Food Fog

Not So Cleansed

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

So, I finished "Raw Cleanse" product from the Garden of Life company yesterday. It was week-long regimen of herbal and fiber supplements. Unfortunately, it didn't leaved me feeling very cleansed at all. My original symptoms of bloating and irregularity remain, and were actually a little more pronounced during this program. So, for me, it wasn't a quick fix. I kept a detailed food journal and record of "eliminations" (see below) during the "cleanse week" to maybe give myself a little insight into what I can tweak, if needed.

On that note, I've been feeling drawn to try juice fasting for quite some time. However, I'm aware of the pre-planning and support that would entail, as I still would have to feed my kids daily and be around food. It wouldn't necessarily be a spa-like, retreat type experience. I would need to be organized and have a good support system in place. So, I think I'll be researching some options, and may try a mini-fast (weekend) sometime soon, just to see how it goes. I really feel like it might be the jumpstart my digestive systems needs.

We had a great vegan potluck this past weekend with our MeetUp.com group. We showed the DVD "Eating," which highlights some of the health and environmental benefits of a whole foods, plant-based diet. It was well articulated and generated some interesting discussion. For our food contribution, we brought along salad fixings, raw hemp/almond fudge, raw sweet potato pudding and a cooked sprouted mung bean salad. The kids came along with my mom, too, and everyone enjoyed sampling the different foods. Unfortunately, Joe didn't have much of a selection with his nut, soy and wheat allergies, but he did okay, and ate plenty when he got home.

Darren and I are both trying to clear more space in our schedule to prioritize time together and time to exercise, but it's tough. We're not being too hard on ourselves, though... just doing our best. We ordered the DVD's for our Total Gym and the poster of all the different exercises, hoping we can establish a little routine with that. It feels so good to stretch and use my muscles, and if we can sequester ourselves in the basement a few times a week, it's a nice activity to do together, and may prove beneficial from a strength-building perspective.

I'm heading into this week a little tired from not enough sleep last night, but in a place of real gratitude and appreciation for all the opportunities in my life. I managed to get a solid hour of alone time with Flo and Joe today in the basement, working on a project for our Earth Scouts group, and just talking and listening to them. With such a hectic schedule and a busy toddler, those moments are less than I would like, and it just made my day!

I know that continuing to focus on my health and balance in my own life really enables me to give more of myself to my family in a quality way. So, whenever I feel too self-focused taking time to exercise, read health related books, writing this blog or preparing healthy foods, I remember that it's a tool for my own growth, and if done in a balanced way, a good example of self-care, not self absorption.

So, on with the week!

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Seven Day "Raw Cleanse" Food Journal

Raw Cleanse Day 1 (Jan 18/2010)

Breakfast
2 apples & 1 grapefruit chopped
1 herbal tea with almond milk

Snack
6 figs, 2 frozen bananas, 4 soaked brazil nuts... chopped together in a bowl

Lunch
Leftover from raw potluck
Pumpkin seed pate
Celery root salad

Snack
Bowl of leftover chia seed pudding
Spoonful of cashew butter with handful of raisins

Dinner
Salad with lettuce, pea shoots, onion, carrots, celery root, raisins, hemp seeds, olive oil, vinegar, sea salt, garlic & pepper

Evening
1 herbal tea with almond milk

Raw Cleanse Day 2 (Jan 19/2010)

Breakfast
3 apples
1 head of romaine lettuce

Snack
1 herbal tea with almond milk
10 or so pieces of celery
A few pieces of cucumber and Jerusalem artichoke

Dinner
Big salad (romaine, pea shoots, cilantro, parsley, red onion, celery root, raisins, olive oil, raw vinegar, sea salt, garlic, pepper)

Raw Cleanse Day 3 (Jan 20/2010)
(No BM)

Breakfast
3 apples, 3 tangelos, 1 grapefruit - chopped up into a fruit salad

Snack
Handful of raw gingersnap crackers
Tea with raw sesame milk

Dinner
Big green salad (romaine, pea shoots, parsley, cilantro, shredded celery root, red onions, carrots, raisins, hemp seeds, olive oil, raw vinegar, sea salt, garlic, pepper)

Snack
2 bananas
Chamomile tea with raw almond milk

Raw Cleanse Day 4 (Jan 21/2010)

Breakfast
Large mason jar of green juice (chard, dandelion greens, cucumber, celery, Jerusalem artichoke, burdock root, beet, apple, orange, lemon & ginger)

Snack
Tea with hemp milk

Lunch
Fruit salad (3 apples, 2 grapefruits, 2 tangelos... chopped up and mixed together)
Tea with hemp milk

Dinner
Big green salad (romaine, pea shoots, parsley, cilantro, shredded celery root, red onions, carrots, raisins, hemp seeds, olive oil, raw vinegar, sea salt, garlic, pepper)

Snack
3 bananas, mashed with pinch of cinnamon and cayenne pepper...
5 pieces of celery to dip in banana mush... it's really tasty!

Raw Cleanse Day 5 (Jan 22/2010)
(No BM)

Breakfast
3 apples, 2 tangelos

Snack
2 Tangelos
Tea with hemp milk

Lunch
Small green salad with apple cider vinegar, fresh lime and orange juice, black pepper

Snack
Tea with hemp milk
Half a frozen banana

Dinner
Kelp Noodle Salad (kelp noodles, romaine, pea shoots, parsley, cilantro, shredded celery root, red onions, carrots, beets, cauliflower, raisins, hemp seeds, kelp flakes, olive oil, raw vinegar, sea salt, garlic, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, black pepper)

Raw Cleanse Day 6 (Jan 23/2010)

Breakfast
3 apples

Vegan Potluck in afternoon
Big green salad (romaine, pea shoots, parsley, cilantro, shredded celery root, red onions, carrots, raisins, olive oil, raw vinegar, sea salt, garlic, pepper)

Small bowl of raw sweet potato chia pudding

Tiny square of raw chocolate hemp/almond fudge

Later in the day
Tea with almond milk
Small bowl of raw sweet potato chia pudding

Raw Cleanse Day 7 (Jan 24/2010)
(No BM)

Breakfast
3 apples, 2 tangelos... chopped

Snack
Chamomile tea with almond milk

Lunch/Dinner (4pm)
Big green salad (romaine, pea shoots, parsley, cilantro, shredded celery root, celery, red onions, carrots, raisins, olive oil, raw beet slices, raw vinegar, sea salt, garlic, pepper)
5 or 6 raw sesame/flax crackers

Snack (7pm)
1 Asian pear
3 dried figs
1 piece of raw chocolate hemp/almond fudge

Raw Cleanse

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

A busy weekend behind me, and a full calendar for the week ahead, leaves me feeling a little depleted, yet thankful for all the opportunities we have. At least today was fairly sedate. I stayed home to wait for our weekly produce co-op delivery. The delivery window is between 7am and 4pm, though they usually show up by late morning. However, today they didn't come until later in the afternoon, so I had already been up, worked out, tackled a couple dreaded projects, like pooper-scooping the yard and folding four baskets of laundry. By early evening, both Darren and I were sitting around, kind of wondering whether we should be trying to be productive with the rest of our day, or if we should just enjoy the few hours without anything on the schedule to just "be." We opted for our respective activities; him watching a hockey game and me checking my email, reading a bit, and making the kids a quick dinner.

This week, I decided to try a "Raw Cleanse" product. I think years of dietary self-abuse have left my digestion sluggish. I've been tweaking things in my diet for the past couple years, trying to improve symptoms of severe bloating and "irregularity," to no avail. I've been to the doctor countless times, only to have the vague diagnosis of IBS, so I've resolved to just keep trying different things. I'm aware that stress can also play a big factor with these symptoms, so I'm working on that, too. Things on my ideal self-healing protocol would include regular Hatha yoga, meditation, good sleep, juice fasting and maybe even looking into colonics. But, in the meantime, where time and energy are huge deterrents to self-care, I'll experiment this "Raw Cleanse" in a box. I don't have huge expectations with this product, as it contains many of the things I already eat, and my diet is already quite high in fiber. Today is day 2, I'll see how I'm feeling by the beginning of next week.

Thankfully, I don't have any early morning activities tomorrow, so the prospect of a full eight hours sleep is highly probable...

The Reallocation of Stuff

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

It seems the theme of the past week has been decluttering. As we've simplified our dietary lifestyle, it's trickled down into the desire to organize our environment and minimize the excess. So, we've slowly been making our way through the few clutter zones in our home and liberating ourselves from some useless stuff.

Last week Darren suddenly got inspired one evening, and emptied out about half of his side of the closet, getting rid of old work shirts that were either too big or just outdated. I had equal success thinning out some of the kid clutter that accumulated in the playroom, as well as, all the art supplies in the basement. I'm just working my way around the house, delving into those few recesses to which stuff gravitates, trying to be decisive about what we really need and what is just weighing us down. Some exciting upcoming projects include organizing our filing better and discarding useless paperwork, sorting the kids clothes to pass on to friends or charity, and sorting a few remaining boxes in the basement of my dad's old stuff and some old family slides that I'm really not sure what to do with.

Along with pairing down and being more mindful of what we need to keep, we've definitely been more conscious of what we need to bring in. At every juncture where acquiring something is an option, whether it be through purchase or otherwise, we're more thoughtful about what purpose the item will serve and whether or not it will add to our vision for our home, or detract from it. Often times, the whole "less is more" strategy really holds true.

I recently DVRed that show "Hoarders," and have been occasionally watching episodes while on the treadmill. Although, thankfully, that's one problem I do not have, I can empathize with some of the behaviors that lead to such extreme cases of not being able to let go of stuff. It has made me ponder the importance of helping my kids develop the skills to be decisive about what they want to bring into their environment, and the impact that stuff will have on their lives. I make them watch "The Story of Stuff" video from TheStoryofStuff.com at least every few months, despite the eye rolling and sighs when I launch into my monologue on why we need to be conscious of what we acquire. This speech is especially triggered every time we pass one of those stupid "claw machines." Who invented those? There's one at the ice rink, where we spend a lot of time, and despite their constant pleas for a quarter to try the machine, I rarely relent. Grandma, on the other hand, is another story. I've now started making her take home their victorious acquisitions. Let them clutter up her house!

In addition to trying to bring a little more order to our home, I have been trying to do the same with my thoughts. Going on the premise that "thoughts are things," and really have an impact on one's experience, I am continuing to focus on aligning them with my intentions. Looking at my thoughts as the brushstrokes for the painting of my life really gives perspective to things. It makes everyday feel more like an artistic venture with a creative vision in mind, rather than just throwing paint at a canvas, hoping the end result is visually pleasing.

Staying Motivated

Friday, 08 January 2010

Heading into the New Year, I've started thinking about motivation. We all need it. From the smallest tasks, to the more ambitious endeavors, if we don't have a sense of purpose or drive behind our intent, the results are unlikely to be impressive. So, five years into my journey to find balance with food, I find myself pondering how my motivation has changed now that the weight is gone (minus a few stubborn pounds).