Day 131

Thoughts: Are You Constipated?

Many people don’t even know they’re constipated. Having bowel movements several times per week or even once a day doesn’t necessarily mean your colon is healthy. Do you ever have bowel movements that are difficult to pass or do you often have to strain to go? When your colon is compacted, there can be very little room for waste to pass. When your colon is cleaner from an effective bowel cleanse, however, bowel movements can be almost effortless.

People who have experienced bowel cleansing are often startled at the amount of waste they can flush out. Some people pass mucous and mucoid plaque as well, and others have even been astonished to find “unidentifiable objects” in the toilet bowel. Let’s just say, you can get rid of some unwanted guests that may inhabit your digestive tract if you eliminate the waste in which they reside.

Many people completing a bowel cleanse report losing weight and a flatter abdomen for the first time in years due to getting rid of several pounds worth of waste. Regular bowel movements, cleaner feeling skin, brighter appearing eyes, reduced aches and pains, and better tolerance to foods can be experienced from taking better care of your body.

Dr. Mauro's 30-Second Test to Find Out if Your Colon is Becoming a Cesspool of Toxins...

Number of Bowel Movements - The Severity of Your Constipation
-4 or more times a day Your stools are too loose, you may be suffering from diarrhea. You should see a health care professional, such as a Naturopathic Doctor, to help correct this situation. This site and most of the information it contains is NOT for you.
-3 times a day It doesn’t sound like you are suffering from constipation, unless your stools are very hard and painful to pass.
-1-2 times a day You're doing well, but three times a day would be optimal — especially if you are straining on the toilet. Three times per day ensures that nothing is staying in you any longer than it should. I recommend you try Dr. Mauro's free email series to help get you up to 3 times a day.
-Every other day This won't do. Waste needs to pass within 24 hours. Food is coming in quicker than it is departing — bloating and gas are the result. Since your condition isn't extreme, taking the free email series and applying the strategies from 27 Constipation Relief Strategies for Women should be all you need to clear things up for you, fast.
-1-3 times a week You urgently need to get your bowels more regular, ASAP. Food waste is literally rotting inside your gut and turning into a stagnant cesspool of toxins that may not only be damaging your colon but backing up into every cell in your body. I strongly encourage you to take the free email series and start applying the strategies from Dr. Mauro's collection of 27 Constipation Relief Strategies for Women immediately.
-3 times or less per month You are suffering from severe constipation. This can lead to many other serious diseases including colon cancer. Your immediate symptoms of discomfort are only warning signs. Not only should you immediately sign up for the free email series and download a copy of 27 Constipation Relief Strategies for Women... I'd also strongly encourage you to setup an appointment with a local Naturopathic Doctor.

http://www.colon-cleanse-constipation.com/bowel-cleanse.html
http://www.constipationreliefforwomen.com/index.html?gclid=CMjd1pnHpaACFRsbswodP2EEaA

Challenges: If I eat too many nuts my poops are a little harder to push out! hehe! I do like it when they come out simple and smooth ;)

Triumphs: I poop at least 2 times a day :)

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: An apple. Green grapes. An organge.

Lunch: Raw brocoli. Cooked beans from the roadside diner in Alabama ;) Alfalfa sprouts.

Dinner: Avocado with mixed sprouts and walnuts.

Dessert: Chocolate balls with avocado.

Snacks: An apple. Chocolate balls.

Exercise: Running up and down the hill in the woods for shooting the film "The Man In The Maze". It was fun physical activity! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Man-in-the-Maze-Movie/275214654765?ref=ts

PHOTO OF CAST AND CREW FILMING THE MAN IN THE MAZE

234 days to go!

Day 130

Thoughts: Bowel cleanse.

My naturopath said to me once "There is no point eating healthy food if you have an unclean bowel". I was like say whaaaa??? Imagine a bike tyre (your bowels) and stuck to the wall of th tyre is black sludge. When you put food down the pipe, absolutely no nutrients are being absorbed by the bowel wall. So even if you are eating gorgeous fruits and vegetables the black sludge is preventing your body from actually absorbing the goodness. The good news is you can get rid of the black sludge. And yes unless you have had a bowel cleanse, or a colonic (a pipe in your bottom that pumps in water to flush your bowels), or you eat majority raw foods, you can asume you have that black sludge on your bowel walls...and check it out, the Egyptians performed colonics hundreds of years ago in the rivers using bamboo sticks (ouch) for a regular flush. I found some great articles on bowel cleansing...

Many people are discovering great physiological benefits can be derived from completing a thorough bowel cleanse, both in terms of physical and psychological health. Learning about methods for improving your health can give you a sense of empowerment.

Other people live blindly – eating all sorts of harmful foods without a second thought of the consequences. People might know certain foods are bad for them, but might not truly understand the enormity of the intended meaning. For example, a statement such as “bad for you” means to most people you shouldn’t eat this if you’re trying to lose weight or shouldn’t drink that because you have to work the next day. In all serious, if something is bad for you… it’s BAD for you and you shouldn’t eat it ever!

Many people, especially in Western civilization, suffer from a vast array of digestive diseases. A high fat, low fiber diet can leave you chronically constipated, perpetually bloated, and feeling like you can barely make it through the day. Many people don’t know what it’s like to live feeling fresh and healthy because they’re weighed down physically and mentally by the bad foods they eat. At this point, a bowel cleanse is probably wise.

Sadly, the more junk people eat, the more they crave. This deadly cycle of overeating and obesity with severe health consequences is spiraling out of control. These individuals seem to believe eating healthy would mean being “deprived” of taste or quality. A great many people ridicule health-minded individuals, referring to them as “skeletons”, “rabbits” (for eating lettuce and veggies), and “health-nuts”.

There is a growing backlash (encouraged by the junk and fast food industries) against being thin and healthy. People whom don’t have or want the motivation to discipline their diet often refer to models as having unattainable figures or not being healthy because they “don’t have any meat on their bones”. These people are so wrong.

Since when is it weird to take care of your body instead of abusing it? Does it sound more logical to not perform a regular bowel cleanse than to let your colon become all clogged up? Let me tell you something — you were not born with the body you have right now. Whether you are pleased with your appearance or not, you created the body you live in through your actions and choices.

Side effects of an unclean bowel can include:
Constipation
Bloating
Headaches
Stomachaches
Backaches
Skin Blemishes
General Listlessness
Foul Breath or Body Odor

When your intestines becomes dirty, it can lead to illness and negative health conditions throughout your entire body. Your digestive system also houses the majority of your immune system. Cleaning the garbage out of your digestive system can have a huge impact on how you feel, how you look, and how often you become ill.

How do you bowel cleanse?
I'm not going to suggest anything to you. Do your research. and then cleanse your bowel. Your bowels deserve it! And so do you! (hint: I get colonics) ;)

http://www.colon-cleanse-constipation.com/bowel-cleanse.html

Challenges: I would love a colonic right now...I'm not sure they have them here in Florence Alabama since they have just one small organic shop. I can feel when my body and bowels get full and toxic... gotta love a nice flush! hehe

Triumphs: I thought pooping once a day was a good and normal bowel movement...since doing bowel cleanses I poop regulary and I love it!

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: A ginger tea. A green apple. An orange.

Lunch: Cooked brown beans mmm mmm perfect for a chilly day in the Alabama woods ;) with avocado and spinach and lettuce salad.

Dinnner: an orange. grapes. Indian food, rice and dahl (lentils).

Dessert: No dessert.

Snacks: Chocolate balls with walnuts.

Exercise: A plyometrics workout! Ever done it? My first time today! I loved it! Google it ;) I had so much fun running and jumping around the town! (Florence, Alabama) Hehe :)

235 days to go!!!

Day 129

Thoughts: We all bleed the same colour.

What one person can do, anyone can do. What's within one of us, is within all of us. We bleed the same colour. There is no reason to think I can do this Earth Diet and you can't.

I get emails from people saying things like 'It would be awesome to do the Earth Diet but I can't because it's too hard'. Some people think being healthy equals suffering. If you want to challenge yourself, or feel an abundance of health, inner peace, joy, vitality, energy, love for yourself, connection, then take on the Earth Diet. Create a plan to what suits you, and also make it challenging. Even if you commit to one day a week eating only foods naturally provided by the earth. Challenge you. I guarantee you will experience aliveness :)

A quote by Gandhi "Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more
effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment."

Challenges: Dis-empowering thoughts.

Triumphs: Knowing that I am not the disempowering thought.

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Apple. Ginger tea. Orange.

Lunch: Cooked brown beans (not exactly sure what they were, but they were brown and grounding and warm mmm mmm) Chocolate balls with brazil nuts and walnuts.

Dinnner: Indian Dahl (lentils) and white rice.

Dessert: no dessert.

Snacks: A kiwi fruit. Half an orange.

Exercise: Working on set makin the movie "The Man In The Maze" www.themaninthemaze.net

236 days to go!!!

Day 128

Thoughts: Earth Diet reader Nick Dale suggested I do some research on food dehydration!!! Wooo wooo :)

Dehydration of food is one of the oldest methods of preserving food for later use. It can either be an alternative to canning and freezing or a compliment to these methods. With modern food dehydrators, drying food is simple, safe and easy to learn. Dried food is great in traditional cooking recipes and can save you a lot of time in the kitchen during meal preparation time. Dried foods are also ideal for camping and backpacking as they take up little weight or space and do not require refrigeration. Kids really love fruit leathers too, which make a healthy nutritious snack food. It sounds like a good idea for somewhere like where I am now, in Florence, Alabama USA (filming The Man In The Maze). It is cold weather so there aren't as many fruits and vegetables in season and the supermarkets are importing fruits and vegetables. So if they dried fruits in the summer, they could still eat them in the winter.

Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of microorganisms and hinders quality decay. Drying food using sun and wind to prevent spoilage has been practised since ancient times. Water is usually removed by evaporation (air drying, sun drying, smoking or wind drying) but, in the case of freeze-drying, food is first frozen and then the water is removed by sublimation. Bacteria yeasts and moulds need the water in the food to grow. Drying effectively prevents them from surviving in the food. There is, however, a loss of vitamin A and C in dried foods due to heat and air. It usually takes vegetables 6-16 hours to dry, and fruit 12-48 hours. One can dry fruit and vegetables, and make jerky and fruit leather.

You can dry: (for a full list visit the link below)
-seeds
-herbs
-fruits (you can make banana chips)
-meats (jerky)
-seeds
-popcorn
-vegetables

How do I dry?
-Choose Which Drying Method is Right For You
Sun Drying This is rather difficult because you need three to four sunny days of at least 100 degrees in a row.

Oven Drying Oven drying is an acceptable method of drying food, but it isn't very energy efficient, and foods aren't very flavorful in the end. If your oven cannot obtain temperatures below 200 degrees farenheit, use another method for food dehydration. You will need to prop open the oven door to maintain air circulation during the drying process.

Electric Dehydrating This is the best method of dehydrating food. An electric dehydrator is energy efficient and can be operated at low temperatures needed to maintain nutritive values in the food. Your electric food dehydrator should have some sort of heat control and a fan to maintain air circulation during the drying process.

What are other uses of a food dehydrator?
Besides being used during peak season to preserve food, a food dehydrator can be used for proofing breads, making yogurt or cheese, drying seeds, curing nuts, de-crystallizing honey and drying crafts.



For a whole list of fruits and vegetables that you can dry and how to do it for each individual item go to http://www.canningpantry.com/dehydration-of-food.html

For a recipe to make a fruit leather see below. (mmm mmm yummy snack!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drying_(food)
http://www.canningpantry.com/dehydration-of-food.html
http://farmgal.tripod.com/Dehydrate.html

Challenges: No challenges today on the Earth Diet :)

Triumphs: Sophia a beautiful princess working on "The Man In The Maze" and she came back from set today and told me that she ate a salad today instead of her usual lunch. She said it's only a little change, and I said A LITTLE CHANGE IT A BIG CHANGE!!! Love it :) Good on you girlfriend! ;)

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Orange. 1 avocado.

Lunch: Indian, rice with spices, tumeric, onion, potato, corriander. 1 avocado.

Dinnner: A salad with green lettuce leaves, spinach, avocado, alfalfa sprouts and a squeeze of lemon.

Dessert: chocolate balls with brazil nuts and walnuts.

Snacks: 2 apples.

Recipe: Fruit Leather is easy to make if you have a blender of food processor. The fruit leather is like a "fruit roll-up" and is made out of pureed fruit. Applesauce works great for fruit leather since it is already in puree form. Overripe fruits can also be used since these are easily pureed. For an added flare, you can add coconut,raisins,poppy seeds,seasame seeds, or sunflower seeds to the fruit leather. If you add any type of garnish to your fruit leather however, you will have to store them in the freezer or refrigerator. Otherwise, you can store fruit leather in an airtight container. Just roll up the fruit leather into a roll after it has dried, wrap in plastic, and store them altogether in an appropriate container.

To make fruit leather, puree your fruit. Apples, pears, peaches, and nectarines should be cooked before pureeing. Pour the fruit puree about 1/4-inch deep on special fruit leather drying sheets, or drying trays that have been lined with plastic wrap. Since the center does not dry as quickly as the edges, Only pour the puree 1/8-inch deep towards the center.Dry at 135 degrees Fahrenheit until pliable and leathery. The center should also be dry and have no wet or sticky spots.



Exercise: 50 minute spin class and 20 minutes working on abs and then in the steam room to sweat it out and stretch it out :) Yes I have a day off filming today and am loving warming my core at the gym ;)

237 days to go!!!

Day 127

Thoughts: WHERE IS THE EAGLE - GONE

I read this in a small diner in Alabama. Chief Seattle wrote this to President Franklin Pierce in 1855. As I re-wrote this just then for this blog, for you guys, I was moved and touched, and water came out of my eyes, it's called crying hehe, as I realized how insane us human beings are. And it's not good or bad or wrong or right, it is what it is, we have created the earth as it is, and we can re-create it however we want it. How do we want it?

The Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. How can you buy or sell the sky- the warmth of the land. The idea is strange to us. Yet we do not own the freshness of the air, or the sparkle of the water. How can you buy them from us. Every part of this earth is sacred to my people.

We know that white man does not understand our ways. One portion of the land is the same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the night and takes from the land whatever he needs. The earth is not his brother but his enemy, and when he has conquered it he moves on. He leaves his fathers graves, and his children's birthright is forgotten.

There is no quiet place in the white man's cities. No place to hear the leaves of spring or the rustle of insect wings. But perhaps because I am savage and do not understand the clatter, it only seems to insult the ears. And what is there to life if a man cannot hear the lovely cry of the whirppoorwill or the arguments of the frog around the pond at night.

The whites too, shall pass - perhaps sooner than the other tribes. Continue to contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste. When the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses are tamed, the secret corners of the forest heavy with the scent of many men, and the view of the ripe hills blotted by talking wires. Where is the thicket - gone - where is the eagle - gone - and what is it to say goodbye to the swift and the hunt.

THE END OF LIVING and THE BEGINNING OF SURVIVAL.

Chief Seattle
To President Franklin Pierce - 1855

Challenges: An insane species. The Earth provides us with everything we need as a species to survive. And we are destroying our planet. It is dying. Harsh, but true? We are provided with the freshest fruits and vegetables and yet we still create factories to produce cardboard foods that provide us with NO nutritional value what so ever. The majority of human beings are sick, un-present, depressed, and surviving. Merely exisiting.



Triumphs: Knowing that we can make a difference. We created this and can re create anything. Being able to make a difference. Being cause in the matter. Creating transformation.

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Green apple. Avocado.

Lunch: Grilled salmon. Walnuts. Brazil Nuts. Raw chocolate balls with coconut and goji berries.

Dinnner: 2 Avocados with walnuts. Brazil nuts. 3 orangies

Dessert: Chocolate balls.

Snacks: 4 nectarines.

Exercise: 1 hour pump class. 20 minutes in the cinema room running at Gold's gym in Florence, Alabama. The steam room mmm mmm! Oh guess what it was snowing this morning! I woke up and it was Christmas outside...snow flakes! So special!

238 days to go!!!

Day 126

Today I chatted with the beautiful being named Stephanie Long Lomenick who does acting and is starring in "The Man In The Maze". Stephanie is taking on the Earth Diet, by making her food from scratch and not buying food already in packages.

Thoughts: The Earth Diet really is your own creation. For me it is a lifestyle to only eat foods naturaly provided from the earth. For Stephanie she is swapping purchased packaged food to making food herself from scratch. So instead of buying cakes, corn breakds, cookies and chocolate, she is taking on making it herself!

Check out our video interview today while we were on set...we had to be quiet because they were shooting lead actor Andrew Roth's scene but we still managed to get a chat in about the Earth Diet!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6ugMOIX3AQ

What would your ideal day of eating look like?
I would eat ice cream all day. El fudge cookies, a Big Mac for lunch, pizza, and mexican foods.

What did you eat yesterday?
Breakfast I had a pop tart and powdered donuts, for lunch I had a bacon, tomato and lettuce sandwhich. A side salad with italian dressing. For dinner I had mexican, taco salad with chicken lettuce, sour cream and cheese. For dessert I had 2 girl scout cookies. (If Stephanie was eating only foods provided from the earth, the foods she would cut from this day would be the packaged processed foods for breakfast, the bread for her sandwhich, the italian dressing, the sour cream and cheese and the girl scout cookies. It is possible to make your own cookies and breads from scratch without chemicals and additives.)

What are your favourite foods?
Desserts! Chocolates, sweets, cakes, ice creams.

What do you think are the consequences on your for eating these types of processed foods?
I feel sluggish, I eat too much, I get allergic reactions, spots on my face and I swell up. Half the time I feel healthy, half the time I feel terrible.

How many times do you poo a day?
At least once.

What challenges will you have on the Earth Diet?
Availability of fresh organic foods here in Florence, Alabama. Me being consistent. I don't like limitations, if I know I can't have something I want it more. Cooking for my husband. I always compare myself with other people. Sabatoging myself.

Why do you want to do the Earth Diet?
To feel better, to feel alive, so I'm no just surviving I'm actually living, to be present, better skin, body and mind.

What are you going to do now?
I'm going to make my food from scratch, chocolate from scratch, no reheating in the microwave, I will make cornbread from scratch, I will buy dried beans and cook them instead of canned beans.

"People think that healthy equals suffering".

Challenges: No food related challenge today...filming in the frezing Alabama woods in a singlet was ahhh challenging and also a good opportunity to connect with the Earth when I was laying on the ground in the scene :)

Triumphs: Wooo I am so excited and inspired by Stephanie for taking on the Earth Diet and love the commitment she has to herself, her health and body :)

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: 2 nectarines. A pear. A kiwi fruit.

Lunch: Cooked white beans. Salad with lettuce and cucumber and carrot. An orange. A kiwi fruit. A apple.

Dinnner: Indian...back beans with chilli and Indian spices and rice with tomato and spice :)

Dessert: No dessert.

Snacks: 2 avocados. A nectarine. Chocolate balls (2 times!!!)

Exercise: Filming "The Man In The Maze" out in the cold Alabama woods...keping my body warm feels like a workout!! hehe

239 days to go!!!

Day 125

Actor Erik A. Williams starts the Earth Diet tomorrow! He is ready for the challenge and to give up his life long diet of frozen and deep fried foods!

Thoughts: Actor Erik A.Williams is starring in "The Man In The Maze" and today on our way back from set he declared that he wanted to start the Earth Diet tomorrow which will be March 1st! Wow! I was so excited! To hear a human being making a stand for their life, and their health and wellbeing makes me glitter with joy! So I want to acknowledge you Erik for taking this courageous step into a new way of being...and get ready for an abundance of health...and the challenge of eating foods naturally provided to us from the Earth :) Good on you Erik! You are an inspiration :)

So I chatted with Erik about starting the Earth Diet...To watch our video interview go to.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxF_eASTbfU

What would you eat in your "ideal day?"
For breakfast I would eat blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and bacon. Pizza for lunch. Steak for dinner. Chocolate ice cream for dessert.

What did you eat today?
No breakfast. For lunch I ate chicken strips (frozen then deep fried) and french fries (fried) and a milky way (chocolate bar).

What foods have been regular in your diet?
I eat pasta, pizza, pork chops, chicken liver, fish squares, food that is frozen deep fried and quick, milk, cheese, chips, cakes, chocolates, candy and bread. When I work on a film set I eat fast foods. I have been eating like this my whole life.

What are your favourite foods?
Fried chicken and pizza.

What about fruit?
I've had one piece of fruit in the last week (a banana). If I eat more fruits my skin usually breaks out (the fruit would be detoxing all the crap out of his system). I have never had an avocado. I have had kiwi fruit probably 3 times in my life.

What about vegetables?
It's been a week since I ate vegetables.

Why do you want to do the Earth Diet?
I want to experience happiness, peace, feeling alive, vibrant, being energetic and being a powerful human being! To be honest I am scared to death about doing this Earth Diet, but I am not one to miss opportunities.

We are going to implement fruit into Eriks diet and he enjoys strawberries, pineapple, watermelon and kiwi fruit. Erik will be eating a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and salads to fill his body with nutrients and vitamins. His body has been starving of this for years. Even if you just change one thing a day, eat one extra piece of fruit, or a raw vegetable, into your diet you will notice a difference! We will do regular blogs so you can follow his transformation ;)

Does Erik inspire you? This is a human being that is saying here is what I have been eating my entire life, I'm not ok with it anymore, and I'm ready to experience an abundance of health, vitality, energy and inner joy and glow!

Erik is swapping his favourite fried chicken for fresh fruit, vegetables and salad.

Challenges: When I was doing Erik's interview and he was telling me the food he has been eating for his entire life, I was shocked, and thinking we are going to have to retrain his whole entire life of eating from frozen, fast and fried foods, to fresh salads, fruits, vegetables, nuts and organic meats. This may be a challenge for Erik depending on how much he is craving a healthy body, and also for me in that I am working with a person here who has been eating certain foods for so long, now what can we do to make this work?

Triumphs: I love it when another being takes on the Earth Diet because they are up for a healthy, vibrant, exciting life! Wooo go Erik!

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Purple grapes. 1 nectarine. Ginger tea (I boiled ginger in water...perfect for warming the throat and killing any bacteria in your body). 1kiwi fruit.

Lunch: Cooked white beans and salad (carrot, green lettuce, celery, cucumber). 2 avocados with walnuts.

Dinnner: Raw cauliflower and 3 nectarines. I know, strange combo...but I am reading my script and writing this blog so I wanted something scrumptious and easy peasy maconeasy! wooo woo thats a dumb ryhme of mine if your wondering (its not a food!)(although maconeasy sounds like a yummy food!Hehe!).

Dessert: bed time!

Snacks: Chocolate balls with walnuts. 1 apple.

Exercise: Up at 5:20 am for hair and makeup then shooting "The Man In The Maze" in the cold Alabama woods...keepin my body warm is an exercise! Hehe!

240 days to go!!!

Day 124

Thoughts: The Importance Of Soil.

Earth Diet reader Yvonne Dale sent me the link for the Organic Guide (www.organicguide.com). It's brilliant. Especially this article on the importance of soil...

The life sustaining ability of soil is best understood by appreciating the complex cycles of decay and erosion. Its natural formation occurs in a series of layers starting at the surface but gradating down to the deepest bedrock. The surface layer is where active decomposition begins. Exposure to atmospheric elements, surface warmth and moisture helps to break organic matter into loose mulch like material. At the microscopic level, this layer is teeming with a diversity of bacterial, fungal and algal life forms. In combination with larger organisms like beetles and worms they provide the additional recycling activity to enable minerals and nutrients to be retrieved from the decaying organic matter and returned to the soil. Another family of soil based micro-organisms are involved in relationships that enable plants to absorb nitrogen from their roots.

Ideally the layer directly beneath the surface will be humus rich topsoil. The quality of this topsoil will depend on the amount of organic material available near the surface and the activity of the recycling organisms.

A coastal rainforest provides almost ideal conditions for the creation of richly fertile topsoil. With increased temperatures and humidity an abundance of organic material reaching the ground begins to decompose almost immediately. It is then broken down by organisms which thrive under the conditions. The entire process is accelerated resulting in a generous layer of finely blended topsoil.

A descent through deeper soil layers will reveal gradually decreasing quantities of humus before reaching the substratum of bedrock. Deep layers contribute to the surface quality of soil by providing mineral particles and compounds through erosion. The deep layers also support the structure of the soil by providing its foundation and drainage characteristics.

A technical analysis of structure can isolate the important layers of soil, their relationship to each other, aeration and drainage characteristics along with the mineral components characteristic to a particular location. It can also indicate the comparative rates and efficiency for recycling organic material. Information about structure will assist the serious gardener to predict how soils behave under varying seasonal conditions.

Soil type is a classification based on the major particle constituent along with the average pH reading. The most typical examples of soil type are sand, clay, and silt based. In some respects this information has limited value because soils tend to vary significantly across regions even when described to be of similar type. This is where an understanding of structure will provide a clearer picture.

From the perspective of the organic grower, good soil structures need to be protected. This can be achieved by minimising digging, replacing disrupted layers in their correct order when necessary and renewing surface layers by providing a supply of organic material such as compost and manure. The addition of organic material will improve the water and nutrient holding ability of the soil.

http://www.organicguide.com/gardening/basics/the-importance-of-soil

Challenges: Our soils have been so depleted that even eating fruits and vegetables are stripped of vitamins and minerals compared with eating them in different soils 50 years ago. People what are we doing to our soils???!!!

Triumphs: Day 124 on the Earth Diet yeah baby!!! So many things have opened up for me since starting this Earth Diet including connecting with myself and my body and nothing beats that feeling of being proud and in joy in myself when I got to bed at night. After all it's only me who has to live with me 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I better be my own best friend! The Earth Diet certainly has provided me with this. Especially being able to write this blog everyday, and this section "Triumphs" gives me the opportunity to think of something for the day that I can be grateful for :)

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: 2 nectarines.

Lunch: A salad with green lettuce and spinach and a squeeze of lemon. Chocolate balls.

Dinnner: 2 pears. Raw cauliflower (lovin my white curd friend ;))

Dessert: Chocolate balls.

Snacks: Damiania herbal tea ;)

Exercise: We had a day off from shooting today so I worked out at the Gold's Gym in Florence Alabama...mmm it was bliss ;) 20 minutes running on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the stepper in their cinema room, Tomb Raider was playing so I got to check out Angelina Jolie during the whole workout wooohooo! Hehe! And did any one else notice her ridiculous lopsided bra she had to wear that made her boobs look lopsided?!? And I went in the steam room ;) I am not usually excited about working out in the gym, butt it's so freezing here, so I'm either freezing cold on set, or I'm warm sitting in my room with heating, so to get out and sweat it out was amazing! Thankyou Gold's Gym!

241 days to go!!!

Day 123

Have you seen that movie "Into The Wild". Well today I met that EARTH MAN...although unlike the movie he didn't die, he is alive. He survived 8 years in the mountains. Alone and living entirely from the Earth. His name is Tom. He is the cook for the cast and crew for the film I am working on "The Man In The Maze" here in Alabama, USA (www.themaninthemaze.net). I had the privellege of meeting him and chatting with him about his experience...

Thoughts:

Tom grew up New York and when he was 19 years old he left the city for the mountains where he spent 8 years with just himself and the Earth. He started off with a knife, a tent, a flashlight and some clothes including a pair of boots. That’s it I asked? "That’s it" he said. He said "human cruelty" made him want to leave the busy life for the mountains. He started off in the mountains upstate New York, then went into New Hampshire, Vermont and then Virginia. He saw 4 people in 8 years. These supplied him with shoe laces, boots, batteries for flashlights. he lived with no deodorant, no tv, no internet, no heating, no air conditioning, no supermarket, no phone. AND he had himself and the earth. He lived purely off the land.

In a typical day he would gather firewood and water. And then go out and look for food...

"I hunted rabbit, dear, racoons, squirrel, oats, wild carrots, dandelions, nuts (acrons, pine cones), berries, bark, milk thistle, lichens. Food varied. I sun dried meat to make a jerky. When I got sick, like stomach viruses, I ate charcoal, took it right out of the fire and ate it. It filtered my stomach. I made pots from clay to cook my food. And I made fire with string (from animal tendons) and sticks. Every 3 days I always moved around. It’s all about intuition out there. I was pooing twice a day at least."

"If you eat a poisonous plant, try to remember what plant you ate, and look around the 3 feet diameter around it and there will be a healer. That’s how mother nature keeps it in check. If a plant is toxic, mother earth puts plants around it to keep it from spreading." Fancinating.

Tom on meat eating...

"The human body was made to eat meat, but not in excess like we do. Maybe once or twice a week. You know people have meat for breakfast, meat for lunch, and meat for dinner. I had meat twice a week, maybe 3 times in the wild. If you get a deer, there is only so much time you can carry your deer. You eat when you can as quick as you can. If not, I would spread it around for other animals. And if not it will go back to the earth and give nutrients for the trees."

Do you think food provides us humn beings with existence?
No, it’s not the food. It’s the energy that gives us existence.

But if we didn’t eat we would die?
No we wouldn’t.

What about anorexic people? If they don't eat, they get sick and die?
They don’t know how to gather energy from the land without eating. I don’t feel like food is essentially life. Energy is life, food is only part of our being if we don’t know how to get it otherwise.

What was your favourite to eat out in the mountains?
I don’t have any favourites. I keep myself open.

How did you clean yourself?
I made soap from oats and animal fat. I boiled it into a soup and then it solidifies. He made it into a soup...with animal fat and oats. Cooked it together and then it solidifies.

How did you hunt the animals?
By making a bow and arrow out of a deer or better a elk bones, vertebrates. You take the tendons (the hard part that hold the muscle to the bone) and strip them down and melt it down into a glue, and take the shaft into the center of the vertebrates and fill up the center of the vertebrate and half of the shaft sticking out the top and half out the bottom. Then let it sit over night and then take the ribs, 4 ribs, take out the center of them and then take tha tendoin boiled down like a glue, and then take one rib put it over boiling water, straighten it out, then take the tendons and put it on the shaft and then that glues it. Then straighten another rib and put that on the bottom of the shaft. Take another rib with a curve, and place the curve facing away from you, and you would use that tendons to make it as a glue. Set that all aside and let it dry, and then take the tendons and put it all over the bones and that makes it a shalack and now you have a bow. Also hold back some of the tendoins that you have pulled off at the beginning to make your string, and make a 30ft length of string. That way when I have a bow I can go ahead and give it back to the earth when I’m done with it.

"Be kind to the Earth, be kind to the animals and be kind to the humans."

I am going to have more from Tom in tomorrows blog...and if you have any questions for him please let me know :)

Challenges: I wonder how long I would last in the forrest? I really don't think I could kill an animal. I would enjoy finding water, gathering wood, and picking nuts and berries. Not sure how to start a fire though!

Triumphs: Today I got present to that I have not had any sugar or chocolate, chips or lollies for 123 days! and that is liberating!

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: A punnet of gorgeous blueberries. A ginger tea with a squeeze of lemon.

Lunch: 2 avocados with walnuts (mmm I love putting the walnuts in the avocados and having the creamy avocado and crunchy walnuts in my mouth). A nectarine.

Dinnner: Potatoes. Indian Dahl (yellow lentils cooked with Indian spice and herbs) with rice and cabbage.

Dessert: Chocolate balls with walnuts.

Snacks: No snacks.

Exercise: A walk to the gym in the fresh Alabama air to the gym for a stretch in the steam room ;)

242 days to go!!!

Day 122

Day 2 shooting "The Man In The Maze"...the Earth Diet is possible anywhere in the world...even on a movie set shot in the woods in Alabama! Heheeee ;)

Thoughts:

The Earth naturally provides us with everything we need. EVERYTHING. Today I was eating raw cauliflower, and I love cauliflower, and I haven't eaten it for quite some time and I was wondering what is the point of eating cauliflower? I wonder what cauliflower can provide human beings. So I did a little research on my new white curd friend....

Cauliflower is a vegetable belonging to the Brassica oleracea species, which also includes cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli and collard greens. The vegetable originated in the Northeast Mediterranean and is presently cultivated in most of the countries of the world. It has a white head and stalk and is surrounded by thick, green leaves. However, the stalk and the leaves are discarded and only the head (white curd) is eaten. Cauliflower can be had in the raw, cooked or pickled form, though it the raw form that holds the highest nutritional value. Given below is complete information on the health and nutrition benefits of eating cauliflower.

Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Cauliflower
-The allicin in cauliflower is known to promote a healthy heart and reduce the risk of strokes
-Cauliflower contains selenium and vitamin C, both of which work together to strengthen the immune system.
-Cauliflower has been associated with the maintenance of a healthy cholesterol level.
-Being rich in folate, cauliflower is known to help improve cell growth and replication.
-The high amount of fiber in cauliflower improves colon health and can even help prevent cancer.
-Recently, it was found that cauliflower contains ‘indole-3-carbinol’, a substance that can prevent breast and other female cancers.
-The glucosinolates and thiocyanates, present in cauliflower, increase the ability of liver to neutralize potentially toxic substances.
-Cauliflower acts as a blood and liver detoxifier.
-Sulforaphane, a substance in cauliflower, can remove cancer causing chemicals and also stop the spread of cancer cells, even in the later stages of their growth.
-Researches have suggested that cauliflower contains certain phyto-chemicals that might help reduce the risk of some hereditary cancers.

The people suffering from the following ailments can benefit from the consumption of cauliflower:
Arthritis
Asthma
Constipation
High Blood Pressure
Kidney and Bladder Disorders



http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-cauliflower-1699.html

Challenges: The cast and crew went to the same local diner/restaurant for lunch as yesterday and they serve only fried foods and hamburgers. Absolutely no salads or vegetables or fruits. So I find it's always handy to have raw veggies, or fruits, or my chocolate ball ingredients handy so I can eat something :)

Triumphs: I used to think if I eat really healthy I will be tired and have less energy...I had it that being healthy is hard work. This is what stopped me from being healthy for so many years! I'ts a myth that being healthy, eating less, changing your diet will make you feel tired and energyless. I'ts totally backwards! The healthier and closer to earth that you eat the more energetic, pure, clean, vibrant, fresh and young you will feel (aren't they awesome words!)

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Man-in-the-Maze-Movie/275214654765?ref=ts
www.themaninthemaze.net

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Damiana herbal tea. 2 oranges. Chocolate balls.

Lunch: Raw cauliflower, brocolli and carrot. Stephanie (who plays my bestie in The Man In The Maze) shared half of her apple with me ;)

Dinnner: 6 nectarines. A beautiful creamy avocado. Sprouts (lentils and chickpeas), walnuts.

Dessert: No dessert.

Snacks: Purple grapes. Raw cauliflower.

Exercise: Working on set ;) keeping my body warm in this chilly Alabama weather is like full time exercise haha ;)

243 days to go!!!

Day 121

Stephanie Lomenick and I...we play besties in "The Man In The Maze" which we are shooting now in Alabama.

Thoughts: First day shoot today for "The Man In The Maze"!!!

Ashleigh Bevin is taking on the Earth Diet on March 1st! She also suggested that I write an article about flaxseed. So I did my usual online research and here's what I got:

Flax Seed Oil is a blue flowering plant that is grown on the Western Canadian Prairies for its oil rich seeds. This natural oil (also known as Linseed Oil) is highly recommended for the general well being and whole body nutrition and is considered to be nature's richest source of omega-3 fatty acids that are required for the health of almost all body systems.

Flax Seed Oil contains omega-6 and omega-9 essential fatty acids, B vitamins, potassium, lecithin, magnesium, fiber, protein, and zinc and also provides approximately 50% more omega-3 oils than what you could get from taking fish oil, minus that horrible "fishy" after taste. Sounded good to me already!

Should you add flax seed oil to your diet?

Some nutritionists, researchers, and scientists believe that it could be the most important health-promoting supplement next to a multi-vitamin. Nearly every system in the body can benefit from flax seed oil's natural properties, including the cardiovascular system, immune system, circulatory system, reproductive system, nervous system, as well as joints.

Just look at this list of facts and studies of what Flax Seed Oil can and may accomplish:

- Research shows low incidence of breast cancer and colon cancer in populations that have high amounts of lignan in their diet. Flax is 100 times richer in lignan than most whole grains.

- Studies show that Omega-3 fatty acids help lower cholesterol and blood triglycerides, and prevent clots in arteries, which may result in strokes, heart attacks and thromboses.

- Helps protect the body against high blood pressure, inflammation, water retention, sticky platelets and lowered immune function.

- Shortens recovery time for fatigued muscles after exertion.

- Increases the body's production of energy and also increases stamina.

- Accelerates the healing of sprains and bruises.

- Eases weight loss in people afflicted with obesity.

- Stimulates brown fat cells and increases the metabolic rate making it easier to burn off fat.

- Improves the absorption of Calcium.

- Strengthens finger and toenails.

- Can improve eyesight and perception of colors.

- Can often improve the function of the liver.

- Can relieve the side effects and stop development of many forms of cancer.

- Can relieve some cases of Asthma.

- Helpful in the treatment of Eczema, Psoriasis, and Dandruff.

- Can relieve the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. It can relieve the symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus.

- Can alleviate some allergies.

- Helps prevent Atherosclerosis (the accumulation of fatty deposits inside the blood vessels, especially the large and medium-sized arteries, that many people experience during the aging process).

- Lowers high blood pressure in Hypertension sufferers.

- Has been scientifically proven to treat some cases of depression.

- Can improve the mental function of many old age pensioners.

- Can help in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.

- Has been proven to improve the behavior of Schizophrenics.

- Can relieve some cases of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) in females.

- And more...!

I also recently tried flax seed meal in my chocolate balls.

What are flax seeds and flax seed meal?:
Flax seeds are very low carb, high nutrition seeds that are useful in a low of recipes. They are the seeds of the flax plant, which linen cloth is made from. Flax has a pleasantly nutty taste. The whole seeds keep well, but they need to be ground into meal for us to get their full nutritional benefit. A simple spice or coffee grinder can do this in seconds.

http://www.essortment.com/all/whatisflaxsee_pfy.htm
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/p/prodflax.htm



Challenges: We went to lunch today at a local restaurant and they had only burgers, french fries and fried food. No salad, no fruit...

Triumphs: ...Any excuse to have chocolate for lunch though I love! hehe

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: A green apple. Peppermint tea. Chocolate balls with brazil nuts. A beautiful avocado mm mmm!

Lunch: 2 apples. Chocolate balls.

Dinnner: Indian food...Dahl (beans) with rice and spices and cabbage mmm mmm!

Dessert: No dessert.

Snacks: No snacks.

Recipe: I took my chocolate ball recipe ingredients with me to set with a bowl and a spoon and it's so easy and convenient to just whip it out and make them in five minutes! Recipe for chocolate balls is on blog Day 115.

Exercise: working on set doing multiple takes...AND walking up the hill to set! Oh and because it's sooo freezing cold here...I do squats, and dances, and jumps, and anything abstractly physical to keep me warm! I'm going to be fit after this 4 week shoot! ;)

On location shooting "The Man In The Maze"

244 days to go!!!

Day 120

Thoughts: What are you really drinking when you drink Coke cola...

Did Coca-Cola torture and kill workers in Latin America? Aparantely so...scary...check out http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2622/did-coca-cola-torture-and-kill-workers-in-latin-america and http://killercoke.org/

"Growth, leadership, sustainability..."

These are the words on Coke Colas website. Do they best represent the machine made drink? Decide for yourself....below is what I found on the drink.

Coke says about their mission "At the Coke Cola company we strive to refresh the world, inspire the words of optimism and hapiness, create value and make a difference."

Coke is in over 200 countries, 123 years in business.

History: Ever wondered how Coke came about?
It was 1886, and in New York Harbor, workers were constructing the Statue of Liberty. Eight hundred miles away, another great American symbol was about to be unveiled. Like many people who change history, John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, was inspired by simple curiosity. One afternoon, he stirred up a fragrant, caramel-colored liquid and, when it was done, he carried it a few doors down to Jacobs' Pharmacy. Here, the mixture was combined with carbonated water and sampled by customers who all agreed -- this new drink was something special. So Jacobs' Pharmacy put it on sale for five cents a glass. Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, named the mixture Coca-Cola®, and wrote it out in his distinct script. To this day, Coca-Cola is written the same way. In the first year, Pemberton sold just 9 glasses of Coca-Cola a day. A century later, The Coca-Cola Company has produced more than 10 billion gallons of syrup. Unfortunately for Pemberton, he died in 1888 without realizing the success of the beverage he had created. Over the course of three years, 1888-1891, Atlanta businessman Asa Griggs Candler secured rights to the business for a total of about $2,300. Candler would become the Company's first president, and the first to bring real vision to the business and the brand.

http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/ourcompany/index.html

Some facts about coke:

1. You can clean a toilet with Coke. Truth! According to www.howtocleananything.com, the popular household hint guru Mary Ellen says some coke in the toilet for an hour can do the trick.
4. Remove stains from vitreous china. Truth! According to columnist Heloise.
5. Use Coke and a ball of aluminum foil for rust on chrome. Truth! According to Joey Greene's www.wackyuses.com
6. Clean corrosion from car battery terminals. Truth! This is true of a lot of carbonated beverages.
7. Use a Coke-soaked cloth to loosen a rusted bolt.
8. Use a can of Coke in a load of greasy laundry.

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/w/watervscoke.htm

I also read this comment by Michael "The Greedy Fetus" M. "The company does not actually manufacture and sell soft drinks. The Coca-Cola company actually only produces the bubbles that are force fed into these harmless, defenseless drinks. It's all part of a government plan to see whether vast quantities of carbon bubbles will make the human body invisible to radar. If the government is right, then millions of taxpayers dollars will be saved, as the military will no longer have to invest in expensive stealth weapons and aircraft. People would be able to simply walk from one country to another without being detected on enemy radar screens.

You may of course know that radar is only effective above 180ft, and therefore people can walk under it anyway, but the government is also planning to create soldiers that are 450ft tall, and very strong indeed. These will be born 100ft tall, and already able to speak, so the births should be interesting. When questioned, a spokesman for the government said nothing, because he is dead.

This blatant cover up means that Coca-Cola and other soft drinks that are made fizzy by the same company will continue to be sold to the unsuspecting public. However, it is not only the government that is to blame.

The government originally wanted to conduct this test on animals, but animal rights groups and other neo-hippie tree-huggers objected, and chained themselves to plastic furniture or chanted songs that were not really that catchy. Unable to cope with the extreme pressure of twenty hippies protesting peacefully, the government sent the project underground, and now test on humans instead.

I feel that it is high time we struck back against the oppression of the animal rights activists, who force us to drink Coca-Cola until it comes out our nose, and makes everybody laugh at us. My suggestion is that everybody who reads this should go directly home and burn their cat/dog/hamster, or whatever pets you have at home, or that you just happen to see on the way. In fact, don't do it just to get at the activists. Do it because it's fun. Remember that killing innocent animals for nothing is the only way that we can ever hope to break the multinationals."

http://www.yelp.com/topic/seattle-the-truth-about-coca-cola

Challenges: It's challenging being away from home and not having my own kitchen so prepare any foods I want...I am missing mmm salads and egg plant vegetable dishes...and my juice machine! Next time I work on a film I am for sure bringing a juicer ;)

Triumphs: It's still great to be able to stick to the Earth Diet no matter where I go on the planet...after all I am still on Earth ;) and will always be able to eat foods provided to us directly from nature.

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Brazil nuts. A peppermint tea. An avocado.

Lunch: A large bunch of green grapes. Brazil nuts.

Dinnner: 2 apple and chocolate balls with brazil nuts.

Dessert: no dessert.

Snacks: no snacks.

Exercise: A run around Florence, Alabama and dancing to 3 Black Eyed Peas songs in my hotel room :) And then a lovely stretch oh and some ab work...love the burn!

245 days to go!!!

Day 119

Thoughts: Lecithin. What is it?

It's in a lot of our foods...including chocolate. And most of the chocolate recipes I checked out on the internet had lecithin as an ingredient so I wanted to find out what it is!

Lecithin is used nowadays in a generic way to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk, composed of phosphoric acid, choline, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, and phospholipids (e.g., phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylinositol).

However, the word lecithin was originally created in 1847 by a French chemist and pharmacist, Theodore Nicolas Gobley, to designate pure phosphatidylcholine. Gobley originally isolated lecithin from egg yolk (which became its namesake, from Greek lekithos—λέκιθος, litterally egg yolk), and established the complete chemical formula of phosphatidylcholine in 1874; in-between he had demonstrated the presence of lecithin in a variety of biological matters, such as veinous blood, bile, and human brain, as well as from fish eggs, fish roe, chicken and sheep brain...

Lecithin can be easily obtained from readily available sources such as soy beans, from which it is extracted chemically (using hexane) or mechanically. It has low solubility in water. In aqueous solution its phospholipids can form either liposomes, bilayer sheets, micelles, or lamellar structures, depending on hydration and temperature. This results in a type of surfactant that is usually classified as amphipathic. Lecithin is sold as a food supplement and for medical uses. In cooking, it is sometimes used as an emulsifier.

Lecithin is used commercially in foods requiring a natural emulsifier and/or lubricant, and in pharmaceuticals as protective coverings. For example, lecithin is the emulsifier that keeps cocoa and cocoa butter in a candy bar from separating. In margarines, especially those containing high levels of fat (>75%), lecithin is added as an 'anti-spattering' agent for shallow frying.

There is evidence to suggest that lecithin itself can lower cholesterol. Egg-derived lecithin may be a concern for those following some specialized diets. Egg lecithin is not a concern for those on low-cholesterol diets, because the lecithin found in eggs markedly inhibits the absorption of the cholesterol contained in eggs. There is no general agreement among vegetarians concerning egg-derived lecithin, since it is animal-derived; Jains, vegetarian Hindus (like Brahmins) and vegans choose not to consume it.

So I won't be using it in my chocolate.

Here's some comments I have read...

"After reading this and doing a bit of research I am finding a lot of nasty little truths about soy...who wants more chemically processed filler? I've been dealing with a little issue that I originally thought was gallstones but it seems everytime I eat a soy product I get cramping pains in my side, and no doctors seem to know what it is over an 8 month period. Cutting out anything with soy has made a BIG difference, and soy lecithin is no different. I'm happy to say I've found 1 single chocolate bar that says 'no soy lecithin' and it was one of the best treats I've had! and no side effects! Like global warming, maybe if we can get everyone on the NO SOY bandwagon then maybe we can actually start eating REAL food that is good for you. I would like to also state that I have not had any problems with tofu, as it comes in some of my favourite tasty dishes."

"I understand that the method invented by ADM is still used in practice. Soy beans are crushed and soaked with hexane, which extracts the lecithin compounds along with oil. The hexane is then removed in a still (a big boiler with a hood) and reused. Running steam through the remaining mixture makes the lecithin compounds bundle up with each other. The blobs can be extracted in a centrifuge. The resulting sludge is very thick and dark and is the starting point for all kinds of products that are sold as lecithin. The lecithin may be bleached with hydrogen peroxide, or further purified with other chemicals, or made into granules by mixing it with acetone."

Liquid lecithin (and the granules) have a lot of calories, around 130 for one serving. The lecithin has saturated fats.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lecithin
http://www.chow.com/stories/10701

Challenges: I haven't had my beetroot, carrot, ginger, celery juice for almost a week now and although I am still pooping the same I can notice the difference in my skin. A little sluggish.

Triumphs: Tomorrow is our first shoot day for "The Man In The Maze". I am nervous and excited woo woo! We are in Alabama USA. I am eating what I can and as raw as I can here in Alabamaaaaa! Before this Earth Diet, if I got nervous I would be eating sooo much to feed my nerves. And now I'm not woo woo :)

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: 3 nectarines. Darjeeling tea.

Lunch: Brazil nuts. Chocolate balls with brazil nuts. A punnet of blueberries.

Dinnner: Indian cooked by the Directors wife Nimi, black eyed peas with Indian herbs and spices mmm mmm with rice and salad and raw brocoli.

Dessert: No dessert.

Snacks: Green grapes.

Exercise: Stretches and walking around shopping malls in Alabama looking for wardrobe for my role in "The Man In The Maze". www.themaninthemaze.net

My veiw from my hotel room, in Florence, Alabama, population 36,000. I love the character of it, the uniqueness :)

246 days to go!!!

Day 118

Autism. The Autism Epidemic, How WE created it, what it is and yes there is a cure!

Thoughts: We drove past a sign today that said "A child is diagnosed about every 20 minutes." Every day 60 American families are told they have a child with autism. I was completely shocked! How could this be?! And what a sucky way to start off life as a child, autism. And I really don't believe it has to be like this! The chemicals, the food, the additives, the artifical sugars create autisim in kids. Of course it does, it completely drowns their cells in chemicals, and they can no longer function as how the human being is designed.

Below is a list of drugs and autism medication commonly used to currently treat certain symptoms in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, as provided by the National Institutes of Health. This list is disguisting.

Children's Autism Medication Chart
TRADE NAME GENERIC NAME APPROVED AGE
Stimulant Medications
Adderall amphetamine 3 and older
Adderall XR amphetamine (extended release) 6 and older
Concerta methylphenidate (long acting) 6 and older
Cylert* pemoline 6 and older
Dexedrine dextroamphetamine 3 and older
Dextrostat dextroamphetamine 3 and older
Focalin dexmethylphenidate 6 and older
Metadate ER methylphenidate (extended release) 6 and older
Ritalin methylphenidate 6 and older
Non-stimulant for ADHD
Strattera atomoxetine 6 and older
*Because of its potential for serious side effects affecting the liver, Cylert should not ordinarily be considered as first-line drug therapy for ADHD.
Antidepressant and Antianxiety Medications
Anafranil clomipramine 10 and older (for OCD)
BuSpar buspirone 18 and older
Effexor venlafaxine 18 and older
Luvox (SSRI) fluvoxamine 8 and older (for OCD)
Paxil (SSRI) paroxetine 18 and older
Prozac (SSRI) fluoxetine 18 and older
Serzone (SSRI) nefazodone 18 and older
Sinequan doxepin 12 and older
Tofranil imipramine 6 and older (for bedwetting)
Wellbutrin bupropion 18 and older
Zoloft (SSRI) sertraline 6 and older (for OCD)
*Antipsychotic Medications
Clozaril (atypical) clozapine 18 and older
Haldol haloperidol 3 and older
Risperdal* (atypical) risperidone 18 and older
Seroquel (atypical) quetiapine 18 and older
Mellaril thioridazine 2 and older
Zyprexa (atypical) olanzapine 18 and older
Orap pimozide 12 and older (for Tourette's syndrome—Data for age 2 and older indicate similar safety profile)
Mood Stabilizing Medications
Cibalith-S lithium citrate 12 and older
Depakote valproic acid 2 and older (for seizures)
Eskalith lithium carbonate 12 and older
Lithobid lithium carbonate 12 and older
Tegretol carbamazepine any age (for seizures)

This is disgusting that we treat the children with autism with these drugs, the chemicals that created their autism in the first place! What does autistic even mean? ...an abnormal absorption with the self; marked by communication disorders and short attention span and inability to treat others as.

So what causes Autism? Two theories link autism and vaccines. The first theory suggests that the MMR (Mumps-Measles-Rubella) vaccine may cause intestinal problems leading to the development of autism. The second theory suggests that a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal, used in some vaccines, could be connected to autism.

Is There an Autism Epidemic? When my parents were growing up and especially their parents growing up, autism was rarely heard of. Today, everyone seems to be or know someone with an autistic child. Certainly, the numbers of children diagnosed with autism has surged in the past decade.

There is a cure, and that is to reverse the damage that has been done. Jim Carey's partner and ex Playboy model Jenny McCarthy's son was diagnosed with Autism. He is now "typical". And all it was, was a change of diet and an elimination of toxic chemicals.

Jenny found the ammunition she needed in the form of a strict dairy free and wheat free diet, an anti-fungal medication, and in various forms of behavioral therapy. As Jenny McCarthy remained steadfast in pursuing Evan’s recovery, she found solace in prayer and meditation, often asking “why” she and Evan were put on this path. Jenny believes the answer lies in her ability to reach millions of moms through the audience that she had unwittingly manifested through her successful run as bestselling author of mommy and baby books. Referring to her latest best seller, Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism, she has stated with unwavering faith that, “This is the book I was born to write!”

PR.com: I want to talk to you about what you believe caused Evan’s autism. I know that he is on a wheat and dairy free diet and I know that you put him on Diflucan to get the fungus out of his body. The combination of that with the behavior therapy… then there are the vaccinations. I grew up eating grilled cheese sandwiches and ice cream sundaes and my mom vaccinated me. How come I didn’t become autistic, and why do these things affect some children?

Jenny McCarthy: If you look at the vaccine schedule, and you can go on www.generationrescue.com and that’s a really good website… the vaccines that you received in 1983 were ten. Today they’re thirty-six. Thirty-six vaccinations compared to ten back in the day. A lot of these kids seem to be born with a little bit of an auto-immune problem. Maybe they can’t really detox some of the toxins in the environment as easily. For instance, one of the things is glutathione. Glutathione is everyone’s bodies’ natural anti-oxidant that gets rid of toxins and viruses and stuff like that. We’ve noticed that a lot of these kids have low glutathione. So we say, “God, if these kids are born with low glutathione, a lower immune system, then how are they supposed to now take thirty-six vaccines when we never had that before?” So it’s real easy when you look at that list of what it was like, and what it’s like now, to go, “Ah! I see the escalation of vaccines and I see the escalation of autism,” and that’s how we got there.

PR.com: Why are there more vaccines?

Jenny McCarthy: I’m so glad you said that (laughs)! Why are there?! Why do we need a Chickenpox vaccine? I had the Chickenpox. I got to stay home from school.

PR.com: Why is mercury in these vaccines?

Jenny McCarthy: Because it is the cheapest preservative. These are the most toxic neurotoxins on the face of the planet… plutonium, and then number two is mercury. We still have mercury in these shots because it’s very, very cheap. They can completely use something else, but they won’t make as much of a profit.

PR.com: And you believe that when Evan was an infant that he was behaving like a “typical” child?

Jenny McCarthy: Yes.

PR.com: Explain to me how the Candida in Evan’s system affected his autism.

Jenny McCarthy: Once these kids start getting… basically their immune system shuts down. After the toxic levels that they pick up in the air, water, vaccines… it kind of really deregulates the immune system. Once that happens, these kids are getting ear infection after ear infection. You can ask any mother of a child with autism if they had countless ear infections and they’ll say yes. Then the doctors give repeated antibiotics. Well the repeated antibiotics without a probiotic, probiotic is like an acidophilus that you find in yogurt… all these antibiotics create this yeast in the gut. An overabundance of yeast then causes holes in the gut and that causes Leaky Gut Syndrome. Food then travels to the blood, which travels to the brain. Candida literally takes over the body causing horrible side affects. They’re finding that once you clean up those issues, a lot of these children on the spectrum feel so much better. Then they are able to absorb the therapies, like speech therapies, let’s say. They feel better and they can think clearly and they’re not sick. Evan was so sick with that yeast that if I never dug into it and found out about it, he would still be severely messed up.

PR.com: How can you get the Candida (yeast) out of the body if you suspect your child may have that?

Jenny McCarthy: Everyone should always be on a probiotic every day of their life, especially if they are doing an antibiotic; they need a probiotic. I talk about something in my book called ThreeLac, which is a natural probiotic, but it’s a probiotic that eats yeast in the gut. I started giving it to Evan and it’s just a little powder in your drink, like Tang. You drink it everyday. He started pooping out buckets of yeast. He was throwing up yeast. He had so much yeast.

PR.com: Why do you think doctors seem so fearful of acknowledging a connection between illness and nutrition in these kids?

Jenny McCarthy:Isn’t it fascinating? It is so mind boggling to me that the medical community does not support diet. If you ask any doctor you go to about diet intervention, they have no idea. If you ask any medical students at graduation, “How many of you guys have learned about preventative medicine?” no one would raise their hand. It is a pharmaceutical world. Mind you… Evan, for seizures, has to be on pharmaceuticals in order to keep him seizure free. So I’m not against pharmaceuticals, but for the love of God, we need to be teaching doctors that there is a natural way to help these kids. I know these kids are here for a reason, it’s not just to have autism in the world. It’s to show us, “Oh look. Eating healthy makes a body feel better.” I think that, that is really their big message and you know, come on with the toxins and the vaccines and the pesticides in your toxic world. Clean it up.

PR.com: And you sometimes had to fight other people when they told you that, that instinct was wrong, correct?

Jenny McCarthy: Correct. You’ll always face people, and that gut is never wrong. It’s when you start making decisions with your head and not your gut that you’re going to run into problems. That’s how I got Evan where he is today. I followed that gut.

I love that Jenny is making a difference now. Later does not exist.

http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/autism-medication.html
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
http://www.pr.com/article/1076
http://autism.about.com/od/causesofautism/p/ontherise.htm



Challenges: Today the director of "The Man In The Maze" Mitesh Patel took me to buy some fruit and vegetable. We went to Aldi, which they actually have in Australia and I was shocked! They aren't like the ones in Aussie land, you walk in and there are boxes and boxes of mass produced foods in cardboard boxes and processed human made foods. The fruit and vegetable section of Aldi was tiny. I've never seen such a small fruit and vegetable section in a supermarket before! I guess they cater for their buyers? Or do they cater for themselves and control the buyers? No wonder people have autism...

Triumphs: The director said to me "I don't know how you eat so many fruits". I thought wow yeah I do eat a lot of fruits...I love my body and my health! And I got grateful for my body and my health. Sometimes I forget how great it is to have health and energy and a love and want to look after my body. There was a point where I was just trashing my body completely with junk food, and I would think "Why do I even eat this when it provides me no nutritional benifits at all" and it was torture because I knew it wasn't good and then I wouldn't do anything about it. Self sabatoge. There is no sabatoging of ones self or body on the Earth Diet, there just can't be! Only love and nuture :) Love it!

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Green apple. 1 avocado. Black tea with ginger (real black tea, not in the tea bags)

Lunch: 5 nectarines.

Dinnner: Indian Idli, rice cakes and dahl. The rice is grinded to make powder and then compacted together and steamed to make a soft cafe. Dahl is lentils cooked with Indian herbs that you pour on your rice cakes. Mmmm mmmm.

Dessert: my Chocolate recipe with walnuts.

Snacks: no snacks.

Exercise: A run around Florence, Alabama with lead actor Andrew Roth.

247 days to go!!!

Day 117

What is the "right" amount to eat?

Thoughts: An interesting food for thought by Earth Diet reader and friend Dwayne Peachey "That the conditioning to overeat begins as a loving gesture. Parents prepare meals for their children, and plate up what they believe to be a "proper portion" for their growing child to eat, and then make them eat it all. How many times have we heard parents say to their children "finish whats on your plate please" or, when everyone has finished eating "Come on guys, there is only a little bit left here, someone may as well eat it." The fact is that throughout our lives, our body knows what it needs and will tell us, if we listen. But we are conditioned to feel that unless our stomach is completely full, we haven't had a proper meal. Because this conditioning starts from such an early age, this thinking feels completely natural. This way of thinking combined with Television, computers and playstations occupying more and more of our childrens days, leading to them becoming less and less active, can only point to a health disaster for future generations if something isn't done.

Maybe the next generation of parents should try to break this cycle, by filling the house with only good wholesome foods. Go back to the days when desert only happened once a week and takeaways was an occasional (once a month) treat, not an easy option for a busy lifestyle. Teach our kids to eat a balanced diet and that, within reason, if you feel like you've eaten enough, you probably have eaten enough. And help and encourage our children to find physical activities they enjoy doing. Remember, If it is fun, it doesn't feel like excercise. A good healthy lifestyle with SUFFICIENT wholesome food is, I believe, is the best basis to get the most from our life."

Perfect. Thank you for contributing Dwayne. I absolutely agree. There is no "right amount".

Challenges: Obviously some people disagree with the amount of food quantities. I really think we need half of what our Western Culture eat. I mean people in 3rd world countries survive on much less.

Triumphs: Yvonne Dale says "They are many more approaches to dieting, and eating the right food, in the right amount, in the right combination, at the right time, is a difficult art, that can only be learned by experimenting to find out what works best for the individual." I am getting the "shoulds" and "should nots" out of my thoughts and listening to my body and experiementing. Yes everyone is different and requires different things.

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Walnuts. 2 nectarines.

Lunch: Chickpeas with Indian spices

Dinnner: mmm the best salmon ever at Georgia's in Musselsholls, Alabama. With brocoli :) and the most cooked brocoli I have ever eaten hehe! I actually enjoyed the mushy dead organic matter! Haha



Dessert: no dessert.

Snacks: 1 apple.

Cost: My salmon dish was $29.95 at the restaurant, and thankyou "The Man In The Maze" for the beautiful meal :)


"The Man In The Maze" some cast and crew...from left to around the table (if that makes sense!)...Josh DOP, Erik playing PT, myself, lead actor Andrew, and Steve the UPM. :)

Exercise: a run around Florence in the crisp Alabamian air! I could smell pancakes cooking in the air the majority of my run!

248 days to go!!!

Day 116

Thoughts:

HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE: Why it's good for you and why it's bad for you.

Chocolate comes from the fermented, roasted, and ground beans of the cacao or cocoa tree. The word "Chocolate" comes form the Nahualt language of the Aztecs. The Nahualt word xocolatl means bitter water. The pre-Columbian peoples of the Americans drank chocolate mixed with vanilla, chile pepper, and achiote. Europeans sweetened it by adding sugar and milk and removing the chile pepper. They later created a process to make solid chocolate creating the modern chocolate bar. Although cocoa is originally from the Americas, today Western Africa produces almost two-thirds of the world´s cocoa, with Côte d´Ivoire growing almost half of it.

Chocolate (pronounced /ˈtʃɒklɪt/ (help·info) or /-ˈəlɪt/) comprises a number of raw and processed foods produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican peoples made chocolate beverages, including the Aztecs, who made it into a beverage known as xocolātl, a Nahuatl word meaning "bitter water". The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor.

After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted, and the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The nibs are then ground to cocoa mass, pure chocolate in rough form. Because this cocoa mass usually is liquefied then molded with or without other ingredients, it is called chocolate liquor. The liquor also may be processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Unsweetened baking chocolate (bitter chocolate) contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining cocoa solids, cocoa butter or other fat, and sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids (and thus does not qualify to be considered true chocolate).

For hundreds of years, the chocolate making process remained unchanged. When the people saw the Industrial Revolution arrive, many changes occurred that brought about the food today in its modern form. A Dutch family's (van Houten) inventions made mass production of shiny, tasty chocolate bars and related products possible. In the 1700s, mechanical mills were created that squeezed out cocoa butter, which in turn helped to create hard, durable chocolate. But, it was not until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution that these mills were put to bigger use. Not long after the revolution cooled down, companies began advertising this new invention to sell many of the chocolate treats we see today. When new machines were produced, people began experiencing and consuming chocolate worldwide.

Why it's bad for you:
It's not the chocolate that is bad for you, it's how they make it these days and the additives and chemicals they put it in. Yes it is possible to eat chocolate that is actually good for you and you can eat it everyday!!! Uhuh uhuh!!!

Today, it is one of the most popular and recognizable flavors in the world. There are many foods that contain chocolate such as chocolate bars, candy, ice cream,cookies, cakes, pies, chocolate mousse, and other desserts. I absolutely love chocolate, hands down my all time favourite taste, and I wanted to figure out a way that I could eat it every day and not get fat, I never thought it was possible until I started this Earth Diet and was forced to look at how chocolate is made so I discovered cocoa and created my own recipe for chocolate balls. The world's top producer of cacao beans is Africa, where recent controversy has focused on the use of child labor in cocoa production.

Several types of chocolate can be distinguished. Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. These are better for you then much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. "White chocolate" contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids.

On the other hand, the unconstrained consumption of large quantities of any energy-rich food such as chocolate is thought to increase the risk of obesity without a corresponding increase in activity. Raw chocolate is high in cocoa butter, a fat which is removed during chocolate refining, then added back in in varying proportions during the manufacturing process. Manufacturers may add other fats, sugars, and milk as well, all of which increase the caloric content of chocolate.

There is concern of mild lead poisoning for some types of chocolate.Chocolate has one of the higher concentrations of lead among products that constitute a typical Westerner's diet, with a potential to cause mild lead poisoning. Recent studies have shown that although the beans themselves absorb little lead, it tends to bind to cocoa shells and contamination may occur during the manufacturing process.

Why it's good for you:
The good news is that its sooo good for you, but I'm talking real chocolate, not this processed crap. It's the ingredient that makes chocolate "Cocao" that is good for you. Cocoa solids contain alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine, which have physiological effects on the body. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Some research found that chocolate, eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure. Dark chocolate has recently been promoted for its health benefits, including a substantial amount of antioxidants that reduce the formation of free radicals, although current scientific evidence is against health improvements by dietary antioxidants. I eat my chocolate balls almost every day!

Romantic lore commonly identifies chocolate as an aphrodisiac. A study from James Madison University, presented at the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting, showed that post-exercise consumption of lowfat chocolate milk provides equal or possibly superior muscle recovery compared to a high-carbohydrate recovery beverage with the same amount of calories. Studies suggest a specially formulated type of cocoa may be nootropic and delay brain function decline as people age


Chocolate is created from the cocoa bean. A cacao tree with fruit pods in various stages of ripening...

Processing
Cacao pods are harvested by cutting the pods from the tree using a machete, or by knocking them off the tree using a stick. The beans with their surrounding pulp are removed from the pods and placed in piles or bins to ferment. The fermentation process is what gives the beans their familiar chocolate taste. It is important to harvest the pods when they are fully ripe because if the pod is unripe, the beans will have a low cocoa butter content, or there will be insufficient sugars in the white pulp for fermentation, resulting in a weak flavor. After fermentation, the beans must be quickly dried to prevent mold growth. Climate and weather permitting, this is done by spreading the beans out in the sun from 5 to 7 days.

The dried beans are then transported to a chocolate manufacturing facility. The beans are cleaned (removing twigs, stones, and other debris), roasted, and graded. Next the shells are removed to extract the nib. Finally, the nibs are ground and liquefied, resulting in pure chocolate in fluid form: chocolate liquor. The liquor can be further processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

When cocao is processed and bagged, thats when I buy it as powder and make my own chocolate. or if you want to go a step further back and I totally adore you if you do and want to hear about it so make sure you email me and you can actually buy the beans and roast them and powder them yourself :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate

Challenges: When I live in a colder environment my body wants warmer foods, which means cooking more foods. I was absolutely loving eating raw and all my salads on the sunny Gold Coast! I will eat raw as often as I can even though I am cold ;) Oh also I was in the shopping center today in Birmingham, Alabama and there was absolutely NOTHING for an Earth Dieter to eat...not even an apple in this entire shopping center! The food court (and trust me I checked out every single food place) was burgers, takeaways, fries, large sodas, etc etc) didn't have one piece of fruit. I guess people don't go to the supermarket to eat healthy?



This is the size of the waffle fries at the shopping mall...almost the same size as his hand! (Andrew Roth - lead actor in The Man In The Maze)

Triumphs: I am in Alabama!!! I lurrrrrrve the Southern accents, the lady on the plane talking through the safety instructions, I was meant to be watching the ladies in front demonstrating the safety exits but I just wanted to watch the lady with the voice from the back of the plane! The planes had wider walkways as well, not sure if that's just because the planes are larger here or because they people are larger. As soon as I got off the plane I smelt deep fried something and sausages and American breakfast mmmm so I went and ate my fruit that I had bought the night before. As I was flying over Memphis I saw white on top of a hill and trees and am thinking is that snow??? Wha and where am i! Ha! Yes it is cold in Alabama and I am noticing how my body is not wanting to eat cold salads with wet lettuce and avocado as that is sort of a summer food, I am craving warm things to keep my body warm.

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast:one green apple and one avocado at the Huntsville airport :)

Lunch: 6 nectarines. One herbal tea from starbucks.

Dinnner: Indian Dahl! Mmm mmm! Lentils cooked with ginger and corriander. With rice. The directors Wife Nimmi cooked and it was beautiful mmm mmm! With raw cauliflower.

Dessert: 3 nectarines.

Recipe: My recipe for Chocolate is in blog Day 115!

Exercise: Driving count? hehe driving around Alabama all day :)

249 days to go!!!