By Donna Perrone on August 18, 2009
Bonjour! A raw foodist is found in Paris! I recently visited Paris, France for 10 days and had a splendid time. Prior to leaving, I told my veggie friends about my trip and their first reaction was “What will you eat in Paris?” In the land of croissant, cheese and wine how would a veggie gal like me survive? No problem. Never Fear! Donna’s got this one figured out!
What made this trip very enjoyable was that we rented an apartment. The price was no different then renting a hotel room. We had a fully equipped kitchen with a refrigerator that allowed us to make and prepare our own food. This generated a huge savings instead of eating out for every meal.
Any excursion whether a day trip or a vacation needed some thought and planning in advance. So, I packed the essentials needed for any veggie raw foodist needs and wants. First, think Zip Lock Bags. Yes, nothing glamorous. Bringing glass bottles of algae, green power, enzymes and vitamin supplements would be a Big Mistake! Also, think of those nasty x-ray machines at the airport. ZAP! Bring just the amount you will need for your trip. Search for sandwich and snack size ziplock bags. This will be an easy way for you the carry your powers with you in a purse or backpack. Label them if you need to.
What’s for breakfast? My breakfast in NYC is a choice of a green juice, green smoothie or fresh fruit. Go ahead, try and find a green juice in Paris. Dare you! No way, No Luck! So, I packed my Magic Bullet, which is a small, light weight mini blender. This is by far my favorite gadget next to my I-phone. It comes with several different canisters. Some canisters even have a handle to drink out of and include screw-on lids. At home I use the Magic Bullet to make yummy raw salad dressings. While on a vacation use the Magic Bullet to make a morning green smoothie. Make a green smoothie with fruits, leafy sprouts, green leafy vegetables, algae, green power, goji berries and water and blend. If traveling overseas don’t forget to pack a converter!
There is a manual travel juicer I own that uses no electricity that is easy to carry and clean. Contact: Hippocrates Health Institute www.wheatgrassgreenhouse.com to order it. It can juice all vegetables including carrot but all ingredients must be cut into small pieces. A counter top or table is necessary.
After a glorious morning viewing some the world’s greatest art in the numerous Parisian museums this gal is ready for lunch. Unfortunately, Paris is not as salad friendly as NYC. But the Parisians love their veggies and the markets are so amazing. The produce is farmer’s market quality and stamped with no GMO’s! I packed my favorite Tupperware that fits perfectly in my knapsack and a little plastic bottle that can be found in any hiking/camping store. I made a salad in advance and carried it with me till lunchtime and I put olive oil in the little bottle to use as a dressing. I put the little bottle of oil in a ziplock bag just in case of any leaking problems. This salad is not boring! Back in NYC, I prepared several different blends of my favorite seasonings in ziplock bags all ready to be sprinkled on a salad at a moments notice. Some blends included onion powder, garlic powder, caraway seed, fennel seed, black pepper, Celtic salt, curry powder, cayenne powder etc.. Avocados can be found in Paris! I am in heaven! Also, I carry a spork that is part fork and spoon and a swiss army knife that can be found at any hiking/camping store. Make sure to pack the knife in your bag that goes underneath the plane. And don’t forget a cloth napkin. Please save a tree!
Indeed, life is good. We visited Versailles, Rodin Museum, Louvre, Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, and the Pompidou. Such fun! Need a snack? Good idea to pack fresh fruit, raw bars, or raw crackers. Just in case a munchie attack comes on.
I ate in parks, on benches, stairs, cafeterias, and even went to a Chinese restaurant where my friend ordered food and I ate my salad there. I ordered a side of steamed vegetables at the restaurant that sufficed my taking up a seat. Leave a generous tip! Day after day, the French peered onto my gorgeous salad with envy as I watched them eat cheese and bread sandwiches! No match!
By dinnertime I allowed for other options on my plate. In advance, I researched on http://www.happycow.com for any veggie restaurants or natural food stores found in Paris. There are approximately 10 of these restaurants in Paris, France. I visited several that were very accommodating to my vegan diet.
The big question on everyone’s mind is, “Did you drink wine?” I rarely drink alcohol. I occasionally do on holidays, or on special occasions. Yes, I drank a little wine on my trip and believe me one glass of red wine definite relaxes this very busy NYC gal. Wine may have bioflavonoids and some positive aspects on the body, but it is a highly acidic substance, which taxes the liver and assaults the immune system. Find balance with yourself to nurture your body and your emotional side.
After any vacation, this Colon Hydro-therapist is happy to return home for a Colonic! Traveling can interfere with good elimination. Traveling by airplane effects digestion due to change in air pressure that generates gases. Traveling on long train or car trips generates lack of movement that can leave a colon a tad sluggish. Many people go off their healthy eating habits and slack on exercise while on vacation. It is a great idea to schedule a colonic to remove unwanted gases and waste that can linger after a trip. Replenish yourself and feel renewed!
Dear Paris,
Thank you for a wonderful time! Until we meet again!
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By Amy Rachelle on July 28, 2009
From Bali to Brooklyn and Amsterdam to San Fran, what I experience in my travels are conscious hubs which serve as containers and invitations for a new paradigm way of being. These are destinations where raw foods, yoga, and holistic living in general are rapidly coming up on the radar as signs of where progressive culture can be found. The inexpensive, natural, spa-like lifestyle in Bali seems to be one of the original portals where art and self growth have been thriving as a whole for a long time.
Ironically, in the west, many of us are finding our way back to nature through big city lifestyles that are spawned by creativity and living our dreams through the machinery of what a metropolis can offer. Yet, after many years of living in NYC and working and traveling in the major U.S. and European cities, what I find “missing” is what intrinsically exists living in a more natural (and warm) place – like what I experienced for 10 weeks in Bali this year.
Eating from the organic garden, picking fruit from wild trees, living an indoor/outdoor lifestyle, lying in my bathtub at night with the garden next to me – staring out at the stars and moon without the impediment of walls – ah, yes, my heart is happy. It’s easy to live this way with the internet. I worked with my clients in the west by video skype the entire time. With all the many conscious hubs on the planet and the support they offer – along with the internet – I feel the depth and honoring towards my western roots, and what I can truly contribute in the bigger global picture by not being bound to them.
The key to this type of lifestyle for me has been in letting go, broadening my horizons, and going for what I really want, instead of settling for what I think I should do, or limiting myself in any way. The natural and adventurous life calls loudly amongst my greater service and purpose in the big cities of America and Europe… taking the leap and saying yes to that call – without forsaking my western roots – has been utterly expansive and enlivening. By letting go and taking the risk, I’ve found that I’m supported by our greater global conscious community that is focused on the same mission. May we all spread our wings, free ourselves to fly and live our dreams. I’ve jumped and found it’s more than possible, it’s now my reality!
Ready to spread your wings and take flight, yet need support and guidance? Here’s some suggestions:
-Ask yourself “what do I really want, 1, 5, and 10 years from now”? Are you living in accordance with that vision now?
-What steps can you take now to head in the direction of what you really want? What are you willing to let go off in order to invite the realization of your hearts desires?
-Consider blended and/or juice fasting to gain clarity in your body and mind with the intention of establishing the direction what you truly want.
-Daily meditation, 2-20 minutes, consistently am & pm stills the mind and offers the opportunity to hear your greater hearts calling. BOS – Breath, Observe (w/equanimity), Surrender… keep watching your mind in a state of acceptance as you breath and let go.
-Gain the support of a healthy like minded community that supports your highest potential… support is paramount!
-Self care is the greatest gift… are you self investing? What’s your proactive plan for getting your needs met and what support do you need to follow through?
Take the leap! Without taking a risk there may be no reward. Practically plan and prepare – without postponing. Your time is now! Go for it!
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By Chloe Jo on July 16, 2009
Jean Kerr said; “I feel about airplanes the way I feel about diets. It seems to me that they are wonderful things for other people to go on” and yet fly we do… and diets we partake in. Because once you get to your destination (or dream weight) all the agitation, fear, and anticipation become excitement, thrill, and a victorious feeling of pure possibility.
Whether you are the type who maps out your itinerary months in advance, or you like to just hop over to a Foreign country with nothing but a backpack and a stash of condoms, most choose to fly to get to their chosen destination. Do you usually just grab the cheapest flight and book it? With airlines suffering in a questionable economy, and highly competitive rates available left and right, you can now choose not just a cheap fare, but a greener fare! Green America’s new airline comparisons will help you make informed choices when you must spend your money with an airline.
This site is helpful for answering questions like:
1. Which airline was fined $7.1 million in August 2008 for violating drug- and alcohol-testing protocols for its pilots and for flying aircraft that were not properly maintained?
2. Which airline ejected six Muslim clerics from a Minneapolis-to-Phoenix flight, subjecting them to handcuffing, detention, and questioning, after a fellow passenger told a flight attendant he was alarmed to have seen them praying before the flight?
3. Which airline was accused in 2007 by the AFL-CIO of distributing anti-union literature in an attempt to block 7,650 service employees at Newark Liberty International Airport from forming a union?
Of course, very little about the airline industry can be considered green in the first place.
Air travel is the worst way to get from here to there if you’re concerned about your carbon emissions, and the airlines are not stepping up to the plate to mitigate their impact. Each of the airlines rated at Responsible Shopper has been downgraded in the environmental category due to membership in the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which has aggressively lobbied against plans for carbon emissions trading systems and other attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of global climate change.
With recycling, the results are just as bad. According National Resource Defense Council report, our country’s airlines throw away enough aluminum cans from in-flight beverages to build 58 Boeing 747 jets annually. Luckily each of Green America’s Responsible Shopper categories also include a “go green” link, with suggestions on how to take the greenest steps possible when you travel.
For example, Milwaukee-based Michael Bootzin, who manages the main stage at Green Festivals, has simply made the choice not to fly. Bootz has resolved to travel via Amtrak to each of Green America’s 2009 Green Festivals — in Chicago, Denver, and Seattle this past spring, plus San Francisco and Washington, DC coming up in the fall, and he couldn’t be happier about it. He uses the train trips to read, write, think, dream, and play guitar (with other passengers’ permission) in the dining car – a truly admirable travel style.
An Eco Option
“Train travel is usually cheaper and always more hassle-free than flying, plus the seats are roomier and you get the chance to see part of the country you might never otherwise have seen,” Bootz says. “That’s all before you even get to the massive difference in carbon footprint.”
When you choose to fly, consult Green America’s Responsible Shopper site for more on the airlines, and consider a carbon offset to mitigate the effects of flying. They published a guide to carbon offsets which can help you find the best ones.
Now, go ahead and check out where your favorite airline stands;
American Airlines »
British Airways »
Continental Airlines »
Delta »
Southwest Airlines »
United Airlines »
US Airways »
Virgin Atlantic Airways »
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