So, it's quite obvious to me now that being raw is a lot more about just eating healthy. It's bringing me serious psychological restructuring, in face of a deep psychological destruction I slowly underwent with years of damaged relationships, living in a damaged society, and damaging myself. Every now and again I have a superb realization/reawakening/remembrance... and I'd just like to share one I had last night. =)

Organic strawberries were $5/carton at Whole Foods, vs. the normal $8 I've been seeing at most places, so I caved and bought them.

I've also been thinking a lot about the BRIX thing with fruit. It intrigues me and I must know more. Not to mention, fruit that sits for too long in my fridge now just seems SO unappealing. I remember reading how cold slows down the enzymatic activity in fruits, which is why they keep longer in the fridge--but I'm starting to wonder if it retards something else, because fruit that ripens at normal speed is just so much yummier. It's also more natural.

During my first month of raw, just supercharging my cells with only LIVING foods opened some kind of psychological flood gate. I was embracing life. I started wanting children. I felt reconnected to the earth. I soared out of a crippling depression. And it made me start to see things differently.

The planet is just one amazing vibration of life that is constantly recycling, digesting and evolving itself. And my transformation isn't physical: it's about realizing more and more every day that I am that vibration of life, and becoming that vibration of life. When everything I do reflects that--every word, every action, every embrace--I will have finished my transformation (or will be ready for another one!). So that's what I got from my introduction to the 100% raw lifestyle.

My tastes are always improving. I ate those organic strawberries. They were so fresh, vibrant, juicy, wonderful, and SATISFYING. They were infinitely more hydrating than other strawberries. I was honestly satisfied after six big ones. There was also a kind of floral, perfume-like taste that is totally absent from regular strawberries. (I am totally against the pricing of these guys, I can't reiterate enough.) It was the best batch of strawberries I could remember (I have a few, fond strawberry memories in childhood).

Then, I thought about the differences in production of organic foods--I've been feeling the same way about organic bitter greens, I could just eat bowls of them, they are much lighter and less offensive to the stomach. We are what we eat. Right now, I'm alive. But there's so much more respect that (usually) goes into organic produce, and I think the vibrancy of those strawberries reflected that difference to me.

We don't eat meat and dairy, and you can think about the abuse and torture associated in bringing you that final product. Likewise, we can think about the damage children have to endure when being raised in a stressful/neglectful/harmful environment. Then, if you think about fruit--slathered in chemicals, farmed in a way very harmful to the earth--there are a lot of negative and disrespectful things going into that fruit before it reaches your shopping bags.

Accepting what those strawberries had to offer in a moment of clarity made me think long and hard. I have a lot more respect for myself now than I did a year ago, and it just seems that, if I have the choice, even if I have to pay more, I really want to start eating more organic food. I want to move from just transforming in life... to transforming in life, respect, and balance.

And, of course, I'm not condemning anyone who doesn't eat organic. Conventional produce made my entire healing/transformation possible. The variety of organic food is also not as wide, where I am, certain things are sadly very expensive.

BUT. I think I would like to make an even more conscious effort to be respectful to everyone in the "vibration of life" equation when I can, myself, planet, and everyone and everything included. This also made me really see the appeal of eating locally, and only makes me want to find a nice place to forage even more.

So, those are just my thoughts on the more spiritual side of organic, I suppose. Or the wise thoughts of the strawberries that were revealed to me. :O

Edit: In fact, I'm sure the strawberries revealed that to me. >8)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2008 03:12AM by phantom.

[www.youtube.com]

lol... just to screw you up some more

but I think organic is more ethical... and more often than not better quality. I have read about the farmers and whatnot who get messed up from working around the chemicals.

I personally will eat a lower brix organic, then eat a higher brix food that isnt...

I think the key is to look at the foods your buying after testing them with the brix. See what a really good fruit looks like... check the color, smell, and texture. Soon you will be able to do it on instinct. I heard the rounder the better.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2008 03:51AM by Context.

You can get a guide from the Environmental Working Group (EWG):

[www.foodnews.org]

From their web site:

What's the Difference?

An EWG simulation of thousands of consumers eating high and low pesticide diets shows that people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead. Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose a person to about 14 pesticides per day, on average. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose a person to less than 2 pesticides per day. Less dramatic comparisons will produce less dramatic reductions, but without doubt using the Guide provides people with a way to make choices that lower pesticide exposure in the diet.

Thanks, phantom, for your thoughts. You've outlined a lot of the same reasons I gravitate toward organics. I can't always tell the difference in taste, but a lot of the time it's like night and day and my taste perception is improving.

I find the BRIX idea highly suspicious. The woman in the video Context posted seemed to feel that the BRIX was able to summarize everything good and bad about a fruit instantly and offer a rating. When a piece of conventional fruit got a higher rating than she expected she said, "maybe it's locally grown or something". What the heck? Is the device supposed to be able to detect that, balance it against other quality issues and assign a properly weighted quality rating? Doesn't that seem like a lot for that tiny little thing to accomplish?

brix is an indicator of quality of produce...

the better the brix, the longer the shelf life... the lower the brix, the lower the shelf life. A moldy fruit is not a healthy fruit.

A fruit that has been imported from far away is most likely to have a low brix. But check the smell of the fruit, taste it if you can... is it "seedless" ?... is it mature? is it local? what is its color?

I keep a refractometer at home to check my food.... but I try to trust my instincts.

Is that what the brix is supposed to detect? Shelf life?

[www.crossroads.ws]

A simple explanation, from my understanding, is that the higher the brix... the better quality the produce. A high brix produce is the result of a fruit, that had excellent growing conditions.

Unfortunately, in the western world... profits trumps everything, and the more produce sold the better the profits. And quality is sacrificed. However even crazy things happen, like with monsanto... where organic is proven better yeilding time and again... yet herbacides and thier hybrid seed are still used. A large problem with organic, is it takes alot of money to get that seal of approval. So sometimes regular food is organic.... it just hasnt been stamped.

Context:

What is a refractometer? Is is better than the brix? Never heard of the brix before either but after reading the posts kinda got THAT point.

~lanie

So beautiful Phantom. I love how you put this. I've been eating organic produce for at least 10 years, while I was a vegetarian. I can immediately tell if produce is organic or not, just by smell. It is one of the reasons I cannot eat just any old salad or fruit in a SAD restaurant if I'm out socializing with my non-raw friends. Or even if I'm at someone's house. I hardly go out anymore to eat, but if I do I usually bring an emergency meal with me especially if I'm hanging out with non-raw people. Eating non-organic produce to me is the same thing as eating meat these days. My body does not like it. I can immediately taste the chemicals and poisons and I get physically sick.

This is slightly off topic, but I experience the same thing with people who swim in their cologne or perfume. I smell the cologne and the body odor they're trying to cover up. I smell illness.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/2008 12:14AM by rawangel.

lanie

- a refractometer tests the brix count

Oh, okay. Thanks context.

~lanie