Retoxification after the detox

Some have asked about a follow up to the detox diet I did for two weeks. I should clarify that it was an elimination diet primarily, so you could eat more than some detox diets that consist of water, fiber, fruit, etc, but detox was definitely a part of it. You can find it here:

http://www.womentowomen.com/detoxification/detoxdiet.aspx

Now, believe what you may, detox diets are controversial in that some think they are the answer to everything (curing chronic disease, easing menopause) and some think they are actually unhealthy or at least unnecessary. As with many things I'm somewhere in the middle, but my overall opinion is, if you are generally healthy and it isn't too extreme, it can't hurt and you do learn something about yourself you might not otherwise...here's my thoughts post-detox diet.

Pros

Pros for me have more to do with the psychology of eating and my awareness of how food affects my body. It is a lesson in "food as fuel vs. food as enjoyment."

I found that refined sugar actually makes me nauseous most of the time but I tend to eat it because, well, its sugar and its in many things I enjoy. But without it I feel pretty damn good once I get over the cravings the first week. I learned I enjoy a few low glycemic sweeteners like NuStevia for smoothies and in tea with rice or soy milk. I also managed to substitute and feel as though I was getting sweetness in my day without ever getting a sugar high (and subsequent low) with Brown Rice Syrup, Blackstrap Molasses, and Agave Nectar. I decided, if i had to, I could totally live with just those indefinitely. I even made cookies that don't give you a sugar high (and were extremely filling after just one with all the oatmeal and whole wheat flour). The problem is, I dont have to live with those drastic changes, and so my motivation to be ultra strict with it comes and goes. I think over a lifetime those little changes here and there, even if not strictly followed, make a difference. And I'm here for life with my health so I try to never get into the trap of beating myself up for one unhealthy thing or another, I know overall I would rather be inconsistent than have a perpetual bad habit. At least I'm inconsistent with bad habits too:) OK I'm digressing. Next pro...

Of course with a less exciting diet and all that goes with detox you do consume less calories and take in more fluids which makes you less bloated. Any girl knows that's always a plus. But that's temporary.

Also having to be more mindful about preparing food and all that makes more conscious in general of eating, eating patterns, and our body's hunger cycles. Like Paul McKenna says, "eat consciously."

My skin did clear up which is a pro, but it got worse first. Just fyi.

You get to learn about new foods. I learned how to make a tofu cream sauce (after I could add tofy back in again) that was pretty decent and I learned about nutritional yeast and used it in a few dishes. I also now know that some of the sweeteners are just as good as Splenda but natural, so it will be an easy switch from now on. Also, I found I think I actually like Almond Butter (ingredients: almonds and salt) better than Peanut Butter (with preservatives, sugar, etc), and I used to be a Peanut Butter fiend! Knowledge is usually always good.

I think with any ritual, and this would qualify as a ritual in my mind, it signifies *something* (insert what you want) and that can be powerful. Whether you want to signify a new beginning, or moving on from something in your past, a health overhaul can be instrumental.

Last but not least! My PMS was virtually nonexistent. The second week of the detox I should have been in full force, esp bloating, headach, tender muscles, neck tension, and mood changes. Yeah those are typically normal for me and I had very little if any at all. Interesting...

Cons

Expensive! PCC loves me, though!

Limited nutritional value over the long run. Of course when on such a strict diet you miss out on trace this and vitamin that like you get when eating a well rounded diet. I would definitely burn out on it in the long term although some with food allergies stay on it indefinitely. I have a lot of respect for them. But I would miss cheese.

You can't eat out. At all. I tried.

So much fiber! Need I say more.

The best part of it all is, of course, the first day back to normal when you can have what you want. Its like when Scrooge woke up on Christmas Day; you wanna throw open the curtains and....pop open a Guiness with your pizza.

Well that's it. Next topic under health is my pilates teacher certification which is in full force. Til next time!

Live well,

B

Monica's Baby Gift

Ah, baby gifts....definitely fun projects. Since my baby is a dog I can only make these projects for friends. Monica is due in May. She wants to wait to know the sex of the baby which I thought was great, until I wanted to make a project and realized so much of baby stuff is gender specific. I winced and made one yellow project against my will, but the next one will be soft grey with red and a ducky.

My first sewn project besides pillow covers:

Naptime tote bag from Zoe Mellor's Nursery Knits. The quilted outside tote holds bottles, toys, diapers, etc and the side zipper completely unzips and is a reversible flannel nap pad/blanket. Monica is a busy woman and I had a feeling she would be toting her baby around, naps or no naps. She'll love it! I'm still not sure how to feel about yellow but that was as genderless as Jo Ann's had to offer.

Moose would not get out of the way of the camera, he's such a poser now. He HAD to be in every shot.

Here's a preview of what will go in the tote gift, it's still in the process of being knitted: http://www.colourway.co.uk/pwrs.htm?nknits/p03.jpg+420+630+Click_to_close

Hopefully will have it finished one of these days; it's slow knitting (size 5 needles)....

Live Well,

B

Evolution

I'm officially a Smith- I have my new social security card and passport. When we first got married it felt like nothing changed and its taken 6 months for it to really sink in and as time goes on I at least am feeling more married lol. That's a good thing, to clarify, kind of like getting through your first season as a team and having a winning record- it builds team spirit. And for women, especially, the name change is really a weird thing, maybe similar to a symbolic identity change. I'll finish with that, but I thought you guys might enjoy a chuckle at my expense of the "evolution" of my passports. They kept the second one, so I dont have it, (which is good because I was a bleach blonde), but somehow I was able to hang on to the very first one from 1990. So here's the 18- year difference. Ha!

Live Well,

B

PS and no, my hair isn't that *raven* dark, nor did my eye color change. They must have put the Armenian filter on my pic because it came back looking suspiciously ethnically different....

How I Got My Kitchen Remodeled

We knew the dishwasher had issues. It just wasn't draining properly. But, it also wasn't overflowing, just slow, so we let it go for awhile. Then we had our buds Blueby and RussTall over for an all-Vegan feast.

Side Note: Blueby is Vegan, the 3 of us others aren't, but I am learning how to eat more healthy foods and I wanted to do this for her. Here's what we had:

Apps: Walnut-Flaxseed Hummus and Tapenade

Curried Carrot Soup- this rocked!

Baked Squash Stuffed with Quinoa & Dried Fruit -good idea, needed *something* to make it pow

Asparagus and Collard Casserole with Tofu Cream Sauce- see below

Dessert: Croustarde aux Pommes - totally yum

And I got these mostly from: www.edenfoods.com - I like their search options for recipes and I can't wait to try more!

It all turned out pretty well, I have to say. But that's according to Blueby and she is so sweet you might serve her cardboard and she would find something nice to say about it. The casserole would probably be better as a layer in a vegan or vege lasagna, not on its own. It's just a little, blah. But, I took the leftovers the next day, added layers of lasagna noodles and diced tomatoes and a touch of Parmesan cheese the next night and Paco and I both agreed this was it's true calling. Voila!

Anyway, back to the dishwasher. It totally stopped draining. So, Paco, in his infinite wisdom (love you!) poured Drano in the dishwasher (after emptying it) and hoped for the best. The next thing I knew we had Drano bubbles and foam 4 inches think across the kitchen tile. The place I most want toxic liquid leaking. And to make it better, it was leaking into the garage through the ceiling below the kitchen. Almost onto my car.

So we let the dinner party dishes sit and I called ("Stop Freakin'! Call...") Beacon Plumbing. They came this morning and solved everything. The pump was broken, burned out, and we need a new dishwasher. Also the disposal is at the end of its life. And on top of it, the technician said politely that our kitchen sink was "low end quality" at best. And he could help us hook up our new gorgeous fridge to water if we decided to move it.

Well we knew the kitchen was needing to be remodeled. We may have reached critical mass that will send us over the edge into diving it to the project. The Beacon technician said "I'm sorry I wasn't able to fix it all and have it up and running for you...." I said "Whoo hoo!! New kitchen here we come!"

Live well,

B

Puppy Pooches

Someone mentioned last night they had not seen our dog yet. Moose is a 6 month old Boston Terrier and my best bud. A little strange looking but it compliments his personality:) I took these on a sunny day because he was posing so still, he really didn't want to move- he loves anything warm- the hairdryer, the heater, the sun. So here he is, in all his cuteness.

Love Your Dog Well,

B