It's Wednesday, and everything's fantastic! I juiced up: red leaf lettuce, parsley, cucumber, celery, carrot, apple, pear, ginger, lime, and fennel this morning and mixed it together to make 4L of juice. That will last the day; I might need to make another L later; we'll see.
The last couple days I've developed excema on the back of my left hand; it's terribly itchy and I keep telling myself it's a detox reaction and that my body will heal itself when it's ready. The other detox symptom I'm having is roseacea on my face; at times my face will be fuscia - REALLY bright and red. I'm glad to be going to Reiki Level One this weekend; perhaps that will help my body release the toxins it has stored up and make this a gentle detox. :) Got a body fat/body water scale yesterday and was a little surprised at the reading, but it is good to have a baseline. Interesting that the naturopath has done as much as he feels he can in terms of helping me cleanse; I'll continue with the juice feast as long as I feel it's helpful (probably 'til Dec 1st or so), as I think there is more that *I* can do. And the one big big key that is missing in my daily life right now is daily exercise. A year ago I was rowing 10 kms a day, 6 days a week. The past year (partly because of surgery; mostly because of laziness), I haven't rowed hardly at all. I really need to exercise regularly and I think it will help immensely for detoxing.
Went to Tai Chi class last night which was good; although I dreamed about it afterwards, too. LOL
We're just at story hr at the library (the kids are in Hallowe'en costumes - very cute!) and are heading to swimming this afternoon (I'll swim a km while the kids are in lessons). We are also putting together two shoeboxes for "Operation Shoebox"; another homeschooling family's church supports this cause - the filled shoeboxes are collected and distributed to underpriviliged children around the world. And then we're off to pick-up our weekly produce box at the local organic farm.
Yesterday we were at the local Nature House for the annual salmon run. Thousands of salmon come up the river to spawn; it's quite something to see (and smelly, later on in the season!). We had an organized fieldtrip with a park naturalist who told the children lots of stories about local First Nations' history and the salmon. It's a beautiful, protected park area and is a joy to take the children into nature (reminding me of Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods - excellent read). We are very very fortunate where we live to be surrounded by large expanses of natural beauty.
DH is home in 53 days. woooo hoooooo.
Story hour's nearly over. Have a great day! :)
Showing posts with label body image. Show all posts
Showing posts with label body image. Show all posts
29 October 2008
15 August 2008
Raw food helping to sort through food "issues"
Going on a raw-food-preparation binge today and yesterday. Yesterday I made flax crackers, tricolor salad, and guacamole. Today I'm making "not tune pate", walnut pate which will be made into "not meatballs", vanilla creme sauce which will be made into parfaits with chocolate mousse (doesn't that sound yummy?!), and almond milk, and almond creme which will be the base for vanilla ice creme (i've been thinking of raw ice cream in this summer heat for a few days now). Today's recipes are all from Jennifer Cornbleet's book "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People". Awesome book. Yesterday's recipes are from Raw Rose's Uncookbook, which is the only raw cookbook I own to-date. The others all come from the local library, but judging by the number of holds on them all, raw food is becoming quite the trend!
I also tried the winning chia recipe off Angela Stokes' blog (http://rawreform.blogspot.com/), and I apologize to the submitter as I can't remember her name right now, but it was quite good (I just got a lb of chia seeds & some maca powder in my raw food order yesterday: I order from realrawfood.com in Naramata). I made a half-batch, soaking 1c of chia seeds overnight, and then blending with 1/2 tbsp of maca powder, 1/2 tbsp of raw cacao powder, and i put 1 tbsp or so of raw agave nectar b/c the recipe called for yacon syrup and i didn't even know what that was, so i substituted. oh, and ~ 1/4 c of raspberries (said the recipe). and i added a good size handful of huckleberries (probably 1/2 c, and yes, from our yard). It made about 3 cups of raspberry chocolate chia pudding, about 2 or 3 servings.
It's challenging if you're already hungry, go looking for food, and there are raw ingredients around, but nothing prepared. Those are the moments I'm most likely to opt for the frozen vegan pizza in the freezer or something else I'm trying to avoid. I really need to make a meal plan and prepare food ahead of time so I'm not caught in that situation. Having non-raw food in the house sometimes creates major struggles for me.
Here's where I come from, in relation to food - I am told that as an infant, my mother didn't feel she had enough milk to supply me with breastmilk, so within a couple months (I'm not sure exactly how long it was, but I think it was about 4-6 weeks) I was on formula. Apparently I would suck that bottle dry quick as a wink, and it was "like I was starving". I gained weight very quickly and at 3 or 4 months, the dr recommended I start solids. So here I am on solids already and eating quickly, like I was starving, gaining quickly. As a child, I was hungry. Constantly. If I skipped a meal my blood sugar'd be all over the place and I'd be moody and feel nauseous and ill. It seemed to me that there was never enough food. It was like I didn't have an "off" button. Even at a buffet, I'd eat and eat and eat until that awful feeling of over-full-ness would hit. I was constantly trying to sneak cookies and food. I grew up on the SAD, too, and struggled with weight issues. Actually, when I look at pictures, I don't think I look overweight. Classic example of this is a group photo of my friends and I when I was 17; I remember at the time the picture was taken being horrified and feeling like I was "huge" when in fact, I look at that picture now and am amazed at what great shape I was in, but how distorted my body image was. Anyways at 13 my mother put me on my first diet. In my 20s, out on my own for the first time and without an ability to say no to food, I ate and ate until I was well into the 200's and it has only been since going vegan (cold turkey, no pun intended) in April 2006 that I began to finally beat some of the food issues that have been plaguing me, seemingly, since birth. I lost 50+ lbs and now, having gone raw vegan 3 1/2 months ago, I've lost another 20 lbs. And I feel like mentally, I am finally able to confront some of the demons in terms of food issues that I've been hiding behind.
At tai chi class last night, I said that I feel like I'm finally able to focus on the inside - the mechanics of the hips and spine turning, and not think about the outside physical-ness of my body, and when we focus on the spine turning or the bone alignment or what-have-you, we are all identical. Sure my bones are inherently larger than my sister, although we're roughly the same height. I said that to my ds one day - if you took all the bones from my body and weighed them against someone else the same height, my bones might weigh more - they are dense. I've ALWAYS been this way and it's not something to try and change. It just IS. I'm solid. Always have been. Having solid bones does not mean I'm overweight. It means I'm never going to be a waif, that's all.
My nephew is 3. I see some similar tendencies (food issues) arising in him. Even as early as a year and a half ago, if he had a bowl of, say, grapes, in front of him, he would stuff them into his mouth as fast as possible (not chewing them) and soon his mouth would be SO full of food, he couldn't possibly chew, and he'd suddenly look at you - surprised! - and wonder what to do. So his parents would keep their hand over his food, and check that he had chewed and swallowed one bite before allowing him the next bite. What is this all about? Why is it that some of us don't have "off" buttons? Did he & I die in another lifetime of starvation?
I am very grateful to raw food, and all those who have supported me along this journey, as I am finally able to begin to understand what food has meant for me throughout my life, and to process the relationship with food I now have. So thanks. :)
Tricolor salad:
2 cobs fresh corn, kernels cut off
1 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 c chopped red onion
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped fine
1 tsp sea salt
Stir together & serve
I also tried the winning chia recipe off Angela Stokes' blog (http://rawreform.blogspot.com/), and I apologize to the submitter as I can't remember her name right now, but it was quite good (I just got a lb of chia seeds & some maca powder in my raw food order yesterday: I order from realrawfood.com in Naramata). I made a half-batch, soaking 1c of chia seeds overnight, and then blending with 1/2 tbsp of maca powder, 1/2 tbsp of raw cacao powder, and i put 1 tbsp or so of raw agave nectar b/c the recipe called for yacon syrup and i didn't even know what that was, so i substituted. oh, and ~ 1/4 c of raspberries (said the recipe). and i added a good size handful of huckleberries (probably 1/2 c, and yes, from our yard). It made about 3 cups of raspberry chocolate chia pudding, about 2 or 3 servings.
It's challenging if you're already hungry, go looking for food, and there are raw ingredients around, but nothing prepared. Those are the moments I'm most likely to opt for the frozen vegan pizza in the freezer or something else I'm trying to avoid. I really need to make a meal plan and prepare food ahead of time so I'm not caught in that situation. Having non-raw food in the house sometimes creates major struggles for me.
Here's where I come from, in relation to food - I am told that as an infant, my mother didn't feel she had enough milk to supply me with breastmilk, so within a couple months (I'm not sure exactly how long it was, but I think it was about 4-6 weeks) I was on formula. Apparently I would suck that bottle dry quick as a wink, and it was "like I was starving". I gained weight very quickly and at 3 or 4 months, the dr recommended I start solids. So here I am on solids already and eating quickly, like I was starving, gaining quickly. As a child, I was hungry. Constantly. If I skipped a meal my blood sugar'd be all over the place and I'd be moody and feel nauseous and ill. It seemed to me that there was never enough food. It was like I didn't have an "off" button. Even at a buffet, I'd eat and eat and eat until that awful feeling of over-full-ness would hit. I was constantly trying to sneak cookies and food. I grew up on the SAD, too, and struggled with weight issues. Actually, when I look at pictures, I don't think I look overweight. Classic example of this is a group photo of my friends and I when I was 17; I remember at the time the picture was taken being horrified and feeling like I was "huge" when in fact, I look at that picture now and am amazed at what great shape I was in, but how distorted my body image was. Anyways at 13 my mother put me on my first diet. In my 20s, out on my own for the first time and without an ability to say no to food, I ate and ate until I was well into the 200's and it has only been since going vegan (cold turkey, no pun intended) in April 2006 that I began to finally beat some of the food issues that have been plaguing me, seemingly, since birth. I lost 50+ lbs and now, having gone raw vegan 3 1/2 months ago, I've lost another 20 lbs. And I feel like mentally, I am finally able to confront some of the demons in terms of food issues that I've been hiding behind.
At tai chi class last night, I said that I feel like I'm finally able to focus on the inside - the mechanics of the hips and spine turning, and not think about the outside physical-ness of my body, and when we focus on the spine turning or the bone alignment or what-have-you, we are all identical. Sure my bones are inherently larger than my sister, although we're roughly the same height. I said that to my ds one day - if you took all the bones from my body and weighed them against someone else the same height, my bones might weigh more - they are dense. I've ALWAYS been this way and it's not something to try and change. It just IS. I'm solid. Always have been. Having solid bones does not mean I'm overweight. It means I'm never going to be a waif, that's all.
My nephew is 3. I see some similar tendencies (food issues) arising in him. Even as early as a year and a half ago, if he had a bowl of, say, grapes, in front of him, he would stuff them into his mouth as fast as possible (not chewing them) and soon his mouth would be SO full of food, he couldn't possibly chew, and he'd suddenly look at you - surprised! - and wonder what to do. So his parents would keep their hand over his food, and check that he had chewed and swallowed one bite before allowing him the next bite. What is this all about? Why is it that some of us don't have "off" buttons? Did he & I die in another lifetime of starvation?
I am very grateful to raw food, and all those who have supported me along this journey, as I am finally able to begin to understand what food has meant for me throughout my life, and to process the relationship with food I now have. So thanks. :)
Tricolor salad:
2 cobs fresh corn, kernels cut off
1 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 c chopped red onion
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped fine
1 tsp sea salt
Stir together & serve
Menstruation
I was reading an article in Alive magazine (July 2008) called, "The Pill: Miraculous, advantageous, or perilous?" (p.62-64, by Cathy Carlson-Rink, ND, RM, a Langley practitioner). The article debated the merits of the pill. (Directly from the article,) OTOH, it offers effective contraception, protection against ovarian and uterine cancers, and has rapid reversibility (many women will return to ovulating very very soon after discontinuing the pill). The cons are that it can cause nutritional deficiencies (long-term use causes folate, other B vitamin, vit C, magnesium, and zinc deficiencies), it doesn't prevent HIV and STDs, it can have side effects, it can lead to estrogen in our water supplies (women on the pill excrete hormones into waste water - in other words, it doesn't break down), and of course, suppression of menstrual cycles. Now this last point was interesting (it wasn't news, of course, but this next part was).
"Women are cycling in a linear world. Is it any surprise then that the message in our culture is that our period is inconvenient - and unnecessary? An interesting study in the 1930s - well before the pill was introduced - found that during the first half of the menstrual cycles, women's energy was directed toward the outer world. During ovulation, women were receptive to being cared for and loved by others. During the premenstrual or postovulatory phase, women were more focused inwardly." Isn't that amazing? I had no idea that many women would find a pattern in their outlooks connected to their cycles - a change from being more extroverted to more introverted. It certainly explains so very much. My question is, if you're on the pill and it's suppressing your natural cycle, how are you going to be attuned to your body's natural rhythym? It seems we are suppressing more than "just" our menstrual cycles by taking hormonal contraception.
"Women are cycling in a linear world. Is it any surprise then that the message in our culture is that our period is inconvenient - and unnecessary? An interesting study in the 1930s - well before the pill was introduced - found that during the first half of the menstrual cycles, women's energy was directed toward the outer world. During ovulation, women were receptive to being cared for and loved by others. During the premenstrual or postovulatory phase, women were more focused inwardly." Isn't that amazing? I had no idea that many women would find a pattern in their outlooks connected to their cycles - a change from being more extroverted to more introverted. It certainly explains so very much. My question is, if you're on the pill and it's suppressing your natural cycle, how are you going to be attuned to your body's natural rhythym? It seems we are suppressing more than "just" our menstrual cycles by taking hormonal contraception.
07 August 2008
Happy Philip Petit Day!
Happy Philip Petit Day!!! On August 7th, 1974, Philip Petit walked a tightrope between the twin towers in New York while they were under construction. Crazy. And amazing. Check out the wikipedia entry on 'im: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Petit
To celebrate, I got a haircut this morning - first time in I don't know how long. It feels good and was totally worth the $21 rather than trying to cut it myself, as I've been doing the past couple years. I'll try and post an updated picture when I can. And okay, I didn't really get a haircut because it's Philip Petit Day. I was sorely overdue for one, that's all. :)
Ordering raw food today. Really finding it hard to get back into being at home and making raw food again. That holiday really threw me for a loop. I think it is more just having gotten sick upon returning - there is still laundry to be put away from the trip, and the kitchen floor desperately needs washing, and life is, well, busy (who's isn't). It'll all get done eventually but what it means is that I am looking for quick food - like a cut up avocado & mango together. That quick. I made a smoothie this morning with salad mix, banana, mango, and cherries. Delicious and it's amazing what a difference a smoothie makes in filling you up. Oh, and almond milk in it, too. Anyways, it's time for more almonds and other nibblies from realrawfood.com in Naramata. Check it out.
Food co-op pick-up this afternoon. Not much of the food co-op items are raw; in fact, it's mostly dry goods/processed goods. But it is mostly natural/organic as much as possible - like organic canned tomatoes, organic whole-grain flours, that kind of thing - even 'green' household cleaners. And being that I'm the only raw foodie in the house, the kids need to eat, too, so we'll be picking it up this afternoon.
And tonight, for the first time in 3 weeks, I'm hoping to get to Tai Chi class. It's amazing how much you miss it. I really ought to get into the habit of doing it daily. It feel sooooo good - so relaxing - like an internal massage. And yesterday I put a kink in my neck (might go to the chiropractor today, too), so I'm hoping the stretching in Tai Chi will put it right.
Water with freshly squeezed lemon. Doesn't that sound refreshing? Mmmmmm....
To celebrate, I got a haircut this morning - first time in I don't know how long. It feels good and was totally worth the $21 rather than trying to cut it myself, as I've been doing the past couple years. I'll try and post an updated picture when I can. And okay, I didn't really get a haircut because it's Philip Petit Day. I was sorely overdue for one, that's all. :)
Ordering raw food today. Really finding it hard to get back into being at home and making raw food again. That holiday really threw me for a loop. I think it is more just having gotten sick upon returning - there is still laundry to be put away from the trip, and the kitchen floor desperately needs washing, and life is, well, busy (who's isn't). It'll all get done eventually but what it means is that I am looking for quick food - like a cut up avocado & mango together. That quick. I made a smoothie this morning with salad mix, banana, mango, and cherries. Delicious and it's amazing what a difference a smoothie makes in filling you up. Oh, and almond milk in it, too. Anyways, it's time for more almonds and other nibblies from realrawfood.com in Naramata. Check it out.
Food co-op pick-up this afternoon. Not much of the food co-op items are raw; in fact, it's mostly dry goods/processed goods. But it is mostly natural/organic as much as possible - like organic canned tomatoes, organic whole-grain flours, that kind of thing - even 'green' household cleaners. And being that I'm the only raw foodie in the house, the kids need to eat, too, so we'll be picking it up this afternoon.
And tonight, for the first time in 3 weeks, I'm hoping to get to Tai Chi class. It's amazing how much you miss it. I really ought to get into the habit of doing it daily. It feel sooooo good - so relaxing - like an internal massage. And yesterday I put a kink in my neck (might go to the chiropractor today, too), so I'm hoping the stretching in Tai Chi will put it right.
Water with freshly squeezed lemon. Doesn't that sound refreshing? Mmmmmm....
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