In a move to learn more about healthful eating habits, I signed up for a raw food live preparation and demonstration in New York. The guest will be Karen Knowler of The raw food coach who’s website is one that I’ve found the most helpful in preparing people to transition to a more raw food diet. She comes across as authentic and simple without all of the new age, zen like shenanigans that I find so over the top with other raw food authors and proponents. She so happens to be in New York and so on March 29th, I’ll be going to see her live.

I’m curious about better ways to enjoy healthy food, and I think going to this event is a step in the right direction.

If you are interested in attending this event, you can find out more about it at http://events.giveittomeraw.com/raw-success/

If you are interested in knowing more about Karen, then visit her website @ http://www.therawfoodcoach.com

We’ve talked about Blender (insert link) and Food Dehyrators (insert link). Now I want to talk about the last piece of equipment I need in my quest to go as raw.(I haven’t made up my mind yet as to what percentage or raw vs. cooked I’ll go!), the food processor.

What is a food processor?

A food processor is a kitchen appliance used to facilitate various repetitive tasks in the process of preparation of food. Food processors are similar to blenders in many ways. The primary difference is that food processors use swappable blades and disks (attachments) instead of a fixed blade. Its functions normally consist of:

* Slicing/chopping vegetables
* Grinding items such as nuts, seeds (eg spices), meat, or dried fruit
* Shredding or grating cheese or vegetables
* Pureeing
* Mixing and kneading doughs

Why do I need a food processor?

Well if I am serious in adopting some sort of raw food eating plan, I don’t want to be manually chopping up vegetables etc. I need to make this process and painless as possible if I am going to stick with it. It would literally make my life easier because most of the food I would like to consume involve some combination of slicing, dicing, chopping etc and I just don’t have the time to do all that. So meet my new best friend people!

What’s the best food processor to purchase?

Research has shown that any model from Cuisinart will do the trick. Just pick a model that is affordable and have at it. I haven’t decided yet on a model, but when I do, you’ll be the first to know.

As I move ever so slowly and cautiously into a new way of life, I feel the need to explore and research as much as I possibly can. I’ve always been the kind of person that adopts a sort of “all or nothing” type of attitude towards all things. I’m either going “all out” or I’m not going at all. One of my favorite sayings has always been….“go hard or go home”. On further reflection, I have come to realize that it hasn’t been the smartest strategy to apply to life in general. The reason is because with an attitude like that, you tend to set yourself up for massive failure and disappointments that take time to recover from. A recent example of this attitude was displayed when I was in Thailand.

In Thailand, I was training at a Muay Thai camp where the training was voluntary. The training schedule was three hour sessions, twice a day. Before I even set foot in Thailand, I already set the standard for my training. I was going to do both training sessions everyday regardless of the circumstances. Easier said that done! It took just about one day of training to realize that it was impossible for me to train as I had intended to. I just wasn’t physically able to handle that kind of strain and rigor for 6 hours a day. But instead of accepting my physical limitations, I started getting very angry with myself. I started punishing myself for not living up to my own ill perceived standards and I almost got on a plane to come back home. My reasoning at the time was that if I couldn’t train for 6 hours a day, then I shouldn’t be training at all…..Sound familiar? Had I returned home, I would have missed out on one of the best three months of my life.

I could give countless examples of how I’ve always managed to sabotage or almost sabotage my progress because of this attitude. It’s taken me some time, but I’ve realized that it’s self destructive. The way to go about things is in steps. Small steps become larger steps which become runs and eventually sprints. You have to start from somewhere. You have to accept and appreciate exactly where you are and then proceed to make small steps to get to where you need to be.

I know that once my cleanse is over, I’m not going to be a raw vegan. I’m not even going to be a vegetarian. Whether I’ll ever be these things, I do not know. What I do know is that a change must occur. I also know that I will be incorporating more raw foods into my diet by way of abundant healthy green leafy salads, green smoothies, fruits and vegetables. I also know that I will be cutting down on eating a lot of meat and focus on fish. These are positive little steps in the right direction. It’s a setup for failure and disappointment for me to proclaim that I will be a 100% raw vegan or a vegetarian going forward. The simple reason is that I accept and appreciate exactly where I am at this point in my life and I’m making the necessary small steps towards a healthy transformation. (picture is of Buddhist monks blessing the camp in Thailand)

Please join me as we transform together!

As I’ve said in my previous posts. I am a carboholic. It’s my true nature to enjoy things such as chips, cookies, pizza and the like. I am unable to completely remove them from my diet and I’m not one for moderation either. So I have come to understand that the only way by which I can have these things is to make them in raw form. In order to do this, I need a dehydrator.

So what the heck is a dehydrator anyways?

Well food dehydrators are small home appliances for drying fresh foods yourself. They come in a wide variety of sizes and capabilities, and can dry fruit, vegetables and meats. They work by very gently heating the air and blowing it throughout the food drying area. It can take a number of hours, or even days, to adequately dry and preserve juicier items.

What’s the best Food dehydrator?

Save yourself the time and effort and invest in a Excalibur dehydrator. It comes in 5 or 9 trays and really is the best in the market.

Nkem..Why the heck do YOU need a food Dehydrator?

Haven’t you been paying attention? I have to have my cookies, chips and breads. I can’t go to the store and buy them because it’s all been processed and adds little to no nutritional value to the human body. So I have to make them myself in a food dehydrator from a combination of raw nuts, seeds, nut milk, organic natural sweeteners etc. Then I have to put whatever combination into a dehydrator to get all the water out without cooking the food. That way I get very crunchy snacks that are still “live” into my stomach with no guilt and it’s good for me all at the same time. Folks, you just can’t beat that!

Keep in mind that the point of this whole exercise is to keep these items uncooked, so that the body breaks and removes it from the system relatively easily. The dehydrator dries food slowly at about 105 – 125 degrees which is the maximum temperature for live food to be still considered raw. Sticking cookie dough in the oven at 350 degrees is not what we are aiming for here people. Work with me!

Nkem..Now I get it. So what are you going to make with it then?

I’m glad you asked. Well I’m primarily going to make snacks with it until I figure out how to make other more complicated things if I so desire. As soon as my cleanse is over, I’m going to make the following as soon as possible and work my way up from there:

Crackers and Chips:

Crackers: Using flax seed as a base I’ll make crackers. There are tons of recipes out there to do this.
Plaintain Chips: Instead of frying the plantain as is usually done, I will put it in the dehydrator until it’s as crunchy as the ones found in the Nigerian food stores. I can sprinkle with organic sea salt.
Yam Chips: Instead of frying or boiling yam, I’m gonna stick that bad boy into a dehydrator and see what happens. (I just thought of that one right now!)

As I research more and more about raw living foods, I’ve come to the conclusion that I really should be incorporating “green smoothies” into my daily diet. In order to accomplish this, I have to get a blender that can deal with the task at hand. Research has pointed out 2 options to go with, and neither of them are cheap. However, if this is going to be a lifestyle change and the blender will be utilized daily, then it might be worth the investment:

Option 1: Blendtech Blender $399
This blender packs 1500 watts of power and can crush pretty much everything. It’s an all-in-one appliance that makes smoothies, fresh juice, ice cream, milkshakes, cappuccinos, margaritas, soups, sauces, breads, dressings, salsas and more! It replaces up to 9 other appliances with one fast easy-to-use machine, at a fraction of the cost. I have to say that I am smitten by the marketing campaign for this blender. The CEO of the company does demonstrations of the use of the blender by blending golf balls, camcorders and even an iphone. And they all blended in the machine. Gotta love it.

Option 2: Vitamix Blender $449
This blender has speed ranges from 11 m.p.h. to 240 m.p.h. Approximately 2 peak horsepower Swedish motor, custom-designed for Vita-Mix, 120 volt, 60 hz, 11.5 amps, High-efficiency radial cooling fan, Thermal protection system to prevent overload and burnout, Low-friction ball-bearing motor built to last a lifetime, Heavy-duty, hide-away safety cord extends 19 inches to 6 feet and has a grounded 3-prong plug, wear-resistant base.

You could pick either one and it would get the job done. However I think I’ll go with the Blendtec for cost and aesthetic value. I can’t wait to start making these green smoothies.

As I get deeper and deeper into my cleanse, I feel more of a pull towards a healthy life. I talked about Going raw in a previous post a couple of days ago and the reasons why I am seriously considering a significantly raw diet after my cleanse. I came across a book called Green For Life by Victoria Boutenko. I purchased the book and read it cover to cover in just about 2 days flat.

The premise of the book is that Victoria Boutenko and her family were suffering from a whole host of illnesses before they started incorporating more leafy green vegetables (greens) such as spinach, kale, romaine lettuce etc into their diet. Apparently, greens contain so many vitamins and nutrients that are extremely good for you. In addition, greens contain 60% protein compared to animal protein like beef which is only 27% (I had no idea about this and I have a degree in Biology…I obviously wasn’t paying too much attention in class!). Anyway, the dilemma for the Boutenko’s was how to incorporate these greens into their diet without having to eat a whole basket of green vegetables multiple times a day. The solution was to make a “green smoothie”.

A green smoothie is a combination of a raw leafy green vegetable and a multitude of other fruits of your choice all blended together in a blender. The blender breaks down the walls of the greens so that it is quickly and easily absorbed into the blood stream and utilized without the stomach working too hard on the digestion process. You couldn’t chew your food as finely as what a blender can do. The fruit then masks the bitter taste of the greens and the smoothie becomes consumable. The green smoothie retains it’s green color because of the chlorophyll, but the taste is all fruity and sweet. It is then possible to consume what would amount to two big salads in one drink. You would have basically consumed 10% more than your required fruits and vegetables for the entire day in one sitting, and your day is just starting. Anything more than that would just be more icing on the cake. Holy Cow! Why couldn’t I come up with that idea?

All in all the book was very insightful. I learned a lot about our green leafy friends and their nutritional breakdown. There were a lot of testimonials of people that have been drinking them daily and their results. Lastly, there were some green smoothie recipes for everyone to enjoy. I would recommend everyone to read the book if you are so inclined. I have to say that once my cleanse is over, I will be having one of these green smoothies daily. I think I’ll start with kale + bananas + apple + mixed berries and work my way up from there. Why don’t some of you try it? You might be pleasantly surprised.

While on my fast, I’ve had a lot of time to meditate on my eating habits and how my food choices have lead me down a path of obesity and depression amongst other things. I have started taking the time to re-evaluate certain things in my life…food being primarily one of them. It’s amazing what one can do when they are is a state of mental clarity. I highly recommend everyone to research and find information about the Master Cleanser detox program and go on it for a minimum of 10 days. Just throw caution to the wind and do it. Also, forget about all the things you know to be true about food consumption and just do it already. I have a biology undergraduate degree, so I know a thing or two about human biology and food restriction, and I’ve still chosen to detox. What I do know from participating in this cleanse is that the body can repair itself when it’s not tasked with constant food digestion. You’re body can actually take a break from all the digestion work and focus on dead and diseased cells. You can actually heal yourself. I’m living proof of that. I’ll give you an example:

I used to have this mole-like outgrowth on the side of my abdomen. It was probably about an inch long. I’ve had it for many, many years and I kept telling myself that I would have surgery one day to get rid of it. I just found it very irritating to look at and to touch. Well what do you know! This stupid mole-like outgrowth has completely disappeared. I mean…the thing is no longer there. My body completely got rid of this diseased piece of skin and removed it from my body because it wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. I am not lying either.

So the moral of the story is very simple.. Sometimes you just have to do things that your rational, educated and logical mind refuses to let you do. Do not get trapped in the biology of things when it comes to fasting and detoxification. This is not starvation as some would like to think. It’s a deliberate act of detoxification with the intent to heal the body by depriving it of solid food for a period of time. That period of time could be from 1 – 50 days. Just try it for yourself and quit all the reasoning. I know it has worked miracles for me and it’s only been less than 20 days.

So let’s recap shall we… In less than 20 days, I have more mental clarity, I feel more spiritual enlightenment, my energy levels have soared (I workout and run everyday), my eyesight has improved drastically, my hearing is ridiculously pristine, my sense of smell is amazing and to top it all off, I’ve gotten rid of an obviously diseased mass. All of this and I haven’t eaten anything for 20 days.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

With so much mental clarity going on with my cleanse, I have been re-evaluating pretty much everything in my life. A major focus has been on food and how it has affected me up until this point. The fact of the matter is that I was not overweight as an infant. However, somewhere around age 8 or so, I started getting a little chubby in boarding school in England. Then as a teenager I became heavier and then subsequently as an adult I made the transition to be full blown fat. I don’t intend to analyze the psychology behind the “why’s” of how this came to be at this present time. However, I fully intend to visit that phenomenon at a later date.

Now back to food. As I was saying, food….or should I say my food choices has lead me down my current path. Though I used to passionately detest it when people said…“You are what you eat!”, the fact remains that it is so true. Barring medical conditions…..You are exactly what you eat! And I am no exception to that rule. When you are overweight, you don’t tend to like it very much when people wax poetic about food and weight issues, you just want to cover your ears and pretend the problem does not exist. However pretending not to hear or see doesn’t make you deaf or blind.

The problem for me has always been processed carbohydrates. There I said it. I’m a carboholic. I’ve been one my whole life and it’s been my undoing. It’s undermined everything I’ve ever tried to accomplish with respect to health, and it’s the root cause of my fat problem. It’s just that simple. We all know that diets don’t work. Afterall, I’ve tried them all from Atkins to Cabbage Soup. The weight came back after I went back to my true nature. My true nature being one of abundant ice cream, cookies, chips, chocolate, cakes and the like. Now some might say..”Nkem what about moderation?”. To that I say…hogwash. How can you tell a carboholic who is their true form to be moderate about what brings them joy? That’s almost like telling an Eskimo to moderate their living conditions on the ice.

Not.Gonna.Happen.

So, what is a carboholic to do? I can’t cut these things out of my diet completely, and I can’t eat them in moderation either so what gives? Well, I came up with 2 things:

1. Fasting: Fasting for a requisite amount of time will help reset your palate and foster healthier eating habits after the cleanse.

2. Go Raw: Eating raw live foods energizes and fuels the body. You can eat an abundant supply of food whether they be deserts or otherwise, lose weight, feel better, energized and it’s actually good for you.(It’s all not carrot sticks or celery either).

Sweet Jesus! Are you telling me that I can eat my carbs i.e chocolate, cakes, chips etc to my hearts content as long as I maintain a raw or close to raw diet? Well yes ladies and gentlemen that is exactly what I am telling you. There are such things as raw chocolate made from cacao beans; chips made from flax seed in the dehydrator; cakes made from a combination of raw nuts, nut milk, fruits, cacao and organic sweeteners such as agave nectar. The list goes on and on.

All these foods have not been cooked and are not processed therefore the body does not have to work hard to break them down. They are absorbed easily and removed from the body easily because they are all in their natural form, untouched by man. I am very intrigued. I just had what Oprah Winfrey calls..”An Aha moment”.

Stay Tuned!

I would say that 2008 has so far been a great year. In January, came back from Thailand in once piece and looking forward to the new year. In Feburary, the giants won the Superbowl which was the most watched in NFL history. Before the champagne stopped flowing, my younger brother, a newly minted Superbowl winner who had also made the NFL Probowl team; played in the NFL Probowl in Hawaii. It was all very exciting and exhilarating for everyone…..even me.

However, in the midst of all this excitement, there was still something very wrong with me. Maybe I wasn’t mentally prepared to deal with America as I had known it before I left for my 3 month stint in Thailand. Maybe I wasn’t able to let go of the simplicity that was Thailand and engage in the complexities of America. Maybe it was just too cold in New York and Atlanta and I wasn’t used to it after having spent days and nights in tropical weather for the last 3 months. I have no idea what it was, but I felt myself slipping further and further into a funk. My energy levels began to drain, my thinking got cloudy and I started to stress out about my general outlook on life. Something was inherently wrong and I began to go down………very quickly.

I knew where I was headed because I’ve been down that road before. In March of 2006 I was diagnosed with a mild depression called General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and got put on a very low dose of Zoloft (an antidepressant). I stopped taking medication about a year ago when I started working out and making friends at NJMT (my Muay Thai Gym). The way I was feeling was eerily similar to how I felt during my diagnosis. I knew that if I didn’t do something quick, fast and in a hurry, things could get from bad to worse in a relatively short period of time. Medication was not an option (I sincerely believe that I am still recovering from the side effects of the medication even a year later).

I decided that it was in my best interest to dig deep. So I decided to fast. Say What Nkem? Yup..fast. I decided that I needed to get some detoxification, mental clarity, focus and spiritual enlightenment. So on February 25th, not even a month after I came back from Thailand, I started a 40 day fast. After much hemming and hawing, I decided that The Master Cleanser was again what I needed to do. This time, I would not stop at the requisite 10 days, but I would go for 40 days to get deeper levels of detoxification.

Well today marks the 17th day of my fast and I’m very pleased with the results thus far. I feel that a fog has lifted, my hearing and smell are acute. My mental clarity is amazing. My spiritual alignment is developing. I have more energy and I sleep like a baby every night. I wake up every morning with zest and focus and things are once again beginning to look up for me. I just feel awesome. I will keep posting on my thoughts and actions as I go through the remaining 23 days.

Cheers!

Let me first start off by saying that I loveWhole Foods The stores are lovely, the people are great, the food is awesome. It’s just that the prices are not reasonable for the average person. It makes it almost impossible for people to eat healthy in this country. Before you start thinking otherwise…I know it’s not primarily the fault of Whole Foods. At least they are trying to get us eating healthy to begin with. It’s just frustrating to know that it costs a heck of a lot more to eat healthy in this country than not to.

Let’s take a look at what $40 got me at whole foods the other day so you can understand my frustration

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