my fruitarian life

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-12-13T08:50:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 8 valencia oranges

9:00 . . . 12 satsuma mandarins

11:00 . . . 2 bananas in banana pudding

1:00 . . . 1 lb. raspberries + 4 medjool dates

3:00 . . . 2 bananas in banana pudding

5:00 . . . 1 lb. raspberries + 3 medjool dates

6:00 . . . 2 bananas in banana pudding

7:00 . . . 10 satsuma mandarins + a few campari tomatoes

8:00 . . . a few valencia oranges

Play: dance, acrobatics, stretching, lots of rest!

Since yesterday was Sunday and I had no obligations or unnatural schedule, I could eat whenever I wanted. And I literally ate from morning 'til night! Ha!

Now that citrus season is upon us, I am greeting my old sweet orange friends and really appreciating the lovely smell they bring to the house. I never tire of oranges. Never. They are brightening and uplifting in every way.

And these mandarin tangerines are really wonderful. So soft and delicate and sweet. They are so gorgeous I almost don't want to eat them. Sigh. But I do.

I am buying these mandarins in great abundance. Which reminds me of this:

My #1 tip for people who want to go fruitarian is to always have PLENTY (lots!) of really good quality fruit that you LOVE on hand at all times.

My #2 tip is to take all the time, energy, attention and money that you currently devote to restaurants, recipe books and ingredients, kitchen gadgets and appliances, cooking and cleaning up from the cooking, buying and eating junk on the sly (busted!), being sick and miserable, supplements and medications, caffeine and alcohol, doctor and dentist visits, and beauty products, and spend it all instead on sourcing really good quality fruit.

I took my own advice today and bought 6 lbs. of local raspberries, 20 lbs. of Earth bananas, and 16 lbs. of valencia oranges, plus a few pounds of other stuff like cukes and tomatoes.

I feel blessed and grateful to be able to have such an abundant life. I know that many beings are struggling and my heart goes out to them. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-12-01T09:12:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 8 organic valencia oranges

9:00 . . . 6 organic valencia oranges

1:00 . . . 8 golden kiwis

2:00 . . . 1 lb. raspberries + 4 medjool dates

4:00 . . . 4 bananas

8:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe + a few dates

Play: dance, acrobatics, yoga

These golden kiwis are a blessing right now, when good fruit is not as abundant as I like. They would make a perfect baby food . . . soft and smooth and sweet, far sweeter than their green counterparts. When I see that there are some waiting for me in the store, I feel relieved and grateful. I like to cut them in half and eat out the inside with my bamboo spoon. Like most fruits, I don't eat the skin. I think of skin as the protective "packaging."

Citrus season won't be in full swing for another month. I am getting excited already thinking about it. It's hard to top really good valencias and honey tangerines. And I am stocked with some good organic dates from Arizona. I don't understand people saying they can't stop eating dates. To me, they are SO rich and sweet, I can only eat a few at a time. Dates stay longer on the tree than any other fruit, so they are loaded with sun energy! That is especially good at a time of year when we can't get so much sun energy directly.

Love the sun. ♥

Candy! ♥

2010-11-17T15:40:00.003-05:00

OK, so I just HAVE to include a pic of my current favorite candy! I am eating this every day lately . . . it is fresh locally-grown raspberries with some wet organic medjool dates that taste like caramel. For some mystical reason, this combination of tastes goes perfectly well together and I feel like a child eating candy. Except that this is WAY better than any candy I ever had. And believe me, I would know! as a former white sugaraholic.

And if you spend any time truly gazing upon a raspberry (which I do constantly) you will simply have to believe in the intelligence and order of the universe. Look at the form and function of all the little sweet packets stacked so cleverly all around: It is genius! And beauty! Who thought of this? Who created this??? Who invented this most lovely color? Soft gentle raspberries . . . I love you! ♥

Yes, all day long I think I am eating dessert. Sometimes it is pie, or cake, or candy. Or bubble gum or marshmallows! Caramel frosting! Except it is REAL and PERFECT and ACTUALLY GOOD for me. All sweet gifts from Mother Nature.

I am waiting patiently for everyone to figure this out so we can have a big candy party all day every day. Time now for some Sweetarts I mean pomegranates.

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-11-08T15:45:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges
10:00 . . 8 valencia oranges
1:00 . . . 1 lb. raspberries + 3 medjool dates
3:00 . . . 4 zucchini + 2 heirloom tomatoes + some baby okra
5:00 . . . 1 lb. raspberries + 4 medjool dates
6:00 . . . 3 bananas
7:00 . . . few more raspberries + dates

Play: ballet, acrobatics, stretching

I took a pic of these few things I got at the Farmer's Market a couple of days ago. Those are zucchini, baby okra, heirloom tomatoes, and raspberries. So even though it is turning chilly, there are still wonderful things to be found from local growers. I discovered that one of my favorite families is growing raspberries all fall in a greenhouse. And there will be heirloom tomatoes (German Johnsons) available all winter long! This is very happy news!

There are also slews of apples at the Farmer's Market, but I am not a big apple fiend, so I just enjoy their beauty.

I have never been a big fan of raspberries, but after just one taste of these delicate sweeties I fell in LOVE! And when I pair them with dates, it is a match made in heaven! There are always surprises with this fruitarian lifestyle. Things are always changing . . . YOU are always changing.

Also in my kitchen now are golden kiwi, cantaloupes, a few persimmons, and a few pomegranates. I usually like to try a few tastes of seasonal fruits, even if they are not really staples.

For right now, I am paying attention to my current new love: raspberries. Mmmmmm. They are surely food for angels and goddesses. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-10-21T15:17:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . juice of 6 valencia oranges
10:00 . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
1:00 . . . 6 golden kiwi
2:00 . . . 1 heirloom cantaloupe
3:00 . . . 3 bananas
5:00 . . . 2 papayas
7:00 . . . 4 heirloom tomatoes + several zucchini
9:00 . . . 1 HUGE mango

Play: walking barefoot, dance, acrobatics, stretching

Lately I have come across some papaya and some GIGANTIC mangoes that are so good I can't believe it! Usually, I leave these tropical fruits alone in the store, as I think they are only really good right off the tree. (Not picked green and shipped.)

But wow, am I grateful for these sweeties! If I lived in the tropics, papayas and mangoes would be staples for me. They are such a treat! They both make me feel like a baby, eating the best quality baby food anywhere.

And also, this week I discovered a new (for me) fruit: golden kiwi. A super lucky find at Whole Foods! These also taste like baby food: light, creamy, soft, very sweet. These are far sweeter than green kiwi, and not acidic at all. I am in love with them! I'll add them to the list of things I would like to grow someday.

Man, I must be in the zone! This is usually a time of year where the pickin's are kinda slim until citrus season picks up. But right now I have so much good stuff that I don't know what to eat next! What a great problem. I feel almost guilty for so much abundance, when so many have nothing. If only we could get all of us and everyone planting fruit trees, this problem could be solved! There would be plenty to share.

I want to mention one detail, for those of you detail-oriented. I am listing what I eat and approximate times, not exactly accurate stuff. To me, it feels like I am eating all day long. I rarely actually sit down to eat a "meal." It is more like I am eating all day long, from morning 'til night, snacking on the best sugar on the planet! What a life!!! There is no way I could really record what and how I'm eating without being really anal.

Lately I have also been eating lots of black grapes and honeydew melons, and I just ordered the first organic dates of the season from Arizona. I thank my lucky stars every day that I am blessed to live this fruity life. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-10-03T20:25:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . juice of 8 valencia oranges

10:00 . . 1 pineapple

1:00 . . . lots of muscadine grapes (pounds!)

3:00 . . . more grapes

4:00 . . . 5 local heirloom tomatoes + some okra

6:00 . . . 2 heirloom cantaloupes + 1 honeydew

8:00 . . . 1 GIGANTIC organic mango

Play: walking/running barefoot, stretching, acrobatics, dance

Wow. This fruit was all out-of-this-world excellent. I LOVE a day like this, when everything tastes just so so GOOD. I admit that it does occasionally happen that I open a melon that is hard and not sweet, or bite into a piece of fruit that is mushy or tasteless. So I'm grateful when fruit is really what it promises: sweet, rich, bliss-inducing!

The melons pictured are from the Turlock Fruit Company in California, and when I see their seal, I know it will be a very high-quality fruit. This year is the first time I have found their heirloom cantaloupes in the store and they are superb. On the inside, they look like any other cantaloupe except they are richer and darker orange, in the same way an heirloom tomato has a very rich color. And their taste is definitely sweeter than the average 'loupe.

I am taking advantage of the varied assortment of fall produce, so wonderful. Because soon enough it will be winter and back to my staples of oranges, dates, bananas. But hey, I love them, too! Everything has its' season.

Lately I have also been eating some dates and bananas to fill in when I can't find much else.

And this discovery of the HUGE organic mangoes has me very happy. It is very rare to find shipped mangoes in a store that taste so excellent. I bought one when I saw them, on sale for 2 for $5., not expecting much, and it was so unbelievable that I ran back to buy LOTS. Now I have them ripening on the counter and they will be my dinner tonight, for sure. So excited! These mangoes are the best baby food! So sweet! I feel like a lucky baby when I eat them.

I have to say that I never got this excited about my old junk food. REALLY.

I read a quote last week I want to share, so true:

"Eating junk food is NOT a reward. It's a punishment." Drew Carey

Now if only he could discover the truth about fruit. If only EVERYONE could! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-09-25T16:18:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 10 valencia oranges
11:00 . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
1:00 . . . lots of muscadine grapes
4:00 . . . 1 papaya (sublime!) + 1 huge organic mango
6:00 . . . 2 heirloom cantaloupes + a few heirloom tomatoes
8:00 . . . more muscadine grapes

Play: walking/running barefoot, dance, stretching

My love affair with the muscadines continues. Although the organic growers are all finished this season with the best grapes EVER, I am finding more elsewhere, even though they are of a lesser quality. I'm already dreaming of next year.

That is one cool thing with this lifestyle . . . you fall into a rhythm of the seasons. I know when my favorites will appear and I look forward to greeting them like an old friend. And then there are those nice little surprises that show up just in time. Like finding really nice papayas and mangoes, which rarely happens. But I found some the other day while urban foraging . . . you know, looking around in stores and at roadside stands and such.

I also found just last week honeydews AND heirloom cantaloupes from my favorite grower in Texas. (More on that next time.) This is the first time I've had heirloom 'loupes and they are seriously outstanding! VERY sweet and mineral-rich. I have a new love! ♥

We fruit lovers are so fickle!

And I have to give a shout out to whoever is growing these UNBELIEVABLE heirloom tomatoes that I have lucked into at a fruit stand minutes from my house. I am spoiled rotten now on their sweetness and richness and dark red soft interior that melts in your mouth. I am eating them like a fool as long as they last. They're called German Johnsons. I gave some to my mother-in-law and she called to tell me that they are the best tomatoes she's had in years. And she is a serious foodie. It's going to be a long winter without these sweeties. So I am giving them all my love and gratitude and attention every day. I'm about to eat some now!

Once you embark on this fruitarian path, the Universe will help you in so many ways. Like how I just came upon a really great papaya and some gigantic organic mangoes. Usually I steer clear of them because the quality of these picked-green and shipped tropical fruits is so bad, but on a day when I thought there wouldn't be much good to eat, these amazing beauties appear . . . just for me! Thank you, thank you, everyone. ♥

If I lived in the tropics, I would be all over the papayas and mangoes. Ripe on the tree is the only way. A really good papaya tastes like maple syrup, only better! Back in the day, I did love me some maple syrup, but I'm sure it would make me very nauseated now, like all of The Other. A lot of The Other is just trying to imitate really good fruit. Don't be fooled. Go for the real deal.

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-08-25T13:17:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
11:00 . . .1/4 watermelon
1:00 . . . 3 bananas
3:00 . . . lots of organic muscadine grapes (in the car)
4:00 . . . more grapes + a few tomatoes + some pickling cukes
5:00 . . . ~ 2 quarts muscadine grapes
6:00 . . . ~ 2 quarts muscadine grapes
7:00 . . . a few more grapes! : )
8:00 . . . one last grape (or 2, or 3 . . . Ha!)

Play: walking, yoga, acrobatics

It is now major grape season and I am all about these grapes! I put my hand in the picture so you could see how gigantic these organic muscadines are. They are to LIVE for!!! I am so happy and grateful to give these lovely growers my money. They are the dearest peeps. In return they give me large bags of their precious grapes. One of their friends told me that they work very hard tending to their vines and that they put a lot of love into creating their vineyards. It is obvious! ♥

The season is so short that I just give myself over to it. There will be time later for more melons, for bananas and dates, for oranges and tangerines. Right now it is GRAPES! They should be around for about 3 more weeks. I'm sure I will be having some days of mono grapes.

Nothing is easier than this: popping one super sweet grape into my mouth after another. They are VERY FUN to eat . . . and no preparation, no utensils, no clean-up! Just sweet grapey goodness.

I have to say that all other grapes pale in comparison. They were a delightful new surprise this year at the huge Farmer's Market. So wherever you are, be open to looking around everywhere. I have fruit radar now. Plus, the Universe is helping me, now that it is known that I am on the fruit. ; )

Also, on the little mountain where I live there are now lots of muscadine grapevines growing all over the place, thanks to me, Julie Grapeseed, who has strewn seeds everywhere in past years. I ate a few this morning on my walk around. They are not quite fully ripe yet, but it is very cool to be walking in Nature and stop when hungry/thirsty to eat right out there off the vine!

I intend to live this way every day in a fruitarian paradise of my own making, eventually. But if I am living then somewhere tropical, I will REALLY miss these grapes.

Best to be grateful NOW for what is. And I am. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-08-15T18:58:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
11:00 . . 1/4 watermelon
1:00 . . . 4 peaches + 4 medjool dates
3:00 . . . 6 peaches + 4 medjool dates
5:00 . . . a few tomatoes + pickling cukes
6:00 . . . 2 quarts muscadine grapes
7:00 . . . 2 quarts muscadine grapes

Play: barefoot walking/running, dance, stretching

Whoa. Where does the time go? This summer is FLYING!

But right now is really my favorite time of year. The local produce is at its' best and the days are warm and sunny.

I'm not usually much of a peach person, but they are SO good right now and with a few juicy dates, it is DESSERT all day! Chloe is checkin' 'em out . . . they smell good even to her!

And I am very excited and happy because my beloved muscadines are in. Not only that, but I found a new grower this year who is growing them certified organic! Man, they are super sweet. I am drunk with happiness on these grapes. ♥ The growers were surprised when I wanted to buy 8 quarts at once. Shucks. That's nothing! These are the best grapes I've ever had in my life. They taste like a Nehi soda, but much MUCH better. ; )

I'm eating some right now. Sigh. Blissfully legally drunk.

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-07-26T15:05:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . several glasses valencia orange juice (hand pressed)
11:00 . . juice from 1/2 watermelon
4:00 . . . more orange juice
5:00 . . . handful of medjool dates
6:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes + a few tomatoes
8:00 . . . bit of watermelon juice

Play: walking/running, hiking in forest, acrobatics, stretching

This pic is what I have on hand right now: watermelons, cantaloupes, bananas, ataulfo mangoes, tomatoes, and valencia oranges. Plus I have a large bag of cherries and 3 lbs. of medjool dates. I try to keep a decent supply of food, enough for a day or two. I don't stock too much beyond that. I like to feel free to get whatever I want in the moment. I wouldn't want to commit in advance, for example, to a whole week of just mangoes, even if I got a great deal on them. Besides, it is possible that when you buy a lot of something, it may not all be of good quality. And THAT is a Big Bummer, to buy fruit that isn't good.

It's not really orange season, and I normally wouldn't buy oranges at this time of year, but I just had a hankerin' for them and they looked OK to me. They turned out to be surprisingly sweet so it has been a treat to have some fresh OJ.

The watermelons continue to be excellent! The other day I got 4 big ones (over 20 lbs. each) for $14. at the farmer's market. I have found one grower to have consistently sweet melons so I just keep going back to them. I feel spoiled with the abundance of great produce. There is so much to choose from I can hardly decide. And people think I am deprived because I am eating ONLY fruit. Ha!

What about horses, who eat only grass, or squirrels, who eat only nuts, or koalas, who eat only eucalyptus leaves?

We humans, natural frugivores that we are, have totally lucked out in the food department. ♥

I'm not so sure about the brain department, because from the looks of things we're not too bright. ; )

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-07-20T15:21:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . watermelon juice from 1/4 watermelon
11:00 . . .watermelon juice from 1/4 watermelon
12:00 . . 16 oz. cucumber juice (from a juice stand)
2:00 . . . several medjool dates
4:00 . . . a few more dates
6:00 . . . 4 bananas
8:00 . . . 3 glasses orange juice + 3 tomatoes

Play: walking and stretching

This watermelon juice is FANTASTIC! With all the heat we're having, nothing hits the spot like this juice. It totally reminds me of my childhood when I drank lots of red Kool-Aid. Except this is WAY better than that fakey Kool-Aid. Kool-Aid WISHES it tasted this good! Ha.

I do not use an electric juicer or blender for anything. So the way I make this juice is simply by using a large spoon to gently scrape the inside of the melon. Little wells form, the juice fills the wells, and I ladle out the juice into a glass. I usually put a mesh strainer over the glass to catch seeds and fiber.

It is super fast and easy this way, and very little to rinse off. With fruit, you never need to "clean" glasses or plates. All you have to do is rinse them and they are squeaky clean. So just imagine what the fruit is doing to the inside of your body . . . yup, it is rinsing everything squeaky clean!

Every day I am aware of the atrocities taking place all over the world, especially in regard to what humans are doing to animals and other beings. I see it everywhere. Yesterday I saw SO MUCH harm being done I could hardly stand it. My heart was breaking all over the place.

Our animal friends need us all to wake up, heal ourselves, come fully alive, and become emotionally mature. I'm working on this in my own self, an endless process it seems. A GIANT first step to to drop the eating of all animal "products" and start living on fruit. You can do it if you really want to. It will bring you more pleasure than you can imagine, FAR more than what you are currently experiencing.

Today I am dreaming of a world where all life is considered sacred, and all beings are loved and cherished. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-07-11T20:36:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/2 large watermelon
12:00 . . 1/2 large watermelon
2:00 . . . 1 lb. organic raspberries
3:00 . . . 4 bananas
5:00 . . . 4 bananas
6:00 . . . 1 large glass watermelon juice (to live for!)
7:00 . . . local tomatoes + pickling cukes

Play: barefoot walking, dance, acrobatics, stretching

It's been a long time (years) since I actually bought some raspberries. Usually, I sample some and find them sour, or they look old and moldy. Raspberries are so delicate. But these were unbelievable AND they were organic AND they were on sale! (magic words) They are such a perfect color and so soft and SWEET. I didn't know raspberries could be this sweet. I'm swooning! And I'm hoping there will be more tomorrow, 'cause I'm bringin' my money.

You may notice that I don't really eat "meals." It's true . . . I don't. I just eat when I want with no regard for schedules or customs. I feel so FREE. Sometimes I'll say I'm having a "snack." My cat Sophie loved the word "snack." ♥

And speaking of animals, one of the greatest benefits of the fruitarian lifestyle is knowing that you are not eating any of your animal friends. I cannot imagine looking at a beautiful animal and thinking, "I'd like to eat you." When I look at my cat Chloe, I only want to hold her and love her. It would seem like a crazy idea to want to eat her.

There are things going on in this mixed-up world that are unspeakable. Heaven help us. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-07-03T09:29:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 1/2 watermelon
12:00 . . 1/2 watermelon
2:00 . . . 3 black mission figs (divine)
3:00 . . . 3 bananas, as pudding
5:00 . . . bag of cherries
7:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes + a few heirloom tomatoes (SO good)

Play: barefoot walking/running, dance, stretching

It is summertime and I have been traveling, vacating, and, I confess, experiencing a bit of summer languidness. And by languid, I mean LAZY!

The figs I ate yesterday came off of my own little fig tree. This year it has had over 30 figs already, and is still growing more. Each year the tree gets bigger and I can imagine that one day it is going to be huge and a prolific fig producer. These figs are just unbelievable. To me, a fresh fig tastes like a soft sweet marshmallow with a rich strawberry preserve center. These are the best I've ever had. No surprise, because I get to wait until they are really super ripe, so ripe that the tree actually drops them into my hand. It is a heart-opening and awe-inspiring moment when this happens. Love and gratitude. ♥

The whole thing of fruit growing on trees . . . of watching the fruit form, taking in the sun and rain and earth and wind . . . slowly ripening . . . developing into a work of art . . . becoming sweet food . . . it is really a miracle, isn't it?

There are also some tomatoes growing, and there are muscadine grapevines EVERYWHERE. I can hardly wait for the grapes to be ready. I feel at the moment that I am living in a beautiful little orchard. It is really lovely. And there is little or no effort involved on my part. Nature is doing it all! I can only dream and imagine how fantastic it would be to live in a year-round orchard that could provide all of one's food needs.

I have been buying most of my food from a fruit stand near my house and from the large farmer's market. The local melons and tomatoes are just perfect right now. In my kitchen I currently have watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes, pickling cukes, valencia oranges, cherries, and bananas. I have actually been eating some bananas every day lately. Having a few each day seems to work like a charm. I go heavier on the bananas in the winter. You can always count on them for a reliable sugar hit. For now, I am revelling in the summer produce. Back to the farmer's market today for more 'maters and melons!

P.S. As I look at my list of food, I realize that I technically eat more than what I list. I mean, I am snacking all the time, a bite of watermelon here, a few cherries there . . . just so you know. : )

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-06-20T18:09:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/2 large watermelon
1:00 . . . 1/2 large watermelon
3:00 . . . bag of cherries
4:00 . . . local tomatoes + pickling cukes (refreshing!)
5:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe
6:00 . . . 4 bananas
8:00 . . . bit of watermelon juice

Play: barefoot walking, acrobatics, stretching

Summertime. . . and the eatin' is easy. . .

Man, the cherries are really good right now. Firm, sweet, minerally. And there are so many fruits available that I can hardly decide what to have. The Summer Solstice is tomorrow, and the abundance only gets better from there.

The watermelons keep getting crisper and sweeter. Each piece is like a large sugar cube to me. I never tire of them. ♥

Living on fruit is so EASY in the summer, and in warm locales. No slaving over a hot stove or grill, no complicated preparations or clean-up. While everyone is complaining about the hot temperatures, I am delighted it is finally warm. I feel cool as a . . . cucumber, cool as a . . . watermelon. Yes, these summer fruits really do help us stay cool and hydrated. Such beautiful intelligence from Mother Nature.

Lately, this thought is running in my mind, and it applies to everything, including eating:

Why choose complicated, when EASY is available???

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-06-12T07:46:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

7:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
9:00 . . . 1/2 watermelon
1:00 . . . 4 bananas
3:00 . . . bag of cherries
5:00 . . . hunk of jakfruit (in photo)
6:00 . . . more jakfruit
8:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon

Play: dance, stretching, yoga

This was a nice surprise at the local Whole Foods: jakfruit! Well, it was cut and packaged in plastic, and it was STILL really good. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be fresh and ripe right off the tree. You eat the yellow parts and it tastes like Juicy Fruit gum. And to me, it has a crisp and refreshing feel and effect. I still have some left for today and I am really happy about it. It was my first thought this morning: Oh, boy. . . I have more jakfruit today! : )

So yes, jakfruit tastes like Juicy Fruit gum, and bananas taste like bubble gum to me. So I was really reliving my childhood yesterday, as I used to be a bubble gum fanatic! Sometimes I can't believe that I really get to eat sugar all day, and REAL sugar, at that. I am sure that the fake stuff would taste abhorrent to me now.

The cherries are really good now as summer's abundance grows. Yesterday, my husband and I met up to run some errands and wound up under a tree somewhere, eating cherries, one after another. Sometimes, life really IS just a bag of cherries! These fruitarian moments throughout the day are always so special, so REAL, so beautiful, so life-affirming. Gratitude. ♥

And I'm looking forward to picking up some local tomatoes and pickling cukes (also called Kirby cukes) at the fruit stand near my house later today. I need more watermelons, as well. In case I haven't told you 87 times, watermelon is my favorite fruit! Well, unless I am eating mangoes off a tree, or some fresh mamey, or muscadine grapes warm off the vine, or . . . . .

Really, how is it that not EVERYONE is fruitarian??? You are missin' out, peeps, BIG TIME!

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-06-06T10:37:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 1/2 medium watermelon
12:00 . . handful of sweet dark cherries (good!)
2:00 . . . lots of organic strawberries off the vine (heaven)
5:00 . . . more strawberries (lots!)
7:00 . . . local tomatoes + pickling cukes

Play: barefoot walking ~4 miles, dance, stretching

I made one more trip to the strawberry farm. And now strawberries are over for me this season, because after having them in a state of perfection, I wouldn't want anything less. More sweetness and aliveness, warm with the sun, melt-in-your-mouth softness. Super magical fruit pleasure. Sigh.

We as humans are so lucky. Most animals do eat mono in Nature: horses eat grass, squirrels eat nuts, koalas eat eucalyptus leaves. We get to eat fruit . . . and what an amazing variety of tastes and beauty we get to enjoy! There are so many types of fruit around the world that no matter how one would try, one could never get to sample them all.

So getting to eat strawberries this year just twice (but in abundance) I feel like some kind of fruit princess. What other surprises await? ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-05-30T08:55:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 valencia oranges
11:00 . . . 8 valencia oranges
2:00 . . . strawberries, right off the vine (lots!)
4:00 . . . more strawberries
6:00 . . . strawberries + local tomatoes (yes!)
7:00 . . . strawberries

Play: walking/running ~5 miles, dance, stretching

So I finally went to the organic strawberry field and picked my own. I went later this year than usual and the berries seemed sweeter than ever. It was just such a lovely day all the way around . . . very warm and sunny with a cooling breeze. Most of the time I was out there by myself, which I loved. So peaceful and quiet with all the sounds of Nature.

This is what is meant for us, to be picking our fruit right off the vine or trees, eating it warm with the sun and so alive and vital and SWEET. I ate an entire meal right off the vine. One for me, one for the basket. Two for me, two for the basket. I told the nice people that I wanted to pay them extra for all I ate but they wouldn't take it! It's toward the end of the season and they were just happy to have someone there at all. So I got a free meal of the sweetest strawberries EVER. Livin' the fruitarian life. :)

Each berry was so indescribably soft and light and sweet . . . each one literally melted in my mouth. They were like sweet marshmallows with a jammy sugary sweetness and a rich, rich strawberry flavor. Out of this world MAGICAL! The ones right off the vines were the best of all, full of prana. It was really interesting to experience how the ones I ate later were still wonderful, but missing a bit of vitality. It was noticeable, definitely.

So this serves to remind me of how fantastic it would be to really be living the dream . . . eating all my fruit right from the tree or vine, every day. I believe I will fit in one more visit to the strawberry farm before they are all gone. Thank you, Mother Nature. Thank you, organic growers. ♥

I will never forget this day. One of my best fruitarian experiences ever. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-05-23T09:53:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
1:00 . . . 1/2 watermelon
3:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
5:00 . . . 2 lbs. campari tomatoes
11:00 . . 8 valencia oranges + a few tomatoes

Play: ballet, acrobatics, stretching

Oh, boy. The good watermelons are here. And I feel a great peace and happiness, even more than usual, to know that for the next 6 months, I will have an endless supply of my favorite fruit!

Eating watermelon in hot weather reminds me of my childhood. Not because I used to eat a lot of watermelon, but because watermelon reminds me of Kool-Aid and icy slushees and popsicles, which were my summertime staples. I lived on those during the summer. . . lots of liquidy, fruit-flavored treats. (I knew. I KNEW.)

And the greenery in the above pic are muscadine grapevines. They are growning wild now, all around me. And all because I just threw the seeds from grapes everywhere as I walked around outside, eating my favorite grapes. I have done NOTHING to propogate them. What a fantastic gift from Mother Nature! I get to watch them grow and develop all summer. The grapes will be ripe probably in late August into September. There is nothing better than FREE wild fruit! ♥

But for now I am focused on my beloved watermelon. I am eating some right now! : )

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-05-20T18:36:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/2 small watermelon
12:00 . . 1 pineapple
4:00 . . . several glasses valencia orange juice + a few dates
8:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe

Play: walking, dancing, yoga

This is the first whole watermelon I bought this season. It's still early and you can tell it is not of the best quality. BUT I have to say it was crisp and sweet. From here on out they will just get better and better each week.

When one is eating only fruit, the feelings of thirst and hunger are pretty much the same thing. They are not separate. To me it is like a baby drinking only mother's milk for the first few years of life. This one thing takes care of both thirst and hunger. Maybe we came up with two separate words to explain how one must hydrate after taking in dry food and poisonous spices and condiments.

And watermelon is one of the most wonderful thirst/hunger-quenching foods around. I am so happy it is almost watermelon season. Watermelon is the food of angels. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-05-16T09:44:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . hand-squeezed pineapple juice (SO good!)
12:00 . . several glasses honey tangerine juice
1:00 . . . some local strawberries
3:00 . . . 2 lbs. campari tomatoes + a few pickling cukes
6:00 . . . lots (!) of cantaloupe pieces
8:00 . . . a few dates

Play : ballet and stretching, walking

Yesterday I really felt like a princess with so many super good things to eat. I cannot express how vital and sweet the pineapple juice was. I wanted gallons of it! And the feeling and thought of it stayed with me all day. You just KNOW when you get something your body loves and needs. ♥

And I felt the same with the honey tangerine juice. Like a silky sweet waterfall for my cells. My tastebuds were tingling with happiness.

Eating these strawberries reminded me that the very best strawberries I've ever had were in Costa Rica, grown by an organic farmer. They were sugary sweet! I didn't know strawberries could even be that sweet. The second best I ate last year, right off the vine at an organic farm. I'll be going there again this week for more fruity pleasure.

Yes, it is so worth it to scout out the very best fruit you can find, wherever you are. After a while, you develop a 6th sense about what you need and what is going to be really good quality. All the time and attention and money that I used to spend on complicated recipes and the latest kitchen gadgets and restaurants and on thinking of what I should eat/shouldn't eat (whew!) I now spend on simply finding good fruit. MUCH easier and far more enjoyable and the payoff is THE BEST!

We went to an outdoor wedding yesterday, by a lake with beautiful geese, and it was lovely to be outdoors. Plus they had a huge platter of endless fruit, and I latched onto the melon. I ate many plates of melon and got to talk to people about eating fruit. I love promoting the idea of it and giving my message to the world. It is slow, it is subtle, but I can feel that people are waking up. Me included. There is still so much to learn and understand about this life experience and beyond! :)

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-05-13T08:04:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
12:00 . . 1 pineapple + 2 champagne mangoes
4:00 . . . 3 cherimoyas
8:00 . . . 12 mandarin oranges

Play: lots of yoga

Wow. These cherimoyas were an unusual treat. Very ripe and sugary sweet. Their taste is really like just pure sugar. SO good. I got them at Whole Foods. And the seeds are really beautiful. I saved them for planting and maybe for making a bracelet.

And I am sad to report that it seems the honey tangerines are indeed on the wane. I'll make one more attempt today to scout some out in a new section of town. I have cleared them out of all the stores around me. Ha!

Fortunately, melon season is upon us, and watermelons will take the place of my beloved honeys. But yes, I am VERY sad to see them go. Not only were they delicious and vital, but they were reliably excellent. I could count on them to be perfect every time. I am very spoiled and picky now about my fruit.

Right now I am also stocked with papayas, mangoes, and cantaloupes. I am buying watermelons already, but they are not yet excellent. Still, it is like welcoming back an old friend. So goodbye to one friend, and hello to another. : )

In my fantasy fruit world, there would be honey tangerines, muscadine grapes, and super sweet and crisp watermelons all year 'round. Plus sweet papayas, mameys, jackfruit, and endless new fruits to try. Sweet heirloom tomatoes and small pickling cukes. Someday. . . some way. . .

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-05-08T16:25:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 3 glasses honey tangerine juice
1:00 . . . more tangerine juice (lots!)
3:00 . . . 1 pineapple
5:00 . . . 2 lbs. campari tomatoes + 8 small pickling cukes
6:00 . . . 1 large papaya

Play: dance, acrobatics, stretching

Life is full of surprises. This papaya was the BEST papaya I've ever eaten, and that includes the ones I've eaten in the tropics. It was so good that after one bite I had to take a picture, to remember the moment. Ha, ha.

It was so super sweet and magical that I could hardly contain myself. I probably drove my husband crazy talking about it. I had to thank the papaya, and Mother Nature, and the person who grew it for giving me this euphoric experience.

So naturally I went today in search of more papaya. I brought two home. I'll find out soon enough if they are on par with the other.

In fact, everything I ate yesterday was just SO GOOD. It is hard for peeps to believe that a snack of just tomatoes and cucumbers could be so satisfying and truly delicious. Sometimes I can hardly believe it myself. But once your taste buds become unadulterated and clean and correctly sensitive, the taste of simple foods is outrageously delicious. I love this food in a way that I never loved all the complicated junk.

It has taken me YEARS to get to this place. The place where eating simply seems natural and easy and what I want. I am filled with gratitude. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-05-03T16:53:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . a few glasses honey tangerine juice
12:00 . . more tangerine juice, fresh-pressed
3:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe
5:00 . . . ~ 20 honey tangerines
7:00 . . . more honey tangerines + 1 lb. campari tomatoes

Play: walking/running outside, dance, stretching

A few days ago I got 8 dozen honey tangerines and they were gone in a couple of days! Between me and my husband they don't stand a chance. And I was thinking that may be the last of them since I bought out the store. Then yesterday I went out urban foraging and found another supply at a different store. So I bought THEM out and got 9 dozen! What a coup! I was in heaven! I guess I'm just going to go around town snatching up the last of the honeys. I have no shame.

This year their orange syrup seems even better than ever. I am blissfully dizzily drunk on their soothing sweet nectar. I feel like a baby drinking mother's milk when I drink the juice. I am in love.

Yesterday I was thinking about how I used to prepare a meal for guests. With a salad + dressing, a vegetarian entree, some bread, and a dessert, there would be like a million ingredients in there! The salad dressing alone had 7-8 ingredients, then say another 7-8 in the salad, probably 10-20 in the entree, 8 in the bread, and another 10 in the dessert. That's around 50 ingredients that the body has to deal with like a chemistry laboratory! Just in one meal! No wonder my brain felt mixed up all the time. : )

Now I usually have ONE ingredient at a time. (Sometimes I go crazy and have 2 or even 3!)

And the one ingredient I currently cannot live without is honey tangerines. I am going to go into mourning when they are gone. I will be like a drug addict in a panic, I fear. Sigh.

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-04-26T14:56:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . several glasses honey tangerine juice
12:00 . . more tangerine juice
2:00 . . . 4 bananas + a few medjool dates
5:00 . . . 1 pineapple
6:00 . . . 14 honey tangerines + 1 lb. campari tomatoes
8:00 . . . some tangerine juice

Play: walking/running 6 miles, stretching, relaxing

I am still living in honey tangerine land. And I am grateful every day when I see these beauties waiting for me at the store. I seem to be the only one buying them. Today I bought about 60-70. When people ask me about it, I say they're the best food in the whole store!

The funny thing is that if I really suspected they would make a run for them, I'd keep quiet. Ha! You know, life being survival of the fittest and all. ; )

And my husband has discovered that he LOVES them, too, so there is a bit of competition going on there. But it is tough to outeat Fruity Jules on the fruit! Not many want to try. Plus, I am younger and faster! (Line from Fried Green Tomatoes. Fruit tip: Do not fry your tomatoes!)

Honestly, I say a prayer every day for tangerine season to keep on going. I will seriously mourn its' passing. Thank you, Mother Nature and fruit growers, for these amazing orange sugar bombs! They are better than any candy or any soda EVER. And as a lifetime sugaraholic, I would know.

About having juice: I think that eating the whole fruit is optimal. But I also have no big issue with sometimes having some juice. It is a super treat if the fruit is of good quality. This tangerine juice tastes better than any glass of rotten grape juice I mean wine. ; ) It gives you a REAL high with no hangover and no brain poisoning. Lots of giggling and euphoria. Wow. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-04-22T18:15:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 honey tangerines
1:00 . . . 16 honey tangerines
5:00 . . . 8 honey tangerines
8:00 . . . 16 honey tangerines

Play: lots of yoga

At the present time, my 3 favorite fruits are watermelon, honey tangerines, and muscadine grapes. If I only had access to these 3 fruits for the rest of my life, I could live on them and be very happy.

If I lived in the tropics, I would surely have a different list of favorite fruits. And in fact, it is almost a silly exercise to try to choose favorites. We are so blessed as humans that fruit is our food. Because there are so many types and varieties of each type that it would be impossible to try them all. Most animals live on only one type of food: horses and cows on grass, koalas on eucalyptus leaves, squirrels on nuts and seeds. So we really lucked out in the scheme of things! What tastes better than ripe sweet fruit?! Nothing!

But I digress.

Since honey tangerines are one of my favorite foods, it is easy to take advantage of their season and live mostly on them for a month or so. Yesterday that is all I ate! I had a mono day of honey tangerines. 50 of them! Or maybe more. I wasn't really counting.

This is not something I plan out ahead of time, although that is just about all I have in the kitchen right now. Pineapples are looking good, too, and I've had a few in the last few days.

I prefer to go day by day, moment by moment, not planning with my mind what will happen next. But when it does happen that I have a mono day, I really enjoy the simplicity and ease and my body really likes it, as well.

Soon it will be time to go pick some strawberries. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-04-18T16:19:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 honey tangerines
1:00 . . . 1 pineapple + a few medjool dates
3:00 . . . 14 honey tangerines
4:00 . . . 1 lb. campari tomatoes (love them!)
6:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
8:00 . . . few more honey tangerines

Play: ballet, stretching, hiking in woods

This book caught my eye at the public library so I brought it home. Wow. It is a work of art. It has beautiful pics on every page of the most gorgeous varieties of heirlooms, over 200 of them. And some interesting info about the history of tomatoes in general and about each variety. Fascinating! I am really enjoying it. My mouth is literally watering. It makes me want to try them all!

I love the names of the varieties: Banana Legs, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Hungarian Heart, African Queen, Black Cherry. And they all look so mineral-rich and delicious. Oh, I am not kidding. . . I want to try every one of them!

One lingering unresolved question I have regarding fruit has to do with the tomato. There is a lot of conflicting info out there about tomatoes. There is plenty of info all over the internet if you are interested in doing your own research. Some peeps think tomatoes are somewhat poisonous since they are members of the "deadly" nightshade family. Plenty of people claim that they have allergic reactions to tomatoes or that they cause arthritis. I suspect that some of the problems may come from pesticides or from cooking them and/or having them in a sauce with MSG and salt. But I can't deny that there is SOMETHING about them that I'm not exactly sure about.

I know that if I eat a LOT of tomatoes, I sometimes get a slight reaction like feeling a bit flushed or waking up with itchy, swollen eyes. My conclusion at the present is that tomatoes are a bit suspicious, at the least.

BUT, I have to admit that I love the taste of tomatoes. Some in particular are just out of this world to me. So I will continue to eat them and enjoy them until my intuition tells me otherwise. I just won't be eating tons of them at a time like I do other fruit.

Looking through this book also reminds me of the infinite varieties of ALL fruits. There is such an abundance out there. . . it would take many lifetimes to get to try everything. What we are exposed to in the local grocery stores is SO little compared to what is out there in Nature all over the world.

This book is wonderful and I wish I could show you all the photography. Maybe your library has a copy for you to enjoy. Nature is just so amazing. . . how could we not appreciate all the beauty and splendor, even if just pictures in a book?!

And if you have a strong feeling or clear understanding about tomatoes one way or the other, I would love to hear about it! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-04-16T16:44:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 honey tangerines
11:00 . . . 6 honey tangerines
4:00 . . . 16 honey tangerines
6:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe + 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
8:00 . . . handful of medjool dates (7-8?)

Play: walking/running 4 miles, dance, acrobatics, stretching

Man, I am so grateful for these honey tangerines. They are getting me through this transition to summer. And I am SO not tired of them. Actually, I will be sad to see them go. They taste like CANDY to me, so unbelievably sweet! I just bought up the whole supply at the store for the weekend. I hope it is not the last of them.

Right now I am learning a new acrobatic stunt which is taking me longer to "get" than I would like. So I am reminded of the old adage: Often, before things are easy, they are hard.

This applies to everything, including eating fruity. Eventually, it does become so easy that you wonder how or why it ever seemed difficult or challenging. So please don't give up. Keep going, a little at a time, until it becomes second nature. You are gradually living your way into a new life.

And to inspire you even more to action, I will share one of my favorite sayings that I often use with my yoga buddies. This was seen written on a wall in India:

The human body is a gift which does not often come around.
This is no time for sleep, you fool.

♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-04-13T18:01:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 14 honey tangerines
1:00 . . . a few medjool dates
2:00 . . . 14 honey tangerines
4:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
6:00 . . . 12 honey tangerines + a few dates

Play: walking/running 6 miles, dance, yoga

This pic is a branch of the Black Mission fig tree I planted a few years ago. I bought it for $12. at a local nursery. It was all alone, looking pitiful and almost dead. I brought it home, calling it my Charlie Brown tree, and nursed it along. Now it is firmly established, beautiful and happy, and grows more every year. This year it has already started putting out figs. You can see 2 on this branch. There are dozens all over the tree. This tree has its' own wisdom and personality. I never know what it is going to do. Last year it didn't have any figs at all. I think it was resting. And now, it is putting out figs early. A wonderful gift!

Who needs TV or computer when one can just watch what is going on in Nature. There is so much to see and learn about. It never ends.

And one of the greatest marvels is watching fruit form and grow. An entire tree grows up out of the earth from just one little seed. And will produce thousands of fruits, all with little seeds. How is this possible?! It's a miracle, really.

And as the world of Nature is coming more alive (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) I feel myself coming more alive. Lately I have really been feeling "in the zone." Thank goodness for the sun and its' light and warmth.

May all beings everywhere be happy and free. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-04-09T16:34:00.011-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 honey tangerines

11:00 . . . 6 honey tangerines

2:00 . . . a few big strawberries + a few medjool dates

5:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes

7:00 . . . 12 honey tangerines + a few dates

Play: walking/running ~4 miles, acrobatics, stretching

I went to the Farmer's Market for the first time this year. It is such a good feeling place with beautiful sights, full of freshness and life. Although right now they don't have much, really. They have mostly greens and sweet potatoes and such. But I did get some early tomatoes and strawberries. Happy Spring!

I am living mostly on honey tangerines and cantaloupes these days, and very happily so. I had 1/4 of a watermelon the other day, and it was heavenly, even though it wasn't the best quality. It was a tease of what is to come. The Easter Bunny brought it for me, along with a SLEW of honey tangerines. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-04-04T19:15:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 small honey tangerines
11:00 . . a few medjool dates
2:00 . . . 14 small honey tangerines
3:00 . . . a few medjool dates
5:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
11:00 . . . a few honey tangerines

Play: barefoot walking/running ~ 5 miles, acrobatics, stretching

Here is how I sometimes eat tangerines. . . cut into pieces with the middle section containing seeds cut out. It is like avoiding the core of an apple, and in citrus, the middle section is the most sour section of the fruit. 2 plates like this one make a nice little snack for me. These honey tangerines are SO good and I am not tiring of them at all. I'll be sad to see them go.

But there is such a rhythm and pattern to Nature, to the seasons of the fruits. Every time a "new" fruit comes into season, it is like welcoming back an old familiar friend. I think this would be true no matter where one lives.

I live in the woods, and I get to observe lots of animals in their habitat. They definitely have a rhythm and pattern to their daily cycle. For the most part, it seems to me that they have a period of activity, followed by eating, and then a time of resting/sleeping. Then the pattern is repeated, on and on.

And when I have total control over my life and my schedule, that is exactly what I like to do, too: be active, then eat, then rest/sleep for a while. It is simple and simple pleasures are the best. It is fun to experiment with being a true animal of Nature, which we often forget that we are! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-04-02T17:29:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 small honey tangerines
12:00 . . .1 large cantaloupe
2:00 . . . a few medjool dates
4:00 . . . 4 bananas + 4 dates
6:00 . . . 10 small honey tangerines + a few campari tomatoes
7:00 . . . 8 small honey tangerines + a few dates

Play: walking/running ~ 4 miles, dance, stretching

Some people think that living on fruit is too expensive. Not true! I am sure that I am spending way less money on food and associated items than I used to. No money for bottled water, supplements, Starbucks, restaurants, spices, pots and pans, silly kitchen gadgets and appliances, medications, doctor visits, etc. The other day a woman in front of me had a basket of supplements that cost over $300. Little plastic capsules inside little plastic bottles. And I had lots of REAL FOOD for <$25. I could hardly carry it all! Some people spend thousands a month on medications. I know people who think nothing of spending $100. to eat out one meal, and man, that is some expensive poison! And how many thousands for an emergency gall bladder surgery? It's crazy how much peeps are spending on their unhealthy lifestyle. And all for the ultimate result of feeling TERRIBLE.

This bag of so-called overripe bananas was super cheap . . . I got 9 bananas for $1.25. Actually, they were perfectly ripe and I ate 3 of them right away outside the store. Bananas are not my favorite fruit, but there are times when they really hit the spot with their sweet creaminess! For me, 9 bananas is more than one meal and probably about 2-3 snacks. Some people say that bananas are the rice and potatoes of a fruit diet and I can agree with that. Except that bananas taste a LOT better and don't require cooking or condiments to be tolerated. They're perfect just as they are.

I love what it says on the handle: The Original Fast Food. That's the truth! : )

And in the summer, I can find gigantic watermelons for $3 or $4 at the Farmer's Market. A 30-lb. watermelon is a lot of food, folks! Angel food.

And lately, I have found large cantaloupes at 2 for $5.

Of course, when it comes to talking about how much fruit costs, I cannot help but ponder how all other creatures in Nature eat for free. I dream of a paradise world where all beings are vegan, and all food is abundant in Nature, freely given, plenty for all to share. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-03-28T10:55:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 small honey tangerines
12:00 . . a few medjool dates
2:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
4:00 . . . a few medjool dates
6:00 . . . a slew of honey tangerines (20?)
7:00 . . . few more dates

Play: dance, stretching, walking in woods

I just now took this pic of the food I have for the next day or so. When I look at this, I feel SO blessed, rich, and grateful. Many beings around the world have no food to eat, or are relegated to having only terrible food to eat, or have to work really hard to find something suitable.

It is not perfection to buy your food in a store. Perfection would be strolling through groves of tropical fruit trees, seeing what looks most delicious, and choosing the ripest fruits right off the trees in the fresh air and sunshine. But for now, I am happy for what is, and all that is given. ♥

There are about 40 tangerines in that bowl and about 2 pounds of dates. 11 bananas and a cantaloupe. That will take me through today and into tomorrow.

I find that early Spring is the most challenging time of the year for fruit eating, but also the most hopeful time of year. Soon there will be local melons and tomatoes at the farmer's market and fruit stands. I am dreaming already of crisp sweet watermelons, my favorite! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-03-26T10:13:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 small honey tangerines
1:00 . . . kiwi, strawberry tomatoes, dates, pickling cukes
3:00 . . . more kiwi and dates
6:00 . . . 4 large bananas + a few dates
8:00 . . . a few honey tangerines

Play: stretching

I made a beautiful fruit platter yesterday for a family gathering following a funeral. I wish I had thought to take a picture. No food represents life and vitality like a big pile of vibrantly-colored fruit. Everything else looks dead, IS dead, in comparison.

The fruit platter had kiwi, pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberry tomatoes, spears of pickling cukes, and a big mound of medjool dates in the center. It was GIGANTIC. But I could have eaten the whole thing, really. I had to restrain myself, so there would be plenty for everyone. For most people, it is an unusual treat to have so much fresh fruit. For me, it is just another day! I know there is always more, always plenty.

So for dinner, I got to have my favorite "heavy" meal: bananas and dates. It really does taste just like vanilla cake and caramel frosting. And for a person to fully appreciate the amazingly DELICIOUS taste of fruit, one must go for a while without anything else, to let the taste buds become clean and correct. Only then will one understand that no food on earth can top fruit. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-03-21T15:49:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 10 honey tangerines
11:00 . . 1 cantaloupe + a few dates
3:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + a few local tomatoes
5:00 . . . 2 large bananas + a few dates (Vanilla cake + caramel icing)
10:00 . . pineapple, cantaloupe, kiwi, red pepper

Play: hiking in woods, stretching

Are these bananas GIGANTIC or what?!?! When I saw them in the store, a whole hand of them, I just had to get them. I could tell they were going to be delicious, and they were. Remember how I said that there is about a 5-minute window when bananas are just perfect? Well, I timed it right on these. Perfection! These bananas were so huge the clerks were all laughing about it. Me, too. : )

I want to tell you guys that it took me a LONG time to get free from The Other. I thought I would NEVER stop falling out of the fruit tree. But now, you couldn't pay me to eat that stuff. I went to an event last night that had lots of fancy, catered "food" and it didn't even look like real food to me. It's hard to explain my thought process but it looked like nausea, pain, darkness, and a bad taste in the mouth to me. Luckily, there were large beautiful platters of fruit that I sampled from, but I am so picky and correctly sensitive about my fruit that it didn't taste very ripe/sweet to me, so I didn't eat much. But I do appreciate the effort. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-03-15T15:33:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 small honey tangerines
12:00 . . 8 honey tangerines + a few medjool dates
3:00 . . . 1 lb. cherry tomatoes + a few pickling cukes
4:00 . . . handful of dates
5:00 . . . a few honey tangerines
6:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + a few dates + 2 bananas

Play: walking/running ~ 4 miles, stretching, relaxing

I'm grateful for these big juicy dates, because they are getting me through this last little bit of late winter/early spring.

A few years ago I wrote down something that I will share with you:

There is always excitement before and during an act of dissipation, but afterwards, only sorrow and regret. ALWAYS.

I wrote this on a card and carried it in the car with me, for those times I was tempted by the idea of The Other. I wanted to remind myself that no matter how I was feeling now, I WOULD regret it to the max later. For sure. Every single time.

We each have these little tricks that help us. Maybe this one will be of some help to you.

Another trick that helped me was carrying an Arnold Ehret book with me in the car. He is one of the most powerful and inspiring writers on the fruit diet and having his book with me felt like having a friend right there, present and guiding. Thank you, Arnold! I love you still. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-03-10T09:45:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 12 valencia oranges
12:00 . . 1 large cantaloupe + 2 medjool dates
3:00 . . . 1 lb. cherry tomatoes + a few pickling cukes
4:00 . . . a few dates
6:00 . . . 8 oranges + a few dates
7:00 . . . 1 large fuji apple + a few dates (caramel apple!)

Play: yoga, gymnastics

I have been reading around on the internet now for years . . . learning, observing, sharing, and being part of various discussion groups for "raw food," for 811, for fruitarianism. And I have been reading all this time of people's challenges and struggles to change their lifestyle and give up junk food. The challenges are many: illness and disease, lack of support from family, friends, and society in general, emotional issues, comfort from old habits, lack of belief in the new lifestyle due to societal brainwashing, to name a few.

It seems to me that the peeps who have the easiest time of it are athletes who have a focus and a goal other than food. Guys, for example, who are marathon runners or cyclists who want to improve their performance and see diet as just one of many tools to tweak to perfection. They actually get excited to find a new way of eating that will help them achieve their sports goals and boom, they switch over night, no problem, and no looking back.

If food is the center of your life, and everything in your life exists to support this habit, it is going to be a big challenge to change only the food. I believe it will help immensely to have some sort of physical practice that you LOVE doing, and start making this the focus instead of the food. This way the eating of fruit will be fueling you for all these things you love.

And again I will emphasize, because we cannot hear this enough, that one must eat LOTS of fruit to satisfy and fuel this lifestyle. I do not count calories and I do not subscribe to the calorie theory. But I know that I eat between 20-40 pieces of fruit a day. Even more sometimes! It took me a while to really get it that I can eat all I want, no worries and no problems. I wish with all my heart that everyone could know about this and believe it and accept it and give it a try. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-03-06T17:27:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe (syrupy sweet!)
12:00 . . 1 large cantaloupe + a few dates
3:00 . . . 1 lb. cherry tomatoes + 6 pickling cukes (refreshing!)
4:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges
5:00 . . . 8 valencia oranges
6:00 . . . 10 valencia oranges + a few medjool dates

Play: ballet, acrobatics, stretching

Yesterday I scored some great sweet cantaloupes plus a few pounds of really squishy medjool dates so I feel very satisfied and rich with food at the moment. It makes a HUGE difference to have fruit that is DELICIOUS. I put all my food focus there, on procuring the best I can find.

As always, I see what other people are buying in the store and I feel so sorry for them. Frozen, dead, dry, oily, salty, NASTY stuff.

I was asked why I don't eat tropical fruits. I do eat tropical fruits, like bananas and pineapples and melons. I guess dates and oranges are subtropical, technically. But I don't live in the tropics (yet) so I eat what is available to me. When I have visited the tropics, I have LOVED with all my heart eating all sorts of tropical fruits like mangoes, papayas, sapote, sapodilla, granadilla, and mamey. I sat one afternoon in Costa Rica and ate rollinea right off the tree, one after another, warm and sweet with the sun. Rollinea tastes like lemon custard. And I have eaten mangoes right off the tree, as well. They were SO (!) good. Out of this world. Warm and super sweet, they melt in your mouth.

Fruit is meant to be eaten right off the tree/vine/plant, perfectly RIPE. That way it has received all the sun, air, and nutrients possible to be at peak ripeness. Perfectly ripe fruit is very sweet and mellow. Commercialized tropical fruits are picked green to be shipped long distances, and they never really ripen correctly. Some never ripen at all. At best, they taste "off." Bananas are an exception and that is why they are so popular. I have never once bought a mango in a local grocery store that was delicious. I gave up wasting my money on them a long time ago. I kept being disappointed, knowing what they taste like in their natural element.

I do believe that tropical fruit is the very best and is what we are meant to be eating. Tropical fruit contains some kind of magical stuff, for sure. It'll have you blissed out and trippin.' : )

I am grateful for the abundance of fresh fruit available to me, especially the tropical fruits. As long as it is sweet and delicious, I do not tire of it. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-03-04T09:03:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 8 valencia oranges
12:00 . . 2 cantaloupes + 2 dates
4:00 . . . 1 lb. grapefruit sections (refreshing!)
5:00 . . . handful of medjool dates
8:00 . . . 6 bananas + a few dates

Play: yoga

These bananas are right on the peak of ripeness. It's a funny thing with bananas. . . it seems that there is about a 5-minute period when they are perfectly ripe. If you can hit on the exact perfect ripeness, bananas are heaven. The smell, the taste, the feeling in your mouth, every cell in your body reacting with happiness. It can make you fall in love with bananas. ♥

And when I have a few juicy dates to enjoy with the bananas, it is fantastic. I call this combo Vanilla Cake with Caramel Icing because it tastes THAT good to me. When I ate this last night it gave me a feeling of euphoria. I also felt euphoric after the cantaloupes. Giddy, even. When I get that feeling, I know the fruit is of a good quality.

I NEVER EVER got that euphoric feeling from eating cooked and/or processed food. Not by a long shot. All I ever felt from that stuff was sick and tired.

I didn't know it was possible to feel SO GOOD from your food until I had been eating just fruit for a few weeks. I think this has to be one of the biggest secrets on the planet. I certainly never heard anyone talk about it my whole life. Well, it is time to start talking about it! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-03-01T08:15:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

10:00 . . 12 valencia oranges
1:00 . . . 1 pineapple + a few cherry tomatoes
3:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges + a few dates
5:00 . . . 4 bananas
6:00 . . . 4 bananas + a few medjool dates
8:00 . . . 1 large fuji apple

Play: walking/running in the fresh air and sunshine ~ 4 miles, stretching to music, relaxing

The beauty and symmetry of fruit is endless and always amazing. Humans cannot create something so beautiful as what is found in Nature.

And for those of us living in places that have winter, the tropical fruits are literally a dose of sunshine.

They are predicting another winter storm this week, with more snow and sleet, freezing rain. When I hear this I think, "Oranges! Pineapples! Must stock up!" In the old days, I would have been thinking Other Things which I won't mention here as it is definitely food porn. Ha! It is a relief to know that my thinking has changed. I changed my behavior and my habits first, and then my thinking begrudgingly lagged along behind. Beware the addictive mind. It has been trained like a seal to think crazy and wrong things. Very strongly and powerfully so.

We all must be patient but consistent with the retraining of the mind. Spending more time in Nature and away from cars, TVs, computers, radios, cell phones, flourescent lights, and other man-made chaos and confusion will help tremendously. Since we are always trying to harmonize with our environment, it helps to choose a simple and natural environment as much as possible. Then our thoughts will be more simple and natural. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-02-24T12:59:00.009-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges
12:00 . . 6 valencia oranges + 4 medjool dates
3:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe
5:00 . . . 1 pineapple + a few dates
7:00 . . . 12 oranges + handful of dates

Play: yoga, stretching, acrobatics

Well. Time flies when you're not sitting in front of a computer all day. Sorry for the lapse, fruity peeps.

I recently came across a journal I was keeping when I first started becoming "raw" about 10 years ago. Actually, I had several short journals because I started over so many times. It was funny to read my sweet and naive entries. I kept being so determined and so frustrated because I was falling off the wagon like every single day! It was redonkulous!

With the wisdom of 20/20 hindsight, it is no wonder I couldn't remain "raw." I would start the day with nothing, go off to work, determined to have an "all-raw day," come home for lunch and for my first meal of the day I would eat 2 oranges and a banana. Ha! Then an afternoon snack of celery and guacamole (avocado, lemon juice, sea salt.) And an evening salad of mixed greens, more avocado, and lemon tahini dressing (tahini, lemon juice, water, sea salt.) Then I would just want to EAT AND EAT all kinds of stuff. Vegan junk! I'd make a big peanut butter smoothie with maple syrup. Two of them. Ugh.

Of course, now I can see that I simply wasn't giving my body what it REALLY needs: Living Water and Fruit Sugar. So my body kept wanting and wanting. . . . something. . . . and that something was fruit sugar. But instead I was giving it all that fat and salt, heavy and addictive and dehydrating, to say the least.

I remember when I started to really get it, that my body wanted FRUIT, and I decided to try an all-fruit day. It was such a revelation and an amazing feeling to eat fruit and nothing else all day. I had some watermelon morning and afternoon, lots of it. Then for dinner I had arranged to buy myself a large fruit platter from Whole Foods. I remember that it cost $20. and was loaded up with cantaloupe, honeydew, kiwi, strawberries, and pineapple. It was HUGE and I imagined that it would last for at least a couple of days. I had been used to having some kind of salad or raw veggies for dinner with sea salt in there somehow, so when I started in on the fruit platter, it just tasted SO DARN GOOD and refreshing and I remember very clearly the feeling that went through every cell in my body. It was a feeling of RELIEF.

And I could not stop eating that fruit platter. I ate the WHOLE THING! And wanted even more!

Yeah, it took me even more time to REALLY get it. There was plenty of back and forth, falling out of the fruit tree and such. Boring. But I just wasn't eating ENOUGH fruit. It takes time to understand how much you really need. No restrictions. Lots of fruit. All you want.

But I couldn't help but notice that every single time I ate just fruit, it felt like a giant RELIEF to my body. Every single time. And that is still the case. Because fruit is like the correct key that fits into your lock. It is just right, perfection!

I have been asked if I had problems with detox on fruit. Honestly, I did not. I only had problems with RETOX. Ha! True! That is, every time I ate just fruit I felt BETTER, and every time I ate some junk I felt WORSE.

As soon as I was able to go 2-3 weeks on just fruit it felt one day like a rebirth. Like a GIANT RELIEF. Like all the days of darkness and sickness and tiredness were GONE. Whew. Thank Goodness. ♥

So each of us have our own path to go, our own levels of toxicity to deal with. I was very sick and toxic when I started on this path. And it did not take long, once I was shown the truth, to clean out the junk.

I wish this RELIEF for everyone. I know it is possible. And so easy and simple that it is hard to believe. Eat fruit. Lots of it. All you want.

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-02-19T08:03:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . juice of 6 valencia oranges
9:00 . . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
1:00 . . . a few medjool dates
3:00 . . . juice of 10 valencia oranges
5:00 . . . 4 bananas, made into pudding
7:00 . . . 4 bananas + a few medjool dates

Play: stretching, yoga

I've been away from the computer for a few days. I feel "lucky" that I am not required to be tied to a computer the way most people around me seem to be. Still, I have to admit I enjoy and appreciate it as much as anyone. I like it for information, friendship and community, and, most of all, inspiration. But I can feel/sense that the artificial light in the eyes is not a good thing, so my body doesn't like to stare too long into the light. I much prefer natural light/sunlight. Also, I can feel the weird vibes emitted from the computer and the TV. They do feel harmful and draining, like they are definitely affecting my energy field. So more and more, I am reducing my time in front of any screens. Darn Olympics. And Survivor. Ha, ha.

I asked my computer guy if he could imagine going off to live on a tropical island with no computer access. He is tied to a computer 24/7, so I thought he would say he couldn't live without a computer. It surprised me when he said, "I might miss it for a day or two, but then I would be happier than ever."

This is my favorite mug for eating banana pudding. I make the pudding with my hand, squishing a banana until it becomes liquid. Sometimes I eat it with my fingers, and sometimes with a bamboo spoon. I think it tastes better with the fingers. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-02-14T15:20:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges
11:00 . . 6 valencia oranges
12:00 . . 4 oranges + a few medjool dates
2:00 . . . handful of medjool dates
5:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe
6:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + 1 lb. campari tomatoes
7:00 . . . handful of medjool dates

Play: stretching, lots of relaxing

♥ ♥ ♥ Happy Valentines' Day!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

I know a way for you to feel the most love you've ever felt in your life. Really! In fact, you will feel so much love, that you will BECOME love. You won't even need to seek it out from other people because you will have so much in your heart for yourself. And it will be so much love that you will have more than enough to share and give.

Can you guess what the secret is???

Yes, it is to simply eat fruit. That is the secret. LOTS of fruit, and nothing else.

Not only will you feel full of love, you will also begin to feel sweet, and smell sweet, and think sweet thoughts, and have sweet dreams. It's a sweet way to go through life. . . much better than your previous lifestyle.

And my #1 tip for people who want to live the fruity life is to always have an abundant supply of super great fruit that you LOVE and eat it freely without restriction! Have all you want! I mean come on, it's mostly water! : )

Love to you ♥ ♥ ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-02-13T12:54:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 8 oranges
12:00 . . 12 oranges
4:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + 1 lb. campari tomatoes
6:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + 1 lb. campari tomatoes
7:00 . . . a few medjool dates
8:00 . . . 3 oranges + handful medjool dates

Play: acrobatics, dance, stretching

We got a few inches of snow but we're not snowed in. Still, I stocked up on LOTS of oranges just in case. I got probably ~ 100 oranges. Which is always a sight at the store and causes lots of comments. "What're you gonna do with all those oranges?" is the most common one. One woman asked "Do you have lots of children?" Another person said, "Wow, I bet you never get a cold with all that Vitamin C." Ha, ha. She's right!

Actually, I appreciate every opportunity to speak up FOR fruit. I put the emphasis there, on the positive. I also speak up AGAINST junk food and the killing and eating of animals, but I am very subtle about it. I am outwardly sweet but inwardly fierce. I want everyone to know the truth: that fruit is the correct food for humans. I continue to speak up even though I sometimes feel like one little drop of water in the giant ocean of nuttiness. To be truthful, I have learned over time that most people are not interested in giving up all their comfort food to live on fruit. I get it.

But I continue to plant the seed, knowing it takes time for the seed to take root and develop. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-02-12T09:18:00.012-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 6 oranges
9:00 . . . 6 oranges
1:00 . . . 4 bananas + 6 medjool dates
5:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + a few dates
6:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + 2 lb. grape tomatoes
8:00 . . . 6 oranges

Play: yoga, dance, stretching

These are some before and after pics, designed to show that I don't eat the skins of fruit. It is so easy, and never a problem to eat the delicious fruit inside, and discard the outer protective layer. And when I say discard, I mean place outdoors to either compost or serve as food for other animals. The deer, for example, really love to eat my "cast-offs." And I'm sure that many other animals and insects are also thrilled with the bounty. I love to share with my friends.

If at all possible, I do not eat the skins of fruit. There are a few occasional exceptions, like strawberries, cherries, and raspberries, where the skin is very thin. But otherwise, no skin for me. The body doesn't digest it and it is mostly a harsh fiber. I think of the skin as the protective packaging and not really meant for us to eat. I don't even eat the skin of grapes. It is not something I think about. My mouth just knows to separate and remove the skin, and swallow the rest.

And by the way, these beautiful hand-made pottery plates were given to me by my mother-in-law almost 20 years ago. She collected them for years. Not sure you can tell, but these plates are FRUITY: grapes and figs and their leaves! Another example of fruit synchronicity, as they were given to me many years before I ever even considered the possibility of living on fruit.

The signs are all around us, and we are being guided all the time. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-02-08T15:31:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 6 oranges
11:00 . . juice of 8 oranges
2:00 . . . 1 honeydew + 1 cantaloupe
4:00 . . . 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
5:00 . . . a few medjool dates
6:00 . . . 4 bananas + 8 dates

Play: walking/running ~ 4 miles, dance, stretching, acrobatics

This is a bamboo spoon that I am using to eat my honeydew. I got it at Crate & Barrel for 98 cents. What a deal!

It feels better all the way around than a metal spoon. Sometimes I like to just use my hands to eat. Things taste really good that way and I feel like a child. You can cut a melon into small pieces or you can use your hand to scoop out the flesh and juice. It is messy in a fun way.

For me, the ideal way to eat fruit is outdoors, in the sunshine, using only your hands to feed yourself. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-02-05T17:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
12:00 . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
3:00 . . . juice of 6 valencia oranges
4:00 . . . 4 bananas + handful of medjool dates
6:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + a few dates
8:00 . . . juice of 6 oranges

Play: dance, yoga

When I juice my oranges, I like to juice just one at a time. Because each orange has its' own unique taste, and I prefer to taste each one individually. One is more like honey, another is very orangey, the next is a little spicy like cinnamon, then the next is very sugary. Each fruit is an individual, just like we are! Plus, it helps me to sip more slowly a small amount at a time. Instead of gulping it down into my stomach, it feels like it is being absorbed into my being.

I am always a bit sad when orange season ends, so I am careful to be very present and appreciate this bounty of sweet orange syrup. You will tire of reading about it before I tire of drinking in the syrup. It feels like my life blood lately.

Yesterday I convinced my husband to try having just orange juice in the morning instead of his usual grape + banana smoothie. He had 2 large glasses. He talked about it all day. . . how happy it made him feel, how clean and refreshing and delicious it was, how much he LOVED that orange juice. Uh oh. I think I created a monster. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-02-03T07:31:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 10 oranges
12:00 . . juice of 8 oranges
2:00 . . . juice of 6 oranges
4:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe (in picture)
5:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + some cherry tomatoes
7:00 . . . a few dates

Play: walking in snow ~ 3 miles, sledding, shoveling, stretching, acrobatics

Oh, oh, oh . . . I am in syrup bliss. I am HIGH on fruit syrup.

My friend Anne Osborne has been living on orange syrup for almost 70 days. I once read a story about a young girl who lived on orange syrup alone for 6 months. I wonder if I could do that?

I think I could, except for the watermelon syrup, the cantaloupe syrup, the honeydew syrup, the pineapple syrup, the muscadine grape syrup, the banana syrup, the date syrup. . . .

It's like a bunch of sno-cone flavors. How could I choose just one?

So even though we are still surrounded by snow (and ice) I am not dreaming of hot food. I am only dreaming of more and more and endless supplies of fruit syrup of the highest quality. Very ripe and super sweet is what I want. Honestly, this cantaloupe I took a picture of was so rich and sweet that it was to LIVE for. Syrup euphoria!!! MORE, please. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-31T09:36:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 10 valencia oranges
12:00 . . 4 oranges + some medjool dates (5 or 6?)
2:00 . . . 1 lb. of cherry tomatoes
4:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + some dates
6:00 . . . 8 oranges + cherry tomatoes + a few dates
7:00 . . . snacking on more cherry tomatoes + dates

Play: stretching, dance

We are happily snowed in. And I feel well stocked, as you can see, with over 120 valencia oranges and some melons, some bananas, tomatoes, and a pineapple. I also have 5 pounds of juicy medjool dates. We are not planning on trying to get out for several days, so I feel content to know I have plenty of food. I wish I had thought to get more pineapple. . . that one is perfuming the entire kitchen with its' sweet smell. No wonder pineapples are the symbol of a welcoming home.

People wonder if I don't crave warm cooked comfort foods in winter. At this point, I can honestly say that I do not! I do have memories of it, but I also now have even more wonderful memories of gratefully eating lots of oranges through the winter. To me, oranges are a somewhat warming fruit, with their spicy syrup and looking like the sun. Yes, they have lots of sun energy which is needed if one lives in a place that has winter. And dates are warming, as well, if you can get your paws on some good juicy ones.

Actually, I have memories of eating hot food and burning my hands while cooking and my lips and tongue while eating. And hot foods actually cause your body to have to work on cooling itself. And your poor mouth and organs have to deal with this burning substance. Ugh. And the salt. Double ugh. Salt HURTS.

I think that humans have adapted as best they can to the harsh environments they were born into and they use cooked and processed food to make it more enjoyable and "fun." But let me remind myself and you that it is a LIE. It is NOT fun to feel sick, tired, and crazy from eating poisonous junk. It is NOT fun to feel dense and heavy and greasy and dehydrated. It is NOT fun to feel and look old and ugly and be in pain. It is NOT fun to receive a cancer diagnosis or suffer some of the horrible consequences of diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimers, depression, and all the rest. Don't be fooled.

On the other hand, it IS fun to eat delicious fruit and feel healthy and giddy and light and even euphoric from your food. It IS fun to feel young and beautiful and free, like a child. There are no downsides to eating fruit. None.

I love to look at my beautiful fruit sitting out in the open (no hiding it in a cabinet!) and I love it that I do not need to use a refrigerator. At all. I intend to someday have a "kitchen" that has no refrigerator, no stove, no oven, no microwave. . . no appliances! How beautiful and simple and quiet will that be?! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-28T07:49:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
12:00 . . 2 cantaloupes
4:00 . . . 4 valencia oranges + 8 dates
8:00 . . . juice of 10 oranges + 1 lb. cherry tomatoes

Play: yoga

They are predicting a major snowstorm for this weekend, so I will need to stock up. I imagine I will just pick up LOTS of oranges, bananas, dates, cantaloupes, tomatoes, pineapples and anything else that looks promising.

I am really into the oranges now and thankfully they are excellent. So are the cantaloupes. All have been quite syrupy lately, and I find myself thinking orange. The other day in the store I saw a bottle of Orange Crush, something that was a special treat from my childhood. After that, I just wanted to get home to my own orange syrup. It also reminds me of another childhood favorite: Nikl Nips, little wax bottles filled with fake fruity syrup. Have you ever noticed how children LOVE fruit-flavored candy and drinks? Man, I sure did. Children KNOW.

Yes, lately I have orange syrup on the brain. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-25T08:13:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 6 organic valencia oranges
11:00 . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
1:00 . . . juice of 6 organic valencia oranges
3:00 . . . 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
4:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
6:00 . . . more cherry tomatoes + 8 medjool dates

Play: walking/running ~ 5 miles, acrobatics, stretching

These cantaloupes were out of this world good! Very sweet and syrupy, as the picture shows. Wow. What a delicious day of eating. The tomatoes were also excellent. I would have eaten more if I had more. I had to share with my husband and there weren't many left for him. Oops. Must buy more. What is in there that is so crazy good?! I was immensely grateful all day for everything. ♥

Yesterday I was watching a documentary clip about the extraordinary LINES Ballet (look on youtube if you are interested) and the artistic director, Alonzo King, said a beautiful thing:

"Environment is HUGE. It is stronger than will power."

Yes!!! He was talking about the importance of dancers surrounding themselves with other talented creative dancers in order to thrive and be inspired to their highest potential. This is true for all of us, whoever we are and whatever we are doing.

Who and what you are around are SO IMPORTANT to your development and well-being. So choose carefully what you allow into your consciousness. It is having an effect on you, all of it.

Love. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-22T08:34:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 5 large valencia oranges
1:00 . . . handful of fresh medjool dates
4:00 . . . few more dates
5:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencias
7:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencias + a few fat cherry tomatoes

Play: ballet and stretching

Oops! I did not mean to be gone for so long, fruity peeps! I was just away from home and away from computers for most of the week. It felt good to live more in the real world and away from the screen for a bit. Although I do love and appreciate the fruity community on the 'net.

But my friend here, Mr. Orange (use a French accent), is expressing my delight at finding some super good organic valencias. (I took a picture of a postcard someone gave me.) It looks like I'm going to be heavy on the oranges now as they just get better and better. Sweeter and riper and richer. Thank you, orange growers!

And speaking of oranges, you will really enjoy reading the blog of my friend, Anne Osborne, who is writing about her experiences daily on her most recent orange juice diet. She has already gone over 50 days on just oranges! This is fantastic, as Anne is dispelling many myths about food, eating, and nutrition: http://www.orangejuicegirl.blogspot.com/.

Enjoy! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-17T14:39:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 10 valencia oranges
1:00 . . . handful of medjool dates
3:00 . . . juice of 12 valencia oranges
4:00 . . . 4 bananas + 8 medjool dates
6:00 . . . a few pickling cukes + 1 lb. grape tomatoes + 10 medjool dates
7:00 . . . still snacking on dates, tomatoes, cukes

Play: ballet and stretching

My friend Yogaranka pointed out to me that she found out that some places might be soaking their dates in sugar water to keep them moist and sweet. So when I went back to this particular middle eastern bakery/restaurant to get some more medjools, I asked and they assured me that their dates are pure and not treated with sugar or anything else, which I already thought was the case. But I guess it doesn't hurt to ask if you are unsure.

Not that it would kill you to eat a few dates laced with sugar. But OK, processed sugar IS a poison.

But I have to say that these dates are OUTSTANDING! When I have bananas and dates together they taste like a moist vanilla cake with caramel frosting. I wish everyone could know how wonderful this way of eating and life is. It is so delicious, so simple, and wonderful on every level of your being. And you get to eat dessert all day long! That's lots of love. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-15T09:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 11 valencia oranges
2:00 . . . 1/2 a pineapple
3:00 . . . 1/2 lb. of organic grape tomatoes + a few dates
4:00 . . . 8 oranges + a few grape tomatoes
6:00 . . . some pickling cukes + 1 lb. grape tomatoes + 12 medjool dates

Play: ballet and yoga

You can see here my food on the counter. This is probably enough for 1 day or so. I am replenishing it all the time. This is such an easy and simple lifestyle. No prep time to speak of, and hardly any clean-up. All I have to do is rinse a plate with water. And I don't even need a refrigerator, oven, stove, or microwave. I don't need any electrical appliances at all!

This food is beautiful. I am proud to show people what I am buying and eating. This was not always the case in my life. I used to feel secretive and ashamed of some of the junk I was buying, and rightfully so! I would even hide it in my own home. From who? Myself??? Ha!

Thank goodness those days are over. The dark days are gone, and the light days are here!!!

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-12T08:07:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
10:00 . . juice of 4 valencia oranges
2:00 . . . few fresh medjool dates (intensely good!)
4:00 . . 1 lb. grape tomatoes + 2 dates
8:00 . . . 9 valencia oranges + 3 dates

Play: ballet, yoga, stretching

The oranges are tasting better and better to me. And now my husband is getting into them as well. He is eating several at night. He finds he can't stop eating them and it is wonderful to see.

A friend gave me a tip about a middle eastern bakery/restaurant having some good dates. I happened to be going by it yesterday, so I stopped in to see, and WOW, was my friend right! They are super juicy, caramelly, and SWEET. I really believe they are the best dates I've ever had. I was not expecting that. Glad I bought two pounds. Now I feel rich! And very happy. They are so sweet that I can't eat more than 2 or 3 at a time.

Must take a pic of them before I eat them all.

I'm so grateful for another local source of delicious fruit. Thank you, Universe. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-11T08:12:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . juice of 8 valencia oranges
11:00 . juice of 8 valencia oranges
2:00 . . 1 honeydew melon (really like honey! ♥)
4:00 . . 1 honeydew melon
5:00 . . 1 lb. of grape tomatoes
6:00 . . 8 oranges + handful of medjool dates

Play: dancing, stretching, acrobatics

I know that some fruity people buy their produce in huge amounts, for a week or more at a time. I've tried that, but it just doesn't work well for me. I lose the desire for what I bought days ago, or the fruit goes bad before I get to it, or I come across something I'd rather have instead.

I prefer to do "urban foraging" where I only have what I need for a day or two at a time. That way I am always alert to what is available and what my own personal desires are.

And btw, the pic is of my honeydew melon after I was done eating it. It was REALLY sweet, dripping with sugar. Wish I could have shared. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-09T13:55:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 6 oranges
12:00 . . juice of 6 oranges
2:00 . . . 2 oranges + handful of grape tomatoes
5:00 . . . grape tomatoes + pickling cukes + dates + bit of banana pepper
7:00 . . . more of the same (delicious)

Play: dancing, stretching, acrobatics

I came across a quote yesteday that I'll share:

"You don't become sick from smoking one cigarette, and you won't become healthy by eating one apple. Health is cumulative, and so is disease." Dr. Doug Graham

That's a great one! And to that I will add:

REAL healing takes time.

But what more wonderful and delicious (!) way to heal than by eating sweet juicy fruit, getting lots of rest and sleep, and doing some kind of body movement that you LOVE to do!?

In this crazy world, we are healing all the time, working on ourselves all the time. The fun never ends! If you are eating enough sweet fruit for fuel, you WILL think it is fun! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-08T10:05:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 6 oranges
10:00 . . juice of 4 oranges
2:00 . . . 1 lb. red grapes
4:00 . . . 1 lb. kiwi
5:00 . . . 6 oranges + .5 lbs. organic grape tomatoes
6:00 . . . 1 lb. grape tomatoes + 8 pickling cukes + a few dates
7:00 . . . few more grape tomatoes + dates

Play: ballet, yoga

I am more busy than usual because I'm a yoga teacher and the beginning of the year is just like in the gym biz: everyone wants to start fresh! So I have some new eager clients. It's all good.

I am so aware of how people have so many problems: physical problems, mental problems, emotional problems. They don't see it and don't even want to believe it, but most of it is tied to what they are eating/drinking. I have compassion for everyone and their troubles, but it sure is frustrating to feel like I have the answer for them, but they are not ready for the answer. People would rather suffer terribly than give up their addictions and little "comforts." I do understand as I was there myself for many years. MANY years. That is why I have the patience for other people. . . I had to be patient with my own self.

Still, I have to balance the negative energies of other people with my own needs. I know you can all relate! Maybe it is time to write again the story of Stay Away From Humans. Ha, ha. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-06T14:16:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 6 valencia oranges
12:00 . . juice of 6 valencia oranges
4:00 . . . 1/2 lb. of grape tomatoes
5:00 . . . 6 oranges + 1 lb. grape tomatoes
6:00 . . . 4 oranges + 1.5 lbs. grape tomatoes
7:00 . . . a few grape tomatoes + a few medjool dates

Play: secret obsessions, gymnastics, stretching

There is just a simple thought on my mind today:

NOTHING tastes better than fresh, ripe, sweet, juicy fruit. NOTHING!

And if you are entertaining thoughts that something else would taste better, would be more "fun", would make you feel better, your thoughts are nothing but the hypnotic programming we have all received from the moment we were born. This programming comes through our families, schools, friends, and media but it all starts with the very misaligned "food" manufacturers who only want your money and do not care about your health and well-being. They will sell you most vile poisonous harmful sickening junk on the planet after hypnotizing you into thinking it's a good thing, a desired thing. It's CRAZY.

So please, dear peeps, DON'T BE FOOLED! People are starting to wake up now, and you can be one of the first on your block to wake up to the whole food conspiracy. You are too intelligent to fall for that stuff. Don't believe them.

NOTHING tastes better than fresh, ripe, sweet juicy fruit. NOTHING. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-05T10:09:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . juice of 6 valencia oranges
9:00 . . . juice of 4 valencia oranges
2:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges
3:00 . . . 1 lb. of organic grape tomatoes
4:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges
8:00 . . . 6 valencia oranges + 1 lb. organic grape tomatoes
9:00 . . . another handful of grape tomatoes

Play: dancing, yoga

OK, I don't know what is in these grape tomatoes but it must be some kind of crack! I can't stop eating them! They taste SO delicious with the oranges, too. A little sweet, a little salty. No pizza could taste better than these tomatoes. I'm serious. Simple pleasures are the best.

And the oranges are starting to be good, and prolific.

I woke up this morning thinking about how I get to spend this day eating oranges and tomatoes again. I have nothing else on my mind, foodwise. So I'll be stopping in to stock up on my two new faves. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2010-01-03T12:08:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 tangelos
11:00 . . juice of 6 tangelos
1:00 . . . juice of 8 tangelos
4:00 . . .3 bananas + 3 medjool dates
6:00 . . 1 lb. cherry tomatoes + 6 pickling cukes + 6 dates
7:00 . . 1 lb. cherry tomatoes + a few dates
9:00 . . bit of tangelo juice

Play: Running/dancing outdoors (cold!), stretching, acrobatics

Bright sunshine on a bowl of tangelos. . . it's a beautiful sight. These tangelos are good, but not as good as the valencias will be when they come in, which should be any day now.

When I eat, I feel like a baby. I just eat as much as I want with no worries. To me, it feels like I am eating all day long with no restrictions. I LOVE this way of life. I prefer grazing all day long to eating 2 or 3 large meals. Maybe this will change for me in the future, but I doubt it. Ha!

Happy New Year, Fruity Peeps!

2010-01-01T10:11:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 10 tangelos
11:00 . . .juice of 8 tangelos
12:00 . . .juice of 6 tangelos
3:00 . . . 1 pineapple + a few medjool dates
5:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe
6:00 . . . 2 lbs. cherry tomatoes + 4 pickling cukes + few dates + tiny bit of banana pepper
10:00 . . some pineapple

Play: walking/running, secret obsession, dancing, stretching

I am on "vacation" this week so my blogging has been a bit sparse. But I am still here and I am still fruity!

My husband gave me this pineapple for Xmas, along with some grapes and bananas. Ha, ha. Really! And it was a REALLY good one. But the best pinepple I've ever had was in Costa Rica. The fruit there is redonkulous!

I've been spending time outdoors, even though it is cold. And I can feel that I need more sugar to stay warm. It is so wonderful to be able to feel what my body needs, clearly. All those years of treating my body like a rental car or a trash receptacle. Yowsers! I am still apologizing to my body for all that. Now I feel so kindly and appreciative toward my body, and we talk back and forth to each other all the time, in love.

I am outwardly sweet, but inwardly fierce, about taking care of myself. I find it difficult to do something that I know will be harmful to me, even if it is subtle. It is incredible to discover how often other people want me to harm myself. Once you are aware of this, you will notice that it is happening all the time. To really get away from this, one would have to live apart from our modern society. Believe me, I am dreaming of it. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-12-28T09:37:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 10 tangelos
12:00 . . 1 pineapple
2:00 . . . 4 bananas + 4 medjool dates
4:00 . . . nibbling off of fruit platter as I made it
6:00 . . . pineapple, tomatoes, dates, pickling cukes, peppers
9:00 . . juice of 6 tangelos + a few dates

Play: walking/running ~ 3 miles, stretching

I made another fruit platter yesterday to take to a get-together for dance people. It looked the same as the other except it also had some blueberries and raspberries on it. People especially love the dates because they are so unusual to them. Some peeps really go crazy over the dates, and deservedly so. These are moist and very sweet and taste like caramels.

I love being around dancers. They are at least lean, fit, beautiful, graceful and mostly healthy, and most are vegetarians. So there was tons of food, but most was healthy by SAD standards. There was lots of salsa and guacamole and veggie trays. Someone brought a plate of cut-up apples and pears. But I mostly grazed off of my own platter. I probably ate half of it myself! Ha!

As much as I enjoyed being social with everyone, I was reminded once again that I really prefer to eat alone. It is the only way to really focus on the food, to be totally relaxed and aware and have perfect digestion. This thing we have of being social and gabbing while eating is really a problem that most folks are not aware of. I know I ate too much and I felt less than perfect in the stomach for a short while. I like being quiet while eating. I just plain like being quiet. ♥

Merry Xmas + Peaceful Solstice

2009-12-25T12:48:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 tangelos
11:00 . . .juice of 8 tangelos
2:00 . . . 4 bananas + 6 organic medjool dates
4:00 . . . a little sampling from the fruit platter
7:00 . . . pineapple, kiwi, dates, tomatoes (lots!)
11:00 . . .more pineapple + dates

Play: walking/running ~4 miles, yoga, secret obsessions (now I have 2)

This is the fruit platter I took to the family holiday gathering. There was LOTS of amazing food there, and actually there was a good amount of vegatarian/vegan fare for my husband like rice, nuts, carrots, broccoli, green beans, and a spinach/artichoke dish. And of course, my fruit platter!

Honestly, this was the first year I was not tempted in the least, in spite of the UNBELIEVABLE food. There was one brief moment that I looked at the beautiful table my MIL prepared with all the delicacies (she is a gourmet cook) and I remembered how it used to be with me, several years ago. I'd say Oh, just one little taste of the green beans, which would lead to more tastes and then just saying Oh, what the heck! And some of you know just what I mean. . . then there is the feeling of being physically sick right away, of disappointment in yourself, of terrible remorse and regret. Then a night of restless sleep, more sickness, and waking the next day with an awful food hangover. Which then leads to even MORE dissipation for perhaps days or weeks at a time until you feel so bad you HAVE to stop, or die. For some folks, that would be exaggeration, and for some of us sensitive sorts it is the truth.

So I ate as much as I wanted of the fruit, several plates full, and felt GREAT the whole time: before, during AND after. No regrets, no guilt. I feel happy and peaceful and content. VERY much so.

You know, it is perfectly true that there is more to life and health than food, and eating. But I keep the focus here on eating because of all the ways we have been taught incorrectly and because eating a bunch of junk can make a person seriously sick and seriously crazy. It can ruin your life. No kidding. It is SO not worth it.

Wishing you a peaceful, fruity day filled with loving kindness. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-12-23T14:14:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 tangelos
11:00 . . juice of 6 tangelos
2:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe
4:00 . . . 8 pickling cucumbers + 12 cherry tomatoes + 4 medjool dates
6:00 . . . handful of organic medjool dates
7:00 . . . 4bananas + a few dates

Play: dance, stretching, secret obsession

There are so many challenges to this lifestyle, even for those of us who REALLY want to do it, including:

Lifelong beliefs and understanding

Habits and traditions around food that are comforting

Physical/mental/emotional addictions

Lack of support from family, friends, and the entire world

But for me, the #1 challenge is a practical one. It is simply the issue of having access to LOTS of sweet, ripe fruit that I LOVE. Our natural habitat is surely the tropics, where fruit is literally falling off the trees all year 'round.

I find December is one of the more challenging months, since really good oranges are not in abundance yet. Although I went out today and was grateful to find good strawberries, kiwi, and pineapple to use on a giant fruit platter for the family get-together.

And I just got a new supply of organic medjool dates which are a godsend. Even though the delivery person put them in a hidden spot in the garage and I actually ran over the box with my car because I didn't see it and squished the dates into one giant mass. Ha, ha. But I was able to salvage them all, because where there's a will, there's a way. So they look squished, but taste delicious!

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-12-22T09:03:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 oranges
11:00 . . juice of 6 oranges
2:00 . . . 1 lb. kiwi
3:00 . . . 4 bananas
5:00 . . . juice of 4 oranges
8:00 . . . 4 bananas + a few medjool dates

Play: stretching and yoga

Wishing everyone in the northern hemisphere a nice, peaceful winter solstice week. In Nature, this is a time of quiet, of going inward, of hibernation. But leave it to humans to be WAY out of sync with Nature. We are pushing ourselves to do all this "celebrating." I don't mind being different, since I see craziness all around me that I don't want to be part of. But it is a challenge to be completely immune from it all.

So Happy Winter Solstice, everyone! Take good care of yourselves. Be kind and nurturing to your own self. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-12-17T08:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 oranges
12:00 . . juice of 10 oranges
3:00 . . . 1 lb. of kiwi
4:00 . . . several large organic tomatoes
8:00 . . . juice of 12 oranges

Play: dance training, yoga, secret obsession

So yeah, these are the oranges I am going with for now. They're not the best I've ever had, but I'm grateful for them. And I prefer no packaging, but if you're going to have packaging, this is some cute stuff.

I've mentioned this before, but I find that if the oranges are of a really good quality, I prefer to juice them in my mouth. (Eat them.) So that explains why I am juicing these oranges.

And hey, I am psychic! I spoke about snow last post, and now they are predicting snow for the weekend. So it is in my mind today to stock up for the weekend, more than usual in case we do get snowed in. They say we might have a winter storm. And nothing says "winter storm" more than . . . ORANGES!

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-12-15T16:58:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencias
2:00 . . . 1 lb. kiwi
3:00 . . . juice of 12 organic valencias + a bunch of cherry tomatoes
4:00 . . . more cherry tomatoes + several pickling cukes
5:00 . . . juice of 6 oranges
8:00 . . . 5 bananas, made into pudding

Play: yoga, secret obsession

In the bowl is one banana, mashed into a liquid with my hand, no added water. So a banana is deceptive. It looks like a solid, but it's really a liquid! Magical. Yes, even bananas contain lots of liquid.

But lately I am tiring of everything except oranges. The quality of the oranges will be improving in the next month or so, and I will be leaning on them more and more as my winter staple food. If they say a snow storm is coming, I stock up on oranges like other people stock up on bread and milk. We haven't really been snowed in badly since I started on this fruit thing. I am usually careful to have plenty of stuff on hand. But if I ever ran out, I guess I would try to live on snow for a while. I have lived on snow for a day here and there. Something about it is very sustaining.

That reminds me of the story of Dr. Barbara Moore who walked and hiked many miles in the Alps having only snow water, no food for months at a time. Believe it or not. I believe it, for sure. Her fascinating story is here. This is on my friend Mango's site. Thank you, Mango! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-12-14T15:06:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 6 organic valencia oranges
11:00 . . a quart of orange juice
3:00 . . . another quart of orange juice
4:00 . . . fresh-pressed tomato juice from 4 organic tomatoes
6:00 . . . large glass of fresh-pressed red grape juice

Play: stretching, relaxing

Yowsers, fruity peeps! Sorry to have been gone so long. We just got our internet restored. It was a faulty phone line inside the house. I missed my own self here.

Yesterday I felt a little tired, a bit in the mood to rest. It is hibernating weather anyway. In the old days, I would have gotten really sick from being run down, but now I know to just rest a bit and I'll be fine. So I spent a lot of the day in bed and drank only juices. My husband made me that grape juice and really, it was the best stuff EVER. I had such a good night of sleep because of it.

So I'm glad to be back and grateful for modern technology that allows us all to help each other this way. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-12-09T14:05:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 tangelos
11:00 . . juice of 6 tangelos
2:00 . . . 1 lb. of kiwi
4:00 . . . 3 comice pears
5:00 . . . 3 organic tomatoes
7:00 . . . 5 organic bananas

Play: walking/running~ 4 miles, yoga, secret obsession

So OK, peeps. . . sorry to have been absent. We are having an internet problem at our house that NO ONE can figure out. . . yet. The joys of modern living! I was itchy for the internet for the first day or two, and then I started enjoying the peace and simplicity. Ha, ha.

But now I'm at the public library catching up everywhere.

I hope all is well with you as you are moving through this somewhat challenging time of year. I'll be back tomorrow with more thoughts in this direction.

Love you all. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-12-04T09:37:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 Fall-Glo tangerines
10:00 . . juice of 6 Fall-Glo tangerines
1:00 . . . 1 lb. kiwi
3:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe
4:00 . . . 3 large tomatoes + 6 pickling cukes + a few dates
7:00 . . . 4 bananas + 3 organic medjool dates

Play: dance, stretching, secret obsession

Again, I count ~ 40 pieces of fruit eaten. The cantaloupe counts as 4 pieces in my mind. I certainly do not count my food or really pay any attention to that, but for folks trying to figure out what works for them, it might be helpful. Occasionally I wonder how much all of this weighs, how many pounds of food I am eating, but I am not anal enough to go buy a food scale and weigh my food. Ha! But I can approximate that I probably eat between 10 and 20 pounds of food a day. This gives me something to say when someone suggests that I am not eating very much. I can say, "Hey, I eat all the time! Some days I eat 20 pounds of food!" Of course, since it's fruit it's mostly water.

Last night I got a strong desire for some apple juice. So today I will seek out some good Fuji apples. I rarely eat apples. They are very cleansing and light, but I just usually prefer the sweeter tropical fruits. I think I might try hand pressing some juice using my Orange X.

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-12-02T10:14:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 Fall-Glo tangerines
12:00 . . juice of 6 Fall-Glo tangerines
4:00 . . . bunch of red grapes
5:00 . . . 4 bananas
7:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + 3 organic tomatoes

Play: walking, yoga, stretching, secret obsession

I love obtaining "natural" fruit. By this I mean no plastic bags or artificial containers. I can just put a lot of fruit in my cloth bag and have that weighed at the store. Even better than this would be standing under a fruit tree and having the tree release the fruit into my hands. I have experienced this in my life and it is the ULTIMATE in receiving fruit, a magical, mystical experience. A true communion with Nature. It is part of REALLY living. I intend for this to become a part of my daily life. Somehow.

Yesterday I spent some time at Whole Foods watching people, like a sociology experiment. I sat at a table and watched the folks checking out. I saw the sweetness in their eyes, but also lots of pain and worry and fatigue. I could tell that many people were having serious health problems, trembling, walking stiffly and wincing, breathing heavily, excess fat. Many folks have acne or rosacea or swollen and lumpy faces and bodies, which I know are painful. I watched them all, the younger peeps and the older peeps. It reminded me of my friend Kveta's very wise statement: Younger = less toxic; older = more toxic.

Every day in this modern world, I see and know things which are sad and frustrating. All the ways that we are harming ourselves and other beings is MADDENING. Sending love. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-12-01T09:37:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 tangerines
2:00 . . . juice of 12 tangerines
3:00 . . . 3 bananas
4:00 . . . 6 organic fuyu persimmons (pictured)
8:00 . . . 4 bananas + 6 dates

Play: dance, yoga

Alert readers can count that yesterday I ate almost 40 pieces of fruit. When people first hear of this crazy fruitarian diet thing I guess they imagine that one lives on an orange or two, or a banana here and there. I'm a small person, and look how much I get to eat!

Of course, some days I eat less, but some days I am really eating all day long. There is no deprivation here. This is why I dream of living in a fruit orchard, where it is just hanging off the trees for the taking. Massive abundance.

I love what Dr. Doug Graham says about living on fruit: "Eat, eat, eat all you want, no problem." Ha, ha. Indeed.

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-30T08:08:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 6 large Fall-Glo tangerines
11:00 . . 1 pineapple
1:00 . . . a few organic medjool dates
3:00 . . . 3 bananas + 1 date
5:00 . . . a dragon fruit (pictured)
6:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe + 3 organic tomatoes
8:00 . . . bunch of red grapes

Play: walking/running 5 miles, stretching, secret obsession

This dragon fruit was an unusual find at Whole Foods and I was surprised by how good it was. Very juicy and mildly sweet. Delicate in flavor. I could definitely make a meal of these, but there was only one there! The color alone is amazing and I could feel that my body really absorbed it and loved it. Kinda hard to explain, but my body LOVED this color.

I had tried dragon fruit before, but those were white on the inside and were rather bland, as I recall. I'm glad I tried one again.

There are so many amazing fruits on this earth and most of them grow in tropical regions. And a lot of them are so delicate and sensitive that they must be eaten right off the tree. . . they can't be shipped because they go bad so quickly. I look forward in my life to trying LOTS of new fruits.

My Mother Was Right

2009-11-28T10:19:00.005-05:00

When I was 17 I told my mother that I wanted to get my ears pierced. This was 1971 and hardly anybody had pierced ears. Maybe gypsies and hookers, not that I knew what a hooker was. I was seriously innocent. I mean, we were barely out of the 60's. Leave It To Beaver, and all that.

I just somehow had the idea that getting my ears pierced would be a very cool and unique thing to do. Maybe Ali McGraw had her ears pierced in Love Story. I thought Ali McGraw was the coolest. My mother, who was of the belief that girls should wear white gloves and keep their legs crossed at all times, thought I had lost my mind. She said, "What?!?! Are you crazy?!?! You are NOT getting your ears pierced, young lady! That is NOT happening. Over my dead body!"

Then she immediately searched for and found some back issues of National Geographic that showed African tribespeople with large heavy objects attached to their VERY long hanging ear lobes, plus giant plates in their lips and metal rings stretching their super long necks. She said, "There! Is that what you want? To look like a savage? Why not just put some big plates in your lips? That certainly looks attractive!"

I was protesting my heart out, making my case for the cool factor, but she went on . . . "What are you thinking? You have a perfectly nice pure sweet body that you were born with. Why would you want to mar it, to ruin it with holes in your ears? What's next, a hole in your nose with a stick through it? Tattoos like a sailor?" Remember, at this time, NOBODY had tattoos except sailors and hoodlums.

She said, "Once you put holes in your ears, you can't undo that damage."

Well, I was rolling my eyes to the max. To my teenage mind my mother was being WAY unreasonable and ridiculous. She was so UNCOOL. But there was no way I was winning this battle and in my house, my mother's rules were the LAW.

So I waited until I was in college later that year and I "secretly" went to the student health center and got my ears pierced by a doctor, knowing I would be in Big Trouble if my mother found out.

Eventually, she did find out and somehow we all lived through it. Ha!

So for 35+ years I enjoyed my pierced ears and I wore earrings EVERY DAY without fail. I would have felt undressed, unpolished, and even embarrassed to be without my earrings. (And without makeup but that's another story, coming soon.) I had fun seeking out the coolest, hippest earrings I could find, loving arts festivals in particular for all the young, hip artists with the newest, most unusual earrings.

Yes, I went on hanging objects from my ear lobes and thinking it was all good, until I started on the fruitarian path. Then, everything started changing for me, and continues to change, all for the BETTER! After about a year on just fruit (about 2 years ago) I literally woke up one morning, began my usual routine (showering, fixing hair, getting dressed) and discovered, like a lightning bolt, that my ears did not want me to put a piece of metal through them and hang something from them. I was so surprised to "hear" from my ears! Even more, I was amazed and shocked to know that every single morning for over 35 years, they were trying to tell me NOT TO DO THAT, PLEASE, OUCH IT HURTS, OH NO, NOT AGAIN but I was unaware and unfeeling of their pain. Numb and dumb and blind to the pain. Wowsers. Can you imagine.

So in an instant I knew that my days of wearing earrings were over and I have not worn them since. My ears are now blissfully natural and free like a child's and we all feel lighter and freer for it. It's just one less thing to do, to pay money for, to be concerned about, to try to be "stylish" and fit in over. I think it is much cooler to be FREE, to think for yourself, to have a natural beauty. I think the new "style" is less stuff, more purity and naturalness.

It is in this way of "waking up" that many things have fallen away, and there are more to come, I am grateful and hopeful to say.

I now have the wish and intention of having the sweet, pure, naturally beautiful body I was born with, as much as possible. I have to admit that now when I see people wearing big dangling earrings, I think they look like Christmas Trees with ornaments hanging from their branches! Ha, ha. I can say this 'cause I used to do it, too.

Also, I really do not understand the whole tattoo thing. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings but I'm so grateful I never went that way. It is harmful to the body, no doubt about it. And permanent. It is just part of the way we are all encouraged to harm ourselves, our beautiful bodies, which are an absolute gift to be cared for and loved, just as they are. What abuse and harm our dear bodies go through in a lifetime, what crazy things people have done to themselves and each other through the eons of time. At the top of the list is eating harmful food, actually putting POISON into ourselves. Yes, we are encouraged and even forced to do this. Heaven help us all.

If I am going to emulate someone's style now, it is going to be that of a clean, pure, and innocent child in their natural beauty and sweetness.

So here is a picture of my now natural left ear. You can see that there is still an indentation from the piercing and I am watching with interest to see if my ears will eventually, over time, fully heal and restore themselves. That would be a fascinating miracle. There is still more healing and transformation to come, thankfully. More miracles. Real healing takes time.

And I really want to give my mother props for being so wise and for being RIGHT. Mothers love to be right, even if it takes almost 40 years to be affirmed. And bless her heart, she died 30 years ago of cancer at the age of 50. Love. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-28T09:46:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 6 organic valencia oranges
11:00 . . juice of 6 large Fall-Glo tangerines
1:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe
4:00 . . . 6 organic fuyu persimmons (pictured)
5:00 . . . 3 organic tomatoes + 4 pickling cukes + 4 medjool dates
7:00 . . . 4 organic bananas

Play: dance training, yoga, secret obsession

I am not a big persimmon freak, like some people I know. They are a nice seasonal treat, with their very sweet honey-flavored jelly. I would eat more of them if I had a tree of them. Maybe I should grow one. They are so beautiful in the fall with all the orange globes hanging on them. Kinda zen-like.

Bananas are tasting better all the time, the colder it gets. If one wants to be fruitarian, it is best to learn to LOVE bananas. You can find them everywhere, and they are inexpensive. Have you ever noticed that children LOVE bananas? I am starting to fall in love with them again myself. ♥

Giving Thanks for Abundance

2009-11-26T07:04:00.003-05:00

I stocked up yesterday for the next couple of days and to my eyes it is a beautiful sight. The pineapples are going to be a great treat. What a blessing it all is.

I have to admit I was disappointed to discover that my very favorite valencia oranges are gone for a while, so I'll have to make do until they come back. I found a few valencias elsewhere and some tangerines and a watermelon to take their liquidy place.

Wishing for you a peaceful and healthy day of fruity abundance, wherever you are. I'll be spending the day with my husband's family, and when I am around they load up on lots of fruit and veggies! I am focusing on the positive here. ; ) Also, they are very dear and kind people with interesting lives and we have a lot to share.

I often think of how I could create my own little colony somewhere and we could make up all our own holidays. It's all made up anyway, right? But having a holiday that is a day of focusing on gratitude seems like a good idea to me.

Today I am aware that so many beings have no food to eat, or are in suffering. I am grateful for my health and well-being and the abundance around me, and I wish to share with all. ♥

Totally Rockin' Interview with Michael Arnstein

2009-11-22T10:34:00.005-05:00

It's true that I am all about Girl Power. There are some awesome women out there leading the way and creating health and love and beauty everywhere.

But occasionally, there are also some special guys doing extraordinary things.

Michael Arnstein is a 32-year-old marathoner and ultramarathoner. He is married with 3 children. Earlier this month, he ran the NYC Marathon in 2:35. He then went back into the race and ran an additional 5 miles with his wife. Then, the following weekend, he ran the Harrisburg Marathon in 2:32 and won! The following day he felt so good he ran 31 miles, just for the heck of it. And the next day, another 31 miles. He did this for several more days!

This is phenomenal. How is he able to do it??? He lives on fruits and greens. SERIOUSLY! Nothing else! No supplements!

At the end of each race, as he is being interviewed, he says that the only thing he wants to say is that he lives on raw fruits and veggies and this is how he is able to do what he does.

You can read a fantastastic interview with Michael here, complete with some inspiring before and after pics. Please don't miss out on this. This is a must-read!

And just this past weekend, Michael ran a 50-mile ultramarathon and wrote a thrilling article about it complete with pictures here.

Get ready to be INSPIRED, peeps! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-22T09:58:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 10 organic valencia oranges
1:00 . . . 8 organic satsuma mandarines (pictured above)
3:00 . . . a few organic medjool dates + 2 tomatoes
4:00 . . . 8 oranges
6:00 . . . 14 pickling cukes + 5 tomatoes + 4 dates
8:00 . . . 6 oranges

Play: ballet, stretching, secret obsession

The quality of the citrus is improving consistently. The mandarines are a nice surprise in Whole Foods, and at a reduced price, too. And I love that they are just natural, loose, not in plastic or mesh bags. I will buy more. They are good-tasting, easy to peel and eat, and after you peel them, they are soft, like moss. I love my beautiful fruit. . . each one is a masterpiece of creation.

And the valencias continue to be EXCELLENT. They will improve, too, in the next few months. I feel content and at peace to know that I am settling into an easy and very good winter pattern. I feel blessed for this amazing abundance of food.

It is true that I am not doing things like most people around me. I don't care about shoes, I'm not buying jewelry, not going to restaurants, not hanging out at Starbucks.

It doesn't bother me in the least that I have let go of some traditional customs and habits. It brings to mind this great quote:

"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society." J. Krishnamurti

And there is so much more to be let go of, with relief and joy. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-20T11:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 12 organic valencia oranges
2:00 . . . juice of 10 organic valencia oranges
7:00 . . . 12 pickling cukes + 5 tomatoes + 5 dates
8:00 . . . 8 organic valencia oranges

Play: ballet, yoga

I NEVER get tired of good oranges or their juice. I feel like a baby drinking out of its' bottle, only better! I wish they HAD put real orange juice in my bottle.

That is why it is wonderful to be an adult. There is freedom and free choice. You can do whatever you want. It is never too late to have a happy childhood!

And for me, a happy childhood is free from all harmful substances and full of happy fruit! I love feeling FREE. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-19T09:14:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . 1 small watermelon
12:00 . . 1 cantaloupe
2:00 . . . 5 tomatoes + 8 pickling cukes + 4 dates
4:00 . . . 6 organic valencia oranges
8:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + 4 dates

Play: dance training, yoga, secret obsession

For most of my life, I did not eat "breakfast." I didn't like it as a child, and had to be forced to sit at the table and eat SOMETHING. Now I know why I didn't like breakfast: I just plain didn't like the food. It literally turned my stomach. And then as I got older and developed even more disordered habits, I was eating lots of food late at night, so when I woke up I still had last night's food digesting sourly in my system. So no wonder I wasn't hungry in the morning.

But very shortly after starting on just fruit, I discovered that my body really liked having a little something light earlier than lunchtime. I have usually been up a few hours by the time I have some melon or juice. It works so well and now I look forward to my morning fruit.

In my mind, I do not eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I just eat as much fruit as I want, as often as I want, regardless of time. I eat when I'm hungry, and not according to social convention. I have to admit that I LOVE this way of life, being mostly independent of social mores. Sometimes I feel mischievous, like I am looking around to see if I'm going to be caught and made to "do right."

But now I am like a kitty: You can't make me. Ha!

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-17T09:00:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 12 organic valencia oranges
2:00 . . . 3 bananas + 4 organic medjool dates
4:00 . . . juice of 8 oranges + a few campari tomatoes
8:00 . . . handful of dates (7-8) + 4 pickling cucumbers

Play: yoga, secret obsession

Don't these dates look like exquisite candies? And on the famous Niagara Club plate, as well.

It looks like food fit for a princess. That's how I feel when I am "fixing" and eating my fruit, like a princess. It is the best quality food on the planet, and I get to have it! It's pretty and fresh and clean and refreshing. Princess food, for sure!

I remember so well, the last times I was eating some of The Other. It was ugly and gross and smelly stuff, and still I ate it. And then, no surprise, I felt ugly and gross and smelly. If it was oily and salty, I felt oily and salty. If is was heavy and dense and disgusting, I felt heavy and dense and disgusting.

Fruit is light and vibrant and fresh and beautiful, and yeah, so guess what I feel like??? ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-16T16:34:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
12:00 . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
2:00 . . . a few organic medjool dates
5:00 . . . 1 pineapple
6:00 . . . 8 pickling cucumbers + 1 lb. tomatoes
7:00 . . . a few more dates (6?)

Play: walking/running 4 miles, stretching, secret obsession

This pineapple was good and sweet, but nowhere near as good as the pineapples I ate in Costa Rica. All the fruit in a tropical area is OUT OF THIS WORLD good. And you can eat it right off the tree, so it is really ripe and alive with flavor.

I look forward to living somewhere tropical and growing at least some of my own food. Someday. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-15T09:46:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 16 organic valencia oranges
12:00 . . 1/2 honeydew (not very good)
3:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe
4:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges + 1 lb. campari tomatoes
5:00 . . . handful of organic medjool dates (5-6?)
7:00 . . . 6 bananas

Play: ballet, stretching, secret obsession

I just got my first supply of organic medjool dates, 10 lbs. They won't last long because I give a lot of them to my MIL and other peeps, a great seasonal treat.

This picture does not do them justice. I'll post some close-ups. They are REALLY juicy and gooey, very fresh. I order them from Steve Jones in Yuma, Arizona, and they are outstanding! I have ordered Barhi dates from him, too, and they are also very good. Steve doesn't have a website, but you can order from him at SRJdate@yahoo.com. He can tell you what other varieties he has now. But you can't go wrong with the medjools. I ask him for the best quality, and they are $4.50 a pound. Even with a shipping fee, that is still cheaper than what you buy in the store and the quality is FAR better. Steve is a good guy and is passionate about his dates.

And Steve sends them to you on the honor system. He encloses a bill in the box, and you then send him a check. I love it! Just like old times.

To me, they are very dense and rich and sweet, and I don't eat a lot of them at once. They go very well with oranges and also with bananas. But my favorite way is to eat them after some oranges, because the oranges provide the hydration since the dates don't have much water in them.

I am grateful and happy to have these dates. They are a big help in the colder weather, and full of lots of sun energy. And super sweet. Nature's candy! ♥

Thanksgiving Dilemma

2009-11-13T05:44:00.006-05:00

Thanksgiving is a week away, and probably most people are numbly and blindly doing what they've been taught: preparing to begin the ritual of buying and cooking the foods of their youth for a family get-together. There will be much overeating and alcohol drinking and a huge amount of turkey killing. Sadly. It is suffering for all involved.

And do I even need to point out that not all families enjoy and treasure this day of forced togetherness?

For those of us who are fruitarian or vegan, this day presents a real challenge. We do not condone and support the slaughtering and eating of turkeys and other animals. To us, it is a ridiculous, cruel, and unnecessary custom that has become outdated. The idea of joining together with our families to express thanks (really?!?!) by worshipping around the carcass of a large dead bird is unbearable. Such unkind disrespect for the sacredness of life.

The whole Thanksgiving tradition is yet another way that we are having the wool pulled over our eyes. Wake up, peeps! Don't be fooled! Business folks are marketing the heck out of it, just like Christmas. Especially the food industry. People are marching like lemmings or sheep to the grocery store to purchase huge amounts of harmful "food" to lovingly (?) feed their families. Hypnotized. Must buy dead frozen turkey. Must buy pumpkin pie. Must buy $$$$ worth of processed food products. Must buy LOTS OF STUFF. The TV told me to.

Most people will get sick from this gross meal. What is the point of it??? Every year, the same thing, whether you like it or not.

It's like the Emperor's New Clothes. Doesn't anyone question any of these things???

Oh, dear. Don't get me started.

Yes, it's quite a dilemma for those of us opposed to the whole idea in its' current form. But it is like trying to stop a tidal wave.

I like to imagine that some day I will invite people into my fruit orchard on Thanksgiving and we will sit under the trees and share an abundance of sweet juicy fruit and bask in the sunshine and feel profoundly grateful. We will spend the day in harmony with Nature. Share our fruit with animals and birds and all the critters. Generate love. Like a bunch of nutty hippies. I can't wait! Let's all become nutty hippies! It will be a lot more fun! Every day will be Thanksgiving. ♥

But for now, I will share with you what I do for holidays that require food participation. (I find a way to skip out on a lot of stuff, but it's hard to disappear on Thanksgiving and Christmas.) I bring a large fruit platter and it is always a big hit! The platter above has orange wedges, pineapple, pickling cucumber spears, campari tomatoes, and medjool dates. Look how fresh and alive and beautiful it is. At the very least, I have plenty of great food to enjoy myself.

And I want to show people that there is another way.

I recently read a quote from a guy named Prad that says so much:

"In the land of the blind and the dumb, warm fuzzies flow freely."

Yes, I see it everywhere, including in my own self and my own life. The process of waking up never ends, it seems.

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-12T08:42:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
11:00 . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
2:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + 1 lb. campari tomatoes
4:00 . . . 4 bananas
5:00 . . . 2 bananas
8:00 . . . 8 oranges

Play: yoga, secret obsession, stretching

Yes, it feels like settling in for winter now. The local produce is gone. I already miss the local tomatoes. These campari tomatoes from Mexico will have to do.

But it is hard to complain and feel deprived when I live in a place and a time that there is so much available.

I have been thinking about all the animals, hunkering in for winter. They have it tough. I get to stay warm and dry and eat all the food I want, fit for a princess. How can one ever feel ungrateful with such an abundance of luscious oranges, cantaloupes, and bananas? Some people and animals have nothing to eat. While some of us humans are ridiculously spoiled. Gratitude. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-11T09:24:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
11:00 . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
4:00 . . . 1 lb. black grapes
5:00 . . . 6 oranges + 2 lbs. campari tomatoes + 4 pickling cucumbers
7:00 . . . 8 oranges, cut into wedges

Play: gymnastics, yoga, stretching

We are experiencing LOTS of rain from Hurricane Ida. It is cozy-feeling and good for resting and sleeping. However, there is no sunshine for days, and we need sunshine in our eyes and on our skin to feel really good.

During weather like this, my thoughts used to turn to comfort food like soups and baked potatoes and worse things I won't even mention. No need to go THERE. Nightmare City. But thanks to my new improved fruitarian life I now start thinking instead of fruit that contains lots of sunshine like oranges and pineapples. Look at the orange slice. . . it even looks like the sun! So here I am loading up on oranges and I am grateful to Whole Foods for having such awesome organic valencias, even though it is not really orange season yet.

I remember some years ago that I bought a little vial of orange essential oil to use as perfume and also to put in the bath. I loved the smell of oranges, even before I went fruity. On all the essential oils, they have a word or two to describe their qualities, like on Lavender it says "Calming, Relaxing" and on Myrrh it says "Meditative." Well, on the Orange one it says "Cheering, Uplifting." YES!!! That is exactly right! Oranges ARE cheering and uplifting, the real thing even more so than the oil.

Seems to me that lots of peeps are self-medicating with caffeine and chocolate to lift their spirits, artificially so. It is no coincidence that Starbucks Coffee originated in Seattle, where it rains a LOT and the depression and suicide rate is high. But hey, I hate to be the one to break it to ya, but coffee and chocolate are POISONS to your system, to your whole being.

Instead of poisoning yourself with some toxic acidic chemicals that drug your brain, why not try some oranges??? You can eat a TON of them. You alert readers can see that yesterday I ate 30 oranges! And each one was a big piece of cheering candy, for real. Yes, indeed, it is quite the revelation to understand that fruit is the Ultimate Comfort Food. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-10T06:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 6 oranges
10:00 . . juice of 6 oranges
1:00 . . . 2 cantaloupes
4:00 . . . 4 bananas
6:00 . . . 4 bananas
8:00 . . . juice of 8 oranges

Play: ballet, yoga, secret obsession

I can tell that winter is coming, because bananas are starting to be more appealing to me. (Or a-peeling. Ha!) I ate very few through the summer. But now they look good to me, they smell good, taste good, and make me feel good. Thank goodness for bananas. Along with oranges, they will be my staple this winter. They are always available everywhere, and they are some super cheap food.

Some stores sell their perfectly ripe bananas for REALLY cheap. Yesterday I bought 12 bananas (my husband eats them, too) for $1.20. So for me, I can have a meal of bananas for 40 cents!

I prefer to work them with my hand into a pudding which is DELICIOUS. Banana pudding! Another favorite from childhood but minus the processed sugar/drug and the factory-created cardboard-like dehydrating vanilla wafers.

Mmmmm. . . . creamy nanners. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-09T08:33:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 oranges
12:00 . . juice of 8 oranges
2:00 . . . 1 honeydew
4:00 . . . 1 lb. kiwi + 2 tomatoes
5:00 . . . 1 honeydew + 3 bananas
7:00 . . . 1/2 watermelon

Play: walking ~ 4 miles, stretching, secret obsession

Wow. When a honeydew is THIS good, you can't top it. My honeydews yesterday tasted like pure candy to me. They gave me a euphoric feeling.

I promise you that no cooked or processed food EVER gave me such a magical feeling. In fact, quite the opposite. It made me feel terribly sick in my being.

When I eat fruit, I feel good before, during, AND after.

This reminds me of a powerful thought I used all the time when I was first transitioning to an all-fruit diet: There is always excitement before and during an act of dissipation, but afterwards, only sorrow and regret. EVERY SINGLE TIME!

Yes, it is a brilliant thought, and true, but honestly, it took me YEARS to get it.

Please be patient with yourself, and just keep heading in this direction. You WILL BE rewarded. ♥

Processed People

2009-11-06T11:06:00.002-05:00

This is a trailer for a documentary produced by Jeff and Sabrina Nelson, the owners of Vegsource. It is the largest site on the internet devoted to all things vegetarian/vegan.

I am always happy to see vegan peeps doing what they can to get the word out. Like with most things, I see some stuff I agree with, and also some ways that they are missing the boat a bit.

But it is undeniably a step in the right direction.

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-06T07:18:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
12:00 . . .1 lb. kiwi
1:00 . . . big bunch of black grapes
3:00 . . . more black grapes
5:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe
7:00 . . . 6 bananas

Play: walking, stretching

I can't help but notice when I am in the regular grocery store that people are LOADING UP their carts with some awful stuff. Hey, I used to eat some junk, too, but I have to say that even at my worst, I NEVER loaded up an entire cart with pure junk like I see now.

And it's really crazy because people think this is NORMAL. There is seemingly no awareness that this is not good, to live on junk food. I don't even know how it is possible for the human body to keep living, in spite of that continual assault.

I used to buy candy and junky stuff, but in very small amounts and very guiltily, with the knowledge that I was "sinning." I would even be embarrassed for the clerks to see what I was buying. But they never blinked an eye.

NOW they blink an eye. "Boy, you sure do like oranges. What're ya gonna do with all these oranges???" "That's a lot of bananas. What're ya gonna do. . . make banana bread?" "How many people are in your family? They must really like fruit!" "Are you having a party?" (Yes! I am having a party every day!) Sometimes the clerks call people over to take a look at what I am buying. But I don't mind a bit because I am only happy and proud of my food these days. And I WANT people to notice so they will get the idea themselves.

I take every opportunity to give my message to the world. Whether they believe it or not. I am planting seeds.

☺

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-04T06:52:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 10 oranges
12:00 . . juice of 6 oranges
4:00 . . . 2 bunches of black grapes (~ 2 lbs.)
5:00 . . . 8 pickling cucumbers + 2 tomatoes
7:00 . . . 6 bananas
9:00 . . . more grapes

Play: walking, gymnastics, stretching

These grapes are a life saver. They are a great sugar hit, very, very sweet. Really, no candy could top them. I looked at a bunch of candy yesterday in the store and it all looked like what it is: FAKE CHEMICALS. It was not appealing in the least to me, which is interesting because back in the day I was a sugaraholic. Sugary candy was my secret vice. I was in need of a 12-step program.

Now I can freely eat sugar all day and it is FAR more delicious than the fake stuff made in a factory. No guilt, no shame, no secrecy.

Today I am thinking of how every day I am hearing about people with breast cancer, brain tumors, leukemia. I think that most people are suffering in some way. It is very frustrating to feel that I could "help" EVERYONE, if only they were interested in the real truth. Amazingly, some peeps are really not interested in the truth, especially if it means giving up THEIR secret vices. This includes the people closest to me. I do understand, and I'm not giving up on you, hypnotized peeps! ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-03T08:41:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . juice of 8 oranges
10:00 . . juice of 8 oranges
2:00 . . . some sliced cucumbers from Whole Foods salad bar
3:00 . . . 1 lb. kiwis
4:00 . . . 5 tomatoes
8:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe

Play: dance, secret obsession, yoga

This plate came from the Niagara Club in New York. Hmmmm. . . . wonder how it came to be in my possession? Maybe SOMEBODY had too much to drink at their brother's wedding reception many moons ago. Not mentioning any names.

But to balance out any negative karma, let me give a shout out and a plug for the Niagara Club, near the famous Niagara Falls. That is one amazing natural phenomenon.

And please do not drink alcohol. It rots your brain and makes you do STUPID things. So I've heard.

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-11-02T08:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ate:

8:00 . . . 1/4 watermelon
10:00 . . 1/4 watermelon
1:00 . . . 2 bunches of black grapes
4:00 . . . 1 large cantaloupe
6:00 . . . 5 bananas
9:00 . . . handful of grapes

Play: stretching

Yesterday was a day of true rest. I don't think we do enough of that. Our modern culture certainly does not encourage it. I watch the animals in Nature, and they rest as much as possible.

I spent most of the day reading, napping, and lounging with my home peeps. The chilly grey day was totally supportive of that. Then I went to bed extra early. It felt very luxurious, and I thrived and renewed in the quiet and peace. I felt more like "me." I felt like a child with endless time.

Note to self: Do this more often. Your life requires it.

Weekend Joy

2009-10-31T10:52:00.006-04:00

This happening took place earlier this year in the train station in Antwerp, Belgium, as part of a promotion to find the lead actress for The Sound of Music.

Somebody is very clever.

200 dancers took part in this stunt. I love this. Chills. I want to do it!

Enjoy. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-10-31T09:51:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
2:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe
4:00 . . . 3 bananas
5:00 . . . 4 bananas
7:00 . . . bunch of black grapes

Play: stretching, walking

These oranges are a godsend. I am content with them, even though they are not really in prime season and they are not of the highest quality.

I'd say the biggest challenge with this lifestyle is just always having ENOUGH really good quality fruit that you LOVE available. It needs to be sweet, perfectly ripe, and taste delicious. At the moment, there are no Fast Fruit Drive-Thrus (ha!) so you have to plan ahead, seek it out, and gauge the ripeness levels every day.

But this is kind of fun to do, actually. You can take all the time and money and mental energy you used to spend on recipes and cookbooks, watching cable cooking shows, shopping for a million ingredients, cooking, cleaning up, buying pots and pans and gadgets and appliances, and spend it on keeping a great fruit supply going. I promise you it is a LOT easier to just eat fruit. ; )

Fruit Gifts

2009-10-29T07:11:00.006-04:00

Our neighbors sent this BEAUTIFUL fruit basket to us as a thank you. It has bananas, apples, oranges, tangerines, kiwis, pears, a mango, a pomegranate, and a pineapple. And the fruit seems to be of a really good quality. Wow. Such gratitude and amazement I feel.

It was a fanstastic surprise and arrived on a day when it was rainy and cool and I was feeling less than abundant, as my fruit supply was dwindling. It is as if the Universe is showing me that my needs will always be taken care of somehow.

The interesting thing is that I never told these peeps that I am fruitarian. My husband said he may have mentioned once that he was vegetarian.

Since being on this fruit path, I have had many such surprises and gifts. The fruitarian life is indeed magical. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-10-29T06:45:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
12:00 . . 1 cantaloupe
3:00 . . . 1 honeydew melon
4:00 . . . 1 honeydew melon
8:00 . . . 4 bananas

Play: dance, secret obsession, yoga

The melons are OUTSTANDING right now: sugary sweet and lots of Living Water.

Some people think that what I eat is boring, monotonous. I have already written at length about this here, but I will just say again that some people love their coffee, and have the EXACT SAME COFFEE every morning. Some people drink Mountain Dew all day long because they LOVE their dew. Some people must have their dose of chocolate every day. Or pizza. Or whatever.

So I am no different from what everyone else is doing. I look forward to my orange juice every morning (at the moment) and I LOVE my fruit sugar all day every day. I never get tired of it. Kind of like I never get tired of breathing, or sleeping, or taking in the sun. Ha!

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-10-28T09:07:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
12:00 . . 1 cantaloupe
4:00 . . . 4 bananas
6:00 . . . 4 bananas
8:00 . . . bunch of black grapes

Play: barefoot walking/running ~ 3 miles, yoga, secret obsession

I got these 8 beautiful bananas for around $2.00. For me, that means I get a meal of 4 bananas for $1.00. How many people can have a meal for a dollar? And really, look at how lovely and perfect they are. I picked them out as the most special of all that I saw.

I just finished reading Martha Graham's autobiography, Blood Memory. She was a fascinating modern dancer and choreographer who lived to be 97. Probably one reason she lived so long was that she was always on the thin side, so not as much toxicity as most people. Still, she had plenty of health problems and almost died several times. And in her later years, she had arthritis so severely that her hands became deformed and she couldn't use them. She wore gloves all the time to cover them up. I feel for her because it was not necessary to go through all that. She was in pain all the time. Bless her heart.

In her early 20's she was so perfectly beautiful. By her 50's she was deteriorating and going downhill, like most people. What happens to people? It is toxicity caused mostly by what people eat and drink. It is all that awful poison which ages and deforms people. But most peeps do not ever get this.

I see it all around me and everywhere, the decline and aging. I have a thing about looking at the pictures in autobiographies. It is fascinating to me, what happens to people through the course of their lives. Everyone is a beautiful child with luminous skin and eyes, most look great in their early 20's, and then it is all downhill with lots of suffering and ugliness.

I want to see how much I can reverse the damage done from 50 years of junk. This is a very interesting process. I can tell you that it is MUCH more enjoyable to improve oneself than it is to degenerate. And it tastes way better, too. ♥

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-10-26T06:52:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
11:00 . . juice of 6 organic valencia oranges
1:00 . . . 1 honeydew melon
4:00 . . . large bunch of black grapes, very sugary
5:00 . . . 1 pomegranate
6:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe + 1 tomato
7:00 . . . more grapes

Play: dance, stretching, secret obsession

Fruit is so beautiful. This pomegranate is a work of art. I almost didn't want to destroy its' beauty by opening it.

And eating something like a pomegranate is a seasonal treat. The flavor is special, unique, and a reminder that seasons are changing. Obviously, it does not supply much sugar energy, so I cannot imagine living on pomegranates. But it felt very refreshing and cleansing and the taste was delicious, zingy.

And by the way, as always, I do not eat the seeds. I put them in my mouth, eat the fruit flesh around them, and then remove the seeds with my fingers.

With a pomegranate, it takes a while to eat just one. It feels like a peaceful meditation to do so. I like to sit down outside with my fruit, whenever possible. Simple pleasures are the best.

Daily Fruit + Play

2009-10-25T09:51:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I ate:

9:00 . . . juice of 8 organic valencia oranges
1:00 . . . 1 lb. kiwi slices
3:00 . . . 1 cantaloupe
4:00 . . . 8 pickling cukes + 1 tomato
6:00 . . . 1 large bunch black grapes, super sweet
11:00 . . 1 large bunch black grapes

Play: ballet, stretching, secret obsession

These oranges are REALLY good. They are rich and sweet and I can feel the sweetness being absorbed into my tongue and mouth. That is always a sign of good quality fruit. I'm getting these oranges at Whole Foods, about 16 to a bag for $4.49. At the moment, they're the only decent oranges around.

I notice in the grocery stores that when there are fruit samples around, children flock to them and gobble them up. The adults rarely go for it. They appear bored and tired. Their senses are dulled to where the sight of fresh fruit is not even alluring. Meanwhile, their less toxic children are bouncing up and down, excited and going back for more fruit. Yes, so far they still have a few of their natural inclinations intact. But eventually they will become more toxic and turn into sullen teenagers. With acne. And suicidal thoughts. Sadly. Bummer.

I want to tell them how to avoid all that pain and suffering. I want to tell EVERYONE! It's really unbelievable, but all you need to do is live on fruit. ♥