Simple, Raw and Natural

I created this blog, Simple, Raw and Natural, to share with others in my journey towards a more simple, natural lifestyle.  I don't want to focus on illness so just a short history.  My raw food journey began about five years ago when I became ill.  My illness, like most illnesses, was never diagnosed, but I did receive many prescriptions for symptoms.  I only became sicker.  I made three trips to the emergency room.  The last time I stopped at the emergency room on my way home from work because I had a sensation of not being able to swallow.  It was very frightening.  I realized that the hospital personnel didn't know how to help me, so I got up and went home.  I began to look for an alternative in earnest.  I prayed for a solution, and the next morning I had a strong impression..."Get out your Fit for Life books".  So that is where I started.

At this time, I was too sick to go to work, so my dear husband, Travis, stopped at Walmart and got me the most expensive juicer they had.  I began to juice fruit in the mornings and vegetables in the evening.  The first night I fixed the carrot-beet-celery cocktail within twenty minutes I felt like I might could get well.  I was able to sit up on the couch for a few minutes before going back to bed.  That juicer only lasted a few weeks.  Then I upgraded to an Omega.  Now I use a Breville.

I began to look for Natural Hygiene practitioners to help me find a way to get better.  In the course of time, I found Dr. John Fielder who has a healing retreat near Cairns, Australia.  I flew to Houston and met John in 2007 when he was lecturing there.  In 2008, I began to study the Lifestyle Consultant's Course in Natural Living that he teaches.  Even though I was eating healthier than anyone else I knew, I again got very sick.  At this time, I began to consult with Dr. Fielder on a weekly basis.  His suggestions to me were the following:

Eat only raw foods.  Drink only water.  Be outside in the fresh air every day.  Walk everyday if possible.  Be in the sunshine everyday.  Avoid all stress.   Pray and/or meditate and expect to be healed.

For almost a full year, I followed this prescription as nearly as I could.  And, I began to get better.

So that's enough of talking about the sickness....Let's talk about the journey to simple, raw and natural.

I am having a terrible time with my knees.  I feel like bones in my legs are broken.  It all started because I want to get fit before I go to Australia in June to Dr. Fielder's farm.   So I started trying to do the Couch to 5K program.  About midway through the second week, my knees began to hurt.  At first, I tried to push through the pain, but finally realized this wasn't working for me.  Then I switched to the Pedometer program and walked 5k one day.  But right now I am totally out of commission.  Somehow I have injured my knees and ankle.  I'm serious about thinking the bones are broken.  Will bones split?  That's what it feels like.

My food for today was yummy.  For lunch I juiced oranges and mixed the orange juice and chopped pineapple in the Vita-Mix.  Orange-Pineapple Juice.  I also made a recipe that I got from Megan Elizabeth on her YouTube Channel.  She called it "Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal", but it doesn't have any oatmeal in it.  It is 4 cups of chopped apples, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2 pitted dates, and 1/4 cup raw almonds.  Pulse it a few time in the food processor until it is chopped up good.  Top it with a couple of bananas creamed in the the Vita-Mix.  You can use frozen bananas, but my bananas were not frozen.  This made enough for me and Travis both.  Thumbs up on this one.

For supper we had a Green Juice recipe I got from Dan McDonald.  From the garden I got parsley, cilantro, dill, and kale.  From the store I got lemon, lime, turmeric, hot pepper, cucumber, broccoli and asparagus.  I juiced it all in the Breville.  Spicy hot but really good.  Travis liked it, too.

I'm also trying to be more conscious of the plastics we throw away.  Now that I have learned about the huge Pacific Ocean garbage dump full of our plastic garbage I can hardly stand to get another plastic bag.  No longer can I buy water in plastic bottles. Even trying to avoid plastic, it's impossible to avoid it completely.  It is EVERYWHERE!   I am carrying my bags to the store now and looking for products that aren't packaged in plastic.  I ordered bar soap to wash dishes with once my Dawn is gone.  I received the paper wrapped bars in a cardboard box with PLASTIC bubble wrap inside the box.  Go figure.  I have also ordered shampoo that comes in a bar. I've gone back to buying dishwasher detergent in a cardboard box.  And Travis got me a pencil sharpener at a garage sale, so I can use wooden pencils.  I still have a bunch of plastic pencils and pens.  I'm thinking when we have lunch at church that I will have to stop eating on the Styrofoam plates and stop using the plastic ware.  It's crazy.