Des Moines Raw Food Week: August 20-26

Get ready for Raw Food Week in Des Moines!

The perfect way to recover from the deep fried coma induced by the Iowa State Fair is to treat your body to some healthy goodness! A full week of inspirational speakers, classes and networking await anyone interested in a healthy lifestyle during the week of August 20-26, 2012.

The week starts out with a special screening of Forks Over Knives at Fleur Cinema in Des Moines, Monday night at 7 pm. Forks Over Knives is an eye opening movie providing solid, evidenced based facts about our culture and the current lifestyle we live.

Skip ahead for the BIG event everyone needs to get out to on Wednesday, August 22. Hear the inspirational story of Dave the Raw Food Trucker. Dave lost over 200 pounds and helped to fight off life threatening diseases like cancer, diabetes, and more simply by changing his lifestyle and diet. Dave will be speaking at Event Center West from 6-8 pm, tickets are $20.

Area restaurants specials will celebrate Raw Food Week:

Above: A raw pasta dish from Fresh Cafe

Check out the fabulous restaurants who are offering specials as part of the week's activities:

• ALBA Chef Jason Simon, 524 East 6th Street, Des Moines
• CAMPBELL’S NUTRITION, 4040 University Avenue, Des Moines
• GATEWAY MARKET, Chef Bill Overdyk, 2002 Woodland Avenue, Des Moines
• LUNA BISTRO + CATERING, Chef Kris Van Tuyl, 621 Des Moines Street, Des Moines
• NATURAL THIRST, 1000 Grand Avenue, Des Moines

Plus, there are special raw carry-out meals available all week long at Fresh Cafe! If you haven't been to Fresh, you need to jump in your car and go!
1721 25th Street, Suite 110, West Des Moines, Iowa or call ahead to 515.440.4700

You can get a whole week of meals at one time thanks to Chef Brandy Lueders. She is creating a menu of entrees, sides and desserts for pre-order and pickup. For Raw Food Week, Brandy’s menu is entirely raw and vegan. Orders are due by 5:00 p.m. Monday, August 20. Pickup is Wednesday, August 22 between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. For details email
luedersbrandy@gmail.com before August 20.

Schedule of Events:

MONDAY, AUGUST 20 Movie Night FORKS OVER KNIVES 7:00 p.m.    Fleur Cinema, 4545 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, Iowa | $5 
Could it be there’s a single solution to all of our health problems? A simple remedy that doesn’t require a prescription or create horrible sideeffects? FORKS OVER KNIVES examines the claim that most of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled—or even reversed—by changing our present diet of animal-based and
processed foods. Join us for an exclusive Raw Food Week screening of this profound documentary. While you’re there enjoy a special concession menu of healthy raw snacks and treats.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, ENDLESS SUMMER: CAPTURING YOUR GARDEN’S BOUNTY, Sheree Clark, Fork in the Road 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.  Walnut Ridge, 1701 Campus Drive, Clive, Iowa | $20
Wondering what to do with the last vestiges from your garden? Wishing you had healthier snack options for the kids? Or do you simply want to transition to better eating, without a lot of work? There are lots of ways to preserve the current harvest for future use, so you’ll have tasty snacks on hand into the fall. This presentation is sponsored by Women of Worth (WoW), a monthly networking group that charges no membership fees. If you’re a woman businessperson looking for opportunities to meet others, WoW is worth your while.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22 DAVE-THE RAW FOOD TRUCKER-ROLLS THROUGH DES MOINES 
6:00-8:00 p.m.   Event Center West, 1701 25th Street, West Des Moines | $20
Over a period of 13 months, Dave reshaped his life by losing nearly half his body weight: going from 430 pounds to 230. During this time, Dave was successful at weaning himself off 24 of the 25 prescription medications he was taking. Join us for this life-changing live presentation.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23 Meals That Heal, Dr. Jean M Lorentzen, MD, DO 
7:00 p.m.   All Play | Master Party Room, 615 Third Street, Des Moines, Iowa | $10
Dr. Jean Lorentzen, DO, is passionate about the role nutrition plays in good health. In this candid and invigorating presentation, you’ll hear startling information about how prescription and over-thecounter drugs can deplete your body’s nutritional balances. More importantly, you’ll learn what you can do about it—including which foods can help reverse symptoms of chronic illness and disease.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24 Healthy Happy Hour 
5:00-7:00 p.m.   Jasper Winery, 2400 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines | $10
Did you know that wine is technically a “raw” food and—in moderation—can even provide
some health benefits? Come support a local winery, nibble on some raw treats and mingle
with other Raw Food Week participants. Who says eating healthy is boring?

SUNDAY, AUGUST 26 Raw Sunday Brunch; 
2 Seatings: 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Echo Valley Country Club, 3150 Echo Valley Drive, Norwalk, Iowa
$29.95 for adults | $14.95 for children under 12.
Come celebrate the grand finale of Des Moines Raw Food Week while you treat yourself to a luscious four-course gourmet raw vegan Sunday brunch. Let us capture your heart and soul with this bounty of good food and good health. Join us at either 11:00 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. Wine and alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. Reservations required and can be made at www.meetup.com/RawFoodDSM.
Call 515.314.2031 for information.

*All event concessions prepared by Fresh Cafe

Keep up to date on all of the upcoming events: https://www.facebook.com/RawFoodDSM
For more information or to RSVP for an event visit: http://www.meetup.com/RawFoodDSM/

http://www.freshcafeandmarket.com/

As a side note, I am proud to be friends with the two raw food chefs who helped inspire this week long celebration of healthy goodness and who are also sponsoring activities throughout the week. Thank you Sheree Clark and Kerri Rush! You two are ROCK STARS! Check out their vegan and raw food friendly businesses:

https://www.facebook.com/ForkRoad

Stress Sucks...

This isn’t a normal vegan blog post. The subject though is something almost everyone can relate to…STRESS.

The nasty six letter word that wrecks havoc on your energy, digestion, head, attention span, memory, appearance, confidence and anything else you might need in order to sit up straight and work a normal office job.

I’ve neglected my blogging due to stress and wanted to share some of what I have learned in dealing with a sequence of intense and overwhelming stressful situations. ((This is coming off a two-month span of some of the greatest anxiety filled moments I have experienced in my life.))

BREATHE – Sounds simple, but slow long, deep breaths, ten of them – where you breathe in filling up your stomach, then your lungs and then slowly let it all out. Under intense stress, I find that I actually hold my breath, so the word breathe becomes a mantra for me at times. You can sit and breathe deeply in absolutely any situation and you are taking care of yourself. Concentrating on your breath also gives you something specific to think about other than the 100 million other things that may be happening around you while you are breathing deeply.

EAT HEALTHY – Have small healthy snacks on hand. If you have problems with stress or high cortisol levels even small stressors like feeling hunger pains can trigger your body to release more cortisol. So if you are maxed out on stress, keep something healthy at hand like fruit, snack bars, carrots or banana chips to help satisfy your hunger and keep you from stressing out your body more than necessary.

TAKE A MENTAL HEALTH DAY – If what you are really “needing” is a day at home away from everyone and everything because you have kept yourself TOO BUSY – then take care of yourself and take that day! Read a book, put on your favorite music and dance, go for a drive and sing at the top of your lungs, or do something creative like drawing, crafting, sewing, writing…what ever fulfills you. Do this for yourself. It will relax you and give you an outlet to release some of the built up tension and stress.

AVOID ADDICTIVE TRIGGERS – For me that would be shopping. I can find an excuse to shop at any time. I can always think of some reason I NEED to go to Express, and it doesn’t matter if I lost my card (or did I put it through the shredder?) That is okay! They will look up my account for me…

When you are really stressed out stay away from your triggers (Casinos, malls, bars, strippers, whatever your trigger might be – stay away!!) It doesn’t really make you feel any better. Although, I do love the dress I splurged on and probably won’t have paid off until next year. All of that love doesn’t change the fact that there are other issues or feelings at hand that are being avoided by diving into an addictive behavior. (Ugh, I know that reality really sucks when you think about it like that doesn’t it!?!)

PUT YOURSELF FIRST – Make decisions based on what you really need. Is this really the best thing for you? Are there things you can be doing for yourself which will help? If you are always running late to a meeting, set appointments with a 15 minute cushion. So if an appointment starts at 2:30 put on your calendar that it starts at 2:15…

Budget in a 15 minute break each day to take care of your personal needs that you put off or don’t do because you feel like you don’t have time. For me this is the time to make a doctors appointment, or call to find out exactly what I need to take to the DMV to finally legally change my last name back to my maiden name. ((Oh, and while on that call I got the hours available and directions on how to get there, average wait time, etc. so I could budget enough time in my calendar.))

And, also on that note – make the list of personal things you need to take care of along side your work to do list. This way you don’t “forget” to take care of yourself.

TAKE CONTROL of the things you have control over – that is your actions and reactions to situations and events. What other people do or say are not within your control.

For me, I took control of my finances. Months after my divorce, our house is still on the market and I am paying half a mortgage and rent. (I can’t control the real estate market) So, I decided to lower my car payment and get a cheaper place to live. (I can control this.) With a few well thought out decisions, I was able to lower my monthly expenses by $400. (Now when the house sales I really can go shopping!)

As soon as I started making smarter financial decisions a series of unexpected financial gains came my way: I made $400 at a garage sale, my car dealer sent me back a $460 check because they estimated the payoff on my old car incorrectly, a last minute call for help on a photo shoot resulted in my earning $135, and I got a raise at work when I moved into a new position. Let’s just say this relieved A LOT of stress.

STIMULATION – Yes, sexual stimulation is doctor recommended for stress relief. (Not kidding here – it really was doctor recommended) It gives you one more reason to take care of yourself.

EXERCISE – Even if you only fit in 5 or 10 minutes. Keep your body moving. If this is stressful to you, do something more low impact like Yoga. Yoga is my go to exercise when under intense stress. It has the breathing exercise, body exercise, stretching, mental relaxation – all combined together.

ASK FOR HELP! – The best help I have found, advice and real world results, has been from visits to a naturopath and my chiropractor.

I recommend: Dr. Jason Bradley in Iowa City, naturopath (wish I could find a Dr. Bradley here in Des Moines!) If you are not in Iowa City, follow him on Facebook, he posts some really great information.

Hassel Family Chiropractic in Des Moines, Dr. Hassel has been tremendously helpful to me in motivation, encouragement, and checking in on how I am .

Vegan Living in Des Moines

As a recent transplant to Des Moines, a new adventure in searching for places to eat and things to enjoy has begun!

My stomach misses Iowa City – home of all things good and vegan in Iowa. However, Des Moines has quite a few “Vegan Friendly” restaurants that I have come to enjoy.

• Cool Basil - 8801 University Ave, Clive Iowa (50325); Great selection of Thai food and good vegetarian sushi!
• A-Dong Restaurant – 1511 High Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3109; Really fresh Vietnamese food, with a separate vegetarian menu!
• Bandit Burrito – 5340 Merle Hay Road, Johnston, IA 50322; Bandit has a “Soy-Chorizo” you can add to your veggie burrito and fabulous guacamole.
• PF Changs – 110 South Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines, IA 50266-8141; Located next to Jordon Creek Mall, Changs has a small vegetarian menu, as well as a Gluten Free menu!
• Ritual Café - 1301 Locust St Ste D, Des Moines Iowa (50309) (at Grand); Small menu with some great veggie selections!

Groceries – There are a few markets in town outside of Hy-Vee’s small health food section. These are the places I found that actually have good organic produce. I still travel up to Ames or back to Iowa City to hit the Co-ops and stock up on my bulk food items!

• Trader Joes - 6305 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines Iowa (50266) (at S 64th St)
• New City Market – 4721 University Ave, Des Moines Iowa (50314)
• Gateway Market - 2002 Woodland Ave, Des Moines Iowa (50312)
• Campbells Nutrition – When I arrived in Des Moines, everyone raved about Campbells. Unfortunately, it is not worth raving about if you have ever been to a co-op. The prices are high and the selection is small. I was very unimpressed, and in fact a little depressed when I first entered the store. (I think my expectations were a little too high!)