Raw Life

Allergies... who knew?

2011-02-07T20:42:00.000-08:00

I found out last week that I have a lot of allergies. I had no idea. I've been doing some research into them and I have to say... thank goodness I found raw 3.5 years ago. If I was discovering these allergies without the knowledge of a raw food lifestyle behind me... I'd be completely devastated and confused right now. I wouldn't know what to eat. I wouldn't know how to survive!

Thankfully... I already have these items out of my diet (for the most part) and the ones I allowed... well they are now gone gone gone. I will miss my strawberries... but they are not worth the discomfort my body endures for them.

Okay... so here's the list!

Things I need to avoid due to my allergies:

Glucosamine is made from shells and should be avoided...

Shellfish Allergy - Avoid foods that contain:

Abalone
Calamari
Clams
Cockle
Crab
Crawfish
Crayfish
Crevette
Ecrevisse
Escargot
Langouste
Lobster
Mollusk
Mussel
Octopus
Oyster
Prawn
Sea urchin
Scallop
Shrimp
Snail
Squid

Soy Allergy - Avoid foods that contain:

Edamame
Hydrolyzed soy protein
Miso
Shoyu sauce
Soy
Soya
Soy albumin
Soy fiber
Soy flour
Soy (infant) formula
Soy fruit
Soy grits
Soy milk
Soy nuts
Soy protein
Soy sauce
Soy sprouts
Soybean
Soybean curd
Soybean granules
Tamari
Tempeh
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Tofu
Worcestershire sauce

These foods may contain soy:

Artificial cheese
Butter substitues
Canned tuna
Cereals
Coffee substitutes
Gravies
Hamburger patties
Hot dogs
Hydrolyzed plan protein
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Ice cream
Natural flavoring
Peanut butter
Sauces
Soups
Vegetable broth
Vegetable gum
Vegetable starch
Worcestershire sauce

Wheat Allergy - Avoid foods that contain:

Bran
Bread crumbs
Bulgur
Cereal extract
Cracker meal
Durum
Enriched flour
Farina
Gluten
Graham flour
High gluten flour
High protein flour
Kamut
Pasta
Seitan
Semolina
Soft wheat flour
Spelt
Vital gluten
Wheat
Whole wheat berries
Whole wheat flour

These foods may contain wheat:

Cereals
Gelatinized starch
Hydrolyzed vegetable proteins
Imitation crab
Meat substitutes
Modified food starch
Natural flavoring
Soy sauce
Starch
Vegetable gum
Vegetable starch

Egg Allergy - Avoid foods that contain:

Albumin
Coagulant
Egg (dried, powdered, solid, white,yolk)
Eggnog
Emulsifier
Globulin
Livetin
Lecithin
Lysozyme
Mayonnaise
Meringue
Ovalbumin
Ovomucin
Ovomucoid
Ovotransferrin
Ovovitella
Ovovitellin
Simplesse®
Vitellin

Cow's Milk Allergy - Avoid foods that contain:

Artificial butter flavor
Butter
Butter fat
Butter oil
Buttermilk
Casein
Caseinates
Cheese
Cream
Condensed milk
Cottage cheese
Curds
Custard
Ghee
Goat’s milk
Half and Half
Lactalbumin
Lactoglobulin
Lactose
Lactulose
Milk (whole, low fat, non-fat, skimmed)
Milk derivative
Milk powder
Milk protein
Nougat
Pudding
Rennet Casein
Sour cream
Sour cream solid
Sour milk
Whey
Yogurt

These foods may contain cow's milk:

Bavarian cream
Biscuit
Brown sugar
Caramel flavoring
Cake
Canned tuna
Coconut cream
Cookies
Cream sauce
Cream soup
High protein flour
High protein powder
Ice cream
Instant mashed potatoes
Luncheon meat, hot dogs, sausages
Margarine
Muffins
Packet soups
Pies
Puddings
Sausages
Sherbet
Whipped cream

Funny thing is they recommend using soy milk or rice milk when you have a milk allergy... and I'm allergic to both of those. Thankfully... almond milk, hazelnut milk etc. are much healthier and I can prepare them in my Vita-Mix.

Symptoms of food allergies: this is the one that I have experienced.

Angioedema: This is a term used to denote swelling of certain parts of the body, such as the lips, tongue, throat, and the area around the eyes. Swelling of the tongue and throat can be very dangerous and it can result in severe difficulties breathing. Sometimes, the swelling can be inside the body. For example, the lining of the intestines can swell, resulting in abdominal pain, and cramping.

Body... I love, honour and cherish you. Thank you for allowing me to live within you and experience this life through you. I promise to put your needs first and foremost... forever.

love,
Aleesha

I am allergic to: (in order of severity)
demerol
codeine
horsehair
rice
cow's milk and all dairy products
gelatin
wheat
lamb
goat's milk
strawberries
coffee
soy
shellfish
haydust
cereal (like in a box)
eggs
pussy willows
grass

Day 140 - Twenty Weeks of Fasting!

2010-10-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

Oh yaaaaaa... been doing this for twenty weeks now. Twenty weeks!!! Can you believe it? For those of you who have been following this from the beginning... it's been twenty weeks. Started June 13th... wow. What have you put into your body since then? I know what I've put in mine! *smiling*

I've put a whole lotta tomatoes. A bushel of fennel, celery, garlic and onion. Boxes and boxes of cantaloupe... and a bounty of young coconuts. Yup... those seem to be my main juices on this fast. All of which pleases me since they are such healthy choices!

No cakes, pies, cookies, junk food of any kind. No animal products - except a few teaspoons of raw honey in some tea. Nothing that really bad for me. Ahhhhh what a gift this is to my body. What a gift indeed.

I've spent hours in meditation. Many more in the sauna. I've walked for miles, danced while laying down in the tub and even tried my hand at water fasting!

I've slept - sometimes more than usual, other times less. My dreams have become so normal now... that I don't even look at them as being bizarre and overly colourful. LOL I have little to no detox happening and am still having a bm on a very regular basis. No enemas, no colonics... nothing to assist me - just letting my body do what a body does naturally.

I'm smiled, I've cried... I've released emotions and dealt with emotions. I've cleansed my life and my relationships.

I've discovered that not knowing what this fast will bring is not a bad thing. I've learned to go with the flow at a deeper level than I was before - and I thought I had this 'go with the flow' down pat before! Such a gift to discover what an extended fast can bring.

My spirituality has gone to deeper levels. I'm in a totally new place and loving it. My Reiki has grown... the Light within me is brighter.

My eyes are in such a state of constant brightness that I forget I have 'fasting eyes'... and just assume they have always been this clear and vibrant! This is my new norm.

Today is day one hundred and forty. I've been walking this path for twenty weeks.

Such ease has flowed with this fast... and I am hopeful that the ease will continue and I'll regain my protein levels quickly (from my 9 days of water fasting earlier this month) and surprise and amaze my doctor even more! I can only anticipate the look on his face when he reads my nice protein levels after my blood test this month! Ohhhh yaaaaa this mama is rawkin' this fast!

So... today I'll celebrate with a case of pineapples. I'll sit at the crystal bowl meditation tonight and ponder my journey so far and welcome tomorrow... but most importantly... I will sit in the now. I will be mindful. I will continue to bring mindfulness to every fibre of my being.

As that is truly the greatest gift I've had with this fast. Being mindful for twenty weeks... being mindful every moment of this - what a gift that is!

in light and love,
a very appreciative,
Aleesha

I am so happy and grateful for my Light, lean, healthy being.
I am so grateful for this fast and all it's gifts.
I am so blessed to have so much support around me.
I am so happy and grateful for my hubby, kids and 'fellowship of fasters' who gently offer a listening ear when needed.
I am so happy and grateful for my life.

Thanks be to the Goddess, so mote it be, blessed be. An it harm none, do as ya will.

namaste'
Aleesha

Interview of me in the Georgia Strait

2010-10-21T09:26:00.001-07:00

For foodies, uncooked is the right raw deal

Advocates say ditching animal fats and processed foods makes them feel better and lose weight.

By Matthew Burrows, October 21, 2010

Diet coach Aleesha Stephenson lost 168 pounds switching to raw foods.
Healthy Living

Aleesha Stephenson jokes that she used to be the only “raw foodie” in Agassiz, a place that’s known better for lying somewhere between Hope and Mission than for its food activism.

Her raw vegan diet is a bit of a local anomaly, but the 47-year-old raw-food and fasting coach tells the Georgia Straight in a phone interview that she is always willing to help, at a minimal cost, those who are curious about the health benefits of such a regime.

Stephenson says her story began in 2007, when she weighed 300 pounds and decided she had to do something.

“I was so sick,” she says. “Getting off the couch to go to the bathroom was too much of an effort for me. A friend suggested that I [juice] fast for 10 days and that maybe that would help. And I felt fabulous. Then I went back to eating and felt like crap.”

It was at this point, she says, that the epiphany came: stick with raw food and ditch the Standard American Diet (SAD) for good.

“It is interesting how many people eat raw foods and then they eat a Standard American Diet meal [high in processed foods and animal fats; low in plant-based foods and fibre] and they get really depressed afterwards,” Stephenson said. “SAD food makes you sad.”

Raw food is beneficial, she explains, because its living enzymes are intact, not having been exposed to high cooking temperatures. Hence, the raw food retains its full nutritional potency, and “your food digests itself”. She says your body can then use the energy saved from digestion to heal itself. Stephenson’s current weight of 132 pounds is a physical manifestation of her success.

“Juice fasting, such as I do, is very empowering,” Stephenson adds. “Making it through Thanksgiving dinner this year—cooking for my family all day long, and serving the food and sitting at the table with them—I was water fasting. So I sat with my glass of water and watched them all eat.”

Mere mortals who are not there yet may go through “mourning” when they leave SAD comforts, but Stephenson insists that raw-food based repasts can replicate and even better SAD meals.

“We make cookies, we make cakes, we make everything,” she says. “We have yummy food. We do. Where else can you eat [avocado-cacao] cheesecake for breakfast and still lose weight?”

Folks in Agassiz who thought her a bit odd now take notice, she says.

“First they said I was crazy, then they started asking questions like, ‘Aleesha, what can I do?’ ”

Effervescent 62-year-old yoga instructor Clive Langton told the Straight that he credits both his yoga practice and raw-food diet for his good health. Langton is a director with the Raw Food Society of B.C. The group’s website, contains a raft of information and advice on what to do to get involved with the raw-food movement.

Langton estimates that the amount of people in Metro Vancouver—and Agassiz—currently eating raw food numbers “in the thousands” and is increasing.

“I want to qualify that statement,” Langton says. “If you look at our [Raw B.C.] mission statement, it’s not about people swearing an oath, doomed to die if they ever have a morsel of cooked food in their mouth. It’s moving in the direction of eating more fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. There are a lot of people realizing that they want to eat more simple on the food chain, more healthily.”

This is partly why Stephenson is now a coach, as she wants others to benefit from her own discipline and willpower. The message must be resonating, as she says she has clients all across North America, and even as far away as Morocco. Langton, for his part, says that Raw B.C. is upgrading its website and is hearing from other raw-food groups worldwide that are inspired by what it is doing to get society on a raw footing.

“When you go to a restaurant, you get a pile of rice or you get noodles or you get potatoes or french fries, and it’s all just filler,” Langton says, by way of a parting shot at SAD. “You don’t want to be eating that if you had a choice, really, because it’s not nutrition. It’s sludge that’s just going to fill up those cells and make your body feel more tired and exhausted and craving more food because you’re not getting fed, really.”

Langton then adds, diplomatically: “I don’t want to put you off your lunch.”

Timeless Spirit Magazine - March 2010

2010-02-16T17:44:00.001-08:00

Greetings,

Well we are online and ready for your eyes. I know we are a day later than usual, but I was waiting for the Dark Moon to be finished before bringing this issue to you. I don't know about you, but this Dark Moon was huge in my life and I didn't want to bring that energy into this issue.

Speaking of which, this is another great read. So many wonderful articles and columns and a special mediation that was inspired by our very own Phil Kotofskie's article - so be sure to check out both!

Thank you for reading Timeless Spirit. It's an honour to share it with you.

in light,
Aleesha Stephenson
Publisher
Timeless Spirit Magazine
http://www.timelessspirit.com

ISSN# 1708-3265

~ walk your talk, live your truth ~

UPDATE on Haiti

2010-01-17T18:20:00.001-08:00

THIS IS AN UPDATE TO MY ORIGINAL POSTING ON THIS (BELOW)

Thanks to all the homeschool families who have sponsored buckets and buckets of Cibo. Thank to those who have offered to talk to friends, families and churches about this response to the children of Haiti.

A generous donor has offered to match every $30 bucket sponsored with a donation of their own - up to 600 matched buckets! This 1200 buckets could conceivably be matched by the Canadian Governments' matching program (2400 buckets!).

This means that for every $30 bucket your family sponsors, three others buckets could be added to the container. Transportation will be provided by Global Aid Network. GAIN already has people working in Haiti and ready to oversee distribution to those in need.

In addition to the kids they already house, orphanages in Haiti will be crowded with newly orphaned children. This need will not end quickly

We still need people who are willing to talk to their churches or workplaces about this effort. If you would like a sample bucket (empty) and some information people can read, please give me a call.

If you would still like to make a donation, please do so though www.foodforfamine.org. Go to the donation page and donate through Global Aid Network.

Please be sure to note that the donation is for Cibo so our matching donor can track the number of buckets we have raised funds for.

100% of donations will be used to manufacture Cibo.

Thanks, Tamiko
www.foodforfamine.org

Haiti

2010-01-16T01:10:00.001-08:00

I know this is not raw food... but hey, people need to be fed!

I know this family... a lovely homeschooling family in my community. Please assist them to feed some children in Haiti.

We donated $60 - which turns into $120 with the Canadian Gov't matching our donation. Please pass this on to everyone you know... copy and paste and email this... let's feed some children!

Here's her email to me tonight:

Many of you know that our family has been working on a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for malnourished children. CIBO (Italian for "food") is made from peanut paste, powdered milk, whey powder, sugar, oil, and 22 vitamins and minerals. Cibo does not need refrigeration, is ready to use, and has a shelf life of over one year. Cibo tastes like peanut butter cookie dough. Children love it and thrive on only 200g (1000 calories) a day.

This RUTF was first produced by a French company called Nutriset and sold to large organizations (Doctors without Borders, World Food Organization, Etc). The patent could be copied, but only if the product is given away completely free of charge.

Our organization, Food for Famine, used this patent to produce an initial batch of Cibo in Chilliwack at Norma's Bakery. The second larger batch was produced at a facility in Surrey.

In December, 600 buckets (8kgs each) were sent to 8 North Korean orphanages with over 1100 Children. GAIN (Global Aid Network) of Langley provided all shipping costs and logistical help. We were starting the process of raising funds for the next shipment, when disaster struck Haiti.

Already, a number of buckets have been provided for local aid workers (Esther King of Kings Kids) travelling to Haiti, however, it is our desire to fill another container and ship it as soon as possible. Once again, we will partner with GAIN of Langley to transport and distribute Cibo to those in need.

One bucket of Cibo costs $30 to produce. Cibo is complete food, in calories and nutrition. It is not meant to merely fill and empty belly. On 8kg bucket will feed a child for a month.

We are looking for families willing to sponsor one bucket of Cibo. For only $30, your family can be a part of a local effort to help rebuild Haiti.

Since we do not have our tax deductable status yet, if you wish to donate, write a cheque to GAIN or follow this link to GAIN's website. Fill out the form and make sure that the funds are dedicated to the Cibo Acquisition fund. This will ensure that your donations will purchase Cibo.

The Canadian government will match your donation dollar for dollar. Your $30 will sustain a child for 2 months!

We are also looking for people who are willing to speak to their churches about the opportunity to help Haiti by sponsoring buckets (or a pallet of 60 buckets!) of Cibo. Feel free to pass on this email or reply with contact information of someone that I could speak with about this effort.

You can learn more by visiting our website www.foodforfamine.org. Please take the time to watch the Anderson Cooper (60 Minutes) for an education on the life-saving qualities of this "miracle food".

Feel free to contact me directly with any questions, and by all means feel free to pass on this email to anyone else!

Tamiko Charlton
604-316-0803

Jon Kabat-Zinn

2009-12-04T16:54:00.001-08:00

Marinara Stuffed Peppers and Aleesha's fudge balls!

2009-11-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

Okay so tonight I wanted a supper that was super quick, involved tomatoes and could be eaten with my hands. I get into moods where I want to play with my food, I want to be a part of the eating process without a fork or spoon in my way. LOL

So... I made my own version of marinara sauce and stuffed a yellow pepper. Put a few pieces of celery on the side to scoop more of this yummy mixture. It was literally dripping off my chin!!!

3 tomatoes - chopped
1 zucchini sliced thin
6 sundried tomatoes

Put sundried tomatoes with a little oil in food processor - pulse till it's tiny pieces.
Add in rest of ingredients. Pulse gently.

Stuff pepper and add some celery on the side to scoop the marinara sauce. Then I sprinkled some celtic sea salt, curry and kelp powder over top. mmm mmmm gooooooood!!!

Yummy and super quick!

How about a dessert?

I created a little something for myself today. It's not too sweet, which I like.

I started with these ingredients:

1 cup dates
1 cup almond butter
1/2 c carob powder
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 cup cacao nibs

In a food processor, I blended the dates into a smooth paste. I added a T of water.

Then I added almond butter and carob powder.

Remove from food processor.

Add almonds into your food processor and grind till fine, add back in all the other ingredients and blend till it becomes a ball.

I put it in bowl and formed into balls.

Then I popped them into the freezer for later!

made with love,
Aleesha

ps it made twice as many as shown in this pic.
Enjoy!
Aleesha

New issue of Timeless Spirit Magazine is online

2009-10-15T15:56:00.001-07:00

Greetings!!!

Our theme this issue is truly one close to my heart. I loooove being grateful. I just love it. I write my 'grateful fors' daily, I say them out loud. I believe 100% wholeheartedly that what we put out attracts more of the same energy and being grateful for all I am, all I have, all that is - is important to me.

So having the theme "Grateful" as our issue right now pleases me greatly. Not only does it please me to read all the amazing articles and columns in this issue, but the cover art is magical! Just wait till you see it.

So grab a cup of something yummy and join us.

in light,
Aleesha Stephenson
Publisher
Timeless Spirit Magazine
http://www.timelessspirit.com/NOV09/index.shtml

ISSN# 1708-3265

~ walk your talk, live your truth ~

Copyright (c) Orna Ben-Shoshan "Tango on the Beach"

Private

2009-09-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

My personal blog is now private... I will be posting the odd thing on this one... but nothing regular. Thank you for reading my blog over the last 18 months. I've enjoyed sharing my process with you all.

namaste'
Aleesha