Thursday, September 29, 2011

Only two meals a day?

I'm rereading my candida books, because there is so much information to soak in.  It helps to have some experience to draw from, too, now that I've been doing this for almost two months.  Now things make more sense, and things that I scanned over before now stand out to me.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this, though:  According to Natalia Rose in Detox for Women, we only need two meals a day.  WHAT?!  That is so opposite what I have ever been taught.  Even more jaw dropping:  she says the meal we should eliminate is breakfast.  We hear all the time in our society how breakfast is the most important meal.  And here's the kicker:  What Natalia says makes sense to me.  On the days that I have vegetable juice for breakfast I'm not hungry up until lunch. 

Her reasoning for only two meals:  She says we're taking in too much matter for our intestine to break down, overwhelming the bowel, which doesn't have the strength to work as it was designed to.  Her reasoning for getting rid of breakfast (rather than lunch or dinner):  The body has worked hard during the night to process the food eaten the day before.  The body's cycles are focused on eliminating what the body has processed in the night.  When you eat more food, all that energy goes to the stomach and digestion slows down. 

Guess what you can take in that doesn't take any digestive effort?  You got it.  Lovely fresh vegetable juice.  It's a good thing I read this.  I need a little pep talk on the importance of juicing, considering some of the juice combinations I've had lately scared me off a little.  And yes, I do love my buckwheat cereal, but I think I'll tie it in later in the day as a dessert (my version of tapioca pudding).  She says that if I just give juicing a chance I'll "be amazed by how refreshingly delicious the juice is and how desirable juicing for breakfast can be- for your body and palate".

Hmm.  We'll see.  I'm going to commit to juicing for two weeks, and see if being consistent makes me feel any different about it.  I'm certain that the juicing I've done over the last weeks has played a big part in my weight loss.

Do any of you juice?  What are your favorite juicing recipes?

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Today's Juice: the great eliminator

I still have shivers from today's juice, but it wasn't that bad.  I am stuffed full, too.  This recipe made 3 cups, and I drank it all.  Next time I'll have to share.

Here's the recipe:

the great eliminator
*What does that mean?  Eliminator of toxins?  Or that I'll have to use the bathroom a lot today?  Thankfully I'm mostly at home today just in case.  UPDATE:  It's the 2nd one, but just one good clean out. :) Thought you'd like to know.

makes 2 to 3 cups

1 medium or large beet
1 cucumber
1/2 to 1 head romaine lettuce
10 medium carrots
1 inch fresh ginger (optional) *I left this out!  I know it's good for detoxing, but I just couldn't bring myself to add it.  I haven't recovered from that last juice I had with fresh garlic & ginger!

I give this juice 4 stars out of 5.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Product Review: Buckwheat!

Buckwheat-  A few month ago I hadn't even heard of buckwheat!  What is it exactly? Well, according to wikipedia, it's not even related to the wheat family.  It's a fruit, not a grain. (!?)  I tried buckwheat a month ago, and I'm in love!  The only thing I've tried is Bob's Red Mill Organic Creamy Buckwheat hot cereal.  Mmmmmmm.  So good!  This morning I had to make a second serving because I love it so much. 


I bought this cereal by chance.  It was out of desperation, because I was missing my morning cereal.  It was one of the first things I came across while looking for cereal at a health food store, and I remembered that it was on a list of things I could have.  I can't even remember how much it cost- I think about $4-$5.  There are 12 servings per container, and this bag has lasted me at least a month and a half.

It's really easy to make.  You just put 1/4 cup of the buckwheat in a bowl, add 3/4 c. water, microwave on high for 3 minutes, and then let it sit, covered, for 3 minutes.  When it's ready it's kind of solidified & kind of gelatinous, which took me off guard.  But it's actually kind of the consistency of tapioca pudding when you stir it up.  Add the stevia & milk, and it is YUMMY.

I give this cereal five out of five stars!  Now I want to try the buckwheat groats for cereal.  Have any of you tried them before?  What are some of your favorite "healthy" foods that took you by surprise?



Monday, September 26, 2011

Game Plan this Week

I'm coming up with a new game plan each week.  Changing something here... tweaking something there... going back to Plan A a bit modified- you get the picture.  I'm not sure why I can't just find one idea and stick with it.  I'm taking bits of pieces of every one's advice & then adjusting according to my experience.  Part of the change is because I'm learning so much every day!  I wish that I had hours & hours on end to study & read about healthy, whole food living.  I read a bunch of sugar-free blogs this weekend- LOVED IT!  But now to take all that I'm reading and focus it in for this week.

Before I mention my plan, I need to say that I read about an elimination diet on http://www.nourishingmeals.com/  (HERE) that helps you figure out which foods you are allergic to.  If you've read my past posts you've seen how I can now really tell when a food hits me wrong & I am sensitive to it.  Everything that I read about the elimination diet rang true- You can get that in tune with your body to know when foods cause irritation. 

Before reading the article on this website I had been wondering why it is so bad to eat a food that might irritate you a little bit.  Why not just suck & up & deal with the scratchy throat or itchy skin, or bit of headache (etc.), but still enjoy the food.  Now I know that when you avoid the food, your body isn't causing that irritation, thus retains less water, and has less swelling.  I think I see that in my abdominal area- it's not so poofy, even though I'm not doing much ab work.

Last week I didn't lose any weight.  I've lost 18 pounds total, which is great, but I'm aiming for at least 10 more.  I bet some of you can guess why...  Mmmm hmmm.  My personal chef (read about it HERE).  I've found that having extra things in the freezer isn't so great for me.  If it's there, I want to eat it.  They were yummy & healthy, but I just didn't need to be eating them.  I usually wasn't hungry when I ate them.  I'm definitely an emotional eater.  So I'll still have her come, but we'll focus on healthy food for my family that is still off-limits for me.

Okay- back to business.  Here's my game plan for this week:

Breakfast

Daily:  Triple Leaf Detox herbal tea
One time:  2-3 free-range eggs with onion, tomato, spinach, raw goats milk cheese
Two times:  Creamy buckwheat hot cereal or Cream brown rice cereal with raw milk & a few drops of stevia *Mmmmm- yummy!  This has helped me with some variety in my diet- I missed my morning cereal!
Four times:  Fresh juice made in my juicer (natalia's class "green lemonade, life force energy power-ade, vegetable "chocolate milk", and the great eliminator)  *It's kind of surprising to me, but when I only do juice for breakfast, it is completely satisfying to me & I'm not hungry until lunch time. 

Lunch

Daily:  Huge salad with romaine lettuce.  Add ins:  Any of the following:  spinach, bell pepper, cucumber, cilantro, tomato (preferably locally grown, vine ripened!), red onion, cooked quinoa or brown rice, and a large avocado.  Juice from 1/2 lemon for dressing, plus salt & pepper.  *Love this salad!  I've tried switching it out for more variety, but I've found I miss it too much.  For now it's here to stay.  Notice I'm not adding in any proteins with my veggies.  Just starches with neutral veggies for this meal (avacado is considered a starch in this case).

Dinner

Here's where it gets a bit trickier.  At this point my dinner is usually different from my family's.  Not sustainable for the long run, but I'll get there!  Bit by bit.

Daily:  Small green salad with romaine & any add ins (other veggies)
Other Days:
Canned salmon (wild-caught)-  *Just out of the can (stirred up to crush the bones).  I'm completely content with that.
Turkey breast from Costco
Meat loaf (gluten & sugar-free)
3-4 egg quiche *Found a new recipe with a brown rice crust- can't wait to try it!
Chicken/veggie soup
Shredded beef on a brown rice wrap w/veggies
Homemade personal pizzas *shredded cauliflower/egg/goat's milk cheese crust with shredded raw goat's milk cheese on top

Friday, September 23, 2011

Recipe Review: Chips That Won't Go to Your Hips

I tried a new recipe last night that I found in Natalia Rose's Detox for Women.  I had been planning on trying it for weeks, and it sounded really good!  Here it is:

Chips That Won't Go to Your Hips

2 large carrots
2 large parsnips
1 beet
1 zucchini
2 tablespoon pure, organic butter
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 packet of stevia (optional for a sweet and salty flavor)

Slice all the vegetables into coin size slices.  Place on a baking sheet  Melt butter & drizzle over veggies  Top veggies with a bit of sea salt  Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour (or until crispy)  Enjoy with a salad at lunch or dinner, dip into guacamole or salsa, or as you like!

Sounds easy enough, right?  Well, they didn't turn out so well.  I wish that I had pictures!  I'm not used to taking pictures of my food, you know?  Some of the pieces were burnt too much around the edges, while others were kind of mushy in the middle.  I tried parsnips for the first time, and I'm definitely not a fan. 

I didn't add zucchini, and I just realized I didn't use stevia, either.  Sweet didn't sound like it would be so good with these, but if I were to do it again I would try it.   This makes me want a new dehydrator.  I think that would have worked a ton better with this recipe.  I would definitely use it now that I'm trying all these new recipes.

Tell me about your worst health food flop.
My carrot & sweet potato comfort soup (read about it HERE)

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

My Own Personal Chef

That would be the life, eh?  Today I had a glimpse of it, and it is awesome!  I had a personal chef for 5 hours today.  Not only that, she specializes in gluten-free eating, and is a whiz at changing recipes to meet your needs. Now how can I afford such a luxury?  Trading!  She cooks; I teach Suzuki piano lesson (which she wanted to put her son in).

We cooked two big roasts in the crock pot, and shredded them up for tacos & burritos.  We made Oops bread, gluten free crescent rolls, meatloaf (a kind for me, a kind for the fam), mini-cauliflower/cheese/egg pizza crusts, and sugar-free peanut butter cookies (for the fam).

I know she got some of these recipes from various blogs, so I'll wait to post them until I know where credit is due.  My favorite right now is the pizza crust.  Yum!  Oh, and next time I'll try & remember to take some pictures to post. 

Feels great to have a few more healthy options that I can eat! (Yes!  Variety!)

Monday, September 19, 2011

It's Official- I'm Allergic to Coconut Oil.

Official by me, anyway.  When I first started this diet I was eating quite a bit of coconut oil.  I had been told that it has properties that can help cleanse & get rid of candida.  At the time my throat felt a little funny when I would eat it, but it wasn't terrible.  I quit eating it for a while because I read somewhere that butter was better.  I just started cooking with that instead.



I got a new shipment of coconut oil, because I had been using it to cook for my family.  I tried it again, and almost immediately my throat started itching, to the point of a little coughing.  It's still a bit itchy, and my skin is itchy, too.  Sheesh.  I hope this is temporary, because it's supposed to be so good for you! 

Oh, and big bummer about the Coconut Bliss ice cream that I sometimes would have a few bites of as my little luxury.  I noticed the itching when I would eat it too, but I didn't have very much so I thought it was okay.  I'm going to have to stock up on Goat's Milk Ice cream to take it's place.

Potassium Juice- Not So Bad!

I was all ready for my morning juice to be awful.  It has 1/2 a bunch of parsley in it- how could that be good?

Well, surprise, surprise.  It's not too bad.  In fact, probably the best juice I've made so far.  So it's a keeper!

Here's the recipe (from http://www.livelighter.org/):

Potassium Juice

3 carrots
3 stalks celery
½ bunch spinach
½ bunch parsley

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Can Healthy Eating Affect Warts?!

Okay, weird topic, I know.  But over the last few weeks I've noticed that something is going on with my warts.  Let me just say that I've been battling these warts for years.  So long that I've forgotten how long.  I just always remember them. 



I remember that in the early 2000's I battled them with a vengeance.  I was determined to get rid of them.  In fact, that's why I have the warts lower down on the middle finger.  That little cluster started one time after I had my warts burned on  my ring finger the 4th or 5th time.  It just spread, the little bugger!

Finally my doctor told me he had given up and that I would need to go to a dermatologist.  I didn't feel like doing that, so I tried a bunch of home remedies.  I tried band-aiding small pieces of banana peel to it, putting apple cider vinegar on them, duct taping them, etc.  Finally I gave up, too.  I decided to just live with them, even though they're annoying when I'm typing or playing the piano.

A few weeks ago I started to notice that my warts were looking weird.  Kind of like they were more defined, like getting red around the edges, and drier in the middle.  A week before that I watched a Kid History clip on YouTube (hilarious!), where one of the guys is acting like a mom giving her kids all these health food concoctions.  In a sing song voice she tells them to eat it and says something like "it will make your warts go away!".  Could it be true?  Could healthy "cleanse" eating also get rid of my warts?!  I guess time will tell.  I'll keep you posted.


Friday, September 16, 2011

In Mourning Tonight

Yes, I'm being a bit melodramatic about being in mourning.  But it just hit me.  Tears.  I won't be running my race tomorrow. 

I  signed up for the Top of Utah Marathon, and was really excited to be working on getting a sub-4 hr marathon.  I created a training plan on Runner's World.com that told me how fast to train each time, and it was much different than how I trained for my first marathon in May.  I was staying right on track (even with the speed workouts!), and then my stupid appendicitis hit on the 4th of July. 

I was planning to get back on track after 4-weeks off, but then I met with a different doctor & found out about my candida issues (which I'm sure had something to do with the appendicitis!).  I knew that it was time to take care of the problem, and in doing that I would have to cut out most carbs, which are a main source of fueling when you're running long distances.  I knew that I'd have to cut back my distances, and that my running would be affected. 

Right now I'm in "maintain" mode, where I'm doing Monday/Wed/Friday/Saturday:  4 miles/4 miles/4 miles/6 miles, because I don't want to lose my running base.  At first even that amount was terrible, but it's starting to feel better.  It's such a high for me to be outside running in the crisp morning air.  I LOVE fall running!

I thought I had come to terms with my running situation, but I just read a Facebook post from a friend who is running the TOU tomorrow.  I wished her luck, and then she wrote back and said she wished I was there.  That little comment made the tears come.  Man, I love to run.  I wish I was there, too.  Hopefully next year I'll have my body in order and I'll be lighter, stronger, and faster, running my next marathon.  Can't wait!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Need Some Variety, PLEEEEEAAAASE!

So I haven't been writing as much lately.  It's because I've been a little crazy and unsure.  I wrote about getting a little sugar crazy last week.  Thankfully that has passed, but I still feel anxious about eating the same things over and over.

I've changed my direction a bit.  Yes, I'm flighty like that, if you haven't already noticed.  Although I still really like Natalia's book "Detox for Women" (HERE), I've decided to use a different book.  I'm still feeling some candida symptoms (um, externally... womanly.. how to say that politely?), which means I really need to cut ALL sugar out for awhile.  No chocolate or goat's milk ice cream like she suggested.  Disclaimer- she DID say not to do it if you knew your candida was throughout your whole body, but I just conviniently ignored that advice.  I figured I had to keep my sanity.  What I've decided, though, is that it is worse for my sanity to still have some symptoms, even after making such drastic changes and only eating vegetables, eggs, and lean meat!  No more chocolate for a while :(.

The book that I'm switching over to now is by Ann Boroch, and is called the Candida Cure.  It's very well done.  She really goes into depth explaining what Candida is, and why it is a problem.  Then she has a 90-day plan laid out to help you cleanse your system & wipe out the candida.  She gives you a 2-week sample menu, and includes lots of recipes.  They're pretty basic, but have a lot more variety than the Detox for Women book.

Today I tried the "Vegetable Alakalizer Juice", and boy.  I really hope that I get used to these juices fast.  It's all I can do to gulp them down as I shiver.  Here's the recipe:

3 stalks celery
1/2 small carrot
1/2 green apple (no seeds)
4-5 large handfuls of raw spinach, watercress, black kale, dandelion greens, and/or parsley
1 clove peeled garlic, and/or 1-inch slice of ginger (optional)

I put both the garlic and ginger in, and WHOO!  It had a zing to it.  Not my favorite juice, but I'll put up with it. 

Now that I have my 2-week menu lined up I just need to plan out my shopping trip for tomorrow & get organized again.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Blueberries... and they seemed so innocent!

The last few days I have been craving sweet.  REALLY craving sweet.  I'm not sure what's up with that.  The only thing that I can think of is blueberries.  In the books I've read they say that after about 4 weeks you can start to reintroduce low sugar fruits, so I started with one of my favorites, blueberries. 

Oh, they were amazing!  Loved every bite!  But then I started craving sweet.  Like a whole lot.  I didn't break down and eat anything really bad, although I did eat more coconut milk icecream & ultra dark chocolate than I should.  I'm going to finish off the blueberries I have (can't let them go to waste, now can I?)  but then I think I'll cut them out.  I bought some raw milk to add, too.  I'm hoping the protein & fat in it will help fill me up & satisfy me.

The great thing is I'm still not hungry most of the time between meals.  Just when I go nuts craving sweets!  (or salty!).

Thursday, September 8, 2011

The Skinny on Skin

I am so amazed at all of the healthy living things out there that I have been CLUELESS about.  I'm learning new things every day.  One of the new things that I've learned about is body brushing.  I had never even heard of it before.   For those of you who are like me, here is a basic run down of body brushing:

First, you purchase a natural bristle body brush, found at most health food stores (seriously?  I had never even seen these before!  And now that I know what they are, I've seen them a lot.).  In the morning, before getting dressed, you brush your skin, using a small circular motion, working your way towards the heart.  This is supposed to help exfoliate your skin, and help get rid of all the toxins that are being expelled through your skin.

I've only done it a few times, and haven't really noticed anything, but it does feel good.  They say you should feel invigorated after brushing.  Not sure I would call it "invigorating" yet, but it does feel good.

Oh, and on a side note since I'm talking about skin.  On Monday I got some sort of itchy rash on my torso, just on the front.  I've never had hives or anything, but I think that might be what this is.  It's just another way my body is trying to get rid of the junk in it.  Strange, though.  I've been more diligent in my body brushing since that has happend.  Hopefully the rash is short lived.  Another thing they recommend that I haven't done yet is going to a sauna.  That's supposed to help you sweat out the toxins.  Maybe I'll try & work that into my schedule a few evenings a week.

Have any of you "body brushed before?  If so, what did you think?
What are some of your favorite health trends right now?

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Mmmmmmmmm.... Baby Food Soup!

Well, I can actually say now that I'm feeling a difference with this new diet.  It's only taken.... hmmm... about three weeks?  Four weeks?  The great thing is that I'm not hungry.  I HATE that.  I always have been one to eat on time, and eat my plate clean.  You know those kids that would skip lunch at school?  Not me. EVER.  So the thought of a diet change is something that really put me off. 

In fact, I suspected candida a few years ago, but then blew it off because of the dietary changes that would have to be made.  The nurse practitioner I was going to had me do a "candida cleanse" which was quite similar to this, but allowed nuts.  I'm not sure why, but I had a horrible reaction to it & felt AWFUL.  Not to mention the timing was horrible.  I thought that I would be able to do it over spring break while the rest of my family ate out & had yummy treats & goodies.  NOT.  And I was training for my first Ragnar at the time, and I knew that the altered diet would mess that up.  So I didn't do the diet, and wasn't convinced that it was Candida.  I thought it might just be my Vitamin D deficiency, or hormonal imbalance.

Now, a year and a half later, I know it was the Candida.  And now I definitely feel mentally clearer, and happier.  YEAAAAAAAA!!!! Brain fog & depression is why I went to the doctor in the first place, and now to see a difference is the best!  I still am kind of moody, though, and I have some theories on that (it CERTAINLY couldn't just be personality, could it?).  And I think it's just more than frustration when I don't eat a treat.  More on that, though, on another day.

Today I decided to try a new recipe for lunch-  Carrot & Sweet Potato comfort soup.  It has 2 baked sweet potatoes (peeled), 2 cups baby carrots (cooked), 2 cups vegetable broth, a little salt, coriander, and cumin, and a packet of stevia.  I blended it up in my Vitamix, and it is basically warmed up baby food.  I guess I can see how it would be enjoyable on a cold winter night, but for now I think I'll stick to my huge lunch salad with a ton of vegetables & an avocado.


Thursday, September 1, 2011

Juicers? Juicers, anyone?

Yesterday I tried my first Green Lemonade.  Ummmm, interesting.  (See post  HERE:)  My stomach didn't know what to think, and felt kind of queasy for a half hour, but I just tried to think happy thoughts & it passed.  It did keep me full for the morning, which Natalia said it would. 

My new juicer isn't the greatest (only turned off once because it jammed, or overheated or something), but I'm grateful that it worked.  I let it sit for a minute, unplugged it, cleaned it, and then it was able to work again.  You know, for $3, how do you beat that?

It turns out that the juicer I ordered was cancelled.  I ordered from some canning website.  Poor customer service on their part for not sending an email explaining why they were issuing the credit.  When I was ordering the juicer I knew there was a chance they wouldn't have it.  Believe it or not, but juicers are in big demand right now.  You know that documentary I mentioned a while back about the guy who went on a juicing diet for 2 months?  (HERE)  Well, I guess it's created a surge in juicer sales, and the good, less expensive ones are out of stock & back ordered EVERYWHERE(!) until the end of October.  Crazy.  So in the meantime I'll be content with my $3 garage sale Jack LaLane juicer.  (There's always Christmas, right?)

Today the kids want to try my juice.  I'm very curious what they'll think.  :)