Growing Your Own Fresh Produce Just Got Easier
This guest article is written by Tom Corson-Knowles, founder of Authentic Health Coaching. Tom blogs regularly about whole food nutrition, vertical gardening, and other health topics.
I love eating raw foods and fresh produce. The problem is it can be hard to get! And it can be expensive. Growing your own fresh produce is an awesome way to save money and get higher quality, fresher produce that is organic and vine-ripened. The only problem is, over 70% of people live in cities. So how do you grow your own food in a city? Or if you don’t have enough land or space for a garden?
Well, for those of you who can’t grow a typical garden, now you can grow a vertical garden!
Vertical Gardening
Many people credit Patrick Blanc as the inventor of vertical gardening, but the truth is that vertical gardens have been around at least since the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in 600 B.C. It’s quite likely that it dates back even further than that, but either way, vertical gardens have been few and far between. They’ve mostly been reserved for royalty, tourist attractions or novelties… until now.
Just in the last 5 years, vertical farming projects have popped up all over the world. More than 20 countries either now have a large vertical farm project completed or it’s in progress. So what does a vertical farm look like?
What a vertical farm looks like!
Here’s a graphic of a vertical farm project from Dickson Despommier’s landmark book The Vertical Farm.
When you look at it, you’re probably thinking, “I’m never going to build something like that!” Well, you don’t have too!
Home Vertical Gardening Kits
With recent advancements in aeroponics (a form of hydroponics where the plant roots sit in air instead of in water), there are now home growing vertical garden kits available for $500-$600. The kits generally have spots for 20-30 plants, depending on how big a unit you get.
With aeroponic growing, the crops generally grow 2-3 times faster than in soil because the roots can absorb nutrition much more quickly in an aeroponic environment and the plants don’t have to compete with pests or fungus or other organisms like they would in soil. This means that you can grow a tomato plant, for example, from seedling to hundreds of ripe tomatoes in just 4-6 weeks instead of 12-18 weeks in soil. So you can plant and harvest several times a year instead of just once!
Rooftop aeroponic tower garden in NYC!
On the right, you can see a chef from New York City harvesting squash from his vertical garden that he placed on the rooftop. Those squash plants are just 5 weeks old!
With a vertical garden kit, you can grow on rooftops, indoors, outdoors, just about anywhere! There’s even a large commercial vertical farm project being build in the Netherlands that is completely underground! The farm will be using grow lights instead of sunlight.
These commercial farms aren’t just environmentally motivated. Even though aeroponic vertical farms use 10% as much land and 90% less water than conventional growing in soil, these farms are mostly commercial ventures – and they are profitable. Likewise, as a homeowner with just one vertical gardening kit, for your $600 investment, you’ll probably be saving at least $50 a month in grocery bills, meaning your investment would “pay off” in a year or so.
Many of my friends who have been growing aeroponically have had such an abundance of food that they had to give away the extra to their neighbors and friends! For those of you who are entrepreneurial minded, you could also start a small side business selling the extra produce from your vertical garden.
So if you’ve been looking for a way to get more fresh produce, vertical gardening just might be your ticket to a healthier lifestyle – and a whole lot of tomatoes!
Calling All Food Revolutionaries
Exciting news! Bestselling author John Robbins is personally interviewing 21 people who are leaders in movements for healthy, sustainable, humane and delicious food. From April 28 – May 6, there will be 3 interviews broadcast daily, and you can listen in – for free. You’ll get cutting edge disease-beating, health-activating, age-reversing information. These tools can help you and your family to thrive and to make a difference in the world.
After seeing John Robbins speak LIVE at the LongevityNOW Conference in 2010, I am interested in hearing all that he has to say. His presentation was so genuine, heart-felt, and profound that I, and much of the conference room, was tearing up at the powerful stories he shared. WOW. I was deeply moved with how open he was and the sincere message he brings forth. I’m even more of a fan now than I was when I initially read his books, Diet for a New America and The Food Revolution several years ago – which I highly recommend. They are the catalyst for many people on their health journey!
In case you want to see part of his presentation from that conference, you can catch quite a bit of it here on YouTube (there’s a part 1, 2, and 3).
This summit that he and his son, Ocean Robbins, have put together offers up-to-date, highly useful information from an amazing array of inspiring voices including expert doctors and acclaimed researchers such as Dean Ornish, MD (Preventive Medicine Research Institute) and T. Colin Cambell, Ph.D (The China Study); NY Times best-selling authors Marianne Williamson (Spiritual Principles for Weight Loss) and Kathy Freston (Quantum Wellness); Culture-changers and icons such as Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me) and Rory Freedman (Skinny Bitch); Natural health pioneers such as Joseph Mercola (Mercola.com) and David Wolfe (Radiant Health Now); Food system innovators such as Vandana Shiva (How to Stop Big Ag) and Ronnie Cummins (Organic Consumers Association), and many more inspiring visionaries. This will be EPIC!
The Summit offers training, inspiration and practical know-how from modern day heroes of health and sustainability. Participants are promised answers to burning questions, tools for dealing with family and peers, and practically useful insights, ideas, motivation and tips, all from the comfort and convenience of your phone and computer. Stay at home… listen in… and learn how to make an extremely positive impact.
The summit will include focus on the latest thinking on preventing and reversing heart disease, cancer and diabetes; the truth about GMOs, soy, raw foods, and grass-fed beef; the social, ethical and environmental impact of what you eat; and how to inspire your family to join you in making healthy choices.
Learn more and register for free, here: The Food Revolution Summit. I’ll be listening to the calls with you. This is something we all need to hear!
Homemade Raw Superfood Granola
Homemade raw superfood granola
For those that love a nice crunchy texture bursting with multiple flavors, you’ll adore this homemade granola recipe. Granola used to be one of my favorite snack foods when I ate more processed, packaged organic foods and wasn’t as clean with my food choices. This is a very flexible recipe that can be adapted based upon what ingredients you currently have in your conscious kitchen and I advise making more than you expect you’ll want to since it’s a pretty addictive healthy snack for your entire family.
The Raw Superfood Granola makes a wonderful travel food and is ideal for people who are super busy with crazy schedules (or many kids) who typically grab whatever is easy when they’re out grabbing a bite to eat on their lunch break.
The base of the recipe is buckwheat, nuts and seeds of choice, raw honey, and organic superfood and/or tonic herbal powders of choice. I used multiple sweeteners (raw honey, lucuma and stevia extract), and many of the superfoods I have in my superwoman stash. It doesn’t have to be as many ingredients as I list; I just wanted to load it up with as much as I could as an experiment to see if it would still be tasty – and, it was! I love simple foods too, yet I do enjoy loading up recipes like this with as much goodness as possible so each bite is packed with nutrition.
The amounts you use aren’t really that important, but I’ve given you a general sense of the amounts I used below. I didn’t measure anything and used my intuition; the base is soaked and rinsed buckwheat and nuts + seeds (so it wasn’t just buckwheat granola) with small amounts of everything else. If you want a lighter granola, use more buckwheat and if you want a more dense, heavy, and nutty granola, use more nuts and seeds. Play around and make a different version each time!
Buckwheat directions: soak a few cups of organic buckwheat (bought in the bulk food section at natural health food stores) in spring water overnight. Rinse thoroughly the next morning – the gooey-ness will go away if rinsed well enough. Let it drip in the sink for a while and then sit on the counter to dry (same process as making sprouts). You can use the buckwheat right away or sprout them for a several more hours or again, overnight.
In making the recipe this way (with a diverse selection of ingredients and choices), I took a chance that it would turn out better than the raw food granola at natural health food stores. This recipe is WAY beyond anything that can be purchased in the raw food section of stores and is incredibly more nutritious and cost-effective.
Pre-dehydrated granola mixture spread evenly on tray
Ingredients (100% raw + organic)
Your Granola Base (approximate measurements):
1+ cup sprouted buckwheat
1/2-1 cup soaked pumpkin seeds
1/2 -1 cup soaked sunflower seeds
1/2 cup cashews or macadamia nuts (truly raw, please!)
1 T homemade almond butter (really nice delicious addition to bind ingredients if you want that)
OR – do primarily buckwheat with just a couple small handfuls of nuts and/or seeds. I did this in my 2nd batch & it’s awesome.
* nuts and seeds do not need to be dehydrated, but they certainly can be – I took them right out of the bowl they were soaking in
Dried Fruit:
- goji berries (I only use the Dragon Herbs Heaven Mountain or Bija brands)
- dried cherries
- raisins (not nearly as nutritious as goji berries, but an good option especially for kids)
Superfoods of Choice (possibilities are endless – I’ve just listed here what I made in the batch that’s pictured; use select ingredients in amounts desired; make a different batch each time and experiment!):
- maca (energy, stamina and hormone balancing)
- cacao (powder and/or sweetened or plain nibs)
- mucuna (natural mood-booster)
- noni powder (super immunity)
- wild blue green algae, spirulina, and/or chlorella (by HealthForce)*
- marine phytoplankton (another epic algae)*
- hand-harvested local pine pollen (or bought online)
- Chocolate or Vanilla Phycocyanin Warrior Food (raw vegan protein powder)
* I consider algae to be very important in a nutritional program and put it in everything.
Sweeteners:
- approx 1 T vanilla or cinnamon infused raw honey (or your favorite raw honey!)
- 1 teaspoon lucuma
- pinches of stevia extract powder (Kal brand), (optional)
* If you’d rather not use raw honey and prefer to keep it super low-glycemic, add more lucuma and stevia to taste. It can be done and really taste dee-lish! You can always add other sweeteners, but the ones I list are my personal favorites.
Flavor Enhancers:
- 1 teaspoon wildcrafted vanilla bean
- pinches of sea salt
Directions: Mix your ingredients all together in the food processor. Pulse until mixed well – do not over pulse (unless you want to turn this into granola bars which I’ll share a recipe for in another post)! Spread mixture onto teflex dehydrator sheets and dehydrate for several hours or overnight. Check on your granola and flip once the one side is dry and crunchy, and dehydrate for another few hours until it’s the way you want it.
Package some up and feed it to your kids, keep it around as a healthy snack to nibble on, and bring it with you on road trips so there’s something nutrient-dense that you can eat in lieu of pre-packaged products made with less love than this chewy granola recipe I’ve shared here!
Summer Superfood Detox Intensive Retreat
Greeeeeen juice for beauty, energy, and detoxification
Summertime is around the corner and it’s time to get that beach babe body! The best way to do it? Naturally… with a perfect blend of movement and nutrition to help you accelerate your results so you can be and feel slim, sexy, and healthy!
I’m excited to share with you that I have an intensive weekend retreat coming up and you’re invited! I’ve partnered with my good friend Amber Zuckswert (Pilates & Yoga Master, Professional Dancer, and Founder of EpicSelf.com) to make this an absolutely epic weekend filled with delicious abundance.
Join us for an exceptional weekend intensive taking extraordinary care of yourself with 2 hours of yoga and Pilates movement classes daily, and multiple cleansing classes focused on detoxifying your body temple and lightening up for summer.
You’ll learn how to make AND feast on raw, vegan, superfood-rich recipes throughout the weekend that will cleanse your hard-working body and speed up your metabolism. We are demonstrating several recipes each day to give you a plethora of nutrient-dense, delicious choices when on a cleansing protocol. This Detox Weekend Intensive is intended to inspire you to initiate a longer detoxification program whether the week directly after the Intensive with us, or anytime in the future on your own. We’ll be sharing details of how you can work with us in a fully supported and guided program to let the magic of the weekend continue.
This is a power-packed healthy weekend catered to making you feel and look like the superwoman version of you. It’s bikini weather and if you want to feel comfortable in your bathing suit at the beach or pool this summer, learning how to cleanse your body is a healthy tool that can be used to kick start weight loss anytime you need a boost!
There’s no better time than now to feel and look slim, sexy, and healthy! Come join us for a high vibe weekend where you’ll receive a heaping dose of what need to take your health to the next level. By the end of the weekend, you’ll be very confident in knowing how to squash those unhealthy cravings that leave you feeling less than the best ever.
You’ll be sampling all kinds of mouth-watering drinks and light meals, so there is no need to bring additional food for yourself unless you feel you’ll need a raw trail mix or fresh fruit to snack on during the break midday.
Life-enhancing organic juice
When:
Friday, June 1 from 7-9pm
Saturday, June 2 from 10-5pm
Sunday, June 3 from 10-5pm
Where:
The Happiness Project
11th and Mission St., San Francisco, CA
Cost:
$150 – One Day Only (Saturday or Sunday)
$250 – All Weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)
* This is an all-inclusive weekend with no additional costs to you.
Garden green smoothie w/ local bee pollen on top
On the Menu:
SATURDAY:
Everlasting Vitality Juice
Hot Body Replenisher
Master Cleanse Kefir
Green Garden Smoothie
Super Immunity Tonic
Herbal Beauty Elixir
The Goddess Mash
SUNDAY:
Yoga Manna Lemonade
Wild Woman Juice
Mango Carob Chia Pudding
Super Fruit Smoothie
Herbal Tonic Beauty Elixir
Seaweed Slimming Soup
Postponing Your Health is a Death Sentence
How do you respond when you read the title of this article? Based on what you have experienced with loved ones or acquaintances in your blessed life, have you found it to be true? I do realize it’s a bold statement and I know it’s 100% true in my own experience having seen this brutal reality. I wish it wasn’t true…
Why is postponing your health a death sentence? Because procrastination tends to set in if you take too long to think things over and consider all the possibilities, options, and what’s involved. If you keep putting things off, when will you ever start? Unconsciously, self-sabotaging behavior slowly creeps in (deep subject as to why, but it does happen). Then, guilt settles in because you know you should have done something sooner. Before you know it, it’s months or years later and you’re in the same position or even worse off because you haven’t taken action. Taking action – REALLY taking forward-moving action – takes an inner drive so powerful because on a deep level within you desperately want to look or feel different and are sick and tired of looking or feeling like you do.
Why do people postpone living a healthier lifestyle? 3 top reasons why I believe this happens (I’m very honest, beware):
1) There is a lack of belief in oneself due to a lack of self-love. If you believe you are worth it, why would you postpone doing everything you can to make your life what you want it to be? Getting to the very core (and this can be a sensitive issue for many), it’s because you don’t think you deserve it. This inevitably creates self-sabotaging behavior (known or unknown and whether you accept it or not) that makes it easy for you to rattle off excuse after excuse for why you haven’t taken action on the targeted strategy that could help you. The answers ARE available and in a world full of possibility and unlimited opportunity, it really is at your fingertips if you want it.
2) There is a feeling that you cannot reach the goal you want for yourself, or you’re so overwhelmed with how to get there that you don’t even start because you’re not sure even where to begin. So, you don’t start, and each week, month, or year you continue to set similar goals for yourself with an underlying feeling of guilt that you haven’t already just bit the bullet and taken control and done what you said you wanted to do.
3) It’s so much easier to stay in your comfort zone rather than adopt new habits and consciously create a better life for yourself. Change can be hard to accept and it takes a deep commitment to succeed. You have to be super clear on why you want this for yourself. It’s takes a major amount of courage to go against the grain and to live unconventionally (sadly, being on a super progressive diet and lifestyle is considered to be so). “There is never a crowd on the leading edge.” ~ Abraham-Hicks
These are the reasons that I see come up again and again in my work with clients. If you want to shorten the learning curve for eating more healthfully and living a cleaner lifestyle, check out this article I wrote on “how to shorten the learning curve for anything“.
My advice is to take things bite by bite. The right simple changes can bring profound and miraculous results! This is my favorite strategy in coaching others to gain control of their health so we cut overwhelm out of the equation and really focus on the few things that they/you/I will actually do initially… and then do them each with 1000% commitment. It works. You gain positive momentum after you’ve achieved even small successes and this carries you to adopt healthier nutrition and lifestyle choices – choice by choice. Start with where you are – get really clear on where that is and don’t kid yourself. Then, either work with someone who can truly help you, or go as far as you can on your own and never stop learning, soaking in new knowledge, and finding ways to inspire yourself.
You have to know that you ARE worth it. No matter who you are and even with all the mistakes you’ve made, you deserve to be healthier. You really have a bright future ahead of you and it can be exponentially better if you’re feeling amazing much more often than not. Release the same story you’ve been telling yourself and just do something to make your life different! I’m here giving you permission if you need it and to reinforce that you have to do this for yourself to save your life!
We are bombarded with toxins, pollutants, and harsh realities. Do everything you can to reverse the damage that’s been done (we all need a bit of damage control) and take your health to the next level. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF … keep coming back to this. It’s the #1 mindset you need to have to design a healthy life that rewards you beyond your wildest dreams.
What is the fuel that makes you take action with regard to your health?
Post your insights in the comments section and let’s help each other out!
The Most Important 5 Foods That Keep Me Healthy
For a long time now, I’ve been considering what foods I consume on a regular, consistent basis make all the difference in experiencing optimal health. Which foods make me feel the best, and which ones are giving me so many benefits that I could absolutely thrive with these as my staples?
Raw Kraut - so bright red it's feeding my body LOVE !!!
I finally narrowed it down to 5 foods and I am in love with them all and feel a deep dense of nutrition when I eat them. They are part of my daily diet and when I run low, I tend to freak out. I invite you to ponder the same questions I’ve asked myself – what is serving you the most? What is giving you the most bang for your bite (meaning LOTS of nutrition even in lower quantities)? What foods are propelling you forward?
Raw Sauerkraut / Cultured Vegetables / Kim Chee
A year ago, I was not a cultured veggies kind of a girl; in fact, they weren’t even a part of my diet. Thanks to Donna Gates and The Body Ecology Diet though – which I follow more or less with the exception of raw honey, a bit of local, in season fruit, and infrequent quinoa dishes – I have become an ADDICT to raw sauerkraut. I have created the perfect dish that I’ve had nearly every night since last summer and make it a foundational recipe for my clients’ meal plans.
I have turned sooo many people onto raw kraut, especially people who were repulsed by the thought of introducing it into their diet. They thought, “yuck, no way!” – but now… they are crazy fans just like me and are raving about the age-defying benefits of this dietary staple.
Purple-y green cabbage leaves from the garden
I digest everything better, especially healthy fats (makes sense, doesn’t it?)! My energy levels have risen, ability to manage stress has increased, and my skin is looking younger. I could be the poster girl for raw sauerkraut – I’m that much of an avid fan! Because my habit is so heavy, I go through a lot – eating a heaping handful each day (afternoon – dinner), and can hardly keep up with making sure I have enough. I buy some and make some myself and eat all varieties possible, especially loving spicy krauts or ones with tonic herbs (that’s my dream, really – tonic herbs and kraut! – best diet for me ever).
THE GODDESS MASH (simplified)
Mix and Mash:
1/2+ cup raw sauerkraut
1/2 – 1 ripe avocado
Approx 1 teaspoon spirulina
Smoosh it all together into creamy paradise.
OPTIONAL: Add the “works” (any or all of the following): dulse seaweed, sprouts, leafy greens from the garden, apple cider vinegar, raw tahini, quinoa, and Vitamineral Earth (roots, barks, herbs, and probiotics) – mash together and wrap in cabbage leaves from the garden or nori sheets. Hands down, this is my most favorite meal & it makes me happy 
Try it! You’ll have yourself the best fast food meal possible: deeply nourishing, satisfying, quick energy, and easy for your body to break down and assimilate. It’s also no doubt the best travel food / meal ever.
Love my garden leafys & flowers!
Garden Greens
I’ve recently written 2 comprehensive posts about my glorious garden greens and will suggest you read over those articles to get a sense of what kind of impact the leafys & herbs have on me. They blow me away and I am in awe that I wasn’t doing this all along. Believe me, I am doing my best to catch up for lost time 
I’ll just say this: I literally LOVE everything more because of the peace my edible garden brings me. How is this possible?! I don’t know, but it’s exciting!
* The Best Health Decision I EVER Made
* The 5 Must Know Steps About Growing Food
Algae
A couple years ago, for a year consistently, I included so much algae as part of my diet that one would think I was a fish. LOL! I didn’t have specific intentions when I embarked on this blue green adventure, but WOW did it have a powerful health impact for me. I was already consuming algae, just not in heavy quantities. My eyesight got dramatically better… so much so that when I went to renew my contact lens prescription and had the exam, the doctor was astonished when she realized my sight was improving even as I was “getting older” and claimed that this never happens. What in the world I was doing?! Btw – I am getting younger and told her that.
Garden green fruit smoothie with local bee pollen on top!
Ahhh, yes – that’s my algae habit. Simply put, it’s extremely beneficial for the skin (hair, nails, and all things beauty-related), mind, nervous system, digestive system, and every other system you could name. It’s loaded with amino acids, antioxidants, nucleic acids (DNA / RNA), enzymes, minerals, and everything else one wants in their body. I adore spirulina, wild blue green algae, and chlorella and feel a nutritional plan is not complete without them. Algae is a miraculous food, works miracles in the body, and I’ve witnessed health miracles by those who’ve consumed algae.
Most often, I get my algae from HealthForce Nutritionals (product is called Elixir of the Lake and is wild blue green algae at its’ finest!)
Bee Products: Bee Pollen & Royal Jelly
Bee pollen is another favorite that I could talk about forever, but I wrote an article that sums up the outstanding benefits of this true superfood titled, Bee Pollen: The Queen Strategy for Weight Loss and Stress Management. Check it out!
Here’s the thing with royal jelly – if you’re going to do it, do it right. None of that shwaggy liquid stuff that goes rancid quickly at the store. Fortunately, a good friend of mine – Sean Lee Gardner – has created an epic product line and the signature product is “Bee Mana” – a certified organic, truly raw royal jelly that is in powder form. His bees are never fed sugar like most bee are! That’s worth repeating… Sean’s bees are NEVER FED SUGAR! (which is great for you!)
Immortality Alchemy's "Bee Mana" - certified organic, truly raw royal jelly!
Why you want this food as part of your diet (top 3 reasons):
1) It’s known for balancing our hormones & addresses infertility issues
2) If you’re stressed or tired, it helps build stress resilience (contains the entire vitamin B complex, even human active B12 ) so you feel better!
3) It creates silky skin, luscious locks, contains anti-aging hormones (DHEA), and is an ideal supplemental food that has a long history of use for those wanting to look younger without botox injections
Sean has extended a sweet 10% discount for you to order his organic, raw royal jelly! It’s for orders over $99.95 and you’ll also get free shipping! Use the code EDIBLEGODDESS10OFF. Order here to get your 10% discount on this superb longevity food. (He’s also got some epic “Spirit Reishi” that will calm your nerves and soothe your soul faster than anything else.)
Organic apples from my neighbors' garden!
Juicy Fruit
Not the chewing gum, Juicy Fruit – although I did chew plenty of that crap when I was a little girl – but I’m referring to the real deal fruit that grows from organic trees. Nothing replaces it… even fruit powder blends or dried fruit, it’s just not the same and you don’t get the same nutritional benefits. I don’t go overboard with fruit, but it definitely has its place and serves me well.
My very favorite fruits include oranges, mango, blueberries, apples, and avocado (an easy to digest fatty fruit, and I love it!). I eat fresh fruits when they’re in season, either from the farmer’s markets and avocados year round. I do realize that mangoes come from far away, but I love them I’m happy that my current neighbor has some flourishing apple trees.
If you’d like support in creating a winning strategy for you to pinpoint the foods that will serve YOU the most, I can help. Reach out to get the guidance you need and accelerate your results so you can enjoy the health you deserve!
What are the top 5 foods that keep you the healthiest, or that you cannot live without?
Activating our Potential through Nutrition (Guest Post by Ronnie Landis)
This guest post is written for Edible Goddess by Ronnie Landis; Ronnie is an author, health and personal growth speaker, nutritionist, and peak performance specialist. He is the author of the upcoming book, The Live-it Lifestyle: Dropping Diets Forever. His life mission is to be a voice for raw plant foods, super foods, raw chocolate, and a sustainable future for coming generations.
Activating our Potential through Nutrition
For every human being put on this Earth there is a set of skills and a way of delivering them that can inspire, amaze, and ultimately light up all who come in contact. Each one of us is special; we have an inner light that carries all the knowledge of the ancient world, conscious of its incredible energy awaiting permission by the holder similar to that of the samurai’s katana yielding impeccable craftsmanship, but can only be wielded by the one who understands its brilliance. The key idea that we all should consider is this question, “How can I activate my gifts in the world”.
“The most important skill of the future is being able to learn and master information immediately”
David Wolfe
We are accomplishment-driven creatures only truly satisfied when our energy is being poured into the focus of our desires. The unease some feel in life can be attributed to the direction they have chosen to focus their lives. I have been an avid student of personal development material for most of my life putting so much of my attention on the power of my mind. I heard long ago from success literature pioneer, Earl Nightingale, about “The Strangest Secret” which states, Thoughts are Things: we are what we think about. I believed for most of my life that this was the foundational law of the cosmos, that we could assume any circumstance through proper mindset alone. I soon realized that a critical piece of this equation was absent; the very fuel that may have the greatest influence over our most dominant thoughts. The law of You are What you Eat takes an immediate front seat to all other supporting ideas.
We are the result of what we repeatedly do; if this statement is true which I believe it is, then our physical makeup is the result of what we habitually think, say, do, and eat. Whenever you think a certain thought it creates a wave of information that is sent through the nervous system, with time the more thoughts and words of that nature will have physical effects because the body always follows the mind. The food or substances you put into your body over time will prove their worth. Physical deterioration is absolutely inescapable when you’re constantly picking up the bread crumbs that lead to its doors. If you have built up these habits, it is time to now start reprogramming your genetic makeup to work for you instead of against you.
The effect food has on our ability to create and sustain peak potential is nothing short of astounding. In terms of rerouting our thinking patterns in the direction we feel would be most optimal, we must look at living food nutrition as a launching pad. A great example is Tony Wright who holds the world record in staying awake the longest – 12 days straight! Tony is the author of the book Left in the Dark which focuses on the functionality of the right and left hemispheres of the brain and how we are effected through the modern day food supply.
Through his research he came to some interesting conclusions such as when humans stray too far from their natural diet (raw foods) they become left brain dominant (linear thinking, calculating) and raw plant food could influence the imaginative, inspirational artistic right side of the brain to reemerge. Tied in with these findings by theory and his own unique experience he found that the left side of the brain expends so much energy synthesizing life experiences it requires tremendous rest, but the right side of our brain requires very little rest due to the childlike nature in which it operates.
The vast majority of people in the western world are grid locked in a critical mindset that has to rationalize and calculate its way through life. This causes tremendous constriction not only on our physiology but also our psychology and makes it exceedingly more difficult to express our true nature into the world we all wish for.
I am constantly blessed to meet amazing individuals in the health and living foods community that tell me stories of the lives they were living previous to their inner transformation. It is clear to me as we embark on cleansing our bodies of the residues of concrete society we all grew up in and begin to flood our cells with the intelligence of raw plant food and super foods it becomes near impossible to pursue a path of quiet desperation. As our blood vessels expand and open through oxygenation, the walls we have encapsulated our heart in begin to break down and the core meaning of our lives takes a form none of us could have imagined in our past life.
The 5 Must Know Steps About Growing Food
Homegrown cabbage
In my experience of growing my own food, there are 5 primary steps that I’ve found to be the most important. They may be obvious steps to some, yet notice the simple upgrades I’ve made to each. I want to share these with you because I’ve found that growing some of my own food, having an edible garden, and going above standards options for gardening by using amendments as discussed below, has been the best health decision I’ve EVER made. Read more
The Good Karma Giveaway Fiesta
7 days ago, I watched a video that I linked to from my friends Peter Ragnar & Katrina Mayer as part of their work with The Pro-Youthing Summit. This summit includes 3 free training videos for anti-aging, abundance, and spiritual wisdom that I highly recommend (you’ll see why). The first video I watched with Joe Vitale was very inspiring and really struck a cord within me. Read more
Testimonials For My Chocolate Superfood Desserts Class
Over the past several months, I’ve been teaching a chocolate-making class called Chocolate Superfood Desserts with my man, Christian Bates, that has received props from hundreds of inspired attendees. I’ve been truly blessed with this experience as it’s introduced me to many people whose lives I can now help on a deeper level which is extremely rewarding for me!
I’ve narrowed it down to just a few brief testimonials for you to read here – I wanted to share them with you!
There are 3 more healthy raw chocolate-making classes scheduled as of now and then I’ll be switching to another hot topic to help my local community implement super health-conscious choices into their busy lives. It’s really not all that hard, but it does take an understanding of certain concepts and a commitment to action.
If you would like to join me for 1 of my classes, or know someone who may be interested -
The dates available are:
Sunday Jan 22, 2-4:30pm
Tuesday Feb 7, 6:30-9pm
Sunday Feb 19, 2-4:30pm
What’s on the Menu?
Chocolate Almond Superfood Smoothie
Raw Chocolate Fudge
Chocolate Dream Ice Cream
Creamy Cacao Pudding
BONUS RECIPE: Mocha Java Body Scrub
Many more details can be found on my Events Page.
HERE’S WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING…
Wow! What a great class last week. I learned a great deal and want to know more. I was surprised and impressed at the depth of knowledge that both Bethanne and Christian have! Thanks again for everything. I felt transformed leaving your class. My energy was back to where it was 25 years ago.
~ Amey Shaw
Thank you, Bethanne and Christian!!! The Chocolate Superfood Workshop was a top-notch event, packed with useful information, helpful demonstrations, and of course, delicious chocolate creations. You and Christian are a wealth of information and wisdom, and I especially appreciate your attitude of allowing and kindness. It is evident that you are passionate about bringing health, harmony, and beauty to our lives and to the world, and it appears that you are well on your way to accomplishing just that 
~ Love & Blessings, Jasmine Shanti David
I recently attended Bethanne & Christian’s chocolate-making workshop. I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy the recipes were and Bethanne & Christian generously shared their superfoods knowledge and made it simple enough for me to go home with the confidence to try it myself. Can I just say I am sitting here right now eating some of the best tasting chocolate ever! Not only did I learn how to make this amazingly satisfying chocolate, I learned how to sneak some superfoods into my daily recipes… Thank you Bethanne & Christian for sharing your creations with us!
~ Daina Selph
Yum, the treats were absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try out these recipes on my own. I plan to give the gift of healthy chocolates to everyone on my list and share them wherever I can. Sharing super healthy foods instead of toxic food with others during the holidays is always my goal. Now I know I can share something everyone will love, chocolate! Thank you Bethanne and Christian for an informative workshop. I love that you shared so much information about the ingredients in your recipes and empowered us to try to personalize and experiment with them.
~ Ramona Beville, Health Coach
Thank you so much!!! I really loved my experience with you two! I’ve been drinking my shake everyday since the talk… I could live on it actually… sooo yummy! I found the class informative and great fun! I loved the nutritional info in the class, packed with great sources and background on the super foods. Everything was yummy and great to know I can now make tasty treats that are actually good for me and my family! Great setting too! Highly recommend this class. Keep up the great work!
~ Fredda Psaltis
I REALLY enjoyed the Chocolate Superfood and Dessert making class by Christian and Bethanne. It was inspirational, educational, and fun! I made the superfood chocolate fudge at home the very next day and it was easy – even my husband and kids loved it. This is definitely something I will bring to wow my friends and family at future gatherings, raw foodies and SAD eaters alike.
~ Cindy Yacob
As a raw vegan who experiments with a variety of foods, it was fun for me to get new and creative ways to use raw chocolate mixed with superfoods. All the samples were delicious! Bethanne and Christian have a wealth of information to share and I highly recommend the Chocolate Making class or any other class or event that they host. Thanks!
~Ronit Gesundheit
Edible Goddess was also hand-selected to receive the honor of:
“Awesome Classes, as seen on ellen”
(the Ellen Degeneres Show!) – Thank You!
THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in positive & kind words about their experience at the Chocolate Superfood Desserts class! I expect the next series of classes will also blow you away! Details posting soon. ♥
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