Living Foods

Love your body – You are what you eat!

At La Joya Del Sol, we eat a 100% living foods raw vegan diet. Please read the information below about how we enjoy our meals on the farm.

Food growing on the farm, whether cultivated or wild, is shared when available with everyone who visits and works. Every effort is being made to grow 100% of our food to become self-sufficient, with surplus to donate or sell.

For food not available yet on the farm, we go to a farmers market each Thursday morning at 6 am in San Isidro, where we also meet/make friends, do errands and internet. Some of our tico workers and neighbors also like to exchange surplus food. For volunteers on a work exchange, their food is included. Visitors either bring their own food in, or gourmet rawfood meals are provided for $10 a day extra with shared picking/preparation.

Even if you think you’re “fit,” if you’re not on a primarily raw food diet, you may be detoxing your first week and experience temporary lower energy. Experience proves that you’ll gradually have way more energy and stamina being on a 100% nutrient-rich living foods diet, even if it’s just a few weeks.

For high caloric organic foods that are unavailable here like most organic nuts, seeds, dried fruit, nut butters, you can bring them through customs and store them in an airtight container I can loan you, or if you want to share with any others, I can reimburse you for them. We have a limited amount of mechanical refrigeration to minimize the need.

Because La Joya del Sol is a living foods community, food is prepared fresh without the need for the energy expense of heating it. Teas are made infusing with spring water in glass jars as sun tea. Being sustainable with low env. impact, there’s little need for refrigeration, too. We have one refrigerator/freezer for a community “ice chest”, and will eventually distribute frozen water in recycled bottles to hand-made insulated ice chests. If you are in transition and need much cooked food, there is no shortage of it outside the farm.

On a fresh food diet in the tropics, you need enough calories for work and play. Everyone is different, but for high caloric density, you can eat a variety of nuts, seeds, and sprouts.  For customs passage, you can say it’s dry food to eat for your trip, not for agriculture.

On a cleansing living food diet with little activity, a diet without nuts and seeds is possible. Until we have more starchier crops available on the farm, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits are too expensive to buy in CR. See the suggested list below. How much should you bring? If you’re going to depend on them, figure one 1 oz. (small handful) per day. Avocados and hearts of palm are good substitutes for nuts, available at the market and from neighbors.

You’ll learn and we’ll share interesting and delicious recipes for living food pates, smoothies, and salads so you’re nutritionally and delightfully fulfilled.  Nuts and seeds should NOT be roasted or salted, as they are unhealthful. Dried fruits can be rehydrated.

Suggested non-perishable food

• 1 lb. Organic Raw Walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, or brazil nuts.
• 1 lb. each Organic Raw Sunflower Seeds, mung beans and garbanzo beans for sprouting
• 1 lb. Golden Flax seeds for grinding into meal/smoothies
• 1 lb. Organic Raw Pumpkin seeds
• Your favorite herbal teas
• 1/4 lb. organic Dried tomatoes
• 1 lb. Dried organic goji berries, blueberries, apricots or mulberries
• (optional) 1 lb. Organic Raw Nut Butter or tahini, not roasted or salted
• Coconut oil (optional)

Do not bring cereal grains and flours.

Store in high quality zip-lock or vacuum sealed bags. I have glass jars for sprouting and storage at the farm.

For supplementation of B12, amino acids and immune energy, I recommend bringing a small bottle of natural bee pollen or other supplement. For any infection you may get, bring a small amount of bee propylis, or favorite herbs like echinacea.

Meat and dairy products, processed or artificial foods, and recreational drugs are not allowed on the farm. Please respect these guidelines and enjoy the delights of a living, raw foods diet!