~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vanilla Agave Nectar's Healing Magic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Natural State Agave Nectar and Vanilla Bean Powder are both powerful Raw Super Foods alone. Put them together and you have high synergy. Here's how they work... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Administrivia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Articles : join@RadicalHealth.com Unsubscribe : leave@RadicalHealth.com Austin Events: austin@RadicalHealth.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Natural State Defined ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Several months ago I wrote an article about: Living at the Speed of Spirit http://www.radicalhealth.com/issues/2007-01-31:speed-of-spirit.txt In keeping with the linguistic purity of high speech which supports Living at the Speed of Spirit the idea of: Natural State formed in my consciousness. Natural State speaks of the process Yemiah and I use when sourcing products for personal use and sharing them with our clients. We talk about this here: http://CertifiedPristine.com Natural State embodies the ideas of pure, high nutrient dense, cold processed, Raw Super Foods and goes one step farther. Some Raw foods like nuts and seeds require activation to facilitate their transition from a Raw Food to a Natural State food. This extra step for some foods requires time, water, minerals and low temperature mechanical processing to bring these foods to their most vital, energetic, nutrient/flavor rich state. Natural State refers to Raw Super Foods in their most powerful state. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vanilla's Healing Magic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After many years of constant attention, we finally have available: Natural State, 100% Pure Vanilla Bean Powder Most Vanilla is less than 1% Vanilla Bean. The other components are various sugars used to liberate natural flavors. Vanilla Bean magic is in the liberation of flavor components. The pharmaceutical industry has known this for years. Until recently 60%+ of the entire Vanilla Bean crop was purchased by pharmaceutical companies. Most prescription drugs require Vanilla Bean Powder to create their end effect. In other words, when Vanilla Bean Powder is removed from the process drugs have no effect. So the chemicals of various drugs are actually chelators, which bond to chemicals in Vanilla and extract/concentrate these producing various drug effects. Several years ago when the Vanilla Bean crop failed, synthetic Vanillin production was perfected for both the pharmaceutical and ice cream industry. When Vanilla Bean crops turned around, these large business sectors continued to use synthetics. This allows premium Vanilla Bean Powder to be available for us now. You can realize the power of Vanilla Bean Powder by looking at the size of a Physicians' Desk Reference and considering... Each of these drugs only works because of components extracted from Vanilla. This suggests using Natural State, Pure Vanilla Bean Powder on a regular basis may provide an entire new range of unusual nutrients for us to enjoy. What's the point? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Four Stages of Biological Action ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vanilla may contribute to sustained transformational stage experiences, especially when combined with Cacao. There appear to be four stages of biological action: 1) Detoxification/Reduction 2) Building 3) Transforming from normal operation to peak operation 4) Organic Completion Most people eating a Raw Food Diet stay in the Detox Stage, constantly eating cool, damp, sweet foods. While sugar is a requirement for life, most Raw Food Diet eaters consume far to much sugar, specifically fruit sugar, to ever move from Detox to Building. The reason Yemiah and I began sourcing/importing/packaging: Our Natural State, Raw Super Foods was to have these foods on our table. We did this because the nutrient density of foods around us was so low our direction led us to rich soil crops for us to fully progress through our Building Stage. We've begun experiencing longer and longer times in the Transforming Stage and only have hints of what Organic Completion may be, which is another conversation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Transformation Stage ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To preview living in the Transformational Stage imagine your cells, your DNA, your blueprint made up of old style padlocks. Each of these locks turns on specific actions through our cells. The keys are rare nutrients found in botanicals, specifically plants which for centuries Masters have eaten to fuel their own personal transformations. Each area of our worlds has it's own sacred botanicals which create unique cultures like South American Shamanism or Eastern Tai Chi and Chi Kung Fu. No imagine botanicals from every corner of our world in a package, delivered to your door. We designed Coco Chai as the ultimate Building and Transforming Food. Living primarily on low calorie, high nutrient, Natural State, Raw Super Food liquids seems the key for maintaining a persistent transformational state. Specifically you know you're in a persistent Transformation State when serendipity becomes your daily norm and sensory experience expands to new levels. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agave Nectar's Healing Magic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agave Nectar is different from Raw Super Foods like Cacao and Vanilla Bean Powder which both contain 1000s of active components. Agave Nectar is simpler and it's actions are easy to understand. Agave is a cactus native to the Mediterranean. People throughout history have cultivated Agave in Europe for it's fiber, food and medicinal components. Interestingly enough: Agave is also known as the Century Plant, relating to it's lifespan and it's effect on lifespan of those who use Agave. Agave was first transported to the Americas probably by the Spaniards in the 17th Century. As the climate was similar and soil stronger, South American Agave contains a much richer nutrient profile than Greek or Italian Agave. Tequila is fermented from Agave Nectar. As with all sacred medicine plants, when concentrated with heat Agave Nectar shifts from a healing nature to a drug like effect. This is similar to how Cacao, Guarana and Yerba Matte all act. In their Natural State they are all adaptogens, adapting their healing nature to produce best effect in each person's unique biological terrain. When denatured through high heat and inappropriate fermenting (different from beneficial Cacao fermenting) Agave becomes Tequila with it's profound sensory altering characteristics. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agave Nectar and Glycemic Index ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Glycemic Index may be thought of in terms of Pancreatic stress. There is some magic GI number for each individual which sets their threshold for Pancreatic Stress. When a person's GI intake is below their threshold, foods digest with little or no Pancreatic participation. In other words, no Pancreatic resources are required for digestion. When GI intake exceeds a person's threshold, their Pancreas ceases longevity supporting activities and switches into a mode producing substances to deal with the high GI load. Over time sustained Pancreatic Stress turns into Pancreatic Exhaustion which we familiar with as Diabetes. Agave Nectar has a very low glycemic index. The Agave Nectar we import varies as do all Natural State, Raw Super Foods with yearly climate. In general our Agave Nectar ranges around 27 GI. We're working to bring to market an Agave Nectar which ranges around 11 GI. White Sugar can range up to 100, while Honey is almost as high. Other sweeteners may have low GI with odd side effects. Stevia for one, which tends to create neurological disorders in people with pristine eating styles. This usually presents first as mounting agitation and paranoia, then progresses to shaking hands and rapid eye jitters. After seeing a few people suffering from Stevia toxicity and seeing their symptoms cease after sometimes only a few hours without Stevia, we recommend any sweetener over Stevia, as only Stevia seems to have this type of negative neurological effect. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agave Nectar and Inulin Content ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agave Nectar's low GI (Glycemic Index) probably comes from it's high Inulin content. Inulin is a long chain sugar (fructan polysaccharide) which resists and defers digestion from stomach and small intestine to lower intestine/colon. Inulin is powerful and fragile. When Agave Nectar is heated past around 120, Inulin begins fusing together and the resulting heated Agave Nectar can approach the GI of Honey and white sugar. Yemiah and I began importing our own Agave Nectar because we found most so called "Raw Agave Nectar" was cooked at high heat rather than dehydrated, so the Inulin was fused which creates the same "sugar shock" and Pancreatic Exhaustion as white sugar. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agave Nectar's Prebiotic Nature ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For years expensive Prebiotics like FOS have been sold in Japan and now in the US, Canada and EU. Prebiotics are substances which are precursors or set the stage for optimal implantation and expansion of aerobic (oxygen breathing) Probiotics or beneficial intestinal bacteria, like Acidophilus and Salivarius. Many researchers now believe the reason we currently have such low Probiotic content in our intestinal ecology is more because we eat low Prebiotic eating styles, rather than just low Probiotic eating styles. Natural State Agave Nectar and Blue Green Algae are the ultimate Prebiotics. Both seem to provide the perfect food for Probiotics to implant and multiply at peak. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agave Nectar's Saponin Content ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The most powerful feature of Agave Nectar may be it's quality and quantity of Saponins, which are powerful, super hydrators. Saponins have surfactant properties, likes soaps and detergents. Saponins make water wetter or change the wetting angle of water, so water's surface tension reduces and water permeates better. Surface tension is the property which determines how much pressure is required for the surface of a water drop to breach or release it's water. This determines how well liquids hydrate. I've noticed using small amounts of Sun Fire Salt, Vanilla Agave Nectar and Pure Radiance Vitamin C Powder produces a citrus flavored drink which feels extremely hydrating. Mix in a little Natural State Guarana and you have the ultimate, high performance, athletic workout fuel. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agave Nectar and Vanilla Bean Powder Together ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agave Nectar and Vanilla Bean Powder together may be the ultimate functional food pair. As Yemiah and I do more and more functional food design for ourselves and client firms, we've noticed how sweeteners dramatically change the quality of experience in functional foods and beverage mixes. Agave Nectar is the only sweetener which amplifies flavors. All other sweeteners, even low temperature, dehydrated cane sugars all attenuate, short circuit or wash out flavors. As the transformational magic of botanicals relate to their flavors, we continually design for maximum intensity of flavor experience. Agave Nectar and Vanilla Bean Powder together have two primary synergies: 1) They amplify flavors more together than each do individually. 2) When Vanilla Bean Powder is cold decocted (flavors extracted) in Agave Nectar, the Vanilla Agave Nectar seems to have even less of a glycemic effect than Agave Nectar by itself. And once you taste Natural State, Vanilla Agave Nectar you'll know what heaven tastes like. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wrapping Up For Now ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As always, drop me your stories and experiences for our testimonials page: http://www.radicalhealth.com/raw-food-diet/testimonials Enjoy your best day ever! - David -- Enjoy feeling your best... all day, every day? Here's how... Your simple secrets are here - http://RadicalHealth.com/ This article is for entertainment purposes only. No medical advice is intended or implied. Consult your health practitioner before changing your health practices. Copyright (c) 1996-2007 by David & Yemiah Favor You may reprint all or part of this content so long as credit is given the author(s).