My diet & detox journal

Mon Feb 28, 2005 11:20pm
Breaks are good.

I will leave it at that, short and sweet. Last week I had taken a break from many things, not just the computer, and food. But I am back now.

Broke the MC, with fresh squeezed navel oranges. Mixed with half and half water. Then I had fruit salad…then back to normal.

Did a whole lot of thinking and pondering, and did lots of stretching and yoga postures, and guess what I discovered? I can still do back bends! I say that with exclaimation, not to be boastful, but because it surprised me. WHen I was a little girl I did ballet for 5 or 6 years. I only quit because as I got older my posture became a bit less than perfect for ballet, and then I had gained weight. Funny, I never really thought about it until today, but I used to have a lot more flexability back then. Of course they say you never lose it, and if you stretch enough you will find it again. It was not like I was a gymnast, but I did have pretty good limberness. (is that a word? lol Smile )

Anyway, the backbend was an interesting discovery. I have been doing the wheel pose, and not going up into the bridge. So on saturday, I just thought ot myself, Cass, you used to do this. So I tried. And I did! Only it is not like I can hold it for as long as the wheel. But, with practice…and so I do.

THis weekend I did a lot of pondering, and a lot of thought. I had been intreged by the dietary conundrum I find myself in. I will share this since it is something I have been asked here on the boards quite a bit. As a digestive care educator, I know that fiber is expremly important. I also know that high fiber can be a trigger for IBS, as I suffer from it. THere are even some raw gurus who claim too much fiber can be detrimental. (take Waisays for instance…she proclaims certain fiber is not good at all, and also, she believes in eating some raw animal product, and is ok with a non 100% raw maintaince program. freeacnebook.com is one of her sites, waisays.com is another. )

I had spoken with a colegue who I respect, whose opinion of certain aspects of my diet is that it may not be particulary, well, how can I say this…He suggests that some cooking may be better, in order to prepare the food for assimilation. Ie: or to smash, flatten, ferment, etc, as was the case with humans over the past 40,000 years. This same person feels that raw is very effective as a cleansing and detoxifying diet, short term, to rid the body of toxins and worms, but maintains that long term raw vegans do eventually become deficient. With this I agree, as you know i don’t claim to be 100% raw, and yet I do feel that this diet is one of the best ways of leaving behind the sick toxic life I lived before. Likewise, I maintain a high degree of supplementation, as well as adding in some animal products to provide specific nutrients, and aleviate the need to consume HUGE amounts of certian raw produce to get the same thing. (At this point in our existance, I think it is near impossible if not that to get all needed nutrients from the produce and flora we have available to us, most notibly in this country, and with the budget I have available to me.

As I fasted, I pondered this….and pondered some more. I have read a lot about the suposed genetic predisposition that seems rampant in my family, BOWEL DISEASE. I was certainly intreged by the thought that it has something clearly to do with diet and lifestyle, and western food…(Such disease was not so high risk in people of my ancestry in their previous suroundings and way of life.~which, by the way was not 100% raw, but it was whole food / clean foods, high in wild flora & fauna foods including much greens and the like.) Also have been doing a lot more consideration as to wheat/grains and unfermented dairy (even of the raw nature.) I know I mustn’t have them. As I learned back in the 90s, I know my ibs does a lot better when I eat a more paleo style diet. (As was the case on the anti candida diet.) BUt, going 100% raw relieved my aches and pains, removed my intense bowel issues, cleared my skin, etc. But long term, I did have a lot of gas and bloating, and still do. I took enzyme supplements when I went down below 100%, having moved to a place where they could be procured, but again, should one need to depend on them? I am asked this a lot in my work, as well as by others on the boards. I mean, they are perfect for those seeking to support the pancrease, or those with a less then perfect diet. But wouldn’t one want to be at the place where are their systems are firing such that such capsules aren’t needed? How do I get there. I think I am going to have to determine the answer to this.

So, there comes proper food combining. So, I have my lovely picture of the rules (thanks again to Sharon) and I am making all effort to follow the right laws. BUt, I am truly thinking that certain foods should be nixed from my diet, and others included back, non raw or otherwise. So, from here forward, I am not going to do grains. NOt even sprouted. Perhaps some brown rice, well cooked. But that is it. Otherwise I am constipated and bloated for days. NOt a pretty picture. LIkewise with dairy. No dairy. I just dont think I should. A bit of sheeps or goat raw dairy if I have to do anything, but that will be it. Again, if not, I get issues.

But, that brings up the thought of the hunter gatherer diet that helped my IBS. I shant go back to eating eggs and meat everday, along with vegetables and nuts like I did on the candida diet. But, I am going to try an experiment for the 10-20 % of my intake that fluctuates. Not a high fat knarley atkins thing, but a bit of fish and such. And, not being vegan of course, I won’t go into that too much here, as I always prefer not to offend, even though I know that my audience is not an entirely vegan group, I just prefer not to detail too much incase of those who might be reading might not want to hear about animal products. However, there have been many clinical studies done for IBS regarding diet especially those containing non vegetable sources of omega three fatty acids. I will let everyone know how it goes… I intend to find a way to make all of this work for me.

I may begin cooking some of the really fiberous veggies that have been giving me problems. I will tell everyone how that goes too.

I hope no one thinks I am trying to extol the virtues of cooked foods, because I am not. The reality is, I don’t eat junk food at all. I can’t even stomach the thought of eating that type of thing, since I know what it does to my body. I don’t eat pizza, I don’t eat donuts, I don’t eat fast food. So when I say I eat cooked, I don’t think that puts me in the same boat with your standard american. Kind of like how my friend debbie (twinyoga is her handle on RawFoodTalk) mentions, she eats cooked tubers or cooked vegan. IT just works for her.

I know some people mention all kinds of stuff in their journals about eating fast foods, and how that is such an issue for them with thier health. For me, certain high fiber raw does that to me. And so my “indiscretion” with regard to a “raw diet” comes in the form of a bit of animal products and cooked veggies, but I don’t assume I am “off the wagon”. I think it is a bit imprudent to gauge a less then 100% high raw diet with its slight imperfections, to be as TERRIBLE as a deep fried refined sugar sugar powdered glazed dounut with a bacon eggs omlet tang whopper cheese KFC SAD diet….I know that is theory that is along the line of the beyondveg website, but I am sorry, as I am just typing out my thoughts as they come.. I just think that on that topic they are really right on. There are so many wonderful people visiting me on THIS website who are high raw, and succeeding, yet if they eat a slight bit of cooked veggies or something, they might consider themselves having failed, and I don’t want them to feel that way. The raw community is great though, in that we are all so supportive. We are all on a journey to find out how to make it work.

After two years, I know I have to find a way to make this raw diet work, and yet still allow me optimal health and well being. So, I think I will experiment. Please forgive me if I say anything wrong. Remember, it is just me, and I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers.

Today I ate:
small ambrosia salad. (pineapple/strawberries/banana coconut shreds.)
a few dried out raisins
chopped tomatoes cucumbers and avocados
orange
orange
bit of lettuce and tomatoes
bowl of organic berries
more berries with a bit of banana-pudding
a few raw grainless crackers with guacamole

Seemed like quite a bit considering the size of my belly after the fast, but I had broken the MC with the juice so I was feeling like I would do ok with all the fruit and light greens. I will admit that the crackers have caused some definate bubbling in my tubes… Smile

Done writing for the day. Smile

Cassy Smile

In case anyone comes wandering into my blog over this weekend (25 Feb~27 Feb) and wonders where I am or why I haven’t posted, I have decided to take the weekend off from journaling. I am mid way through a lemonade cleanse and feel that I need the time to relax and attempt to spend less time in front of my computer screen.I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.

It is to be a rainy slow weekend down here in FL, so it is perfect for me to curl up and “power lounge”.

Hasta Lunes!

Cassy Smile

Sat Feb 12, 2005 8:07pm

Hee hee! I am just tickled. You know how I mentioned that I was able to find raw chocolate at the HFS yesterday? Well, I don’t know if anyone else lives in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, but I just discovered they are also selling Nature’s First Law olives and many other goodies. They have the chocolate nibs, as I described in my journal yesterday, as well as a whole slew of treats & things.

They have the whole Rejuvinative Foods line, as well as Glaser Farms goodies. They are also selling the Raw Bakery brownies (assorted variety) and some other snacks made by a bakery in Berkely California. I was pretty surprised. It took up a full half of a refriderator section, as well as several bread carts.

I thought I would mention this, since I rarely shop there, but from now on I likely will. The thought that I can get the olives and nut butters without buying online is cool. (We don’t go thru the stuff fast enough to warrent buying in quanity by mail. In case anyone lives around here, it is Nature’s Food Patch on Cleveland.

All of this is the result of a decision I made this morning on my grocery shopping trip. For the last 7 months, since I left my job in a HFS, I have been less apt to go into one to buy my groceries. Much of this has to do with the fact that once my employee discount disapeared, everything just seemed so costly. 30% of is a nice place to be! I do go to one to buy soaps and cleansers and things, but I relegated my self to buying the majority of my things at the regular supermarket, (they sell some organic) as well as buying certain things at Costco. This morning I decided to do an experiment:

My weekly trip runs me well up over the 100 dollar mark, and yet I have to go to like 4 stores to find all the things I need. So, instead, I went to Food Patch. I bought all organic, and was able to buy almost everything there. THe only thing I still got at Costco was some frozen berries & my organic field greens, since they were really cheap. I know, the berries aren’t as good for me as the Woodstock farms I get from the HFS, but hey, T and I are going thru so many, that the organic ones cost us over 25 dollars a week. Ak. I also had to go to the Super Target to buy some more fruit baskets and a container, but other than that, I did it all at Food Patch.

And here is the surprising part. It was only 15 dollars more than I usually spend! So, I have no more excuses. 15 dollars a week I can afford. So I was kinda pleased with myself. It is not the HFS I normally go to, but it worked out great.

I also spent THREE hours in the kitchen today. I was slicing and chopping a bunch of greens for a marinated dish, amoung other things. I wanted to do the majority of this stuff now, so I can relax over the week & not be slaving over a cutting board. speaking of greens, I bought some RED KALE. I never heard of that one before. It looked a little like Red Chard, but with the kale like leaves. The grocer said it tastes just like the green type. Hum. I added it to my marinated salad. WIll eat it tomorrow and report back.

I also washed a case of oranges, a case of plums, (soaked the greens of course) chopped and slivered broccoli…lets see, what am I missing? OH yes. I made the most scrumptious dish…I chunked up portabella mushrooms with red peppers onion and zuchini squash. I marinated it in a bit of olive oil, braggs, celtic salt, garlic, and sage…then dehydrated it for 3 hours. YUM! HEaven, and it was the first “warmed” dish I have done since last year. Mostly I just marinated and ate. (Oh- I did eat those cooked sweet potatoes back around new years…) I mean the first ‘warmed dehydrator” dish I have made and liked.

I took the “stirfry” as I call it and made a special sandwhich for T. He is not “all raw” so I took a heavy wheat roll, sliced it, grated on some raw cheddar cheese, and broiled it for 3 minutes before adding the mix of the mushrooms. HE loved it. (although he said he wasn’t sure about the bread. We haven’t had such a thing in the house in months.) I wasn’t attracted to the bread at all. Even the yeasty smell didn’t get to me, the way it used too. Must be because I know what wheat does to me…

The raw dairy we got from the Amish Farm Coop (thru my work) seems to have been a hit with T. I only got raw cream. It is so thick you have to use a spoon. I have looked at the jar a couple of times, but not eaten any. Just can’t bring myself to it. Interesting that I notice this. It was pricy! Thirteen dollars and change for a quart. But it is raw, unpasturized and from grass fed organic cows. Isn’t it a sad world we live in? (A S.A.D. world I guess.) I mean, it is cheaper to eat garbage then to eat nourishing foods. (Organic that is.)

What have I eaten today?
-medium dish of berries and banana pudding
-small slice of mediteranean bread (the raw onion one I make) with guacamole on it.
-1/2 of a large florida avocado sliced.
-2 oranges
-a plum
-a large beefsteak tomato chopped with basil and another slice of avocado and sprinked with herbamare.
-water.

I am way full now. I also licked the spoon & bowl of the food processer when making a raw cookie dough. (Soaked cashews, dates, agave syrup - dehydrator.) So, it is 7pm and I am not going to eat any more tonight, that is for sure. May have some herbal tea. Peppermint.

Did I mention that I have gone a whole week and have not calculated a single thing in my computer nutrient tracker? I am quite pleased with this. Sure, it is because the program has to be reinstalled, and I have to call them to get the code or whatever. BUt, whatever reason it may be, I have not lost it and gone back to eating TOO much, or bad stuff or whatever. AND, I haven’t gained any weight. In fact, I am a pound less. Which means that the TRUST issue I have with myself is improving. AND it means that I am sucessfully listening to my body in terms of TRUE hunger, and not depending on some “number” that means it is time to stop, or eat some more. THis is good. I haven’t been “here” for months. Good deal. I have an obsession with this counting, and so perhaps it was fate that took away the calculator! (I will write more about this issue another day. IT is a mental issues thing that I have struggled with since long before raw…)

Well, I am off to search for chocolate recipes in which to use the nibs. I am looking for something unique. LEt me know if you have a suggestion.

Cassy Smile

ps…I forgot to say! I discovered that this same HFS I shopped at is selling the celtic salt from the Grain & Salt Society in bulk! THIS tickled me to no end, since I was about to do an order. It is the larger granules, so one has to grind it, and that was one of the things I was going to order from the catalog. BUT, I figure I can just mash it for now. One needs a special ceramic grinder, otherwise you oxidize the metal fittings. (Been there, done that. Smile )