Friday, April 16, 2010
Straight Answers for a Practical Audience
I found this book sitting on the dining room table where I work. I read through most of it in about 30 minutes and was blown away by this guys extremely simple and easy to understand approach to health. Also, he's just a normal dude like you and I who got fed up with all the confusing mixed messages behind the science of how we should eat. I would reccommend (as someone who is an un-trained in the science of food, but very trained in the constant struggle to get kids fed and stay healthy myself) for all families to read. Bouncing off my previous post, it's a good read for busy parents who want better for their kids in regards to nutrition.
Robin Hood
Eating healthy is very expensive, that I will say. It's a shame that lower income families (or single nannies, like me) have to settle for processed food because it's more bang for your buck.
I spent an obscene amount of money at New Seasons yesterday, just trying to get the proper components to begin the Body Ecology Candida assault. While balancing my check book I thought about how overwelming it must be for single women, or your average family in the midst of a recession to focus on healthy eating when the financial cost can be so high.
I'm going to do some research to see if there are any non-profits out there dealing with that issue. Or maybe I will just show up at Whole Foods with my bow and arrow...Little John can enter through the doors in a menacing manner while I swipe organic rice flour for the poor....
I spent an obscene amount of money at New Seasons yesterday, just trying to get the proper components to begin the Body Ecology Candida assault. While balancing my check book I thought about how overwelming it must be for single women, or your average family in the midst of a recession to focus on healthy eating when the financial cost can be so high.
I'm going to do some research to see if there are any non-profits out there dealing with that issue. Or maybe I will just show up at Whole Foods with my bow and arrow...Little John can enter through the doors in a menacing manner while I swipe organic rice flour for the poor....
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The Importance of Enjoying Life
I think I created this candida problem over many years of insomnia, over eating, eating on the go, and struggling through on again/off again bullemia. Yes, I can't say for sure...but the realization that I may have dug my own grave is staggering.
Our culture is in a great big giant rush. I work 3 12 hour days in a row...and I drag myself through those work hours using coffee, sweets, and quickly eating meals to stay awake and keep my focus. Have you seen those 5 Hour Energy commericals? Take a look...
http://www.5hourenergy.com/commercials.asp
If you didn't click the link, the commercials depict several different work environments in which employees are suffering to get through the day due to exhaustion. I hate that heavy lidded feeling that hits around 3pm. You start watching the clock, you're hungry and stop for fast food...or eat your "healthy" packed lunch ridiculously fast (thus making digestion difficult). But hey, we accept that's life and our culture pushes task oriented bullet pointed to-do lists on us and we just "get er done". I walk in the door from work and crash on my bed...toss and turn all night and then get up and do it all again. I find it VERY hard to believe a tiny red bottle of fizzy sugar like 5 hour energy will aid me in that fight. It's a bandaid...and our society LOVES quick fixes does it not?
I don't believe life has to be this way! This whole Candida experiment has become so much more than an issue of physical health for me. It's made me look my addictions right in the eye. I've had to come to terms with my lack of spiritual faith and way in which I view Jesus. I've swallowed the issue of efficiency for so long when I finally take a step back the amount restoration needed for a life lived in worship is completely overwelming.
What if we ate with gratefulness and took joy in the Creators ability to give us food on earth that naturally heals and keeps us strong. What if we had time to cook and sit down with our friends and family? What if we worked enough to have what we needed and used our spare time to love others?
I'm just working out my thoughts here...they may be imcomplete or maybe incorrect but I truly believe there is way in live in the United States without giving into the expectations of a such a busy and depressed society.
Aren't you tired of it? No wonder I know so many college kids who want to start a revolution...and so sit in coffee shops all day long writing angst filled poetry or signing up for every non-profit non-paying job they can find. Terrified that by the time they are 27 they will feel like they are 50, they wander aimlessly. And afraid they should be.
I'm not advocating laziness...if you don't work you don't eat. I'm embracing a holilstic idea of what a lifestyle rooted in Faith, love, peace and freedom would look like. I'm speaking about food and physical health yes, much I'm speaking of MORE. Body ecology, Natural Health, Candida treatment...these are just tiny parts of a large puzzle I'm trying to put together right now. I don't want to live in a fog anymore.
And so...Quinoa....mmmmmmmmmmm.
Our culture is in a great big giant rush. I work 3 12 hour days in a row...and I drag myself through those work hours using coffee, sweets, and quickly eating meals to stay awake and keep my focus. Have you seen those 5 Hour Energy commericals? Take a look...
http://www.5hourenergy.com/commercials.asp
If you didn't click the link, the commercials depict several different work environments in which employees are suffering to get through the day due to exhaustion. I hate that heavy lidded feeling that hits around 3pm. You start watching the clock, you're hungry and stop for fast food...or eat your "healthy" packed lunch ridiculously fast (thus making digestion difficult). But hey, we accept that's life and our culture pushes task oriented bullet pointed to-do lists on us and we just "get er done". I walk in the door from work and crash on my bed...toss and turn all night and then get up and do it all again. I find it VERY hard to believe a tiny red bottle of fizzy sugar like 5 hour energy will aid me in that fight. It's a bandaid...and our society LOVES quick fixes does it not?
I don't believe life has to be this way! This whole Candida experiment has become so much more than an issue of physical health for me. It's made me look my addictions right in the eye. I've had to come to terms with my lack of spiritual faith and way in which I view Jesus. I've swallowed the issue of efficiency for so long when I finally take a step back the amount restoration needed for a life lived in worship is completely overwelming.
What if we ate with gratefulness and took joy in the Creators ability to give us food on earth that naturally heals and keeps us strong. What if we had time to cook and sit down with our friends and family? What if we worked enough to have what we needed and used our spare time to love others?
I'm just working out my thoughts here...they may be imcomplete or maybe incorrect but I truly believe there is way in live in the United States without giving into the expectations of a such a busy and depressed society.
Aren't you tired of it? No wonder I know so many college kids who want to start a revolution...and so sit in coffee shops all day long writing angst filled poetry or signing up for every non-profit non-paying job they can find. Terrified that by the time they are 27 they will feel like they are 50, they wander aimlessly. And afraid they should be.
I'm not advocating laziness...if you don't work you don't eat. I'm embracing a holilstic idea of what a lifestyle rooted in Faith, love, peace and freedom would look like. I'm speaking about food and physical health yes, much I'm speaking of MORE. Body ecology, Natural Health, Candida treatment...these are just tiny parts of a large puzzle I'm trying to put together right now. I don't want to live in a fog anymore.
And so...Quinoa....mmmmmmmmmmm.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Operation Yeast Devastation
After my friends and family read my entry regarding expansion and contraction...they shrugged their shoulders and said the whole thing sounded pretty confusing. I have to agree.
When trying to change your life, it is best to start with a baby step, as it were. As so...tomorrow I start over again, officially on the body ecology diet (for realsies Beth and Kenny) and my goal is to make it through that day. Beyond that? I don't care.
One day at a time....visualizing myself feeling healthy, free of the burden of constant discomforts, and living with a free heart.
To be healthy....to be healthy.
So here we are again ladies and gentlemen....DAY 1. But rather than call it that...I will give it a name.
"Operation Yeast Devastation" has commenced.
I can do it :)
When trying to change your life, it is best to start with a baby step, as it were. As so...tomorrow I start over again, officially on the body ecology diet (for realsies Beth and Kenny) and my goal is to make it through that day. Beyond that? I don't care.
One day at a time....visualizing myself feeling healthy, free of the burden of constant discomforts, and living with a free heart.
To be healthy....to be healthy.
So here we are again ladies and gentlemen....DAY 1. But rather than call it that...I will give it a name.
"Operation Yeast Devastation" has commenced.
I can do it :)
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Need for Cleansing, Balance, and a Little Peace
I spent this last week seeking peace. I did so by enjoying my new home, cooking, listening to music, and getting lots of rest. I'm learning, ever so slowly, that you can't love people right or serve God if you aren't taking care of yourself. I had become so stressed out about Candida, and eating perfect that I couldn't even relax. It was consuming me. It's amazing....when you are well rested and you put your priorities in place (which I'm still working on) it's much easier to function like a healthy person.
I've been reading about our need for cleansing. The body uses many different ways: tears, sweat, bowel movements....etc. In fact there is a strong argument that women live longer than men (in general) because they have more natural opportunities for cleansing (menstrual cycles, child birth). When you eliminate your body's ability to cleanse itself in these routine ways by eating constipating foods or depriving yourself of sleep....the toxins that your body so desperately wants to release are forced deeper into your system...creating disease and illness....or just general discomfort.
To say the least the it's been nice to just sit back, relax and try and re-establish what my goals are...to cleanse both emotionally and physically. I'm in no hurry to "cure" myself...it doesn't have to be rushed. However I would like to have figured some things out and be stronger before I leave for Africa in January. So it's a process of admitting when I'm frustrated, allowing myself to be frustrated and in turn, finding ways to address the frustration.
This weekend I addressed my frustration by cooking soup, chalk full of lots of colorful veggies. I also took time to listen to music and just...be. It's so easy to rush around and join the rat race of life. And let's face it, we live in a culture that often calls for it and there's nothing you can really do about that. But I promised myself this week that if I had a busy, yucky day....I would follow it up with a peaceful, thoughtful day. Perhaps that sounds new age, but it really helped me enjoy these days off from work.
This idea leads me to another way of thought I've been reading about....balance. I'm learning that some foods are expansive, while others are contractive. An example Donna uses in her book is when you eat a large bowl of theater popcorn, you will often find yourself craving a sugary soda drink to go with it (which is why Theater concessions make so much money :). Salt (theater popcorn) is contractive to your body, therefore you start to crave a substance that will give it relief....something expansive like sugar (soda drinks). This also can explain the wheat thin/nutella phenomenon that Bethany Winstead so wonderfully describes as "pretty much amazing". The salty/sweet create the perfect balance, as we found out at a recent girls night.
Obviously too much salt and too much sugar lead to problems (such as yeast overgrowth, energy burn out, water retention, etc). The key is to find BALANCE is what you eat by pairing the right amount of expansive and contractive foods to give your body relief and satisfaction.
It sounds confusing but the body naturally craves these things, so it's not too difficult to figure out.
Expansive Foods:
(allowed with Candida diet)
Some Raw Vegetable Juices
Herbs and Spices
Teas
Kefir (which is awesome! more later...)
Raw butter, oils, ghee (I dont know what Ghee is...but I'm going to find out)
Lemons, limes, cranberries
(not allowed)
Alcohol
sugar
coffee
milk
cottage cheese
all other fruits
Balanced Foods:
(allowed on Candida Diet)
raw veggies and salads
green veggies
soaked almonds
red skin potatoes
ocean veggies (to be explained later)
winter squash
root veggies
Quinoa, Amarath and buckwheat
Contractive Foods:
(allowed on Candida Diet)
Shell fish
Fish
Fowl
Beef
Eggs
Sea Salt
(not allowed)
Nuts
Beans
all other grains (flour etc)
Hard, salty cheeses
So whether you are using the Candida diet to guide you, or just interested in a more healthy way of approaching diet, this is a very helpful idea to keep in mind. This food list has really helped me for preparing to go back on the Candida Diet...or more precisely, "The Body Eccology Diet" http://www.bodyecology.com/aboutbed.php.
I've been reading about our need for cleansing. The body uses many different ways: tears, sweat, bowel movements....etc. In fact there is a strong argument that women live longer than men (in general) because they have more natural opportunities for cleansing (menstrual cycles, child birth). When you eliminate your body's ability to cleanse itself in these routine ways by eating constipating foods or depriving yourself of sleep....the toxins that your body so desperately wants to release are forced deeper into your system...creating disease and illness....or just general discomfort.
To say the least the it's been nice to just sit back, relax and try and re-establish what my goals are...to cleanse both emotionally and physically. I'm in no hurry to "cure" myself...it doesn't have to be rushed. However I would like to have figured some things out and be stronger before I leave for Africa in January. So it's a process of admitting when I'm frustrated, allowing myself to be frustrated and in turn, finding ways to address the frustration.
This weekend I addressed my frustration by cooking soup, chalk full of lots of colorful veggies. I also took time to listen to music and just...be. It's so easy to rush around and join the rat race of life. And let's face it, we live in a culture that often calls for it and there's nothing you can really do about that. But I promised myself this week that if I had a busy, yucky day....I would follow it up with a peaceful, thoughtful day. Perhaps that sounds new age, but it really helped me enjoy these days off from work.
This idea leads me to another way of thought I've been reading about....balance. I'm learning that some foods are expansive, while others are contractive. An example Donna uses in her book is when you eat a large bowl of theater popcorn, you will often find yourself craving a sugary soda drink to go with it (which is why Theater concessions make so much money :). Salt (theater popcorn) is contractive to your body, therefore you start to crave a substance that will give it relief....something expansive like sugar (soda drinks). This also can explain the wheat thin/nutella phenomenon that Bethany Winstead so wonderfully describes as "pretty much amazing". The salty/sweet create the perfect balance, as we found out at a recent girls night.
Obviously too much salt and too much sugar lead to problems (such as yeast overgrowth, energy burn out, water retention, etc). The key is to find BALANCE is what you eat by pairing the right amount of expansive and contractive foods to give your body relief and satisfaction.
It sounds confusing but the body naturally craves these things, so it's not too difficult to figure out.
Expansive Foods:
(allowed with Candida diet)
Some Raw Vegetable Juices
Herbs and Spices
Teas
Kefir (which is awesome! more later...)
Raw butter, oils, ghee (I dont know what Ghee is...but I'm going to find out)
Lemons, limes, cranberries
(not allowed)
Alcohol
sugar
coffee
milk
cottage cheese
all other fruits
Balanced Foods:
(allowed on Candida Diet)
raw veggies and salads
green veggies
soaked almonds
red skin potatoes
ocean veggies (to be explained later)
winter squash
root veggies
Quinoa, Amarath and buckwheat
Contractive Foods:
(allowed on Candida Diet)
Shell fish
Fish
Fowl
Beef
Eggs
Sea Salt
(not allowed)
Nuts
Beans
all other grains (flour etc)
Hard, salty cheeses
So whether you are using the Candida diet to guide you, or just interested in a more healthy way of approaching diet, this is a very helpful idea to keep in mind. This food list has really helped me for preparing to go back on the Candida Diet...or more precisely, "The Body Eccology Diet" http://www.bodyecology.com/aboutbed.php.
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