Gene’s Blog

Sesame Street character, Kermit the Frog, dearly loved by adults and children alike, sang his famous line, ‘It’s not easy being green!’

Hey, Kermit, I am going to disagree with you. I have ‘been green’ for five days now and I find that being green is getting easier and easier. Maybe we could change the words to your song: ‘It’s getting easier and easier being green!’

I am translating ‘being green’ to mean ‘being a 100% Raw Fooder.’ Maybe you noticed that I have been a ‘Raw Food Enthusiast’ since around March 1st of this year. If you are interested in my story, please read my blog from the beginning by scrolling down to earlier entries.

100% Raw Defined

To eat ‘100% Raw’ means to consume only uncooked Fruits, Vegetables, Greens, Nuts, Seeds, Grains, etc. No foods from animal sources: no flesh of any animal, no dairy products or eggs.

Even though I use a dehydrator to make Raw crackers and other tasty and nutritious treats, I keep the temperature below 107 degrees Fahrenheit to preserve the healthful benefits of the living food.

Raw food enthusiasts believe that cooking foods at higher temperatures destroys living enzymes, vitamins and minerals, and robs the food of any value to our bodies. Our bodies do not recognize cooked food as food at all.

Purely Raw means eating 100% Raw and Living foods. It’s that simple!

I’ll Never Be 100%

At first I refused to declare that I was 100% ‘raw’ for fear that I would just set myself up for failure. And I figured that I was from 60-70% raw and I felt great.  I was growing and juicing my own wheat grass and enjoying better health that I have experienced in many years.

I joined a community garden and began growing my own greens and plenty of fresh tomatoes and other vegetables. I was having the time of my life! A side benefit was the sheer joy of gardening which I had forgotten since I hadn’t had a garden in several years.

After the gardening wound down in late September, I was challenged to find fresh organic greens. Gradually, during October and early November, I began to undermine my healthy, mostly raw food lifestyle. I began consuming more processed food, eating out more frequently, and definitely consuming more white sugar.

I even returned to ‘fast food’. And I felt it! My energy level began to drop and some of the old aches and pains started to come back. (I also lost about five pounds of the ‘lightness’ that I had gained this summer!). My story was that I needed more ‘comfort food.’ I was using food for comfort as the weather turned cold and I had to stay inside more.

When I ate mostly live raw food, anytime I ate cooked food I noticed that I didn’t feel so good afterward. And I was hooked: addicted to cooked food just like Victoria Botenko says in her book, 12 Steps to Raw Food. Victoria also says that it takes about two months to get free of the addiction.

The 60 day 100% Raw Challenge

This past week I decided that I will take her advice and go 100% raw for two months. Beginning on ‘Green Friday’ (the day after Thanksgiving) until around February 1st, 2009, I am committed to staying 100% raw as best I can.

In honor of my commitment, I ate a big Thanksgiving meal with my family and refused leftovers to take home. This marked the beginning of my ‘going raw.’ By the way, traveling home afterwards, I felt awful, bloated and almost sick to my stomach. I wonder why?

Today, December 5, 2008, is my sixth day being 100% Raw. I have plenty of fresh home grown wheat grass and all the makings for tasty and nutritious green smoothies. This past Sunday afternoon I went to a Raw Food Preparation class followed by a Raw Food Supper and fellowship with fellow travelers on this pathway to health and vitality. My biggest challenge right now is learning how to prepare raw food for one person.

Join Me on the 60-Day 100% Raw Challenge

Maybe you have had the same experience. Maybe you have tried to go 50 or 60 or 80% raw but keep backsliding and returning to familiar cooked food. I challenge you to join me and we will support each other in staying raw. Maybe we can share stories, tips and recipes as we go along.

I would love to hear back from you.

Grow Wheat Grass Indoors

Next blog entry, I will show you how to grow your own wheat grass indoors, which is just as easy as growing wheat grass outdoors with very little adjustment.

Share the Clarity of Nutrition and Eyesight

Please think of two or three people you know who would benefit from learning about nutrition and eyesight. Copy and forward this link to them now:

Thank you and may God richly bless you and your family as you continue your journey toward clarity and a healthy lifestyle.

Until then, I send you my love,

Gene Younger and the Clear Vision Naturally Family

Up until now, this blog has been mostly about me and about my trek into the (previously unknown) world of Raw Food, and all of the benefits I have received.

The joys of changing my diet, nutrition and lifestyle continue today. I am so grateful for the wonderful clear people who ‘turned me on’ to this pathway.

You know who you are. For the sake of clarity, the following is a Gratitude List, published right here for everyone in the world wide web to see.

My Gratitude List

Deepest Thanks to:

Liliana, who insisted and showed me the Inspiring Victoria Botenko DVD.

Victoria Botenko, whose clarity and loving spirit opened my heart and mind to try more Raw Food.

Bonnie, who loaned me several of Victoria’s DVDs so that I could catch the spirit of raw food.

Dr. Bill, who encouraged me to go ahead and rent a garden space in the community garden.

David and Robin Younger, who agreed to share the labor and fruit of the garden project.

Garry Renschler, nutrition counselor at the Clark County, Washington, YMCA, who coached me through withdrawing from caffeine.

Gabrielle Chavez, for teaching me how to grow wheat grass, and who inspired me to create a vegetable garden this year.

Thomas Chavez, for his dynamic and ever insightful healing treatments, and for inspiring me to read, The Hundred Year Lie, and learn about how powerful wheat grass can be (2 oz. of wheat grass juice is equal to 3½ pounds of raw greens).

And to both Thomas & Gabrielle for hosting the raw gourmet supper every Sunday evening in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Leeta Dover, who gave me personal juicing lessons and helped my buy a Green Star Juicer.

Julie Waddell, who gave me a device that converts my 12-volt car electricity to 110-volt so that I can now run the Vita-Mix while camping or on vacation.

Sally, who organizes the Portland Raw and Living Food Meetup Group, which inspires me to learn, grow and try new things as I transition into more live foods.

Joyce Brooks, who inspired me with her story and loaned me an Excalibur food dehydrator so that I am now making my first ‘raw crackers.’

Abeba, the Krazy Kracker Lady, who shared her wonderful Kracker recipes in her books.

Quinn, Michelle Baumann, Christina Bjergo and Margo Dawn, who encouraged me to make my very first ‘Raw Food Demonstration’ presentation at the August Moon Wellness Faire in May of 2008.

Nikki Donovan, Program Coordinator at the Clark County YMCA, who encouraged me to help Garry give a Raw Food demo for YMCA members.

Norm Welsh, who invited me to present a ‘Green Smoothie’ demo for the Staff of the Clark County YMCA.

Amy Porter, for her inspiring raw dishes at the potlucks.

Bapak and my Subud Family, for inspiring me to work and do my best to contribute to the health and welfare of others and the community in general.

My Ministers, Rev. Lisa Davis and Rev. Billie Blaine, for encouraging me to go beyond the physical and to allow the creative power of the Universe to flow through me in all that I do.

Amy Morita, for inspiring me to blog about nutrition and eyesight.

Ami Goldberg, for editing all my blogs and newsletter articles.

Arden Goldberg, for his excellent web design and beautiful formatting and for posting the newsletters and blogs.

Nick, for giving me so much useful advice about how to plant and grow tomatoes.
Washington’s Clark County Parks and Recreation Department, for hosting the Community Garden.

Barbara Wolf, for sharing some of her garden plot with me and my family.

All of the homeless people who pass by while I am gardening and tell me their stories.

My faithful vision clients, for listening to my chatter about my excitement for raw food, and who have been brave enough to try (and to enjoy!) one of my ‘green smoothie’ concoctions.

Lusijah Marx, for inviting me to share the changes I have experienced with going mostly ‘raw’ at the Thursday Night Community Meal with the staff and clients of Project Quest in Portland, Oregon.

Bill Milmoe, for encouraging me to get a manual hand crank wheat grass juicer.

Don and Jo-ann Shannon, for letting me use and pass on their Vita-Mix model 3600.

Craigslist, for assisting me in selling the 3600 Vita-Mix so that I could get the new 5200 model!

This Gratitude List could go on and on, and while I am sitting here at the computer keyboard thinking about who and what I am grateful for… bright shiny faces like angels pass before my eyes. These are the friends I have met and enjoy in the ‘raw food community.’

Raw And Living Spirit Retreat

If you’re reading this blog, then you might be interested in the upcoming ‘Raw and Living Spirit Retreat‘ in the Portland, Oregon area.

The 2008 Raw and Living Spirit Retreat happens Tuesday, August 26 - Friday, August 29 in Molalla, Oregon.

Register while there’s still room! The retreat price includes all meals, all workshops and talks during the event, and lodging.

Returning to Camp Adams in Mollala, Oregon will be many of your favorite speakers along with new voices: The Raw Family featuring Victoria and Valya Boutenko; Abeba Wright; John Kohler; Dr. John Switzer; Dr. Doug Graham; Gene Younger and others. Also featured are energizing presentations of food and wisdom from our featured chefs: Eddie and Lillian of ‘Raw Soul Restaurant’ in Harlem, New York; Lizz Bommarito of ‘Live at the Loft’ in Portland, Oregon, and others we are announcing soon! Friday morning, Gabrielle Chavez will lead a raw communion and meditation.

Lunches will feature bountiful spreads from urban organic micro-farmer Peter Tuomelo, who is planting to order for our retreat. Food for thought on many aspects of healthy living will be offered in a smorgasbord of workshops–as well as yoga, dance, stargazing, swimming, and hiking. All this in a healing community setting where you will be able to connect with other participants and offer your own wisdom to the retreat in an ‘Open Space’ workshop, if you wish.

Abeba will be presiding over the second annual Krazy Kracker Contest!

Questions about the retreat? Call 503-650-4447 or visit www.rawandlivingspirit.org

And for the first time ever, I will be presenting a Clear Vision Naturally Workshop at the retreat.

I will ’see’ you seeing clearly there!

25 pounds of Lightness

Yes, that’s right! Since March the 1st, I have gained almost 25 lbs of ‘lightness.

This very morning when I ‘worked out’ at the YMCA I stepped on the scale and weighed less than I have in more than 12 years.

You could say that I have lost 25 unwanted pounds and you would be wrong. I do not choose to lose any more weight. I have lost hundreds of pounds during my lifetime and always my wonderful subconscious mind creates a way to ‘find the lost pounds.’ And I usually put them some place on my body where I least need them.

Gain Lightness

Since I gained all of this lightness I am lighter in more than just weight.

I have more energy that I have had in many, many years. I can keep going after some of the young folks have petered out. My energy level, especially at night, has risen so that I have literally added about 2 or 3 useful hours of life to my days.

This all began when I started drinking green smoothies and juicing wheat grass back in March.

Me and My Vita-Mix

When I got the new Vita-Mix 5200 model blender, my health took an immediate turn for the better. I can’t say enough about this blender. The Vita-Mix has replaced: pots and pans, regular blender, toaster, and I am even thinking of passing on the Green Star Juicer. Even though it is the ‘Cadillac’ of juicers I just don’t use it much anymore. And the stove has remained cold for five months or more!

I make raw ice cream, raw soup, green smoothies and even juice wheat grass in the Vita-Mix blender.

I am so excited about the Vita-Mix that my company, Clear Vision Naturally, has become an affiliate of Vita-Mix.

What does that mean to you?

It means that you can order a Vita-Mix through our web-site, or with our affiliate number, and get free shipping to anywhere in the US or Canada. And by ordering this way, you are making a contribution to the Clear Vision Naturally family. You are supporting the teaching of Clear Vision Naturally and the training of new vision teachers for our children and our children’s children.

Here’s how you go about ordering a Vita-Mix:

Purchase A Vita-Mix 5200

Order here & get $25 off

By purchasing a Vitamix blender here, you will receive free shipping (Vita-Mix normally charges $25 shipping fees).

Also, your purchase helps support the Clear Vision Naturally family!

Purchase A Vita-Mix/More Information

Please note: Vita-Mix offers a
dry container and a wet container. Though the dry container is best for grinding grains, the wet container works fine. You can always get the dry container later.

To place an order by phone just call 1-800-848-2649, and mention code number ***06-003352***.

Share the Clarity of Raw Foods

Please think of two or three people you know who would benefit from learning about nutrition and eyesight. Copy and forward this link to them now:

Thank You and May God Richly Bless You and Your Family as You Continue Your Journey to Clarity and A Healthy Life Style.

http://www.clearvisionnaturally.com/news/2008/07/30/all-about-you/

Until then, I love you,

Gene Younger and the Clear Vision Naturally Family

Just when I thought I would die from the lack of caffeine in my system, I got new strength from somewhere and stood my ground. I did not back down from my commitment and am feeling great after six weeks without regular coffee with full strength caffeine. I don’t get those jitters from coming down off the drug- induced high and I am sleeping much better.

Now when I wake up, my first desire is for a tall drink of pure water followed by some fruit juice or a ‘green smoothie.’

I remember that my teachers at the Vision Education Teacher’s Training Institute– CJ Wilson, Elizabeth Abraham and Martha Rigney– all emphasized how important it was for me to recommend ‘zero caffeine’ to my clients. And I just couldn’t do it while still being a dedicated coffee drinker. Caffeine was my favorite drug for many years!

My teachers never knew that my first taste of coffee came at my father’s knee when I was only 5 years old. My Dad used to pour some hot coffee with cream and sugar into a saucer and let me taste it every morning while he had his two or three cups to get his days started. So you see, I have been drinking coffee for 65 years solid. And during the last ten or so years, drinking about 36 oz. per day, everyday. That’s three tall cups with cream and sugar. That much straight coffee contains anywhere from 255 to over 300 mgs of caffeine (plus the calories from cream and sugar, or worse yet: artificial sweetener, which is a form of poison, plus the acidity that coffee added to my ph imbalance).

I have now cut back to one 12 oz. cup of decaffeinated which contains from 5 to 7 mgs per day. This has made a huge difference in how I feel. Believe me, it was not easy at first as I kept having these humongous headaches in the afternoon when I didn’t drink coffee. Garry Renschler, Nutrition Counselor at the YMCA, told me to switch to decaf and expect some side effects for approximately four to six weeks. Now two months later, the side effects are gone and sometimes I even forget to have any decaf at all. Wow, what a difference not drinking coffee makes in my clarity and how I feel!

I am not recommending regular consumption of decaf coffee, either, unless you are using it to withdraw from full strength coffee, as I have.

Decaf coffee is not healthy due to the high acid nature of the substance! It is a well known fact that high acid content in our bodies encourages many dis-eases to grow and thrive. An acidic body is a sickness magnet, while being more alkaline leads to health. Eating more alkaline foods helps shift your body’s pH and oxygenate your system.

And I did the math and I am now getting anywhere from 250 to 297 less mgs of caffeine. And that’s a whopping difference!

My next step has been to add a quart of green smoothies to my diet every day. This has helped me gain about 10 lb. of pure lightness. You could say I lost 10 lb. but that would be negative thinking, and I would likely find those ‘lost’ pounds and add them to some other unseemly part of my body.

I am not trying to lose weight. I am aiming at a healthier lifestyle that gives me more energy to think and see clearly and fulfill my true spiritual purpose.

Now with over two months of being off the coffee, I can– in all honesty– recommend to my new clear vision clients that they abstain from all caffeine drinks including tea and colas.

Green Smoothies

This week, Victoria Botenko sent me her list of ‘Ten Benefits of Green Smoothies,’ along with five very easy recipes. You can begin immediately to make them in your regular kitchen blender. Then when you are ready The Universe will supply you with a Vita-Mix Blender which really helps make the veggies digestible.

I truly appreciate the positive influence Victoria and her family has had on my health and well-being. Please read Victoria’s article below before deciding for or against trying green smoothies.

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TEN BENEFITS OF GREEN SMOOTHIES

By Victoria Boutenko

www.rawfamily.com

1. Green smoothies are very nutritious. The ratio in them is optimal for human consumption; about 60% ripe organic fruit mixed with about 40% organic greens.
2. Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, most of the cells in the greens and fruits are ruptured, making the valuable nutrients easy for the body to assimilate. Green smoothies literally start to get absorbed in your mouth.
3. Green smoothies, as opposed to juices, are a complete food because they still have fiber. Consuming fiber is important for our elimination system.
4. Green smoothies belong to the most palatable dishes for all humans of all ages. With a ratio of fruits to veggies as 60:40 the fruit taste dominates the flavor, yet at the same time the greens balance out the sweetness of the fruit, adding a nice zest to it. People who eat a standard American diet enjoy the taste of green smoothies. They are usually quite surprised that something so green could taste so nice.
5. A molecule of chlorophyll closely resembles a molecule of human blood.
   
   According to teachings of Dr. Ann Wigmore, consuming chlorophyll is like receiving a healthy blood transfusion. Many people do not consume enough greens, even those who stay on a raw food diet. By drinking two or three cups of green smoothies daily you will consume enough greens for the day to nourish your body, and all of the beneficial nutrients will be well assimilated.
6. Green smoothies are easy to make, and quick to clean up after. In contrast, juicing greens is time consuming, messy, and expensive. Many people abandon drinking green juices on a regular basis for those reasons. To prepare a pitcher of green smoothie takes less than 5 minutes, including cleaning.
7. Green smoothies have proven to be loved by children of all ages, including babies of six or more months old. Of course you have to be carefuI and slowly increase the amount of smoothies to avoid food allergies.
8. When consuming your greens in the form of green smoothies, you are greatly reducing the consumption of oils and salt in your diet.
9. Regular consumption of green smoothies forms a good habit of eating greens. After a few weeks of drinking green smoothies, most people start to crave and enjoy eating more greens. Eating enough greens is often a problem with many people, especially children.
10. While fresh is always best, green smoothies will keep in cool temperatures for up to three days, which can be handy at work and while traveling.

Start playing with green smoothies, and discover the many joys and benefits of this wonderful, delicious, and nutritious addition to your menu. You may find many more amazing facts about green smoothies in Victoria Boutenko’s book, Green for Life, available at www.rawfamily.com.
Below are five green smoothie recipes. They are merely basic ideas for your green creations. Feel free to substitute these ingredients with your own choice of greens and fruits. Enjoy!

Apple-Kale-Lemon

4 apples
Juice of 2 lemons
5 leaves of kale
2 cups water

Peach-Spinach

6 peaches
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
2 cups water

Mango-Weeds

2 mangos
1 handful of edible weeds, such as: lambsquarters, stinging nettles, purslane, etc.
2 cups water

Strawberry-Banana-Romaine

l cup strawberries
2 bananas
2 bunch romaine
2 cups water

Pear-Kale-Mint

4 ripe pears
5 leaves of kale
2 bunch of mint
2 cups water

Health Quote by Rita

“I work so hard to stay in shape. Whenever I read anything, it says, “Consult your doctor before doing any exercise.” It always says that. Does anybody do that? I kind of think my doctor has people coming in with serious problems. I don’t think I should be calling him and saying, “Hi, this is Rita, I’m thinking of bending at the waist.” –Rita Rudner

Thanks for visiting my blog. Please send along a comment and know that you are loved and cared for by all the Clear Vision Naturally Family.