January 2024 – Belize Tropical Schmunkie
WOW!
Another Annual Opportunity
to be Reminded that
We ALL have the Ability to
Create the Life of Our Dreams!
Happy January 2024!
A Year of GREAT OPPORTUNITY!!
Belize Tropical Schmunkie
*Fresh squeezed orange juice on the side.
*Magenta Dragon Fruit colors the Schmunkie
along with local Pineapple, Papaya,
Banana, fresh Turmeric, Ginger
& Green Stevia Water.
*4 bowls because we make 2 days
of Schmunkie at a time.
*Bowls have cut up local Mallay Apples
which look more like a red pear.
Plus our key ingredients of
Suede Hills Organic Alfalfa and Olive Leaf powders, Cinnamon, Flax, Chia, Pumpkin Seeds
and for me our Sunchoke powder all ground together.
The homemade
organic Almond Butter & Peanut Butter combo
isn’t on the table yet in this picture.
The good fat in the nut butters helps to
slow down the digestive burn of the fruit
in the Schmunkie.
This way we feel satiated longer.
That nut butter mix goes on
the organic Rice Cakes or Sour Dough Bread
if we decide to indulge.
Once again we are in a wonderful tropical location
only to find that
many folks here have Diabetes.
Why is that you may ask?
Certainly NOT from the abundant fruits available.
White Rice and Beans are a main stay
in these hot and humid climates.
The rice is white because brown rice
can go rancid due to the germ
being intact (the life force).
Beans can be dried and stored for a long time.
Both of these long storage options are acid-forming.
The other main food is meat & animal by-products
be it from Chickens, Pigs, Cattle,
or Seafood if they are by the ocean
Once again, as long as the animal can feed on the abundant plant life freely growing everywhere,
the animal can be the mower & manure maker
for weeks, months or years
before it is killed for food.
Bonus in the meantime,
the animals keep the vegetation under control.
Keeping the jungle at bay
can be a full time job, literally!
Apparently the Chickens are great
at keeping the Snake population under control!
(FYI, we haven’t seen any
Tarantulas or Scorpions this trip.
But we have seen a 5 foot long Black Snake, Toucans, Capybara, Black Squirrel, Egrets, Vultures, Hawks, Hummingbirds, Butterflies & Parrots.
Plus the Howler Monkey’s were making a bunch of noise. They are called “howlers” for a reason!)…
Another acidifying issue is the amount of
Coke, Fanta and other sodas/pop
which are consumed.
These are major acid-forming
and people drink them by the case load!
Life is generally simple here,
you know, like 50 years ago.
**3 or 4 people all on one motorcycle with no helmets,
**6 or 7 year old little kids walk all by themselves
to the local store in their village to buy bread for Mom.
**A dozen guys in the box of a pickup truck
all heading off to work.
**Stores closed on Sundays
&
even big stores close for lunch during the week too!
**No fast food franchises!
**An entrepreneur on every corner,
especially on Saturdays
when even more folks randomly set up stalls
on the side of the road
to sell their wares and produce.
Unfortunately the people of Belize
have bought into many of the North American
Unhealthy food and drink choices
which are widely available.
Big Budget Marketing knows no bounds!
One of the many things I love about the tropics
is that “tree fruit” can grow here all year round
without any help from humans.
The humans tend to add poisons,
especially to ground crops like
beans, corn, tomatoes, watermelons etc.
Granted your tree fruits choices are limited
by those that only grow during a specific season
such as Mangoes and Avocados.
But, there is always
something “healthy” and fresh to eat!
There are fruits that grow year round like
Papayas, Pineapples, Coconuts, Bananas, Plantains, Oranges, & Limes etc.
I was under the impression that in the tropics
as Vegans we would have
an easier time finding quality foods to eat
when eating out at a restaurant.
But as we have found in
Tobago, Aruba, Costa Rica and even Mexico,
“Carne is king”
i.e. Meat and Seafood rules!
(All acid-forming!
“But, oh so tasty”, I can hear you saying!!)
The Belizean people have definitely got
the work/life balance figured out.
We could all learn from them.
They are very social,
fun loving and community minded
with a people first attitude!
What a wonderful world
IT WILL BE
when we allow ourselves to all learn from each other,
the BEST that each culture has to offer.
Happily Vacationing in Belize,
Cindy and Phil wishing you all
the Best of Health and Happiness in 2024