Change to Vegan

I have really neglected this site lately.  We have been so busy building our wonderful Casa Metta that it may seem like I don’t care about Change to Vegan.  On the contrary, I have continued to create and share wonderful vegan dishes and have been teaching guests how to cook vegan and gluten free delicacies.

Our greenhouse is built and veggies and herbs are growing.  Our rescued animals are thriving.  We have dogs, cats, chickens, quail and bunnies.  They are so fun to interact with and watch.  Our sauna is glorious, followed by a dip in our salt water pool.  Our landscaping is magnificent.  Birds and butterflies enjoy the flowers and adorable little lizards abound.  Our fountain provided water for all the creatures.

We are dehydrating tomatoes, zucchini and carrots these days.  I will start posting photos of great food, etc. shortly.  Life is good.

Check out our Casa Metta web site and Facebook site:

We moved 4 weeks ago, but the house needs major work.  It will be about 6 to 8 weeks before all is ready.  We have two kitchens and lots of space to relax and enjoy the beautiful mountains of Costa Rica, where the air is always cool and fresh.  We will have vegan/vegetarian cooking classes, a B&B for healthy foodies, and we will be producing and selling some vegan food products locally.

We are currently painting, changing tile, re-doing plumbing and electrical, remodeling bathrooms, building a salt water sanitizer pool.  We are cooking up some vegan delights and will post some new recipes here soon.  We did not have internet for the first few weeks here.

Our place is called Casa Metta – house of loving kindness.  It is set on an almost 3 acre sight with amazing views – even an ocean view on really clear days.  It will be a healthy, relaxing retreat with space for up to 4-6 guests, once all is completed.  We are loving our new lives and our new challenges.  We look forward to sharing fantastic vegan foods with others, in our new locale.

You become what you ingest. You become what you put into your mouth.  The food that you put into your mouth helps make you who and what you are.

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Turmeric is one of nature’s most powerful healers. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. Tumeric has been used for over 2500 years in India, where it was most likely first used as a dye.

The medicinal properties of this spice have been slowly revealing themselves over the centuries. Long known for its anti-inflammatory properties, recent research has revealed that turmeric is a natural wonder, proving beneficial in the treatment of many different health conditions from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease.

Here are 20 reasons to add turmeric to your diet:

1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.

2. When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.

3. Prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice.

4. May prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide.

5. Reduces the risk of childhood leukemia.

6. Is a natural liver detoxifier.

7. May prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by removing amyloyd plaque buildup in the brain.

8. May prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.

9. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects.

10. Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.

11. Is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor.

12. May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.

13. Has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.

14. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

15. Boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel and reduces its side effects.

16. Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.

17. Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.

18. Has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.

19. Speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.

20. May help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

Turmeric can be taken in powder or pill form. It is available in pill form in most health food stores, usually in 250-500mg capsules.

Once you start using turmeric on a regular basis, it’s fun to find new ways to use it in recipes.

I have been really busy lately, dealing with my Mom’s Alzheimer’s, etc.  It has used a lot of my energy.  One thing that it has enforced in me is how important it is for us to live healthy, eat healthy and exercise.  Alzheimer’s is now thought to be caused by high cholesteral.  If this is really the case, we can absolutely control it through diet and lifestyle.

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I have been visiting my Mom for a bit, who has Alzheimer’s.  One of the pieces of information I gleaned from my travels was that high cholesterol is now considered one of the roots of this horrible disease.  People asked me if I am worried that I might have Alzheimer’s too.  My answer is, “No.”  I eat no bad cholesterol.  I exercise daily.  My diet primarily consists of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.  I eat some grains, but no gluten.  I am not worried about Alzheimer’s.  But, if you subscribe to the “normal” N. American diet, you should be worried.  And, I will tell you that you do not want to lose your mind, the way my Mother is losing hers!

http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/news/20090804/high-cholesterol-linked-to-alzheimers

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/health/dementia05.html

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2008/04/18/linking-alzheimers-and-cholesterol.html

There is something that I have discovered through some of our guests that is an absolutely amazing addition to my life.  The Shatki Acupressure Mat, or bed of nails,  helps cure stress, neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, muscle pain, muscular tension, sciatica, insomnia, poor circulation, digestive problems, arthritis, TMJ, tension headaches, migraines, fatigue and depression.

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We are always trying new things here at Cashew Hill.  My daughter had an idea that we should add mint leaves and crushed peanuts to our spring rolls.  They were great!

And, we had our Vegan Eggless Benediction over brown rice and found it to be wonderful as well.  It is a meal that everyone seems to enjoy, whether vegan, vegetarian or carniverous.

We keep experimenting on our vegan kitchen.  We will share some of what turns out great.  The sun is shinning here on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and we are spending plenty of time out in it.

I have been busy this week, running my lodging establishment in Costa Rica.  I realized yesterday that I was too busy to prepare good food for myself and to enjoy the moment.  I told myself to slow down and savor the moment.

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