Food and Money...

I've been thinking a lot recently about the connection between money and food in our societies. My sense is that as most people at this point usually BUY food, rather than pick it from somewhere for free, there is a STRONG connection in our collective consciousness between food and money. This seems to easily lead to situations where people don't want to 'waste' any food and perhaps end up eating more than the BODY actually requires, simply because that food was PAID for with money... Imagine the relationship wild animals have with food in contrast...imagine a zebra overeating 8lbs more grass than it actually requires because it 'bought' it from an antelope and hence feels compelled to use it... ;)
Here's a suggestion – if you find yourself in a situation where you're feeling compelled to 'finish something off', let's say a basket of peaches that are over–ripe...step back for a moment and ask yourself a few questions: 'am I actually hungry?', 'does my BODY want this food, or my mind?', 'is the main reason I want to eat this so that I don't feel it has been 'wasted'?' and so on...maybe also try imagining that you're in an ORCHARD of over–ripe peaches – would you feel compelled to eat them ALL? It is not your 'responsibility' to eat something just because it is ready to be eaten...nature (and industry) produces food in abundance all the time and you don't have to eat it all – lol ;) EVEN if you've paid for a portion of it with money – it is ok to let things go to the compost pile/back to the Earth without passing through your body first...

I wrote something along these lines in my book 'Raw Emotions' – I wanted to re–visit these ideas here today though, as I find this money–food connection so interesting and bizarre – the more I look at humans, the more curiosities there seem to be... ;)

on September the 16^th I loved:

1 quart water

3 cups greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen juice: celery, parsley, lettuce, fennel, mixed sprouts, endive, ginger, lime

box of YUMMY zucchini noodles with amazing creamy sauce, from the delightful RawSeed, followed by a little handful of dehydrated granny smith/cinnamon slices

1 quart water

20 chlorella 'nuts'

2 apples with ½ a pack of freeze–dried durian and a little handful of the Kaia curry sunflower seeds

2 cups water

2 cups goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton

1 cup water

OooOoOooo, exciting news for those of you with little people in your lives, especially if they seem to be other–than–thrilled about raw food adventures... ;) Those delicious yummymummies over at RawMom.com have just launched the world's first raw food recipe book for children :) Called 'Monkey Mike's Raw Food Kitchen' this book is gorgeously illustrated throughout and contains 36 fun, easy–to–make, kiddie–approved raw food recipes :)

You can see ALL the details over on the RawMom site HERE and they even have a few videos posted there showing some gorgeous little girls making some of Monkey Mike's recipes ;) ENJOY...

on September the 17^th I was blissed with:

1 quart water

3 cups greeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, romaine, ginger, mixed sprouts, ginger, lime

bowl of energy soup with flax crackers and almond butter on the side, followed by a few slices of the amazing dried mangoes – wow :)

1 quart water

2 cups goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton

3 cups water

on September the 18^th I enjoyed:

1 quart water

3 cups organic watermelon juice

1 Tbsp bee pollen

3 cups greeeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, ginger, lemon

bowl of energy soup with flax crackers and almond butter on the side, followed by a handful of soaked Incan berries – yummmmm ;)

1 quart water

2 cups goji berry juice with Marine Phytoplankton

water of one young coconut blended with Greener Grasses and Merlin's Elixir

3 cups water

I promised to share with you some more of the charming poems y'all sent in for last month's contest to win Sarma MeIngailis' new book 'Living Raw Food'.

Here is a choice little selection of three more of your acrostic love tomes to the beautiful raw goddess Sarma:

-------

Succulent

Abundance

Rejuvenating

Mankind's
Appetite

Marie G.

––––––

Sarma, a noun derived from the Turkish verb sarmak, which means "wrapping" or "rolling". A name so perfect, it's karma.

A potent blend of business school, marketing smarts, raw ambition, and platinum blond hair.

Redefining raw, Sarma knows she's not selling food or virtue. She's selling fabulousness, glow, a luxury lifestyle. Sex in the City meets Whole Foods Market.

"Mostly raw food eating" she says--no guilt or apologies or crunchy self-righteousness. As Diane von Furstenberg says "I'm a vegetarian but admit that every now and then I want a slice of salami."

A girl who can concoct a spirulina cilantro smoothie and make drinking it look that sexy is talented indeed. Master Cleanse martinis anyone?

Melissa B–M.

–––––––

Oh my gosh...

New and fantastic experiences have now become a way of life!

Energy and

Love are in abundance now I've

Uncovered the special magic of raw food.

Can you guess who helped me along this journey?

Keen to know my secret?

Yes - it was all thanks to the lovely Sarma!

Down to earth, inspiring,

Unbelievably radiant,

Charismatic and able to

Kick start me into action...I'm forever grateful.

Sarah V.

––––––––

WOW – love it, thank you laydeeees, for sharing your creative flow ;)

All love,

Angelalalalaalaaaaaaaaaa. xxx

Raw Emotions Reviewed... :)

Awwwwwww, HERE is a lovely little online review of 'Raw Emotions' posted a couple of days ago by Maria Rippo over at BrightHub.com :) Maria is Managing Editor of the Alternative Medicine and Natural Health Channel at BrightHub and after coming along to one of our talks in Seattle, she decided to read and review Raw Emotions...
Here's an excerpt:

" I rarely read a book that I feel I would want to read over and over and over, but this book is surely one that will not be collecting dust anytime soon. It is not a book about diet at all, but one about recognizing, facing and working through the very real occurrence of food addiction. In this current culture, where the standard American diet (SAD) reigns, many people do not suffer from lack of self control as much as they do from a literal addiction to food. Without addressing this, a diet may very well only give temporary weight loss success.

If the food addiction aspect is not addressed, a person will likely gain their weight back. Angela Stokes addresses this issue in a non confrontational, gentle and empathic way that is truly transforming. The one common theme that came to my mind as I read this book was, "Why is this issue left in the dark by the mainstream?". Angela addresses this important question in her book."

Thanks, Maria :) You can read the whole review HERE.


on July the 29th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
1.5 cups greeeeeen juice
pot of pineapple chunks
1.5 cups goji water with Marine Phytoplankton
big bowl of blueberries and blackberries with almond butter
3 cups water
cup of frozen 'banana whip' at Arnold's Way with pineapple, coconut flakes and bee pollen – yummmmm :)
1 quart water

…and while we're on the subject of Raw Emotions, here too is a sweet little message sent in by another reader recently:

"I attended your seminar in Dallas. I've been reading Raw Emotions and must confess that page 47 brought me to tears. You've shed light on areas of my life and described what I've been doing but didn't even realize it. I so appreciate that you've taken the time to write this book." RD, Texas

:) Thanks, RD :)
It's so rewarding for me to hear feedback like this from people about this book and the way that it is helping to facilitate shifts in others' lives – this book felt like such an enormous project to bring to completion and so very cathartic for me to explore...and I love seeing and hearing about the ripples that are now flowing around as the book spreads its way through our individual and collective healing journeys...if you'd love a copy and haven't picked it up yet, you can get Raw Emotions HERE.

ENJOY :)

on July the 30th I had:

1 quart water
3 cups greeeeeeen juice: cucumber, celery, crab apples, ginger
handful of wild raspberries – WOW ;O
2.5 cups energy soup made with fresh picked greens (purslane, plantain, dandelion, clover, dill...)
3 cups water
1.5 cups goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton
30 chlorella nuts
double shot of wheatgrass/sunflower greens
1.5 cups of coconut water with Greener Grasses powder
1/5 quarts water


on July the 31st I loved:

1 quart water
2 cups goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton
3 cups greeeeeen juice from Liquiteria in NYC
yummy dessert treats from Bonobos – coconut chai drink, pineapple/coconut frozen pie and a mesquite ball – yummmmm :)
1 quart water
3 cups greeeeeen juice from Liquiteria
2 cups water

The primary theme of Raw Emotions is restructuring patterns, habits and behaviours that do not serve us positively...and on that note, I'd love to leave you today with a lovely little quote that recently landed in my inbox via the free daily emails from PhilosophersNotes.com – loved this one:

“It is a mistake for anyone to think he has lived too long in his old, unsatisfactory ways to make the great change. If you switch on the light in a dark room, it makes no difference how long it was dark because the light will still shine. Be teachable. That is the whole secret.”
~ Vernon Howard

Shine on, my beautiful friends :)
All love,
Angela Claire Stokes–Monarch. xxx