How to Go Gluten Free.

I decided to write about this pertinent topic because of history in my own journey to being raw.
The major obstacle standing in my way of reaching that LUSH number of 70, 80, or even 90% raw was my addiction to wheat. [These are personal tips, take what applies to you]

Here are my biggest tips on going gluten free:

1) Analyze your eating habits mentally. Do you eat late at night after work, or do you have regular meals that include wheat. For me, I would eat healthy all day (that means raw and vegan) then at night I would make myself a few pb+j sandwiches on toast. Once you find out where it's sneaking in. . . ISOLATE and ANNIHILATE.

2) You have to be drastic. There's no phasing this out, baby. It's black or white. You're either glutenfree or you're an addict. Create a list of reasons why. It might be longer than you thought. Post it somewhere.

3) Find alternatives. In the beginning, the smallest step might be switching from pasta to quinoa, or from couscous to black or red rice. Yes, it's cooked, but who cares! You are on your way to raw at your own pace, and the more you do it without shaking your mental

4) BE PREPARED. Scenario #1: You go to a sushi restaurant...everything looks yummo, but you want soy sauce. . . bring your own. Scenario #2: All your friends want to go to a bakery. Source out the gluten free ones, and direct them there. Scenario #3: You really want a snack with your hummus that isn't veggies, and it isn't pita. . . STOCK UP on rice crackers.

5) Get a buddy. This is so crucial. I might be making it sound like life or death, but for me it is. When I look at gluten, my brain is trained to say, "CANCER. POISON." and that is because of what it does to my body. Having a friend or two that avoids wheat/gluten as well helps me when I want to get tips or remember why I removed gluten to begin with.

Comment below with your tips!

Health and Wellness Parties: Toronto!

YAYY Here are some pictures from the latest Juicing Party in Toronto I hosted. Once a month a bunch of health-curious people meet and we learn more about antioxidants, how to juice/make green smoothies interactively. FUN + FREE. Anyone interested can PM for details.

Spinach Ice Cream For Breakfast? I THINK, YES.

Used my new vitamix aka Miss Vita. To conjure this loverly breakfast creation.

-half a bag of the BIG LEAF nasty spinach that no one likes to put in salads.
-2 cups water
-2 cups frozen fruit (I LIVE IN CANADA DON'T JUDGE ME. Peaches, pineapple, cherries)
-2 FRESH bananas

PULSE IT. The smoothie setting is REALLY scary in the mornings...very loud.

It should turn into a LUSH spinach green coloured SORBET.

Take a spoon to that and ENJOY :D

CHRISTMAS JUICE DAY.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS. But not the bombardment of crazily aggressive people offering me foods that scream diabetes and obesity. [Super exaggeration but...not] So, what better way to restart, than to juice on Christmas Day! I am happy my family is on board too. We had our family dinner last night, and there are two more set after the new year because of our Armenian Christmas. Everyone had a cup of this juice, and I would say it is the perfect litmus test to see where your tastebuds and cells are in terms of health.

Honestly, making this juice, [which consisted of 3 bunches of kale stems, 2 celery heads, 6 beets, a full bunch of carrots with their green stems, and ginger. NO APPLES, NO FRUIT.] was a painful process. I felt nauseated even while cutting the veggies. The taste was overwhelmingly bitter to my mouth, even though I'm sure it was fine, like any other juice I'd have before.

My brother's genuine reaction to the juice. He ended up drinking two beer glasses full. More than I could stomach.

CHRISTMAS (ugly tree at Eaton's)

Montreal Trip

Montreal aka. raw food city. We walked a lot so I'm pretty sure this nut based meal was tots justifiable.

First stop: Crudessence with my veg-partner-in-crime Chelsea

Ohm Burger and Side Salad

Vegan restaurant our friends took us to, secret letters in every table drawer.

MEGA SUCCULENCE IN A CUP...so good.

Chelsea's Brunch Crepe

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse 

BEST BREAKFAST EVA.

I decided today, that I made the best breakfast ever...I'm sure you'll all agree. Don't be turned off by the picture.

Ingredients:

-ground flax
-black chia seeds
-almonds
-maple syrup/agave (I prefer maple...obvi I'm Canadian :P)
-hemp seeds
-buckwheat groats
-frozen strawberries that I slowly warmed and sliced into bowl
-cinnamonize all of it. (Add cinnamon)

MIX ERR'THANG.

It honestly tasted like a strawberry crumble! Who wouldn't want that for breakfast!

humble beginnings...




STRAWBERRY YUMMO CRUMBLE

Aloe MANIA and Winter RAW.

HELLOOOO.

First off: My sincere apologies for deserting this blog. It's as if the more I thought about how I hadn't posted, the more I retreated from posting. Not to say I have stopped my creations, or picture-taking, however my laziness has been in the link between posting and submitting.

Secondly: New experiments. The newest experiment my mother and I have taken up is the dissecting and ingesting of fresh aloe, Jamaican aloe to be exact. I have some pictures, but the purpose of this is for cleansing. So far, I think my mom has experienced far greater benefits than I have.

Thirdly: I have been eating salads for breakfast. YES, it sounds so weird, but the reason has been to see if my blood sugar levels are more stabilized, and I can truly say they are. I get hungrier much later in the day, and don't feel the fiendish need to eat tons of fruit.

Fourthly: It is winter! IN CANADA! WITH FLURRIES! and winter coats! Which means only one thing. Raw gets a little more difficult and requires a tad more creativity. If you have read my pasts posts you know that what gets me through the winter is soup. I make sure I drink my smoothies, keep juicing, but I also incorporate cooked soups throughout the week made with sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, etc. You can tell, these are the starchier vegetables. I have also attempted blanched green beans, (like the string beans, not individual beans), and steamed broccoli and kale. DON'T TENSE YOUR SHOULDERS, this is what works for me :D It might work for you too, I honestly didn't realize I need balancing, warm YANG foods until I spoke with the owner of Cruda Cafe, Claudia Gaviria.

it looks gross, but IT WORKS.

HUGE STALK...not fully shown in picture.

Tell me what works for you in colder weather! Also, how do you feel about eating salads for breakfast?