Vol. 25 No. 1.
JANUARY 2010
online magazine of the Cancer Support Association
wellness news
Patron – His Excellency Dr. Ken Michael AC, Governor of Western Australia
environment, wellness and healing
SURVIVING CANCER
4 STORIES OF SUCCESS USING NATURAL THERAPIES
INTENTION VS RESOLUTION
SET YOUR NEW YEAR’S INTENTIONS AND REALISE YOUR DREAMS
THE RAW FOOD DIET
DISCOVER THE ART OF BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED AND HIGHLY NUTRITOUS RAW FOOD PREPARATION
HOW RAW FOOD CHANGED MY LIFE
ONE WOMAN’S STORY AND SOME FANTASTIC RECIPES!
Cancer Support Association of Western Australia Inc.
2010
create the life you want!
editorial...
wellness news monthly online magazine of the Cancer Support Association of Western Australia Inc.
Resolutions vs Intentions This month’s editorial column comes from the inspirational Andrea Chervenak, author of the book ‘Heal with Hope: A Healing handbook & Journal’. Andrea provides the inspiration and incentives to set powerfulintentions and realise your dreams in 2010. Happy New Year!
I
Wellness News e-magazine is published online and distributed free to members of the Cancer Support Association and subscribers. Wellness News magazine is dedicated entirely to environment, wellness and healing. The magazine is for people with cancer or serious health issues; for people who are well and want to maintain their good health naturally; and for complementary, alternative and integrative health professionals. Please enjoy your Wellness experience!
news team... Editor Mandy BeckerKnox editor.wellness@yahoo.com.au Editorial Consultant Dr. Peter Daale
In fond memory of those who have shared part of their journey with us... Ah Bee Tan
Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there. I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain...
t’s that time of year again...we begin to focus on all of the things that need changing in our lives, and ourselves. And most of the time by the middle of the month, we have forgotten all about our resolutions. But I would like to suggest that instead of setting resolutions this year, set intentions. What’s the difference? Resolutions focus on change, intentions are your vision for the future. It is not about making instant change, but rather about making a commitment to focus your energy on what it is you want to attract and be. For example, you want to improve your financial situation. Write down on a piece of paper, “It is my intention to attract abundance and financial security to my life.” Or perhaps you want to lose some weight, “It is my intention to be at the perfect weight for my body.” Or maybe it is love you are searching for: “It is my intention to have true love and happiness in my life.” Each day use Gratitude Prayer and Visualization to continue to reinforce to the Universe what it is you want to attract to your life. As often as possible – or at the very least each morning before you get out of bed, and in the evening before falling asleep – give thanks for the knowing that the Universe (God) wants you to be happy, and to have all the things that will bring you happiness...because setting an intention is also about believing that there is a Divine Power at work to help you achieve greatness, and all the goodness that you wish for your life. So you might pray: “Thank you God for the great abundance and financial security in my life.” Or, “Thank you God for enabling me to be the perfect weight – for looking and feeling great.” Or, “Thank you God fo guiding me to true love and happiness.” As you give thanks, be sure to create a picture in your mind of what it is you want to attract – see yourself having achieved it, try to feel what it is going to feel like to have it. Most importantly have Faith, and trust in the knowing that all you need and want is on its way to you. It is my intention that your life is blessed with all good and wonderful things in the New Year! ✦
~ Andrea Chervenak
Who Am I? I am greatness that at times appears as failure… I am remarkable strength that is sometimes masked by traces of weakness… I am powerful beyond measure even though I often see with eyes too focused on limitation. I am the possibility of awareness and enlightenment, as I strive to love and to forgive – myself, and others. I aspire to be the peace I seek, and to live in a place of gratitude. I am the energy of my thoughts, actions, and deeds…created in alignment with the Spirit of magnificence and perfection. I am the hope that believes everything is possible...and so I am.
What is an Intention Affirmation? Intention affirmations are words and phrases you can use to declare your objectives, goals, aspirations, ambitions, and desires. Redirecting your thoughts by repeating or reading your intention affirmation frequently is a powerful method of reinforcing to yourself and to the Universe exactly what it is you intend for your life. From the book Heal With Hope: A Healing Handbook & Journal by Andrea Chervenak www.wearyourintention.com
in this edition... features 6 SET YOUR NEW YEAR INTENTIONS! 7 2010: THE YEAR TO BEAT CANCER 8 SURVIVING CANCER: 4 Stories of Success using Natural Therapies 10 18 19
THE RAW FOOD DIET: Discover the art of beautifully presented and highly nutritous raw food preparation 9 WAYS RAW FOOD CHANGED MY LIFE LUCKY TO SURVIVE CSA member Boo Hwa Chan shares his story
regular 2 EDITORIAL 3 PUZZLE Riddles & Brain Teasers THE NEWS Study verifies mammography screenings cause 5 INcancer; Mobile phone brain cancer link 15 16
FOOD & NUTRITION Pistachios Slash Lung Cancer Risk (14); Raw Food Dehydrators: What, Why, and How To Dehydrate Raw Foods (16) RAW FOOD RECIPES Napoleon of Spinach, Avocado & Sour Creamed Cashews; Lasagne
New Year’s Crossword
Answers on page 19. Puzzle from:www.puzzlerscave.com
CSA will be closed until 4th January 2010. CSA staff & Executive Committee wish you all the best for 2010 and look forward to a year of health, healing and prosperity for all our members and friends.
Across
1. New Year’s celebration 4. Party hat material 8. One way to change the government in the new year 10. Promises to change 11. A website is a __com (Free sermons @ Oneplace.com!) (3) 12. Find new treasures & pleasures 14. Good place to bring in the New Year 16. A place where partiers do not want to spend the night 17. Frozen white flakes__don’t eat the yellow ones! (4) 19. Fresh. Old things are passed away, all things become__in Christ. 2Corinth5:17 (3) 20. Purpose of parties, have __ (3) 22. Not me! 23. Night before. Christmas Day & New Year’s Day both have one 24. Month with New Year’s Day 27. Taxi (don’t-drink-n-drive car) 28. End of an__ (history) (3) 29. Bargains. January is known for shopping __ (5) 30. Crowd control for__revelers (5) 33. __ Square, NY celebration (5) 36. Celebrate with car horn 38. Forecast__for New Year’s Eve (7) 39. Drag out of bed
Down
1. New Years festivities with floats 2. Pasadena flowers for floats 3. Sunny balloon color 4. Earlier (years or arrests) 5. Tropical drink or fist in the face 6. Fun camper for exploration 7. Fatality. God will be our guide even unto_ Psalm48:14 (5) 9. Not younger as year passes 13. Everlasting life promised to Jesus’ followers. John3:16 15. What some women want 18. End. Jesus is the Alpha & __ (5) 20. God’s winter coat for animals 21. Champagne 23. Major celebration 24. Christ (offers new life for the new year, 2Corinthians6:2) 25. Torch property (urban renewal gone wrong) 26. 365 days 27. It’s ok to milk this, not people 31. Comply with Commandments 32. Bad bedtime 34. Unfun frozen road coating 35. Snarf chips ‘n’ dip 36. Person he likes to blame 37. Beer cask
About the Cancer Support Association of WA Inc The Cancer Support Association of Western Australia Inc is a nonprofit charitable organisation which was established in 1984. CSA’s key intention is to help people become informed, empowered and supported on their cancer and wellness journeys. CSA encourages an integrative, well-informed understanding of health and treatment options and strategies, and is committed to supporting all people, regardless of their treatment choices. CSA supports individuals who are living with cancer, their families, carers and the wider community through the services we provide, as well as through our widely distributed publications and unique cancer information website. CSA’s workshops, courses, groups, and complementary therapies are advertised throughout this publication and are held at CSA’s premises in Cottesloe unless otherwise stated.
CSA weekly program...
January 2010 MONDAY Meditation Made Easy .................................................................................10.00 – 11.30am Ongoing Lessons with Bavali Hill. FREE FOR MEMBERS (non-members $5)
TUESDAY Yoga with Sydel Weinstein ($10 / $5 members) ...................................... 9.30 – 10.30am Wellness and Healing Open Support Group ............................... 10.00 – 12.00noon with Dr. Angela Ebert Carer’s Wellness and Healing .............................................................. 10.00 – 12.00noon Open Support Group (1st and 3rd Tues) Reiki Clinic .....................................................................................................12.15pm – 1.30pm
WEDNESDAY Laughter Yoga with Kimmie O’Meara ($3.00) ...................................11.00am – 12.00pm Grief and Loss Open Support Group ................................................. 1.00pm – 3.00pm last Wednesday of each month Chinese Medical Healthcare Qigong ($10/$5 members) ............. 1.30pm –3.00pm with Master Andrew Tem-Foo Lim
THURSDAY Counselling with Dr. Peter Daale (by appointment) ........................... 1.00pm – 5.00pm
FRIDAY Meeting the Challenge 1 Day Seminar ................................................9.30am – 4.30pm 1ST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH with Dr. Peter Daale (and others).
DAILY Wellness Counselling and Information Sessions with Dr. Peter Daale ........................................................................................... by appointment General Counselling with Dr. Angela Ebert .................................................. by appointment Phone direct on 0414 916 724 or 9450 6724 or email a.ebert@murdoch.edu.au
MEETING THE CHALLENGE!
Please phone CSA on 9384 3544 or Changing check our website for further Life Information information. We can help you with information packs, course prices, forbookings. people with cancer presented confirm course times and make
one day cancer wellness workshop
NEW CSA members can attend free!
by Dr. Peter Daale, Paul Alexander & Bavali Hill
One day seminars for people living with cancer and their carers with a special focus on accessing key cancer information online, nutrition, and meditation. Held on the first Friday of every month. 2010 dates: 5th February; 5th March; 2nd April; 7th May; 4th June from 9.30am-4.30pm.
To book phone CSA 9384 3544
January 2010
...in the news Study verifies mammography screenings cause cancer
A new study presented on December 1 at the annual meeting
of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) verified that annual mammography screenings may be responsible for causing breast cancer in women who are predisposed to the disease. Epidemiologist Marijke C. Jansen-van der Weide from the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands suggests that doctors should be very cautious when screening younger women, especially those under age 30. There are many conflicting reports about the benefits of mammography screenings, particularly among younger women below the age of 40. Because there is a high risk among women with genetic or familial predispositions to breast cancer when getting mammograms, Dr. Jansen-van der Weide and her research team are suggesting that these women get an alternative screening. Ultrasounds, MRIs, and heat thermography screenings are some alternatives that do not expose patients to radiation. The study evaluated women in the high-risk group and determined that low-dose mammography radiation increased these women’s risk of developing breast cancer by 150 percent. Women under 20 who have had at least five mammograms are 2.5 times more likely to develop breast cancer than high-risk women who have never undergone low-dose mammography screenings. Study authors emphasized the fact that doctors should be cautious in administering mammograms to younger women, especially those with a family history of breast cancer. Moderate- to low-risk women were not evaluated in the study. Alternative screening methods were encouraged to reduce the risk of women in highrisk groups from being harmed by radioactive exposure. ✦ From: naturalnews.com, 15th December 2009
Mobile phone brain cancer link According to the Cancer Council, there are health concerns associated with exposure to electromagnetic energy. A 10 year study involving 15 000 participants on the connection between mobile phones and cancer is due to be released by the end of the year. According to Dr Walker, of the Cancer Council, the study will either show a slight or definite trend towards brain tumours. A similar study was previously conducted in Sweden, which showed a 250 percent increase in brain tumours.
WELLNESS NEWS 5
The Gawler Foundation 12 Week Cancer Self-Help Programme
Cancer, Healing & Wellbeing
Facilitated by Cathy Brown. Starts: Wednesday, 3rd February 2010. 10am to 12.30pm weekly at CSA
“Cancer is a challenge – something you can conquer. Use it to make changes in your life – the things you have always been going to do. Do them now and change them now. Be open to things you may never have explored before.” ON THE PROGRAMME YOU WILL LEARN TO: • Activate your potential for healing • Relax effortlessly and meditate deeply • Develop and sustain a positive state of mind • Understand the role of nutrition and healthy diet for healing • Develop strategies to manage pain and fear • Find meaning and purpose in life
WEEKLY TOPICS INCLUDE: Week 1: Introduction and Meditation 1 Week 2: Meditation 2 Week 3: Mind Training 1 Week 4: Food 1 Week 5: Food 2 Week 6: Pain Management Week 7: Healing Week 8: Causes and solutions for cancer Week 9: Mind Training 2 Week 10: Living and Dying Week 11: Healthy Emotions Week 12: Health and Wellbeing
Cost: $350 per person. Bookings: reception
While various studies offer conflicting findings, some suggest mobile phones are safe to use while others highlight the potential dangers affiliated, everybody must be aware of all risks involved. It might be too difficult to quit using your phone all together, but Dr Walker suggests that we should limit our use and use hands free as often as you can. Hands free does not include blue tooth and ear pieces, but rather utilising the loudspeaker. ✦
www.cancersupportwa.org.au
From: ninemsn.com.au, 19th November 2009
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Set Your New Year
6 WELLNESS NEWS
January 2010
Intentions
On the eve of 2010, thousands of individuals throughout the world set their New Year’s intentions using Tony Burroughs’ simple and effective methods for putting the laws of manifestation to work.
Tony Burroughs has authored nine books, including The Code: Ten Intentions for a Better
World and The Intenders Handbook, and he explains that intentions are considerably more positive and powerful than New Year’s resolutions. “As Intenders, we deeply comprehend that our thoughts and words are constantly creating our future. Therefore, we state our intentions out loud every day, framing them in positive and powerful words that are most apt to produce the results we desire.” Intention statements, framed negatively, evoke the opposite and do not work. For example, rather than say, “I intend I am not sick anymore,” as Intenders, we would assert, “I intend that I am in perfect health.” Because we haven’t mentioned anything about sickness or disease, it cannot be created from our statement. As Intenders, we are successful at manifesting because we add strong statements at the end of our intentions. When we finish stating an intention, we emphatically say, “So be it,” “So it is,” or “So it is done.” These words are powerful because they allow us to see our intentions as already having manifested. For us, the key to manifesting anything is to picture the end result from the beginning—to see it as “a done deal,” and then hold that vision in mind until it actually appears in our three-dimensional world. In order for our intentions to manifest, they must serve the highest and best good of the Universe, including ourselves and everyone concerned. We would never make an intention without including a “highest good” clause, as it ensures that only those intentions which are truly for our highest good will manifest. All other intentions that do not serve us or our fellow men and women will not be created. Intenders place tremendous value in coming together in community to make intentions with other like-minded and lighthearted people. At every opportunity, we take advantage of the fact that there is strength in numbers. We create Intenders Circles, in which we get together with others who align with us and who help us to envision our intentions as already manifested. This makes everything manifest more swiftly and easily. In 15 years of observing Intenders Circles in action, we have learned that it is of prime importance that we gather and work together in community in order to create a world where we live in peace, freedom, abundance and fulfillment.
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
January 2010
WELLNESS NEWS 7
Ten Intentions for a Better World
2010: the year to beat cancer
Support Life
A cancer patient has made a full recovery after being injected with billions of his
Seek Truth
fter two years he is still free from the disease which had spread to his lymph nodes and one of his lungs. Doctors took cells from the man’s own defence system that were found to attack the cancer cells best, cloned them and injected back into his body, in a process known as “immunotherapy”.
I refrain from opposing or harming anyone. I allow others to have their own experiences. I see life in all things and honor it as if it were my own. I support life.
I follow my inner compass and discard any illusions that are no longer serving me. I go to the source. I seek truth.
Set Your Course
I begin the creative process. I give direction to my life. I set my course.
Simplify
I let go, so there is room for something better to come in. I learn to trust by lining up with the highest good and knowing that I am guided, guarded and protected at all times. I am open to receive from expected and unexpected sources. I simplify.
Stay Positive
I see good, say good and do good. I accept the gifts from all of my experiences. I am living in grace and gratitude. I stay positive.
Synchronize
I am in the flow, fulfilling my desires and doing what I came here to do. Allowing beauty to guide me, I step into the present, where great mystery and miracles abide. I synchronize.
Serve Others
I practice love in action. I always have enough to spare and enough to share. I am available to help those who need it. I serve others.
Shine Your Light
I am a magnificent being, awakening to my highest potential. I express myself with joy, smiling easily and laughing often. I shine my light.
Share Your Vision
I create my ideal world by envisioning it and telling others about it. I share my vision.
Synergize
I see humanity as one. I enjoy gathering with lighthearted people regularly. When we come together, we set the stage for Great Oneness to reveal itself. We synergize. ✦
Source: Intenders.com
own immune cells in the first case of its kind, doctors have disclosed.The 52-year-old, who was suffering from advanced skin cancer, was free from tumours within eight weeks of undergoing the procedure.
Experts said that the case could mark a landmark in the treatment of cancer. It raises hopes of a possible new way of fighting the disease, which claims 150,000 lives in Britain every year. Ed Yong, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “It’s very exciting to see a cancer patient being successfully treated using immune cells cloned from his own body. While it’s always good news when anyone with cancer gets the all clear, this treatment will need to be tested in large clinical trials to work out how widely it could be used.” However, the treatment could prove extremely expensive and scientists say that more research is needed to prove its effectiveness. Genetically altered white blood cells have been used before to treat cancer patients but this is the first study to show that simply growing vast numbers of the few immune cells in the body to attack a cancer can be safe and effective. Normally there are too few of the cells in a patient’s body to effectively fight cancer. Dr Cassian Yee, who led the team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, said: “For this patient we were successful, but we would need to confirm the effectiveness of therapy in a larger study.” The work raises hopes that this approach could not only offer a more effective treatment for skin cancer, or melanoma, which kills around 2,000 people in Britain alone, but be applied to other cancers too. The patient was one of nine with metastatic melanoma, that is skin cancer that has spread, who were being treated in a recently completed clinical trial to test bigger and bigger doses of their own white blood cells. Larger, more elaborate, trials are now under way. Almost 9,000 new cases of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, are diagnosed every year in Britain, and nearly 2,000 patients die from the disease. Prof Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, said: “This is another interesting demonstration of the huge power of the immune system to fight some types of cancer. “Although the technique is complex and difficult to use for all but a few patients, the principle that someone’s own immune cells can be expanded and made to work in this way is very encouraging for the work that Cancer Research UK and others are carrying out.” Immunotherapy, in which a patients own immune cells are used to treat cancer, is a growing area of research that aims to develop less-toxic treatments than standard chemotherapy and radiation. Because cancer occurs when the body’s own cells grow out of control, the immune system only responds weakly. The ability of the body’s own defences to tackle cancer in this case is all the more remarkable because most deadly feature of the disease is its ability to colonise other parts of the body, when it becomes much more difficult to treat. A dramatic example of immunotherapy was reported two years ago by one pioneer of the field, Dr Steven Rosenberg of the US National Cancer Institute, who eradicated cancer from two dying men using genetically modified versions of their own cells. Both Mark Origer and “Thomas M” were suffering from advanced melanoma but the hope is that such methods could be customised to attack other common cancers, notably breast, colon and lung. Dr Rosenberg said the new work is an “interesting study that helps to confirm the effectiveness of cell transfer immunotherapy for treating cancer patients. We have now treated 93 patients with metastatic melanoma using their own anti-tumour cells with response rates up to 72 per cent. Mark Origer remains disease free now over three years after treatment.” ✦
From: www.telegraph.co.uk
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
surviving cancer
4 stories of success using different natural therapies By Barbi Trejo
Four very different individuals used four very different plans that have one thing in common: they cure cancer. These amazing stories can offer hope to individuals who are battling cancer. These stories profile the methods used by individuals who developed unique and natural treatments for cancer.
Living Proof – A Man’s Unusual Prescription for Bone Cancer In 1995, 54-year-old Michael Gearin-Tosh was diagnosed with myeloma, a form of cancer affecting the bone marrow. Myeloma is one of the most deadly forms of cancer. Faced with the prospect of chemotherapy, he decided to create his own natural protocol which included: 1. Gerson therapy entails juicing fresh fruits and vegetables; it is combined with three coffee enemas per day (www.gerson.org). 2. Regular acupuncture treatments. 3. He consumed enormous amounts of vitamin C, as prescribed by Dr. Linus Pauling. 4. He performed Chinese breathing exercises, a practice used for thousands of years. For one hour a day, he visualized inhaling oxygen through his toes. According to Gearin-Tosh, “I imagined the heroic Imperial Russian armies that defeated Napoleon in 1812 marching through my body, looking for white cancerous cells to hunt out and destroy.” Doctors gave him little likelihood of surviving no more than one year without chemotherapy. More than 7 years after that prediction, he wrote his book – a success story that will touch anyone who has fought cancer, along with friends and family members of a cancer patient.
January 2010
WELLNESS NEWS 9
apricot extract, 6 food enzymes, 6 parsley, 6 pau d’arco.
A Woman is Cured of 3rd Stage Cancer Using Nigella Sativa
4. She avoided cooking in the microwave. She also walked daily, drank only pure water and prayed a lot. Read her entire story at: http://healingplan.synthasite.com/the-story.php
Amanda’s Cure for Cervical Cancer
Nigella Sativa (or black seed, as it is more commonly called) is a well-documented cure for many forms of cancer, including pancreatic cancer. Black seed is used to treat everything from migraines to cancer.
Amanda says she cured her cervical cancer with a raw vegan diet, meditation and yoga. Her cancer diagnosis served as a wake-up call about her unhealthy diet.
A woman in Yemen, suffering from 3rd stage cancer, sought a natural treatment. She was advised to take black seeds with honey three times a day, in addition to garlic and honey, also taken three times per day.
According to Amanda, “A raw food vegan diet is based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed.”
Her husband faithfully crushed the seeds and mixed them with honey. He also crushed the fresh garlic and mixed it with honey. After three months, her cancer disappeared. The woman has continued to use honey and garlic, even after the disappearance of her disease.
Amanda has some advice for others faced with a new cancer diagnosis, “Right away I would continue to consult with your doctor. Change your diet. I think that you are what you eat and whatever you put into your body is definitely going to manifest. If you’re eating foods on a higher vibration, you’re going to run on a higher vibration. I would also recommend taking vitamins and drinking lots of water and doing some type of meditation. I think once you get into meditation, you’re able to listen to your body and you are actually more in tune to everything that’s going on around you- especially from within.
Breast Cancer Cure Using a Natural Diet Marilyn Brent, breast cancer survivor, has shared her story of survival using a natural cancer plan developed by Solomon J. Wickey. Her plan was very simple, comprised of the following elements:
Read more about Amanda’s cancer cure at: http://www.holisticvoice.org/AmandasStory.html
1. Drink fresh carrot and celery juice every day (1 pint each)
From: www.naturalnews.conm. Barbi Trejo is a natural hygiene foodist and loves the medicine of the earth. After being diagnosed with MS last year, she cured herself using herbs and juicing from the earth. She now spends her time helping others.
2. Maintain a healthy diet with no animal proteins, no sugars, salts, eggs, dairy, white flour or peanuts. 3. She also took some herbs for 9 weeks, which consisted of: 1 tsp red clover blend, 1 tsp whole
at CSA with Master Andrew Lim Every Wednesday from 1:30pm to 3pm in the Sun Room at CSA Cost $5.00 (CSA members) or $10.00 per class Phone CSA reception for more details on 9384 3544. Bookings not necessary. of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
The Raw Food Diet
10 WELLNESS NEWS
Spaghetti Alla Puttane
sca
January 2010
Raspberry Gana ch
e Cake
Discover the art of beautifully presented and highly nutritious raw food preparation By Richard Haigh
to Crunch Sweet Pota
What is the raw food diet?
Are you wondering about the new raw food diet? Raw food is
the next step in the trend toward vegetarianism and veganism, as well as organic concerns. This diet has been embraced by several celebrities, and there are restaurants catering to raw foodists. There are also many raw food recipe books available, as well as support groups and message boards galore for raw foodists, people who eat a raw food based diet. Many find the raw food diet compelling due to dramatic weight loss stories, as well as a belief in a healthier lifestyle and body, but this is not just your average diet.
It is a lifestyle change. Raw foodists point out that this is not necessarily a new diet, but that many cultures a long time ago ate most of their food raw, including paleolithic man, and eskimos. (No longer called eskimos, eskimo means eater of raw food). The raw food diet is a diet consisting mostly of raw vegan food, which includes raw fruits, raw vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Many raw foodists think that the more their diet is made up of raw food, the healthier their diet is, and the healthier they will become. This can also be true for your pets – cats and dogs have been found to benefit from raw food diets, although cats and dogs have very different digestive systems than people, so obviously their diets should be very different from a diet meant for human consumption. The raw food movement is in itself divided up into groups of people. Some will eat cooked food for a small percentage of their diet. Many of these people are combinations of the following groups:
Living foodists: these people follow a diet in which their food is made up of plant food in which the plant’s enzymes are still active, such as sprouted seeds and nuts. Juicarians: all of their food is in the form of home made juice, wheat grass, for instance. Some raw foodists will eat unpasteurized milk and some raw meats, but this can be a concern as cooking is often necessary to kill any unwanted bacteria. Temperatures need to be very high or very low to kill these bacteria, and eating food raw is an infection risk. Pasteurizing is a method of preserving milk, and unpasteurized milk needs to be very fresh to be safe. A small group of raw foodists will not eat food that has been processed by a machine at all, including juicers, dehydrators, blenders, and/or food processors. They believe in eating food in the most natural state possible. What are living foods? By some definitions, raw foodist are also life foodists, but a more specific definition implies that in living foods, the enzymes are active, and are therefore considered living. It is the difference between sprouted and unsprouted seeds or nuts (sprouted seeds or nuts are living). Some people will only or mostly eat living foods, believing in the health benefits of greater enzyme activity.
What foods do you eat on the raw food diet? On the raw food diet, you should eat foods in their uncooked state. Raw foodists avoid cooking, freezing, and anything involving chemical preservatives. Some raw foodists refuse to use juicers,
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
January 2010
WELLNESS NEWS 11
blenders, or food processors, believing that food should be eaten in its natural state. Most raw foodists will use kitchen appliances such as a juicer that do not change the chemical makeup of the food. Some raw foodists will not do anything more than cut their foods, believing they should eat food in its most natural state. You need to decide for yourself where on the spectrum you are. Some examples of foods you might eat include: wheat grass, fruits, vegetables, nuts, sprouts, seeds, aloe vera, and different types of seaweed. These foods contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, and with care, it is possible to get all of the essential amino acids (amino acids are what make up proteins). It may be necessary to take a nutritional supplement( aloe vera) in order to be sure to get all the essential nutrients. You need to make sure you get at least 2000 calories a day from your food and drinks, just for basic energy needs. If you eat less than 900 calories in a day, your body will go into starvation mode, which is not an efficient way to lose weight. Your body will want to hold onto its energy stores, as well as protect your brain (which is mostly made up of fat), by breaking down muscle tissues instead of fat tissues. These numbers vary from person to person depending on weight, but it is important to aim for about 2000 calories per day.
What people drink on a raw food diet On a raw food diet, drinks should also be raw. Raw foodists will drink purified water, freshly made juices straight from the juicer, aloe vera and coconut milk. Coconut milk comes from young coconuts, which you can often buy during the right season at a produce stand. Soda, juice, and other drinks purchased in stores have often been processed in some way, and thus are not raw. Juice made from the juicer can be made from a variety of fruits or vegetables, such as apples, carrots, lemons, wheatgrass and mangos. You can experiment with your own combination, or pick up a book on juicing. Be sure to clean the juicer very well in between, or it will quickly become an unpleasant mess. Tea leaves from stores have often been dried at high temperatures, and so are not considered raw. Tea leaves can be made at home by growing your own herbs and laying them in the sun to dry. The tea made with these leaves is often called Sun Tea. Do not immediately follow this by putting your new tea leaves in boiling water, as that would not be considered raw by some. Use warm water that is below 100 degrees, and you should be fine. Mint leaves can make nice teas if you are thinking about growing your own, or experiment with different herbs. Some honey can be an easy addition if you like your drinks to be sweet, or add a lemon for extra flavour.
How to start on the raw food diet When starting a raw food diet, people should begin gradually, with one meal a day, and slowly building up to about 70 – 90% raw. Some people may go up to 100% raw, although this can be difficult. Start by having a typical dinner such as a salad with a cooked vegetable side dish such as potatoes or yams, and gradually decrease the amount of times per week you allow yourself cooked vegetables or baked grains (or cooked meats, if you eat meat). Be sure your diet is simple for you to do, as an extremely complicated plan is not likely to be followed for very long. Some things you should look out for is that going on a raw food diet can be compared to a detoxification effect, and as your body adjust to this new diet and the new things happening in your digestion and the change in available nutrients and fats, there may be some side effects. You may experience slight headaches, sensations of nausea, and/or depression in a mild form. You should consult a doctor or nutritionist if these symptoms or other side effects continue. If these effects start, you may wish to slow down you change to the raw food diet, to allow your body more time to adjust. To start a raw food diet, an important first step is meal planning. You will need to carefully plan your meals to include foods which will cover all your dietary needs. Remember that if you plan all your meals carefully to meet your body’s needs, you should not have to be concerned about cravings. Our bodies naturally crave salt and/or sugars, because they cannot make them themselves. But a variety of foods can provide your body with everything it needs. If you cannot get enough of a variety, you may want to consider a supplement like aloe vera gel. After all, the whole point of going on any diet is to improve your health, not to cause a nutritional deficiency or a health risk. You will need to have a few basic things in your kitchen (it’s no longer
“
The greatest value of the raw food diet is its transformative value. To a great extent, when you take up the raw food diet, you become a new and different and better person. You don’t just stay the old person, only a little healthier. You become, to a great extent, a new being with new interests, a new philosophy and outlook on life, new goals and desires. You become more of your essence, your true and natural self. You become a person who is more a part of the one great life of Nature and less of the confused human world. You become less “of the world” and more “of the Earth.”
”
~ Joe Alexander
continued on next page...
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
12 WELLNESS NEWS
January 2010
...from previous page
the oven, the stove, and the microwave), such as: a juicer (also called a juice extractor) a blender, sharp knives (or just a sharp knife. A butcher’s steel is also useful) large containers for sprouting sprouts (more than one would be handy) dehydrator (some raw foodists will not use these, as the high temperature implies cooking) You may already own these kitchen tools and appliances, otherwise, you may want to invest in them. You might find yourself in need of them as time goes on. A juicer can make it much easier for you to ingest your raw food, especially at the beginning of your diet. A blender will help you to create different recipes and flavours, while a dehydrator will allow you to make simple breads and flavourful treats. While these methods do not allow you to enjoy food in its completely natural state, it does allow you to try out different flavours and textures, which can make the raw food diet easier and faster for a lot of people.
flavours. You then put the mixture in the dehydrator and allow your bread or cracker to dehydrate until it reaches a texture that you like. Or you can make a fruit crisp without cooking by slicing up apples and using sprouted oats as a topping. To this you could add cinnamon for a bit of a familiar flavour. A raw food diet can be very creative in ways of mixing flavours to provide pleasing tastes and textures. For more recipe ideas, there are many online message boards for raw foodists. You can also make many delicious smoothies by mixing water or juice with berries and fruit for a breakfast or dessert smoothie, or by mixing carrot juice with tomatoes and some green vegetables for a healthy lunch.
How to prepare food for the raw food diet There are many easy recipes available, in books and on the internet, for raw food meals, snacks, and desserts. A raw food diet can be a lot of work; so fortunately, there are many restaurants that cater to raw food enthusiasts which will allow you to take a break. You can combine fruits and vegetables with various sprouted grains in order to have breads, crackers, and desserts, so you will not feel deprived. It can be difficult to be eating differently from everyone around you, so a variety of fun and different foods can make this easier for you. When you begin a raw food diet, it may feel time consuming to spend a lot of time preparing food. It does take a lot of time. One way to make it more efficient is to prepare as much in advance or on the weekend as possible. As you get more used to your diet, it will become more efficient. (Be sure not to juice your juice in advance though – juice fresh from the juicer tastes much better, and many home made juices and smoothies will ferment if left to their own devices). Most raw foods are easy to prepare, although they take time and planning ahead. You simply cut a fruit or vegetable up and eat it. For some sprouts and seeds, you need to soak the seeds in water overnight to eat them in the morning. If you have a juicer, many combinations of fresh fruits and vegetables can be delicious while still being raw. On a raw food diet, you can still make breads and crackers using a dehydrator. You need wheat or rye grains, which you will sprout overnight, and then you can add ingredients to the grains such as peppers, dates, carrot juice, or other
There are many recipes for this and other foods such as sushi rolls and various dips available online and in books. It can take a lot longer to prepare food when done this way, and you may find at the beginning that most of your time is spent making yourself food, but remember that it is still important to eat a variety of foods, not just what is easiest. For a lunch, making your own bread and packing a salad can be an easy way to take lunch to work, or you can order a simple salad with no dressing at a restaurant.
Organic and raw food for the raw food diet Have you ever wondered what the difference is between regular and organic produce? Organic foods are foods which have been grown and prepared without using chemical pesticides or fungicides, but rather eco-friendly alternatives. Organic foods have been growing in popularity because many shoppers no longer see chemicals as useful “miracle” cures for people’s problems, but rather as ways for people to damage the environment and kill animals and birds as well as the insect pests they target. Organic foods are now in every section of the grocery store, not just fruits and vegetables, but consumers now have organic cookies and cakes available to them, as well as organic dairy products. Organic foods are available in many sections of your local grocery store, as well as in new grocery store chains which are opening, featuring all organic and earth friendly foods. These stores and foods can be more expensive than “regular” fruits and vegetables. This is because it can be harder to grow organic fruit which is still appealing to the consumer, and it can be difficult to protect a large crop against insect pests and animals. Organically grown crops are therefore usually smaller, which brings up prices. However, this can be a worthwhile investment in your family’s health and in the environment. Because of this, organic foods are rising in popularity, which should allow companies and farms to invest more in producing an even greater variety of organic foods for your enjoyment.
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
January 2010
WELLNESS NEWS 13
One concern many people have with organic food is the inconvenience of finding organic foods, but there are now companies in many larger cities which will deliver boxes of organic food to your doorstep once a week. This can make organic produce even more convenient than regular produce, as well as encouraging you to eat a variety of organic food. Organic foods are a natural choice for raw foodists, as raw foodists often want to avoid unnecessary chemicals in any form, not just chemical preservatives. Thus, organic foods fit well into a raw food lifestyle, allowing raw foodists to be sure that at every step of the way, their food has been free of chemicals and of processing. Not all raw food you eat must be organic, as it can be difficult to find organic options in everything, especially grains. Raw foods are not the same as organic foods, as many people who buy organic foods will eat cooked, frozen, and processed foods – they are simply avoiding chemical pesticides and fungicides. However, it can be advantageous for a raw foodist to eat primarily organic produce. Regardless of whether the produce you buy is organic or not organic, all produce should be carefully washed before being consumed. Organic foods are not the same as raw food, although organic foods arrive at the store raw and are thus an easy choice for raw foodists.
bags as cereal. One advantage you may find with a raw food diet is in price. While prices for organic foods may be higher, you are still saving money by not buying prepackaged foods or processed foods from the freezer aisles. Any diet which cuts out meat is less expensive already than a regular diet. With the growing popularity of raw food, veganism, and vegetarianism, there is a greater variety of food for you to try, even while on a restrictive diet.
How to find food for the raw food diet One difficulty with the raw food diet may be in finding the raw foods so that you can prepare them for yourself. Most food available in grocery stores has been frozen, cooked, or processed in some way. It’s easy to find certain raw foods at your local grocery store. Almost all grocery stores have fresh produce available, as well as bulk or bagged nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and other foods for you to try. Some areas will have organic grocery stores, where you can be sure that none of your foods have been treated with pesticides. In other areas, it can be harder to find organic produce, and it may be easier to grow it yourself in your own garden. Look around your area for a farmer’s market.
Another option for a raw foodist to easily obtain raw food is to grow their own food. Sunflowers, tomatoes, carrots and strawberries can easily be grown with a minimum of work. Also, many herbs can be grown, and many flowers are actually edible. Edible flowers can be researched in many books and on the internet. A word of warning about plants and seeds. Many raw foodists eat seeds and other parts of plants. Be careful while doing this, as it can be dangerous to become experimental about what you eat. Some parts of plants (even plants that are edible) are poisonous and will make you sick. For example, while tomatoes are edible, other parts of the tomato plant may make people sick. Only eat the parts of plants that you know to be edible.
Using a backyard garden for the raw food diet
Buying food directly from the farmer can give you more confidence in the freshness of the food. You could also consider going to different produce stands, as a way to get more variety and new things to try in your raw food journey. If you live in a city with a Chinatown, for example, many different fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts are available. Raw grains may be harder to find. If you have an alternative food store in your area which caters to raw foods, or a bulk section in your local grocery store, you can often find raw grains. If not, you may need to order them from an online store or hunt farther afield for a grocery store which carries them.
Many raw foodists also believe in organic foods, as organic foods are better for the environment and can be better for you. Avoid pesticides and other chemicals harmful to yourself and to animals by buying organic fruits and nuts, and you could try growing your own food in a backyard garden. If you don’t have a backyard, you can try container gardening for some smaller plants, such as herbs for tea. In choosing what to plant, you first have to consider what will grow in your area. Also, and this should be fairly obvious, plant things you will want to eat and be able to eat raw. Many people plant things because they are easy to grow – zucchini comes to mind here – and then end up with so much that they cannot give it all away. Nice things to grow might include carrots, a zucchini plant, a few tomato plants, and some berry bushes. Strawberries are easy to grow in a pot and can be fun for kids.
Raw oats may be relatively easier to find, as they often come in large
continued on next page...
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
14 WELLNESS NEWS
January 2010
And there is nothing nicer than walking outside and snapping a few peapods of your pea vines and eating them right of the vine. Plant in early spring, after you are sure the final frost has finished. Before planting, prepare the soil with a layer of compost or manure. Let it sit for a few days before beginning your garden. Each package of seeds will have instructions as to when and where to plant the seeds. After the planting, water the soil with a generous amount of water. Be careful to leave tags to show where you have planted your rows, so that when the plants begin sprouting, you do not mistake them for weeds. To keep pests away in an organic fashion, spray the leaves of your plants with soap and water if you see aphids( Aloe Vera soap is very good for this purpose). Some insects are your friends, though – ladybugs will eat aphids, for example. If you are container gardening, either because you don’t have a backyard or you just want more garden space, make sure your container has proper drainage. If water stays in the soil, the roots can rot. If your container does not have proper drainage, try putting a layer of pebbles at the bottom, where water can sit. This way the water drains out of the soil, and can later be reabsorbed by the soil if needed, but your plants’ roots are not sitting in wet dirt all the time. Be careful not to over water. In your container, plant plants that do not need a lot of space. Small herbs are often good choices, as they can then be easily tended. Tomato plants or cherry tomato plants will work well in an outdoor container, with some sort of stick, wall, or other support for when they grow taller. You would be surprised at the number of things you can grow in your own backyard: an Aloe Vera plants grows very well in pots and is very useful for that odd burn, but also will look nice in your garden.
Why you should go on the raw food diet A raw food diet may seem like a lot of work for benefits that can be obtained with other diets, but there are many reasons why raw foodists eat raw foods. Believers in the raw or living food diets follow their diet because they believe it causes: • improved health – lower risk of heart disease, probably due to the raw food diet’s lack of trans fats • weight loss – in some people, weight loss has been rather dramatic • improved digestion – in any diet with a high fibre content, you should see improved digestion • improvements in appearance of skin – this is different in everybody, but a diet low in fats and oils may produce better skin appearance • increases in energy levels – again, this is different in different individuals, many individuals will feel increased energy levels when pursuing any health benefit It is also believed that cooking, freezing or processing foods destroys vitamins and minerals and causes food to become harder to digest. Some have said that partially digested fats, proteins, and carbohydrates clog up the digestive system and arteries, and while this may cause images of partially digested food stuck in various vessels of our bodies, it is important to remember that while cholesterol can build up in our bodies and end up stored in our arteries if too much
HDL is present, it is also essential for our nervous system. Some fat is necessary, and it is possible to get that fat in a variety of ways. Undigested proteins and carbohydrates simply pass through our body. If they are digested and unused, they convert to stored energy as fat tissues. However, raw foods may be an advantage, especially in weight loss, because it is rare for a raw foodist to eat more calories than they can use, and so there are no extra proteins and carbohydrates going into the body to be converted into fat rather than to be used as proteins. Raw foodists also believe that raw foods contain enzymes which act as catalysts to the digestion of food, and processing the food by cooking or freezing the food destroys the enzymes. Raw food contains bacteria which also aids the digestive system, while stimulating the nervous system. Raw food is thought to be less toxic and more easily digested. It is also believed that raw food contains more vitamins and minerals than cooked, frozen, or canned foods. Raw food living is also better for the environment, as no animal products are consumed and less electricity is used if you don’t cook or freeze your food. Many raw foodists also eat primarily organic foods, which use no pesticides and are therefore better for the environment and for the eater.
Where do you get protein from on the raw food diet? People need a balanced diet, and one of the major things that people need is protein. While there are some types of amino acids we produce ourselves, there are a number of amino acids that we cannot produce in our bodies. These are the 13 essential amino acids. A healthy diet needs to include about 25-35 grams of protein daily, depending on your weight. Many people, including many raw foodists, believe that our bodies will simply produce all the amino acids that our body needs, so long as we get enough protein. Raw food advocates often say that our body has a “pool” of amino acids that it can pull amino acids from, so long as we take in enough protein in our diet. The actual important point is to ingest the variety of amino acids needed. A plant may contain some amino acids, and may contain the required amount of protein that is needed, but it will not contain the whole set. It is important to eat a variety of vegetables and legumes in order to guarantee that you are getting all the required amino acids. If you go on a raw food diet, you may need to consult a nutritionist who knows about raw food diets to ensure you are getting what you need. A nutritionist can tell you what foods to add to your diet in order to fill any gaps in proteins or other nutrients, and might suggest a dietary supplement. A protein deficiency or other nutritional deficiency can take time to have any effects, but by the time the effects show, you may have already caused a great deal of harm to your body. It is better to check
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
January 2010 first. An example of how this might work is that certain plants, such as corn, contain many of the essential amino acids, but not all of them. The holes left by corn could be filled by certain types of beans or peas, which also contain many different amino acids, including the ones that corn is missing. This can allow you to take advantage of the overlap in amino acids provided. On the raw food diet, it can be difficult to eat corn, but corn can be dried. (Maybe even dried, ground up in the food processor, and added to a smoothie). Some raw foodists eat raw meat and dairy products, such as unpasteurized milk, and thus will have less concern about proteins and vitamin B12. This can be risky with the growing concerns about salmonella and ecoli, not to mention staph infections and other bacteria that can be picked up. These bacteria are normally killed in either the cooking or the freezing process. Some restaurants serve raw fish, but these chefs have been specially trained in not cooking the fish, and the raw fish will have been frozen at some point in time. ✦ From: www.aloeveraexpress.com. Information in this article is intended for informational purposes only. Before modifying your diet seek the advice of a health professional.
WELLNESS NEWS 15
Concerns about the raw food diet A
n important part of any diet is variety. Humans need a lot of different foods in their diet in order to provide all the essential nutrients we require. Many doctors and nutritionists have criticized raw food diet as being too restrictive. While a raw diet is high in many nutrients, as well as fibre, and tends to be low in fat, it can be difficult to eat the required amounts of other nutrients. A raw food diet can require a lot of work and research in order for the raw foodist to ensure that they are receiving all the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals, and not all people are able to do this research. While in the short term, this can be harmless, a diet missing important nutrients can be harmful to health. In a raw food diet, careful attention should be paid to getting enough protein and the right variety of protein, as well as certain vitamins that people normally intake in meat and dairy products. Because vegetables do not have the complete spectrum of the 13 essential amino acids, care should be taken to be certain all essential amino acids (proteins) are included in the diet. Many raw food advocates say that are body will produce the missing amino acids from the proteins that we do have, and while our bodies can produce some amino acids, the reason certain amino acids are called essential is because these are the amino acids that cannot be produced by people.
Pistachios Slash Lung Cancer Risk P
eople who want to avoid the leading cancer killer have a friend in the pistachio. According to the latest research on this nutritional nut, pistachios help reduce the risk of developing lung cancer because of their high gamma-tocopherol content. Gamma-tocopherol is a form of vitamin E that has been proven to be an effective cancer deterrent. Researchers from Texas Woman`s University in Houston supplied a group of 18 healthy participants (who were chosen at random) with two ounces of pistachios. The pistachios were to be eaten every day for a period of one month (two ounces = about 117 pistachio kernels). The other group of 18 did not eat pistachios but, other than that fact, ate the same diet as the first group. Through various testing procedures that analysed their vitamin E levels, the researchers found that the pistachiomunching group had higher levels of gamma-tocopherol. As aforementioned, prior studies have found gamma-tocopherol to be effective in protecting men from prostate cancer. And based on this latest round of findings, the gamma-tocopherol in pistachios are every bit as effective in warding off lung cancer. Penn State researchers say a daily dose of pistachios “lowers” cholesterol levels by as much as 11 percent; nutritionists recommend them to people who want to “lower” their calorie intake (i.e., pistachios are the lowest calorie nut); and a 2008 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says pistachios “lower” the risk for cardiovascular disease. ✦ From: www.naturalnews.com, 1st January 2010
A nutritionist can be consulted and will inform you of what foods to eat to make sure you have all 13 amino acids in sufficient quantities. Another concern is vitamin B12, so you should ask about that, too. Raw Foodists can be very focused on the health benefits of enzymes from raw foods, without realizing that each enzyme has a specific task and a specific reaction that it catalyses, so just having more active enzymes will not actually help. It is also necessary for raw foodists to remember that our digestive system will break down any enzyme into its component parts, and thus active enzymes are not always necessary. Nutritionists’ opinions: Nutritionists and dieticians have pointed out many benefits and drawbacks to a raw food diet. The raw food diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease and some types of cancer, because it is high in nutrients while having very low levels of saturated fats. The raw diet is also fibre rich, low in salt and high in potassium. There are some drawbacks pointed out by nutrition scientists: a raw diet is very limited in variety and does not include meat, potatoes, and cooked grains. This can lead to mineral and other nutritional deficiencies by limiting the amount of nutrients a raw foodist will intake. Research also disagrees with one of raw foodist’s basic ideas, that fruit and vegetables should be eaten raw because cooking destroys nutrients. It has actually been shown that some nutrients are more easily digested into the body after the fruit or vegetable has been cooked. Benefits that the raw food diet shows can also be found in other diets, as many diets are commonly low in trans fats, high in fibre, and heavily encourage fruit and vegetable consumption. Other diets, however, allow meat, potatoes, and cooked grains, which are considered by many to be an essential part of a diet. ✦
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
16 WELLNESS NEWS
January 2010
“I will eat well in 2010!”
raw food recipes
This month’s recipes are by leading raw food chef Russell James. Subscribe to his e-zine ‘News from the Kitchen’ at therawchefblog.com For the pepper sauces The following is for red pepper sauce, if you want yellow pepper sauce as well then you should repeat with yellow peppers 2 red peppers, chopped 2T olive oil 1t salt
Napoleon of Spinach, Avocado & Sour Creamed Cashews For the Napoleon Crackers 1c tomatoes 1T Italian seasoning 3 sun-dried tomato halves 15 basil leaves 1/2t salt 1T lemon juice 1T agave 1/2c pumpkin seed meal* 1/2c flax meal* *Pumpkin seed and flax seeds meal is simply the seed turned into powder in a high-speed blender or coffee grinder Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Spread in 6 even ’rounds’ on a dehydrator sheet, and dehydrate for a few hours until they can be removed from the sheet. Dehydrate for a further 6 – 8 hours at 45 degrees C, or overnight until fully dried.
For the sour creamed cashews 1c cashews 1/2t salt 2t lemon juice 1t apple cider vinegar 3t minced lemon thyme, minced (or regular thyme) Blend all ingredients, except the thyme, in a high-speed blender until smooth. Add thyme and pulse until fully mixed in.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and dehydrate for 6 – 8 hours at 45 degrees C Once removed from the dehydrator, place in a highspeed blender with 1t olive oil, 3t water and 1t lemon juice, and blend until smooth. You may have to add more water, depending on how dry your peppers got during dehydrating.
For the assembly Prepare 300g spinach by mixing in a large bowl with 2t salt and 2T olive oil. Massage the spinach until it wilts and takes on a lightly cooked appearance. Cut open 2 small avocados and, using a spoon, remove the flesh from each half in whole pieces. Cut each piece into a ‘fan’ by slicing them several times, 4/5ths down the length, leaving them connected at the top. You should then be able to fan them out. Assemble by starting with a napoleon cracker then adding a layer of spinach, one of the sliced avocado halves, and finally some of the creamed cashews. Repeat this for a second time and garnish with the pepper sauces. From: News from the Kitchen, issue 8
Raw Food Dehydrators: W How To Dehydrate Raw F A dehydrator is a tool that uses low temperatures and a fan to dry food. It essentially removes the water from food, but it keeps the enzymes of your raw food intact. In my opinion dehydrated foods are not the easiest thing for your body to digest: it’s not the closest thing to nature. Essentially you don’t have the water content and that means it’s not the ideal food.
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
January 2010
WELLNESS NEWS 17
Lasagne Serves 9 large portions. Can be made in a 33 x 27cm (or similar size) lasagne dish, or made as individual portions on the plate.
Nut Cheese 2c macadamias 1c pine nuts 2 T lemon juice 2 T nutritional yeast 2 yellow peppers
2T fresh parsley 1T fresh thyme 1t salt ½c water as needed
Process all ingredients together adding as little of the water as possible until a fluffy consistency is achieved.
Walnut Meat Layer 1 ½c walnuts soaked 1 hour or more 1c sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 1 hour or more 1T dark/brown miso
2t dried oregano 2t dried sage 1T nama shoyu ½t cayenne pepper 2T olive oil 1T agave nectar
Grind all ingredients in a food processor, leaving the mixture slightly chunky.
chopped 1 ½T dried oregano 1/3c olive oil 2T lemon juice
Process in a food processor until smooth.
Green pesto 2 c tightly packed basil leaves ¾c pine nuts or walnuts ½c olive oil
6c torn spinach 5T dried oregano 3T olive oil 1t sea salt Place all ingredients in a bowl to marinade and wilt for 1 hour or longer, putting the covered bowl in a dehydrator will help this process but it’s not essential.
For the assembly 5 medium courgettes (zucchini), cut lengthwise and marinated in 1T of salt and 3T olive oil for 10 minutes. Pinch black pepper
Tomato sauce 1 ½c sun dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours or more 2 soft dates 2 cloves garlic 2c tomato, seeded and
Spinach Layer
1t salt 1 clove garlic 1T lemon juice
Process all ingredients, leaving plenty of chunkiness!
Assembly method: Line the base of your dish with a layer of the courgette strips that slightly overlap. On top of this put down a layer of the walnut meat, then the cheese, then tomato sauce and finally the pesto on top. Finish this with another layer of slightly overlapping courgette strips. Repeat before adding the final layer of courgette, take your wilted spinach and create an additional layer with that. Placing the whole dish in the fridge for several hours will firm it all up slightly which will make it easier to cut into portions. Garnish individual portions with black pepper and a sprig of basil. From: News from the Kitchen, issue 2
What, Why, and Foods
How to Dehydrate Raw Food Most dehydrators come with a temperature setting, and as long as you are dehydrating at temperatures below 44-48C you’ll be keeping your ingredients “raw”.
That being said, I think dehydrated foods are a great way to transition to raw food, and even as a great gluten-free treat. Most of the dehydrated foods can replace the textures and tastes of the most addictive foods like bread, cookies, and chips. ✦
The Excalibur 3900 Deluxe Series 9 Tray Food Dehydrator
Simply clean and cut your fruits or vegetables and place on your dehydrator trays. Depending on how watery the produce is you might need to dehydrate for a longer time. Dehydrated fruits and veggies make great snacks, or can be used to top salads or in sauces and soups. ✦ By Nathalie Lussier. From: rawfoodswitch.com
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
18 WELLNESS NEWS
January 2010
9 Ways
Raw Food Changed My Life By Nathalie Lussier
There are a lot of easons for going raw. To lose weight, solve a digestive problem, or heal your relationship with food. Here’s a list of 9 things that resulted from adding more raw food to my diet.
1. Try New Fruits and Vegetables
One of the interesting things that happened after I started eating more raw food, is that I started to try different things at the supermarket. I tried all kinds of new vegetables and fruits that I had never even heard of before. Some of my new favorites include durian, mangosteen, and persimmons. I also rediscovered some of my old favourite fruits like strawberries and raspberries. I used to pick raspberries from my grandmother’s garden when I was a kid. Going raw rekindled those memories.
2. Get Started Gardening I was never much of a gardener, but after going raw I realized that we are much more connected to nature and we think we are. Starting a garden was a revelation for me. I discovered how the earth we walk on every day is responsible for the food we eat. (Yes, even meat!) Now I just love going through the garden and figuring out all kinds of tricks to get better results. Weeding the garden isn’t as fun as planting or harvesting, but it’s still a fun and enjoyable activity for me.
3. Try Alternative Medicine At the same time that I decided to go raw, I also decided to explore the world of alternative medicine. Not so much by choice as by circumstance. With the magic of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I was able to heal a lot of my internal imbalances naturally.
I didn’t know how to feed myself so I resorted to lots of packaged and pre-made “foods”. Going raw really taught me about nutrition and how to make food for myself, and for others. That’s really made a big difference for me, because I don’t have to look in the fridge and cupboards and wonder what to eat.
6. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Everything we do has an impact, and right now everyone is even more aware of the impact that their food choices are having on the planet. I learned that for 1 person eating a piece of steak, there are 49 people eating out of an empty bowl. If you don’t have steak, all 50 people could have grain in their bowls, including you. Meat has many more hidden “side effects” than we like to think about when we’re having a nice dinner – and all of these hidden steps cause so much environmental waste.
7. Improve Your Grades I went raw during University, and I truly believe that raw food helped me get better grades. I was able to concentrate better in class, and to prepare meals quickly for myself. Starting my day off on the right foot and focusing really helped me to learn better, and I definitely got better grades after I went raw.
8. Make Doing Dishes Less Boring
Chinese Medicine also places a lot of importance on the foods we eat as medicine themselves. Just like Hippocrates did, saying “Let Food Be Thy Medicine.”
With raw food there are no greasy pans. Yes, if I want to make something complex I might need to use a bunch of different ingredients and appliances. But overall, there’s a lot less greasy pan scrubbing, and a lot more going outside to enjoy the sunshine.
4. Reduce Acne
9. Increase Your Self Confidence
I’ve had acne since I was 10 or 11 years old. My parents and I thought it was just my hormones, and so I went on the birth control pill when I was young.
Now that I’ve educated myself about what’s healthy and what’s not, I feel that I have more control and understanding of what is going into my body. I no longer have to look at so-called experts to figure out what it is to eat.
Back when I was a kid, my vegetarian martial arts instructor, used to tell me that food was causing my acne. Of course I didn’t want to believe it, so I continued to ignore this advice. Now that I’ve been raw, and the longer I stay raw, the clearer my skin looks.
5. Take Back Your Kitchen Before going raw I knew very little about cooking or preparing food for myself. I ate at a cafeteria in high school and University.
Whether meat is good or meat is bad, or carbs are good and then carbs are bad. It doesn’t matter to me anymore. I make my own choices, and I listen to my body to find out if I need to make any changes to my diet. ✦ Nathalie Lussier is a Raw Food consultant and coach based in Canada. She is the author of the book ‘5 Witchy Ways to eat More Vegetables and hosts a comprehensive raw food website and ezine rawfoodswitch.com
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
Lucky to Survive! By Boo Hwa Chan
There are many people of all ages around the world who are diagnosed with cancer and are lucky enough to survive.
Sadly, according to Cure Cancer Australia Foundation information 1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer. To survive from cancer you need a tremendous amount of bravery and courage – which is a testament to the human spirit. I was diagnosed with rectal cancer in June 2005 and four years later received the news that the cancer has gone into remission. I have now settled down in Western Australia and started a Feng Shui retail business named Wah Mei (Feng Shui) Palace in Ballajura as a consequence of wanting to share experiences with those people who are interested in healing. I was born in Malaysia and resettled to Christmas Island in September 1981. I spent 25 years working as an Administration Officer for the Commonwealth Department and as a Bench Clerk in the Christmas Island Court System as well as spending time with family in Malaysia, Christmas Island and Perth. During my treatment in 2005, I underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments until April 2006 and lost 15 kilograms. I had great difficulty in dealing with life’s everyday necessities. In September, 2006 a friend introduced me to a number of natural herbal treatments such as Ganoderma which is a Chinese herb capsule that promotes health and supports the body’s immune system, and Negative Ion clothing which is a Japanese garment that stimulates blood circulation, increases cell activity and enhances the body’s immune system. I also started taking Organic Purple Crystal Bamboo salt which is a high energy organic Korean product made from natural sea salt and bamboo. It is used as a natural medicine to improve physique, destroy bacteria and help the body resist various forms of inflammation and chronic ailments. As well as using natural treatments, I also started on a diet comprised of fish, chicken and vegetables and cut out all red meat, pork, lamb and alcohol. In June this year, I was given the news that the cancer has gone into remission and since receiving this news I decided to embrace my life’s passion of Feng Shui. I opened a shop that specialises in Feng Shui paintings, ornaments and accessories. Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese System of aesthetics using astronomy and geography and also promotes happiness, success, fortune, healthy and prosperity. I am very fortunate to be here and believe it’s time to provide the service which helped me to the local community. I wish there will be a day when human beings are free of cancer. I am more than happy to share my experience if it will help other people. ✦ The Wah Mei (Feng Shui) Palace is located at No, 6 Illawarra Crescent North, Ballajura next to BP petrol station, along Alexander Drive and for more information please contact Boo Hwa CHAN on (08)92482352 or 0420373899.
Dear CSA Community
It is with mixed emotions that I tender my resignation as Membership Liaison Contact and Volunteer Co-ordinator, at the Cancer Support Association.
The support which Ian and I received 9 years ago when we first came to CSA is something which I am very grateful for. Then, when the opportunity to be part of the team and work with clients was offered to me, in 2003 I was overjoyed, and approached the work with dedication, commitment, and passion.. The CSA has become very much a part of my life, and as I am approaching a decade of being involved with cancer, I feel that it is now time for me to close this chapter of my life. I have learnt a tremendous amount both professionally and personally and hope that my contribution has contributed to making the cancer and grief journeys for our clients a bit more manageable. The work with the Tuesday group and the grief group has been particularly gratifying. We’ve shared many laughs and many tears, and I will take an abundance of good memories with me. It’s been both an honour and a privilege to be part of the CSA community. Thank you to members for having enriched my life in ways that I would never have expected. May you all be blessed with healing on your life journeys, and I’ll be thinking of you on Tuesday mornings as you create the healing circle, and hope that you put me in it from time to time.
With love, light, and healing Christine Robbins
New Year’s Crossword Answers to puzzle on page 3
CSA Wellness Shop www.wellnessshop.com.au
15% members discount on all items BUY INSTORE, ONLINE OR BY EASY MAIL ORDER. The easy way to shop for your health, wellness and lifestyle products
Health products
Books
cancer specific, general health and nutrition titles Cancer Specific MEMBERS You Can Conquer Cancer – Ian Gawler 23.80 D.I.Y. Cancer Treatment – Jill Royce 17.00 Quest For Life – Petrea King 21.30 Living Simply with Cancer – Ross Taylor 12.50 Your Life in Your Hands – Jane Plant 23.80 Cancer – A biochemical-nutritional approach – Osiecki 45.95 Meditation The 5 Minute Meditation – Eric Harrison 12.75 General Health Sick Homes – Part 1 Volatile Chemicals Cosmetics and Sick Homes – Part 2 Dust and the Science of Cleaning Dangerous Beauty – Peter Dingle and Toni Brown Gardening and Eating for Living – Caralyn Lagrange NUTRITION The Untold Truth about Virgin Coconut oil by Ian Blair Hamilton and Cassandra Bond A Recipe for Life by Dorothy Edgelow A Recipe for Life 2 by Dorothy Edgelow Nutrition : The Good, the Bad and the Politics Food for Life by Petrea King Personal stories and verse Earthman’s Gratitude by Ian Robbins
products to support health and wellness RRP 28.00 20.00 25.00 14.75 28.00 54.05 15.00
7.00 7.00 32.75
8.20 8.20 38.95
8.00 25.50 31.50 21.00 25.00
10.00 30.00 34.95 25.00 29.50
9.90
9.90
Gift Items
leadlight angels, inspiring cards, natural soaps & candles
Leadlight Angel small Leadlight Angel large Leadlight tealight Angel (candleholder) Leadlight Angel (hanging with crystal) Corynne’s Natural Soaps Corrynne’s candles Jewellery – large selection Greeting Cards – inspirational
MEMBERS 19.00 35.00 20.00 25.00 3.50 3.40 Enquire for prices Enquire for prices
RRP 22.50 40.00 25.00 30.00 4.50 4.00 -
Footsies Detox Patches (20’s) Maxi-Phyte – Soya Phytosterols Perfect Sweet – natural Sugar Substitute BalanceZyme Plus (Transformation) DigestZyme powder (Transformation) Plantadophilus (Transformation) SuperCellZyme (Transformation) Acid/Alkaline Food Chart Chewing Gum (perfect sweet) Chlorella (vitamin and mineral powder blend) 120g Alkalizer (Becoming Younger) Testing Kits (Global harmony) CH77 (Global harmony) Coconut oil (1 litre) Tropical Traditions Rainshow’r – dechlorinating shower filter Denta-Med Dental Care Product
MEMBERS RRP 40.00 46.00 25.50 30.00 15.30 18.00 49.50 55.00 31.50 35.00 45.00 50.00 49.50 55.00 8.50 10.00 2.55 3.00 20.35 23.95 35.00 30.00 37.40 41.20 33.00 36.30 35.00 38.50 95.00 110.00 15.00 16.50
Supplements for optimum nutrition when diet alone is not enough DEF – digestive enzyme formula (Orthoplex) 60’s Omega 3 (By Nature) Vital Greens 120g Vital Greens 400g Barley Green ikg Barley Green 200g B Vital (Orthoplex) 150g Alkala N (Sanum) Sanuvis (Sanum) Sanumgerman (Sanum) Vit C (200g with hesperidin) (Millenium) Vit C (500g with hesperidin) Hepatic Detox (Advanced Medicine) Glutamine (Advanced Medicine) Chelatox 120’s (Orthoplex) Multiflora 30 caps (Orthoplex) Zymin 200ml (Orthoplex) Vit E 500IU100 caps (Vital) Arctic D Cod Liver Oil 237ml (Nordic)
MEMBERS RRP 22.50 26.50 30.15 35.50 25.10 29.50 86.40 73.45 101.15 119.00 36.00 41.00 20.30 23.90 22.50 26.50 29.90 35.20 35.90 42.25 16.35 19.25 35.45 41.70 30.50 35.90 30.75 36.20 45.60 53.60 24.95 21.20 17.75 15.10 20.85 17.70 39.95 33.95
HOW TO ORDER OUR PRODUCTS • • • • •
All these items are available by personal collection or by mail order. Payment can be made by cheque or credit card. Postage is $5.00 for the first item, then $2.50 per subsequent item in the order. Please phone CSA on 9384 3544 to order, OR POST OR FAX THE ORDER FORM BELOW. OR log on to the secure Wellness Shop website: www.wellnessshop.com.au. The online shop stocks the entire catalogue listed here and you can pay easily and securely with your credit card.
Envirocare
Miessence
chemical free household and personal care products
organic personal care products and cosmetics Balancing Cleanser Gentle Exfoliant (Sensitive) Balancing Moisturiser Rejuvenating Moisturiser Desert Flower Shampoo (Norn-Dry) Lemon Myrtle Shampoo (Norm-Oily) Shine Herbal Conditioner Anise Toothpaste Spearmint Toothpaste Lemon Toothpaste Sunshower Body Wash Ancient Spice Roll-on Deodorant Tahitian Breeze Roll-on Deodrant Aroma Free Deodorant Rainforest Air Freshener Lip Balm Mascara (black) Styling Gel (hair) Blemish Gel
MEMBERS 34.00 25.50 42.50 42.50 14.50 14.50 14.50 6.80 6.80 6.80 10.20 6.80 6.80 6.80 8.40 6.50 17.25 14.50 24.50
RRP 40.00 30.00 50.10 50.10 17.00 17.00 17.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 12.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 9.90 7.60 20.25 17.00 28.80
Body and Hair Cleanser (1 Litre) Sensitive Body and Hair Cleanser (1 Litre) Hair Conditioner (375ml) Moisturiser Lavender (250 ml) Disinfectant (1 Litre) Dishwashing Liquid (1 Litre) Dishwasher Powder (1 Kg) Fabric Conditioner (1 Litre) Laundry Liquid(1 Litre) Laundry Powder (1 Kg) Laundry Powder (5 Kg) Fruit and Vegetable Wash Oven and Barbeque Cleaner (1 Litre) Vigor All Purpose Cleaner (1 Litre) Delicate Wash (1 litre) Cloth Moth Trap Pantry Moth trap insect and Roach Trap Pet Sensitive (1 Litre)
WELLNESS SHOP ORDER FORM
MEMBERS 12.75 11.70 14.20 15.70 9.80 8.90 13.90 8.60 10.10 13.60 50.10 8.20 12.70 9.00 8.50 10.20 11.10 6.50 19.50
RRP 15.00 13.80 16.70 18.50 11.50 10.40 16.30 10.10 11.90 16.00 58.90 9.60 14.90 10.50 9.90 12.00 13.00 7.60 23.00
FORWARD PAYMENT TO: Cancer Support Association PO Box 325 COTTESLOE, WA, 6911. FAX: (08) 9384 6196
Your Name: Postal Address:
Enquiries: Tel (08) 9384 3544 E: csa@cancersupportwa.org.au Web: www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Postcode Please include membership number for member prices:
Please post my order & payment to the address below (must include postage). OR I will collect my order from the CSA, 80 Railway St. Cottesloe. Please phone me when ready on
Product Name
NB: Please add $5.00 Postage and handling for first item and $2.50 for each subsequent item. (Unless specified)
Payment Details:
Quantity
Unit Price
Sub Total
Total Price
Postage Total Cost
I enclose my cheque/money order (to be made payable to the Cancer Support Association of WA Inc) OR Please debit my Bankcard M/card Visa Card Amex Diners
Card Number Name on Card
Expiry Date Signature
Mail this order form to: Cancer Support Association, PO Box 325 Cottesloe WA
Groups & activities at CSA...
A weekly group held every Tuesday at CSA from 10am – 12noon. Anyone who’s life has been affected by cancer or other life threatening illnesses is welcome to attend.
Meditation Made Easy weekly meditation classes with Bavali Hill Every Monday at CSA from 10am to 11.30am. Newcomers welcome. Cost: Free for CSA Members, $5 for non-members. No booking necessary.
in the Sun Room at CSA A gentle, holistic, relaxing class with Sydel Weinstein Tuesdays 9.30 – 10.30am. Suitable for beginners.
Grief and Loss Support Group at CSA LAST WEDENSDAY OF EACH MONTH This open support group is for anyone experiencing grief as a result of losing a loved one to cancer. Join us for an opportunity to share these feelings with others in a safe and compassionate space.
FREE FOR MEMBERS. $10 NON-MEMBERS.
CSA Laughter Club with Kimmy O’Meara
HE WHO LAUGHS LASTS!
At the CSA every Wednesday morning 11.00am to 12.00pm (note: new time for 2010) Cost: CSA Members $3; Others $5. For enquiries phone CSA on 9384 3544.
Subscribe to Wellness News print and return this form to subscribe, make a donation or give it to an interested friend...
All Wellness News magazine subscribers receive a FREE membership from the Cancer Support Association which entitles you to many benefits including: • A place on the informative 1 Day ‘Meeting the Challenge’ Cancer Wellness Seminar • Cancer wellness information counselling session • 15% DISCOUNT on all items from the Wellness Shop • CSA Village Card for online shopping discounts • access to our world class wellness library • members prices on all CSA activities including yoga, qigong, reflexology & seminars
I would like to become a Wellness News emagazine subscriber for $50 per annum, and have enclosed AUD$50 I would like to make a donation to CSA. Enclosed is $25
$50
$100
Other $
Enclosed is my cheque/money order OR please debit my credit card detailed below: BankCard
Master Card
Visa Card
AMEX
Card No
Diners Expiry Date
Name on Card
Signature
Details for Subscription Name (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr.)
Date of Joining Please post to: Cancer Support Association PO Box 325, Cottesloe W.A. 6911 OR email: info@cancersupport wa.org.au
D.O.B.
Postal Address Phone No. (home)
(work or mobile)
Email Website username:
/
Occupation (5-12 characters only)
Website password:
(5-12 characters only)
The Cancer Support Association of WA Inc is a registered charity and non-profit organisation, formed to help people affected by cancer. The Association relies on donations, bequests and member subscriptions to continue its services.
contact cancer support association... 80 Railway St, Cottesloe, Western Australia. PO Box 325 Cottesloe WA 6911 Australia Phone 08 9384 3544, Fax: 08 9384 6196. Email: csa@cancersupportwa.org.au Web: www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Wellness News magazine is published by the Cancer Support Association of WA Inc (CSA). Wellness magazine contains a diverse selection of articles and information on subjects related to cancer, wellness and healing. The contents of this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the CSA and should be not be construed as medical advice. CSA encourages readers to be discerning with information presented and when making treatment, dietary and lifestyle choices. © Copyright of all articles and images remains with individual contributors.