I'm leaving for New Hampshire tomorrow, as part of Operation Live Free or Die, to help win the first presidential primary for Ron Paul. Staying healthy while traveling for 9 days is a challenge under any circumstances. A vegan health nut staying healthy in the midst of republicans and libertarians is near impossible. I've only ever done this successfully for a couple of days, but I'm convinced it can be done longer term with a little preparation.

I will need to bring snacks and supplements that require no preparation, pack up small, and can make it through airport security. Here is what I have come up with for my trip.

Raw energy bars: I made these myself and dumped in whatever I had around that looked nourishing. They contain sprouted buckwheat, sprouted quinoa, apple, pear, ground flax seeds, barley grass powder, and a hint of vanilla. I also made a second batch with shredded coconut, cacao (raw chocolate) powder, and maca powder, for some extra energy in the morning. These taste absolutely horrible, by the way, but I can eat just about anything if I know it's good for me.

Manna bread: This sprouted grain bread is very nutritious and very dense. I can break off a chunk for a satisfying snack.

Greens+ Chocolate Energy Bars: I am very addicted to these and have never been able to stop myself from eating them when I buy more than one. I bought 9 for my trip and will attempt to limit myself to 1 bar per day. It will be an interesting experiment. I know it's really just another candy bar, but it's very healthy as candy bars go: no sugar, no gluten, high fiber, high protein, and alkaline.

Also included in my travel stash are some supplements: Probiotics, MSM, B12 tablets, and noni pills, to keep my immune system working at full capacity. I'm also bringing along some digestive enzymes for those times when I have to eat some less than ideal food.

Some extra good news is that I will be staying with another vegan Ron Paul supporter, which is amazing luck, and there will be plenty of good produce and snacks in town. But I won't be able to eat the same healthy meals I normally make at home, like my daily green smoothies, and I'm sure to be stuck without many food options at some point during my trip. I am hopeful that this nutrient-packed foods will keep me healthy and energized on the Ron Paul 2008 campaign trail.

Just like every year for the past several, this has been my healthiest year ever. Having some very simple recipes and basic ingredients on hand has been the key to maintaining a clean diet and avoiding junk food binges and restaurant outings. Below are the simple meals that have made up a large part of my diet throughout 2007. Generally speaking, I try to eat at least 2 mostly raw meals per day. I've posted my favorite breakfast recipes in a separate post.

"Meal Salad"
The idea of the meal salad is to take whatever vegetables are in the fridge (I never use leafy greens) and mix up a little dressing to make it more filling and appetizing. I usually use these vegetables:
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and cubed
1 stalk celery, chopped
¼ onion, chopped
sprouts or shredded zucchini
5 black olives, chopped small

My typical salad dressing:
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp flax oil or olive oil
1 Tbsp Bragg liquid aminos
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
½ lemon, juiced
a little bit of black tahini

Cucumber Seaweed Salad
This is based on a recipe from Living on Live Foods by Alissa Cohen. (Pictured above.)

½ package of wakame or arame seaweed, rehydrated
1 cucumber, sliced thin
¼ onion, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp Bragg liquid aminos

Mix all ingredients together. Best when you let it sit for 30 minutes.

Cooked Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
¼ onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
sea salt or herbamare to taste

Mix the quinoa and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, add onions, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.

Garlic Manna Bread
Manna bread is a very dense and nutritious sprouted grain bread made by Nature's Path. It is cooked at low temperatures but it isn't raw. If your local health food store carries it, you can find it in the freezer section.

1/2 loaf Manna bread, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp olive oil

Mix garlic and olive oil together. Spread on Manna bread slices.

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day. When I was a kid, I delighted making pancakes or french toast with my family. When I became vegan, I was thrilled to find vegan versions of my favorite breakfast foods. Just because I'm a gluten-intolerant health nut with a focus on raw food, doesn't change my emotional need to have exciting breakfasts. It certainly doesn't change the fact that a filling, healthy breakfast is the best way to start the day. Listed below are the recipes that I eat on a regular basis.

Green Smoothies
If I don't eat a green smoothie for breakfast, I will usually eat one for lunch or dinner instead. I believe they are an ideal meal for just about everyone and can go a long long way in counteracting any other junk food that finds its way into your diet.

1/2 head of any leafy greens
2-4 pieces of fruit

Blend in a high power blender or cut the greens and fruit into small pieces and blend in a standard blender. It's best to eat a variety of greens if eating them every day.

Porridge
This is my favorite weekend breakfast treat. I usually have this at least once each weekend.

2 cups sprouted buckwheat or soaked oat groats (soaked overnight)
1 apple
1 pear
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 banana, sliced

Mix all ingredients, except for the banana, in a food processor until well mixed and remove from food processor. Mix in sliced bananas. Pour in fresh almond milk for an added treat.

Cooked Amaranth
This is a good breakfast to make on work days (or it was when I worked a "real" job) because you can set a timer get ready for work while its cooking. Just don't forget to mix in the fruit about half way through.

1 cup amaranth
2-1/2 cup water
1 banana, berries, or other fruit
2 Tbsp flax seed oil

Mix amaranth and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 25 minutes. Mix in fruit about 10 minutes before the amaranth is done cooking. Remove from heat and mix in flax seed oil.

Green Gorilla Smoothie
The name was stolen from a similar smoothie for sale at Green Life Grocery here in Asheville. I don't have any measurements on this. Every smoothie is like the kitchen experiments my sister and I used to throw together, except these actually taste good. No two are ever alike. All of these ingredients are not necessary, but these are the most common ones I use.

Almond Milk and/or young coconut water and meat
2 or 3 heaping spoonfuls of spirulina powder
a spoonful of barley grass juice powder
a spoonful of cacao powder or nibs
a spoonful of maca powder
2 bananas
pineapple
shredded coconut

Blend well. Make sure the powders aren't stuck to the sides.

If you haven't been a Republican for the past decade or so, there is a good chance that you regard the GOP as the root of all evil; forever on the side of corporate greed, marching the country into perpetual war based on lies, and cramming Jesus down every last heathen's throat. But if you look at the history of the Republican Party it is supposed to stand for smaller government, lower taxes, and personal responsibility. That may or may not be your idea of good government, but it certainly is not an evil point of view.

At least in the time that I've been old enough to vote, the Republican Party has been hijacked by big spender, big government, social conservatives. We have a party that says it is OK to borrow billions of dollars from China in order to finance the "War on Terror" but America is doomed if homosexuals get married or if cancer patients smoke a little marijuana. Not a great set of priorities. What to do?

One possibility is to flock to the Democratic Party. We can vote them into office, en masse, and they will get us out of the war and stop the tyranny of the Bush administration. Oh, wait, we did that already, and the Democrats didn't do jack squat. They voted to renew the Patriot Act (that means you, Obama, Clinton, and Edwards), they continue to fund the war, and they won't even discuss impeachment. OK, so now what?

Take back the Republican Party. Get involved. In many counties, the GOP is in a sorry state. They desperately need volunteers. They need precinct chairmen, they need help at the polling stations, and they need members to just show up at events and meetings. Become a delegate. If you're a "Ron Paul Republican," don't feel like you aren't welcome in the GOP. If you believe that the federal government should be fiscally conservative and limited in its authority over local governments and individuals, then you are a Republican.

Complaining about how the GOP has been hijacked doesn't help. Just like any organization, the GOP is only as good as its active members. So get active. Go in with a genuine interest in rebuilding a strong, honest party that truly represents what the people want.

If the Republican Party is not for you, get involved with the Democratic Party. They are going down like a sinking ship too, now that they've proven themselves to be such a disappointment. They could use some help getting back on the right track. No matter what your political bent, I think we can all agree that it's about time we have a choice between the greater of two goods, rather than the lesser of two evils.

Does anything compare to the ingenuity, enthusiasm, and hard work that Ron Paul has inspired in his supporters? Every time I think the grassroots has had its grandest hour, they go and do something even more crazy and awe-inspiring. Initially, it was mostly a whole lot of clever videos, songs, and blog posts about Ron Paul. Supporters, including myself, couldn't stop seeking out online media to learn more about the candidate and his chances of winning. Lately, the effort has shifted into massive real world projects that would never be remotely possible for supporters of any other candidate to achieve (although they do occasionally try). Here is a list, in no particular order, of efforts that have made my jaw drop. In many cases, I believed the goal was set too high and failure was certain, but I have been proven wrong every time.

• November 5th Money Bomb – This legendary fundraiser changed the corporate media's attitude toward Ron Paul overnight, raising well over $4 million dollars in one day. The official campaign didn't need to do a thing.
• Operation Live Free or Die – Hundreds of people are taking time off of work to go to freeze their butts off in New Hampshire, so that every voter in the state knows who Ron Paul is, and what he's about. It's hard to get people to leave their homes for a couple of hours even to attend a potluck. But for Ron Paul, they are willing to leave home for days or weeks at a time to get him elected. The organizer quit his cushy job at Google to coordinate the effort. Others have quit their jobs to participate.
• Tea Party – Not only does it look like the December 16th money bomb will be significantly bigger than the first one, it has also turned into a massive publicity event in Boston, where volunteers are expected to travel from all around to reinact a modern version of the Boston Tea Party, this time dumping the IRS, the Fed, the Iraq War, and any number of other unconstitutional federal programs into the harbor.
• Ron Paul Blimp – I'm sorry, the what??? A blimp! Awesome. Ron Paul supporters must agree because they have already given $135,000 to pay for this effort. They need to collect $200,000 by midnight on Friday so make sure you send in your money ASAP.
• Granny Warriors – These dedicated ladies painted their RV up with Ron Paul messages and have taken it all over the country to campaign for Ron Paul over the last year. They barely see their homes because they travel so much. They have virtually given a year of their lives in support of Ron Paul.
• Ron Paul Love Bug – A supporter in Asheville, NC decorated his beautiful new VW bug with Ron Paul bumper stickers and message decals to help spread Ron Paul's message wherever he goes. Word has it that he gets a lot of attention, and reactions have generally evolved from curiosity to support.
• Ron Paul Yacht? – I can't find any pictures, but I hear there was a Ron Paul yacht outside the recent Florida debate. Huckabee is reported to have asked Ron Paul if he arrived on the boat. There was a huge show of support in Florida. Guiliani commented on the large numbers of supporters for Ron Paul.

These are a few examples that spring to mind, but equally inventive efforts are happening all over the country, and in fact, all over the world. Can you imagine groups of Giuliani, Clinton, Romney, Huckabee, or Obama supporters pulling off even one of these endeavors? Several have tried to at least mimic the "money bomb" success, but none have come close. Because, while other candidate may have supporters who think they'd do a good job, Ron Paul has supporters who believe there is nothing more important right now than to get this man elected. The only thing more amazing than what grassroots supporters have done for Ron Paul's campaign is the slew of imaginative efforts that are bound to follow.

Did I leave off your favorite Ron Paul grassroots effort? Let everyone know about it in the comments section.

In the 13 years that I've followed a vegan diet, the question most commonly asked of me has been, "where do you get your protein?" Meat-eaters, vegans, and aspiring raw foodists alike, all seem to ask that question. There is a lot of disagreement and controversy surrounding what kinds of proteins are best and how much protein individuals require. For an interesting discussion on protein and the benefits of eating essential amino acids from plant sources versus whole proteins from animal sources, I highly recommend the book Green for Life, by Victoria Boutenko. This is a list of protein sources that have worked well for me. I usually include 2 or 3 of these foods in my diet every day.

• Green smoothies: Not only are leafy greens very high in all the essential amino acids that form complete proteins, but they are also excellent sources of other nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, K, calcium, and fiber. They are also very cleansing to the body. It helps to have a high power blender like a Vita-Mix or K-Tec, but even a regular cheap blender will do the job if you chop the greens and fruit well before blending.
• Cooked whole grains: Quinoa and amaranth are great protein sources and are alkaline-forming grains. Acidic diets promote disease, while alkaline diets promote health. Just 1 cup (after cooking) of quinoa has 8 grams of protein. Amaranth is even higher. I enjoy amaranth for breakfast, cooked with banana slices. Wild rice is also a good source of protein, but not quite as good as quinoa.
• Sprouted grains: I haven't quite gotten into a regular habit of sprouting grains, but I have tried some sprouted grain breads such as Manna Bread, which makes for a tasty, filling, nutrient-dense treat that is high in protein and fiber. Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain products, including breads and pastas, can be found in most natural food stores. I often make porridge out of soaked oat groats, which have 6 grams of protein per 1/4 cup (before soaking).
• Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds provide significant amounts of protein, but since they are also high in fat, they can weigh you down if you rely on them for protein. Pumpkin seeds are a better choice because they are also high in iron, copper, magnesium, and some other minerals. About 1/5 cup has more protein than a serving of wild rice. Almonds are a good protein source as well.

Before becoming more health conscious, most of my protein came from processed fake meats and soy products. Beans are another common vegan protein source, but most are difficult to digest and contain a lot of toxins. It's not hard to find adequate vegan protein sources, but if you're trying to improve your health, steer away from the processed foods and beans and give some of these ideas a try.

Make sure to look into herbal remedies for common health problems. Sometimes the benefit of organic food is that it has fewer additives that cause health issues. Even simple herbal teas can help you maintain better day to day health.

We don't have to wait until we feel lousy or until an obvious health crisis hits to determine if we are on a path to better health. While traditional doctors can only offer us expensive tests that only tell us if we are about to enter into a health crisis, our bodies offer us free daily indicators of internal health and cleanliness. Keeping an eye on these external indicators each day can help us to become familiar with how our bodies respond to different foods and diets.

• Skin – When we are clean and healthy on the inside, it shows on the outside. When we fill our bodies with toxins, through the foods we eat or the air we breathe, and if we don't eat enough fiber to expel them through normal excretion, our bodies may try to push them out through our skin. Common food culprits of bad skin are cooked fats including meat, dairy products, sugar, excessive healthy fats, and processed foods. Other factors include dehydration, insufficient fiber, smoking, and commercial skin products.
• Tongue coating – Is your tongue coated with white goo, particularly when you wake up in the morning? Not only does this cause bad breath, but it also indicates that your body is processing a lot of mucus and toxins, mostly during sleep when your body is fasting and detoxing. Brush your tongue thoroughly each morning and night so that you can have a clear indication of how much is being expelled, and to keep your breath fresh in the meantime. Avoid mucus-forming foods, such as gluten, dairy, cooked fats, sugar, and processed foods.
• Body odor – Much like skin conditions, body odor is most often the result of a toxic body. It is the job of our sweat glands to help expel waste. If that waste is excessive or if our bodies are overridden with unhealthy bacteria rather than healthy bacteria, our sweat will lead to body odor. Meat, dairy, and cooked fats are common causes of body odor. A zinc deficiency can also cause body odor. Do not use antiperspirants to treat odors, as they prevent the body from expelling waste altogether, thereby making the underlying toxicity even worse. Antiperspirants are different from deodorants in that they intentionally clog the sweat glands.
• Poop – Our poop isn't just a waste product. It is a view into our internal health. Poop should be a uniform consistency, light brown in color, and a solid banana shape. If you can see pieces of undigested food, or if your poop turns colors with the food you eat, that can indicate insufficient hydrochloric acid in your stomach or an otherwise weakened digestive system. Fiber is vitally important for a healthy colon and digestive tract. Healthy bacteria, which can be taken directly as probiotics, keeps the colon clean and efficient, allowing nutrients to be absorbed and waste to be expelled. You should have a bowel movement at least once per day, and as many as 3 times per day. Many people can benefit from colon hydrotherapy after years of eating toxic, mucus-forming foods.

If you are trying a new, healthier diet, and you feel good on it, don't be immediately discouraged if you see some signs of poor health. It may be that your body is going through a detox period. To help alleviate these symptoms, try increasing fiber intake, or slowing down the transition to your new diet. But do keep an eye on these outward signs on a daily basis, to ensure that you are on the right path. All bodies will respond differently to different diets, so it's important to get to know your own body and to be able to adjust according to what it is telling you.

If you are worried about your internal health make sure to look into some internal medicine. There are all sorts of health factors to keep track of and it can be overwhelming to learn about different medical research. So the next time you feel swamped try using simple medical advice from a source you trust.

Journalists and political pundits have been pulling groundless election predictions out of their butts left and right. I want in on the game. Bear with me while I give some background up to my prediction. If you are impatient, you can skip right to the point, bolded for your convenience, at the end of this article.

Ron Paul’s November 5th money bomb made big headlines, and started a wave of positive reporting as well as some incredibly negative smears stemming from recognition that he is now a serious contender with a lot of enthusiastic support. Judging from the numbers reported on teaparty07.com, it looks like Ron Paul’s December 16th fundraiser will be significantly bigger, possibly breaking all one-day fundraising records.

If the current trend continues, I have no doubt that many media outlets will become even more respectful of Ron Paul's candidacy, and the conversations will evolve from whether or not Ron Paul will effect the race for the "first tier" candidates to whether or not he can win primaries. It’s already starting to shift in that direction, and it will have to continue if Ron Paul brings in another $5 million or more in one day.

But the important point of my prediction is about how the mainstream media will handle the "money bomb" attempts by supporters of other presidential candidates. In case you missed it, supporters of several other candidates have tried to outdo Ron Paul's $4.38 million fundraising day, believing that if Ron Paul's tiny band of lunatics can raise that kind of cash, then certainly their candidates, with such high percentages in the polls, can do even better.

Obama's supporters had Barack's Friday. 132 people pledged to contribute $100 on November 16th. When the day came, 72 people contributed a total of $4650. November 20th is Mike Huckabee's big fundraising day. He has done significantly better with over 200 pledges and has raised over $110,000 as of this posting. Not bad. Perhaps the most embarrassing "money bomb" is Fred's Giving Day, organized for Fred Thompson. So far, he has the smallest number of pledges, just 76, and the big day is tomorrow.

Dennis Kucinich supporters are also trying to raise some cash for the Democratic candidate, who has been continuously marginalized by the mainstream media. With more than 3 weeks to go, nearly 350 pledges have already come through. That far exceeds the levels of support shown for every other candidate, with the exception of Ron Paul. It would be unfair to dismiss Kucinich's candidacy on the basis of low fundraiser numbers without also dismissing Obama's or Thompson's candidacy for their even lower numbers, right?

My prediction is this: On December 16th, when the mainstream media is in a frenzy over Ron Paul's second record-breaking fundraiser, they will take the opportunity to ridicule Kucinich for falling far short of Ron Paul's success, while making absolutely no mention of the other candidates who fared much worse and who truly have little or no serious grassroots support. This not only gives them the opportunity to belittle Kucinich, which they love to do, but it also allows them to keep Ron Paul in the "fringe candidate" category, rather than compare him, favorably, to the "first tier" candidates. Honest candidates, such as Kucinich and Paul, are always labeled "unelectable" by the mainstream media.

I am obviously a supporter of Ron Paul. But I am also a supporter of honest reporting and fair elections, which I think go hand-in-hand. The media's manipulation of the news and the presidential debates, would be comical in its predictability, if it were not such an important part of our democracy. If I am right on December 16th, then I can pat myself on the back and tell all my friends how smart I am. If I am wrong, I can do what all of these other political wonks do – take comfort in knowing that in this internet age, where political opinions are a dime a dozen, no one will remember or care that I ever made this prediction in the first place.

Growing up, I was proud to be an American. We were the land of the free and the home of the brave. We helped when others were in need. We were always the good guys and we protected the underdog. I don't know if it was true, but that's how I felt.

By the time I graduated college, I was sufficiently cynical that I no longer took particular pride in our country and certainly had little faith in our government to do anything right, but I wasn't exactly ashamed of being an American either. It's just that the shine had worn off for me.

When 9-11 happened, and the world came together in sorrow and prayer for our country, I was reminded of the country I loved as a child.

The Bush administration, with the continued help of the Congress, squandered all that good will by starting a war under false pretenses with a country that had nothing to do with 9-11. Traveling around the world has become dangerous or at least uncomfortable for Americans because of the arrogance of our government. After Bush's re-election in 2004, I can honestly say I felt genuine shame about this country. I've thought many times about moving over seas and giving up on The United States entirely.

Today, for the first time in well over a decade, I feel genuine American pride after watching the video, The Strasbourg Tea Party - Europe for Ron Paul, embedded below. It shows nations across the Atlantic looking upon Americans as an inspiration and as an example worthy of being followed. I am not a weepy person, but my eyes actually teared up watching it. I feel so proud to be an American today because of what these freedom-loving Europeans have seen in us. I've got my Constitution and Declaration of Independence up on my mantle so I won't again forget what my country stands for.

Coconut oil, also known as coconut butter, has been used for centuries, by various cultures, as a health and beauty product, both cosmetically as well as in food. These benefits are no doubt a result of its proven antibiotic and antiviral properties as well as its resistance to heat and light, which make it superior to other oils. Over the past several months, I've tested just a few of its proclaimed uses personally, all with remarkable success.

• Moisturizer: I was having problems with dry, red patches on my face. Commercial moisturizers seemed only to offer temporary relief while the problem became worse and worse. A small amount of coconut oil rubbed into the skin, offered immediate relief and after using it exclusively for several days, the dry patches disappeared entirely. Coconut oil nourishes the skin from the outside in the same way nutritious food nourishes the skin from the inside, and doesn't put any toxic substances into the skin like moisturizers do. It has even started to heal my dry, cracked feet after 2 weeks of daily use.
• Deodorant: This is embarrassing, but the truth is, I've had a bit of a body odor problem. Deodorants never helped much, and some of them even made it much worse. I tried many brands, as well as crystal rock salt, tea tree oil, and rubbing alcohol, without lasting success. Coconut oil fights bacteria that causes body odor and doesn't contribute to the toxins that can make odors worse. It smells great going on and it works all day long.
• Cooking oil: Most oils are light and heat sensitive, meaning that they easily turn rancid if not kept in a cool, dark place. Many actually become carcinogenic when cooked at high temperatures. Coconut oil is highly stable and is much more resistant to heat than other oils, even olive oil. The coconut flavor doesn't overwhelm the food as you might expect. Raw oil is always best, but if you are moving toward a healthier lifestyle and enjoy cooking, coconut oil is a great choice.
• Virus buster: Coconut oil is a proven virus fighter. On two separate occasions, when I was starting to feel ill with a flu or cold, I had cravings to eat coconut oil. It tasted so good, I ate it by the spoonful, like it was ice cream. I felt better by the next day and tried to eat some more, only to find that it tasted gross to eat it straight, in large quantities. Only when I'm sick is coconut oil edible that way. My body must be telling me something.

If you've got a problem that commercial products can't seem to fix, give coconut oil a try. Coconut oil is a great example of how less is more. Rather than loading up on complex formulas for health and beauty, see if nature doesn't have a simple answer. Organic, cold-pressed coconut oil, or coconut butter, can be purchased in the refrigerated section of most health food stores for around $10 and it will last for months.