Vinegar and a little bit about Acidity

Vinegar is a liquid made by the oxidation of alcohol in wine, cider, beer, or fruit juices.  It is mainly used for pickling and as an ingredient in condiments. 

The fermentation process in the production of vinegar yields acetic acid, which is what gives vinegar its sour taste and pungent smell.

Traditionally, vinegar takes many weeks to make, as the bacteria are allowed to proliferate naturally.  Today, most vinegar production is accelerated by adding the bacteria culture and by pumping air into the mixture.  This quicker process usually only takes one to three days.  Most commercial vinegar is filtered and pasteurized before it’s bottled.

Something you should keep in mind about vinegar is that it’s very highly acidic.  Its pH is in the 2-3 range, which is very near the top of the scale.  (1 is most acidic and 14 is most basic.)  This high level of acidity can be very harsh on our bodies. 

The only area of the human body that’s meant to be acidic is the stomach.  Anywhere else, acidity is harmful. Of course, once you ingest something acidic like vinegar or cola, it doesn't just stay in your stomach, it moves on through the rest of your body.  At that point, it can toss your body's pH out of whack.  (That's why you can feel really edgy or irritable when you have too much acidic food and drink.)

Eating a reasonable amount of citrus fruit is easy enough for our bodies to handle effectively.  So is using a little vinegar or lemon juice in your salads.  It's only when you use larger amounts of acidic foods that you're likely to experience a problem.  That's why I'll use a few spoonfuls of vinegar or lemon juice in a salad dressing but I won't drink a glass of cola or other carbonated drinks (which are also highly acid and which people drink far too much of.)  I also tend to limit the amount of orange juice I drink to smaller glasses for the most part.  

I can already see that this post is opening up more questions that answers.  Acidity is a pretty big and broad topic, so I think I'll reak this up over the next several posts.  In the next few days, I will look at the general issue of acidity and our body chemistry, the effects of the pH of the foods in our diet upon our body, particularly highly acidic foods to watch out for, and whatever else comes to mind.

Talk to you soon :-)

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Real-World Raw Health and Nutrition:
The raw food diet made easy for your busy life!

Mike Dillman is a self-taught raw-vegan who began his journey nearly six years ago.   Having worked his way through all the challenges firsthand, he wants to save you from making the same mistakes yourself.  You can visit Mike's blog at Real-World-Raw.com to learn how easy it can be to make a raw-vegan diet fit your busy lifestyle.

If you want to experience the amazing health that comes with living the one truly natural diet, Mike's new book, "Real-World Raw: The Busy Person's Guide to the Raw-Vegan Diet" is just what you're looking for.  See for yourself. 
To Download a FREE 20-Page Sneak Preview of the eBook click here!

Cherry & Papaya Smoothie Recipe

It's cherry season on the west coast of North America, so I can afford cherries for a while!

Here's a super-simple cherry smoothie recipe to try out.

• Put about 25 freshly pitted cherries and 2 cups of juicy, ripe papaya in your blender.

Enjoy!

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Real-World Raw Health and Nutrition:
The raw food diet made easy for your busy life!

Mike Dillman is a self-taught raw-vegan who began his journey nearly six years ago.   Having worked his way through all the challenges firsthand, he wants to save you from making the same mistakes yourself.  You can visit Mike's blog at Real-World-Raw.com to learn how easy it can be to make a raw-vegan diet fit your busy lifestyle.

If you want to experience the amazing health that comes with living the one truly natural diet, Mike's new book, "Real-World Raw: The Busy Person's Guide to the Raw-Vegan Diet" is just what you're looking for.  See for yourself. 
To Download a FREE 20-Page Sneak Preview of the eBook click here!

Paying it Forward.

It's always nice to be recognized.  Knowing that something you've done had a positive effect on another person is one of the best motivators you can receive.

Recently, I've been fortunate enought to have received some kind words and complements from my readers.  I can't express how much it means to me when I log into my computer to discover a bunch of emails reflecting on my latest newsletter and comments posted on the Facebook fan page.

Thanks to all you guys!

On top of that, I also was given a little nod from a fellow raw blogger the other day.  Charlene from Char's Kitchen included me in a list of her favorite raw blogs. 

If you take a peek at the posting, you'll see that the award comes with a little string attached.  Actually three strings!  They are as follows:

1. I must say thank you.  (Thanks Char !!! :^D)
2. I must tell 7 things about myself. 
3. I must pass along awards to 10 other blogger who I think are fantastic.

Well, since I don't want to be disqualified and have to send back my trophy, I had better follow the rules!  ;^)

Here goes...

Seven things about me:

1. I am way into reading self-improvement books.  Not the pop fluff ones, though.  I look for books with a deeper meaning.  The kind that really make you think about yourself and how you live you life.  The kind that lead to new and better ways of doing things that you never thought about before.  I suppose this is how I discovered the raw diet.  It's also how I plan to have a successful and rewarding career and continue building a strong, loving, trusting relationship with my better half.
   
   Some of my favorite books are:
   
   • The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
   • Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motives Us, by Daniel H. Pink
   • Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
   • Talent is Overrated, by Geoff Colvin
   • Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell
   • Stumbling on Happiness, by Daniel Gilbert
   • The Little Big Things, by Tom Peters
     
     
2. I push myself like crazy to always improve.  If I don't accomplish something tangible every day, it really bugs me.  Not in a bad way.  It's a constructive attitude, not a destructive one.  I just get a huge sense of satisfaction out of the pursuit of perfection.  The ultimate target is, of course, only theoretical, but the journey is the reward.
   
   
3. I'm working really hard to become a Chartered Accountant.  Go ahead, yawn if you want, but I find it really interesting.  It took me quite a while (I graduated high school ten years ago) and a lot of experiementing to really find my calling, but I did it.  Now it's the lifelong process of learning the trade and building a great career.
   
   
4. I study the Russian language every day.  Not for any particular reason.  My family's not Russian, and I don't know many people who speak it.  I just think it's interesting to learn another language and Russian happened to be the one I chose.  I listen to audio lessons every day while I do the dishes or go for a walk, and I listen to Russian business news podcasts.  (Geez, they speak quickly.)  When I'm really diligent, I carry a few vocabulary cards in my back pocket for practice on the go, and I stick post-it notes all over the house.  It'll be a few years until I master it, but once I do, I'm sure I'll move on and start learning another language too.
   
   
5. I'm super-organized.  I run a tight ship, as they say.  My room might get messed up during the day while I have things on the go, but everything always gets put away before I go to bed.  I really don't like messes and can't function very well when I have to sit at a cluttered desk.  That includes cluttered thoughts, too.  I'm definitely a planner.  Ever seen a checklist the size of a table? 
   
   



Well now you have.  That's my to-do list for the next few months.  It might look excessive but I get plenty done and it ensures I keep on target with how I spend my time.

6. I have an awesome partner.  I'm not married yet, but I might as well be.  It's tough to find a great match, especially when you're as much of a keener as I am.  Who wants to put up with that?  When you find someone great; someone you can spend 24 hours a day with and not get on each others' nerves; someone you always miss, even when you're only apart for a little while; someone who feels the exact same way about you too; that's when you've finished searching.  The rest is all about building on top of that.
   
   
7. I'm stupidly, insanely, never-enough-time-in-a-day busy.  And I love it!  Why?  Because it's all stuff that I love doing.  I'm just fortunate enough to be wired to enjoy doing productive stuff.  To me, a day that's jam-packed with 16+ hours of going to work, attending classes at school, doing homework, exercising at the gym, studying Russian, reading on the side, and doing household errands isn't hell.  It invigorates me, and it's how I spend nearly every day.  No, it certainly isn't a recipe for happiness for most people, but I've focused a lot of time over the years discovering what makes me tick as a person, and this is the lifestyle I love.  I seek challenges to overcome and my happiness comes from conquering them, little by little, day by day.
   
   ...so... I hope you can forgive me when I miss the odd newsletter or blog post.  The truth is, sometimes there really isn't enough time in a day.  In my case, I can honestly say there's never enough time.  I just do the best I can.  Rather than writing a short, junky little post I wait until I can put in the time to do it right.  I don't mean to neglect the site.  Believe me, I want to make Real-World Raw as great as it can be.  And when you guys write and tell me how much you love the work I'm doing, it just makes we want to do that much more.  So, thanks for putting up with my craziness, and thanks for showing your interest.  I really do appreciate it!

By now, Charlene must be wishing she never asked me to do anything!  Ha ha.  Maybe she will take back my trophy after all!

Finally, we're off to item number three...

Several blogs that I think are fantastic:

1. Char's Kitchen; A Vegan-Friendly Food Blog  It might seem like I'm sucking up, but believe me, I'm not.  What I appreciate most about Char's blog is the enthusiasm she brings.  You can really feel it.  Also, ... well... how shall I say this... she is way more diligent about posting on a frequent basis.  Something that, as I've said, I'm guilty of falling through on.  Take a peek if you like recipes.
   
   
2. Frederic Patenaude's blog  I've been following Frederic for many years.  He's definitely got his head screwed on right and is an excellent source of raw insight and advice.  You might recognize his name because I've recommended one of his books, The Raw Secrets, on my site over the years.  You can't go wrong with Frederic.
   
   
3. Seth Godin's blog  One of, if not the, most read bloggers anywhere online.  Seth is a genius.  I've read all of his many books.  His insight into people is very sharp, indeed.  The blog is particularly interesting if you're into business or marketing, but it's great food for thought for anyone who likes to think about how we interact with the people around us.
   
   
4. Explodingdog  One of my favorite web comics.  I have saved tons of old images from this feed onto my computer to cycle through as my screensaver.  I always look forward to new posts.
   
   
5. Stepcase Lifehack  If you want some great ideas on how to improve your life, check out this blog.  It covers a wide variety of topics, but I particularly like the Lifestyle feed most.
   
   
6. Mark Cuban's blog  Like Seth, Mark is full of great maverick insight.  This is likely only for those who are into business or the tech industry, though.

I know it's supposed to be ten blogs and I've only got six so far, but I'll add some more to this later.  These are the one's I follow on a regular basis at the moment.

So, this was really long post.  Hopefully, it was of interest.  Just to make sure we don't lose sight of the whole point, though, I'd like to restate my thanks to everyone.  I really appreciate the interest you've taken in my lil ol' blog.

Talk to you soonish!

=========================================================================

Real-World Raw Health and Nutrition:
The raw food diet made easy for your busy life!

Mike Dillman is a self-taught raw-vegan who began his journey nearly six years ago.   Having worked his way through all the challenges firsthand, he wants to save you from making the same mistakes yourself.  You can visit Mike's blog at Real-World-Raw.com to learn how easy it can be to make a raw-vegan diet fit your busy lifestyle.

If you want to experience the amazing health that comes with living the one truly natural diet, Mike's new book, "Real-World Raw: The Busy Person's Guide to the Raw-Vegan Diet" is just what you're looking for.  See for yourself. 
To Download a FREE 20-Page Sneak Preview of the eBook click here!

If Only I Could Find the Perfect Miracle Diet

Whenever I see an interesting or controvertial health article in a newspaper or magazine, I cut it out to write about at a later date.  Today, I reached into the ol' filing cabinet and pulled out a little opinion piece from a local paper in October of 2007.

The title of the article was:
Health Myth of the Month: "If only I could find the perfect miracle diet, I could keep the weight off."

Initially, the article makes some good points.  The author acknowledges that all those fad diets we see today are not the answer to our search for amazing health.  She writes:

"The key to dieting is to redefine the word... if we thought of diet in the traditional sense, as simply a way of eating on a daily basis, then we would be met with more success."

So far, I like where this is going.  Eating a healthy diet is more than grabbing a few different items during your trip to the grocer, or adding some trendy new supplement to your usual routine.  It means living a healthy lifestyle.  For most people, this means tossing aside their old ways and starting anew with a fresh outlook.

However, the author falls short of drawing the right conclusion, writing:

"Sorry folks.  I know many people wish this were true, that the perfect diet exists, ...it just hasn't been thought up yet."

This really is backwards reasoning.  Nobody needs to "think up" the perfect diet.  It already exists. 

We don't need scientists to dream up uber-foods and design them for us.  Frankly, they don't know what they're looking for and they wouldn't know when they got there.

The more people think about science as the answer for finding a healthy diet, the further they get from the solution.  This isn't a coincedence.  The human body is beautifully suited to eat the foods that have always been naturally abundant in our environments.  Fresh, raw fruits and vegetables.

 Of course, there isn't a lot of money in marketing the idea of eating this way.  Food producers make a lot more profit on processed, packed food-products.  Hence, that's where all the marketing effort goes.  But following the trail of money doesn't benefit you.  It's only good for them.

Sadly, this sort of rhetoric is typical in the health industry today.  I'm not saying that the author was trying to pitch a sale to her readers.  She wasn't.  But that's my point.  The marketing of the food processors and supplement producers has permeated society so deeply that even those who are skeptical of them can't find their way out.  Somewhere along the line, people lost track of a basic principle about food.  It's already here. 

What I'm saying is this:  Keep your wits about you.  Whatever you do, don't get caught up in all the hype about superfoods, supplements, or any other health products.  As we can see, it's far too easy to do.  Finding out what's good for you shouldn't be a challenge.  The only reason it seems so tough is because, whether we noticed it or not, we've accepted the notion that healthy food needs to be engineered.  It doesn't. 

Last time I looked, fresh fruits and vegetables are already out there.  The trick is to stop running away from them. 

=========================================================================

Real-World Raw Health and Nutrition:
The raw food diet made easy for your busy life!

Mike Dillman is a self-taught raw-vegan who began his journey nearly six years ago.   Having worked his way through all the challenges firsthand, he wants to save you from making the same mistakes yourself.  You can visit Mike's blog at Real-World-Raw.com to learn how easy it can be to make a raw-vegan diet fit your busy lifestyle.

If you want to experience the amazing health that comes with living the one truly natural diet, Mike's new book, "Real-World Raw: The Busy Person's Guide to the Raw-Vegan Diet" is just what you're looking for.  See for yourself. 
To Download a FREE 20-Page Sneak Preview of the eBook click here!

Food Labels: Low Fat, Low Calorie Foods for Weight Loss?

My desire to write this blog is often motivated by what I read on food labels at the grocery store.  Most recently, my inspiration was a yogurt container.

The offending phrase was "weight-maintenance support".

That was followed by the words, "No fat.  No sugar.  No aspartame."

I could hardly suppress an audible groan.  Marketing like this is a tell-tale sign of just how far off track we are as a society.  Sadly, so many of us are totally lost about even the very basics of a healthy diet.  That means claims like these will actually lead a lot of innocent people to make the wrong choices.

It's an indisputable fact that the western diet is causing widespread bodyweight issues around the world (among many other serious health concerns).  Eating processed, refined, denatured and destroyed "food products" comes with a heavy toll, and you can't hide the effects.

People don't like being sick, but most aren't willing to change.  They expect something for nothing.  They want to keep eating the same foods that caused them to get overweight, only without the weight gain.  (You know, the best of both worlds.)

The food industry is completely aware of the its consumers' mindsets and takes full advantage of the situation (working to make money off the illness they contributed to).

"You want to lose weight, we've got products for that!  We'll just engineer you some foods that you can eat all day long without gaining weight."

Hence we end up with grocery shelves stocked with"weight-maintenance" yogurt, as well as "weight-maintenance" bread, cookies, ice cream, cola, pasta, etc...

So, is this a victory of some sort?  No.  At best, it's a pyrrhic victory.  The term describes a hollow victory that comes with such serious consequences that it dooms the victor to an eventual defeat.

You may have succeeded in the narrowest of perspectives; you cut your calories.  Bravo.  You win the battle but you lose the war.  Remember to focus on your real objective. What are you really seeking to accomplish?

You want a natural bodyweight.  You want to feel good and look good.  You want to be healthy.  The obstacle to achieving this was eating too many calories.  The solution you chose to correct this was to redesign the old food.  What you should have done was chosen a different food.

Nothing really changes unless your diet changes.  And that means a deep, fundamental overhaul, not a tease or an empty gesture.  You may not want to hear it.  Too bad.  It's true.

There's a reason why it's hard to quit snacking on unhealthy foods.  They lack the nutrients your body needs.  They never manage to fill the void because, no matter how much you eat, they never provide what you need.  This leaves your body longingly calling for more, naively hoping, just hoping that the next bite might have something good in it.  But it never does.

There is, of course, an easy way to fix this.  We talk about it extensively all over the site, so I'll cut to the chase for now.  Eat a diet packed with fresh, raw fruits and vegetables.  That way, your body gets the nutrients it needs and doesn't need to keep begging for extras.  Sudenly, you'll find that having the healthy body you always wanted is pretty darn easy.

...or, you could try and play games with your body.  You won't feel well, you'll always be seeking food to fill the void, and you'll never be healthy.

So, what is the point here?  It's simple.  Don't look for food labels for guidance on your health.  They don't address the real issue.  Weight-maintenance only means "we stripped any remaining nutrition out of this product to make it low in calories" or "we shrunk the portion size to trick you".

Be honest with yourself.  If you don't like the way you feel, you probably need to make a change.  Not a pretend one; a real one. 

If you're overwhelmed and don't know how to start, that's okay.  It certainly not your fault.  There's so much misinformation out there that it's almost impossible to find your way to the truth. 

Browse the rest of my articles on my site.  Learn a bit about the raw-vegan diet and what it has to offer you.  Just please promise me you won't wander the grocery aisles hoping to find good health advice there.  It will only leave you feeling empty and wanting more. 

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Real-World Raw Health and Nutrition:
The raw food diet made easy for your busy life!

Mike Dillman is a self-taught raw-vegan who began his journey nearly six years ago.   Having worked his way through all the challenges firsthand, he wants to save you from making the same mistakes yourself.  You can visit Mike's blog at Real-World-Raw.com to learn how easy it can be to make a raw-vegan diet fit your busy lifestyle.

If you want to experience the amazing health that comes with living the one truly natural diet, Mike's new book, "Real-World Raw: The Busy Person's Guide to the Raw-Vegan Diet" is just what you're looking for.  See for yourself. 
To Download a FREE 20-Page Sneak Preview of the eBook click here!