Vegan/Raw Meet-Up and Information Session, Longview, WA

I am excited to announce that I have been able to find a building for our next Wellness Society Meet-Up.

Date: July 22, 2009 [Wednesday]
Time: 7-9 pm
Location: AWPPW Building
724 15th Ave.
Longview, WA 98632

But there is more exciting news! Instead of simply getting together to share delicious raw/vegan [organic] dishes, I will also hold an information session on the benefits of a plant-based diet at the same time. So, if you want to learn more about plant based diet, or know someone who will benefit from it, make sure to come/invite them!!!

I will talk about Whys, Whats, and Hows of a vegan lifestyle. We will cover topics such as:
1. What causes diseases;
2. Why medicine is not working in curing them;
3. Why are we getting sicker;
4. How to stop and reverse the vicious cycle;
5. How a plant-based diet can help you overcome your ailments;
6. How to shed excess weight and keep it off;
7. Why a whole foods plant based diet is effective in reversing diabetes, cancer, MS, allergies, and other serious diseases;
8. How to make a transition (where you get your protein, facts about fat, etc.), and…
9. Much, much more!

I will also answer questions and point you to the right resources to get you started, so you are not left feeling alone and powerless.

How this meeting will work:
1. RSVP is required! To RSVP e-mail me at elena[dot]wilkins[at]gmail[dot]com (make sure to replace [dot] with a period!]
2. Each person will bring a raw vegan [organic] dish (there are many sites that have wonderful and simple recipes, but you don’t even have to look that far—just check out my blog: www.eathealthybehappy.blogspot.com). Please bring enough to feed at least 6 people, so we all can share;
3. Each person will bring his/her own water/drink [please avoid processed drinks], plate and silverware [if you want to eat, that is ;)];
4. Bring a notebook to take notes, but it is completely up to you;
5. There is a small admission fee of $3 per person to help cover the rent of the space, which can be paid on the spot (cash only, please).

Feel free to e-mail me with any questions. I hope to see you there!

Until then: Eat Healthy! Be Happy! And live an UNPROCESSED Life!

Chemotherapy: Is it Effective?

Am I asking a tricky question? Many would tend to think so, or yet, quickly answer: “Yes!”, however, when you ask them how they got to their conclusion, the only answer they can come up with is: “Doctors say it is.”

It is unfortunate, and unfortunately I am saying that it is unfortunate, that we have grown to trust medical doctors more than we trust common sense. It is nearly unfathomable for most to think that the common sense and God-given instinct about lifestyle and food choices could be better than a doctor’s advice. But, are the doctors telling us the truth?

History of Chemo “Therapy”
The first drug used for chemo therapy (treatment with chemicals that kill both bad AND good cells) can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. Mustard gas was used during WWI and WWII. During WWII a group of people was exposed to it and was found to have low white cell count. Without any studies, it was then assumed that this gas will have the same effect on cancer cells. In 1940s, instead of exposing patients to gas form of this chemical, several patients were administered the agent intravenously. The was an improvement in them… BUT only temporarily. The pharmaceutical industry quickly jumped at the opportunity to make more money. A promise of life, as short and miserable as it could be during and following chemo, although no one would advertise such facts, was worth big money to those suffering and to their families. The researchers, instead of doing long-term, in-depth studies of the effectiveness of the new-found miracle cure, started to look for other chemicals that would produce same results. Since then chemo drug development has exploded into a multi-billion unstoppable industry.

Side-Effects
(I am not sure what we call it “side” effects—these are newly induced diseases caused by poisonous chemicals)
This is an INCOMPLETE list
• Pain
• Erythema
• Nausea
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Anemia
• Malnutrition
• Hair loss
• Memory loss
• Depression of the immune system, hence (potentially lethal) infections and sepsis
• Dehydration
• Vertigo
• Hematoma
• Dry mouth/ xerostomia
• Psychosocial distress
• Weight loss or gain
• Hemorrhage
• Water retention
• Sexual impotence
• Secondary neoplasms

Damage to specific organs may occur, with resultant symptoms:
• Cardiotoxicity (heart damage)
• Hepatotoxicity (liver damage)
• Nephrotoxicity (kidney damage)
• Ototoxicity (damage to the inner ear)

I hope you are starting to think now… Independently, I mean. Given the list of these side-effects, who in their normal mind would ever call this “therapy” or a “treatment”? Even if you were to make it, by some miracle, you are damaged from within irreversibly. Hair loss is the least of all evils on this list in my opinion. So, please excuse me, but from this point on I will stop using term “therapy” in conjunction with such torture.

• Immunosuppression and myelosuppression
o Chemo cause depression of the immune system. Often it happens due to paralysis of the bone marrow and leading to a decrease of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. The latter two, when they occur, are improved with blood transfusion.
o In very severe myelosuppression almost all the bone marrow stem cells (cells that produce white and red blood cells) are destroyed.
• Nausea and vomiting
o Chemo induces stimulation of the vomiting center in the brain. However, the drug companies did not leave their patients “hanging”, or should I say “vomiting their guts out”, they came up with… yep, you guessed it, more medication that could suppress or alleviate or delay some of such reactions.

I don’t know about you, but I am already sick to my stomach just talking about adverse reactions to a “healing therapy”. Is it any surprise that millions of cancer patients die even when treated? Doctors won’t admit to this, but most of them die not due to cancer eating away at their bodies, but due to chemo (and all is adverse reactions you just read about). I will move on to what can provide me with an answer to the topic of this post: Chemotherapy: Is it Effective?

Statistics
Have you ever wondered about the fact that you only hear about 5-year survival rates when it comes to chemo? Yet, millions of people undergo the “treatment”. Just imagine if you had any other disease; let’s say an infection in your big tow. You go to see a doctor, and he proceeds to tell you that he will treat you, although while being treated you will be sick, you will lose hair, you won’t be able to function, but… maybe, just maybe, you will live, and maybe, just maybe you will live up to 5 years after the treatment. Will you still do it?

What if the doctor told you that there is only 5-year 2% survival rate* for patients with your condition? Will you still be willing to roll the dice and take a chance to be 1 out of 50 people that might live up to 5 years after the “treatment”? Or would you rather take your chances, change what you can in your life and diet and help your body heal itself, and maybe live another 10-20 years… or, if you do die, at least die without hair loss, nausea, loss of your immune system, etc.?

* [Royal North Shore Hospital Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2005 Jun;17(4):294.]

Conclusion
I hope, albeit this is a short post, you have drawn at least a small understanding of my take on whether chemo is effective or not. And if you are lost, somehow, the answer is an emphatic "NO"!

I was prompted to write about this after learning that at least four people that I know were affected by the cancer industry:
1. Mr. C, of whom I have spoken on this blog, who had received a series of chemo treatments and then was left to die (“No Hope” they told him);
2. A wonderful young lady that I work with has a brother who had just undergone a surgery, losing many of internal organs, after being diagnosed with cancer. He was already told that it will not stop the spread of cancerous cells, but… they did it anyhow, since money, apparently is more important than the human life.
3. My photographer friend’s acquaintance was diagnosed with cancer and is being sent into a surgery… with chemo to follow.
4. My niece’s young, very young friend was diagnosed with cancer and was immediately sent into surgery, having been told that even if she survives she will not have children. I am certain that chemo “offering” will immediately follow the surgery.

Chemo is ineffective. What IS effective is a preventative lifestyle and diet. What is effective for most chemo casualties in reversing and beating cancer is a change to low-fat all plant based whole foods diet and improving their overall lifestyle (activity level and chemical reduction in their surroundings). God created our bodies with a wonderful defense-mechanism called Immune System. It is only when we weaken it (our defenses) that our bodies become prone to getting sick. Chemo weakens our immunity even further, so it makes NO LOGICAL sense to believe it can help. Whole plant based organic diet provides essential material for our bodies to strengthen its immunity and beat foreign invaders, such as cancerous cells, even after they had a chance to multiply and implant themselves into our bodies.

To learn more on the topic of a plant-based diet make sure to come to my next information session. You can find details about it here a couple of posts below, or by clicking HERE. I hope that your curiosity has peeked enough and I will see you there.

I end with a cartoon that speaks volumes on the topic.


Until next time: Live an Unprocessed Life!

Reminder: EHBHS Meetup

This is a reminder that our Wellness group is meeting this Friday. Get details here: WHBH Wellness Society. If you are planning to come, please RSVP, and make sure to bring a raw dish to share with others. Contact me if you have any questions.

See you then!

An Amazing Healing Story: Meet Amanda

A week ago (last Tuesday, May 5, 2009) I had a meeting with a new friend—a local photographer. Her name is Amanda. To ensure that you believe that the story I am about to tell is true, and is unfolding as I type this story, I am adding a link to her web-site. (http://www.poweredbythesonphotography.com/)

The reason for our meeting was two-fold: to get to know each other and to prepare to change Amanda’s life and health.

When I met Amanda about three weeks ago, I did not know [but she did tell me later] that she has been praying for a way to improve her life and her health. She did not know how to, and it is no surprise—there is so much confusing and conflicting information out there, with numerous diets and pills offered as a quick fix to all of our problems. An average person is so overrun by this information and ads that most of the times they just don’t know where to go, what to believe. Even simple, rational and common-sense lifestyle changes become a burden, since there is so much conflict from various sources. So a lot of them end up being paralyzed by indecision and get nowhere at all, sentencing themselves to a life of ill health and bad moods.

Fortunately Amanda did not stop after trying different diets (at least a couple that I can recollect that she mentioned—SAD [Standard American Diet], and a low- or no-fat diet, that actually damaged her health, since it was not properly structured). After meeting Amanda at a photo shoot we chatted on Facebook, where I mentioned to her about my health and has it has been positively revolutionized by a whole foods vegan diet. She became very interested. What I told her made sense, and although appeared challenging in the beginning, was not so overwhelming, as I spoke to her starting with making small changes—such as introducing green smoothies for breakfast. The idea was simple, and… delicious.

A few days later, after Amanda decided that she want to be well badly enough to make whatever changes are necessary, we decided to meet and lay out a plan of action for her.

Whenever I meet or speak with anyone, I encourage them to write down goals. I believe it makes efforts more tangible. The main goal for everyone should never be weight loss, although I know it is to many, but a great state of health: spirit, soul and body. If you focus on weight alone, there are tons of diets that can get you thin, but not well (Atkin’s diet comes to my mind). What you should desire is HEALTH, and when health comes—weight will go. It’s a given! These two components of healthy living go hand-in-hand. When you do things for your body to get well, introducing wholesome foods, your body will start detoxing and healing, and, indivertibly, shedding unnecessary pounds.

When Amanda and I met, we reached the consensus that she should start introducing more whole raw foods into her diet, and reach at least 50/50 ratio of raw to cooked foods. She decided to go vegan, which, of course, was a great decision, as a well structured vegan diet will aid her body in faster detoxification and thus, healing.

I checked with Amanda a couple of days back and again yesterday, to see if she had any questions, struggles or any good news. She was happy to tell me that by simply adjusting her diet alone she was able to lose close to 8 lbs in one week. I was glad to hear that. Amanda had also gone through a few days of feeling better and more energetic and a few sluggish days (which is very common when your body is working hard to get old toxins out of your system). But the most amazing news came yesterday, as we chatted on Facebook. Amanda told me that she had a tumor on her thigh for about 8 months. When she checked her thigh yesterday the tumor was GONE!!! Yes, folks, GONE—not there! And that is only 7 days into her new lifestyle! You never know the healing power of foods God created until you try them in their fullest state of potential!!!

As you can imagine, Amanda and I are ecstatic! She now has even more reasons to press on with her new lifestyle. She has an irrefutable proof that whole foods vegan diet works. And what a great example she will be to her family and friends!

I had asked Amanda to keep a journal of her journey (and food journal) to observe her progress and struggles. I will keep you posted on her story from time to time. If you have a second, stop by her web-site (http://www.poweredbythesonphotography.com/) or her Facebook profile (http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?drop&ref=mb#/profile.php?id=570988379&ref=ts) to congratulate her and to encourage her in her efforts.

If you are looking to make changes in your life, remember that they do not have to be drastic right out of the gates, unless you are battling a serious illness. You can start with one meal a day, then introduce things that you enjoy, only in a whole foods state, then you will be able to transition without feeling deprived. Keep a journal. You will be amazed how emotionally you are tied to the foods you eat. If you don’t believe me, I have a quick test for you. If I ask you to give up foods that you eat now to become vegan or raw vegan, which you know would ensure better health and longer life for you, and your first reaction is NO WAY! or I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT ____ (fill in the blank), you know that you have an attachment to your food, and mostly likely mild-strong addiction. If you find this to be a struggle but still want to find a way to change, find a local wellness group, meet people that have been through the same journey.

If you are local here, I have organized a Wellness Society and we meet on monthly basis to support and encourage each other, as well as to share delicious foods. We have a meeting coming up this Friday (see details by clicking on the Wellness Society category link to the right). Make sure to join us.

You can also find a nutrition coach that would work with you one-on-one. I provide at home consultations and love meeting people who are serious about their health and life. There are very few things that are as thrilling as seeing someone get better.

There are tons of forums and web-sites, including mine, that have tons of delicious recipes you can try.

So, you see, you are already set up for success when you see right resources. If you are contemplating making a change, remember that the only thing holding you back is YOU! So, take a step, make a change! Be inspired to LIVE!

Have an amazing rest of the night!

EHBH Wellness Society Meetup

The date for out next meeting has been set for May 15, 2009 (Friday) at 7 pm. The meeting will be held at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church located at 1428 22nd Ave, Longview, WA 98632 (Heather, thanks for making the arrangements!).

RSVP is required!

If you want to come out for an evening of food, fun and meeting new people, as well as sharing your life experience with others, this is a great opportunity to do so.

Plan on bringing something to share with others [you will need to let me know what it is :)]. It does not have to be complex or gourmet--just organic vegan or organic raw vegan, preferably raw . Please try avoid using soy products, as many people are unable to consume it. If you are not certain what to make, check out my blog, or e-mail me and I can point you to more resourceful sites.

Feel free to spread the word and invite others. However, do let them know that RSVP is required.

You can RSVP by e-mailing me (click on Profile and you will see an e-mail link there) or via Facebook, by clicking on this link.

I hope all of you wonderful people there! Let’s change our community’s health one meal at a time.

ASSIGNMENT: I have an assignment for those of you who are going to be attending: if you have any questions on the topic of nutrition or raw/vegan living, eating or cooking, e-mail me and we will have a Q&A time to go over them. Hearing from you ahead of time will help me prepare most informative answers. E-mail me Profile page (linked above).

"Simply Raw" Movie Screening

If you have not yet seen the documentary DO SO as soon as you can, especially if you, or someone you know is living with diabetes.

The movie screening of “Simply Raw” last Saturday was a success. 20+ people joined us. The documentary got everyone’s attention. You could almost feel that the audience was following the events and emotions of the characters. We followed up with a Q&A session, and have met wonderful people, who suffer from numerous curable ailments. We were delighted with the response from our community and might do similar event in the future.

We will soon plan our next monthly get-together, so stay tuned.

Until next time: EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!!

EHBH Wellness Society Meet-Up

Our second Wellness Society Meet-Up in Longview, WA, was a hit! Here are some of the delicious raw dishes we got to taste and share:
The cookies were made by yours truly. I got this recipe from another great raw food blog. You can find it here: Raw Epicurean (instead of mulberries I used strawberries).

Raw Chef Kyler, who visited us from Portland, OR, treated us with chocolate ganache, that was made from avacado, dates and raw cacao. Claude, our wonderful host, could barely wait for the treat (at least that's how it looks here : )) so he made his way to the dessert before everyone else.

Believe it or not, these are raw Cinnamon rolls made by Christa from Portland. They tasted even better than the "real" rolls. My husband is an expert when it comes to cinnamon rolls--it is actually his weakness, and he could not get enough of these (he literally did not get enough, since we all had to share ;))

If you are near Longview/Kelso, WA are and are looking to join a health-minded group, look no farther--we are here! Whether you are a pro at raw/vegan living, just starting out or simply curious you can join us for our next meet-up, which I will be announcing in the next couple of weeks.

As you can see--raw/vegan food is not boring--it is very colorful and delicious. You won't be giving up much when you give up foods that make you tired, sick and overweight and trade it in for something much better that will bring life and rejuvenation to your body.

Until next time, folks: Eat Healthy!!! Be Happy!!! [and don't salivate too hard looking at these pictures :)]

EHBH Wellness Society Meetup REMINDER

This is a reminder that our next EHBH Wellness Society Get-Together is just around the corner (check details here). We will have a special guest visiting us! Kyler Grandkoski, a community organizer and a RAW Chef at The Yummy Tummy in Portland, OR, will be joining us, and will share quick and delicious CHOCOLATE RECIPE(S). Click on this link to get details and RSVP.

See you then!

Announcement!!! Movie Screening!!!

I am pleased to announced that our newly founded Wellness Society is already set to action. After our first meeting Heather had shared her deep desire to share a documentary that she has seen with as many people as she can. We quickly put our heads together and decided that the quickest way to get the information out to as many people as possible is through hosting a movie screening event at a public library.

WHAT: How to Reverse Diabetes and Other Diseases with Nutrition
Movie Screening of “Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days”

WHEN: April 25, 2009
1:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Longview Public Library
1600 Louisiana St, Longview, WA 98632

HOW: You can register a couple of different ways:
1. On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=63507890979
2. Through Movie Screening event site (click on the link)
3. E-mail me through my Blogger profile page
4. You can also just show up, but space is limited

WHO: The screening will be presented by EHBH Wellness Society. We will be there, viewing the movie with you, and will be available to answer your questions or provide you with leads to resource that can help you with things that we cannot.

Folks, I hope to see you there! I hope to see the room packed out, so that we will have to host another viewing! Make sure to spread the word, and please realize that vegan/raw food diet helps to cure a host of various diseases and infirmities. So, whether you are suffering from diabetes or another ailment, or, even if you are well and want to learn, come out and join us!

Until then: EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!!

EHBH Wellness Society Meetup

Folks, the date for out next meeting has been set for April 10, 2009 (Friday) at 7 pm. I am hoping that this will allow more of you to join us. The meeting will be held at Heather and Claude's house [you will barely ever find more gracious hosts].

RSVP is required to receive directions to the house.

If you want to come out for an evening of food, fun and meeting new people, as well as sharing your life experience with others, let me know. Also plan on bringing a dish to share with others [you will need to let me know what it is ahead of time:)]. It does not have to be complex or gourmet--just vegan or raw vegan. [Please try avoid using soy products, as many people are unable to consume it.]

Feel free to spread the word and invite others (but... RSVP is required for all who are coming). You can RSVP by living a comment on this post, or e-mailing me at elena[dot]wilkins[at]gmail[dot]com. If you are on Facebook, you can RSVP through our event there by (click HERE to get to it).

We also have another exciting event in the works. I will let you know about it SOON! Stay tuned.

EHBH Wellness Society is now on Facebook

If you are on Facebook, and are looking to meet like-minded people locally (Cowlitz county, Longview/Kelso, WA and surrounding areas), or are looking for RAW VEGAN recipes and fresh ideas, or people to communicate with, you can find us here (you will need to join Facebook to join the group).

First EHBH Wellness Society Meeting

Our first get-together was Rawsome (I know it sounds cheesy, but so what...)! There were seven of us altogether, but unfortunately I did not pull out my camera until after we were done eating, by that time one of us (Betty) had to leave (sorry, Betty). The people that came out: Linda, Dawn, Heather, Claude, and Betty to join Demetrye and I, absolutely rocked! So full of energy, so thirsty for life and grateful to be alive, so positive! The knocked our socks off, as did their delicious dishes. We went over an hour over our planned time...

Heather made the MOST delicious cheesecake I've ever had. It is 100% raw. Who would have thought... She promised to give us a recipe for it. Demetrye is already counting moments until I make a whole cake just for him...

This is cauliflower samosa's wrapped in coconut wrapper with mango chutney. Delicious!

RAW lasagna was absolutely wonderful...
...as was this salad (I can't even remember what the main ingredient was, but I know that I will find out and start making it--it is so refreshing and yummy!)
Tofu nuggets...
Carrot salad (you can find a recipe on this blog).
I tested one of the kitchen gadgets today, and loved it--a very great juicer. It juiced greens and fruits alike with no problems or any hickups, and minimum pulp wasted. This juice has apples, celery and collard greens. It was very refreshing... And I might want that juicer soon...
Oh, and did I say that we had cheesecake? We did! Doesn't it look awesome?!

As I get recipes from my raw vegan friends, I will share them here with their permission.

Today was amazing in so many ways. We all got to share our stories--our whys and hows of becoming vegan and/or raw vegan. We had one thing in common--we did it for health reasons. But as we were progressing on our journey we also became more compassionate to the world around us, to our environment, people, animals, and our planet. It seems that the two go hand in hand.

We all had experienced miraculous physical and emotional transformations and healing after becoming vegan/raw vegan. Some lost weight, some lost depression, some lowered cholesterol, and some--a combination of all and then some.

The purpose of us all getting together is just this--to share our experience, to help each other along the way, to cheer each other on, since the rest of the world counts as crazy or half crazy, since the medical world has given us no hope ourside of harmful medications...

We are already planning our next meet up, so if you are interested, make sure to e-mail me.

Special Thanks to our wonderful hosts at the Kitchen Inspirations store for making this event possible and providing us with such a welcoming place.

Until next time: EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!!

ANNOUNCEMENT

The first official EAT HEALTHY!!! BE HAPPY!!! Wellness Society meeting is coming up!!!

It will take place March 7, 2009, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at Kitchen Inspirations specialty store, located at 945 Washington Way, Longview, WA. The owner of the store is kindly allowing us to use their kitchen.

If you are intending to come, please RSVP! The space is a bit limited at this point, but I think we will be OK for the first few meetings, until the word gets out.

Everyone who is coming will be expected to bring a dish with them (does not have to be big). It does have to be vegan or raw vegan. Make sure to bring the recipe for your dish with you, in case someone will want it. If you are not sure what to make, if you are just starting out or curious, check recipes on this blog for ideas. Feel free to make anything that you find here. Please let me know ahead of time what you will be bringing.

There is NO fee at this point of any amount. I just want everyone to come and enjoy each other’s company, share stories and learn. I will be open to answer and discuss topics of interest to you, unless you would want a one-on-one consultation, of course.

I can’t wait! E-mail me at elena{dot}wilkins@gmail{dot}com (make sure to replance {dot} with a period, of course).

Wellness Society

Dear Readers, it is my pleasure to announce that after much thought and consideration I have decided to start Eat Healthy!!! Be Happy!!! Wellness Society—a local wellness group that will emphasize whole foods vegan/raw vegan lifestyle and its benefits. I am now actively looking for a facility that I can use for wonderful and tasty, once a month, potluck meetings. If you know of such a place locally, or are willing to volunteer your own home, please e-mail me: elena (dot) wilkins (at) gmail.com (please replace (dot) with . and (at) with @--I have to do it this way, so I do not get a bunch of junk/spam mail). I am looking for a place where we would not have to pay a fee, or pay a small fee, for the use of facilities, since I am uncertain of what the participants will be willing to do. At this point I already know of at least 10-15 people who are interested in getting involved. Once we start meeting on regular basis and have a core group, we can then make proper arrangements.

The focus of this group, as I mentioned above, will be whole foods vegan diet. You will have a chance to meet other vegan/raw vegan foodists, share your recipes, stories, and taste wonderful meals. You will have opportunities to learn from others’ successes.

I am also planning to invite speakers, when possible and/or appropriate, to share on different topics of healthy living. I already have spoken with a local naturopath, who had graciously agreed to visit with us, once we get going.

The Society will be open to anyone who is wanting to receive support on their health quest, whether they have been vegan/raw vegan for a while, or are just starting out, or, maybe, just considering taking the leap. However, all meals that will be shared at the meeting, will be whole foods vegan/raw vegan.

Having said all this, I am hoping that we can get going soon, and, perhaps schedule our first meeting for sometime in January, just in time for all those New Year resolutions :).

If you are near or in Longview/Kelso, WA area and would like to be added to the list of participants, so that I can e-mail you with information about dates/times/places of our meetings, shoot me an e-mail at the address mentioned in the first paragraph of this post.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year and a Blessed Christmas!!!