Organic Produce Co-op Houston TX

Posts Tagged ‘Organic Produce Co-op Houston TX’

5 Disturbing Facts about Soda

Friday, May 10th, 2013

Did you now that soda is one of the most toxic drinks for your body? They contain aspartame (rat poison), and they are filled with processed sugars, dyes, and chemicals. Here are 5 things you didn’t know about soda. Fruit juice anyone?!

1. It can be used to Clean a Toilet

2. Use it with a ball of aluminum foil for rust on chrome.

3. Clean corrosion from car battery terminals.

4. Use it to loosen a rusted bolt.

5. Hazardous materials signs are required on trucks carrying concentrated ingredients.

Now that I have your attention, here are 15 more reasons why sodas are detrimental to your health:

1. Soda will increase your cholesterol levels by up to 11%
2. Thanks to the sugar and acid in soda, it is bad for your teeth and causes tooth decay
3. Contributes to weight gain and obesity
4. Drinking soda can increase your risk of having kidney stones
5. Contains phosphoric acid which increases your risk of osteoporosis
6. Causes dehydration and contains pH levels that advance the aging of your skin
7. Studies show that drinking two or more sodas a week increases your risk of developing cancer
8. Drinking too much soda can cause insomnia due to the amount of caffeine
9. The carbonation in soda can cause acid reflux or heartburn
10. According to a 10-year study, individuals who drink two or more sodas a day have a 500 percent waist expansion in comparison to those who do not drink soda!
11. Diet sodas contain the artificial sweetener aspartame which has been shown to cause seizures, migraines, visual problems, anxiety, and other disorders.
12. Mountain Dew, Fresca and other citrus-flavored sodas contain Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) which has been banned in over 100 countries but not in the US. Studies show that BVO, which is a flame retardant, can cause damage to the heart and muscles, liver damage, neurological conditions, and more.
13. Aluminum cans and plastic bottles of some sodas have linings that contain Bisphenol A (BPA) which can cause fertility problems, developmental and behavioral problems in infants and children, heart problems, and other disorders.
14. Increases your risk of diabetes
15. Affects your ability to regulate your appetite

If you’re trying to get “off the soda,” try fruit juices instead! They are nutritious, tasty, and colorful! They can be sweet or non-sweet, and most importantly, they are made with fresh ingredients and no chemicals. Juice organic ingredients if possible. For more information on the benefits of juicing, please check out my FullyRaw Facebook page or sign up for my June class “ALL ABOUT JUICING.”

Replace soda with fresh, FullyRaw Juices! We will have our juices at co-op tomorrow! Instead of soft drinks, enjoy our cold-pressed, raw, organic, local, and delicious juices made with love just for you!

A New EAT IT RAW Class: ALL ABOUT JUICING!

Monday, May 6th, 2013

My EAT IT RAW Class yesterday was a blast! I served a 4-course meal made fresh on-the-spot to over 100 people! Eating FullyRaw can be fun, easy, and delicious, and I’m here to show you how! This 2 hour class was completely filled, and I prepared a 4-course sample meal for each person, using ingredients only found in our ROC’N boxes! There were newbies there, and people came from everywhere from the UK to Austin to Bryan, TX to come and enjoy! I feel so honored to be able to share this message of FullyRaw health with everyone! The most exciting part is that we are doing this as a community together–creating health and self-love for ourselves, our friends, and our families alike! We are the change that we wish to see in the world. It starts with us! Thank you for being a part of this creative and amazing health movement with me!

Please be sure to sign up for the email newsletter for early sign-ups. These classes have all been sold out. At the moment, we are only able to handle feeding 100 people per class. We are preparing for larger venues and more larger classes as to serve a wider audience. In the meantime, please sign up for class announcements, free recipes, videos, and more, please sign up for the email newsletters on www.rawfullyorganic.com and www.fullyraw.com.

My next class will be on June 16th from 2-4 PM at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. This class will be very different from the others because it will be ALL ABOUT JUICING! I will have sample juices made straight from my recipes for everyone to try. We will discuss the benefits, recipes, juicers, and more! It will be a great way to introduce our new FullyRaw Juices that we are launching in June! Get excited! After the June Class, my next class will be on May 5th, and I will be featuring more 3-course Summer dishes that you can make with your Rawfully Organic boxes. To sign up for these classes, please visit the HANC website here.

In yesterday’s class, we covered several topics:

Rawfully Organic
How I Started Rawfully Organic
My Story of Health
Branching Out to New Forms of Alternative Health/Medicine
Inspiring One’s Family to Eat Healthier
How to Eat FullyRaw
Exercise
Juicing vs. Blending
Rawfully Organic Product Merchandise
Food Combining
Weight-Loss
Why People Fail Eating FullyRaw
Why Vegan is Important
Colon Health / Elimination
Easy Green Smoothie Recipes
Salad Recipe/ Buffet Line / Pasta with Marinara
FullyRaw Carrot Cupcakes
Endless FAQ’s for Kristina!

Each person was fed a green smoothie, a FullyRaw Pasta with Marinara, Salad Buffet, and FullyRaw Carrot Cupcakes! The entire venue was filled with smiles and gratitude, and I feel nothing but gratitude for having everyone come to enjoy the Sunday afternoon with me. For anyone thinking of coming to one of my classes, please do! The next Summer class will feature all new recipes with a focus on juicing, smoothies, summer weight-loss, co-op involvement, and more! You are welcome, and we discuss all matter of being FullyRaw at hand. For those who were not able to make it, please enjoy these pictures as if you were there! Hope to see you at the next Summer class!

For more pictures and updates, please follow my FullyRaw Facebook Page, Rawfully Organic Facebook Page, YouTube, and Instagram!

The FullyRaw May Challenge: Self-Love

Friday, May 3rd, 2013

Are you ready for new beginnings? Fill up your plate with color, beauty, and love! Today marks the 1st day of May, starting a new goal of FullyRaw self-love everyday! The challenge: do one thing a day to show yourself love! Whether it be a FullyRaw meal, an intense workout, deep breathing, meditation, a green juice, bubble baths, or daily affirmations, show yourself LOVE. Celebrate YOU! Who’s ready to do this with me?!

I know this challenge may sound a bit scary to you, right? How does one…love…themselves?? Sounds a bit strange at first.

Everything that you do is a reflection of not only who you are, but also how you respect yourself–of how you treat yourself. Do you eat well? Do you exercise? Do you take time to sleep, meditate, or hug? All of these things are made in effort by you for the betterment of you. The act of taking care of ourselves properly is an act of self-love.

Many people do not take care of their daily basic needs. They may skip a meal, eat a “bad” meal, skip sleep, etc. Some even torture themselves emotionally. Our basic human needs are fairly simple: to eat, breathe, and love. Anything more than that is a privilege and has the potential to make life THAT much more enjoyable. So why not make each moment count?

The more time and effort that you put into YOU, the better that you will feel. You will feel more confident, secure, and happy. Even if you don’t feel like you love yourself now, little acts for yourself daily can actually help you develop self-love! If you have ever heard the phrase, “Fake it until you make it,” it’s almost the same concept. The thing about eating more raw foods is that these foods literally LOVE US BACK. These foods bring cause us to have better physical health; hence, increasing the joy in our moods! When we are more joyful and when we feel better physically, then we automatically have better emotional health and even spiritual health! FullyRaw fruits and vegetables are pure, vibrant, and colorful foods that infuse our bodies with nutritious goodness. We are what we eat! When we eat goodness, we become good. We feel good, and we wish to share more good!

The more acts of self-love that you do, the more that you will begin to not only respect yourself and your body, but all others around you. Acts of self-love benefit all whom we love because they teach us how to show love to everyone that we know.

My FullyRaw Challenge for you this month of May is simple: do one act of self-love daily. I’m not asking you to go FullyRaw, but I am asking to you try one act of self-love daily. Try eating one raw meal a day. You can have a fruit bowl, juice, or smoothie in the morning. You could have a buffet of fruit for lunch, and you can even have a huge salad for dinner! Get a box from Rawfully Organic once a week. Try taking a 10 minute walk outside or a yoga class. You can even try doing daily affirmations where you look at yourself in the mirror each day and simply say, “I am beautiful, strong, and unique. I have power. I have compassion. I understand, and I forgive. I love you.” You can even give yourself a hug! All of these things count, and they SHOW YOU LOVE.

This challenge is one of the most powerful challenges. If you do it long enough, it becomes not only a habit, but a powerful self-enforcement and shift in your life. These acts become stepping stones towards greater confidence and greater success in your life! Take them seriously, plan them daily, and focus on making yourself the best person that you can become. Envision that amazing person that you want to become. The coolest part: you already ARE that person; you just don’t know it yet!

Show yourself self-love this month and conquer this challenge. Please feel free to follow my FullyRaw Kristina Facebook Page, Rawfully Organic Facebook Page, YouTube Channel, and Instagram as I post here daily to encourage you with recipes, videos, and inspiration. No man is an island, so “lettuce” create a sea of love!

I LOVE YOU! Now go show yourself some love! <3

Vitamin-Infused FullyRaw Lemonade!

Wednesday, April 10th, 2013

Sip on this Vitamin Infused FullyRaw Lemonade! Now that Spring is here, it’s important to “Spring Clean” your body, flush toxins from your system, and keep hydrated! One of my biggest beauty tips is staying hydrated with not only water, but with vitamin-infused water! Many times, you will find those vitamin packs in the stores, but those are dried powders that potentially have many chemicals in them and that aren’t even absorbed by your body. Give your body the REAL nutrients that it deserves and try infusing your own water! The best part about making vitamin-infused FullyRaw lemonade is that you can make it with any fruits of your choice! Citrus typically works the best along with berries, but this combination in particular is my favorite! Enjoy, sip, and share!

This lemonade is a 64 oz mason jar filled with orange/lemon slices, mint, and purple basil. It is then filled with water and refrigerated overnight for a more intense, infused flavor! This is REAL natural flavoring that will keep you hydrated and happy! Who’s in the mood for a refresh-mint?!

Tags: 80/10/10 raw vegan, Colorful Raw Produce, FullyRaw, FullyRawKristina, Houston TX Organic Produce Co-op, Importance of People and Community, Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram, lemonade, Organic Fruits and Vegetables, Organic Produce Co-op Houston TX, raw food, Raw Food Diet, raw food recipes, Raw Foods Co-op Houston TX, spring cleanse, vegan recipes, vegetarian, vitamin water
Posted in Learn About Kristina |

How to Afford Eating FullyRaw

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

Money is sensitive topic for many people; I’m going to give my helpful tips. This isn’t about me, but this is about giving you all my knowledge and tips to HELP YOU afford a FullyRaw Lifestyle…because EVERYONE wants to feel AMAZING. So here’s the question: Are you willing to invest in your health? How much are you worth?

Only thing that we truly own is our body… If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?

When you look at what the average American spends a week on food ($300) a week, you are actually SAVING a LOT of MONEY when you go raw. You can eat the best fruit possible and eat rather expensive, or you can be very minimalistic and eat for practically free. It depends on your approach. Most Americans eat out and spend $10-13 a meal on food. I spend less than $200 a week on food for myself…and I eat quite a bit as shows here: http://youtu.be/sibe0B_JM1w!

I ate Raw in college for less than 100$ a week because I made it happen and because I wanted it badly enough. My health was worth it. I used to spend thousands on medical bills, and now I spend NOTHING. Many of you know that I started Rawfully Organic almost 6 years ago after I overcame hyperglycemia, and it is now a thriving non-profit feeding over 500 families a WEEK. We save families thousands of dollars a year. This is now where I get ALL of my produce. I’m going to show you around my ROC’N co-op, and I’m going to share with you a TON of other ways that you can save money if you don’t have access to a local co-op.

Before we start, I want to share these powerful tips:

Be understanding with yourself.

Prioritize.

Be patient.

Write down what you want.

Figure out EXACTLY how much you NEED to spend.

YOU WANT TO SPEND.

YOU are WILLING to spend on produce.

Plan ahead.

Envision it.

Is your health worth your dollar?

Buying in Bulk

Saving money buying by the case.

Up to 30% discount by doing this.

I get my cases at ROC, but you can even get a discount by asking your local grocer to simply order you some cases. Take advantage of your resources. Shop around to the stores that have the best deals in quantity, quality, and price.

You can even get additional cases of produce in addition to your shares at ROC. Ask me!

Finding local co-operatives like ROC!

If you don’t have a co-op, find Produce Buying Clubs or CSAS. That means community supportive agriculture that supports your local farmer.

Farmer’s Markets

Make Deals with your Farmers!

Go at the end and get the mushy ripe fruit…you may get it for free!’

A benefit of being a part of a co-op is that you’re already getting a direct tie with your farmer at a wholesale price!

Variety vs. Quality

Buy the cheap things in bulk like organic bananas…you can live off just bananas, but try to put aside money for some specialty variety items.

Balance in this lifestyle is key, and it will make you enjoy it more.

VOLUNTEER!!!

WOOFING

Volunteering at local farms. Work in exchange for food!

Volunteer at the farmer’s markets as a part-time job or even volunteer at your local co-op.

Buy what is in season…buy as much local as possible:

It is always cheaper this way!

Buy as Much Organic as You Can

Top ten list of things to get organic: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods

Grow your own garden!

Create your own abundance…. Food grows on trees literally!

This is REAL sustainability.

If you don’t have a garden, find a community garden, or perhaps even find neighbors who grow food or who are willing to share their fruits with you.

If you want free food, put in the gardening work and invest in soil.

RICH Soil is EVERYTHING.

RICH soil creates RICH foods, giving you a RICHER life.

Start a fruit picking business.

Dr. Graham once told me that I should advertise in the newspaper to go and pick the fruits off people’s trees in their yard that they didn’t want.

A) You’re getting free fruit

B) You may even be getting paid for it!

Heck, go foraging…there is fruit everywhere when you open your eyes up to it!

Invest in YOUR Health …NO MATTER WHAT…AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!

Have to be willing to spend money

Last recommendation: this IS an investment in your health.

You WILL be buying a LOT of produce when you go raw, start juicing, or even go vegan, so learn how to store it properly as to make its shelf life last as long as possible. I made a video called EASY RAW FOOD STORAGE TIPS, you can find that link here as well: http://youtu.be/5hqQCa16crc.

May end up spending more on food, especially if you’re buying organic, but you will be spending LESS on everything else, which includes prescriptions drugs ($$$$$ thousands), less on doctors, etc.

If you have found this to be helpful, please share this video with anyone who may need help in affording living foods. We are here for each other, and we are in this together.

Hugs and love!

Kristina
My Bio and My Story: http://fullyraw.com/about/about-me
How I Started ROC: http://www.rawfullyorganic.com/content.php?section=site_content&selector=…

Want to be inspired daily to be FullyRaw? Keep up with Kristina here:

Co-op: http://www.rawfullyorganic.com

FullyRaw: http://www.fullyraw.com

FullyRaw You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/fullyrawkristina

Rawfully Organic YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/rawfullyorganic

Kristina’s Personal Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/kristinacarrillobucaram

Kristina’s Bio: http://fullyraw.com/about/about-me

Kristina’s Blog: http://www.rawfullyorganic.com/blog

ROC Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rawfullyorganic

Rawfully Organic Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rawfullyorganic

FullyRaw Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fullyraw

My California Trip!

Friday, July 27th, 2012

This past weekend I flew away to California for part of the week, and boy did I enjoy my adventure! I visited friends, made videos, tasted AMAZING fruits, and gave many hugs! This trip was spontaneous and fun, and I got to experience a little bit more of life on the way. I’ve put together a collection of my favorite photos from the trip to share with you all. Some are of me, some are of people, and many are of food! Hope that you enjoy these little snapshots from my trip and little trinket thoughts. Hugs!

When I first arrived in California, I visited this beautiful place behind me, marking my official arrival in the Sunshine State.

I visited my friend Drew Canole of www.fitlife.tv, and we made a really fun juicing video together. A cool surprise was that Jay and Linda Kordich (juicing legends) decided to pop in for a visit. We made a quick nut-milk video, and we spent quality time talking and enjoying good conversation. I’ll be posting these videos soon on my www.youtube.com/fullyrawkristina Channel, so please subscribe and keep a look-out for them there! I am SO EXCITED about these!

Ok, so I had to make a quick stop for some juice! After-all, I was visiting 5 cities in 4 days trying to see as many of my close friends as I could! I asked the juice bar if they would make my lemon-ginger blast, and it blasted me away! YUM!

Need not forget I stopped by a market and loaded up on some AMAZING figs! Did I mention that I love figs?! Trips are only good when they involve good fruit! Heck yes! We don’t have these figs everywhere in Texas like the Brown Turkeys, so I ate them until my mouth burned…literally! Heaven in my mouth!

YA BABY!

No knife, no spoon, no fork, no problem. Dinner just the way nature intended! Had this gorgeous bowl of white peaches, heirloom tomatoes, and kale for dinner one night. Chacho belly very happy!

Before I left San Diego, I got to visit with my newly found soul-sister Alicia! Love her!

I stayed in Costa Mesa with my friend Steph! We enjoyed a gorgeous and sunny run along the pier!

Then, for a brief few hours, I was BLESSED to have met Sheleana and Caleb of www.youngandraw.com, and we spent a beautiful afternoon together chatting! Here is the gorgeous Sheleana here with me now

Caleb is taking the pic!

An after run reward…can you see the juice dripping off the end?! Can you see that?! PURE BLISS!!

Shortly after, I visited my friends Dara, Jeff, Robby, and Bryan in LA. We talked about Forks Over Knives and even recipe books and …my bracelets! I had dinner with them and visited all night! It was truly a magical and fun evening to spend time with so many beautiful people at once!

My last day was spent in Oakland, where I got to visit with my friend Dan and meet his new girlfriend Sophia. We went to the Berkeley Market and loaded up on the most tasty fruits! These were so tasty that I literally bought a whole box to bring with me on the plane!

Don’t tell anyone in the store that I was snitching these! YUM!

Holy Cherries Batman! Pop me one NOW!

Me and Dan doing some Life Regenerating

Did I mention that Cherry Tomatoes and Heirlooms are my favorites?!

The perfect ending to my trip was my splurge in the golden colored cherry tomatoes. HEAVEN.

Hope that you all enjoy these photos! I’ll try to add more in as I find them. I am so blessed to be able to have gone to Cali, and I am excited to share this experience with you all. Hope that you can feel the love and taste the amazing fruits through these pics! Sending all my love and hugs! Kristina

7 Years FullyRaw & Still Un-Ripe!

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Seven years ago I adapted a 100% Raw Foods Lifestyle. It’s crazy to think that I have not eaten cooked foods in 7 years, but it’s true! When I look at how much my life has changed since then, it is nothing short of miraculous. From physical to emotional and spiritual, I have seen myself transform from a feeble, insecure girl to a confident, capable, and utterly loving woman. Looking back, I never thought I would be able to surpass negative generational patterns, but this is exactly what I have done; both consciously and unconsciously.

When I was 18 years old, I discovered a raw foods diet midst exploring the bulk items section in Whole Foods. An angel named John Rose approached me and began to tell me about this alien nonsense that he ate 10 lbs of fruits and vegetables in a day and that he hadn’t eaten cooked foods in about 18 years at the time. I listened out of curiosity, but I went home thinking that I had literally just met a rabbit manifested in human form. Being ill from hyperglycemia, I was underweight and continuously sick from migraines, nausea, vomiting, weakness, etc. The next day after meeting John, I was admitted into the hospital for more vomiting and hyperglycemic symptoms. When I was released, I called John for help. After he explained to me why my body was reacting the way that it was, I felt the need to try a change of diet. I walked out of Whole Foods that day with 80 pounds of peaches! Yes, it was almost the size of my body weight at the time.

After 3 days of eating nothing but peaches, I noticed an enormous difference in the way that I felt physically. I had not had one migraine, I hadn’t felt nauseous, and I could actually walk around with a tiny ping of energy. Could food really have changed the way that I felt?? Absolutely! Within less than a week, it had already begun to change my aura!

After a month of eating 100% raw, I knew there was something to it because my blood sugar levels had stabilized. I never told myself that I was not going to eat cooked foods again, but I did tell myself that I was going to continue to take this journey one step at a time. Eventually, I became like a sponge, reading, researching, and experimenting, simply to understand what my body had been through.

I knew that I was destined to be FullyRaw for life right after high school graduation. I won the high school raffle: a microwave. Yes, this is ironically true! I made it through my first year of college in an 8 x 8 ft single dorm room with no kitchen. All I had was a knife, cutting board, simple blender, and a salad bowl. I even made it on a college budget! It was my college experience and transferring schools that bought me to Houston, where I sat on the Environmental Committee at Rice and helped to start the Tuesday Farmer’s Market. You can see that it was not long before I was inspired to create this little co-operative out of my garage…it was called Rawfully Organic. Little did I know that this community effort would turn into what is now the LARGEST Organic & Raw Foods Produce Co-operative in the United States. I am floored and incredibly honored.

So much has happened since then, but it’s not hard to sum up. Rawfully Organic has grown into an entity of it’s own, and it birthed its sister company FullyRaw, dedicated to educated families and friends how to live a raw foods lifestyle. While I live my life doing SO many things and fulfilling so many passions, I spend much of my time fulfilling these life passions. Fresh food has the power to change us; it feeds us. It feeds us physical, mental, and spiritual nutrition so that we can become the most powerful “us” that we can become.

Transformation begins with a single step. Although I have been raw for seven years, I feel that I am still un-ripe. There is still SO much fruit left to eat and still SO many people left to touch. I hope to be able to inspire everyone that I meet: living as an example. I have SO much living and learning left to do. The next 7 years of my raw journey will be vivacious, flourishing, and beautiful. I am merely grateful to have EACH of you as my partner in fruity deliciousness.

Thank you for being YOU. Thank you for wanting to improve yourself and find health. Thank you for being inspired to merely eat healthier and to feel alive. Thank you for spreading THIS joy with others. Thank you for spreading this message. You have become my support, my inspiration, and my family. I have nothing by love, appreciation, and hugs for you!

All my love,

Kristina

How to Eat FullyRaw

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Raw Fettuccine Alfredo! (Low Fat & Oil Free)

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

EAT IT RAW Salads & Gazpachos!

Monday, April 9th, 2012

The Salads & Gazpacho EAT IT RAW Class is coming up this Sunday at Sur la Table in City Centre! Have fun using ingredients from your ROC boxes while meeting other co-operators! There are also a Juice & Smoothie Class as well as a Desserts Class! All of my classes have been sold out, so please sign up early!

SIGN UP!

This is our LAST week for local greens and strawberries! The new summer crop is on its way! Load up with our Spring bounty! Reserve your shares early, and see what is potentially in the box this week!

ROC A BOX!

Have you ever been to an organic farm? This Wednesday, I (Kristina) will take you on a video trip to one of our Rawfully Organic farms called Gundermann Acres! I show you what real produce looks like before it is picked, I give you local green smoothie recipes, and I even announce our new recipe competition coming up! Look out for the video in the Wednesday email!

STAY TUNED WEDNESDAY TO VISIT THE FARM!

What am I up to now-a-days? Scroll down to find out and even read a co-operator’s testimonial! Last week I shared with you the top 3 reasons why eating fully raw can change your life!

WHY EAT FULLY RAW?

While Rawfully Organic provides you with the most rawesome fruits and veggies, FullyRaw is designed to help eat more raw! Please subscribe to my New FullyRawKristina YouTube Channel and the Rawfully Organic YouTube Channel to enjoy all of our videos. Also, follow us on facebook and twitter to get daily reminders and updates! Comment, enjoy, and share!

Here are the fun and helpful links for you:

FullyRaw

Rawfully Organic Facebook Page

FullyRaw Facebook Page

Rawfully Organic YouTube Channel

FullyRaw YouTube Channel

Kristina’s Blog!

Recipe of the Week

Co-operators of the Month