Raw Ramadan - Fearless Fasting 2016

Yes! It's here! Ramadan again. While it's a long holiday - 30 days of abstaining from food, drink, smoking or sexual activity during daylight hours - for me, it's a magical month. The lights seem to sparkle more brightly. When you do eat or drink again, it feels almost ecstatic, the food fills your body with energy and radiance. When you rest while fasting, your sleep is deep and nourishing. And when a day doesn't go well, let's say I lose my temper or I'm especially tired or thirsty or irritable, I have 29 more do-overs to try and get better. I do whine about the length of time, but I am deeply grateful for it as well.

Not consuming, for me, has an interesting effect on my psyche. I speak less, I listen more. I have time to meditate, to read a new translation of the Quran (currently getting lost in The Heart of the Quran, meditations by the American founder of our order, Lex Hixon), Ibn Arabi, Jalaluddin Rumi or another mystical thinker. I notice that my senses are all heightened. Sounds are louder and sharper, scents are more complex and hypnotic, my skin and intuition perceive more precisely. Visually, I am constantly struck by the beauty and grace of the little things around me - plants and animals seem more deserving of attention and care.

Since while you are fasting, you are meant to feed others who are not as fortunate, so I get the pleasure of buying meals for homeless people on the street or helping others in small ways. And we all know that helping another person is really a gift for yourself. It reduces your cardiovascular stress, increases your resilience, regulates your neuroendocrine systems and stimulates your immune system. On an esoteric level, it opens your heart chakra - your emotional connection to the shared human experience.

I've said this before, but I always used to tell my daughters that anyone can give up eating or drinking. Many people do, for many reasons, but a true fast involves an abstention from the more difficult things to surrender: anger, dishonesty, disloyalty and unkindness of any sort. I am so far from perfect in this regard, especially when driving in the summer in New York City, but the effort toward that goal, the self-reflection, feels good. It is said that if you can't manage the secondary aspects of the fast, you shouldn't do the first.

It goes without saying that after not eating for 12 to 16 hours, your body is clean and quite sensitive to what you put back in it. Thus, you should really try to make sure your food is organic and as fresh and local as you can get it.  Your main goal at the beginning of the fast break is to reintroduce foods gently and slowly into your system - as well as eating nutrient-dense foods so you will have the energy to fast again the next day (just a few hours after you break!)

Fasting foods should be your medicine

I reduce caffeine little by little in the month before Ramadan so I don’t get horrible headaches. But if you need your coffee, tea or other caffeine fix – I suggest you wait until later in the meal. Breaking your fast with a cup of hot coffee could be jarring! Also, it’s a diuretic and rehydration is the first goal.

So here is the menu this year's Raw Iftar at the Sufi dergah! Do try these recipes but, don't stress yourself out and make them ALL at once. Try one or two at a time. Experiment with flavors, spices, tastes and see what works best for your body and your tastebuds. Play with the juicer, the dehydrator, the spiralizer and see what's fun and what's tedious.

Most of these recipes are even better if you make them in advance and let them sit at room temperature - or if it's very hot - in the fridge. Thus, you can make them early in the day and then take a nap when the afternoon spaciness overtakes you. You wake up to a ready-to-eat iftar!

Watermelon, Cucumber and Mint Juice

(serves 6)

This is a great juice to make in your juicer, if you have one, but because these ingredients are so liquidy, you can easily do it in the blender, too! This year, ours was made by Community Supported Juice in Gowanus, Brooklyn. They make their juice using fruits and vegetables from CSAs and the Brooklyn Green Market so everything is fresh and local and surprisingly affordable. Plus they put their juice in glass bottles which is better for keeping the enzymes and nutrients in tact.

½ - 1 small watermelon (depends on the size)

2-3 cucumbers

1 bunch of fresh mint

Directions:

Cut up the watermelon into chunks, but leave the rind on, just cut off the green skin. Watermelon rinds have a lot of hydrating properties and you want to use the whole fruit because it will make the juice less sweet. (Too much sugar as you break your fast will make your blood sugar surge – and release insulin too quickly – start slowly!)

Chop the cucumber and mint roughly. Since it is going through the juicer or blender, you can leave the stems on the mint, just make sure you rinse it well before using.

Little by little, add the watermelon and cucumber/mint mix to the juicer or blender. If you are using a less efficient juicer, you might find that the pulp comes out still very wet. In that case, just put the pulp back through the blender for a second squeeze. If you are using a blender, remember that you just want to liquefy the ingredients and you don’t want the process to heat or overly damage the enzymes.

Pour into glasses or serving vessel and chill – shake gently before serving - or drink immediately! Try and use this within a four or five hours as it becomes less effective as it oxidizes.

Raw Avocado-Pineapple Gazpacho right in front, Raw Carrot and Cabbage Pad Thai and then a green salad next.

Avocado-Pineapple Gazpacho

(serves 6)

This is a version of the one I made last year - but I switched up by adding some pineapple.

 

2 large avocados chopped

2 cups cubed cucumber (1 hothouse cucumber)

1 cup chopped pineapple

1 cup of fresh cilantro/coriander or cilantro sprouts

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves of fresh garlic

1/2 green chili (jalapeno or Serrano, depends on your sensitivity)

juice of 1 lime

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of sea salt (more or less, to taste)

1 large beefsteak tomato

1-2 cups of filtered water to thin out

Garnish:

1 bell pepper diced

Coriander chopped

Directions:

Place all ingredients except garnish into your blender and puree until smooth. Add salt, chilies and/or more lime to taste. Chill or let sit in a cool place for at least an hour before serving so the flavors become more complicated than a liquefied guacamole! I added fresh pineapple for a different variation this year, the sweetness off-sets the chilies and the enzymes help the digestion. The fats in the olive oil and avocado satiate the appetite before the main meal. It is a good idea to have a soup before your main course as it soothes your hunger and keeps you from overeating! After fasting, it’s good to start slowly!

Egglant or Aubergine just waiting for their transformation!

Raw Eggplant/Aubergine “Bacon” or Jerky

(serves 6)

Head's up. The prep for this is easy, but it takes time. The "bacon" tastes better when left to marinate overnight and then the dehydrating time can take anywhere from 12 to 18 hours. That said, it keeps well - even for a month at time - in an airtight container with a silica packet or two from your supplements or seaweed snacks.

3-4   small white eggplants – or 1-2 regular eggplant

4 tablespoons maple syrup     

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons naturally-fermented tamari

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

½ teaspoon chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk together all the ingredients except the eggplant in a bowl or an 8 x 10’ roasting pan. The idea is to marinate the eggplant slices in this liquid so a shallow wide container is better to cover more eggplant strips.

Peel the eggplant and cut them into long, relatively even slices. Thin, but not too thin, because when they dry, they become much thinner. You can leave the skin on but it becomes very chewy when it’s dried. I slice the eggplant by hand but I’ve heard people use a mandolin with success – I just don’t have one (birthday present, anyone?)

As you slice the eggplant, add them to the sauce and allow them to marinate (ideally, overnight, but even an hour is fine) until they soften.

After they are marinated, take them carefully out of the liquid – they will be soft and drippy – and lie them on a mesh dehydrator or oven tray. If they are very wet, put them on a teflex sheet first. You want as much of the marinade on there as possible. You can brush the slices with the extra marinade if you want.

Dehydrator

46°C - 52°C / 115°F - 125°F for 12-24 hours, depending on how thick your eggplant slices are. Mine took about 12 hours.

Oven

I haven’t tried the oven, but here’s what I’ve read - 75°C / 165°F for 1 hour. Turn oven off, open oven door and let trays sit in there for 30 minutes. Turn oven back on at 75°C / 165°F and cook for 1 hour. Repeat this process until the eggplant is crispy.

Carrot and Cabbage, ready to toss with the creamy, spicy almond butter sauce!

Raw Carrot and Cabbage Pad Thai

(serves 6) 

For the pad thai:
2 large carrots (choose the fattest ones you can find)

1/2 head of Cabbage, chopped like coleslaw

1 yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
4 or 5 green onions, chopped

2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 cup sugar snap (chopped) or snow peas (whole)
1 cup of cilantro, roughly chopped

½ cup basil chopped

½ cup mint chopped
1/2 cup cashews crushed
Lime slices, to garnish

For the sauce:
4 tablespoons raw almond or sunflower or other nut butter

2 tablespoons of coconut aminos – or natural tamari, it is saltier so do it to taste!

¼-1/2 inch of ginger root or 1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of one lime or ½ lemon
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
3 tablespoons of water

Directions:

Make the pad thai
Use a spiralizer to make the carrots into long noodles. If you don’t have a spiralizer or it requires too much arm strength, run vegetable peeler down the length of carrots, shaving off long ribbons. Put the carrot noodles in a bowl with all the other vegetables. Set aside.

Make the sauce
In a blender, spin the sauce ingredients, adding more water to get a smooth, creamy consistency and coconut aminos to taste. Pour sauce over carrot noodle mixture and toss to coat. Chill or let it sit in a cool place so that the flavors have time to emerge.

Before you serve, add the crushed cashews and the lime slices to garnish!

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad, top left, Cauliflower Rice, middle, Eggplant "Bacon," top right. Raw Falafel at the bottom.

Kale and Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

(serves 4)

 

I adapted this from http://rawfoodrecipes.com/recipes/shredded-kale-brussels-salad/

Salad:

5 ounces, lacinato kale, rolled and thinly sliced, stems removed. 

5 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded

¼ cup roasted hazel nuts 

Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup (60 ml) roasted hazelnut oil

1 small garlic clove

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 raw mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop kale and brussels sprouts finely and toss to combine in a large salad bowl.

In a blender, blend the oil, garlic, lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper until creamy. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and massage to coat, sprinkle with the roasted hazelnuts.

Allow to soften in the sauce before eating.

my best sous-chef and protege is the Bomb...

Curried Cauliflower Rice Salad

(serves 4)

This one is sort of a cheat because it isn’t totally raw. As an Indian, I have a horror of “raw” ground spices because, to my palate, they taste grainy and sharp. Also, many spices healing properties are activated by oil, especially turmeric. Simmering in warm oil and water releases their magic! If you have an auto-immune disease, look into the Indian spice mixture called, “Garam Masala” (basically, warming spices) instead of curry powder. You can find it in most Indian grocery stores.

           

1 head Cauliflower

3 tbsp Coconut oil – more if necessary – it will help keep you satiated and hydrated.

1 Onion chopped

3 cloves of Garlic chopped finely

¼ inch of Ginger root, chopped finely

1/2 tsp Curry powder/Garam masala

½ tsp Turmeric

1 cup of freshly-shelled Peas or chopped Sugar Snap Peas

1 cup of chopped tomatoes

1 cup sliced Almonds

1 cup of fresh Cilantro chopped

Directions:

Cut the cauliflower in half, then quarters and then break into smaller pieces. Add the cauliflower pieces to a food processer and pulse until you get a crumbly, rice-like texture. (A secret – you can buy this frozen by the bag at Trader Joe’s or in packages from a health food store – if you don’t have time).

Brown the onions in the coconut oil in a wide skillet, then add the garlic and ginger, turmeric, a little salt and pepper and letting the mixture simmer until the spice mixture has become a sort of paste.

Add the cauliflower to the skillet, scraping it out of the food processor bowl with a spatula.

Cook slightly for 4 minutes, stirring to make sure that all the cauliflower is coated in the spice mixture.

Remove from the heat, as the mixture cools, add the peas, chopped tomatoes, sliced almonds and chopped cilantro.

Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature or - as we did - chill and eat later!

Raw Falafel

(serves 6)

The prep for this involves 2-3 days to sprout the garbanzos/chickpeas and lentils and 2-3 hours of dehydrating - so just be sure to plan ahead with this one, too. These days you can find pre-sprouted beans and lentils in the salad section of the grocery store, so you can save time by getting those. Ours were adapted from http://rawmazing.com/recipe/falafels-the-raw-food-way/

3 cups of sprouted chickpeas and lentil

1 cup of finely chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 cups of sunflower seeds

1/2 cup ground flaxseeds or chia seeds

1/4 cup of lemon juice

1/2 cup of parsley, chopped finely.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of ground coriander

3 teaspoons of cumin

1 tablespoon of tamari or coconut aminos

Prep 3 days in Advance - Sprout chickpeas and lentils. Place 2 cups organic dry beans in a jar, cover with water and let soak for 24 hours. Make sure there is plenty of room in the jar as these will expand quite a bit. Drain off water and rinse 3 times a day until little sprouts appear. Usually 2-3 days. Remember to keep rinsing as they can get moldy very easily.

Directions:

Starting with the sunflower seeds, put them in the food processor and grind until fine. Then empty the ground sunflower seeds into a mixing bowl. 

Put the garlic in the food processor and pulse until it is chopped, them add the sprouted chickpeas and lentils. Pulse until they are mashed. Then empty the mixture into the bowl with the sunflower seeds. Add the chopped onions, the parsley, the ground flaxseed, cumin and coriander, along with the olive oil, and the tamari and mix together until is a soft, uniform "dough." You can also put the entire mixture back into the food processor and mix it that way - but it can also make the falafels a little too smooth and sticky.
Wash your hands thoroughly. Rub a little olive oil in the palm of your hands and fingers and shape the mixture into small falafel balls and arrange them on the dehydrator trays. We then flattened them out because fast break was in a couple of hours and we wanted them to be ready faster!
We used my Excalibur dehydrator and put them in at 145 for 1 hour, then because everyone was hungry just thinking about them, we turned the heat up higher, to 165, for another hour. When we took them out, they were soft in the middle and slightly crispy on the inside. But a few got left in an hour or two longer and they were even better. I'd suggest you leave them at 145 for 2-3 hours.

Serve on a bed of sprouts and drizzled with tahini. 



DESSERT!

www.rawsometreats.com creamy, sweet, delicious tiramisu

For dessert, I was not quite as ambitious this year. I asked my friend Watt at Rawsome Treats to make us one of her incredible Raw Tiramisus and her raspberry-chocolate Trisome mousse cake. They are all vegan, raw, gluten-free and free of refined sugar! I will have to get the recipes some day. Here's one I found, but I haven't managed to make it myself (yet)! http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/2014/01/raw-vegan-tiramisu-with-vanilla-cream.html

here's the trisome cake! Raspberry, vanilla and a crunchy chocolate crust and drizzle.

Here's the most important thing to remember - Ramadan can help you make incredible shifts in your physical and spiritual being. However you do it, start with Love. The loving energy you use to make and serve your food will nourish and heal those who eat it.

The C-Word: Oil Pulling or Running the Pipes

If you have ANY issues with your teeth, gums or respiratory system, you owe it to yourself to try oil-pulling. Of all the odd health stuff I do - 16 ounces of green juice every morning, body brushing, supplements, quitting sugar and most grains - this is one of the easiest and it's had the most immediate results.

Some say it clears toxins from the respiratory, digestive system and the skin, even reduces TMJ jaw pain and improves sleep.  Apparently, it makes perfect sense to car mechanics who often run oil through the works using the phospholipids to liquify and draw out debris, sediment and other junk. If you have cancer, it is worth it to this process add to your healing arsenal.

It's actually an Ayurvedic technique so they've had years (um, centuries) to test it out. But on a purely anecdotal level, when I started doing it, I am embarrassed to say I hadn't had my teeth cleaned in years. I slunk into my favorite dentist's office (Dr. Idelle Brand, if you live in NYC) for a catch-up.

Coconut oil is great for oil-pulling because it has additional antibacterial properties. Use about this much - a heaping teaspoon if it's solid and a tablespoon if it's liquid.

Amazingly, I had very little plaque on my teeth at all. I also noticed that from one appointment to the next (a few months), my periodontal disease seemed to be gone and my gums were fuller. I had no loose or achy teeth and the tea stains were also greatly reduced.

Traditionally, one uses sesame or even sunflower oil, but I found the best results - for me - with coconut. The oil one chooses depends on the health issues one wants to focus on. I've read listservs where people say pulling with olive oil resolves their gout pain. Anecdotally, people have used oil-pulling to resolve halitosis, sinusitis, arthritis pain and even eczema. I just read that oil-pulling with coconut oil can kill the candida (yeast or thrush) and the streptococcus bacteria in the mouth. By the way, the brand doesn't matter as long as it's reputable - and probably anything you have in your mouth that long should be organic.

Basically, I put a heaping teaspoon full of solid oil (a tablepoon of liquid oil) in my mouth, first thing in the morning. I swoosh it around while I make breakfast for Rara and make the tea and the juice. That takes about 15 to 20 minutes and since I am by myself, I don't have to talk to anyone and I am distracted. For more severe conditions, one can do it twice a day - so just before bed - always on an empty stomach.

DO NOT SWALLOW IT! This is important because it is drawing out toxins and you don't want to put them back into your system.

When I finish, I spit the oil directly into the garbage bag and run and brush my teeth.

DO NOT SPIT IT INTO SINK! Crucial because 1. it's full of toxins and 2. you will clog up the drain (and hate me forever)!!!

It's incredible - my teeth feel supersmooth and clean - polished and slippery as a marble tabletop. It's a great thing for cancer chemotherapy patients because it's a gentle way to reduce bacteria in your mouth without irritating your sensitive tissues.

The C-Word: Bouncing, Body-Brushing and Your Lymphatic System

If you have cancer - or almost any chronic illness - you owe it to yourself to try body-brushing. It's a cheap, simple way to make your skin and lymph nodes more effective at eliminating toxins and producing vitamin d3. Your skin is your body's largest organ and, when working properly, eliminates 25% of the toxins in your body every day. In natural medicine, your skin is called your "second kidney" for its importance in clearing fluids and wastes from your body.

If you are simply a healthy person, it also strengthens your immune system, increases circulation, reduces cellulite, gets rid of ingrown hairs and blocked pores and exfoliates for the softest, smoothest skin you ever felt. The other benefit is that many people find the process meditative, restorative and energizing, all in one.

dry brushing or body brushing can smooth away orange peel skin and help heal cancer

Think of it this way, any dead or dry skin cells on the surface of the skin block the healthy ones from light and oxygen so it's harder for your skin to produce the vitamin d it needs to keep you healthy. Also, by stimulating the skin, you stimulate the lymph system which is a highly-sensitive series of tiny tubes that lie just beneath the surface, transporting waste from your tissues to your blood for elimination. When your lymph system is inflamed or blocked, you are more likely to develop disease.

So here's how you start - you go to your local health food store or bath and body place or online amazon or thrive market - and a buy a natural fiber body brush. Mine tend to cost between $6 and $12 and last about a year. It is should be firm and a bit scratchy-feeling, though NOT TOO STIFF because the idea is not to rub yourself raw. For your first body brush, I'd suggest one that is slightly softer so you ease into it. This is the one I started with.

In the morning, before your shower, you strip down and start brushing at your feet. Remember this is DRY brushing. You do it before you are wet. Don't use any oils or products on your skin, it's just you and the brush. The idea is to always brush towards your heart, from bottom to top. Brush each foot, top and bottom, from the toe to the top of the foot and up your leg to your thigh. Stop there and brush the other leg.

Drybrushing for the lymphatic system

A simple map for drybrushing

You then brush the abdomen, personally, I follow the direction of the colon to also help with my digestion. If you do a search online, you'll see amazing before and after pictures of loose or puffy tummy skin being tightened up with regular brushing. Brush briskly so that your skin feels stimulated but not irritated. You can get a long-handled brush for your back.

Some people suggest brushing in small circles around your joints to loosen the fascia and release tension and toxins there.

If you have bad acne, I've read suggestions of a soft brush for the face - and seen incredible before and after images, but I have never tried it. You would need to wash your brush with soap and water regularly to avoid spreading bacteria.

Take a shower after the brushing and massage your skin with sweet almond oil as that helps soothe and heal the skin. Then apply any body lotion or product you like (but try to stay away from the junk, no matter how good it smells). You've just strengthened the moisture barrier on your skin so you're pretty protected now.

So what about the bounce?

If you are getting chemotherapy or radiation - your skin may be too sensitive for much brushing. I know mine felt thin and irritated all the time. Chinese medicine practitioners suggest using a rebounder - or a simple mini-trampoline - to keep the lymphatic drainage going.

daily rebounding can also be useful for cancer patients

This is equally easy and simple. You get on it once or twice a day and bounce gently for 10 minutes, more if you feel like it. You don't need to get really vigorous, it's not gymnastics. If your balance is off or you feel shaky, you can put the rebounder next to the sofa or a heavy piece of furniture to hold on to, or buy one with a handle. Shift your weight from one leg to the other and you will also help increase your bone density and improve your balance.

The motion of your body also helps stimulate the lymphatic system. I've read account of people with lymphoma who incorporate rebounding along with juicing and avoiding sugar animal products who have lumps and tumors resolve themselves with no other intervention. It's worth a try.

If you want to get fancy, try a powerplate. Just standing on one of these vibrating platforms for 2 to 4 minutes, twice a day, not only stimulates the lymph, it strengthens your muscles and increases your bone density which is very useful when aging, chemotherapy or radiation can make your bones porous.

Cancer especially seems to affect the lymph system - whether it's lymphoma, breast cancer or thyroid cancer - so any or all of these are worth adding to your healing or protective arsenal.

The C-Word: Beyond Cancer and Cleaning Up

I just came back from a hideous Airbnb experience in Los Angeles. The apartment was beautifully-located and the host was lovely and responsive - but the space was dusty, musty and crammed so full of vintage finds that within an hour, my throat closed and I could barely breathe. I tried to soldier on but gave up the next day. It was more like a thrift-store storage space than a living space. What I'd forgotten is that post-chemo one is often extremely sensitive to dust and mold and as an intuitive, I am extremely sensitive to energy - and the energy and histories of all those cast-offs was suffocating me.

Last month (behind the curve, I know), I pondered Marie Kondo's The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up. The idea is that tidying is easy if you reduce your possessions to only those you use often and only those which "spark joy." You hold each of your objects and try and tap into your intuition as to whether you need them or not. If they've already completed their purpose in your life, you let them go. In our moving process this fall, we reduced our possessions to a minimum and moved into an apartment with no broken pieces - and the lifestyle change has been liberating.

This is the opposite of the anti-housework ethos when I was coming into womanhood.

actually, clean house can make you happier, more fascinating and healthier!

Marie Kondo's theory is that if your home is tidy and in order, it makes it easier to focus on what you want in life. The exercise of figuring out which possessions truly spark joy in you also helps awaken your sense of what sparks joy in the rest of your life.  Gretchen Rubin, the author of the Happiness Project, discovered that the one thing that makes people happier - day to day - was making their beds. Even in hotel rooms! It gives one a sense of order and control in one's life and starts the day with a degree of discipline.

And recently, a university study showed that washing dishes significantly reduced one's stress and anxiety levels.

When I was 16, my mother gave me a book called "Judy's Book of Housework." This was a book that was given to her when she was about the same age. Of course, I was horrified. I had no interest in housework and no reason to believe it was useful to know about it. We feminists wanted to liberate ourselves from such petty concerns.

Judy's Book of Housework is just one in a series. While it feels old-fashioned, its advice is practical and sensible even now.

After laughing at my mother (as teenagers are apt to do) and the description of how to prepare for the chimney sweep, I re-read the chapter on making beds.

Best advice ever on making beds! Cleaning might cure cancer!

The most crucial piece of advice was this - when you get out of bed, open the windows, pull open your bed and let it cool down and release any moisture and heat that has built up in it during the night. If you have to dash off to work, let making your bed be the last thing you do before you leave. In the Judy book, she suggests making the bed after breakfast.

I was struck by the idea of opening up the windows and releasing all the tension and unfinished business of the day before and starting fresh. I still make beds like that today.

But here's the real point - a clean, tidy home will not just make you happier and more successful as Marie Kondo suggests - it will make you healthier. Older synthetics - plastics, polyesters, etc - break down and release toxins into the air. Furniture that is held together using glues or made of pressed board also begins to disintegrate. Cracks or holes in the walls hold dust and release miniscule amounts of paint and plaster into the air. Books and book bindings disintegrate. All of these affect your air quality and your health.

Whether it's Feng Shui or Vashtu, the Konmari method or simply interior design, the first rule is to reduce your possessions. The reason is this: the more stuff you have, the more surfaces and crevices to hold dust, animal and human hair, soot and fumes from car exhaust and factory smog. If you've had cancer, chemotherapy, another systemic or chronic illness, all of that junk in the air can make you sicker.

The fewer possessions filling your space makes cleaning easier. Thus you can stay away from toxic cleaning supplies - less Febreeze and air fresheners - more vinegar, soap, water and a good dust cloth.

I was always irritated that every time a Feng Shui practitioner came to my space because they told me to get rid of my books. Now that most of the books are in storage, I understand why. Unless you have a large enough space where clean, cool air can circulate freely around your possessions, you need to scale them back. Also, too many things block your physical movement around a space as well as limiting your mind's ability to wander and be creative. Many writers and artists prefer to face a blank wall rather than a window, as it allows their minds fill the space rather than distracting them.

If your things are disorganized, it's hard to find what you need, when you need it. Stuff gets lost. Things get broken or spoiled or stained or unusable and no one notices. If you've had chemo or chronic illness, you know how much your brain is taxed already. Reduced possessions, a well-organized space with no broken objects make the process of keeping track of stuff easier.

Last of all, if you believe in or are sensitive to energy, every object contains some energy of its previous owners - on a scientific level, it physically holds molecules of everyone who has ever touched it and it can affect your force field, too. (Sometimes, scrubbing it down with soap and water, scraping off any residue from its previous use and leaving it out in the sun to dry can change things - but this isn't always possible in cities).

My daughter always teased me that every time one visited the house of a healer or psychic, they were filled with little things - feathers, dream catchers, crystals, stones, souvenirs and talismans - and they were always dark and dusty. What I have noticed is that the most professional healers and intuitives I've worked with keep their "charms" to a minimum. They give things away quickly. This way, the energy keeps flowing and moving.

Here are my obstacles to the clean and de-clutter theory - if, for instance, you need a massive library of art and photobooks (like me) or vintage clothing (like the young stylist whose home we borrowed), you can't just get rid of it. Financial concerns make it hard to have a separate storage space. If you can't afford to fix the cracks in your walls or the peeling paint or leaking pipes, you're stuck.

And then, if like me, you had moments when you were broke, you might buy things in bulk - massive packages of paper towels or diapers or breakfast cereals. When I was a single mother of young kids with an unstable income and lunch boxes to fill every day, I was very nervous to buy small sizes of juice boxes or napkins, knowing that the day would come when everyone was late to school and we had run out of chips. I hesitated to give away clothes that one child had outgrown, thinking that it might fit the younger one in a year or so. I kept ski jackets in a variety of sizes and colors, snow boots, toys, shoes and sandals, old textbooks and backpacks, school supplies from the previous year. For any parent who's been short of money, you know the story. The zipper on the coat rips on the coldest day of the year. If there's not an extra in the back of the closet, how do you send your kid to school? It's hard to get rid of stuff because who knows if you will be able to afford a replacement.

Reducing your possessions to what you use immediately seems like an affluent, first-world idea. And some people think her ideas border on neurosis.

That said, if you have any illness or live in a small space, I believe now that de-cluttering is worth the emotional struggle.

First, the kind of food one buys in bulk is not the kind of food one should feed one's family. In fact, for your health, you are better off buying fresh fruits and vegetables in small quantities and using them immediately rather buying than massive boxes of chips and cookies that keep for a month.

Stuff that sits in the fridge or on your shelves loses nutritional value fast. Something as simple as a carton of orange juice loses all its vitamin C in a week! If it sits for long, even coffee, tea, spices and condiments get moldy - often before the mold is even visible. Consuming even miniscule amounts of mold can exacerbate illness and affect one's memory and immune system. Fungi can produce xenoestrogens and other hormones that affect weight gain and adrenal function. Even powerfully healing spices like turmeric, which don't get moldy, can emulsify the oils in their plastic bottles and bags while losing their potency and taste over time.

Personally, I found getting rid of stuff frightening. I was convinced that I needed exactly the thing I'd given away. I felt so weightless that I might lose my balance. Now that I am used to it, I feel so clear I don't know what I will do when all the stuff from storage comes back.

When my kid suddenly had a ski trip this winter, all the old ski clothes were gone! Having reduced my possessions, I insisted we not purchase new clothes. Instead, she found she could borrow most of what she needed. She returned it afterwards so it's not filling up our closets. (It does help that we live in a well-off community with plenty available).

Back to Gretchen Rubin -  "Outer order leads to inner calm." In the end, nothing will cure illness better than a calm, happy state of mind. Keep a few of the things you love. Give the rest away to someone who really needs them.

Cleaning is not just a chore, it is an act of self-love. As any Buddhist or Sufi will tell you, it is act of meditation. An opportunity to be mindful and conscious of your surroundings. It is a gift to yourself and your family. It's simple. You don't have to go all Martha Stewart on it.

Last of all -  open the windows and throw open your bed clothes for at least an hour before you make your bed - make sure you have clean and new sheets and bedding (throw away stuff with holes and leaking duvets or give them to someone who wants to cut them up and paint on them or something).

And MAKE YOUR BED! Every day. Even if you have a housekeeper, do it yourself. It will change your life.

Thanks, Mum (and Muriel Goaman, wherever you are).

By the way, if this is useful advice - or you'd like to add something, disagree, or read about something totally different - consider posting your thoughts below.

The C-Word: Oh, the Bones!

The moral of this story is this: if anyone (or even everyone) ever tells you, "There's nothing you can do about it," or "There's only one thing that works, " don't believe it (especially if the only thing that works is a pharmaceutical or something else expensive).

There is ALWAYS something you can do. You just need to put the time into figuring it out.

After my 14 weeks of chemo, even after refusing to take the steroids, my bones were pretty weak. I went to a superfancy anti-aging clinic and was given a bunch of expensive tests including a bone density scan. They diagnosed osteoporosis in my hips and lower back.

Also, I noticed that my teeth were pale and gray and quite porous.

Anyone who's ever been pregnant will tell you that the bones and teeth are connected, if you don't get enough dietary calcium and supporting minerals while pregnant, your body will leach it out of your teeth and bones. Your teeth become more translucent or cracked over time.

Terrified, I asked the doctor what I should do. He said, "Well, there's nothing you can do once you've lost the bone. But I can prescribe you Boniva which slows the loss."

He was a good looking, well-spoken guy but I never trust a pharmaceutical salesman. Lots of people believe that Boniva and Fosamax (and their ilk) make your bones brittle.

A few months' later, I discovered I had a huge cavity in my tooth - also, obviously, due to bone loss. I spoke to my dentist - and I love that guy as a person. But his answer: "Well, there's nothing you can do once you've lost the tooth to decay. It's really all about prevention. We can look into crowns." (More expensive stuff).

Spending a little time thinking about it, neither idea made sense to me. If you break a bone, you set it and it rebuilds itself. So your bone is not only capable of healing itself, it's designed to do that. You just have to figure out how to support your body to do its work. And teeth are bones, so why can't they grow back?

That summer, I researched bone building supplements on a whole bunch of osteoporosis forums and chat rooms. Since I'd gone into menopause post-chemo, the lack of estrogen caused further bone loss. I added lots of minerals to my diet and exercised like crazy.

In the winter, I was crossing the street in front of my kids' school and was hit by a taxi. My face and hip hit the ground. While my face needed to be sewn back together, it turned out my hips were solid. In other words, the stuff was working. No pain and no fractures - not even a hairline - showed up in the x-rays.

This summer - about five years' later - I went to an incredible dentist, Idelle Brand, who practices holistic dentistry. She took a look at the now GINORMOUS cavity which had developed underneath an old filling and said, "Wow. No wonder you didn't have any pain. Your tooth was growing back." Basically, the dentin had grown back over the nerve.

There are actually a lot of schools of thought around re-building teeth and bone with diet, most of them based on Dr. Weston Price's studies of different cultures and their teeth, bones and jaws. (Personally, I don't process eggs or dairy products well - even raw (unpasteurized) dairy which because it isn't heated, has its enzymes intact thus making it more digestible and bioavailable to the body - though I occasionally have raw sheeps' milk cheese - so I can't totally follow his diet.)

Keep reading or scroll down for the useful stuff. What follows is a tried-and-tested bone and teeth building regimen - this is an amalgam of success stories from osteoporosis chat rooms and my own discoveries. I gave this to a friend I worked with recently as a polarity practitioner and a holistic nutrition coach. Teeth seem to be harder work than bones so it will require more of a commitment. But two things to remember, carbonated drinks and pasteurized dairy foods (sugary ones like sweetened yogurt are even worse) actually weaken your bones by stripping the calcium.

The brand names on the supplements are the ones people recommended. You should do your own research - test them out and see what feels good for your body. However, I don't recommend drugstore or Costco/Sam's club/Walmart brands as they tend to use cheap ingredients or substitute other stuff (even cheaper).

Even if you are being presently treated for cancer, you can follow this:

First thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, have a glass of water with the juice of half a lemon, ideally fresh-squeezed. Then take

3 Doctor's Best Strontium Bone Maker (separate from ANY calcium foods or supplements),
2 capsules of Bio-Kult, Dr. Mercola or Nexabiotic probiotic
1 Digest Gold or Life Extension digestive enzyme
1000 mg of a good vitamin C (I like Lypospheric vitamin C by Livon-Labs - squeeze a packet into your water and rub the remaining stuff onto your skin).
1 capsule New Chapter Turmeric Force or other curcumin.

(If you can bring yourself to have a fresh-pressed green juice, this is a good time to do it - add the vitamin c to it. You might also do 10 to 15 minutes of oil pulling if teeth are your main issue. Skip the coffee for a little while as that is not good for your bones. If you must have a coffee now, use coconut milk or cream without any added calcium, not dairy).

Drink lots of water! Personally, I also have two cups of comfrey root and leaf tea or 30 drops of comfrey root extract during the course of the day. Many people don't have comfrey as it can be hard on the liver but I have never had any trouble with it. Here's a video by Dani Katz who healed HER teeth.

Wait 60 minutes to have breakfast. For breakfast, have cooked or raw (if you buy them directly from a farmer) organic, free-range eggs. You should also crush the eggshells and add the powder to your raw egg smoothie or meal. With your breakfast, have 4 drops of Numedica Micellized Vitamin D3 and another packet of the lypospheric vitamin C.

Drink a glass of water and add 1 tablespoon of food grade Diatemaceous Earth. Drink it up as soon as you add it in as it tends to get thick and settle if you leave it. The only salt you should use is grey Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt.

with lunch and dinner

3 Jarrow Bone Up (6/day)
1 JarrowSil 5 mg
1 Digest Gold enzyme
1 capsule New Chapter Turmeric Force
1 packet of vitamin C

Avoid table salt and ALL sweetened and carbonated beverages (they leach calcium from your bones).

Have LOTS of fresh green vegetables - especially spinach, collards, kale, mustard greens - and orange vegetables - squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots -  you can eat them raw or sauteed with garlic, however you like them.

Make and drink bone broth - sear organic, grass-fed beef bones on the stove (I add onions and garlic myself). Then I fill the pot with water and let it simmer for several hours.

To bump up your vitamin K2, eat eggs, brie or (raw milk) gouda cheese, hummus, molasses - just make sure everything is organic.

In order to add more minerals to your system, take 1/2 teaspoon of grey Celtic salt and follow it with 2 glasses of water. Do this any time of day but not with the strontium.

At bed time, take
1 digestive enzyme
1 probiotic

Any magnesium you like because it helps you sleep better.

For gum loss or peridontal disease, before you brush, massage the base of your teeth with one round (one water basin full) of the hydrofloss. It's a fancy version of a waterpik, but it's value comes from the variable speeds as well as the magnetized water which according to medical studies is proven to clean and strengthen gums more effectively. If you read the reviews on amazon.com, people have regenerated gum tissue within 6 months using this device (or the earlier incarnation) daily.

Also, for tooth decay, there is an incredible mouth rinse called liquid dentist. You swoosh it around your mouth for 2 to 15 minutes (I do it while I slather on all my night time face creams and potions) and then you swallow. I am not sure how it works, though it was created by a Harvard Medical School and Tufts dentist, and if you do it at bed time, you wake up with smooth, unsticky teeth.

An easy bone building exercise - stand or hop on one leg at a time, for 30 seconds. Eventually, try to build to 3 minutes on each leg. I do this on the subway when I can't get a seat. Just leaving out the hopping.

Even easier, stand on a powerplate for 30 seconds on each leg.  I bought one for my dad on craiglist (but my mother refused to allow it in her house) so I use it regularly. Still cheaper - jump on a mini trampoline for 5 or more minutes a day. That's been shown to stimulate bone growth.

Remember, your body is designed to regenerate and heal itself. Your job is just to help it. Unfortunately, the older you get, the more effort your machinery requires to keep it in order - but it is ALWAYS possible!

If you decide to follow or modify any of these recommendations - let me know how it works.

Raw Ramadan or Fearless Fasting

Raw Ramadan! Polarity salad. Photo Cred: Sasha Douglas-Nares

One of the things they say in the healing world is "Hunger: It makes you younger." Fasting is known to re-boot the immune system, help with diabetes and insulin resistance, and help cells all over the body regenerate. Surprisingly, fasting can also help protect your body during chemotherapy, so people with cancer might discuss it with their doctors.


Ramadan 2015. 30 long, hot summer days - each one where one can only eat and drink before sunrise and after sunset - are a 16-hour marathon in NYC and even longer in other parts of the world.

Lots of people find it alarming and are even more shocked that I can't drink water. "That must be dangerous!" First, I am lucky that I work inside. My work doesn't require extreme physical exertion and I can take a rest if I need one. But second, I do keep working and swimming and, when I do energy work, I find I can channel Source much more powerfully. And last, people all over the world and of many different faiths have been fasting this way for at least a century or so.

As an experiment, I tried one fast day drinking water. After the 2nd or 3rd day of Ramadan, I am not hungry. It's as if my entire system is in sleep mode. But the moment I drank water, all the hunger and thirst came rushing back. It was as if I had flipped the switch on the boiler. I could feel my organs all humming back into operation.

My experience has been that if, during the evenings, I hydrate well but eat lightly, the fast wears more lightly on me. 

Thus I started my raw Ramadans. Since it's summer, it's easier to eat raw meals or almost entirely raw meals during the month. I find my body is energized and cool, no matter the temperature outside. The raw food gives me the enzymes to digest easily despite the rest time and is also filling and means one is not in a hot, sweaty kitchen. I choose foods that are hydrating and energizing as well as immune-supportive so that you don't feel weak the next day (or during late-night tarawih).

Also, since you are fasting, make sure that everything you use is organic and has no preservatives. Your body has been resting so you don't want to throw off the balance.

So here is my favorite iftar menu - variations on which I like to make for iftar at my Sufi mosque in Tribeca.

Raw Ramadan: Avocado Gazpacho Photo Cred: Sasha Douglas-Nares

Avocado Gazpacho

(serves 6)

3 large avocados chopped

2 cups cubed cucumber (1 hothouse cucumber)

1 cup of fresh cilantro/coriander or cilantro sprouts

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves of fresh garlic

½ green chili (jalapeno or Serrano, depends on your sensitivity)

juice of 2 limes (1/4 cup)

1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1-2 large beefsteak tomatoes

¾ cup of filtered water to thin out

Garnish:

1 bell pepper diced

1 jalapeno diced

Place all ingredients except garnish into your blender and puree until smooth. Add salt, chilies and/or more lime to taste. Chill for at least an hour before serving so the flavors become more complicated than guacamole.

To serve, pour into small bowls or shot glasses and add the garnish. You can even garnish with tortilla chips (ideally organic and homemade). Yum!

My professional chef friend, James Akins, mastering the tabbouleh

Fearless Food Class with Ameena Meer and James Akins

Quinoa Tabbouleh

(Serves 6)

Salad

1 cup uncooked, sprouted quinoa
4-5 green onions, chopped (3/4 cup)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (2 cups)
1 1/2 to 2 cups minced parsley (1 large bunch)
1/2 cup minced mint (1 small bunch)

Dressing

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus extra to taste
salt and pepper
8 ounces feta or avocado

Rinse the quinoa under cool water, then combine with 2 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan.  If you are committed to staying raw, rinse, salt and then soak the quinoa overnight in a large bowl.  When you are ready to use, drain the quinoa and toss the water. (There may be some use for it, but I just don't know about it yet!)

If you are cooking, bring to a rapid simmer, then turn down the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the quinoa is fluffy and chewy, about 20 minutes. Then empty it into a large bowl and allow it to cool almost to room temperature. The quinoa should feel just barely warm to the touch. 

Stir the onions, tomatoes, parsley, mint, and garlic into the warm quinoa. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Pour this over the salad and stir to combine. If using, crumble the feta or chopped avocado over the salad and stir it in. Taste a spoonful of the salad and add more salt or pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or cold. This salad is even better the next day, once the flavors have had a chance to mingle.

Raw Ramadan - Polarity Salad Re-Mixed Photo Cred: Sasha Douglas-Nares

Polarity Salad (Asian-Inspired Slaw)

(Serves 10)

Salad

½ head of cabbage

4-6 carrots, grated (I like multicolored ones)

1 beet, grated

3-4 scallions, chopped

2 cups of mung bean, adzuki bean or other sprouts

1 cup cilantro/coriander sprouts
1 cup basil sprouts

Dressing

½ cup chopped basil

½ cup chopped mint

4 cloves of garlic

1 cup of olive oil

½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Fish sauce and/or coconut aminos (to taste)

1 chopped Serrano or jalapeno pepper (to taste)

Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and all salad ingredients in a bowl big enough to toss them around. Once the dressing is combined into a tangy, complex mixture, pour it over the salad. Wash your hands well with soap and water and then toss the entire salad mixture.

As cabbage is quite a hardy leaf, it will hold up to the dressing so you can put the salad in the fridge and eat it for a couple of days. It's useful to have in there when you are too tired to prepare anything early in the morning. It is increasingly delicious as the flavors of the herbs and the garlic mix and deepen.

Zucchini “Pasta” with Pesto

(Serves 6)

Pasta:

6 zucchini, ends trimmed

Pesto:

3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

½ cup pine nuts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Garnish:

1 package of cherry or grape tomatoes

 

1. Use a spiralizer to slice the zucchini into noodles. Set aside.

2. Combine the basil and garlic in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Pulse until blended. Season with salt and pepper.
If you are pressed for time, buy some freshly-made pesto from the store! Just make sure the ingredients are organic and there are no preservatives – your body doesn’t need them when you are fasting.
3. Toss until zucchini noodles with the pesto until they are well coated. Top with tomatoes, if using. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Note-if you want to cook the zucchini noodles, you can. Just add the zucchini pesto noodles to a skillet and sauté them up over medium heat. It only takes a few minutes.

 

Happy Birthday! Raw Lemon Cheesecake! Photo Cred: Sasha Douglas-Nares

Raw Lemon Cheesecake

(Serves 6)

Crust:

1/2 cup dates

1 1/2 cups nuts (I used pecans, you can use almost any kind, even better if you soak them first, overnight)

2 teaspoons of sea salt

In the food processor, pulse the dates and nuts together until you get a rough, sticky mixture that you can pat down with your hands into the bottom of a glass pie or baking pan (only because it looks prettier in glass, otherwise any pan will do). For this cooking class, we doubled the recipe and used a glass 11 x 9 baking pan. If it’s not sticking well, add a little coconut oil, that will make it taste a little more buttery anyway. Put in fridge.

Cheesecake:

3 cups cashews (preferably soaked for 3-4 hours)

3/4 cup lemon juice

2/3 cup honey/agave/maple syrup/coconut sugar

3/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 teaspoons dried lavender  (if you want, I found I couldn't taste it when it was cold and set)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract/seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod

Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Taste the mixture. If you've never had raw food, you will be overcome with pleasure. Pour onto crust in cake pan and set in the freezer or fridge until it has the hardness you want (probably 3-5 hours or overnight).  I decorated it with some organic, local blueberries I bought upstate so it still tasted of the country.

Slice and enjoy! Even if it’s not hard enough, it will taste delicious!

For Suhoor (the before sunrise meal to prepare for your fast):

Hydrating Drink

(Serves 2)

1 liter of coconut water

4 tablespoons of chia seeds

Pour the coconut water into any sort of jug. Add 4 to 6 tablespoons of chia seeds (black or white).  Let sit for several hours until the chia seeds are saturated and have sunk to the bottom of the jug. Stir and drink as your last meal before starting your fast or any time you need to be hydrated for long periods of time.

Peaceful Ramadan. Photo Cred: Sasha Douglas Nares