Trying to lose weight by using artificial sweeteners? think again.

Avoiding sugar is a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle, but, instead of consuming a naturally low-sugar diet based on whole foods, some people are still trying to have their cake and eat it too.
Unfortunately, the belief that artificial sweeteners can allow you to have the best of both worlds is simply not based in reality. It's a carefully orchestrated deception. So if you're still consuming artificially sweetened foods, snacks and beverages because you think it'll help you manage your weight, please understand that you've been sorely misled.
In reality, "diet" foods and drinks ruin your body's ability to count calories, thus boosting your inclination to overindulge. This effect appears to be true for all artificial sweeteners.
Unfortunately, most public health agencies and nutritionists in the United States still recommend these toxic artificial sweeteners as  acceptable and even preferred alternatives to sugar, which is at best confusing and at worst seriously damaging the health of those who listen to this well-intentioned but foolish advice.

Artificial Sweeteners INCREASE Your Risk of Obesity

Contrary to popular belief, research has shown that artificial sweeteners can stimulate your appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings, and stimulate fat storage and weight gain. In fact, diet sodas may actually double your risk of obesity!
How's that for being misled?
Studies have repeatedly shown that consuming artificial sweeteners may be ruining your ability to control your food intake and body weight. For example, I have listed the results of six studies on aspartame that found it increases hunger and body weight on my Aspartame Studies page, and research on other artificial sweeteners have come to the same conclusion.
It's thought that consuming artificial sweeteners breaks the inherent connection between a sweet taste and a high-calorie food, thereby changing your body's ability to regulate your intake of calories. The end result is that by consuming artificially sweetened foods and beverages, you end up gaining more body fat than if you were to eat the same foods sweetened with regular sugar!
But weight gain isn't the only health-harming side effect of these man-made chemical sweeteners.

Splenda Destroys Your Gut Flora

Different artificial sweeteners have been found to wreak havoc in a number of different ways. Aspartame, for example, has a long list of studies indicating its harmful effects, ranging from brain damage to pre-term delivery.
Splenda (sucralose) has been found to be particularly damaging to your intestines.
A study published in 2008 found that Splenda:

• Reduces the amount of good bacteria in your intestines by 50 percent
• Increases the pH level in your intestines, and
• Affects a glycoprotein in your body that can have crucial health effects, particularly if you're on certain medications like chemotherapy, or treatments for AIDS and certain heart conditions

They also found unmistakable evidence that Splenda is absorbed by fat, contrary to previous claims.
In response to this study, James Turner, chairman of the national consumer education group Citizens for Health issued the following statement:

"The report makes it clear that the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study ... confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label."

I agree. It's truly disturbing that Splenda can destroy up to 50 percent of your healthy intestinal bacteria, as these bacteria are absolutely vital for supporting your general health!  Many people are already deficient in healthy bacteria due to consuming too many highly processed foods. This is why a high quality probiotic is one of the very few supplements I highly recommend for most, if not all, people.
Believe me, if you continually destroy up to half of your gut flora by regularly consuming Splenda, then poor health is virtually guaranteed!

Splenda has Never Been Proven Safe for Human Consumption

Splenda was approved by the FDA as a tabletop- and general-purpose sweetener in processed foods in 1998. The FDA claims the approval was based on more than 110 animal and human safety studies. However, what they don't specify was that out of these 110 studies, only two were human studies, consisting of a combined total of 36 people, of which only 23 people actually ingested sucralose.
Additionally, the longest of these two human trials lasted only four days and looked at sucralose in relation to tooth decay, not human tolerance!
Many people have sent me stories about their adverse reactions to Splenda, which are posted on my site. This list alone contains more people than were formally studied in the research submitted for FDA approval!
The remainder of those 110-plus "safety studies" were done on animals, and they actually revealed plenty of problems, such as:

• Decreased red blood cells -- sign of anemia -- at levels above 1,500 mg/kg/day
• Increased male infertility by interfering with sperm production and vitality, as well as brain lesions at higher doses
• Enlarged and calcified kidneys (McNeil stated this is often seen with poorly absorbed substances and was of no toxicological significance. The FDA Final Rule agreed that these are findings that are common in aged female rats and are not significant.)
• Spontaneous abortions in nearly half the rabbit population given sucralose, compared to zero aborted pregnancies in the control group 
• A 23 percent death rate in rabbits, compared to a 6 percent death rate in the control group 

Common Side Effects of Splenda

The web site www.truthaboutsplenda.com lists a variety of consumer complaints from Splenda consumption, such as:

Gastrointestinal problems	Blurred vision
Migraines	Allergic reactions
Seizures	Blood sugar increases
Dizziness	Weight gain

You can also read the first-hand accounts of many of my readers here, at least one of whom say that allowing Splenda on the market is "worse than chemical warfare" based on the adverse effects she suffered before she figured out the cause. Just as with aspartame, many Splenda users complain of general malaise or "feeling under the weather," along with a variety of neurological changes, such as foggy-headedness, lack of concentration, and "bad mood."
If you have ever suffered any side effects from taking Splenda or any artificially sweetened product, I strongly recommend reporting  it to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in your area.

Splenda—"Made from Sugar" But More Similar to DDT...

That's right.
The catchy slogan "Made from sugar so it tastes like sugar" has fooled many, but chemically, Splenda is actually more similar to DDT than sugar.
Sucralose starts off with a sugar molecule, yes, but that's where the similarity ends. (A sucrose molecule is a disaccharide that contains two single sugars bound together, i.e. glucose and fructose.) Then, in a five-step patented process, three chlorine molecules are added to that sucrose (sugar) molecule.
This process converts the sugar molecule to a fructo-galactose molecule.
This type of sugar molecule does not occur in nature, and therefore your body does not possess the ability to properly metabolize it. As a result of this "unique" biochemical make-up, McNeil Nutritionals makes its claim that Splenda is not digested or metabolized by the body, hence it has zero calories.
But, if you look at the research, you will find that an average of 15 percent of sucralose IS in fact absorbed into your digestive system, and ultimately is stored in your body. To reach the average number of 15 percent means that some people absorb more and some people absorb less, depending on your biochemical makeup. 
If you are healthy and your digestive system works well, you may be at HIGHER risk for breaking down this product in your stomach and intestines, so for you the adverse reactions may be more acutely felt.

How to Kick the Artificial Sweetener Habit

Sweet cravings are very common for the simple reason that sugar is as addictive as cocaine. Unfortunately, switching to artificial sweeteners will neither reduce these cravings nor increase your satiety. On the contrary, as discussed above, you're likely making matters worse.
Your body also craves sweets when you're denying it the fuel it needs. Sugar (and grain carbs) is very quick fuel and can give your body a boost when it's running low. Again, using artificial sweeteners does not trick your body into thinking it has had its fill; rather it wants more sweets because it didn't get the energy boost with that sweet taste!
A powerful solution to help curb your cravings is to determine your nutritional type, which will tell you which foods you need to eat to feel full and satisfied.
It may sound hard to believe right now, but once you start eating right for your nutritional type, your sweet cravings will disappear. To help you turn your health around, I now offer the full nutritional typing program online for free, so please take advantage of this opportunity to dramatically change your health for the better.
Interestingly, nutrition- and fitness expert Ori Hofmekler recently shared a fascinating benefit of caffeine that can be helpful here. If you like coffee, drinking organic black coffee (meaning without sugar or milk) can help eliminate sugar cravings because the caffeine is an opioid receptor antagonist.
As you may know, sugar binds to the same opioid receptors as cocaine and other addictive substances. But once an opioid receptor antagonist occupies that receptor, it prohibits you from becoming addicted to something else. Therefore, caffeine may attenuate the addictive impact of sugar.
There are a few caveats to using this strategy however, including:

• Only drink organic coffee (as it's one of the most pesticide-heavy crops there are)
• Drink it black, sans sugar/artificial sweeteners or milk
• Only drink coffee in the morning, prior to exercise
• Limit your consumption to one or two cups

In addition to eating right for your nutritional type, I highly recommend addressing the emotional component of your food cravings, using a tool such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It's one of the most profoundly effective tools I've ever used or researched to help overcome food cravings and reach dietary success.
Turbo Tapping is particularly useful if you're addicted to soda. It's an extremely effective and simple tool to get rid of your addiction in a short period of time.

How to make homemade sauerkraut

Hi patient food lovers.  I was never really motivated after my last blog to continue, because  my incentive was plain old love of food and my desire to share.  But then I realized I was not feeling so good (from environmental factors too I am sure), and gaining weight from all the food I was making, and so I quit. Now I have taken in a whole new reason, and that is to educate and enlighten on how food really is your medicine.  Depression can be an  evil force sweeping our hearts and minds with a ravenous appetite these days (so you are told by big Pharma)  and so you may feel inclined to want to take a pill to feel "happy". I think even though there is a state needing medication, most of the time when we are  experiencing challenge after challenge after challenge, we are overwhelmed and sad, or stuck but more in a way that does not require treatment by pharmaceuticals. Even if we absolutely need them, they are not to be used for extended periods of time. That's just my common sense opinion.  That is why I am writing this during these very challenging times.(okay read the link now)


So now on to the reason for telling you about sauerkraut.  If you read the link you now know why but here goes. It is one of many fermented foods.  These sour  foods, create healthy flora in the bowels, which means less gas, bloating and easier digestion.  That is the story behind kimchee, ketchup,  relish,  kefir ,yogurt, and other cultured milk products. By the way, if not from raw milk and grass fed cows, you are getting an inferior product.  So these side dishes were meant to nourish and improve the entire eating experience.  Since then the real reason for our condiments has been buried and we get instead sugar and additive soaked products from the grocery shelf. They are in effect dead foods.  If you do buy sauerkraut, it is packaged and probably cooked, or if raw and organic is ridiculously overpriced.  So not only do these improve your digestion and over all health they also improve your minds ability to cope with life's many ups and downs. The gut and the brain are intrinsically connected.

Here is my recipe, which is a basic one, and you can add other vegetables for color and flavor. (see below)

Basic Sauerkraut

1 head of organic cabbage
1 Tbsp really good salt like Himalayan pink.
1 organic carrot (optional)
1 quart sized Mason jar, (and more on hand just in case).
1 large stainless steel bowl.

Remove the outer leaves. Reserve one leaf, to place on top of the container. Cut in quarters, remove center stem area. Shred thinly, in order to keep thread-like quality rather than chopping into tiny pieces,  or put thru a food processor to shred. Put in large bowl, add salt and then start squeezing the cabbage to release the juices. Do this for about 10-15 minutes.  It should be very juicy.  I use wide mouthed Mason jars to store.  So start spooning into jar, and pack down tightly after each addition. Make sure all the liquid gets in there, as it should cover the vegetables.  The more you mash down the more the liquid will rise to the top and you will be ensured fermenting rather than rotting.  Cover the top with a folded leaf of cabbage. Then screw on the lid.

My sauerkraut was ready to eat in just 2 days.  I stored it in the pantry rather than the refrigerator.  After it has achieved the sour quality you can store in the fridge, and it is ready to eat. This recipe made about a quart and a half of product.  So I had to use a pint sized jar as well. Just have enough jars around to handle any surplus.

I also added a shredded carrot for color.  You can add shredded beet or onions, or even chopped garlic.  Caraway seeds are good too, for a more ethnic taste.  Have fun!

started up the cookin again. Its about time!

Hi folks, I have been pretty busy lately traveling and then home again, just getting in the groove of routine living, as much as I can pull that together!  Anyway, this is a great recipe that I really like and am making now, so just thought I 'd share..

Butternut Squash Soup

2 small or one large butternut squash 
1 onion
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt or 1 tbsp chicken boullion
cayenne pepper
2 tbsp garam masal or mild curry power
6 c H2O
sour cream
Cut squash into 2 inch pieces  removing the strings  and the seeds.
Boil til soft. Drain ,then when cooled off, start peeling off the rind. In the meantime Saute onion in butter til transparent in a 3 quart heavy bottomed  pot.  Add spices and ½ the water.   Then add salt and squash.  Simmer for ½ hour til  flavors have blended.  Scoop out the squash and onions and puree in a blender til very smooth.  Return squash mixture back to  pot.  Add more water if you like to the consistency you desire.  Whisk in any  sour cream  for a creamier soup.  Serves 4-6 . Garnish with cilantro

Serve with Warm spinach salad and some fresh homemade bread and butter. Use the recipes I already have posted if you like for Salads and bread.

Pizza!!

I learned recently that a great pizzeria near my home (Rustico) gets a certain flour for their pizza crust. Its double zero (00) flour from Italy. So I learned that this kind of flour has a high gluten content and is very finely ground. Well, I will forgo the finely ground as its a processed white flour which I do not want to start using. But I can add gluten flour which will increase the likelihood of creating the crust I enjoy from this pizzeria. This recipe is super quick and easy. The toppings can be put on a crust with or without the usual tomato sauce and cheese. That is what makes home made pizza so much fun. Here is one of my favorite renditions of a tomato cheese pizza and a no-tomato no  cheese style. The latter is more like a focaccia bread, in that it is a simple bread with veggies and oil. the only cheese is a generous sprinkling of Romano cheese.  Have fun!

Pizza Dough

2 2/3 cups organic whole wheat flour
1/3 cup gluten flour (Bobs Red Mill)
1/4 cup warm water
1tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
 Preheat oven to 425. To make the dough dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the sugar. Use a glass Pyrex measuring vessel as yeast may not react kindly to any sort of plastic.  Stir with wire whisk til yeast and sugar dissolve thoroughly. Set aside for 5 minutes. It should have about a half inch of frothiness on top. Then its ready.  To this, add enough warm water to make 1 cup. Never use tap water. Use distilled or filtered water heated on the stove top.

Pour into an stainless or ceramic bowl. Add a cup of the flour, the oil and salt. If you like you can add some chopped herbs for an interesting flavor and visual appeal. If so use, fresh basil, thyme oregano or chives. Summer time is a great time to find these at your local produce market. Stir or whisk til smooth. Then add the rest of the flour or until it is stiff enough to put on a surface for kneading. On the surface add some flour. To knead, use the heal of your hand and press in and push forward creating a slight rolling motion. The point of kneading is to eliminate or reduce the stickiness of the dough. This process should take about 5-10 minutes.  Because this is a gluten rich flour, it will not take that long, as the dough will be pretty stiff to start out.  Now you must rest the dough in order that it softens sufficiently for creating the flat crust. Give it about 30 minutes.  Then either by hand or with a rolling pin, create a flat bread for the baking sheet. This recipe can make 1 normal crust or 2 very thin crust pizzas.

Topping.

Homemade Marinara sauce.
Mozzarella cheese grated or sliced thinly
onions chopped or sliced (organic if possible, as are all the ingredients)
green peppers chopped or sliced
mushrooms chopped or sliced
olives halved
zucchini chopped or sliced

Saute the vegetables lightly in olive oil to soften. Set aside. Preheat oven to lower temperature around 380. Evenly distribute the veggies on top of the pizza dough

 Marinara sauce

I  personally prefer a white pizza, as during the summer the tomato based pizza feels a bit too heavy. Nonetheless this is a very light version, using whole fresh in season tomatoes and fresh basil with just a little olive oil and oregano. 

 

5 large very ripe tomatoes, preferably heirloom style

10 basil leaves chopped

1 tsp oregano dried, or 1 tbsp fresh

2 tbsp olive oil.

 

Chop tomatoes and basil put in blender or food processor, add oregano and oil blend til slightly chunky. Let sit til solids separate somewhat from the liquid. Pour off the liquid. 

Assembly

On the baking sheet sprinkle flour and then lay out the dough.Spread some olive oil on top to cover the surface of the dough. If you are using a sauce as a base, add it now spreading evenly and as thickly or thinly as you desire.  Bake in the oven for only about 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Remove from oven and set aside.

Lower the oven temperature to around 380-400 degrees for the second stage of baking. For the second stage, evenly distribute the sauteed veggies, then add the cheese on top of that. If you prefer, the order can be switched if you don't want to brown the cheese.  You can add fresh basil and Romano on top during last 5 minutes of baking. Enjoy with a summer salad of your choice, anything fresh raw and local will do!

Mole Chicken

Hi Yall. Back again. It has been gray here for days. Anyway, I still enjoy the honeysuckle on the trials I bicycle on.  They have replaced the roses in their aromatic presence. I think intoxicating is the correct word for this flowers smell. I feel so wrapped in love with the smell of flowers  so strong in my life here. And the green, getting greener. (Anywho)  Yesterday I went to my farm. Its a farm I have bought shares of in the cows.

So in effect its my farm! I not only pick up my 2 quarts of milk, cream, butter and eggs, but now get chicken and my produce out there. Some loving committed soul has grown a garden here, for us shareholders to enjoy the fruits of.  Everything I buy is local either straight off of this farm or a neighbors.  The greens and the dairy are from here, and the eggs and the chickens from about 3 local farms.The chickens are organic pasture fed, meaning putting them out in a pasture and letting them eat the bugs and the grasses, you know, like in the old days. The chickens are leaner and not so soft, as regular chickens.  They have real chicken muscles, the legs are longer and the breast is narrower. They had a life so to speak. For this I am grateful, that whoever raised them took into consideration their chicken-ness. Amazingly I feel blessed to have food that though had to die for me is raised  as humanely as possible.
Here is why I have started eating meat as of late. Its a lesson in what has gone wrong in agriculture, but you need to know in order to make the best choices. I take into account the degradation of all food even that which is labelled organic. I wonder how wholesome any food is if you don't know where it came from.  I got a real education from the chicken /egg farmer who happened to be at the farm that day. He owns a place called Too Many Paws farm. He explained the whole butchering thing and why normal organic USDA chickens have to get a chlorine bath. (Its disgusting if you want to know... oh, okay I'll tell you later). The USDA will not give him a stamp of approval because he won't put his chickens thru this final, albeit unnecessary step. Therefore he cannot bring his product to a local store. Only USDA can be sold in a regular store, like Jimbos, Whole Foods ,Trader Joes or other organic market. What a paradox.  His chickens are butchered so that there is no need for this added step, which adds poisonous chlorine... that you think you are avoiding when you buy organic, because you think ALL organic is the same, you know, really good for you.
 Oh contraire!! All organic is not created equally. His chickens do not have the intestines ripped apart  and covering the chicken at the time of butchering. (thats the gross part) These are things I never think about and no one does really.  We owe it to ourselves to get educated about all manner of food production.  If you are interested, I recommend a great book,  Family Friendly Farming by Joel Salatin. I read it a few years ago. He is a friend of Michael Pollan an author who was in the movie, Food Inc. Mr. Pollan  wrote Ominvores Dilemna. Mr Salatin is a hero in these parts, as many farmers try to follow his model for farming.  He too is one of our  local farmers.

I used to be strictly vegetarian actually. But if there is so few producers of quality organic local food, I must turn to other foods and that means animal products.  I cannot eat the quantity and quality of produce I enjoyed in CA. I must be flexible and so I eat meat now.  I could eat sprouts and brown rice I suppose. But I enjoy eating, and cooking like my ancestors did. It creates warmth and joy in a home. I do not believe ones health or spirituality is compromised if one follows certain guidelines to ensure quality in the purchase and consumption of high quality meats.

The key to cooking an organic healthy chicken is slow cooking whether on the grill or roasting in the oven or in a stew. Today I cooked half of one of the birds. I hope you enjoy this fare, its my own recipe for Mole chiicken, which I really like because it has chocolate in it. There are as many variations as there are people on the planet but the common denominator is chocolate and cinnamon, maybe some cumin and hot peppers.  Here is a recipe for the whole chicken.

Mole Chicken

one 3-4 pound chicken cut into 12 serving pieces (organic of course)

2 organic onions chopped 

5 cloves garlic chopped

2 poblano chiles chopped

2 jalepeno chiles chopped

2 carrots organic chopped

2 organic celery ribs chopped.

1 can diced organic tomatoes (32 oz) 

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cumin

1/2 cup organic ground powdered dark cocoa

2 tbsp raw organic tahini

2 tbsp raw almond butter

2 tbsp organic peanut butter

1 bay leaf

1 tsp oregano

1 tbsp Celtic or Himalayan salt

1 tsp ground black pepper.

3 cups filtered water

Put water in large Dutch oven. Add tomatos, onions, celery, garlic, chiles  and chicken. Cook til boiling.Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. .  Remove chicken pieces. Whisk in  spices, cocoa, nut butters. Return to simmer and add chicken pieces again. Let simmer for about 1 hour, til meat is tender and falling off the bones. . For my chicken it will be about 2 hours of simmering.

I am trying not to cook by sauteeing veggies or meat in oil like I normally do. I can do without the risk of creating toxins in the oil by heating it.  This way there is no oil unless you want to add it later.  Overall, there is absolutely no difference in taste and your house will be less odorous and your kitchen cleaner  as well. 

I serve this with cornbread and rice. And every meal I now have salad, in this case it will be the fresh spring greens from my VA farm. I can't eat the rice or the bread now, that's for my other family member who is a carb eater.

One more thing; I just purchased a water ionizer. If you want to create an alkaline environment in your body, this is the easiest fastest way I know. If I am going to consume animal flesh and other things that raise my acidity levels, the least I can do is drink alkaline water. It has been proven to neutralize ones pH even if you eat foods which create an acid environment. Robert O Young ( Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired) cannot say enough about using alkalinized water. It really is your first line of defense against all illness and aging  which is due to the lack of an alkaline bodily "terrain". 

I have a product from Ionlife, the model is the Jupiter Melody. Its $1495 with an extra filter thrown in for good measure. That's it. No shipping charge added to that. Its amazing. So of course I use alkaline water in the cooking as well, which improves the whole recipe, in cooking time, in flavor, in retaining of nutrients. The manufacturer recommends using the highest level of alkalinity (a dial on the machine lets you choose more or less )  for cooking stews and soups.  I will let you know how it affects the rest of me i.e. overall health. Just give me about a month.  

Fasting.

 Its May and here in Virginia, its all about green grass, flowering trees, blue skies, the smell of roses and honeysuckle on the bike paths. People and animals and the plant world filled with hope and renewed vigor. Mother Earth at her most enchanting

Who needs food?  Seriously. When it was gray (or white with snow) that was all I could think about other than staying warm, and whatever we could do indoors that was lifegiving. This is when creativity is at its peak I think. In the darkest time of the year. That is when I am most creative whether in be in my painting to create another more vibrant world in my art) or writng, to wake me up and acknowledge that the emotions and the life force are flowing inside of me despite what I witness on the outside. Now that the weather invites me to play, and the outside world is filled with life (and Love if evident more so than ever) I am not so physically hungry.  But my 'family' is so I must cook and of course we both must eat. 

Today is a good day for me to fast. Coincidentally, it will be a new moon very shortly. In just a few days actually. So then I will continue but with a clearer "palette".  Dumping the old thought patterns, preparing for renewal from the Divine Love source, acknowledging mortality, weakness and all the thoughts I put at bay to go forward daily and put up a brave front. Today is my day to let it all go.I will go thru a 'winter' today. And probably for the next 2 days. Just as the moon is in its darkest phase monthly, I too will go thru this act of death, but only to the outer world which has given me so much joy as of late. Its time.
Mind you I don't do this often. I think when its time you just know its time. There is no hard and fast way to know other than the internal world will trigger you to do this. There is no one thing that is chiding me here, not depression or anxiety or a feeling of wanting anything in particular. Its just a knowing. I didn't even plan this. How can you plan on this if your knowing comes without warning. Anyway, if you never did this don't worry. If you don't want to do this who cares?  Just know that the results are wonderful. A feeling of calm and clarity  So, file this blog away for another month if you think this is something you want to experience.  In the meantime enjoy spring.


In preparation for a fast. Up to 3-7 days in advance
Cleanse the bowels with a good bowel cleanse product.
Drink water and lots of it.
Eat plants and plant products only the fresh raw organic kind, mostly green mostly fruit.
During the fast (Three days)
Rest frequently
Set aside mornings and evening for both breathwork and meditation.
Take salt baths to draw toxins from the skin. Add essential oils to the water. 
Drink warming teas, for me it will be Yerba Mate. And I will add raw honey and raw cream. I can't be that harsh on myself.
Drink lots of water, up to 3-4 liters a day. 
Yoga stretching routine.
Be creative as the thought patterns change so will your views on the world and so write it down or construct an outer replica of your inner world  through art. 
After the fast (First day)
Fresh organic fruit.
Raw nuts
Salads with very dark leafy greens. Just lemon juice, olive oil for dressing. OR your own homemade mayonnaise made with organic cold pressed olive,safflower, sunflower seed oil. 
Continue drinking lots of water.
Next week
Here is where everything can go to seed. To avoid the pitfalls of getting really sick you must stick to clean wholesome foods, avoid alcohol, and meat, and complicated dishes. Continue eating the foods listed above and add simple steamed dishes, minimum spices. Be kind be gentle in thought, word, and deed..... especially to yourself. Let things go, i.e. worries, annoyances, people who cause you to worry and be annoyed. At least know that you don't have to engage in your old ways of engagement. Its just as poisonous to feel these things as eating the wrong foods. Avoid like situations.  Be nice to yourself. The success of this time depends on it. It helps to continue hydrating with 3-4 liters a day. I know its not easy at first. I simply fill 3 glass milk bottles with water and set them in the kitchen. I try to have a bottle in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

Full Moon Food. (Coq au Vin Menu)

I survived a full moon in Scorpio last Wednesday!  So did you, meaning that it is  very appetite enhancing, no matter who you are.   But even without knowing astrology and the moons cycles, one can always tell the difference between a full moon day and other days.  Its the intensity of emotional responses that one is aware of that sets these days apart from other less luminous days and nights.  So in honor of that little boost of energy (and the fact that I haven't been writing for quite a while) here are some recipes to satisfy and nourish. I have already given recipes for the Potato Wedges, Crudites and the salad (variation of Spoon Salad) in previous posts. So look them up and repeat the performance... Enjoy!

 ~~~~~~~~~~

Menu

 Coq au Vin

Potato Wedges

Crudites aux Aoili

Arugula and Spinach salad

Cinnamon Pecan Cookies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coq au Vin

Ingredients
1 organic whole chicken cut into 10-12 pieces
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt,
1 tsp pepper
5 slices of organic bacon or about 1/2 tsp Hickory smoke flavoring (optional)
4-6  tbsp organic olive oil

1 bottle red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot)

3 cloves garlic
4 tbsp  organic butter

12-29 pearl onions

1/2 pound button mushrooms

1 tsp thyme

2 tbsp tomato paste

1.(This step is optional for those who eat bacon.) Saute the bacon strips in the dutch oven and remove, leaving the drippings.
2.Then dredge the chicken pieces in about 1/2 cup of flour a tsp each of salt and pepper. In a dutch oven take half of the chicken pieces and saute them in the bacon drippings and add a little of the oil. They are golden brown on both sides.  Remove and set aside, while sauteing the remaining chicken.
3.When all the chicken is sauteed, put all of it   back into the pot, open a bottle of red wine pour over the chicken. Set on low heat after it comes to a slow boil. 
The original recipe calls for using chicken broth as well but I choose not to, as I do not buy commercial chicken broth. If you have your own stock then go ahead. It will save on the wine.
4.Then add the rest of the flavorings, thyme, tomato paste, garlic. Add hickory flavoring now if you want if you didn't use bacon. Its fine without the added smoky flavor, but that is the original French recipe. Simmer for around 45 minutes.
5.In a pot of boiling water add the pearl onions and parboil til the skin comes off easily usually takes 15 minutes. Remove the onions and slip the skins off by making a cut at one end. In a separate skillet, add about 2 tbsp of butter. Saute the onions til brown. Remove.
6.Wash the mushrooms. Then cut them in quarters, discarding the stems. Saute them in the butter til brown, adding more butter to prevent any burning.
7.Add both the onions and the mushrooms to the chicken. Simmer on low heat for another 30 minutes.  This recipe is wonderful the day after. I like to cook it a day in advance to let the flavors really meld. This idea is the base for Beef Bourginon and other meat dishes stewed in wine. All use the same ingredients more or less.
8.Remove all the meat and vegetables.  Here you can do the following. To create a thicker sauce, you can now reduce the liquid to whatever thickness you want. Just simmer and stir til it looks glossy and smooth, coating the spoon. To remove the fat from the sauce, you can also remove the liquid and put in a separate container in the fridge. the fat will rise to the top. You can skim it off. It will be solid if left in long enough. That is why I like to serve this the next day. This step is easier if you have a chilled sauce.
9. Put the sauce back in the pot. Then add the chicken, mushrooms and onions. Reheat simmer and serve immediately
10. Serve with Baked Potato Wedges and  Crudites aux Aoili (Mixed vegetables with Mayonnaise dip)  Here  I used fresh tomatoes, asparagus and brussel sprouts. (see previous posts)
11. You can also serve a nice arugula and spinach salad with oil vinegar and grated Romano cheese. Follow recipe for Spoon salad if you feel more comfortable with a recipe to follow. These 2 dishes are the base of many a meal, whether or not you are serving meat, fish, eggs.

Cinnamon Pecan Cookies. 

(At the request of one of my very beautiful  readers I am adding lots of pictures to my food stories i.e. blogs). This is a recipe that is so easy you will never be at a loss again for how to make cookies. The base of the recipe is always the same. No matter if chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, peanut butter. You'll see.
This is a half recipe. Feel free to double if you are feeding a crowd. Preheat oven to 375.

 Ingredients. 

This is the basic cookie dough recipe.1 large organic egg
1 scant cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup raw organic butter, softened.
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup organic whole wheat or spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt.

1.Mix together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix til light and fluffy.
2.Mix together in a separate bowl the dry ingredients.   You now can add whatever you want to create different cookie recipes.
3.For this recipe, add cinnamon to the dry ingredients.  Then combine the dry with the sugar, butter mixture. Add 1/2 cup of broken raw pecan pieces. Stir well.
4. Drop by teaspoonful on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes til a bit brown around the edges.
For variations.........

• chocolate chocolate chip?  Add 1/4 cup dry organic cocoa powder to dry ingredients. Add 2 oz (one half a TJ 72% cocoa bar.
• peanut butter? add 1/2 cup peanut butter to butter mixture. Increase flour by 1/4 cup. Chill. Form into balls and flatten with back of a fork to create criss cross imprint on top of cookie.
• oatmeal? Reduce flour by 1/4-1/2 cup add 1-1 1/2 cup of rolled oats. Add 1tsp of cinnamon to dry mixture.
• Create your own....... Have fun be creative.