I’m happy to announce that the videos of the Food for Thought talks at Slow Food Nation are now up on the Slow Food Nation site. Now you can enjoy them for free, and not miss out on the conversation that there about the state of food policy in America, from global warming, to farm worker justice, to education and more. Enjoy!
As readers know, I spent labor day weekend hanging around at Slow Food Nation in San Francisco, taking in the talks, as well as the blackberry mint coolers and masa cakes of change for an improved future food system in America. It was a celebration of food but also a virtual manifesto that brought out 60,000 like-minded and/or curious, hungry folks to partake in the various events, from music, to tastings, to idea-sharing.
Food for Thought got down and dirty with the food policy discussion, featuring the biggest names in food, notably Wendall Berry, Carlo Petrini, Vandana Shiva, Michael Pollan, and Raj Patel. I confess, I’m a wonk. So I took it in like a succulent meal, taking furious notes and even writing a breakdown for the Slow Food Nation blog for day 1 and day 2.
Above is the video for the panel on the world food crisis, which was the opening star-studded talk at Food for Thought. Keep an eye on the Slow Food Nation site in the coming weeks for all of the panel videos, free for all to view. One of the biggest takeaways from the conference was that we can’t think about the environment, oil dependency, education, health, or most anything else without dealing with the issues surrounding food. All of the panels were enlightening, but I highly recommend the panel on climate change and food, and the Slow Food Nation panel featuring Wendall Berry, who if you couldn’t tell by now is my food warrior hero. I even waited in an hour-long line to have him sign my copy of The Unsettling of America (a prescient book of essays about our culture and agricultural policies, published in 1977). Berry was humble, but everyone sharing the stage with him had taken inspiration from his writing. He said he felt a change coming, alas. When I met him I shook his hand and let him know that our generation was taking him up on that. I hope to be proven correct.
Are you as sick of the food system we’ve gotten stuck with as I am? I know there are at least a few of you out there, so here is something empowering that every individual (and those on their email lists) can do to demand change from Washington: Sign the Food Declaration!
On Thursday, at the rotunda inside City Hall in San Francisco, the Food Declaration was read aloud for a crowd of 200 people to hear. Framers of the document, including Dan Imhoff, Alice Waters, Michael Pollan and many other food and agriculture policy thinkers have been working on creating a concise document that clearly states the kind of policy that is needed right now. It gives policymakers distinct guidelines, and endorsements from professionals in different fields who can act as advisers.
The petition has been getting tons of signatures at Slow Food Nation, where it is visible for all to see and sign, and afterward it will travel around the country to Slow Food convivia and NGOs who will host signing parties of their own. Meanwhile, endorsements and comments can be posted on the Food Declaration website, so that everyone can get in on the conversation. Roots of Change, Slow Food USA and other like-minded groups hope that by Spring 2009, the petition will be in Washington, D.C. for a final signing event, and then will be presented to Congress.
Spring is in the air. New plants are coming up. You, a raw foodist, can go out to eat fresh young wild plants! Free. Delicious, Nutitrious. Click the link below to find out what wild plants you can eat, where to find them and how to eat them.
Anna Maria Clement Ph.D. L.N.C., co-director of the famous Hippocrates Health Institute (raw food retreat in Florida) tells this really nice story of why she became a raw foodist and how she started the health institute over 30 years ago.
For more raw food testimonials, click the link below.
What causes cancer and what are the latest natural cancer cures? Leonard Coldwell (Kevin Trudeau’s European doctor) cured over 35,000 people from terminal diseases. He unveals his secrets here.
Attention East Coasters and Raw Superhero’s in training:
Aimee’s Livin’ Magic is hosting a fantastic workshop with David Wolfe and Daniel Vitalis in York, Maine on April 25th the 26th.
The focus of the workshop will be “superherbs, superfoods, chocolate and SurThrival – making a total commitment to surviving and thriving no matter what.”
In addition to the lectures and presentations by David and Daniel there will be a Saturday dance party and a Sunday Chocolate frenzy.
David Wolfe and Daniel Vitalis are two of the most engaging speakers out there on the topic of raw foods and superfoods. If you’ve never seen them speak before live this is def an event to check out.
$197 includes access to all the events and meals prepared by Chef Aimme Perrin. Full event details here.
You can book your tickets by calling 619-219-0727 or emailing Camille at superheroseminar [at] gmail [dot] com
Researcher Kamal Meattle shows how an arrangement of three common houseplants, used in specific spots in a home or office building, can result in measurably cleaner indoor air. – Via TED
I know the power of plants, but this video really is a fantastic reminder. I’m going to go get some money plants this weekend and turn my home office into a little jungle. Maybe even turn my house into a little retreat center.
You know what would be really cool? I’d love to see the results of study that measured how blood oxygen levels are effected by green juice. People are always saying green juice is like liquid oxygen. Not sure how it compares, but one thing is for sure, my productivity certainly goes up after 32 ounces of kale, cucumber, celery.
Big ups to my Indian brother Mr Kamal Meattle.
Mark Ament has been eating high raw diet for the past 10 years. Over the past 5 years he’s taught courses on the raw vegan lifestyle and led cleansing and detox retreats in New Zealand, Bali, Europe and the U.S. Mark is the author of several books on natural health and healing as well as a free enewsletter. You can find out more about Mark and his work at healingvibes.com
My Way: Mark Ament
Sunday
Earlier this week the Hindus in Bali celebrated one of their largest festivals and today I can feel the peaceful afterglow as the island seems to take a collective exhale and relaxes. I wake up early today and jump on my rebounder for about 25 minutes. I love rebounding and have been doing it regularly for 5 years. The practice has transformed my life so much so that I’ve written a book on the topic to get as many people as possible bouncing with me.
While bouncing today, I notice that there’s a rip starting to form on the mat of my trusty Needak rebounder. It will probably be a couple months till it’s no longer working. I do some research to find out what’s new in the rebounding world. I was really happy when I found that there is a new style rebounder that uses bungee cords instead of metal springs for suspension. Many people are saying it’s the best and most fun mini trampoline they have ever experienced. After seeing a couple vids on YouTube, I’m convinced and already start wondering who could possibly bring one from the US to Bali for me. The rebounder, by the way, is from a company called Bellicon.
After jumping, my wife Gabrielle (pictured above) and I head into Ubud to a small restaurant called Bali Buddha for some breakfast. I enjoy their “Lean, Green Superfood Smoothie,” which is based on a recipe that I taught the staff a couple years ago at one of my raw food classes – avocado, coconut water and flesh, bee pollen, maca and spinach. Yum!
Breakfast is laid back and enjoyable with Gabrielle. Afterwards we spend an hour meditating together using the Holosync program which we’ve done now for almost 4 years.
After the meditation I’m inspired to make something for later. I create a marinade of olive oil, Braggs liquid aminos and dried Italian herbs that I toss into a bowl of broccoli and cauliflower. Then the mix goes into the Excalibur dehydrator for about 3 hours. Also, since Gabrielle just moved into her 4th month of pregnancy I want to make sure she’s getting plenty of extra calcium. I notice we’ve got a kilo of sesame seeds, which are very high in calcium, and decide to make tahini from them by running them through our Green Star juicer a few times and then spinning them in the food processor for another 5 minutes. When I’m finished Gabrielle and I share a juicy apple spread with the tahini.
Dinner tonight is at my friend and raw food business partner, Leah Rinaldi’s new house. Highlights are a beet salad with coconut yogurt and chocolate truffles stuffed with a basil cashew cream that reminds me of marzipan. I love how creative Leah is how much love she puts in her dishes.
Monday
7:30 am and Gabrielle and I head into the rice fields next to our house for a long walk. The sky is particularly blue today, especially set against the horizon of coconut palms. Then it’s rebounding for me again followed by a juice of kale, cucumber, turmeric, beet and carrot.
Today is about putting the final touches on the flyer for the cleansing and detox retreat that I am hosting in Bali this July, so I grab a couple of tablespoons of bee pollen to take out to my tree house/office to make sure I’m extra sharp while working. About 3 in the afternoon I stop for a break and have a small bowl of kale salad with a creamy cashew and orange dressing. Next is a meeting with Leah about our upcoming raw food courses in Singapore and our upcoming raw food weekend retreats.
We wrap up the meeting at around 6:30.
In the mean time Gabrielle has prepared a leafy green masterpiece. Spinach, mesclun, fresh herbs, bok choy, amazing tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs all bought from our local organic produce farmers market. Dressing is a touch of olive oil with apple cider vinegar and a dash of sea salt. I follow that with a couple of dates dipped in yesterday’s tahini.
Now it’s off to give Gabrielle (and baby) a Reiki session before bed. I like to do that a few times a week. Gabrielle says that she always sleeps easier and better and wakes up more refreshed. Soon, according to what I’ve read, I should be able to actually feel the baby moving in the womb. I’m extra excited for that.
After the session I reflect and notice that I look forward to having a child a lot more than I could have imagined. As soon as we found out, I did a lot of research and got Gabrielle on some great superfoods. She takes Bee Pollen, Spirulina, Chlorella, Flax Oil and Maca in addition to the regular prenatal vitamins. Every check with the midwife, Gabrielle has had perfect markers in her urine sample. The midwife is surprised since she doesn’t see to many mothers who are taking care of their nutrition.
Tuesday
Today is a break in my usual schedule as I decide to accompany Gabrielle down to the south part of Bali for some shopping. Gabrielle is a psychologist with a specialty in children’s psychology and goes to Denpasar/Kuta every week to offer sessions. Since we don’t own a car and only rent one when needed, I sometimes take advantage of the “free”ride.
I do wake up in time to make a juice of carrots, beets and leafy greens. I follow that with a couple of handfuls of bee pollen and then prepare some things to take with us in the cooler – a leftover salad, a jar of sundried olives, tahini and some carrots.
The day unfolds quickly. It’s just about 30 km to get to the main shopping area from our house in Ubud, but it takes about an hour and a half. If you’ve ever been to Bali and seen the traffic you’ll understand why. My main interests are hitting a couple of home improvement stores to get things that are hard to find in Ubud. We are refinishing our bedroom and bathroom as well as creating a laundry room in anticipation of the baby.
After shopping, Gabrielle and I still have time for lunch at a nice little macrobiotic place called Earth Café.’ I have a fresh squeezed lemonade and a sprouted wheat berry salad with miso dressing. With Gabrielle gone to do her sessions, I pass the afternoon reading the local newspaper and then walking along the street leisurely checking out many of the boutique shops in Seminyak.
Gabrielle and I meet again at 7:00 outside of Bali Deli, where I have just bought two Roma apples – not organic, but too beautiful to resist. Dinner is an apple with tahini and a few olives.
The ride back to Ubud is a bit harried as many people are on the road traveling to ceremonies.
Two days from now is Nyepi, which is my favorite Balinese holiday. On that day the entire Island stays at home for meditation and prayer. Nobody leaves their house. Even all airplanes are grounded. Then during the night, no one uses electric lights. This is presumably to keep negative energies away from the island. Maybe it works because overall Bali is a pretty happy and positive place.
Thinking about Nyepi – this is my third – I wonder what it would feel like if the rest of the world joined Bali one day a year with such a quiet peaceful, day. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
My name is Mark Ament and this is My Way.
Mark is the author of several books on natural health and healing as
well as a free enewsletter. More about Mark and his
work at healingvibes.com, freshstartretreat.com, rawfoodbali.com, and safecoloncleanse.com
|