It's both wonderful and frustrating to have so many things to want to blog about and not having a good stretch of time to write them all up. We are getting a dog -- our first since we've had kids -- this weekend, so I'm taking a few minutes to get one thing down and I may have to let the others percolate. Just know that I HAVE to HAVE to HAVE to write up my experience at Philadelphia Chutney Co -- So good! But in the meantime, I've been thinking a lot about how I came to the decision to do my detox, which I continue to follow. The path leads back to two TED Talks presentations I watched over the past months. The first was this one with Matt Cutts: Try Something New for 30 Days. The big takeaway? If you want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 Days. It's shorrt -- 3:27. Watch it here: http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html The other was this video by Dr. Terry Wahls. Longer, but really powerful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc&sns=fb She has MS and went from wheelchair-bound to complete mobility in a very short period of time through diet. Her recommended diet is not one that most people would be willing to try, but when the stakes are high enough and the will strong enough, we can do anything. After watching both videos, what other conclusion could I draw than to do a detox for 30 days? Which brings me back to the top of the entry in which I bemoan lack of time to share my bloggy wisdom and to put into this site and my gluten-free coaching endeavor the things I've decided to pursue. If I want anything badly enough, I can do anything for 30 days. Now time for me to start my next 30 days. It's going to come to pass whether I rise to the challenge or not. I'm in Day 25 of my no sugar etc. challenge. I'm still feeling great, but my self-imposed paleo-vegan diet did present me with a delimma: Do I go to my first Philadelphia Gluten-Free Potlucks MeetUp where I know the menu will be very tempting with loads of GF pastas and yummy baked goods and either a) stand out even in a GF crowd by what I CAN'T eat, b) cave in and eat everything? I have to admit I was a little intimidated by the group because of the description of their December cookie swap potluck that I didn't attend -- they sound pretty darn serious about their gf baked goods! I decided to just put myself out there and go anyway, and do what I do for every mainstream potluck -- take something that I know I like and can eat and stick to that. I made a bean dip with carrot and celery sticks, which was pretty good, but which needed a little more pizzazz. (Next time I'll volunteer to bring my Spicy Red Lentil and Spinach Stew -- so good!) I also planned to drink lots of water and tea and concentrate on the company and the conversation instead of the dessert table. And I'm very glad I went! It's funny how having one little (okay, major) common denominator like having an auto-immune disorder can really break the ice! The conversation was about food, and celiac, and life, and the intersections of all of the above. It's a great group of people. We laughed a lot. Everyone was welcoming and engaging and though I was a little self-conscious about not really being able to eat much that other people brought, I felt supported anyway. And I felt encouraged by organizer Jessie, who noted that it was nice to see some vegetables on the table, since they tend to gravitate toward making items that are typically not naturally gluten-free. I'll take that as an invitation to come and participate in the way that meets my health goals and be happy to share something that everyone else can enjoy as well, even if they quickly move on to the cupcakes. I have to note that I'm proud of myself for not caving. I was tempted. If I knew the group better I'd have smelled everything like I do when gluteny desserts cross my path at work. I really enjoy the smell of tasty treats even if I can't eat them. Maybe next time. I borrowed this photo from Cathy who was in attendance and who organizes Greater Berks Gluten Free Social and Support Group in Reading, PA. Check it out! After an afternoon of GF pizza and diet coke, I felt lousy for a couple of days. And it wasn't that I felt that bad physically. It was like a crazy mean girl moved into my head and continually told me terrible things about myself for the better part of two days. I felt so low that I actually took a day off of work. To anyone not in my head, it might not have been noticable, other than I couldn't seem to rally much energy. But to me, it was like a really bad dream that I was having a hard time waking up from.
As a regular participant at PEERtrainer, I read a lot about healthy eating and living. Right now there is a big push on the site for a detox/cleanse program with JJ Virgin. I'm not keen to pay money for that program, but I read up on it and it seems more sound than doing a juice fast or a Master Cleanse sort of thing. And John from Gluten Free Works who came to our GF in Delco MeetUp (I'll talk about that in a future post) shared with us the negative effect cane sugar has on his physical and emotional health. I decided the universe might be trying to tell me something, so I'm going to follow these breadcrumbs. I have crafted for myself a test to see how I will feel after I rid myself of added sugars, refined carbs and artificial sweeteners. I'm starting with a week, but my real intention is to go longer. I'm so fully counting on feeling really great by this time next week that I won't want to go back. In addition to eliminating that stuff, I am adding more protein (a suggestion from JJ Virgin. Apparently amino acids are necessary to transport toxins out of the body, so since I'll be freeing them up with all this clean living, I want to get them out of me.) So, I'm sampling gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free protein powders this week, and I'll share my findings in an upcoming post. As a follow-up to my Nutritional Yeast Exposé, I want to report that I've been enjoying it on Beans and Greens. And scrambled eggs. And scrambled eggs with Beans and Greens. Very adventurous, I know. But it's good like this. Go easy on the salt though, the nutritional yeast adds its own sort of salty quality.
And as an aside, take 17 minutes to watch this TedX presentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc&sns=fb A physician with MS has made great strides in her recovery from eating very nutrient-dense foods. B-vitamins feature heavily as a desired dietary component. Nutritional yeast has loads of B vitamins. Nuff said. Here are a couple of great YouTube links about things to always have in your freezer and fridge to make sure you make healthy choices with you are hungry and pressed for time. I realized while watching them that all of the suggestions were gluten-free. In fact, the presenter notes at the end of the second video that her husband has a wheat allergy. She makes a quinoa "tebuleh" that she keeps on hand.
It's solid advice, and I follow most of the suggestions. Check 'em out: Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtpxqDi6sF4 Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clGlNNQdAlQ |
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