Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts

2 salads

Put fruits in your salad boys and girls! Strawberry and mango is a favorite. The sweetness of them both cuts well with the peppery arugula and a tangy black pepper/lemon/cilantro dressing.
Tacos used to be a favorite back in the old times, this variety is easy and good for you: Heat olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and a tiny amount of cayenne pepper in a pan. Throw in some properly cut raw organic walnuts. Mix around, let it all get warm and well incorporated, and serve over a salad of choice. I do like a basic lettuce-tomato-cucumber-onion bowl with this (you could pan fry thin slices of onion in the pan before you add the spices and walnuts too if you fancy.) Eat as a salad or wrap it all up in a nice little bread.

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Golden nutrients


health benefits of turmeric ayurvedic medicine super foods
In today's heavily polluted and over-intoxicated world where GMO's, pesticides, toxic plastics and dangerous chemical elements such as lead, mercury, fluoride, chlorine, arsenic and god knows what else is part of each human beings everyday lives to some extent - it feels important to take to the small measures one can to protect our bodies.

Eating organic, drinking filtered water and avoiding processed and manipulated foods is a good start, but to add some real natural "medicine" to the equation is an added weapon in your body's fight against unnatural enemies. Super foods, as they call it, come from mother nature and they are extremely nutrient dense, meaning they provide a much higher dose of health benefits for their weight compared to other fruit, vegetables, herbs, greens and nuts. Super foods is also a successful marketing term for the health industry to sell more overpriced products (companies cashing in on people's fears and insecurities can be found on each side of the coin), but there are some natural treasures that has proven for centuries to have a positive effect on human health.

Turmeric, is one such golden star. This yellow herb/spice, indigenous to Southeast Asia and cousin to Ginger, is as you might know, widely known and appreciated for its culinary use. All those wonderful Indian curry dishes are dyed and flavored by this root. Equally, the spice mix you all know as curry (powder), has a main base of turmeric hence the warm, deep mustard colour.

This powerful root, packed with antioxidants which is of major help in protecting our cells against free radicals, has long been used in Chinese and Indian medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions including eczema, infections, liver problems, anemia, menstrual difficulties, bloody urine, hemorrhage, flatulence, toothache, bruises, chest pain, fungal infections, colic and the common flu.

As a herbal concoction it lowers cholesterol, thins the blood and fights clotting. Due to these beneficial properties, it is said about the turmeric that it helps prevent strokes and heart attacks. In its successful antioxidant fight against free radicals, it is also believed that a higher consumption of turmeric has good effect in slowing down aging, preventing and combating growth of cancer cells, and even avert Alzheimer's disease. Both the Alzheimer and the cancer medicine industries are enormous so there are as many articles speaking against natural medicine as there are ones that speak for it. Companies that make billions on us being sick does not want us to know about or rely on cheap, natural remedies. So it is like always up to each one of us to choose which side to believe in and act according to what we feel seems more legit. 

As I have seen the positive effects of healthy, natural, organic, non-manipulated foods in both myself and others, I choose to feed my body with all the good that comes from mother nature. So as part of my regular morning ritual consisting of a large green and fruity smoothie or a warming bowl of oatmeal/nuts/fruit, I also drink a cup of hot water with a teaspoon freshly grated turmeric or a teaspoon ground turmeric. 
 
In its pure form curcumin (the potent yellow/orange pigment of turmeric) is poorly absorbed by the human body (curcumin is insoluble in water and the human body is mostly made up of water), that is why mixing it with some sort of oil is crucial to benefit from it the most. Coconut oil is the lighter, sweeter option, but I sometimes go with olive oil too. To take it one step further, experts say that Piperine, the active ingredient in black pepper, boosts the bio-availability by 2000% so add a few turns on the peppermill to let the nutrients become better available to your body and have them work in their most effective ways. I like adding some grated ginger and a few drops of maple syrup for extra flavor. You could definitely boil up almond milk instead of water for a more creamy concoction. They say two drinks like this a day will help your immune system tremendously. Always make sure you use organic turmeric and ginger to avoid the negative effects of pesticides.
 
Just one of those little things one can make oneself used to and which could show dramatic positive effect on your health if made regularly. 

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Choose wisely

Please watch this my friends. Not so much news for some of us, but nonetheless an important reminder. Knowing what exactly you're feeding yourself and your children should be the number one priority in life. It is part of the foundation of creating a healthy future. Robyn O'Brien is a former financial analyst from Texas who after her youngest child had an allergy reaction begun learning about the food supply, and slowly realizing just how manipulated it had been in favor of profit. Just like Vani Hari aka the Foodbabe, Robyn has helped to lead a food awakening among consumers, corporations and politicians here in America.

Follow her on Facebook so you get the informative stuff right into your phone. I believe that in order to get in tune with what is truly important, it is tremendously helpful to stop following or reading pages with little real substance, and instead use your precious time learning from people and movements that can help guide you towards the healthy and important things in life. Remember, your life is shaped by each choice that you make.

Read here for more of my articles on food health and how we can make better choices for ourselves.

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Food news

There are so many of these movies out now, which is only a good thing. The more people that get aware of the American governments unwillingness to help its citizens become/remain healthy, strong and thriving, the better. Everyone has to start taking care of themselves now, and stop relying on governmental institutions and corrupt media. You can download the full length of this movie on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play or get it on DVD.

What else is new on the food front? 

The most Michelin starred chef in the world, Alain Ducasse, who heads thirty restaurants in three continents and whom has received 21 Michelin stars with his name - is ditching red meat and cream from his newly renovated and world renowned restaurant in the historic luxury hotel Plaza Athénée on Avenue Montaigne in Paris. If that doesn't say something about the future of food, then what does.

Although the French could be considered extremely traditional and adamant in their ways of eating and cooking meats such as duck, veal, frog and rabbit, this initiative isn't something entirely new for the French haute cuisine. Already 13 years ago, another world famed Michelin starred chef, Alain Passard, introduced a mainly vegetarian menu to his clients at the elaborate dining room of L'Arpège in Paris.

This is what I would recommend for your lunch today, rather than a greasy bacon burger, for example:
My creamy roasted carrot soup with vegetable stock and ginger, garnished with non-gmo alfalfa and a side of toasted homemade ryebread, all ingredients organic. Wash it down with a large glass of filtered water with freshly squeezed lemon for a good cleanse. Yes, I will post some recipes up here soon..

And last but not least: With over 35 bills introduced in 20 states that would require the labeling of Monsanto's products, its CEO and a handful of other execs dump shares worth millions. Are we close to the final chapter of GMO's in the society? At least we're getting closer every day. US corn farmers have also recently launched a $1 billion lawsuit against Syngenta (competitor of Monsanto), claiming that the biotech giant has caused massive damage to the demand for US corn on the international market. If other countries don't want these genetically engineered products, have U.S. farmers been misled in growing them? Three class action lawsuits have been filed by U.S. farmers and I have a feeling this is just the beginning of a very important snowball effect.

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daily progress

THIS is how happy one become when opening the oven to find such a perfectly cooked - golden, fluffy, sweet scenting, crispy apple cake made with fresh apples from the local farm. Cooking, and more so, baking, vegan foods is a whole different league altogether and it makes me extremely happy and proud each time my experiments lead me to a recipe that is so good that even non-vegan people love what they taste and come back for more. I honestly thought it was going to be hard working against all the stuff most people are used to - butter, eggs and milk - but really, it's just the first threshold that you've got to get past. Now that I know how to substitute each one of them so well, that is when things start to get interesting for real.
And when the bread you let rise for 14 hours comes out of the oven like this... worth all the wait in the world.
Oven roasted mushrooms with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Perfectly fine to eat as snacks as they are (I always end up eating half off the tray as they come out), or chop them up into stews or soups. J'adore.

You people are so quiet here in the blog these days (more active on Facebook it seems), hence slower updates from over here. Hope you all have had a great summer and that you too are working on some fulfilling things this fall and winter!

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it is what we let it be

These picture does not have much to do with the text below, just shows one of the last times I went out for drinks a couple months ago. Nice cocktail bar at The Hawthorne in Boston.
The food culture and the way companies make money on making people sick here in the US really is the biggest turn off for me. Makes an informed individual avoid spending money and hence contribute less to the national economy. We all should do that. Stop spending money on unhealthy, unethical and downright dangerous foods, and demand transparency and responsibility from the big food corporations. For your health and for the future of this vulnerable earth.

I am probably the most anti-social person there is right now. Haven't been out in ages, and it feels pretty good because I have so much that I dream of fulfilling work wise and I ought to keep my focus and priorities straight. Another reason to why I have so easy to avoid restaurants these days (I used to love going out for nice, warm, inspiring dinners before arriving to the US) is that I truly have hard eating out here in America, knowing that most of the food you get served in restaurants here are not really real food, but made of ingredients filled with genetically modified organisms, fillers, synthetic binders, unnatural flavors and colours (not even talking about all the hormones cause I do not eat meat, and dairy only on extremely rare occasions). You know all those things that are banned in food production in Europe, but for money reasons are still allowed here in the US. There aren't that many establishments around here that serves purely organic, non-gmo food with lots of vegan options, so honestly, why waste money when I can make all what I want myself from scratch?

I know how pessimistic and awful this sounds, but it is the reality and I have always preferred being a realist rather than closing my eyes and escaping the truth. The more we know, the more complicated life becomes in one sense. But on the other hand, knowledge also gives us a chance to open our hearts to the truly real things in life. Even if they seem so few these days. Knowledge helps us reduce the distance and mental barriers between ourselves and all the wrong we have been taught (or brainwashed with) previously.

There are moments, for example when Alex and I ride the bike on our short weekend trips, that I for a second can feel a sadness for not being able to stop by McDonalds for a burger, or a road side diner and truly enjoy a greasy pizza and an ice-cold coke. You know the way one had always visualized a road trip through big ole America. And while it still happens that I give in and shut my brain off for a moment, and eat a slice or two of a veggie pizza with a crust made by gmo corn flour, additives and toxic fillers, and just a tad of cheese filled with antibiotic and growth hormones in one of the cute old-school pizza restaurants that we drive past, there's no way I can ever enjoy the experience like I probably would have, say, only two-three years ago. I know too much now.

Alex whom always have had a deep love for animals sometimes jokes (with a bit of truth in it) that he wish I had never started investigating in the way farm animals are treated, as the pleasure he always felt by carelessly eating meat now has decreased dramatically to the extent that he chooses to eat meat only approx. twice weekly. It's a weird thing, to suddenly gain a whole new uncomfortable perspective on something you've always taken for granted. How can you learn to despise something you've always loved? Or thought you loved. Glad to say that neither of us have been to a Burger King or McDonalds in over a year now.

This is an informative clip from Oprah's world, when her and her 300 something staff went vegan for a week.

The slaughter house they get to visit in the clip above is obviosuly the most modern facility in the United States (thanks to the work of PETA) and it is a much better place to be for your last day in life as an animal than most other slaughter houses so keep that in mind. The final day reality for animal slaves soon to be burgers, steaks and pizza toppings is most of the times much worse.

GMO as a subject is not brought up in the video, but the corn the cows are being fed there is not natural corn, but genetically modified. As it is in all cases in America unless you buy certified organic grassfed meat. Also I do not think meat substitutes are the greatest thing in the world like the veganista talks about here, as they too often contain tons of additives and gmo soy and corn (unless they are non-gmo certified). There is so much more good, healthy vegan meals you easily can make yourself. I'll show you later on.

Another thing I'd like to recommend, many American readers have probably heard of Foodbabe already, if not, head over there immediately if you have the slightest interest in your future health, especially if you're American. This post of hers shows well what a huge difference of ingredients that is used in some of the most commercial food brands in the US vs. Europe. Foodbabe, or Vani Hari that is her real name, is a food activist who has got companies such as Kraft, Subway, Starbucks and many more to change their ingredients due to her strong voice, knowledge and the massive following she has on her blog. Read this for an overall view of the largest cases she's successfully worked on and the outstanding changes she's accomplished.

Her activist work is obviously not popular with the big food corporations, but her willingness to expose the truth about food in an understandable manner has helped hundreds of thousand people to start eating healthier. In a country with 33% obesity and a rapid increase of cancer, autism and other illnesses that are caused by processed foods and toxins found in the water and food supply, people like her are well needed.

For a whole other reason than food I went in on Target the other day, and I was positively surprised to see what an extensive organic food collection they boasted with. Juices and crackers that I've normally become familiar with at Whole Foods were at Target priced at 20-40% less. And I recently read that Walmart who with an internal research discovered that 91% of their customers would buy organic if the price was lower (I had no clue that Walmart even sold foods?), is now teaming up with Wild Oats to create an in-house line of 100 products of affordable organic foods. A great initiative and intent to drive down organic food prices in the country.

The change is happening, albeit slowly. But the more we choose to spend our dollars on good, organic and non-gmo foods, the faster will we see an increase of better food on the shelves, for a price that suits more people. Organic food should not have to be as expensive as it is right now. Consumer demand drives the market and it is not before we demand a change by living by example that a change will come. And for every time you opt for buying foods that are harmful to the world and your own health, you add on distance to the healthy change in our food supply that we all need now, and especially for our future.

You do look for these two labels when you go grocery shopping, don't you?
 
I can't say I fully trust the USDA labeling with all its loopholes in regulations but I definitely have faith in the independent non-profit, non-governmental Non-Gmo Project so a combination of these both is what I'm looking for, but always the Non-Gmo one. My local organic fruit and veggies come from farms and markets in the neighborhoods, and tropical and non seasonal imported is always organic. I don't want pesticides and toxins in my smoothie just because someone else decided they make more profit that way.

I know that this particular Non-Gmo labeling only can be found in the US and Canada. But you might have other labels in other countries that helps you avoid the bad stuff? Most European countries as well as Australia and many South American, African and Asian countries demand labeling of all GMO's which has forced American companies to change their ingredients in products sold outside the US to such without genetically engineered organisms. But still, please read the ingredient information on all food you intend eating. And Americans, do not give your precious hard earned money away to people that do not care about you nor your health. Okay?

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Food in our everyday lives

Oh food. Such a delicate, controversial yet so life important subject, especially if you live in the United States where big companies make big bucks on poisoning the world and society with something they call food, but which in reality is something completely different. Dangerous pesticides are sprayed on fields consisting of something reminiscent of food, but which has been altered in such a way that it has lost its DNA, in favor of profit. The pesticides used on these fields all over America can later on be found in the groundwater (most peoples drinking water), and even in raindrops. 

These poisonous substances does not only make us and our children sicker and sicker in form of a steady increase of asthma, cancer, autism, birth defects only to name a few. But it also destroys the earth and nature for future generations. Not to mention how the meat industry is responsible for a high level of deforestation around the world, how it pollutes the air with its 575 billions of pound of waste each year in the US (that's half a trillion tons of bacteria, parasite, urine, blood that must go somewhere) and last but not least, the purely selfish thing that it is, to breed and take the lives of 3 billion animals a year, only in the United States.

It's tiring and so indescribably sad, the reality that our life necessary food has come to with such a devastating change in the past thirty-forty years. And it feels like we constantly must be on our guard to not let the evil enter too near into our lives. That is, if you care about your health, the nature and the worlds future. 

Exactly that has grown to become one of my most valued interests and I feel I cannot not care about it and do something about it all in the small ways that I can, because I've realized that everything starts from there. We need food, without food we cannot survive. But what are we willing to sacrifice in order to get fed? And how can we help each other to eliminate the bad, and lead a healthier life?

This past year I have come to better know the food industry from the inside. Through a few restaurants, cafes and other food businesses I've dealt with food on a daily basis this past year. From sourcing of ingredients and produce, to help preparing it, and finally interacting with the consumers in various environments. I made it my mission to obtain a broader understanding of what it is one actually get served, and how aware the general person is when it comes to what they ingest. 

It's been an internal and personal study purely for myself until now, but seeing how important the issue is, and how little most people are aware, it has made me convinced to take my passion to another level, and actively fight for peoples right to know what is in their food. 
From these various kitchens and dining rooms around the state, I am now back in my experimental kitchen corner that my friend so kindly set up and let me use, and which is part of a larger commercial kitchen complex. This is pure awesomeness of course in every which way, especially since the complex is filled with nice and friendly human guinea-pigs that most of the times (haha!) are happy to try my all organic, non-gmo and vegan concoctions before I, hopefully one day, will introduce them to the public. 

I will tell you more about my plans and ideas later on, but one thing that I have been thinking of, to let you into my little world of food, is to post a series of short videos. Where I go through everything from how to prepare quick, easy and delicious vegan meals, what products I love and which I believe is good to stay away from, how to do grocery shopping a more conscious every day business, meeting with inspiring people and much more.

I've been marinating this video idea for over a year but haven't really had time to go about it before now. But before I start, I would need to know if this is something you'd be interested in? How health and environmentally conscious do you eat and buy groceries today, and would you be interested in learning more? Given that I spend almost all my awaken time thinking, planning, studying, cooking, baking and researching about food, I feel it's a waste to not share my ideas and discoveries with others :)

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go vego

From Stockholm across the Atlantic ocean to Boston harbour. A fresh delicate issue of Sweden's most interesting new magazine. If you have to choose just one subscription this year, let it be something good as this one. Wish it was written in English so the whole world could take part of the goodness.

It is my wonderful, intelligent friend Sofia Dahlén that has created this magazine together with her writing/cooking partner Mattias Kristiansson. VEGO contains only vegan foods as the name reveals, and it's packed with delicious, colourful meals, desserts and drinks, inspiring interviews, informative and educative articles and absolutely stunning photography. It's pretty much a genius production in every sense of the word. 

I have many of my good, conscious, genuine, unselfish and very smart friends to thank for many things in my life. Just the fact that I finally last year decided to remove meat and dairy from my daily concoctions is one such important thing that i at last realized was the only right thing to do, and the woman behind this particular magazine was one of the ones who influenced me the most to take that positive step forward.

Look forward to trying some of these new recipes out here on the boat. Cauliflower pasta, carrot soup, broccoli patties, Indian lentil stew, red hot chili burgers with sweet potato wedges, coconut/toffee cupcakes… 

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about hair

Having spent 90% of my last three years under unforgiving tropical sun and in salty air and water, my hair became extremely fragile and thin at the end. It's only a couple months ago that I finally started to see a difference in quality, and my hair suddenly appears thicker, shinier and more voluminous that I can ever remember it to have been without the help of extensions.

The ends aren't still in the best shape and I probably should cut another four inches or so to get rid of the most damaged parts (I did cut off five cm the other day already), but overall I can feel just how more healthy the new hair that is growing out is, and how much more life it has as a whole. Being in milder climate probably helps some of the maintenance, but how the new hair looks and feels like is definitely the result of a better diet.

Having cut out (almost all) meat and dairy from my life has not only made my body more lean and athletic (thankfully getting some curves back now though with the various oils I'm supplementing with btw), but also my energy level and the quality of my hair has increased dramatically. That despite this super cold climate.

Do you see how pale my skin is though. Feeling transparent. Not so much left of that tan anymore… 

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wellness from within


What's a better way to start a day than with a glass or plate of natural organic goodness from mother earth? 

Being exposed to cold weather like this, it is important to keep skin and body hydrated with natural oils. You can splash as much expensive creams and oils on the surface, but it is from the inside that you'll find balance and peace for everything in life.

I've lost quite some weight lately due to the fact that I very seldom eat meat and dairy, so I need to top up my oil levels with the help of other sources. Due to both weight loss and the fact that I'm not 25 any longer, my skin has lost much of the elasticity and fullness (baby face) it once had. It could be considered beautiful when a face gets more character with age, but once the production of collagen slows down as it does for everyone after a certain age, imperfections and lines will also be highlighted. 

I never had perfect skin, I've dealt with mild teenage and hormonal acne that I've been able to keep under somewhat control, and not before now (unfortunately this late in life) have I fully understood the importance of how my diet, lifestyle and environment impacts the look of my face.

I don't believe much in overpriced medication or expensive chemical treatments and branded cremes, but I embrace organic skin care products and think they do good in every day maintenance. What is of greatest importance though is a well balanced lifestyle and food intake.

My everyday philosophy is therefore:
  • To drink as much water that seems reasonable. I guess I could squeeze in almost a gallon/3l per day. Water is such a tricky question yet so necessary for our existence. If I don't have access to tap water with a good carbon filter on, I purchase spring water in BPA-free bottles which unfortunately is super destructive for the planet, not to mention expensive. To produce our own drinking water from sea water is obviously the best thing for us, but the water maker on the boat can't be used when in a marina due to the polluted water in harbour areas, and to purify the water that comes from the city, is also not an option as the membrane of the water maker would get destroyed with the high amount of chlorine that they use in the regular water circuit. In many developed countries you can still find good drinking water straight from the tap but I wouldn't trust it completely outside of Scandinavia and some other European countries. Not sure how it is in for example Australia, New Zealand and South Africa?
  • Brisk walks provide you with fresh air and oxygen, it increases heart rate and blood circulation and it also offers a good meditative time alone in the nature. Can never go wrong with a 40 min walk.
  • Vitamin D is obtained from sunlight, but as it is equally important to protect skin from the dangerous sun rays, you could top up your D-levels with shiitake mushrooms, wild caught fatty fish such as salmon, halibut, mackerel or tuna if you eat that. And it is also found in fortified organic cereals and soy milk.
  • A simple, de-cluttered life full of genuine love, peace and happiness, and as little disturbances and stress as possible is the key to everything, so also to good health. A minimalistic lifestyle is what works best for me, and my mantra is to have less and be at peace with every aspect, material, person that my life is infused with, rather than filling it with things, people or events that has no genuine, soulful or fulfilling meaning to me. 
  • Alcohol only on rare occasions. Good red wine doesn't do much harm if consumed in moderation, and I obviously love it when a good reason for it is given. But as with everything else, I have realized that no good things are to be overdone, which it has taken me many years to conclude. 


  • Vitamin C is an antioxidant that slows the rate of free-radical damage (free radicals are unstable molecules that damage collagen and cause skin dryness, fine lines, scar formation and wrinkles). I get my Vitamin C from citrus fruits, broccoli, kale, strawberries, avocados, papaya, brussel sprouts, pineapple. 
  • Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep the body's nerve and blood cells healthy, and which is especially important for us who eat very little or no meat and dairy at all. It can be found in soy milk, tempeh, miso, fortified cereals. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent megaloblastic anemia which can make us feeling tired and weak so be sure to get enough of this. I remember when I first quit meat from my diet, my eyes were often red and dry, and that was probably due to the lack of Vitamin B12.
  • Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin found in many nuts, fruits and vegetables. It's an antioxidant that both protects and repairs your skin, and it also helps boosting our immune system. I get what I need from almonds and avocados which provides some of the highest percentage of your RDI of vitamin E.

    • Omega 3 fatty acids for the important EPA and DHA that can be found in both fish and seafood but also in flax, sesame and sunflower seed oils that are good supplements for vegans and vegetarians. I take a spoon per day of this Organic Non-Gmo oil blend that I found at Whole Foods. Be very careful though when you buy American brand oils as a majority of them contain genetically modified organisms. Make sure it has the Non Gmo stamp and is produced in accordance with organic guidelines. 

    If you eat fish as I do 1-2 times per week, this is a good nutritious meal. Consisting of (only organic produce) - baby broccoli and tomatoes for Vitamin E. Cayenne pepper, parsley and kale for Vitamin A. Omega 3 oil in wild caught Alaskan salmon and in the coconut oil and olive oil in which I fried the fish. Shiitake mushrooms provide vitamin D as does the fish. Sodium from natural sea salt, vitamin C from freshly squeezed lemon and the potatoes. And some onion, leek, pepper and spices to taste.

    I sometimes wonder which planet I was living on before I fully embraced the practices and knowledge of how my diet and lifestyle affects my health, skin and well being. I guess priorities always change as we grow older. And good thing is that it's never too late to learn more.

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    choose life

    Mmm, some chocolate pudding for breakfast. For breakfast? Yes, because you're an adult and you can do as you please. The good thing with this particular chocolate pudding is that it is truly good for you.

    4 ingredients: 1 banana, 1 ripe avocado, 1tbs unsweetened Dutch cacao and a teaspoon or two of agave nectar.

    You might think the avocado messes up the taste? It doesn't, it gives it a creamy, round flavor and given the nutritional value of this composition, you could be eating chocolate pudding any day of the week, any hour of the day. Add some raspberries, vegan chocolate chips or any of your preferred organic chocolate to give more flavor. Imma gonna try some blueberries in next round.
    Here's a little something showing why food in especially this country isn't to be trusted. Many countries in the world have banned the use and production of GMO's and other dangerous chemicals in food, and not to mention certain hazardous prescription drugs, while here in United States you do not even have the right to know if the food you buy contains genetically modified crops or not. Why? Well…. have a look and you might understand what, like always, is the driving force number one for politicians.

    The same companies that produces modified genes, supply toxic pesticides/herbicides for farming and use hormones and antibiotics in factory farms (all of these toxins which you later on will find on your plate), are the very same guys that are responsible for "protecting" this country's public health through regulations and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines and more. They are politicians and lobbyists who, in a perfect world, should be on the consumers side in regards to regulations and health concerns, but in real life only cares about profit.

    One would wish that ones government was working for the society and for the health and safety of its own people, unfortunately that is just an utopia. 

    The reason to why you experience organic food as expensive, is because the food that you call "normally priced", is cheap only because of the subsidies that has been made in favor of the people who has some sort of relation to all the non-real food that today makes up most of the food that is find in this society. Real farmers are rapidly being suppressed and as the video tells you, receives no governmental aid in keeping up the good job they live for. And which quite literally, would save our future.

    Please be aware of what you eat and what you feed your children. Just because something is labeled "approved by FDA or USDA" - it doesn't necessarily mean that you are in safe hands. If you cannot grow your own food, at least make sure to cook as much food as you can with organic produce, always try buying from local farmers and independent producers and look for NON GMO labeled food in the super markets. 

    8 comments

    breathe easy

    My dear friends, I have so many subjects I would wish to discuss and share with you. But ever since we got up on land, time seem to rush and run away from me so much faster. It was all so different when we still were on the boat, close to nature, far from musts and obligations. I had more time for you then, it seems. I'm sorry for that and hoping to find a better rhythm and more opportunities to blog, soon.

    Changes are enormous with the life we previously lead and the landlubber style to which we're now trying our best to adapt. Before I go ahead and list the major distinctions that I see of the two very different worlds, I would just like to point out how very much more important it is (for me) to take time for introspection and meditating, when one is suddenly swirled up into a busy and somewhat draining urban lifestyle again.

    Some days I feel like my head is going to explode of all (most often) unnecessary noises and impressions that my view, hearing and senses are catching up around me, and I'm dying to get out of it completely to regain utter harmony and quietness. But then I remind myself of the importance of doing what we're doing here right now, and I need to instead find a way to cope with the clutter. Instead of reacting negatively at each disturbance, I do what I can to filtrate. I'm thinking of you, when I write this. All of you who are used to a hectic life with duties and obligations. Do you have a good way to slow down and gain inner peace in between it all?

    Practicing meditation is something I began on the seas a couple years ago and it has grown to become a very important, almost every-day sanctuary for my soul and mind. Before I started, the word meditation had almost a pretentious sound to me and I thought it was something only weird people that just wanted to be a little different, were doing. Luckily I quickly realized that like with many other pursuits in life, it is what you make of it. Just like yoga or any regular training form, it can be made just the way that suits your own life and needs and doesn't have to be complicated at all. Quite the contrary, meditation has opened my mind and heart to the extent I wouldn't been able to reach without it. It has calmed me down and given me balance.

    If you haven't practiced meditation earlier, I can quickly inform you that the point of it is to for a moment disconnect from all external noise and stress of your everyday life. It gives you a chance to find peace and quietness and lets you embrace a mental calmness that only comes from within your own soul. You can do it in the traditional lotus position, or just about how and anywhere else whenever you can take some time off to close your eyes and breath calmly in a peaceful and quiet environment.

    I prefer starting my mornings with a 10-20 minutes laying down in bed with my eyes shut, right after I wake up. Other times, whenever I'm alone and I feel that I need to take a break from the computer or other work, I just lay or sit down somewhere comfortable for a while and let my mind get some rest.

    The way to get started with meditation is to concentrate on a specific object or establish a point of focus, with the eyes either opened or closed. I prefer closed as it feeds me less disturbance, but open if I have the ocean before me, for its calming effect. We all know how easy one thought replaces the other in our over stimulated, fragmented minds. But to avoid this happening, you can silently repeat a word or a phrase, audibly or internally reciting a prayer or chant, visualizing and focusing on an image or object to hold onto. To follow your breaths and be an observer of bodily sensations are also optional focal points. Always make sure that your spine is straight in order to breathe easy.

    When you've learnt to concentrate on your breathing or the mantra or object you've chosen as your way of meditating, the next challenge is to remove the very same thoughts, and ultimately find a gap in between where your mind thinks nothing. The more often you practice, the better you'll inevitably become at it.

    Meditation not only teaches you how to manage stress, the reducing of stress and gain of harmony will in turn enhance your overall physical health as well as your emotional well-being. The idea of meditating is not to get anything in particular, but rather to look at and let go of anything that your life does not need.

    Have a look at what David Lynch has to say about meditation, the transcendental being his choice:

    “The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. 
    With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.” 
    ~ Thích Nhất Hạnh ~

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    bok choy


    .. is an underrated leaf vegetable. A visit to the Chinese market and I always get reminded of its existence. In olive oil I brown onion, garlic and other vegetables (preferably alfalfa, squash and/or aubergine) before I toss the chopped bok choy in and stir it continuously to not let it boil in its own water. Pouring a 20% vinegar, 30% soya sauce and 50% water mixture with grated ginger, black pepper & some thickener in the pan and let it all simmer for a few minutes. Best served with basmati rice, or why not pasta and some good wholewheat bread. 

    Bok choy is packed with vitamin A, C and K as well as folate and it is uniquely beneficial for its calcium availability. It's lower in oxalate, a substance that binds up calcium and prevents it from being absorbed, than most other leafy greens. 54% of the calcium in bok choy can be absorbed by the human body – compared to 5% in spinach, and 32% in milk. We can much more readily absorb calcium from bok choy than from dairy products. Besides being an excellent partner in stir-fry, it's also good steamed (served with sesame oil and roasted garlic), raw or in your morning smoothie. One cup cooked leafs provides more than 100% of the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin A, and close to two-thirds the RDA of vitamin C. What's not to love?

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    Connection to the sea

    We live a few minutes walk from this beautiful stone beach. Calm evenings we can hear the waves crashing onto the shore from the porch of the house where we stay, so the presence of the sea is near even though we do not live right on the water just now. The area where we are housed this winter is very quiet and serene among all the greenery, but to be able to walk down to the ocean this swiftly, does gives life an additional dimension. 

    On our previous walk to the beach, Alex and I were discussing what exactly it is with water and the sea that makes a soul feeling calm and satisfied. It is proven through studies that people (both wealthier and the one from socioeconomic communities) who live closer to the coast have reported better health, and I guess most of us who have ever lived near or on the water can agree on the fact that water has a soothing, relaxing effect on our wellbeing. In the city with unnatural noise and crowds, we tend to release more stress hormones, for which the sea offers the opposite effect. Coastal living is also proved to better encourage physical activity.

    But what is it with the aquatic life that makes us feel at peace? Is it the never ending movement, the constant energy of the ever flowing water that feeds us with serotonin? The therapeutic dose of negative ions from the pounding wave energy that we inhale through the salty air. The way the sea keeps pushing and pushing, reminding us of that the world keeps moving around us. Or the relaxing sound of lapping waves which tends to lully our senses and which helps us reconnect with the reliable pattern of our own breathing.

    Though it might be easy for many people to forget while they're busy living a modern, urbanized life - we human beings are grown out of, and we're part of the natural world. The nature which is made up of energies and natural molecular constellations. We are born and we still live in - no matter how far or close connected to it - a natural world with which we are interconnected as much as the plants, animals and the sea. That natural connection, a way for us to get back to where we come from and which offers us a chance to heal, is probably the most metaphorically beautiful thing with water and the ocean in my humble opinion. 

    “ It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; 
    the greatest source of visual beauty; 
    the greatest source of intellectual interest. 
    It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living. ” 

    ~ Sir David Attenborough ~

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    Moving body parts

    Might have mentioned that I've lost quite some weight since I dropped meat from my diet and drastically cut down on dairy. I've purchased clothes very rarely these years at sea so I don't have a very good sense of what has been my correct size and it surely doesn't matter either. But I got a shock when I tried on clothes in a store the other day and realized I had transformed into a size 0 and even garments in that size fell loose on my skinny figure. Even though I have to work much harder now to keep some curves on my booty, I feel pretty good being this lean. Not because I lost weight per se as I wouldn't mind getting some fat or at least some better defined muscles back on (proteins and squats hello!), but because I know that (almost) nothing but good stuff gets into my system these days (always weak for baked goods and a glass of wine every now and then obviously). In between my regular workout and cardio that I find important for keeping muscles, mind and body parts in shape, I'm currently working on a few yoga poses that I'm determined to perfect. One being the classic old handstand. Focus, practice and a balanced mind is the key as in many areas and pursuits in life. The thing I've learnt from yoga as well as from our calm quiet years at sea, is that our minds and bodies are limitless when it comes to progress. As long as you've made up your mind about what you wish to achieve, there's nothing stopping you. Except sprained wrists. Moving over to headstands till my hurt hand is better.

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    When you close one door, another one opens


    Engine problems solved, oil and filter changed, three bags of laundry done (why do I always leave such a long time in between each round?), heavy stuff removed from forward storage down below, weather prognoses and charts has been carefully studied, water tanks has been filled and food has been purchased. 

    The amazing thing with having become more and more conscious about what I'm eating and the fact that I've quit meat and dairy from my diet - is that I have come closer to these beautiful, colorful guys. It feels like they've previously only worked as some anonymous accompaniments to my meals. They have never got to be the main character and thus I never really took the time to get to know them and their individual behaviors and qualities. This past month that I've been off meat and dairy, I have taken good time to experiment and curiously figure out each of their strengths. And here it comes: I have never felt better. You know I was reluctant to pronounce that cliché, but really, my energy level and my well being has gotten a great big boost in these past few weeks. Not only do I feel fresh, strong, energized and full of life (I know how silly it all sounds but it is a fact) but I also feel great pride in having taken a very important stand.

    Many people who still eat meat and dairy imagines it is a mission impossible to become a vegetarian and not to mention vegan, as the options and varieties of food seem so limited. They couldn't be more wrong. Considering the amount of angry emails and comments that I have received, with people calling me all from hypocrite to declaring they will stop reading the blog if I quit eating meat, I know there is a controversy in the society about what food are right and wrong. Like it was someone else's choice what I or you should eat. 

    The general opinion by the most aggressive commenters have been, if you go vegan, you must automatically become a perfect politically correct human being in all other aspects too. Cause no, no, you cannot be a conscious person doing something good for yourself that rhymes well with your personal ethics AND occasionally enjoy drinking champagne in five star establishments at the same time. Just like being vegan or vegetarian were some secret, hard to get to clubs where only angry, militant, pale, tree-hugging hippie people who wish to save the world are invited. Seriously, not much makes me annoyed these days, but people with no or little connection to reality do make me feel tired.

    Here's also a funny part of an email I got recently: 

    "Are you concerned that this (my new diet) will alienate a large number of your followers? I do not wish to discourage a vegetarian diet for anyone (whatever their reason might be), but since you are in a sales role of sorts, it seems to me that you would want to encourage more customers. Between the lack of videos and now the vegetarian only meals, I'm not sure we will visit the site as often."

    Oh darling, I think you have gotten it all wrong. This blog as well as this journey we're out on, is a celebration of life and purely individualistic and healthy enjoyable living that suits us two as individuals - not to please someone else nor follow destructive, old fashioned ideologies. You can have your meat and eat it if you wish, but if I can share and in some way inspire other people to take control over their own lives and make better choices for themselves, then I feel I have done something good. Besides the good I do for myself already.

    On the other hand, I absolutely love when readers get in touch with me to teach me something substantial, the ones of you who have guided me and educated me to become even more conscious about facts that I haven't noticed or thought about yet. That is the sort of healthy, mutual interaction I believe in and I am glad and proud to have collected a big bunch of very smart and intellectual readers who do think for themselves, and who are willing to share their stories, experiences and thoughts with me. Live and let live as one such intelligent reader once said.

    Here are a few famous people who all are (or were in Steve's case) vegans, just to show that it is indeed a great variety of people in the world that have converted to a healthier, more conscious lifestyle and who embrace this rapidly growing global movement. A movement which I believe is the future:
    Bill Clinton, Ellen DeGeneres, Mike Tyson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steve Jobs, Natalie Portman and MMA fighter Mac Danzig.

    Then we have the one of our readers who claimed I will have nothing to eat when I cross the Pacific, just like meat was the only thing that could be preserved for a lengthier time. So let's have a look at some of the lovely meat and dairy free meals I've made these past few weeks:
    A big favorite: Chickpea, onion and chili stew with creamy coconut sauce, served with mashed potatoes that was made with sunflower oil, oatmilk and plenty of nutmeg
    Fresh delicious mango for snacks.
    My amazingly flavorful curry that you can find the recipe to here.
    Organic granola with hazelnut milk, some crunchy green apple and freshly chopped dates on top.
    Another lovely breakfast in the making.
    Avocado, banana, kiwi, passionfruit and chia seed smoothie.
    Oops, not a perfect vegan here, so sue me! I previously told you that I still occasionally eat fish and seafood, approximately twice a week or so and will most likely be eating much of it also when we cross the Pacific ocean next year. This is a pasta vongole with clams in white wine sauce, lots of garlic, lemon, parsley and tomatoes. Ridiculously delicious.
    And the soybean stew that can be found here. Impressively similar to a tomato free meat bolognese.
    Cold soybean and lentil ratatouille on healthy, organic wholeweat bread.
    Grilled Chilean salmon fillet with white rice and a clear garlic and basil sauce. Behind is a great lentil/potato/carrot pure that I will share the recipe with you one of these days.
    Warm lentil and couscous salad with fresh herbs and veggies.
    There sure is no limit to what one can concoct that is good for yourself and the world, and which also is extremely flavorful. Deep within, we all know that the meat and dairy industries are extremely cruel and terrible, the question each one of us have to deal with is, how long can I ignore it and pretend the cruelty isn't happening. I blame both ignorance and lack of education for the first 31 years of my life  - but since I now know, there is no turning back to old behaviors. Ignorance sure is bliss and life might seem more complicated the more we know, but it's really only about your own individual mindsets. Everything in life is possible, and I am here to show you that you can both live a very healthy, conscious life, while at the same time being able to enjoy and embrace all the (cruelty free) beauty, pleasure and enjoyment that comes with it. 

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