The Living Foods Lifer

newsletter of SF LiFE

A living foods community for the 21^st century

… from the editor:

The first half of the millennium year has certainly given us several reasons to celebrate:

We are now on the Web. Thanks to our dear member John Kohler, we have web-access. Drop by www.living-foods.com/sflife/newsletters.html and discover not only our newsletter, but also the creative energies of other people who are involved with making Living Foods a part of their daily business. Being on the web not only gives us a global audience, but it helps us spread the word about Living Foods. This makes the movement stronger. If you are a current member and you have web-access, this will be your new way of getting your newsletters. If you are a member, please send your email address to birdwing@gateway.net and we will switch you from our “snail mail” member list, to our new email member list. This will save us printing and postage expenses. In the very near future, our email members will be compensated for this saved expense. The Sprout Council hasn’t, of yet, decided how. Your membership is very important to us. Without it, we would not be able to maintain our library, participate in public events, or to put out a newsletter in any form. Membership also brings us together as a group. Tell your friends and colleagues to read about this “strange eating habit” that you are involved with. You now have an entire network of support, information, and education at your disposal. You are not alone.

A new Living Foods Expo is now being planned for September 2000, and again sponsored by the South Bay Living Foods Group/ the Institute for Vibrant Living. Their web site at www.VibrantLiving.org will keep you posted with new information. Our next issue of the newsletter will be published at the beginning of September with more information as well. We are hoping to be a part of the Expo as an exhibiting participant. Stay tuned!

Alive, the book publisher based in Canada, recently published “Alive”, a magazine dedicated to Living Foods, with an article by Rhody Lake on “The Raw Food Lifestyle: Medicine of the New Millennium”, extolling the virtues of Living Foods. Lake mentions another upcoming event, which might be of interest for those following a Living Foods Lifestyle program: A group of raw food gurus have co-operated to sponsor a ground-breaking event in Jamaica on August 20-25, 2000. This will be the First Annual Raw Food Masters Culinary Showcase. For more information about this event, contact Alive books at 1-800-661-0303. Other Living Foods web-sites should also have information about this event.

_ Robin Silberman

In This Issue

v There’s Flowers in My Food!

v Wheatgrass: Nature's Finest Medicine

v Scheduling a Living Foods Lifestyle Menu

v Traveling with Living Foods

v The BEST Juicer, is There One?

v Making Wheatgrass Juice More Palatable

What’s Coming UP

SF LiFE Potlucks

Other Local Groups

Sundays at the Mission District Police Station 650 Valencia Street at 17^th street, San Francisco Parking in the rear of the station, on 17^th Street v June 4 – Arthur Andrews – Fasting and Herbert Shelton v July 9 – Rose Lee Calabro – Seven Steps to Healing the Body v August 6 – Patricia Hernandez – The Importance of Water v September 10 – Speaker to be arranged v October 5 – Tom Billings – Troubleshooting the Living Foods Diet Time: 1:00 pm Cost: $2. Members/$4. Non-members Coming without food: $5. Extra for everyone Coming with food: Bring raw vegetable salads, bowls of mixed sprouts, nut patés, raw desserts, dehydrated crackers, enough for 10-15 people. All preferably organic. For more information, call the Sproutline Number: 415-751-2806. SF LiFE Membership $20.00 annual membership includes the following: v Discounts to potlucks v Quarterly newsletter v Library check-out: books, audio tapes v Video tapes with deposit v Equipment rentals with deposit Send the following information: v Name v Address v City, State, ZIP v Phone Number v Email Address v $20.00 check SF LiFE, 662 – 29^th Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94121 Renew your memberships! Most expire with this issue. For newsletter submissions, email birdwing@gateway.net

South Bay Living Foods Community Contact www.VibrantLiving.com for more information on this group. Santa Cruz Living Foods Community Contact Tricia and Steve Zenone at www.rawfoodists.com for more information on their group. The Santa Cruz County RawFoodists host a FREE monthly RawFood potluck the 3rd Saturday of each month. The Sacramento Living Food Community This group offers group dinners at member homes. This is not a potluck event. Cost is $10.00 to the host of the meal. Contact Mark O’Rielly at 916-415-0865 for more information about this and other Sacramento events. Local classes Blessing, who teaches Living Foods Lifestyle classes locally, also has a web-site with information about her products and events. Contact her at www.Powerfood.org Remember our contributors Nomi Shannon www.rawgourmet.com SteveMeyerwitz www.Sproutman.com

Are You Online?	Rivera Wheatgrass Growers
We need your email address! Welcome to the 21^st century of communication. No paper. No postage. Save us time, money, and labor-intensive acts of craziness. Receive your newsletter from the comfort of your computer. Members. Members. Members. Email to birdwing@gateway.net	Wheatgrass and Sprouts Monday through Saturday 9am – 6pm Sunday closed Happy Hour Friday 4pm – 6pm ½ price 1785-15^th Street between Guerrero and Valencia 415-864-3001 volunteers and donations welcome

There’s Flowers in My Food!

Nomi Shannon

Summer is here and that means you can find food right in your own back yard, but not just if you have a vegetable garden. Mother Nature has given us weeds and wild plants and flowers in our yards, the woods, parks and along the roadside. Even the pansies that your Aunt Millie planted this spring are candidates for your dinner plate! There are marvelous wild greens to enjoy in your salads. Take a walk in your area and see what you can find. If you have no idea what these edibles look like, book a walking tour with a local herbalist, you will likely be very surprised to see what delectable morsels can be added to your plate straight from nature. Of course, you know how to recognize dandelion greens, but you can also look for the following: poke, dock, lambs quarters, ferns, yellow rocket cress, young milkweed shoots, pigweed, mustard, purslane, sorrel and nettles. This is just a partial list. Go to your local library and take out a book on the edible wild plants in your neck of the woods. Euell Gibbons devoted his life to cataloging this rich natural resource. Two of his books are: Stalking the Good Life, published in 1972, and Stalking the Wild Asparagus, published in 1962, both by David McKay Company, New York. Some wild edibles have both poisonous and edible parts, while others need to be prepared in a specific way, such as boiling with several water changes before the natural toxins are eliminated. It is important to know what you are doing!

Edible Wild Plants, A North American Field Guide, by Elias and Dykeman (Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, 1990) mentions preparation instructions as well as how to identify wild edible plants. Don’t feel that you are limited to green leafy things! The following flowers are all edible: Anise, Hyssop, Apple, Basil, Bergamot, Calendula, Chervil, Chive, Garlic chive, Chrysanthemum, Coriander, English Daisy, Dill, Elderberry, Fennel, Gladiolus, Grape Hyacinth, Hollyhock, Honeysuckle, Lavender, Lemon, Lemon balm, Lilac, Lovage, Marigold-African and Sweet, Marjoram, Oregano, Mint, Mustard, Nasturtium, Orange, Pea, Pink, Plum, Red Clover, Rocket, Rose, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Scarlet Runner Bean, Scented Geranium, Squash, Sweet Woodruff, Thyme, Tulip, Violet, Pansy, Johnny Jump up, Viola and Yucca. This is only a partial list. Eat flowers you say? Picture this: the simplest of foods, like a soup or pudding, sprinkled with purple and yellow flower petals, or decorated with pretty pansies and violets. Try a green salad, topped with peppery flavored yellow and red nasturtiums. Not only does the flower taste good, but the visual delight is memorable. The joy of finding food for yourself in nature is a simple pleasure to be savored on many levels. On the practical side of things, isn’t it nice to know what is available in your part of the country in case you really need to be able to forage for yourself? Flowers in the Kitchen , by Susan Belsinger (Interweave Press, CO) is a nice guide for edible flowers.

Nomi Shannon, author of The Raw Gourmet, Simple Recipes for Living Well (Alive Books) loves to decorate with edible flowers all year ‘round. Some of the pictures in her book have flowers that she picked on a riverbank in British Columbia during the photo-shoot for her book. The Raw Gourmet is an all-raw food preparation book, and is rapidly becoming a classic. When you purchase this fabulous book directly from the author—$24.95 plus $4.00 for shipping, (CA add sales tax)—you will also receive, absolutely free, The Little Book of Raw Soups, which is a delightful booklet with 15 all raw soup recipes that are made in under 15 minutes with little more than a grater and a blender.

To order, simply call Nomi at her 24-hour answering line: 888-316-4611, or direct at 760-967-6664. Or, if you prefer, simply mail a check or credit card information to The Raw Gourmet, PO Box 4133, Carlsbad, CA 92018. And, if you haven’t yet visited her site (www.rawgourmet.com) go sign up for her 7-part email class called The Raw Truth, which is very informative and free.

Wheatgrass: Nature's Finest Medicine

Steve Meyerowitz, ‘Sproutman’

Grass is the world’s most ubiquitous vegetation. There are over 9,000 species of grasses. From the outback down under to the one-inch arctic tundra, wherever there is sun, water and soil, there is grass. As a seed, all grasses start from grains like wheat, barley, oat, rye, and rice. Four of the world’s top five crops are grains/grasses. For centuries, farmers have noticed how livestock improved when they fed on the young grasses of early spring. Scientists started studying grasses in the 1930’s in an effort to discover its nutritional mysteries and include it in animal feed. They found that animals could survive on grass alone, but in contrast, failed on other healthy vegetables like spinach and carrots. The agricultural chemist Dr. Charles F. Schnabel started a movement that made grasses available for both livestock and human consumption. In the early 1940’s, you could buy ‘tins’ of Schnabel’s dry grass powder in pharmacies all across North America. Stories about the new health food with “more vitamins than the alphabet has letters”, ran in Newsweek, Business Week, and Time magazines. Later in the 1970’s, Dr. Ann Wigmore popularized the use of indoor grown fresh squeezed grass juice for the therapeutic treatment of cancer patients who had been pronounced ‘incurable’ after conventional medical treatment. Wigmore had saved her own gangrene legs from amputation with her grass treatments and eventually ran in the Boston marathon. Word about her “Hippocrates Health Institute,” and the “miracles” resulting from her wheatgrass treatments spread. Today, wheatgrass juice is available as dry powder and fresh squeezed juice in juice bars and health food stores everywhere. Although wheatgrass has helped thousands recover from serious illness, it is neither a drug nor a magic potion. It is, instead, the cornerstone of a holistic health restoration program that includes detoxification, nourishment from raw living foods and a revamping of the lifestyle including the mental and emotional conditions that created the ‘dis-ease.’ Unlike drug companies that promote their products with large advertising budgets, grass is not patentable and is unlikely to ever be approved for medical use. Instead it owes its popularity to an underground movement that is made up of thousands of individuals, hundreds of practitioners and a handful of healing resorts who all testify to its healing properties. Word has even spread to medical doctors who are discovering alternative health treatments. Dr. Leonard Smith, a cancer surgeon in Gainesville, Florida, allowed wheatgrass juice to be given to his patient Gary Garrett

because he desperately needed a blood transfusion, but could not because of his Jehovah Witness religion. Smith said: “Gary’s platelet count rose every day for 7 days from 61,000 to 141,000 and the only thing we did differently was administer wheatgrass. That’s phenomenal and it’s fully documented on the hospital record.” Smith now juices wheatgrass himself. Dr. Allan L. Goldstein, Ph.D, of the George Washington Univ. Medical Center tested barley grass against three types of prostate cancers. He reports: “Barley grass leaf extract dramatically inhibits the growth of human prostatic cancer cells grown in tissue culture. ...It may provide a new nutritional approach to the treatment of prostate cancer.” And Dr. Julian Whitaker, M.D., the famous editor of the enormously popular Health and Healing Newsletter, said: “Why take these young grasses? Because you’ll be giving yourself a health elixir unlike anything you’ve ever experienced! The effect these highly nutritious green drinks are having on all my patients, especially my arthritis patients, is nothing short of amazing.” Why Grass Works As a source of nourishment, grass is a complete food containing over 80 nutritional elements including all known vitamins and proteins. People with wheat allergies, by the way, have nothing to fear from this food. Although grass is grown from grain, it has completely transformed into a vegetable with none of the allergic proteins common to glutenous grains. Grass is non-toxic at any dose, but you may have a reaction to it because it is a potent detoxifying agent. Grass is a powerful liver purge and too much can release too many poisons, too fast. It also cleanses and heals the large intestine, another collection point of toxins in the body. But it is, perhaps most famous for its blood purification. Grass is one of the planet’s richest sources of high quality chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is liquid sunshine made by green plants. Sunlight charges and excites electrons in the chloroplast cells that then store that energy as ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP converts carbon and water into carbohydrates and releases oxygen into the atmosphere. Ultimately, all food on the planet, whether animal or vegetable, directly or indirectly comes from chlorophyll. Scientists would love to duplicate photosynthesis, because it would provide an endless source of food and energy. But even more amazing is that this ‘blood of plants’ is a chemical cousin to hemin. Hemin is part of hemoglobin, the red iron-rich oxygen-carrying portion of human blood.

Wheatgrass juice literally gives you a sunshine transfusion. When you drink it, this enzyme-rich and metabolically active fresh living food, transfers its high vibration to your system, raises your ‘kundalini’ or ‘chi’ and gives you a natural high. It is this energetic lift that enhances your ability to heal. But don’t confuse the high from grass with marijuana. Wheatgrass is hope, not dope. Which Grass From Where? You can grow your own wheatgrass indoors and juice it; buy it from a professional grower, a health food or mail order store; buy powder and tableted grass products from natural food and vitamin stores; or buy freshly squeezed juice from a juice bar or natural food store. In 1931, Charles F. Schnabel discovered that grass achieves its peak nutrition when grown to the jointing stage. This is the point when the plant stops being a vegetable and starts reproducing. This point which for the most part is achieved in 3–7 weeks depending on the growing conditions, enables the prodigious root system of this plant to develop and pull minerals up from the soil. Immediately after jointing, there is a dramatic decline in nutrient content. Almost all bottled grass powders are grown this way. Although the Wigmore style, 10-14 day old greenhouse–grown, fresh squeezed grass juice is the grass of choice used at the healing centers for treating illness, the bottled dehydrated juice powders reign as nutritionally superior.

They have more protein than meat, fish or eggs, more beta-carotene than carrots, more calcium than spinach and are rich sources of vitamins A, C, and K, chlorophyll, RNA, DNA, antioxidants, nitrosamines and a full complement of amino acids and trace minerals. How to Use Wheatgrass This is not orange juice. The intense taste is more akin to juicing garlic than oranges. First time wheatgrass drinkers will find that 1–2 ounces is a lot. Experienced users can drink up to 8 ounces spread out over the day. But therapeutic doses for treating serious illness can require 8–32 ounces per day. Rectal implants via enemas, rubber bulb syringes and colonics are necessary for these amounts. Some people take it only this way and never drink it at all. Powdered wheat, barley and Kamut grass juices (Kamut is a popular variety of wheat) are solely promoted as nutritional supplements, but they also have a therapeutic dosage that is many times more than the serving size recommended on the bottle. Grass also has numerous first aid uses for the skin on burns, cuts, bruises, acne, eczema, poison ivy, and accelerates the healing of all types of wounds. Use it with bandages, poultices or compresses. It has documented results in the treatment of gingivitis and is perfect for mouth for gum problems in general. Filtered grass juice drops in the eyes are soothing for eyestrain and tension. Dr. Gary Hall, medical director of the Eye Surgery Institute in Phoenix, Arizona recommends wheatgrass juice for anyone who shows signs of retinal disturbances or has a history of macular degeneration.

I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.—Walt Whitman

Basic Steps for Growing Grass in Soil

Biography

1. Soak 2 cups of grain for 9–12 hours. 2. Sprout for 2 days, rinsing twice per day. 3. Lay seeds on top of 2 inches of soil. 4. Water with a sprinkler or shower. 5. Cover the seedlings. 6. Set seedling tray in a shady spot. 7. Check daily and moisten if necessary. 8. Remove cover when 2-3 inches tall. 9. Expose to light; water daily. 10. Harvest in 9-12 days or 6-10 inches tall.

Steve Meyerowitz is the author of the new book: Wheatgrass: Nature’s Finest Medicine and is nationally known as the Sproutman. His other books include: Sproutman’s Kitchen Garden Cookbook, Sprouts the Miracle Food, Juice Fasting and Detoxification, Power Juices Super Drinks, Food Combining and Digestion, and Sproutman’s Sprout Chart. To order his books, or get more info on grass you can visit him at http://www.Sproutman.com © 2000 by Steve Meyerowitz

Discovering the Living Foods Lifestyle

from an Ann Wigmore perspective

Part 12

Scheduling a Living Foods Lifestyle Menu

It would be so easy to open the refrigerator, choose your produce products for a meal, and be done with Living Foods preparation. After all, without cooking, living fooders save themselves hundreds of hours in a given year by not going through the elaborate process most everyone else does when preparing meals. But Living Foods preparation encompasses time spent in other ways – time spent preparing days or even weeks in advance in order to have the necessary foods we want for any given meal, on any given day for a week on end. There are basics that we need to have on hand – other than produce – in order to plan meals effectively. These basics are divided into 6 different food categories, and these categories need to be considered fully to prepare for a Living Foods Lifestyle program.

The Basics When Ann Wigmore structured the Living Foods Lifestyle Program, she structured it around fresh produce and sprouts. Sprouts became the basis for wheatgrass and other greens, sprouted legumes and seeds, rejuvelac, seed cheese and yogurt, and dehydrated crackers. Sprouts play an important role in most everything we eat. The following categories define the foods for which we need to plan our meals:	Legume sprouts take 4 days from start to harvest. Most seed sprouts take from 5 to 14 days, depending on the size of the seed. Note: The larger the seed the smaller the sprout; the smaller the seed the larger the sprout. v Soaking legumes, draining, germinating – day 1 v Rinse and drain – day 2 v Rinse and drain – day 3 v Rinse, drain, and harvest – day 4
v Wheatgrass, buckwheat lettuce, and sunflower seed greens v Rejuvelac v Legume and seed sprouts v Seed cheese and seed yogurt v Veggie kraut v Dehydrated crackers Let’s look at each food group separately.	Sprouted legumes can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Note: Chickpeas should be rinsed every day, and eaten as soon as possible. They tend to mold very quickly. The growing schedule for smaller seeds (alfalfa, clover, cabbage, radish, fenugreek, etc.) will take longer. Veggie kraut takes 4 days from start to finish. v Grate and process vegetables– day 1
Wheatgrass, buckwheat lettuce, and sunflower seed greens all take approximately 14 days from soaking to harvesting. v Soaking, draining, germinating – day 1 v Planting and resting – days 2 - 5 v Uncovering, growing, greening – days 6 - 13 v Harvesting and juicing – days 14 – 17 Rejuvelac takes approximately 5 days to one week for the first batch to be ready, depending on weather. v Soaking, draining, germinating – days 1-2 v Soaking germinated seed – days 3 - 4 v First batch of Rejuvelac – day 5 v Soaking germinated seed – day 6 v Second batch of Rejuvelac – day 7 v Soaking germinated seed – day 8 v Third and final batch of Rejuvelac – day 9 Note: Rejuvelac can be kept in the refrigerator for at least a week.	v Sit and ferment– days 2 - 4 Veggie kraut can be kept in the refrigerator for at least 3-6 weeks. Seed cheese and seed yogurt take 2-3 days. v Soak sunflower seeds, (almonds or pumpkin seeds) for 8-10 hours, drain, and germinate – days 1 (and 2) v Blend germinated seed with rejuvelac and let ferment – days 2-3 Note: for a stronger cheese or yogurt, ferment for an additional day. Seed cheese and yogurt can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Dehydrate crackers take approximately 2-3 days to make. v Soaking, draining, germinating seeds, and processing vegetables – day 1 v Dehydrating crackers – days 2-3 Crackers can be kept in a closed container for an indefinite period of time.

If we look at all of these foods separately, the process of planning a schedule might seem overwhelming, but seen as a combined effort that can be accomplished in a flowing schedule, minimizes processing preparation time. All seeds - whether for wheatgrass, greens, Rejuvelac, seed cheese, or sprouts – can be started at the same time as one process. Just make sure that you have individual jars for each food group. Pick a day of the week – maybe evenings after work or mornings before work - when you will have a dedicated ½ hour to 1 hour of preparation time. Starting a weekly schedule on Friday evening utilizes nights, and weekend hours for food preparation so that weekday time-periods for food preparation are kept to a minimum.

If you start soaking seeds and preparing veggie kraut on Friday evening, you will have the following foods ready for eating the coming week: v plant wheatgrass, buckwheat lettuce and sunflower seeds on the weekend v seed cheese by Monday or Tuesday v Rejuvelac by Tuesday v legume sprouts Monday or Tuesday v dehydrated crackers on Monday v Veggie kraut on Tuesday Minimizing preparation time not only frees your schedule, but allows you time during the week to do just the basic minimum. Since all of the food groups require most of the same attention (soaking, draining, germinating), you are basically “just watching the grass grow”. The following calendar will help you visualize the process from a realistic timetable. You can always adjust your personal schedule accordingly.

Calendar

Friday Night	Saturday Morning	Saturday Evening	Sunday Morning
Soak for greens	Drain and Germinate	Plant and Cover	Remain Covered
v Wheat
v Buckwheat
v Sunflower
Soak for legume sprouts	Drain and Germinate	Drain and Rinse	Drain and Rinse
v Lentils
v Mung
v Aduki
v Chick peas
Soak for seed sprouts	Drain and Germinate	Drain and Rinse	Drain and Rinse
v Alfalfa
v Clover
v Fenugreek
v Radish
Soak for Rejvelac	Drain and Germinate	Germinate	Soak germinated seed
v Soft wheat
Soak for Seed Cheese	Drain and Germinate	Blend with Rejuvelac	Ferment
v Sunflower seeds
v Almonds
v Pumpkin seeds
Soak and/or Prepare for Dehydrated Crackers	Drain and Germinate	Blend with Veggies and Dehydrate	Dehydrate
v Sunflower seeds
v Flax seeds
v Veggies
v Fruit
Prepare Veggie Kraut	Sit and Ferment	Ferment	Ferment
v Cabbage
v Carrots
v Broccoli
v Cauliflower

Traveling with Living Foods Dorleen Tong
Dorleen Tong, our esteemed member and noted world traveler gave a welcomed and informative talk on one of her most knowledgeable loves: traveling with Living Foods. Her positive approach reinforces the desire to maintain a Living Foods program while travelling near and far from home. The following information was given out at her talk and we are making it available here. _ed.
Traveling with Living Foods Foods that are easy to travel with: v Dried fruit v Nuts and seeds (raw peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, fax seeds v Dehydrated crackers, cookies v Fresh produce (oranges, apples, carrots, grapes) v Raw grains (hulled raw oats, hulled raw buckwheat) v Dried miso v Dried seaweed (nori, dulse, wakame) Some quick and easy recipes: 1. Soaked oats blended with maple syrup or pitted dates, blended with water (optional: add walnuts, raisins, and vanilla, cinnamon. Use hot water if you want a hot cereal. 2. Flax seed smoothie: add dates, oranges, and water to flax seeds and blend. Options include adding banana, strawberries, peaches, and other fruit. You can also add wheatgrass powder. Dressings 1. Carrot cashew dressing: Use twice as much carrot juice as cashews and blend. You can use avocado instead of cashews. 2. Blend a peeled orange and a tablespoon of miso with a little water. 3. Blend 3 tablespoons of tahini with 1 tablespoon of miso, and ¾ cups water.	4. Blend 1 cup soaked sunflower seeds with 2 tablespoons tahini, 1 clove of garlic, 1cup of water, and tamari to taste. 5. Mash an avocado with a teaspoon or two of tamari. Options include added chopped tomatoes, green onions, garlic, and soaked wakame seaweed. Crackers 1. Seed and veggie crackers: soak flax seed and add carrot pulp or other vegetable pulp. Options include seasoning to taste with tamari, soaked dulse, and added sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds. Dehydrate. 2. High protein crackers: soaked flax seed, almonds processed in a food processor, carrot/vegetable pulp, sunflower seeds, dulse, chili powder, tamari to taste. Options include other herbs and seasonings, and pumpkin seeds. Dehydrate. Simplified Mock Tuna: v 1 cup soaked sunflower seeds v ½ tablespoon kelp (use more for a more fishy flavor) v ¼ of a medium onion (about 3-4 tablespoons chopped). Option includes 2 green onions as a substitute. v Juice from 1 lemon v ½ cup water v tamari to taste (about 1 tablespoon) Blend all ingredients.

Book Review Harold Green	Corrections
The Sun Food Diet David Wolf Ist Edition (2^nd Edition due shortly) $24.95, plus $5.00 shipping Free product information: 1-800-205-2350 David Wolfe is helping to fill a somewhat meager niche of current live food book authors. His working hypothesis is the main is based on instincto, feelings, and intuition. David has drawn considerable material from live food pioneers to complement his own writings. Overall, a rather upscale excellent working text for transition and maintenance to a sustainable live food lifestyle. There are excellent resources and indexing sections. David does very well in the New Age concept of integrating the physical, spiritual, and philosophical approach.	In the previous issue, we inadvertently gave the wrong URL for the BuddhaMoose website. The correct website URL is www.buddhamoose.com
The BEST Juicer, is There One? John Kohler

As juicer distributors, we are often asked, "which is the best juicer”? Choosing a juicer is like a choosing an outfit to wear. If you’re going swimming, you will wear a bathing suit. If you are going to a formal occasion, you will wear a tuxedo. Choosing a juicer is much the same. You must match the juicer to the intended use. There are several kinds of juicers available on the market today. Some are better suited for juicing certain kinds of produce than others; there is no perfect juicer that will perform every juicing operation with equal quality. Evaluate your needs carefully before making a purchase. You should ask yourself, what considerations are important when making a choice. This article is based on our experience, and it is as accurate as we can make. Before purchasing a juicer, there are some factors you should take into consideration: v cleaning ease noise level juicing speed length of warranty types of produce you will be juicing One of the reasons why there is no such thing as a perfect juicer is because fruits and vegetables have vastly different properties. The juicing methods need for both are very different: fruits, have soft cell walls, and therefore require a gentle extraction method - apples, pears, watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple are some of the fruits that can be juiced peel and all. Citrus fruits, such as oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines have a bitter outer rind, and juice from a whole orange would be too bitter to drink. It also contains indigestible chemicals. One solution is to grate away the outer rind - the orange coloring on the orange. It is best to leave the white pith, as valuable nutrients are contained within the white area. The more common method is to slice the fruit in half, and then use a reamer-style juicer or a citrus press to press out the juice. Note: I always recommend people purchase organically grown produce whenever possible, especially when juicing the whole fruit. Vegetables have fibrous tough cell walls, requiring more aggressive mechanical juicing action than fruit. Due to their low acid content, it is recommended that vegetable juices be consumed within 15 minutes of their preparation because enzyme activity in juice 30-minutes old is half that of freshly made juice. When apple or carrot juice turns brown, it has oxidized. Juices that are not made fresh, or that are bottled or canned will NEVER oxidize. This is because the juice has been heated to kill all the enzymes. The enzymes are one of the key reasons why making fresh juice with your juicer can be so beneficial.

The following describes the various styles of juicers on the market today, how they work, and a brief overview of their advantages and disadvantages. Centrifugal Juicers The centrifugal juicer design has been around the longest, probably about 50 years. This juicer uses a grater or shredder disc and a strainer basket with straight sides to hold the pulp in the machine. The shredder disk is at the bottom of the basket, which revolves at a high speed (3600 rpm). The produce is put into the top of the machine, and is pressed through a chute, hits the spinning shredder disc while the produce is being shredded; juice is released. The basket spins at a high speed much like a washing machine spin cycle, and the force pushes the juice through the strainer basket, and comes out of the front of the machine. The pulp stays inside the machine. Generally this style juicer can make 1-2 quarts of juice. At this point the juicer needs to be turned off, and the pulp must be removed. Juicing can continue after this is done. This is not a continuous juicing appliance. We sell two centrifugal juicers: the Acme 6001 and the Omega 1000. These machines use stainless steel baskets and ball-bearing induction-type motors. Both of these juicers currently offer a 10-year warranty. This juicer is excellent for most fruits and vegetables. Centrifugal Ejection Juicers Made popular by the Juiceman Infomercial, this juicer operates much the same way as the centrifugal juicer operates, except that the sides of the basket are slanted. This allows the basket to be "self-cleaning", so there is no need to stop the juicer and empty it out. The pulp is ejected out of the machine, usually into a collection bin or basket that can be lined with a plastic bag to collect the pulp and then easily discarded. Due to the short contact time of the pulp in the basket, these juicers need to spin faster than the centrifugal juicer, at about 6300 rpm. This style juicer is the noisiest of all the juicers. The Lequip model 221 has a 12-year warranty. The Omega 4000 has a 10-year warranty. Other juices of this type include the Miracle Ultramatic with a 3-year warranty, and the Juiceman II with a 1-year warranty. These juicers are the most popular of the centrifugal pulp-ejection. It is small and is ease to operate, making it a good choice for older individuals or those with limited physical abilities. These machines are the easiest to clean, and are very fast. They are good for juicing most fruits and vegetables.

The Masticating Juicer The Champion Juicer, made by Plastaket, combines three operations in one. The Champion Juicer first grates, then masticates or chews the pulp to further break down the cell-wall structure, and then mechanically presses or squeezes the pulp to extract the juice. The Champion uses a powerful slow-turning motor and requires moderate strength to operate. It is definitely not a machine for a physically-limited person. It can juice almost every type of vegetable efficiently, including leafy vegetables. By blocking off the juice spout, the Champion can be used as a homogenizer to make such foods as raw applesauce, tomato sauce and baby food. It can also make peanut butter or other nut butters. It also makes wonderful ice cream-like desserts from raw frozen bananas and other fruits. General Electric manufactures the Champion’s motor, and the juicing parts are constructed of stainless steel and nylon. It has been manufactured since the 1950's. It is best for juicing most fruits and vegetables. The Hydraulic Press The hydraulic press-type juicer actually consists of two different machines sometimes combined as one unit. The Norwalk is a famous brand that combines both operations into one unit. The vegetable or fruit is grated by a revolving cutter into a linen cloth-lined tray, which is then placed into a motor-driven hydraulic press. Extremely high pressure is necessary to extract juice from vegetables - 6,000 lbs psi. The hydraulic press produces a high- quality juice from both fruit and vegetables, but it is a difficult and time-consuming machine to use and to clean. In addition, the $2000.00 price tag is quite high for the average consumer. A good substitution for the Norwalk juicer is the Champion Juicer as a grater, and the Welles press or K&K press, which is a manual hydraulic press that squeezes the juice out of the produce. The Twin Screw Press The twin screw press is the newest style juicer. These juicers have two gears that basically press out the produce juice. The screws turn at a low 90-110 rpm. It is very similar to two gears in an automobile transmission that mesh together. The produce is pushed with some force into the two gears, which first shreds and then squeezes the produce. These machines are best for juicing vegetables since these machines rely on the fibrous cell wall of the vegetable to push the pulp through the machine. As a bonus, these machines will also juice wheatgrass. Generally a separate wheatgrass juicer is required to juice wheatgrass. The quality of the juice produced with these machines can be compared to the quality of the hydraulic press. For people that want the highest quality juice, the twin gear press is the best machine. It is more efficient than the other juicers mentioned since it operates at a low rpm. It is the quietest of all the juicers, and because of the low rpms, the oxidation that occurs while juicing is minimized. The low rpms also maximize the nutritional value in the juice. If you will be juicing mostly vegetables and some fruit, and if money is not an issue, this is the juicer to purchase. This is not the best machine if you only want to juice fruit - it was designed to juice vegetables. Another bonus is that it will also juice wheatgrass juice. The Green Life, Green Power and Omega 8000 Juicer are the twin gear juicers. The Omega 8000 will NOT juice fruit. The Green Life and Green Power will juice fruits with the fruit attachment.

These machines are not for the faint or frail-hearted. Some pressure is needed to feed the produce into the machine. Machines in this category are the Green Power Juice Extractor, the Green Life Juice Extractor and the Omega 8000. These juicers truly give the best of both worlds, but there is one drawback: the price. They can be as much as two to three times the price of the Centrifugal or Mastication Juicers. While these juicers are best for juicing vegetables, the Green Power and Green Life machines have a fruit-attachment available for juicing fruits. The Green Power and Green Life are also able to homogenize as the Champion juicer, and make raw apple sauce, delicious fruit sorbets, nut butters, and baby food. Included with the Green Power is also a pasta-maker and mochi _ Japanese rice cake attachment. Note: they are available at an additional cost for the Green Life. The noise-levels of the juicers are different. A good rule of thumb: The faster a juicer turns _ the rpms or Revolutions Per Minute, the louder the machine. Based on this, the Twin Gear Machines would be the quietist, operating at ~100 rpms, followed by the Champion at ~2700 rpm, then the centrifugal machines at ~3600 rpm. The centrifugal ejection machines are the loudest at ~7200 rpm. Having juiced with the Green Power, it won’t disturb sleeping housemates. It should not be tried with any of the other juicers, as they are much louder! Recommendations: For people interested in juicing both fruits and vegetables with equal quality, the centrifugal juicers such as the Acme or Omega will work quite well. If citrus juice is also desired, both models feature an optional auger-type citrus attachment. These juicers are not wellsuited to wheatgrass or leafy vegetables. They need stalk-type vegetables or solid fruits to work properly. Replaceable filter sheets make cleaning both the Omega and Acme juicers much easier. Note: a dull shredder-cutting disk will cause erratic operation. It should be replaced at least every three years. A favorite, for fast, easy and quick juice-making is the centrifugal ejection juicers. The Omega 4000, Lequip Model 221, the Miracle Ultramatic and the Juiceman II are the easiest juicers to clean, and the best for good juice-extraction from the produce. They will juice most fruits and vegetables. People who are primarily interested in vegetable juices should seriously consider the Champion Juicer. It was specifically designed to produce the highest quality juice from vegetables. The juice it produces from vegetables is darker, more concentrated, and contains less entrapped air than juice made with a centrifugal juicer. For this reason the juice has slightly longer shelf life. The Champion juicer makes a rather pulpy fruit juice that resembles fruit sauce. For people who are interested in changing their lifestyle, and interested in the Living/Raw Food diet, I would highly recommend the Champion Juicer, Champion Commercial Juicer, or the Green Life or Green Power juicers, due to their additional features. The homogenizing feature comes in very handy for making raw/living food recipes. If you want to produce high quality wheatgrass juice, a slow-turning manual-type juicer such as the Miracle or Back-to-Basics stainless steel produces the best quality. There are many motorized varieties of wheatgrass juicers such as the Miracle and Wheateena to make it easier to juice wheatgrass. For further juicer information and video demonstrations of the juicers, please visit our web site http://www.discountjuicers.com

Making Wheatgrass Juice More Palatable Tom Billings

The consumption of wheatgrass (or barley grass) juice, in one form or another, is an important aspect of a raw/living-foods diet for many people (but not everyone - many do not consume these juices). However, wheat/barley grass juices have a very strong flavor that many people find unpleasant. Indeed, consumption of excessive amounts of these juices in fresh, liquid form has been known to induce temporary nausea in some people. The object of this article is to explore strategies that one might use to make the consumption of wheat/barley grass juices easier and more pleasant. It should be noted that some raw-fooders are "wheatgrass purists" and insist that juice is taken only in fresh form, and plain. Purists usually allow the use of rejuvelac with wheatgrass, as a "chaser". Some readers might not like the suggestions, but others might find them useful. Strategies for Freeze-Dried Juices Freeze-dried juices usually have a milder taste than fresh, and this makes them more versatile. Options include: * Taking the powder in capsule form. * Adding the powder to foods by sprinkling it on salads, or adding it to salad dressings. * Adding the powder to drinks. Unlike fresh green juice, the powder can be added to fruit juices such as apple and produce a palatable result.

Strategies for Fresh Juices 1. Dilution. Adding a small amount of wheat/barley grass juice to a larger amount of other vegetable juice, such as carrot juice, may help to cover up the unpleasant taste. Green juices, especially celery provides another alternative - wheatgrass, celery, plus a bit of lemon/lime juice, is very pleasant. 2. Complementation. Mix with another potent juice that changes the taste or makes it milder. Choices include fennel, stems of dandelion greens, and asparagus. Fennel is sweet and very nice. You can juice the green stems, which are often discarded and/or the "bulbs"; strictly speaking, the fennel “bulb" is actually a thickened stem. Dandelion greens - juice the stems only, and not the leaves - the leaves will clog most wheatgrass juicers. If you have a juicer that handles leaves well, you can juice the leaves. Asparagus is mild; you can juice the hard, woody stem bases if your juicer is sufficiently robust. If you are uncertain about your juicer, exercise caution when trying to juice hard asparagus stems: they might clog or damage your juicer. Some tasty juice combinations: wheatgrass, fennel, asparagus, and lime. Delicious! Also try wheatgrass and/or barley grass, dandelion, lime: this combination is a raw herbal bitter. Don't be afraid to experiment with combinations, to see what works for you. Enjoy your experiments! Tom Billings is site editor of Beyond Vegetarianism, an Internet website (http://www.beyondveg.com) that provides information on raw and alternative diets.

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C/o 662 29th Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94121

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Restaurant Review

Rynn Berry

Raw Energy Organic Juice Café 2050 Addison Street Berkeley, CA 94704 510-665-9465 Hours: Monday-Friday 11:00-8:00 Vicky Lee, the owner of the Raw Energy Café became a raw foodist while she was an undergraduate at Berkeley. The change in her eating habits was precipitated by a family health crisis. Her father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and was given no more than five months to live. Determined not to accept the doctor’s grim prognosis, Vicky and her family tried everything from chemotherapy, to Gerson therapy to faith-healing – to no avail. Only one treatment seemed to offer some hope: the Living Foods regimen prescribed by the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego. So her father went on the Living Foods program at OHI, and in sympathy, Vicky started eating raw foods too. As a result, her father’s life was prolonged for an additional five years. In gratitude for all that raw foods had done for her and her father, Vicky wanted to educate the public about the life-giving benefits of a raw food diet. To that end, she opened this small

Raw eatery, where she dispenses nutritional information about raw foods and some of the tastiest dishes in town, all at affordable prices. Juliano take note! I sampled her raw pizza. The crust is sprouted for five days, and dehydrated for 18 hours. It is toppped with avocado pesto and a plethora of herbs, tomatoes, and other fresh vegetables. The slice was about 3 times the size served at Organica, and the cost was $5.50. Her other dehydrated breadstuffs include 4 flavors of crackers: “Nacho”, Italian flavor, “Meat” Loaf, and Rich crust. They come 12 crackers to a pack. Her cookies and brownies taste heaven-sent. Smoothies are made with fresh fruit and fresh-squeezed juices. Vicky buys all of her produce from the organic farmers market. Before she signed the lease, Vicky’s landlord told her that six previous businesses had failed at that location. Not to be denied, Vicky consulted a Feng Shui expert, and had the place properly Fung Shuied before she moved in on September 13, 1999. To judge from the number of customers, who were lining up for her food, while I munched my new pizza, the Gods of Feng Shui are smiling on her. Rynn Berry is the author of Food for the Gods, and Vegetarians and the World’s Religions.