Heading Back to MN

I envy most permaculturists.

They get to be with their projects nearly all of the time.
I'm perpetually waiting for the chance to get back and
start working on my site again...waiting for pictures
and asking my parents questions about how the place looks.

Here are some pics:

remember...it looked like this on may 22nd:


My sister told me that its unbearable inside...
hot, muggy, and full of spiders.
To me, that is a dome TEEMING with life.
If there are spiders in there, that is a GREAT sign
that there is lots of life. I want predators in there!

Here are some pics of the sq foot gardens.
This is where I am growing most of my summer plants.

May 22nd and now

Obviously I have some weeding to do.

No one in my family pulls weeds.
Their reasoning is that they know how I value most plants
and they are scared of pulling up something of worth.

There is just so much going on in those pictures,
and I'm a bit overwhelmed and excited at the same time.
My dad told me that we have thistles taller than 6 feet. Crazy.

I have more tomatoes to put in, more mulching and biomass
gathering to do. All the hard labor stuff. Seriously, if you need
to get in shape, become a permaculturist. Its practically
impossible not to get fit when you are out there digging
and "working" all day long. Its good for mental and spiritual
health as well. All the ills of humanity can be solved with a garden.

Chris Rock on Michael

Surthrival

It feels like it should be the name of
a pro wrestling event.

Surthrival 2009...BE THERE!

I think this will be a major event though,
life-changing for many people I would bet.

I fully support both Daniel and Vanessa's ventures,
for they are providing true quality for all of us.
Daniel's talks will shake many to their core,
and very few walk away unaffected.
If you are near NYC this Saturday,
I would highly recommend attending.
I'll be there for sure, and to sweeten the day's events,
Im going to host a meetup open to Surthrival attendees
in Central Park. I was planning some kind of light-jog/
powerwalk coupled with some wild foraging, mostly
focusing on mulberries and some juneberries.

I know a few sweet spots along the path and
it would be fun to visit with everyone attending the event.
How will I know you are attending? I wont.
These things attract honest people, and if you
arent planning to go to Surthrival at 5:30, we wont try to
hold it against you. You should really attend though,
because the talk and the treats will be stellar.

The only question is whether people would get all
sweaty from jogging and then have to go home and clean up
before the event at 530. We could do something at noon,
but that might be early for some,
and many people don't feel like powerwalking. Understood.
The park is a 6 mile loop,
and really shouldnt take more than
70-90 minutes. We can talk about whatever.

Food, permaculture, traveling, exercise...you name it.
I can get cleaned up after jogging, so I am going
to do the loop, probably around noon.

So meet us in front of Whole Foods at Columbus Circle
at 12 noon.

If you are going to do the jog-powerwalk,
bring good shoes and be prepared for a 5.5 mile jog
(which you can always cut short by cutting across the park
and meeting us at the spot on West 72nd.)

Everyone else should then meet at 72nd and Central Park West,
by Strawberry Fields. I would be there
at 2 pm. We can then have a mulberry/juneberry buffet
provided by mother nature. The birds will be fine, they get
their share..trust me. Humans without ladders eat about 5%
of the available fruit on a tree if it doesn't fall to the ground.
Ask me any questions you might have that you think
I may be able to help with...there are no dumb questions!
(remember though, I am a fellow student, so dont take
my words for gospel. You are the true expert for yourself.)

I checked the mulberries on Sunday morning and a few were
ready, so by this Saturday there will be plenty for all.

Surthrival is 10 blocks south of Whole Foods Columbus Circle
and 5 blocks south of Westerly, which has a great raw section in the
back of the store...really wonderful place and I always stop in
if Im in the area for work or castings.

I will leave the park around 330 to get ready for the event.

Also, I will be selling kefir grains that we have raised recently.
We have produced a very happy water kefir population,
and are looking to sell off some excess.

$15 to get you started with a good population and instructions
and they will be packed so you can
easily bring them home. We have a limited amount
so please let me know if you are interested so I know
just how much I should prepare.
First come, first serve.

See you all on Saturday!

More B. Maher for thought

This was a response to his video last week:



Now what do you think?
It really goes to show you who has the media power...
This video had me nodding in "yes" motions quite a bit.

But still..direct action taken by ourselves is
the true key to freedom. No government that I know
of can guarantee free and high quality food, water, shelter, and
lets not forget education...

These paths still need to be earned by ourselves.

Life in the Fat Lane

I was doing a shoot today, and while sitting around the studio
I noticed the cover of Allure Magazine.
It said something about happy mood-foods on the cover,
so I thought it was worth a look.

It mentioned omega 3's so naturally they focused WAY too
much on fish. Um...ever heard of heavy metals and PCBs?

Ever heard of ecosystems crashing because of fishing?
HOWEVER...I am admittedly uneducated about sustainable fishing
practices, so there are likely techniques that many would
find more agreeable. I'm sure individual research on the internet
will give one the answers they are looking for.

The magazine also mentioned chocolate and getting more good
fats in the system. When I read the paragraph above
I started laughing out loud! Too crazy.

Did we see a correlation?
So what fats to add?

Avocados, Coconuts, HEMP SEED...
there are so many really.

I now do my best to make it all digestible as possible.
Soaking nuts and seeds overnight is a GREAT step.

And NOT eating a big bag of cashews and dates in one
(late-night) sitting will give very positive results. Trust me.
That whole night was MISERABLE.

Anyways...back to digestibility...
Fermentation.
Fermenting coconuts for a day or two
will add so much to that food.

I now drink 32 oz a day of coconut kefir and
digestion is GREAT.

Im also drinking the goat kefir,
which is adding even more kinds of probiotics in the system.

Which leads us the possibility of adding in some animal fats
to our diet...whether often or very occasionally.

Goat kefir, and pasture eggs is all I have ventured into.
Many would suggest straight animal fat and organ meats.
They have strong arguments, but I've yet to go in that direction.

Here was a revelation we had the other day,
and Im sure many of you out there have already thought of this.

We reasoned that if people who eat the standard processed diet
transitioned to a WHOLE FOOD diet with grass fed sustainably-raised
and hopefully local animal products (if they desire)....
INSTEAD of
a straight-up raw and a usually vegan diet,
they would have a much easier time eating healthy
and still be able to support more sustainable agriculture.
And then hopefully end up producing the food themselves.

That might be too wordy, but Im sure you see where
Im going with this...baby steps.
If I wanted my dad to eat better,
maybe I would have more "success" if I encouraged
him to eat grass-fed meat and dairy,
and/or high quality pastured organic eggs...
and then just minimize the starches and refined faux-foods
and eat as much local fare as possible.

Instead of -

Telling him he could no longer eat meat,
cheese, milk, burgers, cereal, omlettes....
All the stuff many Americans still LOVE?

Too much cutting out, instead of adding in quality.
And its too big of a jump...obviously.

Maybe introducing family and friends to local growers
and suppliers is better than preaching about raw veganism?

Just thought Id share...

Bill Maher on Obama

I really like Bill Maher.
I thought his movie "Religulous" was too crass
and offensive to actually enlighten some people,
but that's his style. His movie...he can do what he wants.

So tell me what you think about this video.

Do you think Obama is really doing enough so far?

And don't give me the "He's only one man!" excuse.
He has legions of people working for him, and an
entire nation standing behind him now.

He could ask that every American plant a fruit tree if possible.
Maybe he could tell us that our way of life is destroying the planet
and we need to SERIOUSLY rethink this whole
"Industrial Civilization" idea we've been experimenting with.
Maybe he could stand up to the insurance and pharmaceutical
companies that continue to finance sickness and rob people blind?

Are you happy with what he has or has not done?

I'm a little disillusioned. Are there really any changes??
I want him to lead this country and the world
to a brighter tomorrow...he has the following. People will
clearly listen and follow through with whatever he asks.

Do any of you think he was put in power to pacify the angry masses?

He is not a plumber. He does not have to be "on-site"
to fix a problem. Where's the delegation??

Comments?

Kefir Madness

*note...These are clothes from work, not my own.
Although I may be the only person in the world to have
made kefir in a Prada suit. Me attempting to look dignified
does not help things much. This suit could plant MANY trees.

This looks like cottage cheese, but it is actually sweet coconut-ginger kefir.
The effervescence and moderate sourness to this drink, tied in with
the sweetness of the coconut and zing of ginger was beyond words.
I just kept shaking my head...it was that good.

Before I start this (not knowing how long it will be),
let me give you a few essentials.

Wiki Kefir

The clean basics to the world of kefir.

Dawn did some great posts about our early kefir
experiments on her blog. Check them out.

Her first post about kefir
Her second post about kefir

Kefir Links:

For us in the US, buying kefir grains from Marilyn
the kefir lady is IMO the only way to go.

Support cottage industries and quality.

Dom the kefir king is a great resource and supplier worldwide.

Amanda Love does a very informative interview about kefir
with Patrick Timpone...download it HERE.

So we ordered our kefir grains -

(this pic is from Dom's site)

which look like those above,

from Marilyn the Kefir Lady in Ohio.

They arrived quick and all the info we needed was there.

We started with the water kefir grains,
which are adapted to feed on sugar water...
whether thats coconut water, honey, turbinado, or raw cane sugar.
They don't prefer acid mixes..no acidic juices.
The plain coconut water turns a little sulfuric after a while as well.
What they really like is the cane sugar. Go figure.

The standard kefir grains feed on lactose.
They really thrive on fresh milk.

Dom and Marilyn prefer goats, and I can understand why
after now trying both (biodynamic cow and pasture-raised goat).
Goat is in my opinion far superior for kefir.
Maybe some other mammal is better!?!

There is an elk farm 30 miles from where I live in MN.
I see them in the pasture whenever we drive by.
I wonder what that milk would be like? Or buffalo? What the...??

(ginger pear kefir)
We made a wonderful ginger pear kefir during our first time,
and still make it now. A creamy coconut kefir is my favorite.
And the goat kefir is sour and creamy and pretty powerful.
Amanda Love uses the term medicinal, and I think I may
have felt what she was talking about.
The first cold sip of goat kefir of your life. Let us know what you thought
if you ever decide to try it or have already experienced it.
When its REALLY cold...I'll just say that I was taken aback by the flavor.
The fermented grass-fed dairy (yogurt or kefir) ...
there just seems to be something pretty right on about it.
Im wondering if the bio-availability of the minerals
is better than directly juicing all that grass because
of the microflora's fermentation process.

Any ideas on that? I always assumed directly drinking
the juice was far better and CLEANER. Not all mucked up with
the animal fats that I believed I had no real need for anymore. Wha?
But now because of the probiotics? Where is this going?

If youre interested in possibly adding fermented dairy,
for you or YOUR KIDS and want to start with the best milk possible,
check out Realmilk.com and look for local grass fed providers.
They often have many other goodies like honey, fruits and heirloom vegetables.
This is where you want to get your food.

If you have a spare half hour, read around Dom's site some more.
There is really something magical going on with kefir grains.

Here is a ginger-pear kefir blended with fresh strawberries.


I added hempseeds and ate it like a soup,
and dawn drank it out of the pint jar.

If you are looking for a new hobby, you just may have found it.
Youre problem will soon become that you have too many kefir grains
and will have to sell them off or eat them (which should also be done to
maximize probiotic possibilities). Pretty soon all of your friends and family
can be making kefir, and then all of a sudden everyone gets sick WAY less.

(our corner kitchen kefir lab)

Maybe this is in your vibration for a reason.
Loading the "gut" with good bacteria will protect
you from more than you think.
Do the research and consider making the commitment.

Everybody say P-R-O-B-I-O-T-I-C-S!

Sun Rotations...

28 years ago today, my mother had to give birth

to a 9lb, 3oz baby boy. Her first.
Probably not the best way to start.

I had to be delivered C-Section because the umbilical cord
was wrapped around my neck.
Mom had an epidural, so things were a bit fuzzy from what I gather.

Today started with some P90X and a coconut kefir/juneberry smoothie.
I added in more coconut oil and sea salt to really make it birthday-worthy.
And dont forget the high quality hempseeds...always stored in the freezer.

My my...so good.

While I was working out, we were listening to an
amazing interview of Amanda Love (from thebarefootcook.com).
Seriously everyone, download this mp3, and listen to it.

It really makes you think, and gets us to ask some hard questions.
I urge you to find an hour to listen to it.

We later went to the Museum of Natural History,
and saw "Cosmic Collisions" in the Planetarium
and "Wild Ocean" at the IMAX.
Both were stellar...especially cosmic collisions.
Totally worth it. TOTALLY.



We also saw the sunset at the "High Line",
which is the new park that was once an abandoned
railroad track. How cool is that? They planted so many
juneberries and they were all fruiting.

I am probably the first human to eat the high line juneberries.
Fitting since it was my birthday, and it's June.
Lots and lots of flowers, and tons of benches to relax on as well.

(photo courtesy of High Line...not Rawmodel)

New York just got a whole lot better...
if you come here to visit, be sure to plan an hour or
two in the early evening for this place.

Check out more HERE.

Huge thanks to Dawn for bringing me to these places today. I would never
do it by myself...Im too cheap and too lazy I suppose.
She got me out of the apt and we had an amazing day.
Thanks babe!!

Im really grateful for everything in my life.
We are all each others teachers and students.
The internet has enriched our lives in many ways,
and I want to thank all of you for taking the time out of
your busy schedules to read this blog.

You'll never know how much it means to me!
Im working on a "Raw Economics" post about
eating well and saving money, and I hope to have
two more youtube vids up by wednesday.

Anyways, thanks again!

Here is to continued growth and strength,
and courage without convictions.



-On my 28th Rotation...

Late May Permaculture Update

Im waiting for current pics,
and Ive heard they are going to be crazy.

My dad said he cant even walk around the greenhouse anymore.

Ill post the pics as soon as I get them...

A Great Daniel Vitalis Talk

In the past 4 months I feel that I have made some major leaps forward.

Not only with food, but water.
I no longer drink water out of plastic bottles.
I'm saving $2 each day because of this,
and even if I wasn't, I still would never purchase this stuff
again unless I had to. I'm assisting a major event planner
in the city right now, and the other day he got me a bottle of
Fiji water, and when I tasted it, I sadly could taste the plastic.

Never before had I detected that from Fiji water.
I bring my glass jar around with me everyday, or my Sigg,
and because its so hydrating, the 32 oz will last me quite a while.

If you cant get springwater yourself, find someone who does
and maybe pay them to fill up your bottle and bring it back
to you the next day. Or contact Mountain Valley Spring and set up
a delivery service. After you drink good springwater, try tasting
distilled water again, and you'll be certain that distilled water is...
well, some people have referred to it as "Dead"
and now I finally know and feel what they meant.

Anyways, Daniel explains this all wonderfully in these videos.
He is doing an event with Gnosis in NYC soon, and I hope to
be around to attend and finally speak with him in person.

Enjoy the videos...they are REALLY worth the time.
Try doing some stretches while watching to multi-task.

















I hope you got something out of this.
No matter what we decide to eat,
if we are consuming junk water,
we are missing 75% of the picture.

If you want to take it further,
learn more about Daniel's program HERE.

Anthony

P90X Update

After moving out of our sublet with the gym on the ground level,
my workouts have slowed up a bit. It was so convenient
to be able to go into the yoga studio with the laptop and crank
out an hour of p90X. I've been doing the push-up routines
as well as the ab ripper X, but Im lacking the space for
the boot-camp workouts. Those were some of the best ones.
I love the kempo workout too...it goes by fast and it leans you out.

One of the best things about p90x is the fact that you don't
need machines anymore. Some basic weights (5-35lbs) and a pull-up
bar is pretty much it. I figured out how to do pull ups in our space now,
and I am sore again from trying them out yesterday.

I really believe that consistency is the key, and giving it that 100%
at the very end of the workout. Immediately after finishing up,
I make a breakfast smoothie...which usually is comprised of:

Bee Pollen, Blueberries, Mango, Spinach, Spirulina.
That is more of a fruity green smoothie.

If Im going a bit thicker, I will do the hemp milk.
As that as the base, Ill add in honey, maca, milk thistle seed, and
even some goji berries again. Adding in greens is not a bad idea either,
just be conscious and honest about any digestive problems if they come up.
It might be better to save the greens for something else.

I did blend up some coconut kefir the other day with strawberries,
and that was insanely good. Throwing on hempseeds at the end was perfect.

Here's a dandy:
Chia-Hempseed pudding.


I'll make a simple hemp milk with sea salt and honey,
then stir in about a 1/4 cup of chia, and 1/4 cup of hempseed.

This is so great. The hardest part is waiting ten minutes
for it to congeal. I have also added raisins and dried cherries to this.

I think it would be a perfect one for kids too...if they dig oatmeal,
I really believe that they would love this.

I highly recommend looking into P90X.
Its a varied workout that focuses on bodyweight,
and is fast and thorough. The instructor, Tony Horton,
is enjoyable to listen to and motivational when things get difficult.

If anyone else has done this or is doing it, please fill us in on your experience.
This is one that requires no gym membership, can be done quickly,
and isnt focused on heavy repetitive motions. It strongly focuses
on agility and endurance as well. Check it out.

Anthony

Clearing things up and THANKS

I want to thank EVERYONE for the time and emotion
put into all the responses. I am happy to see that most
of us on here are understanding and open-minded.

I want to clear up a few things,
not to explain myself, but to spread some more ideas.

Factory farming is killing this planet. No doubt.
There is absolutely nothing positive in my mind about it.
Humans act like Nazis towards these animals.
We waste so much land raising monoculture crops to feed these doomed
souls as well, which could be converted into pasture and food forests.

If you choose to add in some kefir, yogurt, or eggs, or anything else,
be conscious of where it comes from and the quality.
We get biodynamic dairy, and pasture raised eggs.
I wouldnt DREAM of eating stuff from factory farms. EVER.
Support your LOCAL farmer who takes care of the land and the animals.

Its all about grass-fed. If not, I would suggest looking elsewhere.
Another thing...kefir and yogurt are not the same as regular milk.
Of course, it comes from the same source, but it is converted by microflora.
Kefir acts very differently in our body than regular milk.

And our land needs grazing animals. Almost all the buffalo
are gone, and the land needs hooves to aerate it.
Free-range animals manage pests and keep the soil healthy.
Many vegans kind of forget about the entire cycle of life and nature.
And I find it fitting that most vegans live in cities.

Veganism is a noble idea, but its not feasible in the long term.
The idealism has turned many people into fanatics.
For example...here is a response from an 80-10-10 person.

Get ready...

"ANTHONY!! you starved yourself on your fruit phobia!!!
you starved yourself all the way back to cooked food and animal products!!

look at you 'crying' with your fake white teeth and
claiming you give a fuck about the animals!!! you all about vanity bro.
doing billboards for target etc. you want peeps to like you and
your prepared to sell out to your animal friends to get the 'approval' of public opinion.

save your soul and get a copy of 811.
us 100% RAW VEGANS ATHLETES ARE RIPPING IT UP!
we eat 100% raw vegan and get ENOUGH calories from fruits!!
YOU STARVED YOURSELF BRO.."

Is this what some 80-10-10 people are like? Wow...

contact him at veganbobster@gmail.com
to share your thoughts with him.

All the ignorance filled in that post leaves me shaking my head.
But whatever, Im not even going to give my energy to that.

See what I mean? Would you want to be friends with this person?
How is someone like that going to inspire the mainstream to eat
more local and organic foods? Who will he turn on with a mentality like that?

One more thing...Im simply ADDING this stuff in.
My original diet of greens, superfoods, fruits, hemp, nuts, and seaweeds
is still the same. I wouldnt want to take any of those items out.

The eggs and kefir is a small percentage, but I feel far more liberated
to not beat myself up and exclude myself because of my diet anymore.

Again, I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for the kindness
and thoughtful writings. Many of you should be writers!

In the spirit of evolution, thriving, and open-mindedness...

Anthony

Walking away from Veganism...

DISCLAIMER:
This is what I AM DOING.
I suggest nothing for you. This is my thing.
You must find your own truth.
Do the research and be safe.

Ive been thinking about writing this for a long time,
and just didnt know how to put things out there.

I can ruffle feathers for sure, but I think that is why
many people like to read this blog.
I'll give it to you honestly and with transparency.
Im ever-evolving...keeping my mind open to new discoveries
and not giving into prejudices as much as I used to...

The comment last week about juice feasting set me off,
and now I think I'm ready to put some of these ideas
to paper (um...I mean, the computer screen).

Blame Mr. Daniel Vitalis I suppose.
The guy broke open some doors for me about my thinking about veganism.
Such as my beliefs about consuming any animal products and whether or not we
should even be eating them, or if they are more of a tool to be used occasionally,
really came into question when I started to honestly look at the raw VEGAN scene.

Remember...we must never give into dogma, no matter what.
Truth must be our ultimate authority,
not the other way around.
And that goes for Raw Vegan authorities too...
don't believe its all that different.

I was a fervent worshiper at the temple
of Raw Veganism. I might as well have been
speaking in tongues and watching the 700 club. Seriously.

I was crazy...really disrespecting people
because they didnt eat the same way as me.
With raw veganism, it way more than a diet,
it way a complete identity for me. At least in the early stages.

I started to let the attachments go after a couple of years.
I wasnt thinking about food so much, just making smoothies and getting on with it.
Being in a relationship brought me off the edge too,
I was going out to eat more and socializing with work.

I sacrificed so much for my religion...I mean "my diet".
Far fewer friends and acquaintances, alienating and insulting too many relatives,
and always thinking about what I was going to make for my next meal.
If I didnt feel so amazing, I would have dropped it a long time ago.
I did become damn good at making food though.

Also, I was tired of being able to only hang out with raw-friendly people.
Not that there is anything wrong with them, but there are other humans
in the world that are fun to hang out with, despite their diets ;)
Not everyone wants to eat at Pure Food and Wine ALL THE TIME.
"Quintessence AGAIN?!" A friend would ask us this as we planned to meet up.

Dawn and I were visiting some relatives of mine in Minnesota last summer.
They were all eating homemade rhubarb pie.
We ate some almonds. LAME.
Do you see what Im getting at with this?
What are we giving up to maintain 100%? Is it REALLY worth it?

People email me asking how they can maintain 100% raw vegan all the time.

Why? Because someone told them it was better?
Because the idea of purity is so common in our scene?
Or maybe they felt so much better during a cleanse.
Someone told me so. And I believed it. And I lived it too...so it became MY truth.
I felt good, but then again, I was also exercising 2+ hours a day.

So...
Here is what I believe AT THIS MOMENT.
It may change, it may not. My mind is open,
and I am experimenting.

I feel that raw VEGETARIANISM is the answer (for me).
Raw VEGANISM is wonderful most of the time.

Anyways, Look at long-term strict raw VEGAN authorities.
Are they glowing? REALLY? Have you seen them in bathing suits?
If I looked like some of them, (and I will NEVER name names..)
I wouldn't feel comfortable at all telling people how to eat and live. No way.

My mom glows twice as much as some of them!

If you want to thrive, I think you have to add in some
animal products. Sorry everybody. But let's be logical here.

I'm not into eating flesh though.
The body just isnt made for it.
Its pretty obvious if you study anatomy,
but I'll leave that up to you.
If you want to do flesh (raw or cooked) or whatever, that is YOUR
path and I wish you well. Its very possible that you'll be
just fine if you play it safe and stick to decent portions and eat only grass-fed.
No flesh for me though...too much hurt.

Here is what I've added in lately, and surprise...
I feel GOOD.

Fermented goats milk...otherwise known as KEFIR.
I now LOVE this stuff. It is SO loaded with probiotics
that its a joke. When I drink it, something just feels so right.

I know there are lots of probiotics in Vitamineral Green,
but that is a green dust...where is the life in there?
When I drink the kefir, its teaming with bubbly life.
We've been making coconut kefir and ginger-pear kefir too,
and they are just amazing. Its beyond belief how good they taste,
and how good it feels to totally colonize my system with good bacteria.

Raw milk, and especially raw FERMENTED and grass-fed milk,
is a completely different food than highly pasteurized and homogenized
milk raised on corn and soy fodder. That stuff should not even be called
milk anymore, its totally misleading and denatured.

If I lived in MN full time, I would buy a goat. Serious.

Now...Im not drinking milk. Don't confuse.
Fermented dairy is a completely different food in my opinion.
The microflora have eaten all the lactose (sugars)
so what is left for me is their excrement (I know...super gross right?)
and their residues. This stuff is gold.

80% of our immunity is in our gut, and most raw vegans
think that they can get by on just greens and superfoods and fruit.
Our species has been eating fermented foods for...um...EVER,
and since we use refridgerators now, our guts are usually barren.
This is leaving us open to heavy metals, AUTISM, bad bacteria, and candida.

I've also added in organic pasture-fed eggs.
Usually cooked (Dawn freaks out when I eat the yolk raw)
but the raw yolk (for me) is AMAZING.
I wash the eggs with hot soapy water before, dry them off,
then crack them open. The slimy whites..no thanks. The yolk...yes.

Here was a big flaw in my thinking:
People who are fat and sick eat animal products...
Therefore eating animal products will also make me fat and sick.

Well...first off, they are eating WAY too much and very often sitting on their butts all day.
Here is the routine of modern homo industrialist-televisionist.
"Wake up...eat...drive to work...sit on butt all day...drive home...eat...go to sleep.
No wonder there are weight issues occurring here.
And second, those poor folks are consuming LOADS of processed starches.
And because of that, they are suffering from diabetes, cancer, brain-fog, and
CORONARY HEART DISEASE.

Forget about cholesterol. It has NOTHING to do with clogged arteries.
Its all about processed starches. They will irritate your circulatory system with
calcium phosphates...creating never ending inflammation.
Look into the work of David Wolfe, Dr David Jubb, and Dr Natasha Campbell McBride.

Seriously, youre better off eating grass fed meat than highly processed starches.
Again...sorry.
Look at all the overweight vegetarians.
Those poor souls are making so many sacrifices and still look...well...WAY less than optimal.

I'm eating a higher fat diet now, and I see veins all over my body.
I have very little body fat. When I would eat breads...I would get thick. Duh.
And all the while I was trying to stay away from the high fat stuff.

There are just so many opinions out there now,
and people have based their careers on statements
they may have made decades earlier, so how could they go back?
Is financial gain limiting progress for some?
Who to trust? I suggest looking at RESULTS first.

Here was another flaw in my thinking:
The great apes (gorillas, chimps, bonobos, orangutans)
don't eat animal products, so neither should us humans.
We were eating just leaves and fruits, right?

Well...NO.
Truth is, if you lived 8 million to 10,000 years ago, you would eat
anything that you could put into your mouth and swallow.
It was no time to be picky.
You want to eat au naturel? The way NATURE intended?
Here is a dish of termite larvae.
Here is a bird's nest that you just found...there are three eggs in there...dig in!
Here is a patch of wild berries. Not very sweet and lots of seeds, but too bad.
Here are some bones left over from a wolf's kill.
Crack open the bones with a rock and scoop out the marrow.
Gross? You want to survive or not? Again, no time to be picky.
Raw veganism is a VERY new dietary experiment for us on this planet.
Never EVER in the history of Earth did we exclude
all animal products. You think goji berries will change that?

The 80-10-10 people make me roll my eyes.
They love their fruit so much, but if they really wanted
to eat natural, they wouldnt touch modern fruit at all.
Its hybridized, over-sugared, and demineralized.

Another interesting thought:

So many people say that drinking the milk of another animal is unnatural.
I totally agree that its very odd that humans do this.
But maybe that is what allowed us to thrive and advance so quickly?

Chew on this one:
How many people in ancient history ate
cacao, goji berries, maca, and spirulina not only in one single day,
but in ONE SINGLE SMOOTHIE?

How natural is this raw vegan diet anyways?
Not natural at all really. But that doesnt mean that its bad.
Maybe we've reached the point in our evolution where we can make
the combinations occur to speed up our mental and physical evolution.
Many raw superfood vegans would like that argument, but not the dairy argument.

Chimpanzees even hunt and eat monkeys for heaven's sake.
They make tools to fish out termites.
Why dont vegans talk about that?
Sure, its easier to walk up on lettuce than a rabbit,
but what about ants? I know...I know...

Here is a snippet from H. Leon Abrams, Jr.
who is the Associate Professor Emeritus of Anthropology E.G.C.,
at the University System of Georgia.

"One misconception about the gorilla diet is that it contains no animal products. On the contrary, all of the great ape groups take in some animal protein, whether overtly or inadvertently, by consuming insects, insect eggs and the larvae that nest on the plants and fruits they eat. In her pioneering work on chimpanzees, Jane Goodall discovered to her amazement, and to the amazement of the rest of the world, that chimpanzees kill and eat monkeys and make a tool to extract termites from their hills (homes), and that they went to considerable effort to obtain these foods. It is also significant that meat is the only food they share with other chimpanzees.

All monkeys, lemurs and apes are classified as vegetarians and/or fruitivors, but they consume a small amount of animal protein by unconsciously eating the small insects, their eggs and larvae on the plant foods they select to eat. The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. tried to breed the near extinct fruitivorian South American golden marmoset in captivity with no result, but when a little animal protein was added to their diet, they began to breed, which proves that they require a small amount of animal protein to be healthy and reproduce."

Hmmmm......

Look at MOST male vegans.
Unless they are seriously adding in lots of superfoods,
and working out quite a lot like myself,
chances are that they are skinny and rather anemic. Its no wonder
the mainstream hasnt adopted the diet with these representatives.

I think its about balance. I eat a little cooked food now. Not large amounts,
but some...and somehow Im still ok! And guess what, Im not overburdened
with guilt or thinking about goddamned food all the time.
LIBERATION.
I can go to a birthday party and not worry
about what Im going to eat. I can go out with more friends now
and I don't have to answer questions about my diet or make
them feel disgusting for eating meat or whatever else.
My life is richer right now because of this.

Life is just far too short to be sooooo focused on food.
Im going to keep putting out recipes of course,
but I beg all of you to get on with life and leave the foodie mentality behind.
Is this the last refuge of the damned? Thinking about food all the time?
Have we nothing better to think about?

Loads of leafy greens, high quality fats like coconut, avocado, and hemp,
high quality proteins like bee pollen, hemp, leafy greens, and chia seeds,
and occasionally - fermented grass fed dairy or pasture raised eggs.
Unless you want to eat ants or some larvae? Ha!

Don't disconnect yourself from nature.
We are a part of the cycle, and all apes need a smidgen of some animal protein,
one way or another. Raw veganism works MOST of the time,
so don't get trapped in the ALL or NOTHING mentality.
We are better than that!

Our minds must remain limber...flexing with new information
and revelations. We must never stop evolving or questioning.
To thrive, it can be the only way.

-Anthony

Whats up with Soy

Dawn shared a great video with us about soy,
and I have to share it with you guys.



So many vegans have made this a staple food.
After watching this video, I want you to think about
where that strategy has taken them.

A vegetarian or vegan diet based on soy, conventional fruit,
processed starches, and even refined sugars will plump someone
out faster than....well, really damn fast.

I see so many thick vegetarians and vegans...sacrificing so much
and still junking out their systems with total filler.

Minimize the soy! I'm serious! Its not really meant to be eaten
the way it is, and it is in EVERYTHING nowadays.

Help to break the spell of the vegetarian paradigm...
its totally bringing the movement down and needs to be outed ASAP.

Anthony

Marilyn the Kefir Lady

Dawn did an amazing interview recently

on her blog which is called "Happy. Healthy. Balance."
Check it out HERE.

She is a huge inspiration for us,
and she even battled the FDA because
she had her own ear candle business.
Seriously...the FDA is a total scam.
They are a branch of the corporatocracy
and we must JUST SAY NO to all of their lies
and threats. I have no faith whatsoever in ANYTHING
that organization has to say. NONE.

I would really hope to visit her farm the next time I drive to MN.
I hope that our life can be similar to her family's in the not so distant future.

And read what she has to say about ocean minerals!
She is WAY more tuned in than I ever expected!
LOVING IT!

Thanks so much to Dawn and Marilyn for sharing this with us,
Im sure youll find it all really eye-opening.

-Anthony

Sepp's Fruit Tree Ideas...

Just saw this, thought I would share.
Sepp Holzer is one of my favorite permaculturists,
and his methods are spawned from his own observations of nature,
not so much through the experiences of others.
He's been at this for 40 years now, so obviously
he had to innovate a bit. ;)

His advice...take the basic principles of water conservation,
biodiversity, and raised beds and apply them to YOUR area.
He lives on a steep mountainside in the Austrian Alps...
so what he does might just not work for you or me,
but I like what he has to say.



I was conditioned to think that pruning and all the
tree-care management was needed, but now...maybe not?
I have some pretty closely planted trees,
because I was planning on doing some heavy pruning. Hmmm...

So many conflicting opinions...just like diet advice.

Click on the pics for more detail...

Here are some more:

Great idea about planting root crops around the
perimeters of the trees to keep any possible pests occupied.

Sepp is amazing...truly a hero for our time.