Would you like to make a difference for our environment and save money on your transportation as well?

Consider this - fuel your car with vegetable oil!

Sound impossible? I was surprised to learn that you can convert almost any diesel car, truck, SUV or RV to run on used (or pure) vegetable oil (which you can most likely get for free from local restaurants since they have to pay to have it disposed) for under $1,000.

Very interesting concept. The benefits claimed are:

• reduced emissions
• lower driving costs
• no difference in auto performance/power
• lower dependence on foreign fuel
• better for the environment
• your exhaust smells like french fries (that's what they say!)

Read more about Grease Cars.

All the best for your health (and driving)!

Mark
http://vegandiet.blogspot.com

I'm often asked for low fat or no fat raw vegan recipes. Here's one we came up with today and it was delicious. It's satisfying, tastes great and takes just a few minutes to make. Most importantly, it has no overt fat!

Read more...

• You can't STAND the smell of any kind of Fast Food no matter how delicious it's supposed to be and you can detect who has just eaten a greasy burger by noticing the odor of Fast Food Ooze coming out of that person's skin
• ...your idea of junk food is celery dipped in tahini, agave, cinnamon and cocoa powder....or the best part of your day is when you get to turn on your juicer
• when the guys in the produce department know your name
• You know that a "9" on the sticker on the fruit/veggie (example: 94031) means the produce is organic.
• Your cravings have gone from chocolate chip cookies to a banana wrapped in romaine leafs!
• when you're packing for a trip and the 1st thing you think of is your juicer.
• when your friends use organic produce to bribe you into doing things for them
• When you're buying fruit and the cashier looks at you puzzled and then asks, "You ate all that fruit you bought yesterday?!"
• ...you start using words that are not in the English dictionary...like RAWESOME.
• you walk into a natural foods store and can barley find something to eat
• you make SEXY sounds while eating a mango....

Source: Nature's First Law Forum

Enjoy... to your best health!

Mark

Just ran across this introductory video of some tasty and healthy holiday recipes. The recipes are made from fresh, raw ingredients and made to satisfy anyone, raw or not. Dorit, the guest chef, shows you how to make a complete holiday meal, from soup to dessert. She also gives you tips on why presentation is important, especially when serving family and friends. This video is one of many raw and vegan health related educational materials from Storm and Jinjee Talifero of The Garden Diet. View the introduction video at RawFoodHowTo.com and to download the complete video, visit Natural Paradigms.

Giving you thanks and joy-filled holidays!

Mark

Recently, the only co-op in the Phoenix area, Gentle Strength, and a leader in locally grown, organic produce, went out of business.

Why?

Bottom line... not enough shoppers.

Sure there were probably a few other reasons, but the main one was lack of business.

It's funny, though, everyone I talk to in the area is disappointed and saddened by the closing (as I was). However, I believe there was too much talk and not enough action.

If we want to have better, fresher, organic and locally grown choices, we have to support those organizations. Support them with our shopping dollars and with our help in letting others know about the organizations.

Personally, I'll miss the co-op and the friends I've made there. They were the -only- central place to get fresh, locally grown greens and other produce. All the produce sold was organic and as much as possible was sourced locally. The only choices now are the national chains including Whole Foods and Wild Oats (now owned by Whole Foods), a few smaller chains and some traditional grocery chains that now carry some organic produce. I'm happy that they're all carrying more organic foods, although little, if any, is locally grown. Whole Foods advertises 'local' although a quick walk through shows just a few locally grown out of over 200 produce items.

Alternative sources include farmers markets and visiting farms directly. I've found a few farms and frequent farmers markets on weekends and can find some of the same items. Although not as convenient, it's a solution for now.

Find the local co-ops in your area and support them. It's a fact, traditional companies will continue to market non-organic products and source all over the world unless we 'vote' with our dollars. Using as much locally grown organic produce not only supports your community and the environment, the food is also more nutritious and benefits your health.

We can make a difference.. just do it!

To your best health!

Mark

We know how delicious and good fruit is for you. Here's a study showing another benefit... seeing.

A recent study published in the June 2004 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.

In this study, which involved over 70,000 women and over 40,000 men, researchers evaluated the effect of consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARM, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss.

Food intake information was collected periodically for up to 18 years for women and 12 years for men. While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence of either form of ARM, fruit intake was definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease.

To your best health,

All good things!

Mark

We all know the benefits of eating greens, although sometime it's challenging to get enough to meet your nutritional needs. Most people don't consume enough greens, even those on vegan or raw diets.

Well here are a few ways to get your fill.

First, try a delicious green smoothie!

A great combination of vitamins and minerals along with the important fiber that's missing in juicing. Try to mix 60% ripe fruit with 40% fresh, dark greens. They are easy to digest and assimilate and actually start absorbing into your body while still in your mouth. They're also easy to make and quick to clean up.

Here's how: combine some fresh fruit like pears, apples, or mangos with some dark leafy greens like romaine lettuce, parsely or kale in a blender. Add a little water and blend.

Try these combinations:

Strawberry-banana-romaine
1-cup strawberries
2 bananas
½ bunch romaine
Water

Apple-kale-lemon
4 apples
½ lemon juice
4-5 leaves of kale
Water

Pear-Spinach
(my favorite)
6 peaches
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
Water

Adjust amount of fruit and vegetables as necessary. These recipes inspired by Victoria Boutenko and Frederic Patenaude.

Second, try some "green lemonade".

Here's how:

You'll need a juicer for this one. Juice a 1/2 head of romaine lettuce, 2 celery stalks, 1 apple, 5 leaves of kale and 1 whole lemon. The apple and lemon add a sweet zing and make this a delicious and easy way to get your greens.

Inspired by Natalia Rose, author of The Raw Food Detox Diet.

After consuming these daily for a few weeks, I noticed increased cravings for more fresh, green foods and eliminated any past unhealthy cravings. This continues today after many months and is an incredible feeling.

Enjoy your life-giving greens!

All the best for your health,

Mark