Health in High Heels

A SPECIAL DIVA photo SUPPLEMENT

Vol. 2, Issue 26: September 11, 2008

Notes from the Diva

jugs You asked, and we’ve answered! For anyone who missed our announcement last week, we wanted to make sure you heard the news! Our super-popular Green Smoothie Jugs are BACK and better than ever!

While many of you will remember our thoughts (here and here) on the controversial topic of BPA used in polycarbonate bottles, we know that stress and worry can be a big factor in the health equation. So while we love our original jugs, we decided not to produce any new batches until we could have them made just as beautiful as the originals and ALSO BPA-FREE!

Well, Nalgene answered our call and our Glorious Green Smoothie Jugs are back, brighter and BPA-Free!

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Juicy Treats

Watercress Salad Asia Style
by Angela Elliott

(Adapted from Eating Well for Optimum Health)

According to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMDs Big Book of Culinary Medicine, watercress helps protect against lung cancer!

2 tablespoons Nama Shoyu
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon unfiltered cold pressed sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon agave
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 bunches fresh watercress

Mix all of the ingredients together, except for the watercress, in a bowl. Add watercress and toss until well incorporated.

Variation ~ Add fresh ginger and garlic to the above recipe for an extra kick!

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The Divas at the Simply Raw Festival in Ottawa

We’re so used to our comfy, multitasking, electronic world—working in pajamas while breastfeeding, etc., that it just doesn’t often happen that we get gussied up and go out on the town together.

Now that Amy is just a couple hours away from Tera in Montreal, we’re managing to find more opportunities to connect, and this last weekend we decided to make our way to the Simply Raw festival to finally shake hands and pass along hugs to friends we’ve come to know, but never met.

The Dream Team of Jimmy, Amy, Tera and the muffins all made their way to the Simply Raw festival last weekend. And we’ve decided to do a photo album of our visit, and pass along some fun pictures for you perusal.

Rain, Mud and Frizzy Hair
Despite the admitted disappointment of a very rainy, muddy day, it’s probably allowed us more time to connect with the beautiful people there. Tera was disappointed about the frizzy hair thing, but she got over it pretty quickly!

Raw Food Friends

Paul Nison, you are something else. Paul’s got a soft voice and a winning smile, but don’t let him fool you into thinking he’s a softie! Behind that gentle demeanor, Paul’s got a feisty, New Yorker, Don’t-mess-with-me attitude and we absolutely loved it. We should probably design him a “Say No To Fruit” t-shirt, or something. He totally jumped on Tera’s fruit-friendly approach to raw food, but we were all smiles and glowing appreciation.

Amazing guy, and we do want to officially announce and celebrate the fact that he’s got a baby on the way! He’s all for sprouts and green food lovin’ and so we’ll be hooking up with him in the near future to bring you a GREEN program that’s going to sprout your socks off. (Tera promises to be the first to sign up!)

Brian The next person that we got the chance to see in action, was Amy’s long-time raw food guide, Brian Clement of The Hippocrates Institute. Rumor says he keeps getting younger looking, so we’re guessing he’s doing something right! He, too, had a no-BS attitude and tons of quirky personality, and it was fun for Tera to see him in action for the first time.

He really hit it home with the message of taking responsibility for the state of the health of our planet and our bodies, by focusing on organic, fresh food. He says, the best way to be responsible and successful on both counts is with SPROUTS!

He also had a lot to say on the water issue. Ditch the Brita, Baby! It’s no good. Get natural, distilled, reverse osmosis, or spring water. Any water is better than tap water, but he says Brita makes it worse!

Matt We also got to hug the other fuzzy-haired hero of the day, Matt Monarch. His penetrating eyes and warm smile were just as welcoming as we suspected they would be! He and Angela Stokes were there with smiles, freeze-dried durian and lots and lots of books and resources for raw foodies!

Meeting Angela is like hugging an old friend. There was nothing to it! We have e-snuggled so many times, that this just sorta made it official. We totally love and appreciate them both and are grateful for what they’re doing to keep things fun, playful and positive!

Matt got attacked by some TV cameras at one point. Who knows! Maybe he’ll have a new video to show us soon.

Philip

We also got the chance to see Philip McCluskey for a second time. We met him at the chocoloate rave in New York City with Dhru earlier this year. He was just as lovely as the first time we met him. He's been pretty busy traveling about and so we were happy to catch up with him on this rainy day on our own home turf.

Our Very Own Raw Divas

We were also lucky to spend another day with our dear Ildiko, who is practically part of the family in Montreal. She’s talking about hosting a big ol’ Raw Food Festival in Montreal next year and we’ll keep you posted about that one as details become available! You go, Girl!!

Just as we were preparing to escape the gray day and head for home, we noticed Victoria Boutenko coming up on the stage. Tera had no idea that she was there, so we stuck around even longer and were thrilled to get the chance to connect with this pioneer of Green Smoothies!

Watch your inboxes, because after a covered-tent conversation with the Original Green Smoothie Queen, you better betcha we came up with some super ideas for things we can do together. Hehehe… Keep your eyes and ears peeled for some excitement.

The height of the day happened when we’d been happily chatting with Victoria, and Tera looked up to see a woman patiently waiting for a break in the conversation, so Tera asked if she was waiting to speak to Victoria. At which point, the woman said, “No, actually. I’m waiting to speak with YOU!”

And then the biggest, bestest hug that the world has ever seen took place!

Doll Doll, who is SO well named, is our Green Smoothie Poster Queen. You can find her on a previous blog entry, sipping smoothies in her pool! She’s got a blog here, and has been a super-supportive part of what we do, especially in the Body Enlightenment System.

Thanks, Doll, for making it out with your hilarious hubby, and for sharing your enthusiasm, warmth, and smiles with us!

Leora The Littlest Raw Diva

All told it was a marvelous day. The only rather uncomfortable moment was when sweet Leora puked her lunch all over Tera’s dress, exorcist style! Tera, by the way, decided that this was her official anointment as Leora’s “God Mother” and since they have the same hair color, Tera’s hoping to pass on a bit of her feistiness to the little muffin that she dreams will one day inherit the Diva throne!

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**We Have Something VERY Important To Tell You**

"Simply Raw".

*harumpff!*

Sounds easier than it is. A spectator in the crowd at last weekend's festival, would have had no choice but to step away from that event feeling totally confused about which way to turn. So many different people trying to be "right". While you can see that we are fortunate to have quite wonderful relationships with ALL sides of the debate, it's not hard to notice the friction between the camps. You can actually feel it in the air when people start hitting the key buttons:

Fruit or fat? Blender or juicer? To sprout or not to sprout?

This week in the press there was a rather unfortunate report by ABC news on the subject of the Raw Food Diet and "Orthorexia". This has generated a flood of responses within the raw food community. While the reporter had an obvious agenda (and seemed to thrive on the invalidation of others), the fact remains that there are an extraordinary number of people who do NOT take the "raw food diet" seriously.

Tera's experience with the Food Network earlier this summer demonstrated the same thing. They say "Raw Food" is a "four letter word."

There are so many conflicting stories, cosmic cucumbers, impossible enzyme theories and astrally-charged "superfoods," that, to the rest of the world, we look like a bunch of extremist weirdos. It doesn't help that within the movement itself, we are literally crippled with contractions and confusions.

It's time for some clarity around here.

Regardless of who you are or what color shirt you're wearing, at this moment you are sitting on a beautiful, blue, spinning planet whose force of gravity is undeniably pulling on you.

No one is immune to this basic law of the physical universe.

Like gravity, there are certain axioms (known truths) about what happens in the body. Science can tell us a great deal and there are people who have trained in the sciences and biochemistry that can help bring clarity. If the people delivering this message do not line their pockets with pharmaceutical payoffs, then we have a chance to put some FACTS about food on the table and eliminate a great deal of confusion for people in this "natural health" movement.

People, when ill, are seeking solutions out of fear. In their vulnerability and desperation they easily fall prey to the charms of charlatans who preach from the pulpit with little concern for the lives they touch. We have encountered some ideas that changed EVERYTHING we thought we knew about food.

And now we think YOU should know about it, too!

Introducing what promises to be our BIGGEST PROJECT EVER...

IT'S TIME YOU KNEW THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR FOOD!

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The Marketplace

Mirror, mirror on the wall... The Green Smoothie Queen is the fairest of them all! SIGN UP NOW For the 3 Day Green Smoothie Challege!

You have curves, but do you know how to use them? Find out the Secrets of Sensuality and feel more confident and attractive than ever!

The Secrets of the Best Raw and Vegan Athletes REVEALED! Learn about success and energy for an active life with raw foods. Yes you can be raw AND strong!

Raw Mom’s Agree that THIS is the Manual for Peaceful Parenting! Get it now! And may peace reign in your home!

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