Shiitake logs: the hot new accessory for spring

In terms of having the latest new accessory, having your own shiitake log is right up there with the new McQueens or a foursquare app.

Shiitakes reduce the appearance of wrinkles and crows feet (say Japanese and Chinese researchers), and American botanists have reported that they decrease cholesterol, fight candida, inhibit the growth of cancer tumours, and have radioprotective properties: mice exposed to x-rays had a higher survival rate when shiitakes were part of their diet.

Plus, they’re anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal.

The beauty is that all you do is throw the log under your deck (or anywhere dark), keep it wet, and it fruits for up to 5 years if you take care if it properly. Yes, you heard us – bundles of organic top-quality shiitake mushrooms (store-bought ones are grown on just sawdust).

We got ours from the Young Urban Farmers (who we adore).

Shiitakes will be making an appearance at our Staying Young Retreat this year – for more info on this 5-day raw vegan vacation, visit http://houseofverona.com/retreats/stayingyoung/.

Before & After Photo: Reduced Wrinkles

My 54-year old mother went to get her passport renewed this week. We were so excited to see her new photos that I wanted to share it with all of you.

A little bit of back story – my mother radically changed her diet and exercise habits 4 years ago after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

This is what her life looked like 5 years ago:

• Diet: coffee, toast, cheese, basmati rice, vegetables, lamb, lots of salads, the odd dessert
• Exercise: skiing in the winter & tennis in the summer
• Stress levels: high

This is what her life looks like now:

• Diet: 50% raw, daily green juice or smoothie, no dietary sugar, whole grains, fish, salads
• Exercise: daily 30 min walk, yoga and tennis once per week, 20km bike every week in summer, 1 hour uphill hike twice per week in the summer, and skiing 2 days/week in the winter.
• Stress levels: low (she simply decided to put herself first)
• Creative outlets: paints and plays the piano frequently – something she used to love, and stopped doing when she had a family

Here is what she looked like in May 2005 at age 49:

This is what she looks like now in April 2010 at age 54:

She’s had no botox, no surgery, and no cosmetic procedures at all. The photo isn’t photoshopped. She’s not wearing makeup. And because it’s a passport photo, it’s taken with the exact same specs, per passport photo regulations.

You can also see that the “Date of Issue” is 5 years apart.

It doesn’t matter how old you are – you can reverse the aging process at any age. Remember that Dr. Ann Wigmore had reversed her gray hair through nutrition and exercise in her 60s and had her natural hair colour back in her 70s (read more about her story here).

Although we talk about reducing the outward signs of age every week, it really is your spirit that matters. Being happy and maintaining a youthful optimism bodes far better for external beauty than anything else.

Berries Prevent Sun-Induced Wrinkles

We know you.

You love the golden look of a natural tan, but hate the fact that it makes your skin wrinkle. It’s scary how you can see the aging immediately after spending an extended period in the sun, unprotected.

We posted earlier on about how tocotrienols (i.e. raw coconut oil) can help to prevent sun damage when ingested or applied topically at night.

Now, new research coming from Koren and American researchers found that myricetin, a major flavonoid found in berries, grapes, tea, red wine, fruits, vegetables, and walnuts, inhibited UVB-induced wrinkle formation in the skin of mice.

What’s really interesting is that myricetin was shown to interfere with the chemical reaction that takes place when UVB interacts with skin to form wrinkles. The flavonoid literally nips skin aging in the bud:

There’s also evidence that myricetin is one of the flavonoids which helps to fight cancer cells.

These foods all have a high source of myricetin:

• onion leaves
• papayas
• guavas
• raspberries
• cranberries
• black currants
• crowberries
• blueberries
• bilberries
• fresh fava beans

Ingrid’s got a great recipe for a berry tartlet here. Enjoy!

By the way – our Hot Yoga Retreat in April is filling up quickly. Grab one of the last spots before prices go up April 1st!

Sources:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf9811065

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11410016

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf00024a011

How “Glycation” Causes Wrinkles

A large reason why we obtain wrinkles is as a result of glycation, a side-effect of cooking food, says Dr Laurence Anderson of the Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australia.

Glycation is the result of a sugar molecule bonding to a protein or lipid molecule without the controlling action of an enzyme.

Dr. Gabriel Cousens MD also reports that glycation is a hazardous thing for our bodies: it gets in the way of our vital organs functioning, damages internal tissues, and impairs proteins from doing their job inside our bodies.

Most people are unaware that we ingest tens of thousands of glycated molecules through all food that has been processed.

The more pure, whole, unadulterated food you can eat, the more you can prevent A.G.E.s from creating new wrinkles in your skin:

• Raw fruits & vegetables: negligible amounts of A.G.E.s
• Steamed veggies: 10 to 100 A.G.E.s
• Any food that comes in a box or package: 1000s of A.G.E.s
• Dairy or meat: 10,000s of A.G.E.s
• Traditional thanksgiving dinner: 100,000s of A.G.E.s(Source)

The Journal of the American Diabetic Association advises that it’s better to eat things raw, steamed, boiled or lightly roasted – once it’s going past 100°F through broiling and frying, the A.G.Es quickly pile up.

We’re hosting a live-food detox retreat with Marni Wasserman, CNP, on the weekend of May 14 to 16, 2010 – all foods will have virtually no A.G.E.s, and the exercise and spa treatments we chose actually help to naturally create new collagen in the skin. Learn more here.

10 Health Myths Debunked

There’s so much confusion in the health sphere. Here’s our take on some of the biggest misconceptions out there.

1.    Myth: Just wash & moisturize, and your skin will look great

There is a direct connection between the health of your skin and what you put in your mouth. The more strain is put on the large processing units of the liver & kidneys through an unhealthy lifestyle, the more it shows up on your skin, since it’s also an organ used to eliminate unnecessary waste.

Sugar, alcohol, fat, junk food, and dairy all contribute to poor live health and poor skin. Eating a healthy diet to relieve the burden off the liver would help.

• Eat a whole foods diet high in greens, vegetables and low-sweet fruit
• Cut out sugar – even agave, honey, maple syrup, and high sweet fruit
• Drink plenty of clean water and eliminate caffeine
• Take a probiotic daily for 1 month
• Eat liver-supporting foods: dandelion, rosemary, nettle & milk thistle

Your skin might get worse before it gets better, but that’s just your body using all elimination channels to kick the toxins out of your body. It may sometimes take up to a year, but once your diet is clean, your skin will follow.

2. Myth: If I just restrict my calories, I’ll lose weight

Although it’s important to manage calories, it’s much more essential to watch your sugar intake. An excess of glucose (sugar, which comes from bread, rice, pasta, honey, maple syrup, and high-sweet fruit) is one major cause of fat storage, so minimizing glucose will significantly help your weight-loss battle.

It’s also extremely important to engage in weight training and engage in long periods of moderate cardio, as they are the most effective exercises to burn fat.

There is a growing tribe of people who believe that old emotions are stored in cells, and dealing with those unresolved memories can help to shed weight. There are numerous examples (Brendan Bays, Philip McCluskey), but Deepak Chopra is the authority on this topic.

3. Myth: Alcohol is good for you

“Binge drinking alcohol is like sending a halt-all-processes memo to your liver,” advises Mogelonsky.

Your body recognizes excess alcohol as a result of binge drinking as a poison, so the brain signals the liver to stop processing any food and only focus on dealing with the alcohol, since it’s such a threat. As a result, the liver prioritizes processing alcohol first, which would lead to a higher likelihood that more food recently eaten will be stored as fat.

Alcohol is also high in sugar, and consumption leads to accelerated aging, sugar cravings, and weight gain.

Finally, alcohol is highly acidic; the body leeches minerals in order to neutralize it the acid and maintain a slightly alkaline state.

Although many studies have praised alcohol for its anti-oxidant and cholesterol-reducing benefits, eating fruits and vegetables can provide the same or superior result.

4. Myth: Wrinkles and gray hair are permanent.

There are always strong genetic factors associated with aging, however, it is possible to prevent and mitigate some signs of age.

In the raw foodist community, it’s common to meet folks who have “before” photos that look older than their “after” shots. View these articles on wrinkles and gray hair to learn more.

5. Myth: All fruit is good for you

Yes, fruit has amazing nutrients that are highly beneficial. Just don’t binge on high-sweet non-organic fruit, such as bananas, dates, and mangoes.

An overabundance of sugary fruits without a balance of low-sweet fruit and greens can lead to a weaker immune system, since the body uses its mineral stores to neutralize high-sugar, low-nutrient (i.e., non organic) foods.

Lower-sweet fruits include:

•    tomatoes
•    avocadoes
•    cucumbers
•    green peppers
•    lemons & limes
•    apples
•    berries

The high sugar content also fuels sugar addictions and lends to a weaker immune system, according to Dr Brian Clement PhD ND.

6. Myth: There is no cure for diabetes

If you still believe that diabetes, cancer, and other life-threatening diseases are a permanent death wish, I urge you to watch this trailer on a documentary that shows proof that the opposite is true.

7. Myth: There is no cure for depression except for meds

We conducted a poll in April 2009 of 100 raw vegans, and found that 35% of those people had reported “elimination of depression” as a benefit of “going raw.”

Further, 70% of respondents reported an “improved outlook on life” as a result of switching their diets.

For years, Gina Silvestri was chronically depressed, suicidal, and taking 6 medications. When she ‘went raw’, she lost 110 lbs, and her depression lifted – she is now happily self employed and helps others overcome their depression.

8. Myth: You should take a multivitamin every day

A few studies have come out recently to suggest that multivitamins have little to no effect over the long run. In fact, one long-term study found that they can actually be harmful when too many supplements are taken. It’s much healthier to just get the vitamins from your food – so eat an orange instead of popping a vitamin C.

9. Myth: Milk does a body good

Dr T Colin Campbell PhD grew up on a dairy farm, believing that milk was essential. He spent his career studying the link between nutrition and cancer. At the peak of his career, he wrote The China Study, which the New York Times called the “grand prix of epidemiology research.” He found that casein, the main protein found in milk, “turns cancer on like a switch.” Abstaining from drinking milk, and consuming any form of animal protein, halted the growth of tumours in their tracks.

10. Myth: We need animal protein because we’re omnivores

Our bodies break down protein into amino acids, and then re-assemble those amino acids into the proteins that our bodies need. There are thousands of different proteins that our body uses, not 1 universal ‘protein’ that aids all bodily functions.

It’s actually more energy efficient to consume the straight amino acids and have our body assemble them into the proteins we need.

Amino acids are highly abundant in raw fruits, vegetables, greens, and seeds. Once they are heated above 110F, they are denatured, and harder for the body to utilize. The irony is that those who consume much animal protein and not enough raw produce become deficient in amino acids.

Fight Wrinkles with Chocolate

A Japanese study published in the Journal of Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine found that the topical application of xanthine extracts onto skin suppressed wrinkle formation in hairless mice, after exposure to UV rays.

Xanthine is a chemical compound found in the following food sources:

• Cacao beans
• Tea leaves
• Coffee beans
• Yerba maté

We recommend 3 ways that you can mimic this effect with your own skin:

1. Cacao mask

Throw the following items into your blender, grinder, or food processor:

• Raw cacao beans
• Raw coffee beans, if you can find them (green, not brown).
• Whole leaf black tea
• Raw yerba maté powder
• Drop of vanilla to scent

In a mixing bowl, mix the resulting powder with 1 spoon of a natural emulsifier. Here are some options, depending on what you have in your pantry:

• Cold-pressed coconut oil or coconut butter
• Raw honey
• Raw shea butter
• Any natural lotion you own – the more natural, the better, as unnatural lotions actually contribute to wrinkles.

Apply onto areas of your skin that you’d like to protect from wrinkles. Leave on for 20 minutes and rinse. Ideally, you’d do this immediately before sun exposure.

2. Cacao bath bomb

In a blender, grinder, or food processor, add the following items:

• Raw cacao beans
• Raw coffee beans, if you can find them (green, not brown).
• Whole leaf black tea
• Raw yerba maté powder
• Drop of vanilla to scent

Add this mixture to your next bath and soak for 15 minutes. Rinse off with a cool shower.

3. Anti-wrinkle cocktail

In a blender, add the following items:

• Raw cacao beans – the taste is over-powering, so start off with 1 bean and add more as needed.
• Spring water
• Organic spinach
• Organic apples
• Drop of stevia
• Drop of vanilla

Be careful not to add other natural sweeteners to this cocktail, as sugar – any sugar, even in the form of honey, agave, or maple syrup – will definitely contribute to wrinkles.

Source:

Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine. 23(2-3):86-94, April/June 2007.
Mitani, Hiroaki; Ryu, Akemi; Suzuki, Tadashi; Yamashita, Mika; Arakane, Kumi; Koide, Chiharu

Living to 1,000 years

A brilliant researcher from Cambridge University named Aubrey de Grey shocked the crowd at the TED conference in California when he proposed that it is possible and within reach for humans to live until 1,000 years old.

He narrows down bodily damage, and thus aging, to “7 deadly things”:

1.    cell death / atrophy
2.    death-resistant cells
3.    nuclear mutations
4.    mtDNA (mitochondrial) mutations
5.    protein crosslinks
6.    junk inside cells
7.    junk outside cells

He purports that all of these things can be easily managed by therapies that are within are grasp within the next decade.

They’ve already been able to slow and reverse the 7 things in mice, and although a zoologist would avoid gratuitously extrapolating findings to humans, de Grey argues that it’s a promising start.

As a raw vegan watching his presentation, I saw absolute beauty in this talk, simply because our community already understands that many of the 7 things are mitigated through a raw food lifestyle.

• We’re less likely to have protein crosslinks (#5) because we consume few A.G.E.s (advanced glycated end-products), which are cross-linked proteins with sugars as a result of cooking. A.G.E.s are responsible for tissue damage, wrinkles, age spots, and much more. To give you an idea, a raw orange has 1 A.G.E., while a sausage cooked for 5 minutes has 10,000 A.G.E.s.
• Also, we’ll experience less mutations in our cells because we do not consume items that cause mutations, such as foods that have been microwaved, or MSG, which is a natural by-product of cooked soy (Source: Dr Gabriel Cousens MD).

Exercise Increases Collagen; Ibuprofen Inhibits This Effect

Several new studies examining long-distance runners’ habits of popping non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs, which include ibuprofen) are finding that the practice is preventing the growth of new collagen, and thus inhibiting their ability to rebuild new tissue.

Professor Stuart Warden, Director of Physical Therapy Research at Indiana University, informed the New York Times last week that “the stresses of exercise activate a particular molecular pathway that increases collagen,” which leads to stronger connective tissues in the dermis, and thus, fewer wrinkles and younger-looking skin.

However, taking ibuprofen reduces the positive effects of exercise on collagen.

“NSAIDs work by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins, substances that are involved in pain and also in the creation of collagen,” Warden says. “Collagen is the building block of most tissues. So fewer prostaglandins mean less collagen, which inhibits the healing of tissue and bone injuries.”

The studies were meant to scrutinize the common practice of marathon runners taking ibuprofen in order to reduce muscle soreness and pain after a run, and found that in fact, it can actually increase soreness and pain.

Professor Warden advises that the only time anti-inflammatory painkillers are justified is “when you have inflammation and pain from an acute injury. But to take them before every workout or match is a mistake.”

Photo by Marc Philbert.

Wrinkle-Fighting Recipe: Almond-Fennel Soup

This recipe comes to us from Chef Omid Jaffari, a renowned raw food chef based out of Japan and Australia. He features other outstanding recipes on his blog: Shiitake.

Yields 2 servings.

Ingredients

Soup

• 1 cup blanched almonds
• 2 cups of pure water
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• ½ cup fennel, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 4 leaves basil
• A dash of TTS Nama Shoyu

Garnish

• Edible flowers
• 1 stalk spring onion, thinly sliced

Method

Soup

• Soak the almonds in 2 cups of pure water overnight or for 4-5 hours.
• Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Transfer it to a bowl, cover and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to slightly chill and mature.

Garnish

Thinly slice the spring onion, cover with cold water and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

Mounting Your Work

Pour the chilled almond-fennel soup into two soup glasses/bowls and garnish with sliced spring onion and edible flowers.

How will it help wrinkles?

This soup is an excellent source of vitamin E, a natural antioxidant that scavenges the free radicals that oxidize fats, preserves the integrity of cell membranes, and protects the body against connective tissue damage, which leads to wrinkles.

It’s also a good source of dietary fiber, which is important in expelling toxins from your body that would contribute to deterioration in the skin’s connective tissues.

Other Health Benefits

• Very good source of vitamin B2 and moderate source of other B-complex vitamins, which are necessary to maintain normal metabolic activities.
• Very good source of magnesium, which helps in relieving fatigue, relaxing the muscles, nerves and blood vessels, thus relieving the symptoms of asthma, migraine headaches, tension and soreness in muscles etc.
• Very good source of copper and manganese.  They function as cofactors in various metabolic reactions and enhance the activity of enzymes involved in the detoxification process.

Nutritional Information per Serving (% Daily Value)

Calories: 20% (411 Cal); Total Fats: 54%; Saturated Fats: 13%; Carbohydrates: 6%; Proteins: 31%; Fibre: 41%; Magnesium: 50%; Phosphorus: 36%; Copper: 36%; Manganese: 85%; Vitamin E: 93%; Vitamin B2: 42%.

Chef Omid Jaffari is stopping in Toronto from September 16th to 19th, 2009, during his North American Al-Fresco Tour (including Los Angeles, New York, and Montreal). He will be holding a gourmet raw food cooking class for foodies and those interested in advanced nutritional science. Email us or call 1.800.252.2826 if you’re interested in learning more about this class.

This nutrient rebuilds collagen

If you’re like me, you’re spending every spare moment outside soaking up the rare Canadian sunshine.

The dilemma is that I want gorgeous, tanned skin, but I have to grapple with the fact that the sun contributes to premature wrinkles and breaks down collagen in our skin’s cellular matrix.

Although this happens, our bodies do regenerate new collagen. Lifestyle choices dictate how much collagen is made and how much is destroyed.

Vitamin C is vital to the production of new collagen. You can help your body rebuild what was destroyed over the weekend by consuming the vitamin in the form of whole, raw foods.

How vitamin C helps produce collagen

When the body produces collagen, a complex series of events takes place both inside and outside of cells.
Dr Jerry Gordon, a national dean’s list scholar in undergraduate biology at Rutgers, explains that Vitamin C is active inside of cells, where it hydroxylates, or adds hydrogen and oxygen to lysine and proline, which are amino acids.

“This helps form procollagen, a precursor molecule, which is then made into collagen outside of the cell. Without vitamin C, collagen formation is disrupted.”

Dr Gordon also cautions that “vitamin C is easily damaged during the food preparation stage, such as during chopping, exposure to air, cooking, boiling, and being submerged in water.”

To maximize your intake of vitamin C, always try to eat whole, raw foods as much as possible.

You can’t eat too much vitamin C – if it’s from whole foods

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin C is 60 to 90 milligrams per day, depending on age and gender. The average person consumes 72 mg (about 1 orange), but there’s nothing wrong with getting more.

It’s only possible to get vitamin C toxicity from consuming too much of the vitamin through supplements or fortified foods. Through whole food sources, it’s not possible to obtain toxicity because our bodies are able to cope by storing unused vitamins.

Disclaimer

This is not a license to go outside and bake, unprotected. Getting vitamin D is healthy, but either go inside or cover up when you feel yourself starting to burn.

Sources:

• Dr Jerry Gordon
• Nutritiondata.com
• Sizer, F. Whitney, E. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. 10th edition. Thomson Wadsworth Publishing. Belmont, California. ISBN 0534645062.

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