Raw Bay Area Newsletter
April 2010
Upcoming Classes

Raw Food Retreat
THIS WEEKEND
April 30 - May 2
 
Raw Fuel for Athletes
With Diane Haworth and Michael Varbaek
May 6th in San Francisco

Mexican Fiesta
May 8 in San Francisco

Breakfast and Brunches
May 13 in San Rafael
 
American Comfort Foods May 22 in Berkeley

Asian Fusion
May 24 in Oakland

Nut Milks & Cheeses
May 26 in Oakland

Flavors of the Mediterranean
June 19 in San Francisco

Divine Desserts
June 26 in Berkeley

Focus on Fermentation June 28 in Oakland
 
This month's
favorite links
Women's Initiative for Self Employment
is recognizing women entrepreneurs for their contributions.  Nominate your favorite woman-owned business in the Bay Area.

Travel in the Raw
Learn how raw food luminary Cherie Soria travels with raw foods.  This is an EXCELLENT video.

The Hurom Juicer
People always ask me what juicer I use.  It is the hurom and I love it!

Fill out my survey
Please tell me how I could improve this newsletter by filling out this 5-question survey
Show your mom how much you love her

My mom and I love to eat together
BHP and HHP eating

Bring your Mom - or a mother figure in your life - to any raw food cooking class this May for FREE

REGISTER HERE

The fine print:
You register and pay for the class and your mom comes free. 

Register early, because space is limited.  When registering on-line, you will be asked to supply your mother's name.

Your guest must be your mother or a long-time mother figure in your life.

The offer is good for any class in May except May 6th and May 26th. So, your options are May 8, 13, 22 and 24.

Green Smoothie Recipes

Friends

Angela Stokes of www.rawreform.com just sent out these green smoothie combinations that I thought were so unique I have to pass them along.

Lemon meringue pie green smoothie:

Juice of one - two lemons
Few drops of vanilla flavored stevia (or few drops stevia with vanilla essence/pod)
2 bananas
One head romaine lettuce

Best smoothie
I've ever had:


1 head romaine or any other greens of your choice
1 and a half frozen bananas
2 frozen fresh figs
Big piece of fresh ginger
Few drops vanilla-flavoured stevia (if you don't have vanilla-flavoured stevia, replace with stevia and vanilla)
2 to 3 cups water

To make a smoothie:
Blend everything in a blender until smooth and enjoy
Greetings,
Me and my mom
BHP and HHP

Mother's day is May 9th and my mom is turning 60 years young on the same day!  Doesn't she look fabulous?!
 
To celebrate her and other fabulous mothers I am offering a sweet deal:  bring your Mom or another mother figure in your life to any class in the month of May for FREE.  See below for details.

My mom has taught me so much about how to age beautifully.  She is always slipping the me Berkeley Wellness Newsletter so I can make informed choices about what I eat.  Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids are the hot topic in this and many wellness outlets, so I have included an article below.

You can tell from my mom's biceps that she eats her greens.  I do too, here are two unique green smoothie recipes.

One thing my mom is really good at is providing feedback.  Would you do the same?  Please take a moment to fill out this survey so that I can plan the best content for future newsletters. It is only five questions long.

Buon Appetite,

Heather signature

Heather Haxo Phillips
Raw Food Chef & Instructor
510-334-8424
Omega-3 and 6 explained
Chia: The highest known source of Omega-3
Chia II
GingerOmega 3 has become the new "it" nutrient that everyone is talking about. 

What is Omega 3?  And how does it interact with the Omega-6 we already knew about?

Omega-3 and -6 are the fatty acids essential for your body and its basic functions.  They are available to us through our food in medium and long chain formats.  Your body cannot make any of these fatty acids, so you have to eat them.

Omega-6 supports skin health, lower cholesterol, and helps make our blood "sticky" so it is able to clot. Omega-6 is found in foods such as eggs, poultry, cereals, vegetable oils, baked goods, and margarine.

If you eat a standard American diet, you are getting plenty of Omega-6 because they are found in inexpensive, highly processed snack foods.  If you eat things that contain soybeans, canola oil, corn oil and other unhealthful oils you are getting too many Omega 6s. 

How so? When omega-6s aren't balanced with sufficient amounts of omega-3s, problems occur. Research indicates that high amounts of Omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory - they promote inflammation.

An estimated 175 million Americans (more than half of us) suffer from one form of chronic illness or another.  Even in traditional medicine Doctors agree that many chronic illnesses can be traced back to inflammation of varying kinds.  Eating an abundance of omega-6 fatty acids contributes to this problem greatly.

Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory. They reduce inflammation on a cellular level and help bring us into balance when we get too much Omega-6.  So getting more Omega-3s could help reduce that pesky pain in your hip, low back or other places to begin with.

The effect of sufficient Omega-3 is far ranging.  The demonstrated benefits of Omega-3s include reducing the risk of heart disease and several types cancer.  Increased Omega-3 helps to reduce symptoms of hypertension, depression, attention deficient disorder (ADD), joint pain and other rheumatoid problems. Some research has even shown that omega-3s can boost the immune system and help protect us from Alzheimer's disease.  Literally, Omega-3 can help improve your brain and immune functions.

How could this be?  It is Omega-3s ability to reduce inflammation.  Research indicates that omega-3s encourages the production of body chemicals that help control inflammation - in the joints, the bloodstream, and the tissues.

Most of us do not eat enough Omega-3, and we eat way too much Omega-6.  We used to get plenty of Omega-3 in our food, before it was so processed.  Omega-3 is found most abundant in whole, natural foods.

More studies on Omega-3 food sources are being done every day.  This is what we know at the moment:

Of any food source we know, the tiny chia seed has the highest amount of Omega-3.  You may remember chia from the chia pet, but it is the seed that is the nutritional powerhouse.
Mila: the highest known source of Omega-3 on the planet
Mila Bag

Not all chia is created equal - as with anything we eat, the nutritional content varies according to where and how it was grown.  The highest known source of Omega-3 in chia is a proprietary blend of chia called Mila.  Click here to learn more about Mila.

Flax and hemp seeds are other good sources for Omega-3 although they don't have as much as chia.  Even still, they have 6x more Omega-3 than fish oil.

Cold water oily fish is what doctors and nutritionists have been recommending over the last decade for a good source  of Omega-3.  Fish oil is high in omega-3, but also heavy metals, PCBs and mercury.  Doctors en mass have stopped recommending fish oil for this reason, although Harvard Medical School researches say the benefits of fish oil outweighs the risks.

Black raspberry and kiwifruit also have excellent sources of Omega-3.

Want to learn more about the Omegas?  After extensive research, I found the Wikipedia entry to really be the best at explaining all the intricacies.
Coming Up Soon
Heather with students Are you interested in improving your physical endurance and performance? Raw food can be your fuel. Diane Haworth and Michael Varbaek are coming from San Diego to teach two classes specifically for those who are athletically inclined. Diane is a former trainer for the Navy Seals. Both are world-ranked athletes, and have raced in some of the world's most challenging races including the Eco-Challenge. They are 100% raw and travel the world teaching people the benefits of Raw Food. I love being around them because they are so HEALTHY and VIBRANT. These are their first classes in the Bay Area and we are so lucky to have them. Click here for the dates & details.

May will have more of everyone's ethnic favorites including Mexican Fiesta and American Comfort Foods. Think chips, salsa, enchilada, "burgers", ketchup and more. You can find dates and details here.

June 3rd, 4th and 7th I will be teaching at the Whole Foods in Portland, Oregon. June 10 - 12th I will be teaching several more classes at the Whole Foods in Seattle Washington. If you are interested in raw food classes, or know someone who might be, please email me contact information and I will get you the details.
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Raw Food Retreat
 Budget
Leonard Lake Laura doing yoga
THIS WEEKEND
April 30 - May 2
Leonard Lake in Mendocino County
 
Join us for a raw food retreat in the redwood forests above Ukiah.  The retreat will offer two raw food classes and four delicious raw food meals. If you would like to join us for yoga, there will be 2 active classes and 2 restorative classes during the weekend. Or, you can fill your time hiking, swimming, kayaking, horseback riding, napping or simply lounging around.
Brunch at the Retreat
Leonard Lake Food

JUST ADDED:  We will begin on Friday with an overview of the nutrition of raw foods.  Saturday evening we will have a bonfire with entertainment from a blue grass band. Sunday we will have a raw food class where you will learn how to be successful eating raw foods, and I will do demonstrations of my favorite every-da
y dishes.
We will have active asana
in the mornings, with recuperative yoga and pranayama in the evenings. Delicious raw, vegetarian meals will help to energize and detox you from the inside out. 
 
Last year's participants raved about the retreat. Several told me that with a weekend of introspection, they had life-changing insights, including dietary changes, career changes, and physical changes. Johanna G. said she most enjoyed "incredible food, wonderful yoga, and the people.  The retreat was bountiful, generous, and thoughtful in every respect."

Do you wonder what a retreat is all about? 

One of last year's participants, Adriana Daiken, blogged about it. On the retreat she had a major shift in her mind-set and decided to make a career change w
Leonard Lake with  Horse
hich launched her own business. She talks all about it in her blog:

"While following Heather's verbal guidance and physical movements ... looking out over an old growth forest and lake, my ...mind began to feel really good ag
ain. Apparently a dusty cobwebby layer of tiredness with my current work had fallen over me, without me fully knowing it.  Suddenly, I was wishing I had a notepad next to me - entrepreneurial ideas were streaming in like sunlight. I felt a little guilty that I wasn't clearing my mind and just thinking of ... peace or something. But not very guilty. I was so excited about the possibilities."

Prices start at $295 for the retreat
Sign up with a friend and you will both receive 10% off current rates.

All the details - including a video from last year's retreat - can be found here

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