Woodland nymph-age ;)

So, yesterday was the fifth anniversary for me of the day I went raw back in 2002. Yeeeeeeeeeeeee-HAH :))) A time for true jubilation, celebration and reflection for me…in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, NC, I spent time with a wonderful old friend, talking excitedly about how amazing these lives are and how we see our paths unfolding from here…then I went into the woods to explore and enjoy this momentous day for me, connected to nature…

On May the 30th I had:

1.5 litres water
big slice of watermelon
800ml green juice with apple
avo/nori/greens/salt/lime
macadamias with raw honey and maca
1 litre water
1 box strawberries
800ml green juice with apple and ginger
500ml water
3 peaches
300ml green juice
500ml water

I put on my favourite new fairy dress (see pic above) and went to play in the woods…I sat among the trees in dappled sunlight, eating strawberries and giving gratitude for these last five amazing years…it’s been a magical journey – thanks to all who have joined in with it :) I see the raw food message and movement expanding and expanding and I am SO happy to be part of this shift…it really is all just about a return to simplicity – with getting in touch with who we really are, stripping away layers of ‘not-very-useful-stuff’ ;) and shimmying ever onwards into the light…raw, living, vibrant, natural, enzyme-rich foods are just one tool on that journey, yet they are SUCH an essential key for so many, to really ground, embody simplicity on every level and feel truly vibrant and healthy ;)

Here’s to another 5 years of enjoying this incredible shift into simplicity…
One love,
Angela. xxx

FIVE YEARS RAW :)))

Today, May the 30th, 2007 – is the 5th anniversary of the day I went raw, back in 2002 :)
I am celebrating with vibrant, beautiful, nourishing, raw whole foods in a stunning mountain location with dear friends…JOY ;)

On May the 28th I had:

1 litre water
700ml green juice with apple
slice of watermelon
500ml herbal tea
slice of raw chocolate pie (WOW)
1 apple
1 litre water
1 peach
600ml green juice with apple
1 litre water

wow, I got SO buzzed from the incredible cacao pie this afternoon made by a lovely friend from the Asheville Rawfood Meetup Group – I hadn’t had any chocolate in a while and cacao OPENS me, totally, to the heart vibration – I get so blissed…I went clothes shopping afterwards and felt so connected to all the clothes and people I encountered – SO much love and joy and excitement…lol…cacao-ed and dangerous (to the bank balance ;)…

May the 29th I had:

1 litre water
500ml prune soak water
400ml green juice with apple
350g soaked prunes
big slice of watermelon
1 litre water
avo/spinach/salt/lime
few goji berries
1 mango
500ml water
500ml green juice with apple
3 sheets nori and a handful of macadamia nuts
400ml peppermint tea
bag of orgasmic organic cherries
1 litre water

I did a photo shoot for a national women’s magazine here in the US this morning…it was…interesting ;) I am simply AMAZED at the amount of time, energy and effort it takes to get – in the end – one shot…my hair/make-up and clothes-styling alone took 2 HOURS… :O
6 people were involved in the shoot and the whole thing lased 4 hours – that’s 24 hours of labour/time/energy…an entire day, to get one shot…wow…this feels somewhat of a challenge for me – it is such a different reality to that which I choose to enjoy most of the time…I see it as service work though ;) This magazine has a readership of over 1.5 million women already and there is the possibility that they might use this on the cover, so potentially many thousands more people may see that and be exposed to the idea of raw foods for better health – this is a big opportunity to spread the message, so, in that regard, definitely worth every second of all our energies today ;) The mag will be out in August - I'll keep you posted...

Enjoy this beautiful day and thanks to all of you reading this for your feedback and support over my last 5 years of raw-dom...HURRAY ;)
One love,
Angela. xxx

In the Blue Ridge Mountains...

"I do not think that any civilization can be called complete until it has progressed from sophistication to unsophistication, and made a conscious return to simplicity of thinking and living."
Lin Yutang
The Importance of Living 1938

Ahhhhhh…beautiful – a dear friend sent me this quote recently…it really resonates for me…I’m all about getting life back to the basics here – natural, simple food, connection to the earth, honesty, direct communication, sharing love, keeping it positive and…COMPOSTING ;)…

on May the 26th I had:

1 litre water
350ml herbal tea
600ml green juice with apple
½ avocado with nori, lime, salt and greens
small plate of ‘rawluck’ food
1 litre water
slice of watermelon
600ml green juice with apple
½ avocado blended with spirulina, spinach and lime juice
1 litre water

I am in Asheville, North Carolina at the moment. Wow. What a MARVELLOUS little pocket of joy this place is…I was very excited to get here, as over this last 6 weeks of touring, people everywhere were telling me ‘you’ll love it there’ – and I do ;) Nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains, this little community is abundant with spectacular scenery, greenery, healers, artists, raw foodists, eco communities, creativity, organics and happy, smiley people :) NICE :)
I held a raw food seminar here this weekend – I spoke on Saturday afternoon about my transformation and raw foods in general, then Sunday afternoon was a workshop on Juice Feasting. It was all great fun AND this was also the end of this current tour for me :) YAY ;) I’ve been on the road for abt 6 weeks now on this tour and am excited to have a little break from that now – breathe in, breathe OUT ;) time to exhale now…Thanks to all of you beautiful people who have turned out along the way – it’s been a wonderful trip and I love and appreciate you all :) Thanks too for all the talk requests that you’ve been sending in – I’ll be back in the US hopefully from around Aug/Sept time and will be back on the road then to share again, so if you’d like to have a talk in YOUR area, just let us know – email angela@rawreform.com and we’ll see what we can do ;)

On May the 27th I had:

1 litre water
700ml green juice with apple
avocado with cumin, lime, salt, spinach and nori
1 litre water
150ml green juice with apple
200ml watermelon juice
600ml green juice with apple
sunflower seeds with spinach and a banana
1 litre water
bag of organic cherries
400ml herbal tea
300ml water

I spoke last weekend up in Pennsylvania at the wonderful Arnold’s Way health food store…owner Arnold Kauffman later put together a little article about my visit for his weekly newsletter…it is, I think, the sweetest, most observant, insightful and touching piece I have ever read on my story and work – you can check it out HERE.
(Incidentally, if you’re not familiar with the inimitable Arnold, here he is on YouTube talking about Vaccines - a topic I recently touched on here...)

All love and gratitude to all,
Angela. xxx

Life on the road...

Whoooooo…this raw food journey is taking me ALL over the place and into many interesting situations here in the States…I'm into the final leg of this current tour right now and it's been an amazing journey thus far...

On May the 24th I had:

1 litre water
500ml smoothie – coconut meat, banana, dates, cardamom, cinnamon, water
1 apple
500ml water
avo/lime juice/Himalayan salt/nori
500ml water
4 apricots
2 peaches
500ml water
500ml celery/apple/ginger juice
small plate of mixed raw potluck salads
1 litre water

While waiting in line at the post office this day, a woman came in with her 9-week-old baby daughter. The girl looked very pale and drowsy. I felt concern. The woman next to her in the queue began to comment on how cute this little girl was, to which the mother responded smthg along the lines of ‘yes, she’s so cute and drowsy, because she had just had a load of vaccination shots…’
…
…wow…
I find this very disturbing…that a mother looks dotingly at her new-born child that she has just allowed someone to pump full of…mercury…toxins and…agggghhhh, goodness only knows what else and thinks it is CUTE…
Though I don’t yet have children myself, so have not faced the actual decision of whether to vaccinate a child or not, as far as I am concerned, there really is no decision to be made here – I would not even consider it. If you have a young child or know of anyone with young children that are ‘due’ to be vaccinated, PLEASE reconsider, or urge their parents/caregivers to reconsider. The dangers and side effects of pumping our children’s systems with chemicals are WELL documented – please educate yourself or pass on useful books such as: Vaccinations – Deception and Tragedy by Michael Dye to help promote the move away from vaccination and towards NATURAL health care for all.

On May the 25th I had:
1 litre water
3 apricots
500ml water
avocado/lime/Himalayan salt/nori/spring greens
1 mango
500ml water
handful of sunflower seeds with spring greens
3 jackfruit pods
500ml water
600ml green juice with apple
1 banana
500ml water

This day was a loooooooooooooong day of travel for me – 12 hours on the road…most of it on a bus…it was fun though…the guy sitting next to me was very curious about my eating habits and it turned into a mini raw food education session right there on the bus ;) It all started when the bus stopped somewhere for people to grab lunch. Everyone re-boarded the bus with their hotdogs and burgers and fries and I pulled out my avocado to eat…the guy across the aisle looked on with fascination, then leaned over to ask me ‘what is that…?’ He had never seen an avocado before…imagine…so, as he chomped his way through his double cheeseburger, he continued to ask many questions about raw foods and I shared with him…it was a beautiful exchange to me, as even though this guy was in a totally different space in terms of his current intake, he seemed completely open and accepting of the things I was sharing. He never once argued, just asked many questions and reflected on the answers. The other nearby passengers joined in too and I gave them out some cards for my website so that they can connect more to these ideas there…encounters like that are dear to me in that they affirm for me that even people who it may seem are eating in a way entirely removed from raw foodism, CAN and DO get this message and may perhaps even move with it if the moment is ripe ;) Hurray :)

One love,
Angela. xxx

Reversing Obesity...one pot belly at a time...

Many of you have been writing lately to tell me how much you appreciate these e-journals. Thank you. I do not always get the chance to reply to you all individually, but I want you to know that it means a lot to me to hear your feedback. Your enthusiasm helps me to stay motivated with my work and the momentum of spreading this message…and wow, there really is SOOOO much work to do in this field…and I am grateful for every avenue that opens to me to share this message…as I travel all over the States at the moment, I see people dealing with overweight and obesity issues, literally everywhere I go…the MAJORITY of people in this country are dealing with these issues…I look at the people on the streets as I pass along and feel shocked at the numbers of obese people…there is a LOT of work that can be done to help turn this trend around and I feel very blessed to be able to share, as a living example of how we can deal with this situation with healthy, natural, sustainable solutions…thanks for your support :)

on May the 22nd I had:

1.5 litres water
shot of wheatgrass
couple tablespoons of prunes blended with walnuts
1 litre water
handful of spinach
600ml green juice with apple
avocado, lime juice, Himalayan salt, nori
1 date
500ml water
2 peaches
500ml water
1 apple
500ml water

I took some really appreciated ‘down-time’ today…went for a wonderful bike ride around a gorgeous lake, in the sun, did a bentonite face pack, read more of the inspiring ‘Law of Attraction’ book, which I have not made time to connect with since I left Costa Rica…and got to sleep before midnight – yeeeeeeeeeeee-HAH ;) I REALLY appreciated this bit of ‘time-out’ amidst this current full-on tour schedule…I truly believe in the idea that in order to serve others to the best of our potential, we need to take great care of OURSELVES first – that way we tend to be in a great space - open, grounded and more able to allow the energy flow to work through us in love and joy…

on May the 23rd I had:

1 litre water
500ml smoothie - prune soak water, prunes, spirulina, maca, water (YUMM ;)
avo/spinach/lime juice/Himalayan salt/nori
1 litre water
600ml green juice with apple
handful of sunflower seeds with nori sheets
500ml water
500ml water
water of one young coconut
500ml water

I spoke in Fairfax, VA this night to a sweet, mixed group of people, ranging from total raw newbies to those who had been totally raw for a number of years. It was fun. It was in a building where my friend works in a wellness centre – Neck, Back and Beyond – as a colon hydrotherapist. She gave me a colonic in the afternoon and I was HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH afterwards ;) LOL…I have not had a professional colonic in probably about 10 months or so and was very interested to see what kind of results would now occur, after my 92-Day Juice Feast…well, according to my friend, all was in very good working order – no issues really at all. Nice. :) I did feel very light and ‘high’ afterwards though – spaced…I went home and took a lot of probiotics and drank green juice and all was well again ;) JUICE SAVES...

One love,
Angela. xxx

(P.S. This is the 150th post on this e-journal today ;) what a long way we've come...thanks for sharing the joy along the way... :)

On the road again...

It was the third session of the Juice Feasting Teleconference Call series yesterday evening. We had a great talk, based around Social Issues while Juice Feasting. This series of talks has been a joy to give and record. Thanks to all of you who have been listening in and participating so far. If you haven’t been part of the calls and would love to hear what they’ve been all about, you can now listen to the playbacks – access to the playbacks can be ordered through the RawReform website here:

http://www.rawreform.com/component/option,com_virtuemart/page,shop.browse/category_id,12/Itemid,55/

On May the 19th I had:

1.5 litres water
600ml celery/apple juice
½ a medium papaya
1 apple
1 avocado with dulse
1 mango
1 litre water
600ml green juice with apple
500ml green smoothie
cup of blueberry/banana raw ice cream
1 litre water

Lots of travelling for me this last couple of days – from NYC down to Lansdale, PA, then from there down to Fairfax, VA. In terms of distance it may not actually be that far (not sure), but it feels like a long haul to me at the moment, travelling with all my stuff and with public transport…this is an area of my life that people often question me about at talks, so I’m going to lay it out here... ;)

I don’t live anywhere. I am from England originally, but have no real ‘base’. I travel more or less constantly and have been ‘on the road’ for most of the last decade. I carry with me all that I really need – basically my clothes, laptop, RawReform booklets to sell, some toiletries and a little food. I love this lifestyle, which has taken me all over the world, into many amazing homes and spaces and to meet many wonderful beings. Sometimes my backpack is very heavy…and yet I used to carry more weight than that AS ME, all the time…I don’t drive…I have a driving license, but I have never felt comfortable driving cars, so mainly use public transport on big trips or bike around for smaller errands. I do not own any raw kitchen equipment, yet am 100% raw and have been on a raw journey for 5 years…I do not have a house, car, mortgage, fridge, tables, sofas or pets either ;) I have a bike…it is in England…

on May the 20th I had:

750ml water
500ml celery/apple juice
1 orgasmic durian pod
cup of banana/carob raw ice cream
1 teaspoon spirulina powder
300ml water
Handful of sunflower seeds and a few sheets of nori
1 litre water
Box of strawberries
2 apples
1.5 litres water

so, that's what eating in the raw on the road looks like for me at the moment…pretty simple stuff - I love it...and here, if you’re curious, is a list of ten things I always have with me on my travels (in no particular order):

Earplugs
Enzymes and probiotics
Spare plastic bags
Plastic cutlery
Water to drink
Face scrub
Green powder
Pens
Camera
Inspirational cards (draw one each morning to set the tone for my day)

I’m headed to Jamaica next after the States this time round – if anyone has any tips on where to stay there, with good internet access, please do let me know ;) – drop me a line at angela@rawreform.com...

Happy travels ;)
One love,
Angela. xxx

Stuffed...

I did a live radio interview this morning. It was with a show that broadcasts out of Asheville, NC, called Virato Live. It was fun…Virato is apparently a cousin of Viktoras Kulvinkskas…You can listen back to the podcast of our discussion, here: www.viratolive.com.

May the 18th I had:

400ml water
700ml green juice with apple and ginger
500ml green juice
2 handfuls goji berries
1 small avo blended with one banana and maca, with a nori sheet
handful of sunflower seeds
600ml water
500ml water
700ml water
seaweed salad, raw veggie biryani curry, chocolate lava cake/ice cream all from Pure Food and Wine
700ml water

I ate at the divine Pure Food and Wine raw restaurant in NYC on Friday night…wow…this place blows me away every time – outstanding food, immaculate presentation, beautiful lighting and décor…I was there with two people new to raw foods and they LOVED it – hurray ;) By the way, I have recently updated the raw restaurants/eateries page on RawReform – check it out here and if there are other establishments you’d love to see added, just email angela@rawreform.com and let me know ;)

May the 19th I had:

3 litres water
box of strawberries
1 litre celery/apple/fennel juice
handful of sunflower seeds and dulse
500ml water
500ml water
500ml water

...yep…not much food action going on today…after eating raw restaurant food the last two days, this body was pretty much done with solids today…digesting combinations like that seems like a lot of work…my body didn’t ask for solids until around 5pm today and even then it was just fruit…it really fascinates me how things become simpler and simpler in this way…
So, I’m shimmying on out of New York tomorrow and down into Pennsylvania. It’s been a great week – I’ve met loads of great people, had some wonderful raw foods and visited some great places. One of my favourite places I visited this week was the ‘Peace Through Play’ nursery school in Chestnut Ridge, NY. I spoke there a few nights ago and had the chance to experience the beautiful energy of the space and grounds there. It is a wonderful place. They take kids from the ages of 3 to 5 and provide a nurturing curriculum based around encouraging independence, creativity and love. The kids shine – they receive a lot of raw foods to eat, learn yoga and the place is covered in beautiful pictures and inspiring slogans of all kinds such as ‘kids should be seen and heard and listened to’, ‘give peace a chance’ and my favourite:

What if the Hokey-Cokey IS what it’s all about?

Love it :)
One love,
Angela. xxx

NEWSFLASH... ;)

Tomorrow morning – Saturday May 19th – I will be doing a radio interview LIVE on air with popular radio personality Virato in North Carolina. The show starts at 10am Eastern Time and can be heard from anywhere in the world by listening in on http://www.viratolive.com. If you’re in the Asheville, NC area, you can also listen in on 880AM. It is a live interview, so feel free to call in to the studio with any questions – their number is 828-252-4348.
I will also be giving two lectures the following weekend in Asheville – the 26th and 27th of May – you can see more details about those events HERE...
Enjoy ;)
One love,
Angela. xxx

Metamorphosis...

I went to see the butterflies in New York’s Museum of Natural History today…WOW…they currently have a butterfly conservatory exhibit, which contains hundreds of live butterflies in a warmed, lush green environment…it was a wonderful experience to meet so many of these amazing creatures all at the same time – all kinds of colours and sizes and shapes…stunning…there were some great info posts abt them too…one explained for example how apparently when the caterpillar goes into the cocoon to undergo the metamorphosis into a butterfly, its cellular structure gets completely altered…it sounded in fact as if it pretty much liquefies itself, then restructures into a butterfly…LOL…how incredible…I also learnt that swarms of Monarch butterflies fly THOUSANDS of miles every year from Canada and the USA down to Mexico where they winter…WOW…imagine…those tiny little beings flying all that way, through all kinds of climates and weather…yep, those Monarchs really do get around ;)

On May the 16th I had:

1 litre water
500ml green juice
avo/lime/Himalayan salt/nori
500ml water
1 apple
500ml green juice with apple
500ml water
1 raw ‘California Bread’ from High Vibe
500ml coconut water
500ml water

I spoke at the High Vibe store Wednesday night in the East Village area of NYC. This is Bob Dagger’s place – who has interviewed me a couple of times now on Tribeca radio. It was a pleasure to meet him in person and see his much-loved little store which has apparently been around for about 13 years, providing people with raw food supplies, books, supplements and other healthy living goodies in the city. Dagger is clearly passionate about his work and caring for each and every customer that comes in – it was such a pleasant, calm atmosphere there, with loads of green plants, a little fountain and even a cute little old dog ;) Outside it was POURING with rain and the windy streets were awash with water, yet inside we enjoyed a cozy little gathering of raw food souls :) nice…

Today I have had:

1 litre water
½ a large papaya
500ml green juice with apple
piece of raw pizza and piece of raw pecan pie from Raw Soul
1 litre water
1 litre water
500ml water

Wow, the raw restaurant food I had in the middle of the day today kept me going the whole of the rest of the day – hmmmm…those more complicated combinations just don’t fit this body that well anymore in terms of digestion…I stayed on just water for the rest of the day and that worked great… ;)
Thanks for all the entries we’ve received so far for this month’s RawReform prize giveaway of a whole box of Lara bars…if you haven’t yet entered this free draw and would like to do so, just drop us a line at angela@rawreform.com and let us know your answer to the following question:

What has been your strangest detox symptom/experience with a raw lifestyle?

…and don’t worry about shocking us with your symptoms ;) there have been some pretty amusing stories shared already…

One love,
Angela. xxx

Strawberry Fields Forever... ;)

“There are places I remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all…”

('In My Life', The Beatles)


On Monday May the 14th I had:

1 litre water
500ml green juice
avo/lime/spinach/Himalayan salt stuffed in nori sheets
raw date/almond/mesquite bar
1 litre water
1 apple
raw burger with spring greens and sprouts
walnut truffle ball
1 litre water

Top highlights for me of being in New York so far include (in no particular order):
*speaking at Bonobo’s restaurant on Monday night to a lovely crowd of around 40 people…one of whom had just started Juice Feasting that morning ;)
*hearing an amazing group of 5 black guys busking on the subway – they sang ‘My Girl’ and it was just exquisite to these ears. I appreciated SO much the heart space that they busted open down there in the seemingly cold, harsh environment of the subway. People were smiling and enjoying the beautiful harmonies…and I found myself actually moved to tears, I found it so beautiful the way their voices transformed the whole space…
*visiting Strawberry Fields in Central Park today (see picture)…John Lennon was a MAJOR hero for me when I was growing up and it felt nice to go there today and connect in with that energy again a bit. I’d never been to the ‘Imagine’ area before and I enjoyed it…lots of people sitting around and sharing in the nice peaceful energy…the park is really beautiful to see right now with lots of blossom blowing and people enjoying the sunshine…
*enjoying lunch on the roof garden of the apartment block I am staying in, looking out over this whole huge sprawling city…wandering around the roof munching on nori rolls and making sense of this urban landscape…(there is a building on the next block that has a running track around the outside of it, perhaps about 1/5th of the way up the building...lol...WOW...imagine...I guess so that the workers in there can step outside the office in breaks and...run around the building...like little hamsters on wheels ;)
*enjoying the astonishing convenience of everything and anything I may want being available and on hand, just a few minutes’ walk away…wow…there are even about 4 juice places within a few blocks around where I’m staying…amazing…
*discovering today that I don’t need to go all the way up to Harlem to get food from the marvellous Raw Soul restaurant, as there is a juice place on 72nd street called ‘24 Carrots’ that stocks their stuff – NICE :)

Today – Tuesday May the 15th, I had:

1 litre water
2 peaches
700ml green juice with apple
avo/lime/spinach/Himalayan salt stuffed in nori sheets
raw date/almond/mesquite bar
500ml water
500ml water
600ml green juice
slice of raw blueberry cheesecake
500ml water
2 peaches
750ml water

I speak tomorrow night at the High Vibe store on 3rd Street, then the following night out in a little place called Chestnut Ridge, about 30mins north of the city…details on my events page, as always…

One love,
Angela. xxx

Raw in the Big Apple...

WOW…I am in New York City now…I am staying with a friend very close to Central Park, on the 35TH FLOOR of an apartment building…I don’t think I’ve ever been so high up in a building for so long…the city-scape views from here are just…extraordinary to my eyes…I am not used to seeing things like this…it’s like my eyes can’t quite read what they’re seeing…layers and layers and layers upon layers of buildings stretching back and out in all directions…it looks like a TV set or smthg to me… ;)

On Saturday, May the 12th I had:

1 litre water
500ml herb tea
400ml green smoothie
plate of fresh greens, avo, cumin, lime wrapped in nori sheets
1 extremely ripe mango
1 litre water
500ml green veggie juice
arugula (rocket) salad with sunflower greens, red pepper and avo followed by zucchini (courgette) noodles with raw marinara sauce and ‘meatballs, followed by walnut/coconut/chocolate truffles
1 litre water

I spoke Saturday evening at new raw eatery The Stand in Norwalk, Connecticut. What a sweet little place. Run by a lovely young raw couple, this has only been open a few months but is seeing great success already, helping people to cleanse and transition to raw, feed their children more healthily, attend inspiring events and connect with other like-minded people. The event was sold out. They made a marvellous 3-course meal, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all and pretty simple to digest. The portions were HUGE – I got half of mine wrapped to go for the next day ;) The audience were lovely – a lot of people very new to raw – it’s always fun to open up those doorways with people right at the start of this journey ;) I’ll definitely be back there to speak again at some point down the line…

On May the 13th, Sunday, I had:

700ml water
500ml herbal tea
450ml green juice
leftover squaghetti/tomato sauce/almond ‘meatballs’ with green salad and nori
raw date/almond/carob bar
1 litre water
1 apple, 1 mango
handful of dulse and sheet of nori, handful of spinach
2oz wheatgrass shot
2 apples
1 litre water

I went out walking last night in NYC to find some things to juice and on returning back to the apartment I discovered my feet were BLACK with dust and dirt from the city streets here – wow…I was shocked…I wear Crocs shoes, the ones with the holes all over them…and as I took them off, my friend and I laughed in complete surprise to see my polka-dotted black and white feet revealed…HOW did that happen…? I only walked about 5 blocks and back again…city life is definitely an adventure for me… ;)
I speak tonight at Bonobo’s Restaurant on E. 23rd Street, near Madison Square and on Wednesday night at High Vibe down on E. 3rd Street, between 1st St. and Ave A…see my schedule HERE for other dates and more info...
Hope to see you at a talk somewhere soon ;)
One love,
Angela. xxx

TV interview and food demo ;)

Today and tomorrow, the 14th and 15th of May, worldwide broadcasters SMTV will be showing two TV segments with me. Monday is an interview I recently did with them and Tuesday is a food demo. The screenings are as follows:

Monday 14th May, interview:
Healthy Living – Angela Stokes, RawReform
Showing at: 4am, 10am, 4pm, 10pm (EST)

Tuesday 15th May, food demo:
A Vegan Lifestyle with Angela Stokes
Showing at: 2.30am, 8.30am, 2.30pm, 8.30pm (EST)

You can see the full schedule here:
http://suprememastertv.com/schedule.php

SMTV show only positive programming. You can watch online at http://www.suprememastertv.com (or if you are in Europe, via Hotbird Satellite 6, at 13degrees East.)

ENJOY ;)

Subtle influences...

I met the grand-daddy of Juice Feasting on Wednesday night. I spoke in Houston, TX at a raw potluck and the marvellous Mr John Rose came along for the evening. John has been doing Juice Feasts for about 18 years and has helped thousands of others rebuild their health along the way. He passed on the concept to David Rain a few years back, who passed it to me last autumn…so, it was really exciting for me to meet this kind, gentle, loving man who is so ready and willing to help others help themselves. He works tirelessly sharing this message. You can see more about John at www.juicefeasting.com.

On Wednesday 9th of May I had:

750ml water
600ml veggie juice
1 small papaya
400ml water
avocado with spinach, cumin, Himalayan crystal salt, in nori
1 litre water
1 plate of raw potluck food – salad, eggplant pizza, fermented veggies and so on
1 litre water

The potluck was great – very ‘clean’ food – lots of greens and quite simple things – travelling all over this country, it’s so interesting to see the different character of the various raw groups and potlucks – some seem to be all about cakes and pies and chocolate and may have an air almost of ‘competition’ between the people creating amazing concoctions…and others are much simpler and ‘greener’…and of course all kinds of variations inbetween…I love them all and love too that I have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people this way ;)

on Thursday 10th of May I had:

750ml water
700ml celery/cucumber/kale juice
1 small papaya
500ml water
avocado/Himalayan crystal salt/spinach in nori
500ml water
box of strawberries
3 apples
1 litre water

WOW…I am SOOOO relieved – my old trusty laptop has finally been given permission to retire after 2 years of outstanding service in the name of raw food ;) A super-shiny new MacBook Pro has come to take over the task of helping me spread the word and so far, we’re getting on really well…I’m delighted. I had HUGE fear about how to transfer all my gubbins from one machine to another, then the nice Apple people sold me a tiny piece of wire – about 12 inches long that somehow sent everything from one machine to the other and *DING*, that was it, job done…hallelujah for the magical Mac people that help make my life so much easier… :)

Today – Friday 11th May, I have had:

750ml water
300ml prune soak water
6oz soaked dried prunes
500g watermelon cubes
250ml water
200g hemp seeds mixed with fresh bee pollen
600g watermelon cubes
250ml water
avo/lime juice/Himalayan salt/nori and dulse
400ml chamomile tea
1 litre water

Today was a travelling day for me…am back over on the US east coast now…I speak here tomorrow evening in Connecticut…I spent most of today on planes and in airports again…I seem to have developed a pattern of causing disruption around the X-ray machines lately…for a start, I am nearly always carrying some kind of liquid that the staff want me to dispose of or consume before they will let me through – often water, but frequently green juice, which raises a few eyebrows…then pretty much without fail of late, the security people always want to go through my food bag…I am starting to think this is just out of curiosity ;) LOL…today for example the guy was fascinated with my seaweeds and coconut butter, calling over colleagues for show-and-tell…it nearly always turns into a little raw food introduction conversation…I have begun to consider it like my airport outreach education work…lol…sharing the raw message with the world’s security check-point staff, one airport at a time…so next time you’re in an airport, look out for me at the x-ray area – I’ll be the one downing bottles of green juice and displaying packets of gojis… ;)

One love,
Angela. xxx

Back on form ;)

Wow, it's HUMID down here in Texas...I hadn't really anticipated that...the veins on my arms are nearly always up, I'm frequently thirsty and I feel inclined to wrench my hair up, away from my neck...and it's MAY...I choose to only imagine what it must be like in this kind of environment in the summertime...eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek ;)
Yesterday - May the 7th - I had:

1 litre water
250ml orange juice
600ml veggie juice
2 nori sheets stuffed with a mix of hemp seeds, flax oil and ground rock salt
500ml water
1/2 avo with handful of spinach and dulse
400g strawberries
750ml water

Back more into solids again now - throat and sinuses feeling SOOOO much better...wow...it's like being a different person again compared to a couple of days ago...the contrast between feeling less-than-optimal health then and this more familiar radiant raw glowing energy is HUGE for me...good to be reminded...
I saw the musical Stomp tonight. It was SO wonderful...so vibrant and inspiring. If you haven't heard of it/seen it, it is a group of men and women playing percussion on stage using everyday items like match boxes, brooms and kitchen sinks, yet creating the most phenomenal sound scapes and dance routines...it is simply electrifying...and no speaking at all...ahhhhhhhhhh, I do so love to go to the theatre...

Today I have had:

600ml water
450ml orange juice
650ml veggie juice
400ml water
1/2 avocado with spinch and nori
date/almond/carob treat
500ml water
2 oz wheatgrass juice
2 mangoes
750ml water

I've written this before, yet it is a constantly occuring issue, so I'm going to go into it again. If you have a YAHOO email address, are trying to email RawReform and think that you are not getting a response, PLEASE stop emailing us about it and CHECK YOUR SPAM BOX. Yahoo addresses seem to be incredibly challenging to deliver to and mail often seems to end up in the spam.
Please take a few moments to add the email domain 'at rawreform dot com' to your 'safe list' too and that will hopefully help. This is clearly frustrating for all involved and I am looking into solutions for this issue at the moment, to work better with Yahoo (and welcome any suggestions). For now, please be aware that we are not ignoring you - in fact, on the contrary, if you check your spam box, there are likely quite a few RawReform messages in there... ;)
One love,
Angela. xxx

My Raw Vegan Radio Interview - Listen Now :)

I'm excited to say that Raw Vegan Radio have just posted a lovely little 20 minute interview I did with them recently in LA. We talked about Juice Feasting, raw transformations and future projects...you can check it out on their site, here:

http://www.rawveganradio.podomatic.com/

I'm also excited to say that I am feeling MUCH better now, after the ear-candling-sinus-draining detox implosion of the last few days. Thanks for all the well-wishing messages ;)
I have been on almost totally liquids the last couple of days and that, along with lots of rest, plenty of enzymes on an empty stomach and aiding the detox by using one of the new, mega-sized enema bags, helped this detox process to really move on through...now there is almost no swelling in my tonsils, my energy is back, my voice works and my sinuses fell clear...hurray :)

The last couple of days I have had various amounts of:

Water

Watermelon juice

Green veggie juices

'Wild Blueberry Lemonade' from the wonderful Daily Juice bar in Austin, TX

Aloe Vera Juice

Orange Juice

Bee pollen

Green powder

I am grateful for this healing process...and excited to be ready and able to speak on Monday night for the start of the Juice Feast conference calls... ;) I next speak in public too this wednesday in Houston, Texas...hope to catch you somewhere soon... ;)

One love,

Angela. xxx

Back in the 'real-world'...

Ok...I'm out of the blessed sanctuary space of 'retreat-world' and back in the 'real-world' now...eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek ;) There are MEN in the 'real world'...and hotdogs that turn on rotating spits...and big cities...;) and yet we can of course choose to be at peace with it all and at every moment...and I do...

On May the 3rd I had:

1 litre water
250ml orange juice
750ml celery/chard juice
400ml water
400ml hot water with lemon
slice of watermelon
400ml water
1/2 bowl of spring greens with avo/oj/lime juice dressing
500ml veggie juice
1 litre water

On Monday we're starting up the 4-week series of Juice Feasting Teleconference calls - yeeee-HAH ;) I'm excited...I love this new communication medium for sharing the message with many people at once, without us all having to be in the same physical place ;) Somebody recently left a comment on this blog actually, asking why use juices rather than smoothies? i.e. why remove the fibre? Well, I see JUICE like medicine - it's like an elixir. You take a big pile of vegetables and ALL the nutrients in that whole stack get condensed down into a glass for you to drink. ALL those nutrients can then enter directly into your body and bloodstream in the most easily absorbable, assimilable way...Whereas, if you took the same stack of veggies and blended them together into a SMOOTHIE...for a start you are going to have a HUGE smoothie - a lot of volume to consume - either that, or you use fewer veggies, which of course then means less concentrated nutrients available for your body. Then, when you take the smoothie into your body, it still has the fibre in it, so it is more work for the body to use it efficiently. You are still activating a lot of energy for digestive power - whereas juices are very undemanding in terms of digestive power. The whole idea with Juice Feasting is that we're taking a BREAK from solids - we're moving the emphasis from digestion to elimination for the body's energy. So, that is why we use juices and not smoothies. The only real exception to that tends to be for those who are diabetics or have blood sugar issues - they can benefit from leaving some of the fibre in, especially at the start, to help soften and slow the impact of any sugars into their system. Hope that all makes sense ;)
So, if you have questions like that you want answered about JF, do join us for the 4-week teleconference series - you can read more about it here:

http://www.rawreform.com/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,36/category_id,12/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,55/

on May the 4th I had:

1 litre water
750ml veggie juice
400ml prune soak water
6oz soaked prunes
500ml water
150g watermelon
500ml celery/carrot juice
1 litre water

Right now I feel the most unwell that I have at any point in the last 5 years since going raw. Before I went raw, I used to ALWAYS be unwell, moving from one illness to another to another. These days, I just don't usually get illnesses. Right now my tonsils are swollen, my sinuses are draining in every direction they can and my voice is crackly. Wow. It is SO strange to feel so ill again and to remember that this is how I used to feel pretty much ALL the time and just accepted that as my normal state of health. So, why is this happening...? Well, it all started with a harmless little detox process of ear candling. I had never had this procedure performed and was fascinated to see what would happen...a friend administered the wax ear-tubes, which are lit at one end. As they burn, suction is created inside them and it helps to draw out any old wax and toxins lodged in the ears and sinus cavities. All well and good. I had the treatment and it was absolutely amazing - the stuff that came out of me just blew me away...suddenly I could breathe more easily, my hearing was clearer and here were this inch-long RODS of old orange earwax on a plate before me that had been drawn out of my body. I was very excited. I have known for a long time that there was a blockage in the sinus tube that runs under my right eye and I hoped that this finally would help that heal. Off I went, lavendar cotton buds in ears to aid their healing, feeling very pleased. The next day however, I took two planes. Hmmmmm. Sinus cavities and planes don't tend to mix so well together on the best of occasion and mine were now in a delicate state. They did not seem to appreciate the trips. I arrived to Kansas feeling immense pain in my head and sinus cavities, very weak and completely dis-embodied. It literally felt like my being was a couple of feet above my body and I could not get it down. I could barely comprehend what people were saying - my head swam. I went to the home of my host and laid down. Everything felt completely surreal. I awoke the next morning hardly able to swallow, as my tonsils were so inflamed. I coughed up a lot of mucus, yet swallowing is still an issue. When I was growing up, I often had tonsillitis. I usually used antibiotics to suppress the symptoms. It seems a lot of those old toxins are working their way out of me now...for which I am of course grateful - better out than in - but it vertainly is painful right now to even swallow - that's why my intake has been pretty much liquid the last couple of days...I can't handle anything else - my body is trying to heal...so, would I do ear candling again? YES, absolutely, I would just make sure I'm not going on any planes soon after ;)
All love,
Angela. xxx

Reaching Completion...

I keep forgetting to mention: NEW DATES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO MY CURRENT TOUR SCHEDULE…apologies for the extremely late notice, but a few more events are now up on the RawReform calendar – tomorrow (Thursday, May the 3rd) I will be speaking in Kansas City, then after that there are talks in both Austin (Saturday, May the 5th) and Houston (Wednesday, May the 9th) in Texas …you can check out the details here:

http://www.rawreform.com/component/option,com_events/task,view_month/Itemid,1/month,05/year,2007/

Hope to see you there if you are in the area ;)

Yesterday was…an absolutely phenomenal day for me…it was the last full day of the women’s retreat here in Michigan. We broke them out of their juice feast, we had an incredible sweat lodge and it was full moon in Scorpio…what more could we ask for…? ;) The lodge was…beyond words for me – an intensely grounding, humbling and serene space of sharing, sweating our prayers and then arising anew from the flames and heat, like phoenixes from the ashes…I don’t think I have ever sweat so much in the space of 3 hours in my life, it was an amazingly cleansing experience and my skin glowed after…and I literally could not bring myself to speak to anyone afterwards…it was a time of deep connection and wonderment for me and I was truly grateful for the experience…

Yesterday- May the 1st - I had:

500ml water
500ml peppermint tea
shot of wheatgrass
1 litre chard/cucumber/apple juice
400ml water
8oz soaked dried prunes (YAAAAAAAAY ;)
300ml water
300ml green juice
1 plate of watermelon cubes
500ml water
1 litre ‘5000 volts’ – celery/red pepper/garlic/hot pepper/orange juice
2 litres water

Going back onto solids again was an interesting experience this time round after Juice Feasting…I could see how totally indifferent I felt about foods and it was a strange thing to see…I was cutting up watermelon for example – one of my absolute favourite foods and I felt totally uninterested in reaching for a piece to eat…I DID however go back on to solids, as it felt like the time to do it, but I was very interested to witness my feelings about them…

Today I have had:

500ml water
500ml peppermint tea
½ shot wheatgrass
400ml liver cleanse drink
700ml apple/celery/beet/ginger juice
bowl of watermelon cubes
1 plate green leafy salad
meat of 1 young coconut
1 litre chard/celery juice
700ml peppermint tea
big chunk of watermelon
1 litre water

I woke up today feeling a lot of detox stuff going on, after going back on to solids and feeling the cleansing of the sweat lodge…sleep in eyes, running nose etc…interesting – that just some prunes and watermelon can make such a difference…
The power, beauty and magnificence that has been shown to us during this retreat has been magnificent to witness…the flow of energy, the love and sharing, supportive bonding and sisterhood…it has been simply joyous to hold this space here with this incredible group of sisters who have all felt enormous, powerful, life shifts occur in the space of these 7 days…how blessed we are, as they now go forth, back to their homes and loved ones and communities and can share this message of healing and light…wow…
So, it was absolutely clear that we want to hold this kind of sacred space again for another retreat and we have already put the dates in place – September the 12th to the 19th – and the places are already filling up, so please do get in there fast if you want to be with us next time round – you can see more details on Rawnora’s website – http://www.rawnora.com/ ;)

One love,
Angela. xxx