Archive for March, 2012

Company Review: Freeland Foods/Go Raw -Raw Organic Vegan Snacks

March 29, 2012 · Filed under Company Reviews, Health and Wellness, Plant-based Diet, Product Review, Raw - Living Foods, Raw Vegan Lifestyle, Vegan Lifestyle · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Freeland Foods/Go Raw – Raw Organic Vegan Snacks (serving the public since 2002 – 10 years)

I have known this company for many years and consider myself a friend of the owner. It is great to develop close(r) relationships with those who are pioneers in this industry and who are truly “real,” in their life, lifestyle and how they conduct business. It is a great model and great story. The first time I met Rob(ert) Freeland was at the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market in San Diego more then 10 years ago and he was selling some raw vegan snack products (he studied and worked at the Optimum Health Institute prior to starting this business). I did not know much about raw food, but he gave me a snack to try and I liked it. At the time they were in wax paper type bags and had a sticker/label on it with information about the product (they’ve come a long way since then). I brought some products to a class I was teaching on raw foods at the School of Healing Arts in Pacific Beach and people were very interested.

Rob rented a space on University Avenue and built his own custom dehydrators to produce the products. I visited there a number of times and got to see how the production worked. I was one of the first to sample the chocolate before it was introduced to the public. From there, eventually the company and Freeland family (wife and children) made a big change by moving north to be closer to family and found a space to expand the business (Rob and family have moved back to San Diego, but the business is still up north, but plans are in the works to move it back to SD). Time has created great success for Rob and the company. The public gets to enjoy the benefits of great certified organic raw vegan snack products (flax snax, granola, super cookies and chips, chocolate, energy bars and sprouted seeds) that are free of oils, sugars, GMO’S, nuts, gluten and wheat. Having an option like this is great!

Please be mindful that these are dehydrated snacks. This means that you will need to drink lots of fluids to make up for that. Also most have flax and/or other seeds and/or coconut so the fat content will be much higher then if you simply ate some fresh fruit. Don’t get me wrong, the snacks are delicious and it is very easy to “indulge” and eat more then you intended to. Eating too much fat is not beneficial to the body regardless of whether it is raw or cooked, vegan, vegetarian or animal-based. The reason being, is that it creates more of an acidic state in the body in which it will need to work harder to return to an alkaline balance.

I support Rob and his company with all they do in promoting eating foods that are closer to nature and are better for the planet then the other “crap” people are eating. These snacks are a transition/stepping stone to getting further into eating whole, fresh, raw, organic fruits and vegetables. We are helping ourselves and helping the planet, as well!

I do have some constructive criticism to share: There are some changes I would like to see in ingredients currently used in the products. First, would be replacing sea salt with kelp powder (I have an article about this in a previous blog post that was written by Roger Haeske, and not all of you are going to agree with me on what he says – you can do your own research – I have read many other articles on the subject of salt and why it is not beneficial to our health – we do need sodium because it is a mineral, but sodium chloride is not!). I would also like to see an alternative to agave syrup because it is not all it is “cracked up” to be (with the research done, it has been touted to be on par with HFCS -high fructose corn syrup – not good!). I believe that coconut sugar in liquid form would be a better option, but not sure if it is raw. I would also like to see a veggie chip that is made out of something other then kale (which has saturated the market by other companies).

Please check out the website (scroll down to link on the far right-hand side of this page) for more information about the company, products and locations to purchase.

Subscribe to my channel http://www.Youtube.com/TheRawsomeVeganGal if you have a Gmail, Google+, Picasa, YouTube, Orkut or Google Chrome account and then you can leave a comment and like my videos.

Check out the video review of Freeland Foods on my YouTube Channel

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What’s in a Name? Maggie’s Organics, Natracare, Environne, Bio Bag, Zorbitz, Essential Oxygen, Organic America, Harmless Harvest,Bambooee

March 26, 2012 · Filed under Company Reviews, Health and Wellness · Tagged ,

If you are wondering what this is all about, let me explain. I attend the Natural Products Expo (Expo West) in Anaheim at the Convention Center every March (been going for 13 years straight and I have the bag from the show in 2000 to prove it!). It is the largest expo in the world for the natural product industry and this year attracted about 60 thousand attendees and some 3,000 booths. Since I am in the industry (as a chef and educator), I love to go and see those I have developed a relationship with for many years and meet new and interesting people. One of the things I look for are companies and/or products with integrity, purity and purpose.

I have had the opportunity to do some Q & A interviews with some of these companies (you can read in previous posts on this blog) and I am hoping to have some others in the future. In the meantime, I have decided to write my own insights/reviews with some new companies from the expo and some that I have known for years. It is great to see that there are still those companies and/or products out in the world that are wanting to do “good” for the people and the planet and I believe it will continue to happen because we are demanding it!

Stay Tuned!
Chef Mindy aka The Hardcore Purist – I won’t stand for anything less! (let the companies know I referred you)

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My Cleansing Repertoire – Using Mineral-Rich Carlsbad Alkaline Water – Reactions and Results

March 4, 2012 · Filed under fasting and cleansing, Health and Wellness, Topics on health related issues · Tagged , , , ,

For the next 3 days, I used Carlsbad Alkaline Water which is even higher in alkalinity, at a pH of approximately 8.76. I wanted to see if there is a difference in how I feel and how much I drink. This water is available at a spa in Carlsbad, CA. It was discovered a long time ago and you can read more about the source at http://www.carlsbadalkalinewater.com

My second 3 days using Carlsbad Alkaline Water Only

Day 1 – Sunday February 26. 2012
Today is the 4th day of my cleanse. I decided that I want to use both types of high alkaline water and drink them separately so I can really tell if there is any difference. My cleanse is for a total of 12 days, so I decided to do half on just water and half on coconut water and water (mostly/all with the Carlsbad water, since I have more of it). I am drinking 3 days on each of the two types of water to give my body some time to feel the “affects,” so to speak.

When I had my first drink of water this morning, the taste was not the same as the previous 3 days, it did not taste as sweet as I thought it would. It still had a smooth taste and I do not have any headaches or hunger issues. I did initially get this water in a 5 gallon plastic bottle and then transferred it to glass bottles and jars within a short time after. I don’t know if this had any bearing on the taste of the water. I do not have a 5 gallon glass jug, but if I do decide to consume more of this water in the future, I may consider purchasing one or more 1 gallon bottles (then I will see if it changes the taste). It is not recommended to transfer water from one bottle to another because of the bacteria buildup in the move from one to another. It isn’t necessarily bad for you, but does affect the taste. Stainless steel bottles are not recommended because it is usually of poor quality and leaves an aftertaste.

Since I have this water in many different types of jars and bottles, I am using the ones I know the size of , so I can still keep track of the total I drink for the day.

Consumption for the day: Total – 96 oz/12 cups/¾ of a gallon/3 quarts
9:30 am – 11 am – 16 oz
11:15 am – 2:10 pm – 32 oz
3 pm – 6:35 pm – 32 oz
7 pm – 8:30 pm – 16 oz

I drank more water then I did yesterday (76.4 oz). I don’t know if it is because I needed it or because of the higher alkalinity. It will be interesting to see how much of the water I drink tomorrow.

Day 2- Monday February 27. 2012

Today is the 5th day of my cleanse. I started out drinking the water almost an hour later then yesterday because I was busy talking on the phone and didn’t feel the need to. I am still feeling fine with no headaches or “feel” hungry. I believe the water is helping me very much, especially since it has a higher pH.

Consumption for the day: Total – 80 oz/10 cups/2 ½ quarts
10:25 am – 11:05 am – 16 oz
11:30 am – 2:45 pm – 32 oz
3:50 pm – 6:40 pm – 32 oz

I drank less water today then yesterday, as I was occupied with other things (phone, computer, etc) and also spent more time lying down in bed so didn’t need as much water. Also, I am going to bed earlier tonight because I have a lot to do tomorrow and would rather not have to get up during the night to use the bathroom.

Day 3- Tuesday February 28, 2012

Today, is the 6th day of my cleanse. I started drinking water earlier this morning, but then had a lapse for a while because I was working on the computer and didn’t feel thirsty, either. Still no side effects like a headache or hunger pangs, so that is good. The water is keeping me “nourished” and hydrated.

Consumption for the day: Total – 91 oz/11.3 cups/ almost 3 quarts
9:10 am – 10:30 am – 24 oz
12 pm – 4:35 pm – 27 oz
4:35 pm – 7:05 pm – 40 oz

I drank quite a bit more then yesterday and felt well hydrated, but a few ounces less than 2 days ago.

Now this gives you a sense of what it takes to stay hydrated and how good you can still feel with only drinking water.

Namaste!
Chef Mindy

Disclaimer
I advise you to educate yourselves adequately and seek advise from a qualified health professional/specialist before embarking on any program like this, especially if you have any current conditions and have never fasted/cleansed before. I recommend trying it for one day a week if you are starting out. If you are looking to do a long term cleanse/fast please do so at a cleansing center that can support and monitor you so that you don’t put your self/health in jeopardy. The information contained here, is not intended as a diagnosis, cure or treatment for any disease or ailment. Neither I, nor Carlsbad Alkaline Water, their employees and associates accept liability or responsibility for any adverse consequences you might encounter in using this product.

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