I was presented with the idea of doing a cleanse/raw food challenge as an opportunity to give my digestive system a break from starchy carbohydrates, heavy meat, cooked food, and as an opportunity to change things up and maybe kickstart some weight loss. I bravely decided to do 10 days of raw food. This is not a vegan raw diet. I am including raw dairy, raw fish, and raw egg yolks. Read about the benefits of eating raw eggs here. I emphasize that they MUST be pastured eggs, local and fresh.

Currently I am at the half way point. So far, so good. I have been face to face with lots of food cravings. I have found myself staring at cookies or at the deli counter in the grocery stores. I have not been hungry and I have eaten some really good and interesting things.

In doing some research on some raw breakfast ideas, I came across a few recipes for Chia seed “pudding”. Chia seeds are an excellent source of amino acids as well as having the interesting quality of turning gelatinous when soaked. Taking what I liked from those recipes, I came up with this delicious pudding that really could be eaten anytime of day.

Chia Seed Pudding

1 cup raw milk ( this could be any kind of nut or seed milk, coconut milk, raw cow’s milk, goat… I used goat’s milk kefir as I wanted the probiotic benefits of the kefir)

1/3 c chia seeds

1/4 c chopped dried figs ( next time, I will leave this out and just mix with fresh fruit)

1 tsp. raw local honey ( or more, depending on your sweet tooth)

the seeds and scrapings from half a vanilla bean ( or if you don’t care about it all being raw, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract)

1 T. flax oil

MIx all the above ingredients in a jar with a good fitting lid. Leave in the refrigerator overnight. Shake it a few times, if you have time . In the morning, it will be nice and thick and the seeds will have swollen and softened. Eat as is, or mix with a raw egg yolk or two, and serve on top of a cup or so of fresh fruit of your choice.

( This would be good with some cinnamon or ground ginger added. You could add a few spoonsful of raw cacao or carob powder, too.)

This post is part of GNOWFGLINS  Tuesday Twister. Please head over there and read the other fabulous posts.

]]> http://forlifepersonalchef.com/2010/07/25/raw-food-challenge/feed/ 0 http://forlifepersonalchef.com/2010/06/24/new-usda-food-guidelines/ http://forlifepersonalchef.com/2010/06/24/new-usda-food-guidelines/#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 03:34:49 +0000 Charity http://forlifepersonalchef.com/?p=643 Who to believe ?

The USDA recently revised their dietary guidelines once again. And, once again, they are so far off the mark of what constitutes a healthy diet. I have been researching nutrition for a long time and in the last few years discovered the work of Dr. Weston Price. He advocated eating a traditional diet of meat, fats such as butter, lard, coconut oil, raw dairy products, lots of vegetables and fruit, and staying away from grains and any processed foods. I know some of you have issues and your own ideas about the fats but once you read the research and once you start eating that way, you will change your mind.

In a brief summary, the new guidelines advise the reduction of saturated fat even further, the further reduction of salt, advocates increasing the consumption of grains and low fat products and dairy.

As you can imagine there has been much discussion of this in the blogosphere and twitterverse ( this post I especially like).  My comments are that history shows us that obesity rates rose significantly after the introduction of the world of lowfat foods. And that the USDA has many ties to the food industry so the individuals involved in making these decisions benefit greatly financially from encouraging people to eat processed food!

I encourage you to read the new guidelines here and the comments from the Weston Price Foundation here . I also encourage you to leave your comments. We need to be educated and not let the government continue to wreak havoc with our health and with the livelihoods of the small farmers . We all stand to lose from these new guidelines, and I don’t mean weight!

This post is part of the Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday.    

oh my goodness! I just ate one of the best things I have made in a very long time. I have been working very hard lately at cleaning up my already pretty clean diet. I am doing this by making sure I get enough seasonal vegetables, and that I get enough “good” fats that I am not tempted by the “bad” ones. This root vegetable gratin satisfies both of those requirements as well as the need for creative deliciousness. Good for both the cook and the eater!

Ever since those darn hippies emerged in the 60’s and began to ask for  healthier food that comes straight from the land, raw milk products have been controversial.  Personally, I have been using raw cream several times a week for the last 6 months. “Regular” milk and cheese cause me much phlegm, not so the raw cream,it being much easier to digest.  I often have a cup of ginger tea with the cream in the evening and it has become a satisfying “dessert”.  Yes, it is expensive but that is because Big Agra keeps it that way.

I have written before about root vegetables and their nutritional values. They are available in the farmers’ markets this time of year and through the winter.

If you are a regular reader ( and if you are not, why not??) you followed my Pantry Challenge progress. In cleaning out my cupboard, I found many unopened packages of various kinds of seaweed. This is another vegetable I have been adding into my diet, though somewhat haphazardly, as evidenced by the products in the cupboard. I wanted to bring in this salty as well as nutritious element into this dish.

Root Vegetable Gratin

serves 4

1 large turnip, 1/2 in. slices ( I didn’t bother to peel it)

1 medium celery root, 1/2 in. slices ( this, I peeled!)

1 medium burdock root, peeled and cut into 1/2 in pieces

2 large carrots, cut on the diagonal in 1/2 in slices

1/2c. dulse

1 c. raw cream

1/4c. raw tahini

1 T herbes de provence 

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2c. grated parmesan cheese

I blanched the vegetables, cooking them in boiling water for a few minutes. Drain. Use the olive oil to coat the bottom of a 9×9 baking pan. Layer the vegetables in the dish. In a small saucepan, heat the cream , tahini, and herbes, letting it simmer and thicken for a few minutes. Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Sprinkle the top with the cheese. Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 15 minutes until sauce is bubbly and the cheese is browned.

I didn’t use any salt because both the cheese and the dulse are salty. You could certainly add pepper and/or other herbs of your choice. So, don’t be afraid of raw milk products, and don’t be afraid of sea vegetables!