Coconut Bliss and other findings of the day

So I was craving ice cream last night, but also wanted to make sure I chose something that was at least somewhat healthy and life-force generating. In Natalia Rose's two books, she recommends goat's milk ice cream as the best transition ice cream. Well, I'm not too fond of that idea. It was hard enough (mentally) when I tried raw goat cheese. I'd like to avoid all other forms of dairy. As I dismissed the goat milk ice cream idea, I suddenly remembered a brand of ice cream I've always wanted to try, "Coconut Bliss." I remember it being vegan and made from simple ingredients. The first time I went raw, I almost thought Coconut Bliss was raw. Now that I know how to recognize truly raw products, I know that it is not, but it IS very healthy according to my knowledge and in comparison to the other ice creams available. Coconut Bliss comes in quite a few amazing-sounding flavors, are all organic, dairy free, soy free, and vegan. The main ingredient is coconut milk and the only sweetener is agave nectar, one of the healthiest forms of sweetener (in raw form, agave nectar is my sweetener of choice at home when I make smoothies, home-made ice creams, puddings, desserts, and for sweetening just about everything from tea to salad dressings.) I brought home the Cherry Amaretto flavor and immediately fell in love. I ate half the pint last night! Today I bought another pint; chocolate hazelnut fudge. Holy yum. This ice cream is like magic! I thought I would have to make my own ice creams for the rest of my life in order to eat pure! While I'm sure Coconut Bliss is not quite as "life-force generating" as immediately-consumed-home-made raw ice creams, it is definitely the best choice in the freezer section by far. There are only two downsides: 1.) I love ice cream so much that my tummy has no limits and I can easily binge on a pint without remorse...OK, maybe a little remorse. 2.) Coconut Bliss is a lot more expensive than other ice creams ($5-$6 a pint) but WELL worth it considering the amazing, simple, healthy, organic ingredients. I can't wait to try all these flavors! Check out your local Whole Foods and PCC, and any other grocer, as I believe this brand is popping up all over the place. I bought my first pint at the West Seattle Thriftway!

Oh, and in other news; I've tested something out: not eating anything until I am hungry. It sounds simple, but here's the story: I work at Starbucks, and I usually work the opening shift. This means I wake up around 3:30 or 4. What I've been doing (after reading Natalia Rose's books and her suggestion of drinking "green lemonade" before consuming anything else) is waking up and drinking fresh veggie/fruit/greens juice. Although I am rarely ever remotely hungry that early, I drink it anyway, knowing it is my only chance unless I want to wait until after work (1-2pm.) And while the juice makes me feel good and awake, I've noticed that I just get hungry for food earlier than I would if I woke up later or didn't drink anything at all. Naturally, the body does not need food this early to begin with. I've read a lot of books (the first being Stanley Burrough's Master Cleanse book, I believe) explaining how the digestive system actually works best if no solid food is consumed until after noon (and if one must consume solid food, fresh fruit is the best choice) and it is even better to refrain from eating or drinking anything until you are truly hungry or thirsty. There is really no benefit from jump-starting your sleeping digestive system before you really need to. Anyhow, for the past couple days, I've woken up FULL; not just not hungry; I can tell my body does not want or need anything. As I don't currently have a travel bottle to put my green juice in to drink later, I've tried, for the past two days, to just abstain from eating while at work. I've brought enough fruit and raw snack bars with me just in case I become ravenous, but I haven't needed them. Perhaps I've just been eating too large of dinners and my digestion is backed up, or maybe I'm becoming more sensitve to my body's needs. Whatever the reason, here are my results so far: yesterday, I didn't eat until noon, and that was when I finally decided I should have some green juice (although I still wasn't exactly hungry). And today I didn't eat until about 2pm, when I was finally feeling like I needed something and ate a banana. And how did I feel during my work day? Great! My mind was clear, my tummy felt calm. During my breaks I would sip on warm water which would fill any emptyness I felt (it was wierd, I felt emptyness but not hunger. I could tell there was a difference). I never got the shakes, never felt starved. So I intend on following this theory for a few more days to see if my findings are consistent. I would, however, like to purchase a water bottle in the near future so when hunger does strike, green juice is the first thing I consume. According to Rose (and countless others) green juice (and green smoothies) is one of the best things you can consume every day. Green juice, made from different greens (I like kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, celery, cucumber--give or take more or less variety at a time; sometimes I mix it up, sometimes I choose just one green--juiced with carrots, apples, ginger, lemon, or other fresh fruit like pineapple) contains tons of live enzymes, chlorophyll, and vitamins, is best consumed immediately and on an empty stomach. However, I'm sure drinking it later (keeping it very cold or frozen) is better than not drinking it at all. So anyhow, I'm rambling a little now. Basically, I think I feel better when I eat minimally in the a.m. hours, no matter how long I've been awake. Oh yeah, and the scale showed me I lost another couple pounds today, too! wow! So I'll continue with this experiment, hopefully purchase a water bottle soon, and see how it turns out! Maybe I'm closer to loosing those last 5 pounds than I thought!