Ani's Raw Food Essentials - Ani Phyo [88]
*Hand wash your dishes as they get dirty.
*Compost instead of using a garbage disposal.
*Take shorter showers.
As you can guess from my recipes, I eat as much local, seasonal foods as possible, buy in bulk to reduce packaging and waste, and shop at farmers’ markets. Planting a garden and cutting back on animal products has a huge impact on our planet. This is from my book Ani’s Raw Food Desserts, and I’m repeating it here again: switching to a totally local diet saves 1,000 miles of driving per year. Replacing red meat and dairy with vegetables just one day per week saves resources equal to 1,160 miles of driving per year. And, switching to a completely vegan diet is the equivalent of driving 8,100 fewer miles per year! What we choose to eat has a huge impact on our environment.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
Not only were my parents early raw fooders, they were also the first recyclers I knew. I’ve been trained by my folks to conserve by using and buying less, which saves money. I replace items only when needed, reuse and recycle, compost, and buy recycled products, including clothes and furniture. Remember, it takes resources and energy to recycle, make recycled products, and package, warehouse, and distribute them.
Visit www.myfootprint.org—take the quiz at this Web site and estimate the size of your ecological footprint. You may be surprised at how big your footprint is. I was.
RECYCLING AND ECO DISPOSAL
It’s important to dispose of toxic substances properly to keep them from contaminating our ground water and environment. The U.S. Geological Survey found medications such as antibiotics, birth control hormones, and antidepressants in more than 80 percent of the rivers they tested.
Visit www.Earth911.com—type in your zip code and what you want to recycle, such as paint or compact fluorescent lightbulbs, to find nearby drop sites.
MORE RESOURCES
ANI’S RECIPES AND UNCOOKING VIDEOS
http://www.aniphyo.com/category/recipes/
http://www.aniphyo.com/category/videos/
http://www.youtube.com/aniphyo
Visit my Web site, SmartMonkey Foods, where I offer recipes and inspiration—
http://www.smartmonkeyfoods.com/.
INGREDIENTS
AniPhyo.com/store—organic food and ingredients such as cacao, nuts and butters, sea vegetables, sweeteners, pet care
GoldMineNaturalFood.com—cultured vegetables, raw nori
PremierOrganics.org—Artisana nut butters
UltimateSuperFoods.com—superfoods such as cacao, goji, spirulina
LivingTreeCommunity.com—Nuts and butters, oils, grains, and seeds
Nutiva.com—hemp, coconut oil
KelpNoodles.com—kelp noodles
KEFIR GRAINS
I buy my water kefir grains from Cheree, and you can also buy kombucha culture from her store at http://www.stichingtime.com on eBay, or http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/stichingtime, or e-mail at chereepaula@rocketmail.com.
If Cheree’s temporarily out of stock, here’s another source:
http://happyhealthybalance.blogspot.com/2009/07/get-your-kefir-on-water-kefir-grains.html.
And Dom’s site is packed with information on water kefir, kefirkraut, and other fermented foods and drinks:
www.kefir-grains.com
KITCHEN TOOLS
AniPhyo.com/store—kitchen tools such as dehydrators, blenders, ceramic knives, spiralizers, and my cooking DVDs
ExcaliburDehydrator.com—dehydrators and Paraflexx liner sheets
www.Tribest.com—Personal Blender, juicers
MOVIES TO WATCH
The Future of Food
Investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.
http://www.thefutureoffood.com/ or watch online at
http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food
Food, Inc.
How industrial food is making us sicker, fatter, and poorer, and what you can do about it.
http://www.foodincmovie.com/
Flow
Our world water crisis, and the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.
http://www.flowthefilm.com/