Own a Vitamix Super Blender? Have a Smoothie in the Mountains

Birthdays come and birthdays go but this one was different. Seems banking the gifts up like time share seems to pay off. Michael and I received one of these banked up gifts form our daughters and wow has it been awesome! Three days at Cathedral Peak Hotel in the Drakensberg Mountains.

When going away, the question of food always comes up. Will they cater? Can they cater for vegetarians? It is always so high up on our list due to so many times when food has seriously been a take your own and hope they have some veggie food to supplement what we brought with. In the case of Cathedral Peak that is not an issue. Not only do they  have food for us but they are prepared to go out of their way to accommodate requests.

Eating rules are I guess part of everyones lifestyle whether a vegetarian or not. We always hear I don’t eat this or that and then there are the, I just could not live without meat or margarine. So besides being vegetarian we also have some rules. To avoid the stress on both sides of the fence, we have rules for home and rules for out. This means that for example, biscuits and bread and cheese are usually not on our shopping list but if we are away we break the rules to add some variety to the usually limited fare on offer. The area that we don’t usually like to mess with when away is our green smoothie breakfast and so our Vitamix comes with us. As you can see from the picture, the faceplate of this Vitamix is quite old. The be precise, it is the original Vitamix that we ordered from Vita-Mix Corp in the USA in 1995 when there was no International dealer in  South Africa. This stunning piece of equipment has been pumping out smoothies, soups, nut butters, frozen desserts and so much more for all these years.

The pink bag in the picture was a give away at Clicks some years ago when puchasing some cosmetics and wow has it turned out to be a gem. With plates and knives and forks and serviettes and ample area to carry our selection of nuts, seeds and green powders for our smoothies plus some herb teas, mugs and the emergency marmite (rules for out).

So, the hotel staff had no problem in sending a tray to our room with our chosen selection of fruit and a pail of ice AND a small fridge! Then, in addition to enjoying our delightful green smoothie we have enjoyed the breathtaking scenery of Cathedral Peak and surrounds that changes every minute of the day. As the sun moves so the mountains change and when the cloud covers the blue blue autumn sky it all takes on a completely different hue.

It has been a time to reflect the changes we want to our lives, plans for our health businesses, and an opportunity to enjoy some hiking, the great putting course and some awesome tennis, stunning music and just quiet time to listen to some of Byron Katie’s CD’s that we brought back from The School for The Work in Los Angeles, California last month.

I used to get sideways looks when I started looking for bags to pack the Oscar Juicer, the Vitamix and other useful equipment for self catering accommodation but these days, Michael joyfully packs up the Vitamix as we share the knowledge that the equipment enhances our lifestyle both at home and away.

Carcinogenic chemicals packaged and legal

Someone suggested to me that the only reason that cigarettes are still legally manufactured and sold is because governments world wide make billions in taxes. I wonder if these same governments that effectively turn a blind eye ever calculate the health care costs that they have to foot the bill for.

Frankly, having been a smoker and knowing the viciously addictive nature of nicotine, I think that smokers should be offered Free nicotine detox. This is a legalised drug that not only affects the smoker but especially their children for which so many have so little regard because the addiction is so overwhelming. I remember when in ignorance, following the example of my parents and older brother I smoked – 20 to 30 a day. Having children didn’t rid me of the addiction so I continued to smoke in their presence and only years later when I had quit did I have to suffer guilt when an irridologist told my daughters that they both showed lung damage from 2nd hand smoke. I recall the messages from my Mother’s sister after my Mother had confirmed that Yes I was still smoking.  appealing, no actually begging me to quit as she struggled to breath with the aid of oxygen, suffering from emphysema. Even that was not enough to get me to face the truth. Finally one day, I received a visit from a man who I had met some number of years before who, as I recall actually reeked of tobacco on his breath and clothes and had yellow fingers and teeth from nicotine stains. He told me that he found out that he had emphysema 13 years After he stopped smoking. I was shocked into reality! Suddenly realising that it could already be too late for me. The fear was suddenly greater than the pleasure and I set up my plan to quit, knowing that it would be a tough call.

I still continue to be shocked by the list of carcinogenic chemicals found in cigarettes and so continue to appeal to smokers to make all attempts to rid themselves of this disgusting practice which is far from a habit – it is a life threatening addiction. (Carcinogens are chemicals that cause cancer in humans – yes that is you and me.)

Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals of which 43 are known to cause cancer in humans.

How is this for a list!

• Starting with rat poison – Arsenic also known as Hydrogen Cyanide which was used in the gas chambers in Nazi Germany.
• Most smokers know about Tar and often get quite irritated with you if you mention this, I mean why mention the obvious. About 70% of the smoke converts into tar and stays in the lungs. Just a pity that most smokers don’t get the opportunity to see their tar-laden lungs.
• Imagine that intelligent humans suck on the poisonous Carbon Monoxide gas! This is the same gas that comes out of the exhaust pipe of your motor car that is fatal in large amounts.
• Acetone, yes nail polish remover is used as a solvent and found in cigarettes. Talk about sniffing glue! Suck on acetone.
• Now we are getting closer to the bone with embalming fluid. Formaldehyde, also found in cigarette smoke is the same highly poisonous chemical used to preserve dead bodies.
• The same hydrocarbon obtained from coal, that I use as fuel for my camping stove, Benzene, is also found in cigarette smoke and associated with leukaemia.
• In order to enjoy the nicotine you need Ammonia, found in dry cleaning fluid to release it from the tobacco

How is it possible that Nicotine a highly addictive drug that is also used as an insecticide and well known to be one of the most addictive and harmful drugs known to man can be purchased in any quantity over the counter of every corner store?  Suddenly, the dominating protection agencies such as the FDA and the SA Department of Health are nowhere to be found.

Smoking is just slow suicide! Death by smoking is not an enjoyable experience. To get a glimpse of it ask someone to put a plastic bag over your head to restrict your breathing – imagine that on a daily basis for months and in some cases years?

One of the contributing factors to my quitting was the constant insults by my children about how I stank. My message – Don’t just tolerate smokers – insult them, understand their addiction, encourage them to quit and above all ensure that they understand the addictive power of nicotine. Once a smoker, always a smoker – this is why I consider myself to be a non-smoking smoker, one away from 30 a day!

Rawlicious – Book Review

Rawlicious By Peter and Beryn Daniels 223 pages

This book is the result of an idea whose time has come, an idea that most intuitively know and recognise – that to be healthy, happy, naturally nourished and completely connected to our surroundings is our birthright. After years of eating raw foods and superfoods and running raw food courses, both Peter and Beryn, have both met, inspired and been inspired by a growing number of people who are becoming aware of the amazing transformative and healing potential of living foods.

Rawlicious is a beautiful, full colour book with magnificent photos of the authors, the prepared foods and fresh produce. It is an environmental masterpiece being printed on triple green™, a 60% sugar cane fibre , chlorine free, from sustainable afforestation. Being much more than a recipe book covering topics such as nutrition, what raw food is and why we should eat raw food and the benefits of eating raw food. The book is clear that Health is not all about food. Moving to a raw food diet is a major event that needs some hand holding. Peter and Beryn take you by the hand and take you through what is needed to succeed with it, including:

• The equipment required to make eating raw easy and delicious
• Stocking a raw kitchen
• Growing your own food
• A stunning variety of recipes to keep any family on track, and the helpful pictures and easy to read and follow step-by-step instructions

There are tantalising recipes for:

Juices, Smoothies, Nut Milk, Butter and cheese, Soups, Salads, Sauces & Dressings, Snacks, Simple Meals, Bread and Crackers, Gourmet Meals, Beverages and Healthy Desserts.

This book is a natural expression of Peter and Beryn’s experience. They have lived and practiced the concepts and recipes in this book, and continue to do so joyfully. It will inspire you and give you a lot of information on a healthy lifestyle and healthy living.

A local first for raw food – Well done Peter and Beryn! You have set a great standard for others to follow in the quest for health and healing through raw food.

Rawlicious is available from http://healthmakers.co.za/store/Raw-Food-Cuisine/

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