Celebrating a Birthday and an Anniversary

This weekend was my birthday and the one-year anniversary of My New Roots. To celebrate both, my wonderful mother took me on an organic farm tour in Prince Edward County (yup, she rocks). We spent both days winding around country roads, stopping wherever our hearts desired. We went to Vicki’s Veggies, an idyllic family-run organic farm near Picton. We went apple picking, visited an artisan goat cheese maker, Fifth Town, (which runs a carbon-neutral production and retail facility!), and ate at a “locavore” restaurant, called Harvest.


It was truly a spectacular way to celebrate my birthday and reflect on everything that has happened at My New Roots. My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who have read, commented and participated in the My New Roots blog over the past year. I feel so lucky to have such an encouraging community of people supporting me. I had no idea that this project would grow into such a colossal affair, but my passion for it has only continued to grow through your unwavering support.

I have no doubt that the coming year will bring some incredible adventures, discoveries and sharing them at My New Roots is my greatest aspiration. I hope to continue inspiring and educating you about holistic health and above all, empowering you to become the very best version of yourself. Thank you for everything.


All my love,
Sarah B.

The 30 Day Yoga Challenge

If I was anything else but tanned this summer, I was lazy. My gym membership ran out, it was "too rainy" to run, and who wants to bust out the squats and lunges during a European vacation? Not me.
So in order to get my body back into some level of physical fitness, I am beginning my 30-Day Yoga Challenge, which means practicing yoga every day for a month…and I want all of you to join me. Now before you start making excuses, I will explain how easy this will be and dare you to find a reason not to. If you have five minutes a day, to dedicate to a very simple series of movements and breathing over the next month, than I guarantee you will feel amazing. You don’t need any special equipment (although a yoga mat would be a good idea), and you don’t need a fancy yoga studio to do it (a dock on the river at sunset would also be a good idea) (sorry, that was mean).

Even if you have never done yoga before in your life, you will be able to participate in the yoga challenge. Yoga is a system comprised of three practices, the most important being the breath, so if you can breathe, you can do yoga. The physical and mediation practices of yoga are also important, but I think that just committing to a month-long practice of breathing and simple stretches will be enough for me. I am also trying to curb my tendancy to bite off more than i can realistically chew.

The 30-Day Yoga Challenge will begin October 1st, so you have just over a week to psych yourself into participating. Get your friends and family involved too, as it is good to have some support. The practice postures will be a series called the “Sun Salutation”, or “Surya Namaskar”, which is a series of 12 postures performed in a single, graceful flow. The Sun Salutation builds strength and increases flexibility (however, I should mention that this series does NOT include the posture pictured above, I was just showing off). Different styles of yoga perform the Sun Salutation with their own variations. However, the flow I will be presenting covers core steps used in most styles. If you are already familiar with the Sun Salutation, that is great. Let this be an opportunity to see what a difference it makes to practice daily, and feel free to add your own postures, as you like! Even if you cannot practice everyday this month, set small goals for yourself and take it day by day.


Here are some of the many benefits of practicing yoga:

Increasing Flexibility – yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the ‘radar screen’ let alone exercised.

Increasing lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons – likewise, the well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.
Surprisingly it has been found that the body which may have been quite rigid starts experiencing a remarkable flexibility in even those parts which have not been consciously work upon. Why? It is here that the remarkable research behind yoga positions proves its mettle. Seemingly unrelated “non strenuous” yoga positions act upon certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony to create a situation where flexibility is attained relatively easily.

Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body – Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those – such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.

Complete Detoxification – By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life.

Excellent toning of the muscles – Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity.

Still not convinced? Well, only the practice itself will be able to show you the immeasurable benefits of yoga. So, challenge yourself. Join me in the pursuit of reuniting with the body, the breath and the flow of it all.

If you are interested in joining the 30-Day Yoga Challenge, write me an email at: sarahlbritton@gmail.com and I will post your first name on the “participant board” in October. Good for you!

Namaste.

I Like it Raw

Yes, that’s right. I like it raw, alive...uncooked. I'm talking about my food, and more specifically, that little date square. Since it's a raw food, all the nutrients contained in the dates, oats, maple syrup, and orange, that would have otherwise been lost thought he cooking process, still remain. In fact, this dessert is so nutrient-dense, that you could wholeheartedly eat it for breakfast. I bet your triple-decker chocolate cake can’t claim that.

Raw foods are foods that are eaten in their whole, natural state and are have not been cooked (heated above 118F). There are groups of people who eat only raw foods or mostly raw foods, much like how vegetarians don’t eat meat. These “raw foodists” believe that eating mostly raw foods has immeasurable health benefits such as clear headedness, fewer illnesses, clear skin, more energy, and less need for medication. Many celebrities have popularized this way of eating, since it is an excellent method for controlling one’s weight.

The science and rationale behind raw foods is relatively simple: All natural, unprocessed and uncooked foods contain substances called enzymes. Enzymes play a vital role digesting your food since they carry out the breakdown of the food particles that can then be easily converted into the essential energy needed by all parts of our body. Enzymes are either present in the food you eat, or they are produced by your own digestive system as needed, when you eat foods lacking in enzymes. Digestion is a very energy-intense process. If you are not obtaining enzymes from your food, your body has to draw them out of your organs, creating that post-meal feeling of lethargy we're all too familiar with. Just think about what happens at Thanksgiving. That meal hasn’t seen a raw carrot in years!
If you constantly eat cooked, enzyme-less food, it is also believed that your body will not be able to absorb and assimilate the nutrients, leading to malnourishment and inevitably, disease. Sounds a little dooms-day, doesn’t it?

What I do know for sure is that heating foods above any “naturally occurring” temperature changes the chemical structure of the food, in turn destroying many of the vital nutrients our bodies need for optimal health and healing. Especially if you are shelling out extra cash for organics, doesn’t it make sense to preserve just a few of those precious vitamins and minerals? I think so.

Many people ask me about raw foods, what it means to eat raw, and whether or not I’m into the lifestyle. Personally, I think that adopting an exclusively raw food diet is totally dependent on a few factors, such as your state of health, current habits, emotional state, your constitution, surrounding environment (hot, cold, wet, dry), and season of the year. Since I live in Canada and it is cold and damp for months on end, I tend to strive towards a diet that balances those elements, by eating warm, dry foods. In the summer, when the weather warms up and fresh, local foods abound, I feel that my body is able to handle the cooling affects of raw foods.

But that’s just me.

Adopting a raw lifestyle is just that - it is a lifestyle. There are few “impromptu” meals, since you can’t just run to the corner store and pick up a quick fix. In order to get protein, raw foodists rely on sprouted grains, nuts and seeds, which we know takes 3-4 days of germination. Dehydrating is also popular, as this process takes the moisture out of foods, without cooking it, so one can enjoy “bread” and “crackers”. But on the upside, you are doing the environment a real favour by not using any electricity to prepare your meals and by supporting organic agricultural practices, clean up is fast and easy, you can pretty much forego the vitamin supplements. Oh yeah, you also feel and look incredible.
I truly admire the growing number of individuals that make commitment to take on such a beautiful challenge.

This week was my mother’s birthday and her favorite dessert is squares. I have never been a fan of them myself, but had a feeling that this recipe from Enlightened Eating by Caroline Dupont, was worth the risk. Surprisingly, the date squares were super easy to make and incredibly delicious. The orange zest makes the dates sing and the nut crust is rich and satisfying. I can’t believe it’s raw, let alone healthy! This dessert is a great example of how easy it is to incorporate some raw foods into your diet without hassle or the feeling like you’re making some sort of sacrifice.


Raw Date Squares
Ingredients:
Filling
2 cups chopped, pitted dates
2 Tbsp. water
Juice of 1 large, unwaxed orange (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
Zest of 1 large, unwaxed orange

Quick oats for sprinkling (optional)

Crust: 2 cups pecans or walnuts (I used 1 cup of each)
1 cup raw oats ground in a coffee grinder or oat flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1. Soak dates in water and orange juice for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on quickly they soften.
2. Coarsely grind nuts in a food processor. Add ground oats or oat flour and pulse to mix.
3. Add cinnamon first, then maple syrup one tablespoon at a time until the mixture holds together.
4. Lightly oil a 9-inch square pan or round cake pan with coconut or olive oil
5. Press a little over half of the nut mixture into the bottom of the pan, reserving the rest for later.
6. Puree the date and orange juice mixture until it reaches a desired consistency. I left a few larger pieces of dates for texture, but you can blend them to a perfectly smooth texture too.
7. Crumble the remaining half of the crust mixture over the dates; press lightly with your hands of a spoon. Sprinkle some quick oats on top for garnish (this is optional, but looks nice).
8. Refrigerate leftovers.


There is so much information regarding raw and living foods that I certainly could not cover it all in this quick article. However, if you are interested in delving deeper into the raw world, have a look at this link below, which will lead you to many other informative websites and book recommendations. Good luck!
http://www.rawbc.org/raw_links.html#recipes

Seaweed of the Month Club: Part I

Wait! I know what you’re thinking…Seaweed of the Month Club? Are you joking? No, I am not. Please just humour me with the next 2 minutes of your life so that I can state the case for the delicious delicacies of the sea. I am proposing to introduce all of you to the wonders of sea vegetables, one at a time, in hopes that you will also fall in love with what the ocean has to offer in the way of foliage.

Seaweed, or as I prefer, sea vegetables, deserve some major attention, seeing as they collectively have all fifty-six minerals and trace minerals deemed necessary for the human body. They are loaded with calcium, iron, protein and dietary fiber; they are low in calories and naturally fat-free. Sea vegetables also contain the illusive vitamin B12, which is rare in plant foods, and therefore a great choice for vegetarians!

I am sure that most of you have eaten sea vegetables before. After all, it is one of the major ingredients in sushi. That black “stuff” the rice is wrapped with is a sea vegetable, called nori.
Some of you braver souls may have even tried the “seaweed salad” that Japanese restaurants often serve, made of wakame. Seaweed really isn’t that scary, just different from what we’re used to. It is consumed mainly in Japan and China, where it has been a staple food for thousands of years, but over here in North America, we seem a little timid to adopt such an unfamiliar fodder.

Well, I am officially putting an end to that. Over the next few months, I will show you many ways to incorporate the wide variety of sea vegetables into your diet. Aren’t you lucky?

Arame is a good place to start since it is one of the milder tasting sea vegetables on the market. It is a dark, almost back seaweed, with stringy texture. Before it is packaged, it must be cooked for seven hours, and then dried in the sun. To use, simply re-hydrate by soaking it in room temperature water for 15-20 minutes until it is soft and has doubled in volume. Arame is very high in calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin A and the B vitamins.
I like to add arame to my salads, soups, and stir-fry’s. It adds a lot of nutrients, without an overpowering flavour.

I learned how to make this salad at a cooking class last year, and it quickly became a dinner staple in my house. You will undoubtedly be surprised at how tasty raw sweet potato is, and the toasted sesame seeds add a delicious, familiar flavour. I like to serve this with a grain on the side, such as quinoa or brown rice. It is also great on picnics, as you can prepare the salad ahead of time. This allows the flavours to meld together, and the acid in the lemon juice helps to break down some of the starch in the sweet potato, making it softer.


Raw Sweet Potato Salad with Arame
Ingredients:
1/4 cup arame seaweed
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups sweet potato, cut into matchsticks
1 cup shredded daikon radish (optional)
1 cup tart apple, cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup sliced celery
1-2 Tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1-2 Tbsp agave nectar
3 Tbsp. Tamari
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or cold pressed sesame oil

Directions:
1. Rinse and soak arame in 3/4 cup filtered water for 15-20 until soft
2. Squeeze lemon juice
3. Shred or grate the sweet potato, daikon and apple into a large salad bowl
4. Slice celery in thin, diagonal strips and add
5. Grate ginger
6. Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet until they begin to pop – careful, the burn quickly!
7. Blend agave, tamari, oil and ginger
8. Toss all ingredients together and enjoy!

Stayed tuned next month when I introduce you all to the next sea vegetable on our list…Dulse! I can feel your excitement already.

I'm Away at Camp this Week...

...having bonfires, sunrise swims, and teaching 210 grade nine boys how to make hemp bracelets.
I will be back soon, as long as I survive ;)