Day 33

THOUGHTS- In this world we are blessed with people. I spent last night with my good friend Sarah who is amazing and tonight I had a party with some old friends from a work place. I decided to have a catch up paryt and really didn't organize too much as I hadn't planned on many people coming but in the end I ran out of chairs and they were all awesome. It reminded me of how great people can be. It also got me thinking about how much we take people for granted. And while I am very passionate about animal rights I also acknowledge that humans are still fighting for their own rights.

Part of what is great about the shop that I work in is that we stock alot of fair trade products. What is Fair Trade? I hear you ask?

This is how the Fair Trade Association explains it.

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices, Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives

http://www.fta.org.au/about

What are the conditions like? Well here's a few facts about Nike.

Indonesian workers make $2.46 a day
10,000 Indonesians went on strike to protest wages that are below subsistence level.
"If I don't work overtime, I can't survive," says Baltazar at PT Hasi Nike factory in Jakarta. He works an average of 40 overtime hours a week.

Vietnamese workers make $l.60 a day
1,300 workers at the Sam Yang factory went on strike to demand a one cent per hour raise in wages. Other issues include excessive and illegal overtime and compensation for working with hazardous material.

Chinese workers make $1.75 a day
There is no minimum wage in China and when abuses are discovered, the whole factory disappears. "The supervisors will get nervous and move the work to another province. It's impossible to monitor factory conditions," says Asia Monitor Resource Center in Hong Kong.

You pay over $100 for shoes that cost less than five dollars to make.

As a consumer, you can change Nike's unfair labor practices.
Write: NIKE Inc.
One Bowerman Drive
Beaverton, OR 97005

See also-

Around the world, millions of people are living in bondage. They labor in fields and factories under brutal employers who threaten them with violence if they try to escape. They work in homes for families that keep them virtually imprisoned. They are forced to work as prostitutes or to beg in the streets, fearful of the consequences if they fail to earn their daily quota. They are women, men, and children of all ages, and they are often held far from home with no money, no connections, and no way to ask for help.
This is modern slavery, a crime that spans the globe, providing ruthless employers with an endless supply of people to abuse for financial gain. Human trafficking is a crime with many victims: not only those who are trafficked, but also the families they leave behind, some of whom never see their loved ones again.
Trafficking has a broad global impact as well. It weakens legitimate economies, fuels violence, threatens public health and safety, shatters families, and shreds the social fabric that is necessary for progress. And it is an affront to our basic values and our fundamental belief that all people everywhere deserve to live and work in safety and dignity.

http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/

There are so many people suffering in our world. It amazes me how people can get so upset over the fact that their computer isn't working when there are places in the world where there are people who will never know what a computer looks like. By purchasing fair trade products you make a stand that says you care and helps third world farmers receive a proper wage.

CHALLENGES-Not being home for two days so my body was begging for something sweet and I know that my body is pretty good at telling me what it needs so I got an organic juice from the fridge at work. No additives just juice.

TRIUMPHS- Still sticking to the diet 33 days in. Also having a party where I didn't drink as much as I normally would have and instead of begging someone to run and get maccas chips I had a potato ready to make my own chips when that craving came.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST-Home made soy milk, amaranth, multipuffs. 2 Strawberries and 4 blueberries.

SNACKS- Handful of cashews. Energy bar- Apples*, almonds*, agave syrup*, dates*, Cranberry*, sunflower seeds*, Buckwheat*, coconut*, vanilla, cinamon*. (* indicates organic ingredient)

LUNCH- Salad- Lettuce, spinach, rocket, onion and pinto beans.

SNACK- Orange, mango and passionfruit juice.

DINNER- Roast potatoes, orange and white sweet potatoes, 2 garlic cloves, olive oil and rosemary.

LATE NIGHT- Lots of roasted cashews.

Olives, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks.

1/2 avocado

Lentil Sprouts

Bottle of Organic Vegan wine.

1 potato cut into chips and cooked in olive oil.

EXCERCISE-

Day 32

THOUGHTS-

SARAH.

This world is full of amazing people. Sarah is one of these many wonderful beings. What makes Sarah so wonderful? I seriously wouldn't have the time to write a blog that long. Sarah is a vegan. She's a new vegan but she is so comitted to the cause that she is even an inspriation to someone like myself who has been a vegan for five years. She refuses to harm any living creature. I was over her house for dinner the other night and she got up and started dancing around. She then opened the front door and shut it again. To answer my puzzled look she explained that she was shooing a fly outside. It was beautiful to see someone with that much passion for any life no matter how small. Sarah is a very VERY active member of Sea Shepherd.

http://www.seashepherd.org/

Sarah is one of those people who doesn't have to say anything at all to you but just being around her already lightens your mood. She is a single mum and is doing a fantastic job of raising a beautiful baby girl Charlotte.

She is a pure soul in a world that is full of destruction and terrible things. Sarah is a very active Vegan and she does everything that she can do to raise awareness against whaling. She has also recently started the face book group "Animal Rights Activists Against Racism."


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1499960799&aid=2011696&s=20&hash=3b047eb8380d7a52f2c8096076c3a860#!/group.php?gid=109691599065979&ref=ts

Not only does she have a good heart to help the animals but she has a good heart when it comes to people as well. Even though people aren't too often kind in return that never stops this determined young woman. Her passion and determination should be an inspiration to everyone.

Vegans are normal everyday people. We have feelings and family's and dreams. We are no different from you or the person next to you. Don't think of us as weird or different. We are who we are and I will be profiling many vegans over these coming weeks.

CHALLENGES- Not many today I prepared food last night so was well prepared.

TRIUMPHS- Sharing earth foods with a friend.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Peice of watermelon

Carrot, Beetroot, ginger, celery, spinach and parsley juice.

Raw sunflower, blueberry and raspberry smoothie.

SNACKS- raw ginger pwer bar- (funky pies)- Certified organic raw cacao, raw almonds, raw ginger, sundried sultanas, raw walnuts and raw cashews.

LUNCH- Raw salad- Sprouts (mung bean, snow pea and alfalfa), Home sprouted lentils, red cabbage, cos lettuce, shallot, mint, parsley, grated carrot, tomato, prepitas, sunflower kernels and celery.
Dressing- Lemon juice, lemon rind and grated ginger.
SNACKS- Lady finger banana
Essene bread- Avo spread (Recipe two days ago), raw cashew cheese all listed at earlier dates.

DINNER- Vegetable Kebabs- Zuchinni, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, red onion.
Marinade- Soy sauce, olive oil, rice malt syrup, garlic, ginger, lime juice and rind.
Cut veggies put on skewers, marinade overnight, cook in olive oil.
Served on Quinoa.

DESSERT- Chocolate Balls
Handful pistachios.

RECIPE

CHOCOLATE BALLS
Cacao nibs
Walnuts
Flaxmeal
Agave syrup

1. Grind cacao nibs and walnuts in spice grinder.
2. mix in bowl with agave syrup til tacky.
3. roll into balls.
4. Messy but delicious.


EXCERCISE- None

Day 31

THOUGHTS- I am loving cooking and creating and discovering. Everyone that I tell about the earth diet thinks that I am a crazy nut and that I must be starving and there must be hardly anything that I can eat. This is not true everyday I find something new I can eat or something new I can do with old ingredients that I already eat. Lately I have been experimenting with cacao. There was no way in hell I wanted to give up chocolate. So as always I have found a way to make chocolate count. Cacao is the purest form of chocolate and comes from the earth. Here are some facts on this lovely bean.

Cacao Facts
Chocolate has 400 distinct flavour compounds - that's 200% more than any other food! The exotic flavoured 'criollo' variety represents only 1% of world production and is the highest priced in international commodity markets.
Cacao Power products have an anti-oxidant (ORAC) score of 95,500. To put that into perspective, that's 14 times more antioxidant flavonoids than red wine, 21 times more than green tea, and 7 times more than even dark chocolate!
Magnesium is the most common deficient major mineral even following a balanced diet - it is estimated that over 80% of Australians are chronically lacking.Cacao contains high levels of magnesium - possibly being the best food source for magnesium available.Magnesium can be helpful for women suffering menstrual cramps because it helps muscles relax, easing discomfort. Now you know why you crave chocolate at that time of the month.
Phenylethylamine (PEA) found in cacao products is an adrenal-related chemical that is created within the brain and released when we fall in love, and also help increase focus and alertness.
Pure raw cacao seems to diminish appetite - likely as a result of it's unusual MAO inhibitors that allow more serotonin and other neurotransmittors like anandamide (the bliss chemical) to circulate in the brain, precipitating a rejuvenating effect.
Cacao beans, nibs and powder contain no sugar and have a fat content lower than most other nuts.
The Kuna Indians of the Panamanian Islands consume significant amounts of high-flavonol cacao; they also have extremely low blood pressure that doesn't climb as they age.

There are so many benefits. The only thing I am struggling with is eating too much. As you can see now that I discovered it I had something with it four times today. But it could be worse I could be eating commercially made sugar and chemical laiden chocolate instead. But I am not. I'm feeling much better about myself and am finding that I have more energy and I would highly reccomend to anyone looking for a change in their diet to take on the earth diet.

CHALLENGES- No challenges today

TRIUMPHS- Making Earth Diet cookies that taste amazing.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Peach, apple and strawberry juice.

Blueberry, strawberry, cacao and soy smoothie

SNACK- 2 Chocolate cookies.

1 lady finger Banana

LUNCH- 2 soy burger patties

Salad- Rocket, cos, spinach, cherry tomatoes, parsley, red onion, cucumber, sprouts- (snow pea, alfalfa and mung bean), basil, chilli, shallot.

SNACK- 2 chocolate cookies

Lady Finger banana

Edamame, goji and cacao mix.

DINNER- Salad as above but with chickpeas added.

LATE DINNER- 3 soy burgers

DESSERT- Choc ball mix. Crushed cacao nibs, flaxseed meal, agave syrup.

Calming tea

RECIPES

CHOC COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

Home made soy milk

Buckwheat flour

Ground Cacao nibs

Agave syrup

Coconut oil

METHOD

1. Preheat oven

2. Combine ingredients in a bowl

3. Spoon onto baking tray

4. Bake until brown.

SOY PATTIES

Soy pulp

Olive oil

Besan flour

Onion

Chilli

Mushroom

Garlic

METHOD

1. Cut up veggies

2. Heat oil in pan

3. Mix other ingredients in bowl.

4. Cook in patty shapes.

SOY BURGERS

AS above but ingredients are

Soy pulp

Besan flour

onion

chilli

Parsley

Olive oil

EXCERCISE- Walking and rehearsal.

Day 30

THOUGHTS-

HAPPY ONE MONTH TO ME!!!!!

I did it. I made it to a month on the earth diet and still going strong. I'm finding new ways to make things. New recipes and even new foods to try. Working in a health shop is the best I am discovering all kinds of things. Recently I have started having coffee but have never been much of a coffee drinker. I used to live on like 2 mothers or red bulls every day and have now had a bout 4 coffees in an entire month so my caffeine intake is way down and is just the naturally occuring caffeine in the beans that are grown in the earth.

I made a decision today to buy some stevia extract. I miss sugar. But I know that sugar is so processed and goes through alot before it is at the point that we see it in the shopping centres. Also I recently found out that raw sugar is actually more proccessed than white. Raw sugar is actually just white sugar with some molasses added back in for the colour.

Wiki info on stevia-

Stevia is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America. The species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sweetener and sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.
With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Medical research has also shown possible benefits of stevia in treating obesity and high blood pressure. Because stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.
The availability of stevia varies from country to country. In a few countries, it has been available as a sweetener for decades or centuries; for example, stevia is widely used as a sweetener in Japan where it has been available for decades. In some countries, stevia is restricted or banned. In other countries, health concerns and political controversies have limited its availability; for example, the United States banned stevia in the early 1990s unless labeled as a supplement, but in 2008 approved rebaudioside-A extract as a food additive. Over the years, the number of countries in which stevia is available as a sweetener has been increasing.

It's amazing you only use the smallest amount and it makes everything so sweet. It's low in calories and doesn't have all the chemical additives that artificial sweeteners have.

CHALLENGES- Being at a party where there was free beer, wine and soft drink.

TRIUMPHS- Refraining from any and just having water with lime wedges.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Buckwheat and soy milk pancakes cooked in coconut oil topped with agave syrup.

LUNCH- Cos lettuce, chickpeas, tofu cooked in tamari, shallot, red onion, red capsicum, asparagus, sunflower seeds, pepitas and parsley.

SNACK- Tamari nut and seed mix cooked in olive oil.

Edamame and goji blend.

3 pea pods

6 blueberries

Soy latte- organic fair trade coffee beans, home made soy milk and stevia

Soy mocha- As above with added ground cacao beans.

DINNER- 1 corn cob, 1 tofu cutlet (Blue lotus)

3 waters with lime wedges.

LATE SNACK- Home made tofu cooked in tamari and olive oil.

EXCERCISE- Lots of walking and a bit of dancing at my friends 21st.

Day 29

THOUGHTS- Today I made tofu from scratch. Three ingredients. Soy beans, water and nigari. I admit I was a little worried when I started researching the products that I would find that it wasn't at all suited to the earth diet. Tofu is such a widely known healthfood and very versatile. I love tofu and would make recipes with it everyday if I could. That would be silly though because then I would be missing out on many other wonderful products. The typical ingredient list for tofu is nothing to worry about but I decided that not only would I save on the packaging but also save on money. It is very time consuming but at the same time VERY rewarding. I used the soy milk maker at work to save on time but it still took almost an hour to make a block that i pretty much inhaled.

Here is the information from the website of the company I bought the tofu making kit off. Explaining what Nigari is.

Pink Lake Nigari
Nigari is the most commonly used coagulant for making Tofu and has been used for thousands of years in China and Japan. Read how Nigari is used as an ingredient for Tofu and see Lake Crystal’s easy to follow Tofu recipe.Nigari is composed mainly of Magnesium Chloride (also known as Magnesium Oil), but also contains other mineral traces that are naturally occurring in natural lake salt brines. Pink Lake Nigari comes from natural salt-lakes formed over 20,000 years ago. The salt crust of the lakes is 0.05 metres thick and during the hot Australian summer the surface of the lake appears pink in colour. This is why the lake became known as “Pink Lake”.
In the winter, rainfall of 700-900mm sits on the surface of the lake taking some of the crust of the lake into solution to make salty water or brine. Because magnesium together with a number of other trace elements is naturally occurring in the lake’s salt crust, these trace elements also naturally occur in the brine. This brine, which is pumped from the surface of the lake, is a complex mineral salt containing several trace elements such as calcium, magnesium and potassium for example. The brine passes through a series of evaporation ponds where the heat from the sun evaporates the brine and as it does so several of the trace elements such as calcium, sodium chloride, magnesium sulphates “drop out”.
Because the Magnesium ions are the last element to “drop out” of the brine, the density of the Magnesium within the resulting Magnesium Chloride (MaCl2) or Nigari, increases.

http://www.lakecrystal.com.au/

I was very impressed with my productivity today. I have now found ways of making two products that I was not sure how I would ever be able to stop buying the commercially made versions. But there is a way for everything and my mission over the time I take on this earth diet challenge is to find as many foods in the skin they are in and make all the products I like myself. 2 down many more to go. Today was very satisfying I encourage everyone to try and make more things from scratch. It may be time consuming but it saves money, tastes great, feels satisfying and is just plain fun.

CHALLENGES- Making tofu from scratch

TRIUMPHS- Making tofu from scratch

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST-Beetroot, carrot, ginger, celery and parsley juice.

Strawberry soy smoothie.

Tofu Orientale (Blue lotus packaged flavoured tofu)

SNACK- Banana

LUNCH- Roast Veg salad- Lettuce, shallot, cucumber, onion, capsicum, avocado, roast potato, pumpkin, orange and white sweet potato. Chickpeas.

dressing- Flaxseed oil and garlic.

SNACK- Carrot, celery and capsicum sticks. Cherry tomatoes and olives.

Avocado dip- Avocado, shallot, tahini, home made vegetable stock, lemon juice and pepper.

A few nuts and sultanas and a bar of loving earth chocolate.

DINNER- 2 soy burgers and a block tofu orientale.

Scrambled tofu

Essene Bread with avocado dip spread and raw cashew cheese

SNACK- Popcorn cooked in olive oil with tumeric and oregano

RECIPES

SOY BURGERS

INGREDIENTS

Soy pulp

Red onion

Shallot

Shoyu

Chickpea flour

Garlic

Olive oil

METHOD

Chop all veggies finely. Mix together in a bowl and fry lightly in olive oil.

SCRAMBLE TOFU

Mashed home made tofu

Shoyu

Parsley

Red onion

Red Capsicum

Garlic

Olive oil

METHOD

1. Brown onion, garlic and capsicum.

2. Add other ingredients.

3. Heat through and serve.

EXCERCISE- none

Day 28

THOUGHTS- LABELS PART 2

Yesterday I focused on the way we label animals and humans. Today I am looking at the way our food is labeled. How much do you really know about what you are eating?

Did you know that Gelatine is made from the boiled skin, bone and tendons of animals? It is found in Jelly, most lollies, chocolates and ice creams.

What about Rennet? Made from the lining of a calf's somach. Found in cheese.

Did you know that additive 542 is made from animal bones?

904 is a bug secretion.

920 i from animal hair.

1100 and 1104 are from calves stomachs.

More information available at http://www.vegsoc.org/, http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/

How can you possibly remember the countless number of animal ingredients? I purchased Vegan Shopper from aduki press. http://www.aduki.net.au/.

What else is wrong with labelling? "Product not tested on animals". What a joke. There are no laws or regulations over who can put that on their products. The Body Shop who was just denied reacreditation on the choose cruelty free list because their new mother company tests. They still use those words.

Those words can mean anything. That some of the ingredients were not tested (but others were), the final product was not tested (but all the ingredients were), that produst was not tested (but the mother company does such heinous tests that supporting them is immoral).

So how do you know who is legitamate and who is not? The Choose Cruelty Free list. http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/

They list only companies that do not test and they have a key to tell you which products are vegan. They also have a key to show you which companies have never tested.

The more I find out the more I am disgusted by the standard of our food and cosmetic labelling. If you don't know what is in it do you really want to be putting it into your body. I know I don't so as part of the earth diet I am becoming more aware of everything that is going into and onto my body.

CHALLENGES- Eating alot a night.

TRIUMPHS-Creating some amazing foods. :)

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- 1 mushroom, 1 slice of tofu with tamari and olive oil.

1 soy latte

SNACK- Lady finger banana

LUNCH- Salad- Quinoa, cucumber, lettuce, onion, shallot, cherry tomatoes.

Dressing- Flaxseed oil and balsamic vinegar

SNACK- Edamame and Goji blend.

DINNER- Adzuki chilli with brown rice. (Recipe day 24)

Cup fresh pineapple juice.

Roast vege cubes- White and orange sweet potatoes, potato and pumpkin roasted in olive oil, garlic and rosemary.

EXCERCISE- Housework

Day 27

THOUGHTS- LABELS

"I know you are you said you are so what am I?"

So today I went to Supanova for the first time. Partly to see what it was about and partly to see the hot guys of Torchwood, Stargate and Twilight. I wasn't sure that I would fit in with these "nerds." However as the day progressed and I ran into more and more people that I knew I realised that it wasn't so much a nerd convention but it was a place where authors, actors, artists, nerds, collectors, fans of individual shows and people from many other walks of life and many other reasons. So why do we feel the need to label everyone? Honestly I cannot answer that. Throughout the day I realised that I really didn't fit into any of the groups entirely. There was a part of me that went with each of the groups but I am neaither one nor the other. So I think next time you feel the need to put a label on someone else it's really just because we are so consumed by power and heirachy that we need to put people into a group that we beleive is below our own "group." So fellow Supanova attendees I had fun. I don't think you are "nerds" and I retract that title from you. You are all people like myself and we are all equal.

What makes someone better than someone else? Nothing. Yet there is still racism, sexism, ageism, culturalism and homophobia and even speciesism.

What is speciesism?

Wikipedia- Speciesism is the assigning of different values or rights to beings on the basis of their species membership. The term was created by British psychologist Richard D. Ryder

It's the beleif that humans are of a higher importance than non humans. Animals were not put on this planet for us to use exploit, eat, own and use for entertainment. I know at present this notion is hard for many people to grasp. When we live in a world that some cultures women, jews, blacks, homosexuals and people from all other walks of life are still not veiwed as equals I know that animal liberationists have their work cut out for them. But does that mean that the journey will be hopeless? No every year there are more organisations appearing and more rights for animals.

Martin Luther King had a dream. In his time that dream seemed almost imaginary. Unreachable. But now they United States have an african american president. From a race that was once considered to only be fit as slaves to President of the United States. There has been leaps and bounds in the rights for all races. Though the journey has been hard the results have been rewarding.

So I have a dream that one day... Humans will stop looking for races, genders and species to enslave, torture and use for entertainment and that we will all live in a world that every being is considered equal. Stop seeing everything with a label and see each creature for the individual being that they are and you will find that each being has a story, a personality, a family, friends and something that makes them unique.

Visit- http://www.peta2.com/ALP/

For more information on animal liberation

CHALLENGES-Being at a festival with so many delicious stands of deep fried food.

TRIUMPHS- Not even being tempted by the food.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- 1/2 Lady finger banana

Othe half in smoothie with mixed berries (Blackberries, blueberries, red currants and raspberries.) Home made soy milk.

2 Rice and Lentil patties with raw cashew cheese. (Recipe in yesterdays blog)

LUNCH- 1 1/2 half fruit muffins (Recipe in yesterdays blog) 7 olives

SNACK- Edamame and Goji blend.

1 peice of raw organic chocolate.

DINNER- Roast veggies- Carrot, Potato, Pumpkin, Sweet potato orange and white.

SNACK- 1 slice essene bread with raw cashew cheese.

small serve of chickpea curry. (Recipe in tomorrows blog.)

EXCERCISE- 20 minute walk with Dog. Walking around Supanova all day.

Day 26

THOUGHTS-

Today I was not in my own home and had an extra night surprised on me so had to come up with some creative foods since I hadn't packed enough for the extra night. I came up with a few recipes but had to use some frozen fruits and some dried herbs. I have been using herbs and spices from my own house and as I don't use them often and they are plants just heated and dried out I have decided they will stay in my earth diet. If there is however the option between dried and fresh I will always chose fresh. I looked into it and there isn't any research to say that dried herbs are bad for you. Also they say that frozen fruit and veg hold their nutrients as well since they are frozen straight away. But the earth diet is more about cutting out the processing person. I am doing my best to buy fresh but when unforseen circumstances arise I'll do my best with what has been made available.

Also today I used Chickpea or Besan flour. This is a flour made from chickpeas that is very rich in protein and is a great alternative to the proccessed white flour available in most supermarkets.

CHALLENGES- Not being at my own home and being very hungry.

TRIUMPHS- Excersising for the third day in a row.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- 2 soy burger patties (Recipe in Day 25) with raw cashew cheese.
Mixed Berry smoothie with home made soy milk.- Blackberries, red, currants, raspberries and blueberries

LUNCH- Essene Bread, raw cashew cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onion.

SNACK- Mixed nuts.

EARLY DINNER- 1 soy latte and one espresso. 2 soy burger patties, raw cashew cheese, 6 kalamata olives and a fresh orange juice.

LATER DINNER- Red Lentils, brown rices, oregano, parsley, thyme, marjoram, shoyu and cherry tomatoes. All cooked in Olive oil.
Pear, apple and pomegranate juice.

SNACK- 1 fruit muffin. Chickpea flour, water, soy milk, pear, apple, orange and pomegrante pulp. Mixed berries- Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and red currants with cinnamon.
Mix ingredients together and oven bake. Be warned though I was just experimneting with this recipe and didn't find it too nice.

EXCERCISE- 20 minute walk with dog, 15 minute jog. 30 crunches and 10 push ups.

DAY 25

THOUGHTS-

There have been a few things that I am still buying in packages. I know I need to stop doing this but everything that I am buying do have earthy ingredients and are mostly organic. So my three main purchases are soy milk, tofu and flours. I've decided that it's about time I started learning how to make my own things. So today I used the soy milk make at work. It's a taste to get used to without all the additives. Though they are all natural it is interesting to just have soybeans and water as the only ingredients. Then when it's done there is this pulp left in the machine as wel and my boss told me that people make burgers and sausages out of them so I made some burgers with it and they were delicious. It's made me start wondering about manufacturing my own earthy foods so that other people can have the convenience with healthier foods. It's very satisfying knowing that I made two different things from the one product and I'm saving on packaging. Even though I always recycle my soy milk cartons. Now I don't have to buy them at all. So now that I have told you about my success today here is some information on soy.

Scientific research has proven that swapping soy protein for animal proteins helps lower colesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease. It helps strengthen bones, is full of protein and helps prevent cancer.

Though there have been "stuidies" come out about the disadvantages of having soy I have found there are just as many if not more studies that will say the opposite. I have been a consumer of soy products for 10 years now and I am healthier than I have ever been. Though everyone does react differently to products. You never know how soy will affect you until you try it yourself.

You can also check out- http://www.benefitsofsoy.org/

Soy can easily be included as part of a well balanced diet.

CHALLENGES-Being hungry today.

TRIUMPHS- Making my own soy milk and burgers.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST-Multipuffs and amaranth with strawberry slices and soy milk

Raspberry & Strawberry soy Smoothie.

LUNCH- Essene bread, raw cashew cheese. Avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber.

Ginger Tea

SNACK- Lady finger banana, tin of chickpeas,

Mixed nuts and seeds- Sunflower, linseed, pepitas, raw peanuts, dry roasted cashews and macadamias.

DINNER- Chickpea and Pumpkin curry served with Quinoa.

Strawberry soy smoothie with soy milk I made myself.

Soy burger Patty.

RECIPES-

CHICKPEA CURRY

INGREDIENTS

Onion

Garlic capsicum

Corn

Crushed tomatoes

Vege stock (Home made)

Pumpkin

Corriander

Cumin

Cardamon

Tumeric

Olive oil

METHOD

1. chop all veggies.

2. Brown onion garlic and capsicum in a lightly oiled pan.

3. Add other veggies and spices. Cook for another two minutes.

4. Add Veggie stock until evaporated.

5. Serve with Quinoa or Brown rice.

SOY BURGER PATTY

INGREDIENTS

Soy pulp (Left over from making milk)

Besan (Chickpea) Flour

Shoyu (organic soy sauce)

Marjoram

Thyme

Oregano

Olive oil

METHOD

1. Lightly oil pan and heat.

2. Mix all ingredients together.

3. Make into patty shapes and cook in pan until brown.

EXCERCISE- 20 minute walk with dog. 15 minute jog. 40 crunches. 10 push ups and yoga stretches.

Day 24

THOUGHTS-

I have started trying to include more raw foods in my diet so I heard about making sunflower milk and decided that I would give it a go. It can't be that hard can it? It wasn't. Sunflower kernels and water in a blender and ta da. So I did a bit of a search on the benefits of sunflower kernels.

According to research completed in March 2001 by Dr. K. Phillips of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the sunflower kernel is rich in a number of nutrients that have been shown to protect against cardiovascular and other diseases and to act as antioxidants and anti-carcinogens. When considered in aggregate, this amazing kernel packs a powerful nutritional punch.
Sunflower kernels contain high levels of vitamin E, betaine, phenolic acids, and choline. In addition, the kernel is a good source of arginine and lignans. Each of these compounds, while perhaps unfamiliar to the layperson, has been studied by the scientific community and shown to offer a variety of health benefits.
Vitamin E (Tocopherols): May protect against cardiovascular disease.
Betaine: May protect against cardiovascular disease.
Phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid): Antioxidant and anti-carcinogen.
Choline: Plays a role in memory and cognitive function.
Arginine: Potential heart benefits.
Lignans: May protect against heart disease and some cancers; lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides

For more information check out http://happynutritionist.com/sunflower.html

I also read that it's good to give your body a break from solid foods as it takes alot of energy for it to break it down and somtimes the nutrients that you need aren't as easily absorbed so for the first half of today I had juices and smoothies. I'll try and do a whole day after next shopping day and see how it goes. So next fortnight there will be one raw day and one liquid day.

I'm also going to stop being so lazy and start making more of my own things. I got a tofu making kit from work yesterday and I'm going to start using the soy milk maker that we have atwork to make the soy milk. The boss at the newsagent said I'm becoming very domesticated. It's pretty fun finding out all the new things that I can do with food.

CHALLENGES- Getting all my food for the next two days ready as I am housesitting.

TRIUMPHS- Getting all my food ready in time.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Beetroot, carrot, celery, lettuce, parsley and ginger juice.

Strawberry and raspberry soy smoothie with flaxseed meal.

SNACK- Raw sunflower smoothie with organic sunflower seeds, raspberries and water.

Put all ingredients in blender and blend til smooth.

LUNCH- 2 Slices essene sprouted bread. Raw cashew cheese. Lettuce, cucumber, onion and avocado.

SNACK- Homemade hommus, celery, cucumber, carrot, capsicum sticks and cherry tomatoes and snow peas.

Edamame and goji mix

DINNER- Adzuki chilli on brown rice.

INGREDIENTS

Onion

Garlic

Capsicum

Asparagus

Celery

Shallot

Chilli Powder

Vege Stock

Adzuki beans

METHOD

1. Soak adzuki beans over night then cook for 40 mins

2. Dice all vegetables.

3. Heat oil in pan.

4. Brown onion, garlic and capsicum.

5. Add other vegetables and stock and chilli powder.

6. Bring to boil and allow to simmer until stock evaporates.

7. Add adzuki beans.

8. Serve on a bed of brown rice.

VEGE STOCK

In a big pot bring to boil any excess veg that are getting to the end of their life or any off cuts such as ends of celery and shallots. Allow water to reduce then starin and keep water. It should now be a yellow green colour and full of nutrients.

This time I used Celery, capsicum,. corn, onion, peppercorns, parsley, basil, tomoatoes, shallot, sweet potatoes, carrot, cucumber.

Left over millet mix recipe day 23.

SNACK- 2 raw sunflower toasties with raw cashew cheese

Fresh apple and pomegranate juice

1 peice if Loving Earth Raw chocolate

EXCERCISE- Jillian Michaels biggest winner workout DVD- Shape Up Front.

Day 23

THOUGHTS- RAW FOODS

In my current job I am discovering many different levels that people are at with their diets and Raw foods is becoming a big one.

Raw foodism (or rawism) is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of un-cooked, un-processed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet. Raw foodists typically believe that the greater the percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits

For more information go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism

We have a supplier through work that does raw foods and I have started trying them. Even though they products are processed and packaged by someone else they are all raw and mostly organic and I've met the people making them. So I have decided that while still in transition these are ok as a sometimes treat. The food is amazing.

Their website is http://itsrawsome.com.au/

I'm going to start taking on one raw day a week to try and get more benefits from my diet. I have planned out the day that I will have next week and I am looking forward to the recipes that I am going to try.

ESSENE BREAD

We have essene bread at work and I have been eyeing it off for a little while. I am a massive fan of bread and have been craving it like crazy. So I brought some essene bread today the ingredients listed below show that they are all earthy foods. If you would like to learn more about essene bread go to http://www.librarising.com/health/essenebread.html

It's a very thick and heavy bread that in old times would be cooked by the sun. But commercially they need to be baked in an oven to kill the enzymes that would otherwise spoil it so it can then be packaged and sold. I was a little let down that this would not count on my raw diet but I am keen to try and make some of my own. So it looks like I'll have to learn to start sprouting some grains.

CHALLENGES- Being really hungry at night.

TRIUMPHS- Sticking to good foods and resisting the temptation to go and buy some chips.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- 1 mushroom and 2 eggplant slices cooked in olive oil and tamari.

Fruit salad- 1/4 Apple, 1/2 pear, 1/4 red grapefruit, pineapple pieces, 2 strawberries and 4 raspberries.

LUNCH- Spicy chickpea salad- Chickpeas, snowpeas, red onion, lettuce.

Dressing- Olive oil, cardamon, cumin, Cinnamon and cracked pepper.

SNACK- Tamari mixed nuts.

Handful cashews. Edamame and goji blend.

DINNER- Roasted pepper with millet.

1/2 capsicum, millet, garlic, onion, water parsley, olive oil, roasted cashews, cherry tomatoes

(Recipe at a later date.)

SNACK- Raw sunflower toastie

Carrots*, Almond meal*, Activated sunflower seeds*, flax*, wheat free tamari*, ginger*, garlic*, spring onion*, Himalayan salt.

*= certified organic ingredient.

with raw cashew cheese.

Cashews*, olives*, olive oil*, tomato*, basil*.

2x slices sprouted essene bread.

Bio dynamic certified wheat sprouted with filtered water, non organic sunflower kernel, Pepita's, Rolled oats millet, sesame seeds. Cooked with the aid of organic sunflower oil.

Fresh Apple and raspberry juice

DESSERT- Strawberry mousse. Photo coming soon

INGREDIENTS

Strawberries

Silken tofu

Orange rind.

METHOD

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend til smooth and then chill in fridge.

EXERCISE- A little bit of walking

Day 22

THOUGHTS- I was a little concerned when I started cutting into my white sweet potato I bought it because I love the taste but then I wondered whether the orange was the only natural one. I am becoming more aware of what I eat but after plenty of time on google I can't seem to find any evidence of them being modified to be that way. I could also be wrong but until I find out I will continue to eat it. As I'm still in the early stages of the diet and as it is a newly created diet there are still more things that I am finding out all the time that I shouldn't be having and I keep discovering new things that I can have.


Yesterday I went to the movies with a freind of mine and saw "How to train your dragon." If you haven't seen it yet and don't want to risk me spoiling it then stop reading now. I won't spoil much but you have been warned. The moral I walked away with was that even if the rest of society is doing something that it doesn't make them right. I thought that it was a good thing to relate back to veganism. In the movie it only took one person to change the whole town. But there is plenty more than one vegan out there and I beleive that the number will continue to grow. Just because eating animals is something that people have done for a long time it doesn't make it right. They have thoughts and feelings just like we do. I often hear peoples comments about other things and wonder if you think like that than why are you not veagn. If you love animals why do you keep eating them. I love what Paul McCartney says- "If slaughterhouses had glass walls everyone would be vegetarian." It's so true. Yesterday while over at mums for easter my brothers girlfried looked over my shoulder as I tended to my farm ville. She was like "Wow you have a lot of animals." I replied "Yeah it's almost like a factory farm I almost feel sorry for them even though they are just computer images." She replied with "If that was a real farm that would be illegal." She left the room and got excited by the easter egg hunt that mum had set up before I could reply. My brother just shook his head at me. I know she is very sensitive about animals and I'm sure that when I burst the naive bubble she lives in about what really happens to the food she eats before she gets it that she may very well be our next vegetarian. :)

CHALLENGES- Chocolate in my fridge

TRIUMPHS- Finding meanings in things that I never would have before.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Buckwheat, soy milk and flaxmeal pancakes cooked in coconut oil covereed with rice malt syrup.

SNACK- Banana, strawberry, flaxmeal, choc and soymilk smoothie.

LUNCH- Eggplant and asparagus stack with Quinoa
Recipe
Ingredients
3 slices eggplant
3 slices onion
3 asparagus
tbsp pine nuts
bunch fresh parsley
20g avocado
1/4 cup Quinoa
Tamari

METHOD

1.Cook Quinoa
2. Slice vegetables
3. Heat oil in pan
4. Brown pine nuts
5. lightly coat eggplant in tamari
6. Steam Asparagus
7.Cook onion til translucent then remove from pan.
8. Add eggplant slices cook til soft.
9. Layer ingredients alternatively on a plate.
Eggplant base, spread avocado, line up asparagus next to each other, onion slices, parsley, pine nuts, genlty spoon on quinoa. Repeat. Then on final layer of eggplant avo only.


SNACK- 1/2 corn cob and one bunny head

DINNER- Roast veg. Carrot, pumpkin, potato, orange sweet potato, white sweet potato.

Chickpeas and quinoa- with chilli powder, garam masala, tumeric and cumin.

SNACK- handful macadamias, Glass rice milk and 1/2 avocado

EXCERCISE- Getting thrown around the stage in rehearsal.

Day 21

THOUGHTS- Epic Fail. So I was all in my best mind to refuse any chocolates on easter but my mother went to such an effort to find chocolates for me that I just couldn't say no. Normally easter consists of some chocolate bunnies which are really just a bar with a bunny engraved on it but this year she found little bunny heads indiviually wrapped. And for the first time in ages I was able to take part in the easter egg hunt and actually have something that I was collecting as well as my brothers and one of their girlfriends. I thought to myself I will just have one or two but four bunny heads later my youngest brother pipes in who is clearly reading my facebook updates and he is like "Aren't you doing that diet thing? Won't the people reading it be mad if you're lying to them?" So here I am not lying to you. I failed. I let myself down. But tomorrow is a new day and I am not going to beat myself up over it. I haven't yet visited my new vegan frienda and I'm sure she would love a chocolate bunny or two. Otherwise the tempatation everytime I open the fridge is just going to be far too much. I am trying not to look at it as a fail but merely a mistake that I need to overcome. I know what my weakness is and I know that I need to be prepared with alternatives. Lets see what tomorrow brings.

CHALLENGES- Easter and chocolate.

TRIUMPHS- Making my own dinner to take to mums instead of relying on her to feed me.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST-Beetroot, carrot, celery, ginger, lemon, lettuce and parsley juice.

Banana, strawberry, silken tofu, flaxmeal and soy milk smoothie.

SNACK- Mixed nuts- almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, brazil nuts and macadamias.

LUNCH- Salad- Cos lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, shallot, snow peas, barley, pine nuts and olives.

Dressing- Olive oil and balsamic dressing.

SNACK- Carrot, cucumber, celery sticks, snow peas, cherry tomatoes and home made hommus.

DINNER- Vegetable kebabs- Eggplant, onion, mushrooms, tofu and cherry tomatoes.

Marinade- Organic tamari, organic olive oil, organic rice malt syrup, garlic, ginger, lime juice and rind.

1 roast potato

DESSERT- 4 chocolate bunny heads dairy free.

Day 20

THOUGHTS- So it's Easter saturday and I know that tomorrow is going to be a challenge for me. A holiday that celebrates with chocolate. Even though I'm a vegan we still have plenty of chocolatey treats to enjoy and I know it's going to be a struggle. I went and saw a friends family today and gave them all their goodies. Even though I'm not a fan of supporting the dairy industry it was so precious to see the look on the kids faces. The most precious was when I gave the one year old a little ballerina bunny she was so adorable and played with it for a while until she got a hold of the box that her brothers eggs had come in. He made me a little paper cut out egg that he had coloured in and written on for me and I think that was the best gift I received all easter. It's not about how much money you spend on holdidays like these but it's about the thought that you put into things. I had a great day and then went to hang out with another couple of friends. They kept offering me beers which I had to keep refusing kindly. Normally I would have jumped at the chance of free beer but once I explained about the earth diet they seemed to understand. I know when I explain it to my family they will not understand but they still don't understand about veganism so I'll just continue to be who I am and do what I do and not worry about what anyone else has to say about it. And that's my moral for today. I also wanted to use the pretty picture I found when I was searching motivation. :) I could have also used the pic in a blog about the different colour additives in our food but I wanted to express the joy of children. :)

CHALLENGES- Not going home at all today.

TRIUMPHS- Preparing plenty of food ahead of time and was made a lovely healthy dinner by a friend.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Multi puffs, Amaranth, 2 strawberries and rice milk with teaspoon coconut oil.

Beetroot, carrot, celery, parsley, lettuce and ginger juice.

SNACK- Mixed nuts cooked in Tamari and olive oil.

Lady Finger Banana

LUNCH- Asparagus salad- Spinach, 1 roma tomato, asparagus, olives, chopped hazelnuts.

dressing- Olive oil and balsamic vinegar

SNACK- Carrot, cucumber, capsicum sticks snow peas and cherry tomatoes.

Home made Hommus- Chickpeas, garlic, tahini, soymilk, chilli powder.

Fresh apple juice

Lady finger banana

DINNER- Veg Kebabs- Zuchinni, mushrooms, onbion, red and green capsicum and soy sauce on a bed of brown rice.

EXCERCISE- Spin class and a 20 minute walk

Day 19

THOUGHTS- BARLEY
Doing some reading at work I saw that they recommended swappin rice for Barley and I remembered that we sold Barley at my other job so made it my mission to get some on pay day.

I have done some research to see what is so good about Barley and this is what I found.

Intake of barley is very likely to help you maintain your overall health in the long term. These whole grains are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and amino acids essential for our health. More importantly, barley is one of the richest sources of both soluble and insoluble fiber.Insoluble fiber aids in proper excretion of waste products in the body, while soluble fiber (known as beta glucan) mixes with liquid, binds to fatty substances and allows them to leave the body. Barley is also seen to be rich in tocotrienols, which is an antioxidant which helps lessen risk for contracting heart disease and cholesterol problems.

For more information go to

http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/barley-nutrition.html


EXCERCISE- I don't like it. I don't know anyone that does but it's something that we all have to do. Today I did more excercise than I would normally do in a week and it's because I was having fun and hanging out with friends I wasn't thinking of it as excercise I need to get into more activities with friends and I will definately start excercising more.


CHALLENGES- Trying something new.

TRIUMPHS- Being creative with foods and not looking at recipes all day. (except the avocado dressing.)

WHAT I ATE-
BREAKFAST-Beetroot, carrot, selery, ginger, spinach and parsley juice.
Pineapple, orange and strawberry pulp, with soymilk and buckwheat flour. Made into fritters cooked in olive oil and topped with rice malt syrup.

LUNCH- Salad. Chickpeas, pinto beans, barley, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, shallot, snow peas.
Dressing- Avocado, shallot, soy milk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar. Mix together in blender til creamy.

DINNER- Pinto Bean Ratatouile- Pinto beans, garlic, ginger, eggplant, celery, shallot, red onion, red capsicum, asparagus on a bed of barley.

SNACK- Lady finger banana, popcorn in olive oil with tumeric, cumin and cardamon.

EXCERCISE- Lots of walking. Fighting against the rough surf until I was totally exhausted and then and Hour long power walk at night with Emmi.

Day 18

THOUGHTS- CHOCOLATE

When I took on this challenge I wondered what I would do without chocolate but today I discovered that I didn't have to. There is a company called Loving Earth that makes raw organic chocolates. If a product is raw that means there has been no heat to destroy the nutrients in the food so it is healthier and not only this but foods that are not of the earth need heat to be applied so foods that count on a raw food diet totally count for the earth diet.
Ideally I will try to start making my own chocolates but so early on in the diet there is still alot I am learning. The flavour that I tried today was Lacuma and Maca. What are they you ask? Well I asked myself the same thing so I searched on their website. They taste amazing by the way.

Lúcuma is a nutrient dense fruit from Peru. The tree is a long lived, evergreen, and belongs to the Sapotacea family being similar to the canistel and sapote. It smells divine and tastes like maple syrup flavoured ice-cream !Lúcuma powder is really versatile and tasty, blending easily and well with ice-creams, baby food, yogurts, pies, cakes, cookies, smoothies, chocolate bars and desserts of all kinds

Maca An energizing and revitalizing superfood of the Incas. jam packed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and 17 amino acids - 7 of them being essential amino acids.Grown at 4000m (13000ft) above sea level in the Andrean district of Junin by the Pumpush people who have been cultivating and consuming maca as staple food for thousands of years.Contains unique alkaloids, which help stimulate the master glands that in turn may help optimize and balance the entire endocrine system.

For more information check out their website.

http://www.raw-chocolate.net/

CHALLENGES- None today I enjoyed everything.

TRIUMPHS- Creating a nice lentil bolognaise.

WHAT I ATE-
BREAKFAST- Vegan vitamins. Raspberry, silken tofu and soy milk smoothie.
2 thin slices eggplant, 1 mushroom, two thin tofu slices cooked in olive oil with tamari.

LUNCH- Soy bean pasta- (Soybeans and water). Lentil bolognaise- Red lentils, garlic, onion, capsicum, spinach, parsley, black olives, mushroom and leftover tofu mayo dressing (recipe day 17)

SNACK- 1 dried apple, handful nuts and seeds, 2 peices of raw lacuma and maca chocolate.Organic raw cacao butter, Organic raw cacao powder, Organic agave syrup (dark), Organic lúcuma powder, Organic maca powder, Himalayan crystal salt.

DINNER- Veg Kebabs on a bed of Barley
Mushrooms, tofu, red onions, capsicum, eggplant, cherry tomatoes
Marinade- Tamari, olive oil, garlic, ginger, rice malt syrup and water.

SNACK- Popcorn, olive oil, tumeric, cumin, cardamon.

EXCERCISE- None.

Day 17

THOUGHTS-

"I don't like that."

How often have I said those words. I don't like celery and I don't like broccoli. Among other things that are also good for me I have put these in the I don't like basket. But over time I have realised that as I experiment with recipes and try food different ways they are slowly coming out of the I don't like basket. There are still some foods that I can only handle in small quantities. Or I do the mum things and chop things up really tiny and hide it in stuff. There are so many wonders that the earth provides us and so many foods that I have been missing out on for a long time. About 10 years ago. The only vegetables I would eat were peas and potato. I would also have a bit of lettuce and tomato if it was on a burger and I would have snow peas and a bit of carrot if they weren't cooked. That was it. They used the be the only vegetables in my foods I like basket. Then I decided to become a vegetarian and slowly over time things have changed and there are plenty more vegetables that I like than what I don't like. The more experiment the more I find new foods. I have made myself a mission to try exotic fruits and vegetables that I used to hate and even some that I have never tried. I guess brussels sprouts will be on the menu soon. Something I have never tried and something that everyone I know hates but I'm going to do it. But today my new food is my bean of the week.

PINTO BEANS

I tried pinto beans on my salad today they are bit softer than the other beans I have had and quiet bland they are a beige looking bean with patches of brown on them like a pinto pony.

Health Benefits
Pinto beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, pinto beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as brown rice, pinto beans provide virtually fat-free, high quality protein. But this is far from all pinto beans have to offer. Pinto beans are also an excellent source of molybdenum, a very good source of folate and manganese, and a good source of protein and vitamin B1 as well as the minerals phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, and copper.

For more information go to

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=89

CHALLENGES- Eating celery.

TRIUMPHS- Eating celery.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Maes juice- beetroot, carrot, parsley, ginger, cucumber and spinach.

Multi puffs- hulled organic Buckwheat, organic Sorghum and organic Brown Rice. Amaranth. 2 sliced strawberries and organic soy milk.

LUNCH- Celery, carrot, cucumber, capsicum sticks, snow peas, four black olive, 3 cherry tomatoes.

Tofu Mayonaise dressing- silken tofu, lemon juice and rind, clove of garlic and flaxseed oil.

SNACK- Fresh fruit salad- pineapple, strawberries and red grapefruit.

Homemade- pineapple and orange juice.

DINNER- Salad- Cos lettuce, black olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, snowpeas, red onion, celery, pinto beans and parsely.

Tofu Mayo dressing.

SNACK- Mised nuts. Small amount of soybean pasta with lentil bolognaise. Recipe tomorrow.

EXCERCISE- Walking through the paddock and rehearsal

Day 16

THOUGHTS-

Finally started doing some excercise today. I usally always eat well but I have never been a big fan of too much physical activity it's always been one of those one day I'll do it things. My friends have started a netball team and I thought that would be a great idea I'd get to hang out with my friends and get fit. I had so much fun. I was terrible at the game but that didn't matter too much. I'm sure I'll get better. But I was puffing and panting and sweating by the end of the game so I know I worked hard and I feel so much better for it so I'm going to do as much physical excercise as I can.

Also today I found a produce place just around the corner from work they are open early so I can do a shop on my way to work. All the food didn't look as flash as it normally does in some of the big chain shops but I looked at it and thought this is great that the food doesn't look as good. It means they are more natural see the trouble is so much food is Genetically Modified now. There are hormones and genes in nearly everything that we eat. How do you think they have such a large stockpile of it. And why do you think the apples shine? Wax.

These are some of the risks associated with genetically modified foods

-Toxicity (using similar methods to those used for conventional foods)
-Tendency to provoke any allergic reaction
-Stability of the inserted gene and affect from expression in the human gut
-Whether there is any nutritional deficit or change in the GM food
-Any other unintended effects of the gene insertion such as anti-nutritional effects

How to avoid genetically modified foods.

The main culprits are the following. Unless they are stated to be organic

Soybeans, corn, canola, cotton, potatoes, dairy products, animal products and papaya.

It's also concerning esspecially being a vegan that there are plants that are modified with fish genes.

As one comentator put it- There are now fish genes in fruit, poultry genes in fish, animal genes in plants, growth hormones in milk, insect genes in vegetables, tree genes in grain, and in the case of pork, human genes in meat

This is very concerning. I feel almost violated as a vegan. There are no laws or guidelines on what needs to be labelled or how much you need to be informed about what you are eating. So how do you know whats even in what you're eating and where it has come from?

I beleive you need to do what you can do and not be naive about things and don't think that having the ability to deny something is really an answer. If there is something you beleive in you need to educate yourself as much as you can so that you can be the most educated in whatever it is you're trying to do.

CHALLENGES- Going straight from work to netball. Trying to find food to tie me over through the game.

TRIUMPHS- Had a nut bar. Finally doing some excercise. Did a full shop at a produce place so plenty of yummy fruit and veggies for me.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST- Corn fritters, and slice of tofu cooked in organic olive oil.

LUNCH- Chickpea and pumpkin curry. (Recipe day 16)

SNACKS- Mixed nuts

Glass Rice milk

Tropical trio bar

1/4 avocado

DINNER- Vege stir fry- 2 cloves garlic, ginger, onion, capsicum, shallot, tofu, mushroom, snow peas, carrot, organic tamari, organic olive oil, sesame seeds.

1. Chop all veggies.

2. Heat oil in pan.

3. Brown ginger garlic and onion.

4. Add other veggies to your likening of how you prefer them cooked.

5. Add tamari.

6. Put in bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

EXCERCISE- Game of Netball

Day 15

THOUGHTS-

"It's my life,

It's now or never,

I ain't gonna live forever,

I just wanna live while I'm alive."

Sang Bon Jovi. So after two weeks of bending the rules of the Earth diet where I saw fit and using the "House Diet" rule of whatever is in my house is up for consumption I got home tonight after rehearsal and cleaned out my cupboard. I divided all the non earthy foods. One into a bag for a friend who has recently gone vegan and the other into a box for my brother who is buying a house. I don't like wastage and one of the biggest things affecting our environment is the amount of things going into landfill. So all the things that no longer suit me are now going to someone else. After two weeks of putting it off I decided it was time to do something. I said to myself it's now or never. Then got the Bon Jovi song stuck in my head. I realised that there are so many things in my life that I say to myself I'll do it one day. One day I'll get around to it. Well today is that day. Obvioulsy not for everything as there is a lot of things I want to do but today is the day that I start putting the wheels in motion for all the things that I want to acheive.

POMEGRANATE

I love pomegranate juice and the fruit when it's in season. Here's a bit about the health benefits.

One of pomegranate health benefits is that it helps improve heart health and good blood circulation. This fruit contain three times the antioxidants of wine or green tea which, among other things, promote a healthy heart. Regular consumption of pomegranate juice has been shown not only to stop hardening of artery walls and build-up of plaque; it even reverse these problems. Keeping your arteries clean and soft helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. If you are concerned about your cholesterol, pomegranate is perfect for you, since it has been shown to lower levels of bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol levels. By improving circulation, pomegranate can even be used to relief impotence. Antioxidants in the pomegranate fruit and juice prevent cancer, and cam even help fight existing cancer cells in the body. While pomegranate has been shown to prevent breast and skin cancer, recent studies show that it can also help with prostate cancer in men. Regular consumption of pomegranate juice can significantly lower PSA levels in the body. These chemicals are not only an indicator of your risk level for prostate cancer and other problems; they also indicate how well a man will respond to cancer treatments including radiation and chemotherapy.Just in case that isn't enough of a reason for you to start eating more pomegranates, there are even more pomegranate health benefits. You already know it’s brimming with antioxidants. These powerful chemicals have been shown to reduce the affects of aging and prevent Alzheimer’s. Pomegranate has also been shown in studies to prevent cartilage damage and protect babies from brain damage during birth. While some of these uses have not been researched scientificially, pomegranate has traditionally been used to clear skin, reduce inflammation, and help with sore throats.

For more information see

http://www.healthymenumailer.com/articles/pomegranate-health-benefits.html

CHALLENGES- Went straight from work to rehearsal and because it was end of grocery week I didn't have any foods at home I could take with me.

TRIUMPHS- Seeking out a sushi place so I could have the earthiest take away possible.

WHAT I ATE-

BREAKFAST-Corn Fritters- Buckwheat flour, flaxseed meal, 1/2 tin of creamed corn- (corn, water, maize thickener, sugar, salt). All mixed together and then cooked in fritter shapes in canola oil.

SNACKS- 2 buckwheat biscuits- recipe Day 13

1 apple

LUNCH- Quinoa with chickpea and pumpkin curry-

Red onion, Red Capsicum, Pumpkin cubes, half tin whole tomatoes, 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1 shallot, ground corriander seeds, cumin powder, tumeric powder, ground cardamon seeds, chilli powder, soy milk, canola oil.

1. Chop vegetables. Lightly oil frypan.

2. Lightly cook onion and capsicum.

3. Add other vegetables then add seasonings.

4. Add tinned tomatoes and bring to the boil.

5. Add soy milk to thicken.

6. Cook until texture suits your liking.

SNACKS- Pomegranite, Acai and sour ginger juice.

Raw ginger bar- raw foods are so much better for you

Trio bar- Only nuts, seeds, fruit and rice malt syrup.

DINNER- Avocado sushi and vege hand roll- tofu, cucumber, avocado and radish

LATE DINNER- Soy bean pasta (Soybeans and water)- Sprinkle of tamari and cracked pepper.

EXCERCISE- Rehearsals.