing Victoria Boutenko.

NK: What are your favorite foods?
My favorite foods are very simple. I love figs, which are really a superfood. They are high in potassium and iron among other things. I enjoy avocados, berries such as raspberries and blackberries, salads that are high in mixed greens, deep greens like lacinato kale (avocado-kale salad is a staple for me).

I do have lots of various types of smoothies, including green smoothies. I consume lots of healthy seeds and oils. These include coconut oil, flax oil, hemp seeds and chia seeds.

NK: How and why did you first start getting into raw and living fodos? What motivated you and what keeps motivating you?

I started consuming raw and living foods after I met Ann Wigmore in 1993. I went down to her institute in Puerto Rico. 2 weeks of all raw foods, including wheatgrass and sprouts, completely changed my life. I was inspired to continue to reseach natural health. I attended a 4-year medical institution for holistic health. What motivates me is that I have seen "miracle cures" with raw foods. I also have never felt better myself than when I consume raw foods. I want to see everyone feeling very healthy and never suffering with diseases like cancer and diabetes. Even putting a small amount of raw foods in your diet can and will make a difference.

What advice do you have for our readers in eating more raw foods? What benefits has it afforded you and what transformational stories have you witness with people?

Be gentle with yourself and go slow. The most important thing is the momentum. Just keep moving towards health. Read books about raw food and raw food recipes and make it fun! Eat lots of variety; try new dishes or a new fruit or vegetable that you have never tried before.

NK: Anything else that you would like to tell our readers, please do so.

Dr.AP: Thanks so much!

Thank you, Nwenna.

Eat what you want to become...Buy the best raw foods book on the planet, The Goddess of Raw Foods available on www.amazon.com.

I eat beautiful gorgeous sexy food full of water, light and life. Celebrate Vegetarian Month and give the animals a break!

You want to become light, eat food that carries light.

You want to become rich, eat rich food.

You want to embody love, eat food that carries love. Eat food made with love. Eat food that comes straight from source!

You want to become abundant, eat food that is abundant in nature.

Celebrate yourself this month. Honor yourself this month. Honor the planet. Honor your body. Honor the food that nourishes your body.

I have simple easy recipes and lots of nutritional information in my book, The Goddess of Raw Foods. Give yourself and your body a gift this month. Take care of your body and make your health your #1 priority.

World Vegetarian Day! 10,000 Reasons to Not Eat Meat

Tell us what's on your plate today? Post a photo of what's on your plate on our blog.

And tell us why you are not eating meat today or for the rest of your life.

In my book, The Goddess of Raw Foods, I have a quote by Mahatma Gandhi that first turned me into a vegetarian when I was only 14 years old.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”

October is World Vegetarian Awareness Month. Can you think of 10,000 reasons to not eat meat this month? Can you not eat meat for the next 31 days? What's on your plate today? Share with us your thoughts.

My #1 reason for not eating meat is because vegetables and fruits taste SO DAMN GOOD!!!

What's the sexiest fruit on the planet?

Tell us what's the sexiest fruit on the planet and why? I vote for the kiwi because of her rough exterior and when you get inside of her, she's green with black seeds, exotic-looking, and sweet yet tart to the tongue. She's a multitude of tastes inside of a small shell. And I've never been disappointed eating into a kiwi.

Eat Your Carrot Greens!

There's some debate over whether or not its safe to eat carrot tops and carrot greens. I used to always wonder why when you purchase carrots in the store, if they are not organic why they don't still have the green leaves on them. Well the carrot tops and the leaves are highly nutritious for the body and should be eaten and digested. Mother Nature didn't create anything for us to waste!

The carrot leaves can act as an antiseptic. You can chew on them and they will relieve bad breath.

Carrot leaves can be used in a mixed green salad or as a garnish. They contain high amounts of chloropyll which combat against the growth of tumors.

Carrots are a blood purifier and act as an energizing tonic for the eyes, skin, and hair. They can be eaten raw and cooked and are best when juiced along with apple, beet, and some lemon. Carrots are high in fiber, low in calories, available all year round, and are a great source of beta carotene and vitamin A. Kids love carrots as a snack and they are very inexpensive.

Juicing the whole carrot is a wonderful way to get more enzymes into your body.

Here are some wonderful carrot juice recipes:

Carrot Beet Apple Tonic

4-6 carrots (if they are organic you do not need to peel the skin)
1 whole red beet
1 whole lemon
1 apple

Juice in a juicer and serve.

Carrot Almond Milk recipe

4-6 carrots
1 cup almond milk (2 cups organic raw almonds to 3 cups water; blend in a blender and strain with a cheesecloth)
few pinches of cinammon
few pinches of nutmeg

Carrot Chips

Thinly slice 4-6 carrots and dehydrate. This is a wonderful snack for children. You can flavor your carrots with a cinammon/cayenne pepper/chili flavor to give it that sweet and spicy flavor or even a cumin/tumeric/agave nectar combination to give an Indian spice flavor. Have fun with your carrots.

Carrot Raisin Seaweed Salad

4 carrots (tops and greens included)
1 celery stalk (chopped)
sprigs of cilantro
a handful of raisins
olive oil
lemon juice
dulse flakes
arame seaweed (soaked, drained, and chopped)

Process the carrots in a food processor until it has a couscous texture. Finely chop the carrot greens with a knife. Chop your cilantro, celery, and seaweed. Add in your raisins in a mixing bowl. Toss some olive oil, lemon juice, and dulse flakes and enjoy!

A Zen Garden of Reiki Inspired Products for the Mind, Body, & Spirit

Zakia Gates, creator and founder of Zakia's Zen Garden must be the first of her kind - a Reiki candle designer. She designs candles for her clients and then reiki's them for peace, love, abundance, or whatever emotion or energy that the client requests. Now that's an ingenious idea ready to explode. Not only is she a trend setter, entrepreneur, mother, and healer, but she is also my sister. Awwwwww..........squish...... squish.........

Enjoy our conversation.

NK: Could you tell our readers a bit about your candle business? And what inspired you to start a business making candles?

ZG: Well I have always adored the scent of candles whether they were paraffin candles or natural candles since I was little. I think that a candle is the most elegant piece of artwork that the Universe created. I was inspired to start a business making candles when I came across a candle making class in 2004. The class consisted of using gel candle wax and how to use all kinds of cool artifacts in the gel candles. However, after doing some extensive research about candles I came across the dangers of burning these gel candles and how much damage they can cause to our environment. So a few years later, I came across another candle making class, only in this case it was a class making soy candles instead of the harmful gel or paraffin candles. After I took the class and created both of my soy candles I knew then I could carry this a long way. So I decided to start my own soy candle business straight from my home in October 2008.

NK: How did you first discover Reiki? What has Reiki done for your life?

ZG: I first discovered Reiki when I visited you in Los Angeles, California in 2003 when you set up an appointment for me with your friend Jodi, who was a certified Reiki practitioner. Jodi took the time to explain Reiki to me and how it is used on the body. When Jodi conducted that session for me it made me feel so relaxed and it helped me to look at the world and myself in a whole different aspect and perspective. It did not occur to me that someone could actually teach you to be a Reiki practitioner until I came across my community newspaper which advertised a class in order to be a certified Reiki practitioner. I was so excited that I immediately signed up for the class. I took six intense sessions of the class and received all of my attunements on during the 5th and 6th sessions. From there, I also received my certificate as a Level One Reiki practitioner in 2005. Reiki has changed my life and the life of my daughter for the best. It has allowed me to feel more positive about all things in life as well as prompt me feel more confident about myself.

NK: You also dabble in raw foods? What prompted you to dabble in raw foods? Your daughter Ayanna is also loving raw foods? Do you find that strange how she has embraced it. Its nice to see kids who love eating kale because she loves kale salads?

ZG:I began to dabble a bit in raw foods in April of 2009 when I attended a Raw Food Potluck at a friend’s house. The raw food life style along with the attunements from my Reiki certification gives me and my daughter so much more energy in our bodies and in our spirits. I am able to think clearly and speak more effectively. It is great. As far as my daughter is concerned, she also enjoys the raw life style. As her mother, I did not find it strange that she embraced it so quickly because our children only mock what we do. We are their mirrors. They only do what we do.

NK: What is the vision for your company, for your business, for your life?

ZG: I have a clear vision of expanding my business and opening a spa here in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Beverly Hills, CA. That is my ultimate vision.

NK: What is the process for making candles? Why do you prefer to use soy as opposed to parrafin candles? What's the difference?

ZG: I prefer soy candles over paraffin candles because of the many benefits that soy has to offer. First, soy candles have an even burn. I don’t know when was the last time you burned a paraffin candle in its container, but the paraffin candles burn unevenly. Also, paraffin candles give off an awful soot and chemical in the air which is harmful and hazardous to one’s health. Therefore, when you burn this candle, there are always clumps and lumps of wax that surrounds your container. Remember when I mentioned that a candle is the most elegant form of craftsmanship from the Universe, well using the paraffin wax for a candle just takes all of that elegance away.

NK: What are your challenges right now for making candles and for running a business?

ZG: Some of the challenges right now for me are trying to keep up with all of the orders that I get from my clients, but I love it. Another challenge that I have is trying to find ways to get people to take a soy candle making class. That can be hard, but I know that I will find a way. I love to teach and train people.

NK: Can you break down the science of Reiki for our readers? What exactly is it? How does it work?

ZG: Reiki is a Japanese form of energy work which requires a skillful trained certified Reiki practitioner to help heal the weakening ailments of the body which can be triggered by any past emotional or traumatic experiences. Keep in mind that my clients are informed to consult with their PCP before and after a full body Reiki treatment because I am not a doctor. First, I ask the client about what things they want to change, or why do they want a Reiki treatment. Therefore, basically, I sit in a very still meditative state and I say a prayer to the Universe to help guide me through the Reiki treatment. I then use my hands to go over the whole body. During a Reiki treatment, I normally don’t touch the body. However, there are some times when I have to get a deeper reading of the body’s chakras. I also use Reiki in my holistic products.
Some of the things on my plate right now are trying to market my business, how to turn my investment of the business into millions.

NK: What are your favorite foods?

ZG: My favorite foods fruits, raw kale salad, slices of cucumbers, (I eat them like cookies), oatmeal, raw bbq mushrooms, veggie cakes, and anything that your book has to offer. (ha ha)

NK: Do you do anything else that is creative? If so, what?

ZG: Some of the other creative things that I do are writing, spiritual counseling (on my website), playing the drums and I dabble a bit on the keyboards with my daughter. I wrote a very powerful article on by blog about Orgasmic Spirituality.

NK: Anything else you want to share with our readers, please do so.

ZG: Yes, there is one thing that I would love to share with your readers. If you are thinking about starting your own business and you are worried about the money for the investment, don’t think about the money at this time. Just be like the Nike commercials and “Just Do It.” The Universe will give you all of the financial resources and opportunities that you will need to start the business. Just listen and look for the signs. Peace and blessings.

For more information about Zakia and her company you can visit her websites or send her an email:

www.zakiaszengarden.com
http://divasstorytoday.blogspot.com
info@zakiaszengarden.com

Visit Zakia's website at www.zakiaszengarden.com. When you purchase a product, she will send you one FREE peppermint/eucalyptus candle along with your purchase. She has Reiki'd the candle to clear up any colds, sinus, or congestion problems in your body, mind, spirit, or in your home. Enjoy!

The Story Behind E3Live, The Creators, the Healing Powers, & the Product - PLUS a special one-time E3Live Product Offer

I don't normally endorse products and I especially do not endorse products that I don't think would benefit my readers, but I absolutely love E3live and I believe in the healing benefits of this product. That's why I chose to interview the owners and creators of the company E3Live. I carried this product in my restaurant and I always refer it to my clients especially if they are having serious health issues.

I spoke with both Tamera and Michael who are the E3Live founders and owners.

Tamera's areas of expertise are as varied as her numerous interests. Her dedication to the betterment of life for all inspired her 15 years as a dance instructor working with students ranging from the highly gifted to those with mental challenges, often volunteering her time and talents for the benefit of the community.

Tamera is a 46-year-old mother of bright and beautiful E3Live® babies as well as a frequent lecturer on detoxification and the body's elimination systems. In addition, she is the formulator of some of the top-selling green formulas on the market today, and her formulations are used by many world-famous doctors and healing clinics.

She brings over 20 years of experience in business management and operations to her current role of CEO and owner of E3Live®. These companies harvest and produce the revolutionary E3Live®, the world's first and only fresh-frozen Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA). E3Live® is the world-wide leader of nutritional algae and an icon for 'greens' in the living foods community. Tamera has had the great fortune of working closely with Dr. Gabriel Cousens, Dr. Brian Clement of Hippocrates Health Institute, Dr. Fred Bisci, and many other highly respected and well-known healers who are living examples of the long term benefits of the living foods lifestyle.

The discoverer and founder of E3Live®, Michael was introduced to the raw living foods lifestyle more than 30 years ago after staying with Dr. Ann Wigmore.

He is a true Renaissance man, having been a competitive swimmer, gymnast and body builder, an art and athletics teacher, and a highly successful businessman. His amazing background also includes helping and employing those he calls "special people" — people who live with challenges from congenital birth defects and disfigurements. His most important work has been as a lecturer on health and the impact of living foods in our diets — being credited with saving many lives due to his caring nature and expertise on the benefits of eating raw foods.

Michael is the proud father of 4 children and a true example of a leader "walking his talk". At 67 years of age, he attributes his youthful appearance and boundless energy to this commitment to eating healthy foods.

And the company is so committed to helping others with their health issues, that I just had to interview them on my blog and educate you about the wonders of E3Live and how much it can benefit your health. I urge all of you to really educate yourself about the wonders of E3Live. Its a highly nutritious product and food that can do wonders for your health. Please take a look at the website, www.e3live.com. I also talk about the product in my book, The Goddess of Raw Foods available for purchase at www.amazon.com.

Enjoy the interview!

NK: I think E3Live is one of the best foods on the planet. I used it when I first started eating raw and was having issues with constipation, vertigo, migraines, stress, and acne. I also sold it in my cafe Taste of the Goddess Cafe and I promote it to all my clients and in my book, The Goddess of Raw Foods. Can you tell our readers the benefits of E3Live? And what makes E3Live a superfood?
,
E3Live is a whole, organic freshwater plant found in the wild that has both discovered and undiscovered nutrients. These nutrients are 97% usable by the body. Only a fraction of the vitamin content of more expensive vitamins are actually absorbed by the body. Man-made supplements only contain what the formulators choose to include. E3Live has been described by Dr. Brian Clement of Hippocrates Health Institute as being able to "fill in the cracks" in your nutritional foundation. So it can work different ways for different people, since we all have a different makeup or foundation. The benefits our clients experience are more energy, increased focus and clarity, elevated mood, cravings for vegetables and other healthy foods (as opposed to salt or sugar cravings), faster recovery time after exercise or injury and much more. Dr. Fred Bisci, who is a clinical nutritionist for over 40 years, calls it a "true adaptogen" nourishing the body and mind on multiple levels. These are all reasons why it is a true superfood.


NK:Where did the name E3Live come from?

Originally it came from the phrase "Earth's Essential Elements" since we feel it is such a foundational food.

NK: I know that your company has done a lot in terms of donating products to those who are sick and in great need for your products? Can you tell our readers how we can continue to support your efforts in doing this.

We do donate products each year - the more we sell on the retail side of the business, the more we are able to donate to those in need. We appreciate the patronage of your readers, it allows us to help others who are in desperate need.


NK:I work with a number of clients who are new to raw foods and who are really struggling with their health and I suggest E3Live to them all the time. They immediately frown up when I tell them its a blue-green algae because they don't immediately make the connection to how good it is for the body. Can you speak to the number of testimonials from your customers who have used the product to help with any illness that they may have?

The term "blue-green algae" is misleading because there are 1000's species of blue-green algae in the world. It's like saying snakes or mushrooms - o.k. which specie are we referring to? In algae, some are toxic, some are non-toxic, some are edible, some are not edible, and some are highly nutritional and edible. We only harvest a nutritional and edible specie - a very particular aquabotanical plant called Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, or AFA for short, we brand it as E3Live. Our E3Live is 100% pure AFA, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae translates to "invisible living flower of the water".

We have so many awesome testimonials on our website - from professional athletes telling how E3Live has helped them excel in their sport, to health care professionals who see the differences E3Live makes in their patients' lives, along with many from everyday people who have felt an incredible difference in their lives. There are just so many - your readers can view these unsolicited testimonials on our website www.e3live.com<http://www.e3live.com> anytime.

NK:Can you explain how E3Live physically helps the body?

E3Live is pure and simple, very good nutrition. So whether you are eating an extremely clean diet or even a typical American diet, it will still provide you with excellent nutritional benefits. The better nutrition you have for your body, the better you feel, the more you can fight off disease, the faster you can recover from illness, injury or strenuous exercise, and so much more.


NK:Can you speak to how the product was discovered, developed, and put out on the market?

This food (which is what we consider AFA/E3Live to be) was discovered thousands of years ago and consumed by indigenous people, in modern times it was discovered by a scientist working for the NASA space program to find a nutritionally dense food for the astronauts to take into space. After finding out how amazing this AFA was, he quit the government and began harvesting it himself - this was some 25 years ago. About 10 years ago, I met my partner Michael who was extrememly excited and anxious to try the AFA in its fresh liquid form, and that's how E3Live was born. The fresh frozen liquid E3 is more powerful than any previously used capsules, powder or tablets on the market.


NK: I'm not a fan of wheat grass and even though I know that wheat grass and E3Live are totally two different types of food, I find E3Live to be a bit better tasting. How pure is the product? Do you do anything with the product to enhance the taste at all? What recommendations do you have for people who are aversive to the taste or even the color?

E3Live is 100% pure AFA, we not only meet, but we exceed the purity standards set forth for us by the USDA. From the moment we harvest the AFA, to its final packaging, we work with only the most highly trained and qualified staff. We handle our AFA with such care from start to finish. Factors contributing to this quality include: where and how we harvest, keeping the AFA cold at all times, superior filtration and storage, and ongoing quality-control testing of all of our products. All E3 products are tested thoroughly by independent USDA certified labs for food safety, shelf-life and various other purity tests.

Along with original E3Live (which has no flavoring added) we now offer E3Live Nectar (lightly sweetened with organic agave) and also E3Live Mint (which has organic agave and organic mint). We do offer a Variety Pack so people can try the different flavors. If you are new to the taste of E3Live - you can always incorporate it in with your favorite non-acidic juice or smoothie, this is a great way to add E3Live to your daily routine.


NK: Is it possible after a number of years to become immune to the product?

No

What's on your plate today?

I had fruit for breakfast and 2 shots of E3Live this morning. For lunch/dinner combination I had a micro-green salad with hemp seeds, sun dried tomatoe and some nutritional yeast on top. I also had some avacado and some dried walla walla sweet onions on the side. For snack I am having a glass of apple, beet and kale juice.

Any last comments for our readers?

I feel blessed to have the opportunity to bring E3Live, this nature-given food, to the world which helps so many people's health, their lives and their families. Never for a day do I take life for granted. It is precious, and it is short in the big scheme of things. Health is not only affected by what we put into our bodies, it's more important how we feel and the thoughts we think. Love yourself, love others, and appreciate that we have choices. I wish everyone love and light on their journey through life and please let people know about E3Live. Pass the word and help us to change people's lives and their health. If everyone cares, we can do it, one person at a time. It's my goal to see that everyone in the world has access to this amazing life-changing food and that people suffering from declining health to know there is hope outside of the allopathic world. I lost my mother at a very early age due to overuse of doctor drugs and it has impacted my life greatly. I encourage every person to think about proteting your precious health so you never get to the dis-eased state to begin with. But if you are already there, first, change your diet and your lifestyle before you do anything else. The body has infinate wisdom to heal itself when given the right tools. Abundant blessings and love to each of you reading this. And my personal thank you to Nwenna for this opportunity to share our story with you. May it enrich your lives!

Tamera

Interview with Michael:

NK: You knew Ann Wigmore and studied with her in the 60's. Can you tell our readers a little bit about that experience?

I had heard about this woman, Dr. Ann, who had an institute in Boston where she was taking people who were extremely sick - even out of hospitals - putting them on a simple vegan raw food diet and they were getting better from serious diseases. Being skeptical of this - I wanted to go and see for myself if it was true, so I went to Boston and that was my foundation for really finding the link between what you put into your body and the effects it could have on preventing or curing disease.

NK: How did you first get into raw foods?

I first got into raw foods because they had a raw food restaurant in Miami where I was living at the time.

NK: My vision for the raw foods lifestyle and in general for a more organic and holistic lifestyle is to see the medical profession really take a look at the fact that using organic natural products to heal the body is the way to go. What is your vision for your company? Where do you see it going in the 21st century in relation to everything that is going on with healthcare and the health crisis in our country and around the globe? Do you have medical doctors or people in allopathic medicine promoting your products to their patients?

Our vision is that would inspire and guide people to take responsibility for their own health, and in doing so it could dramatically reduce the cost of sickness and disease and save incredible amounts of money that we are now spending in the sickness industry. We do have a few medical and allopathic doctors suggesting E3Live to their patients, Dr. Baxter Montgomery who is a cardiac doctor, Dr. Gabriel Cousens, and others.

NK: Can you tell our readers a bit about your background in the product's industry. Discovering the wonderful benefits of blue-green algae and then putting it in product form must be long process. Were you already familiar with the process or were you learning as you went?

As Tamera mentions above, the term "blue-green algae" is a bit misleading...

I was eating a very sad diet growing up - lots of junk food and not many vegetables. In my 20's and 30's I was lifting weights, swimming competitively and a strong athlete despite this poor diet, I just did not know any better at the time. As I began to learn more about how to eat healthier, I had someone suggest that I try some of the dried AFA that was produced at the time. Even though this was a somewhat inferior grade of AFA compared to today's AFA (the methods of production today minimize processing and preserve the benefits much better than back then) I still felt a benefit from it and this made me want to travel to the lake in Oregon where it was harvested, Klamath Lake. When I was in Oregon, I met Tamera Campbell, who is now my partner, and I tried the AFA fresh (right out of the filter) in liquid form and felt a significant incedible benefit compared the dried form. Most people who have consumed the capsules or tablets and since have tried the liquid, now only prefer the liquid (unless they travel). Many, like myself, use the frozen AFA bottles in our coolers when we travel - like ice packs to keep our organic fruits and veggies fresh. No one was offering a fresh, liquid form of the AFA anywhere when I first tried it fresh. This is when I knew I had to get this out and share this amazing food with the world.

Many of my clients ask whether or not E3Live can help with yeast and candida issues? What do you have to say about that?

The answer is YES. But the best way to eliminate yeast and candidia issues is to eliminate sugar from your diet for a year. That means no fruit, very little to no grains, and plenty of green juices and E3Live.

NK: You've seen the raw foods community grow over the years since your involvement in it from the 60's? What has the evolution been like for you in your personal and in your business life? Where do you see it going in the future?

In the 60s, there was no awareness whatsoever, but I have seen over the years since then people are becoming wiser and making the connection between eating toxic foods and disease. Since I was eating a raw food, organic diet, the only thing I could buy in the grocery store back then was paper products, now grocery stores offers many raw organic choices - there is more demand for these things in the stores. People are becoming much more knowledgeable and empowered and are asking for higher quality foods.

NK: What's on your plate today?

So far I have had some E3 BrainOn and some delicious fruit.

NK: Any last comments for our readers?

I wish for all of your readers to make healthy choices by consuming a whole food plant-based diet, so that they may remain healthy and disease-free. I know that if you feel good, then it affects all the people in your family and your friends in a positive way. Remember that your greatest wealth is always your health.


Thanks Michael and Tamera.

Also until the end of the month of October, as a courtesy to all of you for reading and educating yourself, E3Live is extending a ONE-TIME OFFER! For anyone that orders an E3Live product, they will give You a FREE $25.00 bottle of their Light Polish with a coupon that would be good until October 31st 2009 for any online order placed at www.e3live.com or you can call into the office at 888-800-7070 and give the coupon code GODDESS.

The E3 Light Polish is a natural skin care product formulated for both men and women creating radiant, soft, and supple skin.

A Raw conversation with British Actor Marcus Patrick

I love interviewing friends on my blog because they are the most fun. Enjoy this interview with actor Marcus Patrick. He needs no introduction as he's been on All My Children, Days of Our Lives, a host of movies including Love and other Four-letter words. He's now playing in a Jesus film as he terms it, but I first met Marcus Patrick when he came to my raw restaurant back in 2004.

He was fired up about raw foods as he still is. Its always nice to highlight people who are making this movement happen in their part of the world.

And for the guys who always tell me that they are afraid of eating raw foods because they don't want to lose weight, look at Marcus Patrick and he's 100% raw. Go figure.

Enjoy this raw conversation with Marcus Patrick


NK: First of all, how are you? The last time we spoke you were so passionate and energetic. I thought maybe you had just taken a superfood cocktail or something because I could feel your intensity over the phone. You got me fired up! I love how much you have evolved. What's new with you?

MP: I am very fired up with love. I am raw now 100% over one year and a half and on day 15 of a liquid diet cleanse. My body and spirit, feel amazing!!!

I also just got offered a role to Play "JESUS" of all people who taught raw food and cleansing and this film I about JESUS and those hidden teachings. This Is a God Send. I was On the Border of quitting Acting due to all the negative roles that are increasing and wanted to play in a positive film but there seemed to be little, UNTIL THIS!!!

NK: I remember how you used to always comment on how muscular I was and how you thought I worked out and I used to tell you that I eat lots of greens and drink a lot of coconuts. I have to admit sometimes you made me feel uncomfortable because I kept catching you looking at me. For the brothers out there, how do you eat a raw foods diet and keep the muscle on? What's the science behind it? Do you workout everyday?

MP: I'm sorry if I was making you feel uncomfortable, It was not an eye of Sexual curiosity, more an eye of study and Marveling over how a Woman could be so strong looking on no gym routine. I was new to Raw food at the time and was trying to analyze you, for my own science research. I believe I complimented you on How healthy and strong you looked. But I am aware I was looking at you almost like a scientist Ha!! Sorry...

I Keep my muscles easily, since raw food I work out once a week, My goal was to shed a Little bulk off, so some might think I lost some muscle going raw but it was my intention to get a little of that cooked bulk off my body, one can move better with out it. But if i want to Mass up for a Role, out come the Banana almond coconut shakes and the mass would be back in a week.

NK:What are your favorite foods?

MP: Currently I love Superfood soup, Greens and Seaweed on the top, but I always switch my favorites each week, I'm a big kid.

NK: What's on your plate today?

MP: I'm going to cleanse the liver beginning today with apple juice for 3 days.

NK: If you could be a fruit, what fruit would you be and why?

MP: A fruit with a Hard stone so I could always be replanted and Live On

NK: If you could be a vegetable what vegetable would you be and why?

MP: Maybe a Tomato vine so I can feed the people each year and still live to tell the story

NK: What artistically are you working on now?

MP: Getting ready for that JESUS film.

NK: You are a highly spiritual brother? Did this personal evolution come from eating a raw foods diet or were you always on this path? What have you learned? What has the path taught you?

MP: It was a Prayer that turned me Vegan and eventually raw, I know people think it's allot of discipline, but if you believe in God/The Universe and you pray, it just happens.

NK: Who do you admire?

MP: I admire many people, I try to take the Positive leafs from every person I meet. I admire you for your hard work in the world on Raw food.

NK: I have an excerpt in my book on raw foods and sex. Basically I just know that being healthy equals healthier relationships, a healthier mindset and therefore healthier and greater sex. What do you think?

MP: Yes I noticed that, I became more youthful and full of energy in all senses. I will add that my spirit will not allow me to connect sexually to a being that has toxicity in them any more. It's almost like the Body senses pick up that the person has unhealthy elements to connect with and so even if the lady is beautiful on the outer shell, One can perceive the sickness, of the bowel, liver and heart blockage.

NK: You travel a lot I'm sure. How is it traveling and maintaining your diet?

MP: It has been a challenge, but one can do it by using The Opportunity to Master cleanse with Lemonade that you can always find lemons if you pack the Maple syrup and Cayenne.
We always ate salads and fruits, took nuts everywhere. it was tougher than being in LA but if you plan ahead your fine.

NK: What do you seek the most, crave for, desire, hope for? Feel free to answer how you want.

MP: The true way we as humans can live in Harmony and follow the principals that create that reality, The Scriptures that JESUS left have this message so I am excited to do the film.

NK: What's your vision for the raw foods movement?

MP: I feel that the Beings that want health will find it. Those that don't unfortunately will end up perishing from disease. The stats are coming in. RAW FOOD MEANS LIFE!!!

NK: For my female readers, they want to know do you prefer your women "raw", "steamed", "roasted", or "fried" or maybe all the above, huh?

MP: I actually cannot fathom the thought of Kissing a Meat mouth. For pleasure anyways. As an actor I have had to kiss a few Meat mouths and one always can smell the last dinner festering down in the stomach. The two feet of Pipe that comes up from the stomach, basically air out the rotting flesh through the nostrils and one gets the picture. Not Pleasant. So Vegan girls get kisses

NK: What is the one dream that you would like to accomplish before you leave this body if you even believe that there is a physical death?

MP: I want to Levitate, then Fly. I'm reading all about How the Yogis accomplish this in India now.

NK: For someone just starting out with raw foods, what would you suggest to them?

MP: Ask questions Read books surf the web. Info is Key. Raw foodist are more pleasant by nature due to the self love they have and the lack of Toxic anger molecules from the flesh eaters, so ask them plenty of questions, they will help. I help anybody who makes a serious inquiry about it. I'm a Trainer and Get all my clients as Raw as I possibly can, some go 100% like me and they are the ones that get all the best results too.


NK: Do you find a lot of celebrities are now embracing raw foods and/or the green movement, if so who are they?

MP: I know Woody Harelson does and Demi More made a claim to it when She Lost all her weight for Charlie's Angels but I don't tend to keep up with the Celeb news, I'm sure they use the system for losing weight, there is no faster way to get rid of unwanted pounds and keep a healthy glow.


Love N Light

Marcus Patrick

For more information about Marcus Patrick, go to www.marcus-patrick.com.

Sign up for my e-newsletter

Some of you have been asking about signing up for my e-newsletter. Just go to www.nwennakai.com and at the top of the website where it says join our email list, you can enter in your name and email address. My e-newsletter announces any classes, workshops, lectures, traveling, products, blog interviews, that I am doing. It is also an educational tool that I use to educate those who want to learn more about raw and living foods lifestyle as well as other health and wellness information. I would love for you to be a part of this movement with me!

Love Nwenna Kai

Dr. Tarryn Tranquility Foster on raw foods, our DNA, healing holistically, and Mothering

I first met Dr .Tarryn Tranquility Foster, ND in 2006 at the Friar's Club on Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles. I was so intrigued by Dr. Foster as she was a young naturopathic doctor, a mother, a wife, and a woman of immeasurable strength. I've been a client of Tarryn's as she initiated me into the Munya Ki. The Munay-Ki are the nine rites of initiation in the Quechua tradition. You can read more information about this ancient initiation on her website at www.tranquilitysvoice.com.

Dr. Foster is a naturopathic doctor, wellness lifestyle coach, and inspirational speaker.

What I love about her work is her intutive way of facilitating her clients to wellness and greatness.

Enjoy the interview as Dr. Foster discusses the importance of raw foods in our diet, the relationship of food and our DNA, being a mommy, an entrepreneur, and a doctor.

NK: Could you please share with our readers a little bit about your background, your area of holistic healing and why it is so unique. Please include your educational background, any career highlights, teachers you have studied with etc?

Dr.TTF: I studied Naturopathic Medicine at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, one of the four accredited Naturopathic Colleges in the United States. My connection to naturopathic medicine is the healing power of nature. Utilizing nature and non-toxic substances as a preventative measure to dis-ease, food as a healer, recognizing and embracing the mind-body-emotion connection and honoring our spiritual journey with regards to our healing is what makes my field of healthcare so unique. My clients have an opportunity to see how utilizing our intuition and understanding the effects of vibration/energy can keep us in a consistent state of healing vs. illness that can be avoided or reversed. Upon graduation I began my private practice, specializing in family medicine and specifically children. I have worked with people all over the country in-person or via long distance consultations.

My exciting career highlights include speaking to various groups about healthy lifestyles and helping them see that the key to a peaceful and healthy planet is how we teach, feed and provide natural healing, a green environment and holistic education for our children. My journey has helped me fully accept and embrace my role as an ambassador for the welfare of children in regards to holistic living.

Many of my teachers have been spiritual teachers who have helped me to perceive the key to complete healing is our balance between spirit and physical. I have studied with shamans, Native American medicine women and men, high priestesses, Yoruba chiefs and Christian healers. I integrate these teachings into my healing with my clients so that we always are seeking healing beneath the symptoms. We seek for the root cause and its vibrational and spiritual connection.

NK:How as an entrepreneur do you balance your life? You are a mother and an entrepreneur. What does balance look like for you on a regular basis and how would you encourage other women to balance their lives as well.

Dr.TTF: Balance for me is eating right first (a vegan diet) to keep up with the energy I need for my daily demands. Many mothers and women who are busy forget this key piece. And I meditate daily to keep my center and do yoga/strength training. Everything else is an easy extension of my ability to keep my priorities straight. Mothering isn’t the easiest every day so women have to take care of themselves so they can make their children or partners or work life a peaceful priority instead of a painful hassle.

NK: You are a naturopathic doctor? How did you decide on a career change like that as I know you used to work at a corporate job for years? What was the attraction to the holistic medical profession?

Dr.TTF: I used to work in a corporate environment as a Public Relations Executive with McDonald’s as one of my primary accounts. I also had other accounts focused on entertainment and health. I felt it was a natural transition for me as I was healing myself with holistic healthcare like acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic and eating right. I realized I needed to transition to the holistic healing field. I was giving people information through public relations and health education campaigns, but my calling was to be in a direct healing capacity with the people so I decided to leave my work life and return to Naturopathic medical school. It was the best and most awakening decision of my life… to pursue my true calling.

NK:Can you tell our readers what prompted you to write a book of poetry? And please tell us about the themes of the poems.

Dr.TTF: I have been writing poetry since I was nine years old and even completed a book in my early twenties. But I didn’t publish it. Finally I felt driven to give the poems that I felt called to share a place where others could read them. The book is called Spaces of Reality: Poetry in Motion for Those in Search of Truth. They focus on being true to Spirit and true to the self in every facet of the realty we create or perceive. It’s available through lulu.com

NK: I have always felt like you were such a creative person. You paint, you make perfumes, you are also creative in the kitchen. How do you use your creativity in your profession?

Dr.TTF: I combine all these things into my healing work by making my own remedies for my clients, painting as a form of spiritual healing for some clients and teaching others how to be creative in their lives in order to heal dis-ease or imbalance. I believe cooking should also be creative, loving and fun because of the healing our food provides and the cook needs to increase its vibration with creativity. I especially enjoy teaching mothers the necessity of being creative with their children as a means of bonding and to help them with developing a more inward connection to the higher self as a way to express whatever is often unspoken, painful or joyful in our world.

NK:What upcoming projects are you working on now? What is your vision for your life?

Dr.TTF: I am working on creating an intentional community/healing center for our children and our parents. My vision for my life is certainly one of peace and unity. I desire to see a world where our children can be well cared for and live in peace and I desire to continue being a part of the awareness raising for our next generations.

NK: You delve into the mystic sciences, the intuitive a lot. Do you do this when working with your clients? How does that play out in your work? How does it play out in your personal life?

Dr.TTF: I don’t see a disconnection between healing and our intuitive being. I studied energetic medicine such as reiki, acupuncture, colorpuncture, pranic healing and bioenergetics while in and after medical school. I utilize the art and science of vibrational healing when diagnosing and providing care for clients along with conventional and holistic testing. I’m fully present to my intuitive self in my personal life and I tap into this side of my being as if there is no separation between me and the universe. We are one with the Divine and the less separation we keep the easier it is to navigate through this life game.


NK: What is on your plate today?

Dr.TTF: Couscous with roasted vegetables, green leaf salad with cilantro dressing I made and a green protein smoothie with chard and fruit.

NK:What are your favorite foods?

Dr.TTF: Mango, young Thai coconuts, Indian food, raw pies if it has coconut or lemon I’m in it and Thai food (vegan of course)

NK: Do you talk to your clients about eating a mostly raw foods diet? If so, why do you advocate for a raw foods diet? What benefits have you seen in your own life and in the lives of others?

Dr. TTF: I have been incorporating raw food into my diet for 15 years. I defiantly encourage my clients to adapt a raw food diet or at least take it into consideration because if its life giving benefits. Whether they are cleansing, trying to heal from dis-ease or attempting to increase their energy it is key in providing them with the necessary nutritional components not gotten from cooked foods.

NK:I'm very passionate about my life as a food activist so to speak and preserving the natural state of our food. I remember a while back, we were talking about DNA and food. You probably do not remember this conversation but what struck me was that you said something in reference to the fact that the food we are eating if we do not get our DNA to adapt to the food, we might not be able to survive. (I am probably not quoting you correctly so please excuse me, if you need more clarification on this question, just let me know) What are your views on the issues around food in terms of genetically modified foods, organic vs. conventional, etc? How does this relate to DNA?

DR. TTF: It is fundamental and of the highest priority that our foods remain in their natural state. This is why it is so key that we are provided with and continue to seek or grow our own organic foods. Genetically modified foods are not healthy for our bodies and they cause imbalances in the body that we are not even fully aware of yet. The body has to adapt to such nutrient-deficient substances and the impact as a result, as far as illness, is far reaching and unknown. I believe that our DNA is an energetic device that informs our bodies and minds about what is needed to enhance our well being and existence. It’s a barometer so to speak, so anytime we take in things that are further away from nature it is impacted negatively. Our cells mutate and so does our DNA based on what we do daily and eating has a key role in giving DNA its energy.

NK:People always ask me how can I change my eating habits. I always tell them it’s more than just learning how to eat properly because food carries memory. Some of our food is addictive. How can we change our eating habits? And can we shift our energy to shift our perspective on food? If so, how does this work?

Dr. TTF: Our eating habits begin with the will to be truthful within oneself about our attachment to food. Food isn’t usually looked at as a life-giving substance; instead it is seen as a giver to simply fill us up or save us from an emotional discomfort. Our eating habits are just like any other habit. It has to be dealt with at the root, the core or why we eat what we eat and what are we getting out of it. Energetically people are more easily able to overcome these attachments when they elevate their thinking. When anyone raises their energetic vibration through healing, meditation or cleansing etc., there is less desire to eat foods that provide very little energy, and there is a natural inclination to eat well and holistically.

Thanks Dr. Foster for sharing. For more information about Dr. Foster and to contact her, you can visit her website www.tranquilitysvoice.com or contact her via email at tranquilitysvoice@yahoo.com.