the raw food solution

How to End Constipation?

Mizpah Matus — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:31:15 +0000

Constipation is a big problem in the western world.

According to the medical community, constipation is defined as having 1 bowel movement every 2 to 3 days. But as holistic health care professionals, we know that’s absolute nonsense!

For optimal health, you should be passing 2-3 bowel movements each day! Anything less is considered constipation. If you’ve ever had a colon cleanse, good for you. If not, you need to read the following important information regarding constipation and colon health.

What Causes Constipation?

Constipation is usually a result of years of abusing your digestive system through poor food choices and not listening to your body. Chronic intake of foods that irritate your digestive and intestinal system eventually causes them to function at a sub-optimal level. For instance, non-foods like coffee, refined sugar, alcohol, and other processed foods stress your colon and digestive system and eventually hinder their function.

For optimal colon health, the goal should be to remove these irritating foods and provide your system with nutrients that will allow it to heal and function as it should.

Being constipated can also come about by resisting the urge to do your “business”. At a very young, we simply went when we needed to go - no problem except for the clean-up our parents were subjected to. But as we age, we tend to suppress our body’s natural urge to defecate. Whether it be class or work schedules or travel commitments, we’ve started to ignore our body’s many cries to head to the toilet.

In the end, we have instructed our body that we will have a bowel movement (or at least try to) on our terms, when we’re willing and ready. However, it isn’t that simple because your body knows when it needs to go. Passing a bowel movement is not a logical decision, it is a primal need your body is destined to satisfy.

So it is our fault, our lifestyle, and our poor dietary choices that has led to being constipated.

Why is Constipation Dangerous?

This could quickly turn into a very lengthy discussion but we’ll give you the essentials. The problem with being constipated is that your body’s waste does not get to its final destination - the toilet.

Rather, it sits in your colon, putrefying and expelling more toxins back into your body. This is called autointoxication and is a serious health concern if it persists over time.

Think about it. If you were to let garbage pile up in your home for weeks, months, or years can you imagine the type of disgusting and toxic environment you’d be creating?

Well, the same thing happens in your body if your “garbage” is not regularly removed.

Over time, these endogenous toxins will be stored in your fat tissue which includes your fat cells, brain, and nervous tissue. It’s no wonder there’s a considerable correlation between constipation, autointoxication, and degenerative diseases!

Natural Constipation Remedies

The first thing is to listen to your body. If you need to go, then go!

Second, remove the irritating foods that we spoke about above.

Third, drink plenty of water. Constipation can also be a result of being dehydrated. Provide your body with more water and it will assist your waste removal.

Fourth, eat more fiber. The goal (from an overall health perspective) is to hit 35 grams of fiber per day. But really, are you going to count? Probably not. Therefore, simply by eating more whole foods or even following a raw food diet will greatly assist you.

The goal is to get both soluble and insoluble fiber. Ground flaxseeds are a great source of balanced fiber and a terrific source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Fifth, getting more essential fatty acids (omega-3s) will provide the lubrication required to allow your colon to pass along the waste smoothly and effortlessly. If you strain to pass a movement, that’s a good indication you could use some more lubrication.

Finally, you need to follow a detox diet that will cleanse your body. If you’ve been constipated for some time, then you need to face facts and realize that your body is a toxic feeding ground! The only way to better your health and prevent future problems is to get the waste out of your body through regular bowel movements and other means that will detoxify your body.

You don’t have to be a prisoner to constipation any longer. Allow us to show you the light…

Yuri Elkaim is a renowned fitness, nutrition, and weight loss expert. He is a registered holistic nutritionist and the co-creator of the Total Wellness Cleanse - a 30-day food-based cleansing program that has helped thousands of people lose weight, cleanse their bodies of toxic overload, and restore incredible health. For information on the Total Wellness Cleanse visit www.TotalWellnessCleanse.com

Supermoon Gazing and Traveling on the Raw Food Lifestyle

Mizpah Matus — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:06:13 +0000

Photo courtesy of Rante_I

Hi everyone! Did you get a chance to witness the incredible supermoon?

Here in the Philippines it was huge and a vibrant orange color. I’ve seen some beautiful full moons in my life, including the red moon about a year and a half ago, but this is the most amazing moon I have ever seen!

Where we live at the moment we have a clear view to the ocean and the orange reflected right back into the water. Just breathtaking!

So today I’d like to answer some responses to my last post and reader questions about what I do in relation to the raw food lifestyle when I travel.

What items do you take with you when you travel? Do you use those mini blenders like Tribest or magic bullet? What about dehydrator or juicer etc?

It depends on the trip. If it is just a week or two I generally don’t bring any equipment. If I am staying somewhere for a few months I might bring my Vitamix.

On this trip I didn’t bring any equipment with me because the apartment we are renting came with a blender and we wanted to keep down our luggage weight.

I do own a Tribest blender, which is a great piece of equipment, but it has a really small capacity, especially when you are making smoothies. For simple fruit smoothies a regular blender works just fine.

In Costa Rica I generally use the Tribest blender for making small batches of dressings and dips or for grinding nuts and seeds and for that purpose it is fantastic. It is much easier to clean than the Vitamix as well.

I don’t own a juicer and I regard the dehydrator as more of a luxury item. I would only take it on a trip if I was going to be somewhere for a long time or was intending to do a lot of raw gourmet food preparation. Personally I like to keep things simple when I travel.

Photo courtesy of She Who Shall Not Be Named

I was wondering how do you get round your allocated luggage allowance Mizpah?

Well, the simple answer is that I don’t. Before a trip I will check with the airlines regarding their luggage rules and work within them. Most of the time each person can take two suitcases of about 50 pounds as well as a carry on bag and a laptop.

Some of the smaller airlines have more restrictions but in most cases you can simply pay a fee if you wish to bring extra baggage. But make sure you do your research first!

On one of my first trips I didn’t know the rules and ended up in a situation where I was at the airport in Bali with way too much luggage. I could have taken it all with me but the airline wanted to charge $1000!

In that case our solution was to give away some of our stuff so I offloaded quite a lot of books and a few other things. It was lucky that we are not really attached to our possessions.

My husband thinks I have a bit of obsession with my books but what can I say? I love reading and learning. Since then I’ve got a Kindle, so I can carry lots of books with me wherever I go.

On the Gold Coast they have some blenders called Omni which sound comparable to Vitamix/Blendtec. Do you know anyone who’s used them?

I’m not familiar with these blenders but if it has a horsepower of 2.5 or more I expect it would be comparable.

As regards using dehydrators in warm climates…is there ever any problem with insects accessing them in anyway? I have no outside option for one..and house is small ,so I ‘m considering the fan noise ?

I’ve only once had a problem with ants getting into the dehydrator when I tried drying bananas. I’ve made dried pineapple, plantains and really sweet cookies and never had a problem. For some reason they just loved the bananas.

The fan noise can be fairly loud. We moved our dehydrator into a room upstairs that doesn’t get used very often. They can also create a lot of heat which is a consideration if you are in a warm climate or in the summer.

My approach to travel on the raw food lifestyle

When I travel I don’t attempt to stay 100 percent raw. I’d much rather relax and enjoy the experience without the stress of trying to conform to a strict diet.

I always eat a lot of fruit, which is usually pretty easy to find, especially in tropical countries. Fruit doesn’t require any special equipment and is one of the best foods to eat when you travel. It keeps you hydrated and provides lots of vitamins and antioxidants, which can help reduce stresses on the body, especially as a result of a long flight.

Before I leave I do a bit of research on where I will be able to find fresh produce in the local area. I also look into what restaurants are available offering healthy alternatives.You may even be able to view the menus online. It really does help a lot to have some idea of the food options in the location before you arrive.

I do generally try some of the local food like the wonderful vegan Ital Food in Jamaica or the salads and curries in Thailand. I like to keep my diet high raw but I’m certaibly not rigid about eating fully raw when I travel.

But in actuality the foods I truly enjoy the most are the fresh tropical fruits - especially when I discover something new. In Bali I had jackfruit, mangosteen, rambutan and durian for the first time. In Thailand I especially loved the dragonfruit and young coconut. In Costa Rica I discovered star apple and mamey sapote.

Here in the Philippines the mangoes make the most delicious smoothies, we have beautiful yellow “sungold” watermelon, I’m enjoying the citrus fruits including pomelo and calamansi, and indulging in durian at least several times a week.

If you want to stay 100 percent raw when traveling, I think it would be really easy to do in the tropics, simply because of the wonderful fruit that is also really affordable. But if it’s only a short trip, which may be a once in a lifetime opportunity, then I say it’s ok to relax, take it easy and enjoy the whole experience.

I definitely think it is a good idea to keep it high raw, because your body will much better adapt to the demands of traveling. But if you make choices with awareness and emphasize healthy foods you might find a little flexibility makes for an overall more enjoyable and relaxing experience.

Ultimately the decision is yours.

Acai Banana Ice Cream Sundae

Mizpah Matus — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:42:53 +0000

The weather has been nice and warm here in the Philippines and this resulted in a craving for banana ice cream!

I’ve blogged before about how to make raw banana ice cream with a version that uses a light nut milk base for extra creaminess. Another recipe that used to be a favorite of mine is Low Fat Strawberry Ice Cream, which uses a combination of strawberries and bananas with sprouted rice protein for smoothness and flavor.

Lately I’ve been eating a low fat raw vegan diet with a lot of fruit so I wanted to keep this recipe really simple. It is 100 percent fruit but it tastes fantastic and is creamy enough to satisfy your craving for some cool sweet deliciousness!

I am accustomed to making my banana ice cream in the Vitamix but at the moment I only have a regular blender. Unfortunately I forgot that normal blenders can’t really cope with the demand of blending frozen fruit. In the process of creating this I burned out the blender, which cost $100 to replace, so it ended up being a very expensive endeavor.

The new blender is just a little stronger and I have been successful in making banana ice cream in it. However I am being really careful to add the bananas one by one until it is just thick enough.

Still, I wouldn’t really recommend this technique unless you are willing to risk burning out your blender. It’s far better to invest in a high-powered blender because they can last for a lifetime, even with very heavy use. The only reason I don’t have one at the moment is because we’re trying to travel light so we left our blender in Costa Rica.

The other option, if you don’t have a high-speed blender, is to make the recipe in a food processor. You can see more about this process in the basic raw banana ice cream recipe.

I brought a pack of acai powder with me to add to smoothies. These berries are extremely high in antioxidants with a vibrant purple hue. They have a deep, somewhat earthy flavor that tends to work really well with bananas and chocolate.

For a fruit, acai berries are fairly high in fat, which adds some richness to this recipe. I chose not to add any additional fat sources, however you could also start with a base of almond or coconut milk in place of water if you prefer your ice cream to be extra creamy.

Acai Banana Ice Cream Sundae

Serves 2-3

1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons acai powder
3 drops medicine flower vanilla extract ( or 1/2 tablespoon alcohol free vanilla extract)
6 large frozen bananas

First blend the water, acai and vanilla. Then add 1-2 inch pieces of frozen bananas gradually, until the ice cream reaches your desired consistency.

Now this is completely delicious and satisfying by itself but I was inspired to make a fruity ice cream sundae. If you’ve ever been to Asia you will know that the bananas are just so much better here. I think it is because they are less cultivated than the Cavendish, which is the variety of banana that is generally commercially available.

Not only do they taste better but they also tend to have a more yellow color, which I believe reflects a higher content of antioxidants.

I sliced some of these beautiful bananas into a bowl, added some of the acai banana ice cream and then topped with freeze-dried organic blueberries.

If you have fresh blueberries you could use them instead but I really did appreciate the contrast of texture from the crunchy dried berries.

Even I was amazed at what it is possible to create with only fruit. I don’t recommend eating frozen fruits on a daily basis, but this is something that you can enjoy a huge bowl of on occasion without concern. After all, it is just fruit!

I’m the kind of person who doesn’t really like to do desserts in moderation so I am happy to make a meal of this, knowing that I am going to feel great afterwards. It is bursting with antioxidants from the acai and blueberry and in the warmer weather it is just as satisfying as any sweet treat.

I sure am loving my fruit lately! How about you?

The Art of Raw Foods with Aris Latham

Mizpah Matus — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:25:14 +0000

One of the ways I like to keep motivated about the raw food lifestyle is to continue to explore through reading raw books and watching videos. I recently came across an inspiring video of Aris La Tham, who has been referred to as the father of gourmet raw food cuisine.

La Tham, was born in Panama and descends from an African-Carribean family of culinary masters. He learned the art of food preparation from his mother and grandmother, who used fresh foods from local farmer’s markets to create delicious meals.

La Tham has been a strict vegetarian for 41 years and a raw foodist for 35 years. During this time he has worked as a master chef for the Hippocrates Health Institute, caterer to the United States Congress and private chef to numerous celebrities including Prince and Sidney Poitier. He was also voted one of the top Vegetarian Chefs in the USA by Vegetarian Times Magazine.

In this video you can see La Tham showcase some of his favorite raw foods including young coconut, jackfruit, ackee and papaya.

He also demonstrates some raw food recipes including:

Coconut Almond Pie Crust
Passionfruit Sky Juice
Rainbow Garden Salad with Tahini Dressing
Cashew Cheese
Ackee Marinated Seaweed
Nori Rolls

The last few minutes of the video are lacking in sound but most of the recipe instruction is completed by then. His food looks really enticing and it is wonderful to see a living example of a successful long term raw foodist who is sharing his passion about the power of the raw food diet.

How to Make Your Own Dried Fruit

Mizpah Matus — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:44:23 +0000

You might not be aware that the majority of dried fruits available in stores are not truly raw. During the production of dried fruit it is generally heated to temperatures well above 108 degrees, which is the point where enzyme disruption begins to occur.

Luckily, making your own dried fruit is really easy. You can be sure that your dried fruit retains its optimal nutrition. Additionally, if you buy your fruit in season and in bulk, you can actually save yourself some money as well!

Not only that; homemade dried fruit tastes so much better.

You can use pretty much any fresh fruit you like. However, I wouldn’t recommend melons because they have such a high water content that by the time the fruit has dried there isn’t much substance remaining.

When I’m in Costa Rica I like to make dried pineapple, papaya and mango. This is a great way to make use of any fresh fruit that you have in abundance, especially if you find yourself with too much to eat.

Simply cut your fruit into the desired size and shape. Remember that it will shrink quite a bit as the water is removed during dehydration. Place your fruit on the mesh dehydrator trays.

Leave enough space between the pieces to allow for ample air flow. This will ensure faster and more even drying.

Place in the dehydrator at 105 degrees for at least 24 hours or longer. Drying time can vary greatly depending on the size of your dehydrator, what else you are dehydrating at the same time and the humidity of your local environment.

When the fruit has dried sufficiently, remove it and place in zip-lock bags or a sealed container for storage. Be aware that if you don’t dry it for long enough you will begin to notice the fruit becoming slightly damp within a couple of days. If this is the case, simply put it back in the dehydrator again until it is completely dry, taking a note to dry your fruit for longer next time.

Enjoy your homemade dried fruit as a portable healthy raw snack or chop and add to your raw granola. If you like you can also rehydrate it by soaking in a little water than add it to your smoothies or raw puddings.

Making your own dried fruit is a much better alternative to purchasing fruits that may have been oven-dried at high temperatures.

Have you ever made your own dried fruit?
What is your favorite dried fruit?

Delectable Durian Pudding

Mizpah Matus — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:03:23 +0000

Photo courtesy of Yim Hafiz

Since we’ve been in the Philippines I’ve been enjoying a whole lot of durian!

I first developed a taste for durian when I lived in Bali. This interesting fruit is common throughout South East Asia where it is referred to as the “king of fruits”.

Durians have a very pungent odor that has been described in a variety of ways including fermented onions, overripe cheese and even unwashed socks! In fact, in many places in Asia there are laws against bringing durian into hotels and public transport.

It’s Interesting that there is no fine for carrying durian!

It seems that you either love or hate durian and there is not really an in-between. But if you’ve tried durian already and didn’t enjoy it, maybe you should give it another chance.

The first time I had durian I didn’t like it at all and couldn’t understand what the fuss was all about. I tasted it again a little later and still didn’t get it.

I’m not sure why I tried it a third time but I think it was because a friend bought some as a gift. But it was on that third tasting where I finally saw the light. And I’ve heard stories from others with exactly the same experience.

There is simply nothing that can compare to a really good durian. They are sweet and creamy with an incredibly complex flavor. British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace described them like this:

A rich custard highly flavoured with almonds gives the best general idea of it, but there are occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream-cheese, onion-sauce, sherry-wine, and other incongruous dishes. Then there is a rich glutinous smoothness in the pulp which nothing else possesses, but which adds to its delicacy. It is neither acid nor sweet nor juicy; yet it wants neither of these qualities, for it is in itself perfect. It produces no nausea or other bad effect, and the more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop. In fact, to eat Durians is a new sensation worth a voyage to the East to experience. … as producing a food of the most exquisite flavour it is unsurpassed.

Most of the time I like to eat durian just as it is, since it is so amazing by itself. But sometimes if I have some durian that is ripe and I can’t manage to eat it all, I put the extra in the freezer. Then it is ready to make into a smoothie or pudding whenever I get the urge.

The durians we’ve been getting in the Philippines are generally not as good as those I had in Bali. I’ve had a few delicious ones but a lot of them have not been up to scratch. When this happens a pudding is the perfect way to use durian as the other ingredients can mellow and enhance the natural flavor of the durian.

Is it Dangerous to Eat Too Much Durian?

There are a lot of myths about the dangers of eating too much durian. Some say that it can lead to hypertension, however in reality the scientific evidence suggests just the opposite. They are high in calories, so if you eat a lot of durian it could lead to weight gain but there doesn’t appear to be a direct correlation with an increased blood pressure.

In fact, research indicates that durian is an excellent source of antioxidant compounds with health-protective activity especially for the liver and heart.

However, the combination of durian with alcohol is potentially very dangerous and can lead to serious complications and even death. This is because durian contains a compound that disrupts the function of the enzyme responsible for breaking down alcohol by up to 70 percent.

A friend of mine who traveled in Sumatra also told me that the locals warned her to avoid eating durian with rambutan because it was a potentially fatal combination.

Durian Food Combining

Personally I prefer eating durian as a mono-meal, consumed at least a few hours before or after other foods. Usually I eat durian as the last meal of the day. When combined with other foods, including most fruits, it can sometimes produce fermentation, gas and bloating.

However, durian does seem to combine well with dates, bananas and young coconut. I tried blending bananas and durian together but I really didn’t enjoy the taste and found that the banana overpowered the subtle flavors of the durian.

But dates and coconut both work beautifully to create a delicious and decadent raw durian pudding.

Delectable Durian Pudding

Serves 1-2

2 cups fresh or frozen durian

Meat from 1/2 a young coconut (optional)

2-4 medjool dates

1/2 cup water or coconut water

First place the water, coconut meat and dates in a blender and blend until smooth. Next add your durian and blend again until you have a creamy pudding. If it is too thick for your preference you may add a little extra water. But not too much. You don’t want a smoothie.

Place into a serving bowl and enjoy immediately or store in the fridge for a day or two. (Make sure you cover it well to avoid lingering durian smells in your fridge!)

If you don’t have any young coconut, don’t worry. It works just as well to simply combine durian with fresh dates. The coconut does add an extra creaminess though, which creates more of a “dessert” texture.

If you like you could experiment with additional ingredients like vanilla or chocolate, but I prefer to keep things simple to appreciate the incredible complexity of the natural flavors of the durian.

Have you tried durian?

Are you a durian lover?

Reference: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382011001284

A Better-Tasting Green Drink

Mizpah Matus — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:34:04 +0000

Thanks everyone for the wonderful feedback regarding my last post! It seems that many of you are interested in meal plans and information about healing diets so I plan to focus on this direction in the near future.

Today I have a really simple recipe for you. I’m sure that many of my readers have experimented with different green powders. They are a convenient way to get your optimal intake of greens and can give you access to different greens that may not be available in your locality.

Personally I have used Vitamineral Green for over a year and find it to be a valuable addition to my raw food diet.

The problem is that most often these green supplements don’t really taste so great on their own.

So what is the solution to improving the flavor of your green drinks?

For quite a while I would simply mix my greens into plain water with a little stevia and a drop of food-grade peppermint oil. This worked well to cover the strong “green” taste and make the flavor more pleasant. But after some time I started to feel that the peppermint was a little too harsh.

So since were lucky to be provided with some young coconuts in our fruit delivery, I decided to use the coconut water as a base for a better-tasting green drink. On its own mixed with Vitamineral Green it was ok but not quite as sweet as I would like so I added a few other ingredients to create something much more palatable.

I started with a dash of stevia, then some Medicine Flower vanilla flavor and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. It was still definitely very green but the result was much better.

A Better-Tasting Green Drink

Serves 2

Water from one young coconut

2-4 tablespoons Vitamineral Green

2 drops Medicine Flower vanilla flavor

Squeeze of lime juice

Stevia or agave to taste (optional)

Place everything in a bottle or jar and shake up until everything is well combined (a used Vitamineral Green bottle is perfect). Alternatively put everything in the blender on low speed until just mixed through.

Use the lesser amount of greens for a milder flavor.

Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge for later. It will keep for a day or two.

Combining the greens with coconut water not only improves the flavor but provides you with a good dose of electrolytes and simple sugars, which can boost your energy levels.

Be sure to save the coconut meat to add to your smoothies and desserts. (I’ll be back real soon with a recipe for an interesting raw pudding using young coconut flesh).

Have you got any tips for making your green supplements taste better?

How do you enjoy your daily greens?

Why Eat Raw Foods?

Mizpah Matus — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:00:16 +0000

Photo courtesy of 427

If you are new to the concept of raw foods you might be wondering why would anyone want to make such a dramatic lifestyle change.

I’ve recently updated the site to include a list of the benefits of eating a raw food diet in this article:

Why Eat Raw?

The article comes directly from my book “The Raw Food Solution: How to Create Vibrant Health with a Raw Food Diet”. I’ve received some really great feedback so far about the book and people are getting excited about eating raw and learning about raw food nutrition.

Here is a link to a recent review about the book from the website, “Half the Man”.

Book Review: The Raw Food Solution by Mizpah Matus

So now that my first book is completed I’m ready to get started on another project! I’d really love your feedback.

My goal is to help you achieve your health and nutrition goals and to share my knowledge with you to support you on your healing journey. What kind of products and information are you looking for?

If any of the things I list below would interest you please let me know. Or if you have any other suggestions I’d love to hear from you.

Raw food meal plans
Fast and easy raw recipe books
Gourmet raw recipe books
Low fat raw recipe books
Raw food nutrition education
Detox programs
Diet plans for healing chronic illness
Raw food mentoring
Raw food transition guide
Herbal medicine
Diet and spirituality

There are so many possibilities but I really want to know what you want so that I can do my best to provide you with the information that you are looking for.

Raw food and natural healing has been my passion for over twenty years so I am excited to be able to share my knowledge and inspire you to fully explore the possibilities that this lifestyle has to offer!

Sweet Pineapple Green Smoothie

Mizpah Matus — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:19:58 +0000

Photo courtesy of Lamowi Photography

Pineapples can be a wonderful fruit to include in your diet on a regular basis as they have many beneficial healing properties. According to Jan Dries, in his book The Dries Cancer Diet: A Practical Guide to the Use of Fresh Fruit and Raw Vegetables in the Treatment of Cancer, pineapples have the highest vibrational frequency of all of the fruits.

He advises cancer patients to consume pineapple every day as part of his fruit-centered approach to healing this condition, which also emphasizes melons, berries, kiwi fruit, cherries, mangoes, persimmons, apricots and papaya. He claims that pineapples have a particular affinity for assisting in cancer recovery.

Additionally pineapples are an excellent source of many nutrients including:

Vitamin C
Manganese
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B6
Copper
Folate

They are also very high in the enzyme, bromelain, which provides an anti-inflammatory effect and may assist with protein digestion.

Unfortunately much of the pineapple available in stores is harvested before ripe, leading to an acidic content that is too high, which can potentially trigger certain health problems. Excessive acids from unripe fruits can lead to gastric distress as well as issues with teeth sensitivity and/or loss of tooth enamel.

So if you really want to enjoy pineapples and gain from their unique properties you may need to consider taking a visit to the tropics!

Fortunately I have been blessed to have lived in this region of the world for almost five years now and have had the opportunity to enjoy some amazing pineapples. While the pineapples in Bali were not so good, those in Thailand were nice and sweet. But the pineapples from Costa Rica are the best in the world!

At our local farmer’s market we can buy incredible sweet and juicy pineapples, with a vibrant yellow color that provides an indication of their delicious flavor. I’ve been pretty sensitive to pineapple and generally have to take it in small amounts but I can make a meal of one of these huge pineapples and feel great afterwards!

Right now I am in the Philippines, and while the pineapples are not as good as in Costa Rica they are still pretty good. I’ve been mostly making green smoothies with them using romaine, parsley, mint and cilantro.

Pineapple makes a wonderful base for a green smoothie because the combination of sweetness and acidity really tones down the flavor of greens.

If you can’t find perfectly ripe pineapples then I would advise limiting your intake to only occasionally. You might also want to add additional sweetener to your recipes to counteract their acidity. If you are lucky to live on a tropical island, or to find a supplier of sweet pineapples in your area, then you can enjoy them on a regular basis.

In the recipe below I used Medicine Flower flavor extracts. These are a fantastic discovery for smoothie lovers as they add a boost of flavor to your blended creations.

So far I’ve tried the dark chocolate, coffee, coconut and vanilla and they are all wonderful. Just two or three drops is usually enough for an entire recipe so the bottles actually last quite a long time.

They’re optional in this recipe but I think they really do enhance the sweetness of the pineapple and add an extra special dimension of flavor.

Sweet Pineapple Green Smoothie

1 large pineapple, chopped

2-3 cups romaine lettuce

4 drops coconut extract

2 drops vanilla extract

Place the pineapple in the blender first then add the greens and flavor extracts. Blend until completely smooth.

There is no need to add water in this recipe because pineapples are naturally really juicy but if you prefer a cooler smoothie you could throw in a handful of ice cubes.

I enjoyed this for breakfast with a bowl of sliced pineapple. What a great way to start the day!

Light and Fresh Thai Mango Salad

Mizpah Matus — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:15:28 +0000

The mangoes in the Philippines are fantastic and mango fruit shakes are very popular here. We enjoy eating the mangoes simply as they are and in smoothies. But I was also inspired to create a mango salad incorporating some wonderful fresh herbs from the local market.

I’ve previously posted a delicious recipe for a Thai Green Mango Salad with Jungle Peanuts. Today’s offering is a lighter version of a Thai mango salad that is more suitable for those of you following a low fat raw vegan diet.

Green mangoes can be very refreshing but they are essentially unripe, which is contraindicated for healing diets. Unripe fruits often produce digestive disturbance and their high level of acids can potentially increase tooth sensitivity, even damaging the tooth enamel if consumed frequently and in large amounts.

While probably alright occasionally, it is best to limit your intake of unripe fruits, and if you are attempting to heal a chronic illness, I would recommend avoiding them completely.

So in this recipe, unlike most recipes for Thai mango salad, I use perfectly ripe sweet mangoes.

Thai food is known for its unique balance of sweet, sour, salty and pungent flavors. The mangoes contribute the sweet flavor in this salad, which can be enhanced if you like by the addition of a little stevia, or another sweetener of your choice.

A squeeze of lime adds a sour component that balances the sweetness of the mangoes. And to provide the characteristic Thai flavor we use ginger, chili, shallots, basil, cilantro and mint. The herbs also add a freshness and liveliness to the dish.

I recommend removing the seeds of the bird’s eye chili because they are extremely hot; that is, unless you really love spicy food.

For the salty element I used a dash of Himalayan salt, but if you prefer to avoid salt you can simply leave it out. An alternative would to add a dash of tamari, which can increase the depth of flavor.

Light and Fresh Thai Mango Salad

Serves 1-2

2 cups mango, chopped

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Handful each of chopped cilantro, mint and basil

1/2-1 tablespoon grated ginger

1/2-1 birds eye chili

3 shallots, diced

Juice of 1/2-1 lime

Pinch of Himalayan salt or 1/2 tablespoon tamari (optional)

Stevia, agave, raw honey or coconut sugar to taste (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)

Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and toss well to combine. Taste and adjust the levels of spice, salt and lime juice according to your preference. Divide between individual serving plates.

If desired drizzle with olive oil. This is entirely optional but can help to enhance and unite the flavors, as well as increase the absorption of nutritional components including beta-carotene and minerals.

My husband doesn’t generally enjoy salad that much, especially ones that are lower in fat, but he really liked this one. Because this recipe is low in calories it might not be enough for a meal for most people but it would make a wonderful first course for an Asian inspired menu.

To make it more substantial you could consider serving the salad alongside fresh spring rolls with Sweet and Spicy Mango Sauce, or perhaps an Asian wild rice salad.

I hope you enjoy it!