Raw Family Newsletter, July 2005
In this issue:
1. Raw Family’s Famous Rawssian Pickles Recipe
2. Introducing New book: Beautiful on Raw, by Tonya Zavasta
3. “Fear of Raw Food” by Victoria and Valya Boutenko
4. A chapter from Victoria’s up-coming book “Green For Life”
5. New book “Green For Life” is now available for pre-orders
6. Summer events not to be missed
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Time to pickle!
Raw Family’s Famous Rawssian Pickles Recipe:
(served at Raw Family booth at all Raw Food Festivals in Portland)
Ingredients:
3 lbs pickling cucumbers
1/2 big bunch of Pickling dill (with seeds)
4 horseradish leaves (for crunchiness)
1 medium head garlic
6 cups of water
9 Tablespoons of sea salt.
Cut one quarter of an inch off both ends of pickling cucumbers. Stuff the cucumbers into a glass gallon jar with garlic, dill (with seeds), and fresh horseradish leaves. If you have hard time finding horseradish leaves, you may use grape, currant or cherry leaves instead.
Mix the water and salt in a blender.
Pour the salt-water into the gallon jar so that the pickles are covered. If needed, add plain water to completely submerge the pickles. Let this jar sit on the counter covered with a cloth for two days. On the third day the pickles will be pickled enough to eat. If you will decide after four or five days that you want them to stop pickling, drain the water, cover the jar with lid and place them in the refrigerator.
Yields: 1 gallon of pickles
Warning: This dish contains large amount of salt, please eat sparingly!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We highly recommend new book: Beautiful on Raw, by Tonya Zavasta
Several months ago we introduced you to Tonya’s first book, Your Right to Be Beautiful, where author shared the natural way she helped herself become noticeably more attractive. Many people bought this book and loved it.
Tonya is also a stand up comedian. Watch a hilarious piece on the following website:
http://www.beautifulonraw.com/tonyazavasta/bio.html (click on “video” in the upper right corner)
In her new book, Beautiful on Raw, Tonya responds to the two questions most often raised by her enthusiastic readers: “Can you tell us about other women who achieved the same remarkable results? and "Where can we find recipes to help us make this transition?"
In Beautiful On Raw, you will read about the experiences of Tonya and 10 other women, ages 35 to 65. The stories of their astonishing results with the raw food will inspire you, and help you see that you can do it too!
List price (USD): $29.95
Available now at http://www.rawfamily.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fear of Raw Food
by Victoria and Valya Boutenko
Victoria: Ever since I can remember myself, I always loved to eat. I had a good appetite and mealtimes were always pleasant for me. Both my parents and my nanny cheerfully complemented me if I finished everything on my plate, so I decided that eating was a great merit and this was my first dietary lesson: the more one eats, the better.
When I was about five years old and my parents took me to a day care, I remember how shocked I was to meet some children that didn’t like to eat, who were sitting and sobbing for a long time at the table, refusing to finish their plates. As a punishment, teachers didn’t let those children play and insisted that they stayed at the table until their plates were empty. I felt so much sympathy for my friend Nina who couldn’t finish her plate of porridge that I often I would trade her full plate with my empty one when the teachers were not watching. I gladly ate her porridge as well as my own.
One day, when I missed the ball in a game and had to step out, I made a curious observation: the children who didn’t like to eat had a light body constitution, and the ones who ate well, were a lot heavier. I realized that there was a conflict between the events in reality and the preachings of my parents and teachers. As I watched the children on the playground I saw that it was noticeably more challenging for the heavier children to run around than it was for the ones who were lighter. At the time, grown-ups represented an impeccable authority to me, so I decided they could not be mistaken and continued to eat as they instructed me to. Adults told me that if I wanted to grow, I had to eat “well” and I didn’t question them in this matter.
As a result of the dietary habits I acquired as a child, I went through a lot of pain and despair in my life. It took me almost 50 years to discover a healthy way of eating. Even though I now feel vibrantly healthy, I still realize that too much of my life force has been wasted on fighting un-necessary illnesses caused by wrong eating habits set up in my childhood. I often wonder how I would look and feel if I had led the lifestyle I lead today from the beginning of my childhood.
Valya: I realize how fortunate I have been to be introduced to a healthy lifestyle at an early age. I often wonder where I would be today if I hadn’t changed my way of living. I was born with asthma. Almost every other night I was unable to sleep due to an inability to breathe. I was told that I would have asthma for the rest of my life and I watched with dread as it continued to steadily worsen every year. Besides my complicated breathing condition, all of my early days I constantly suffered with multiple allergies, colds and earaches.
When I was eight, my family and I began eating 100% raw food. Since the day I changed my diet, I have never experienced another asthmatic attack again. I am so happy to no longer be hindered by my former illnesses. Every day I enjoy brilliant health! I’m deeply grateful to my parents for helping me change my eating habits and encouraging me to understand the value of being healthy. Great health is truly the greatest gift a parent can give to a child.
Victoria: I remember how I cried all through the night in my kitchen when the doctor pronounced that my son had juvenile diabetes. I cried loudly and hopelessly, not willing to accept my son’s sad destiny to live with this sickness. My grandmother had had this same illness and she passed away unexpectedly from an overdose of insulin. It seemed like a miracle had blessed my family when my husband and I found a lifestyle that helped our son reverse his symptoms. Now that he is a healthy and quite happy 20 years old, it is now safe for me to share one other side of our family’s life that we have never spoken about before. At certain times on our journey, neighbors, co-workers, other children’s parents and some friends, have frowned upon us for our radical change of lifestyle. Both Igor and I spent countless sleepless nights in doubts, carefully rethinking whether we were doing the right thing feeding our children this “cookless” diet. There were so many things that we didn’t know at that time and there was nobody in all the world to ask for advice. Often we had to learn by trial and error. We were continuing mainly because we had great results. Three months after becoming all raw, my family ran a 10K race Bolder Boulder, that was an unbelievable achievement for every one of us and served as a confirmation that we were on the right track. Today I appreciate that, in spite of all resistance towards our lifestyle, my family has continued staying on a raw food diet. Together with Valya we are working on a new book called “Inspiring Children to Eat Healthy” where we are sharing many tips that my family has collected over time. We believe that all people should have the opportunity to heal themselves and live free of disease.
Valya: There have been several occasions when our neighbors have called social services on my parents, claiming that they were not feeding or clothing my brother and me. On one such occasion, my brother and I were home alone when a stern looking lady with a clipboard stopped by our house. When she knocked, we answered the door together. She introduced herself and asked us how old we were. We told her that Sergei was eleven, and I was ten. She could tell for herself that we were well clothed and were definitely not starving to death. “What did you have for lunch dear?” she asked my brother. Sergei sensed that this was an odd question for such a lady to ask, because she did not seem like the type to be at all interested in health food. So instead of explaining that we had been eating only fresh, organic live foods for two years and that each of us had gotten rid of our awful illnesses and that we were working on perfecting a raw lasagna recipe, he decided to tell her this: “We just came back from McDonalds where we each had a Big Mack with Fries.” This answer seemed to satisfy the lady, because she said, “Oh, okay then honey. You two have an nice evening now.” And then she left, never to be heard from again.
I did not think much of this incident until my parents came home that evening. When we told them about the strange questions we were asked they looked at each other and I could tell they were scared. They were relieved that my brother had said what he did. They warned us to do the same thing in other similar situations so that we would not be taken from them for any ridiculous reasons.
Victoria: When I heard about the story of the Andressohn family, who had their four children taken away from them for feeding them live foods, I felt obligated to give them as much support as possible. I donated a box of my books to the auction on their behalf, and Sergei and Valya have written letters to the judge. If you haven’t heard about this case, go to the following website for the most accurate information:
http://www.rawfriends.com/andressohns.html I encourage everyone to support them in any way.
Valya: Now that I am 19 years old, I am wondering about my future children: will I have to feed them at McDonalds to make sure they stay with me? Will I have to hide my children in order to keep them as healthy as I am? Even official resources criticize the standard American diet for causing obesity and sickness.
Victoria: When I hear that feeding a child good, healthy organic food is called abuse, I realize that the organizations that protect children’s rights urgently need nutritional education. Yet, I wouldn’t justify separating a child from his or her parents, even if they fed this child nothing but TV dinners and candy, which have been scientifically proven to be the main cause of most degenerative disease. Being a mother myself I know that nobody in the world cares for children more than their own mother and father. That is why I believe that if parents would clearly see that feeding their children processed food results in poor health, many of parents would encourage their children to eat better. I am glad to see a lot of scientific research done recently in the world. Even our new food pyramid has been changed towards eating more fruits and vegetables. The raw food diet is becoming very popular in every state and country. I would like to inspire my readers to support the Andressohn family so that they win their case. This case is being widely covered by the media and will definitely shift the mainstream attitude towards alternative eating. It is an opportunity to help all children become healthier without fear.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
©2005 Copyrighted material! Please reference this source when sharing this information!
Greens Make the Body More Alkaline.
Sometimes I feel that in the search for health, we have been going over the same ground for many decades. In the meantime, the most prevalent illnesses, heart disease and cancer, are getting worse every year. Let us look at the statistics.
· Coronary heart disease is the single leading cause of death in America today (466,101 deaths in 1997)
· This year, 1,500 people will die from cancer every day, making it the second leading cause of death in the US.[1]
As I observed both in Russia and in United States the allopathic medicine seems to have been focusing on the secondary causes of disease. To me that’s like pushing a car that ran out of gas with your bare hands instead of putting gas in, or comforting a hungry person instead of feeding them. So what is the main cause of disease?
Today we have an ocean of confusing information, articles in which different experts state many different reasons for illness. However, I think that the main reason for illness was stated very clearly in 1931! Over 75 years ago, Otto Warburg was awarded the Nobel prize for his discovery that cancer is caused by weakened cell respiration due to lack of oxygen at the cellular level. According to Warburg, damaged cell respiration causes fermentation, resulting in low pH (acidity) at the cellular level.
Dr. Warburg, in his Nobel Prize winning study, illustrated the environment of the cancer cell. A normal healthy cell undergoes an adverse change when it can no longer take in oxygen to convert glucose into energy. In the absence of oxygen, the cell reverts to a primal nutritional program to nourish itself by converting glucose through the process of fermentation. The lactic acid produced by fermentation lowers the cell pH (acid/alkaline balance) and destroys the ability of DNA and RNA to control cell division. The cancer cells then begin to multiply. The lactic acid simultaneously causes severe local pain as it destroys cell enzymes. Cancer appears as a rapidly growing external cell covering, with a core of dead cells.
Dr. Otto Warburg finished one of his most famous speeches with the following statement: “…nobody today can say that one does not know what cancer and its prime cause is. On the contrary, there is no disease whose prime cause is better known, so that today ignorance is no longer an excuse that one cannot do more about prevention.”[2]
Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for showing that cancer thrives in anaerobic (without oxygen), or acidic, conditions. In other words, the main cause for cancer is acidity of the human body.
By the time I read his genius speech, he had been dead a long time. I wonder, if this discovery was so important that he received the Nobel Prize, why doesn’t everyone know what pH is?
As soon as scientists discovered what healthy human blood pressure and temperature are supposed to be, devices were invented to measure them. Whenever I went to a doctor, my blood pressure and temperature were measured, but I don’t ever remember a doctor measuring my pH. High blood pressure and fever, though not pleasant, do not cause cancer. The acidic condition of the blood does. It is not my opinion; it is what the internationally renowned scientist Dr. Warburg has proven. For this statement he won the Nobel Prize. As the outcome of the recognition of his discovery, I think it is vital to make pH information available at once to everyone.
It makes great sense to me that children should study the pH index of all foods at school and all foods that are sold to the public should have their pH index printed on the content label, together with calories and nutrients. For example, parmesan cheese should have a red warning label with a pH sign saying it is extremely acid forming, +34! While spinach may have a golden medal sign with a pH index –14, as an excellent, alkalizing food. The indexes have been measured in biochemical research and cannot be guessed by just looking at foods. Some of the foods are surprisingly alkaline or acidic; for example, most people are amazed to learn that lemon is the most alkalizing fruit, while walnuts are acidifying. I think it’s important for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid to reflect the pH of different foods as soon as possible. I imagine that many people’s health could instantly be improved by their ability to consume alkalizing foods that are more beneficial for human health.
Considering fats to be the main contributor to weight gain is a popular delusion among dieters. This misconception leads to massive confusion and explains why so many overweight people are not succeeding in losing weight. I am sure that many people would be shocked to find out that we may gain weight from eating, say, cheese, not only because it is rich in fat, but mostly due to its high acidic level. In response to high pH acid, the body creates fat cells to store the acid. For example, almonds have 70% fat, and pork has only 58%. However, pork has one of the highest acid values, -38, while almonds are alkaline forming, +3.[3] This is why it is so crucial to know, in addition to nutritional value, the pH index-- to have it available and handy at every store, printed on each food label, showing its ability to alkalize the body.
I remember how in 1965 my mother was in tears after reading an article in a Russian health magazine that stated that watermelons and cucumbers do not have any nutritional value. They were our family’s most favorite foods. Forty years later, I am learning that cucumbers and watermelons are so alkalizing that they could neutralize the acidifying effect of eating beef. I am glad that my parents continued to buy watermelons, despite of “scientific” recommendations.
Many years ago, back in Russia, when I was studying to be a medical nurse, our professor told us, that the cholesterol in our food did not contribute anything to the blood cholesterol level, because our own liver makes it all. Therefore I was not surprised or disappointed by the diet that my father was receiving while staying at the cardio center. After my dad’s massive heart attack, they served him beefsteak with gravy and milk. Later, after reading a lot of books and articles about the importance of the proper pH balance in the body, I understood, that the so-called "bad" cholesterol, lipoprotein (LDL) is made by our own liver in order to bind the toxins and deactivate the acidic waste that came from certain food, not to cause arteriosclerosis. Unfortunately, I bought my first book on this topic, “Alkalize or Die”[4] two months after my father died from his second heart attack.
Food is not the only cause to alter our pH balance. There are many other factors, such as stress, our mood or music. It is very possible to stay on the best alkalizing diet and still be overweight, tired and unhealthy. Anything that is stimulating could leave an acidic residue in our body; correspondently any activities that are calming and relaxing could make us more alkaline.
Factors that potentially could make us more acid: hearing or saying harsh or bitter words; loud music and noise; being in a traffic jam; feeling jealousy or revenge; hearing baby crying; overworking and over-exercising; beginning or finishing school; going on vacation; watching scary or stressful movies; watching and listening to TV; talking on the phone for a long time; taking on mortgage; paying bills and credit cards, etc.
Factors that potentially could make us more alkaline: giving or receiving a smile or a hug; laughter and jokes, classical or quite music; seeing a puppy; hearing compliment or blessing; receiving a soft massage; staying in a cozy and clean environment, being in nature, watching children laugh and play; walking and sleeping under the stars and moonlight; working in the garden; observing flowers; singing or playing a musical instrument; sincere friendly conversation, and many others.
I find it helpful for myself to observe my inner body reaction to different events around me, and if I notice unwanted feeling of inner stress I try to make changes not only to my diet but to my whole way of living.
Being uneducated about pH balance breeds a lot of confusion among people who are looking for healthy diets, trying many different things, very often without positive results. For example, in my own experience I have been eating only raw food for many years, which while a vast improvement on my previous diet, did not reach optimal results until I began to eat a lot more greens. I read several books and articles on this subject and bought litmus paper with which to measure my pH. However, every time I measured my saliva or urine, it was almost always acid. So I got even more confused and stopped measuring. I was convinced that my diet was the best it could be, because what could be better than a raw food diet? I never understood the importance of keeping the alkaline balance of my body.
Since I started drinking green smoothies, I decided to check my pH balance once again. I tested both my saliva and urine and was surprised to see that my litmus paper had now the stable green color of alkalinity!
As soon as I clearly noticed the tight connection between the food that we intake and our pH balance, I purchased for my family plenty of pH measurement tape and placed it in the bathrooms and kitchens, available at any time, so we could check our pH balance every day and rest assured that our health is out of danger. After staying so many years on a 100% raw diet, I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to maintain a good alkaline pH balance without consuming large quantities of dark leafy greens, approximately two bunches or one to two pounds every day. Some people try to keep a normal pH balance by taking supplements containing dried greens. While this is certainly better than eating only French fries, I strongly believe that to consume fresh greens is thousands of times better, because supplements are processed food and their nutrition content is altered, as a result of which some of the nutrients (like?) disappear, so that the ratios of the nutrients change greatly. Also, when consumed in forms of capsules and tablets, they enter our body in huge, concentrated doses, and any extra nutrients create extra work for the elimination system.
For this reason, out of all the choices that we have in consuming greens, the green smoothie is a winner, because it is a complete food, it is fresh, and it takes less than a minute to prepare.
Sources:
1: http://yourfuturehealth.com/resources_statistics.htm#cancer
2: The Prime Cause and Prevention of Cancer. Dr. Otto Warburg Lecture delivered to Nobel Laureates on June 30, 1966 at Lindau, Lake Constance, Germany
3: The pH Miracle. Robert O. Young, Ph.D., Shelley Redford Young. 2002, Warner Books, NY
4: Alkalize or Die. Dr. Theodore A. Baroody, Jr. 1991, Eclectic Press, NC
©2005 Copyrighted material! Please reference this source when sharing this information!
http://www.rawfamily.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW Book Green For Life is now available for pre-orders
by Victoria Boutenko
Victoria’s long awaited new book about greens and green smoothies contains exciting new information. The author approaches human nutrition from a new angle, comparing the human diet with the diet of chimpanzees. This book is written in a clear style, illustrated with anecdotes, diagrams and pictures. The results of the Roseburg study conducted by Victoria and Dr Fieber, reveal the unique healing potential of green smoothies. This book is scheduled to come out during the last week of August 2005. We recommend pre-ordering this book early to avoid waiting. Your orders will be processed in the order they were received.
$14.95
-Pre-orders only-
http://www.rawfamily.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summer events not to be missed:
The Vibrant Living Expo and Grand Opening of the new Living Light Center August 18-21
with many illustrious speakers and chefs in the field of healthful living.
For more information about the Grand Opening Celebration click here
or call Kristin at 707-964-2420 or email Kristin@rawfoodchef.com
Rawstock III - Raw Ecstasy Jamboree August 26-29 at Macdonald Farm
5730 Ross Branch Road, Sebastopol, California
(707) 829-0362
http://www.rawstock.us
http://www.rawfamily.com
If you got on our list by mistake, please send this e-mail back with REMOVE in Subject line.
Important: Please, specify which e-mail address you would like us to remove from our database!
[1] http://yourfuturehealth.com/resources_statistics.htm#cancer
[2] The Prime Cause and Prevention of Cancer. Dr. Otto Warburg
Lecture delivered to Nobel Laureates on June 30, 1966 at Lindau, Lake Constance, Germany
[3] The pH Miracle. Robert O. Young, Ph.D., Shelley Redford Young. 2002, Warner Books, NY
[4] Alkalize or Die. Dr.Theodore A. Baroody, Jr. 1991, Eclectic Press, NC |