Today is December 28th and I decided last night to try an experiment for the next 5 days. My Experiment? I will eat, or more importantly NOT EAT those food that I KNOW do not agree with my body!!
Check out my 5-day Cleanse Journal to read more about my travels on this cleanse.
I know, I know – you may be asking “Why in God’s name would I eat food that do not ‘sit’ well with my body?”. That indeed is the question!! Well, there are a couple of reasons. First I guess I’m just not that disciplined and when tempted with certain foods, foods that taste so yummy – I just can’t resist. I’d say I’m pretty normal that way, after all I am human 
) . Which leads to the second reason I don’t always eat “right for me”. I’ve discovered that many foods create this “addictive” type behaviour where I simply cannot stop at “just one”. I can’t just have one slice of bread with cheese, I have to continue until the cheese is gone (or bread, which ever comes first), and even then I will always try to find more (god forbid anyone should be in my way ). And there are the same foods that my body craves even more…. and the vicious cycle begins and continues.
I’ve ready many books, nutritional books, all kinds of books (check out my Library). I’ve googled, researched, you name it I’ve done it – all to try and find out if there are others with these same tendencies. There’s a ton of literature out there, yeah for me!! Most of the books that refer to vegan, and more specifically raw vegan diets say that these symptoms, the exact ones that I refer to, can be eliminated with a change in diet. And it’s true – when I eat Raw Vegan diet I have absolutely no symptoms at all, plus I feel more energized!! But I do find sticking with Raw Vegan a bit of a challenge, I still struggle to find the balance-for-me.
Another book that really rings true for me is Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis. This book is great, it’s talks about the addictive nature of wheat, how the wheat we eat today is not like the wheat that existed when we were kids… and for some (like me) who’s body’s are sensitive the reaction and addictive reaction can be devastating. Bingo, that’s definitely me!!! Perhaps it’s time to revisit the raw vegan with the 90/80-10/20 rule. 90/80% Raw Vegan (which is pretty easy as my breaky and lunch is pretty much always raw vegan) and the other 10/20% cooked and/or raw (which is also pretty easy as I normally have salad for dinner but perhaps add a soup or cooked veggies)… time to experiment a little more to find a new balance that works.
If I listen to my body, I mean really listen… I know exactly what foods don’t work with me. I just have to listen. For me there are two key reactions – the nasty foods either create this “addictive” nature, or they result in physiological changes such as grumpiness, edginess, depression, more negativity, crying and just overall lethargy and low energy. Sometimes the lethargy impact is so bad that I can’t even keep my eyes open. Oh and then there’s the question of blood sugar – I also need to watch anything that results in blood sugar fluctuations.
Here’s the list of foods that DON’T agree with me….
- A few vegetables (mostly starchy vegetables: potatoes, corn, sweet potato)
- Wheat (i.e. all breads or anything with wheat – triggers that “addict” in me )
- Corn (i.e. corn chips, popcorn, corn based wraps, nacho chips, etc.)
So when you look at the list, it’s really not that bad. That leaves an abundant list of foods that work with my body . As it is, I don’t eat any animal products so flesh, eggs, butter, cheese, dairy, etc. are already removed from my diet as well as all the common allergens.
Food OK but limited quantities:
- Fruit (some of the higher sugar fruits, i.e. Mango, banana affect my blood sugar so I need to limit quantities)
- Legumes (i.e. black beans, chic peas, etc.)
- Grains (i.e. pasta (non-wheat based), rice, quinoa, buckwheat, etc.)
- Nuts (most nuts affect me, some more than others so I need to limit)
Foods OK in any quantity:
- Vegetables (pretty much anything except those noted above: avocado, tomato, sprouts, peppers, brocolli, cabbage, carrots, celery, cucumber, beets, etc.)
- Greens (kale, spinach, romaine are the main staples for me. Also chard or any other dark leafy greens)
- Fruit (apples, lemon, limes, berries)
- Seeds (ground flax seed, sunflower seed, hemp seed, sesame seed, pumpkin seed, etc.)
The other aspect of eating and digestion to consider are food combining. Sure there are times when you don’t think about what you combine, but there is no denying that when I abide by food combining principles I have a lot more energy and overall I just feel great!! When you think of the principles, it really does make sense. After all, different foods need different time to fully digest. So if you combine foods that have a variety of digestion needs, that just means that the foods that are ready to pass through your digestion quickly will have to wait until the slower foods are ready. And that delay is harder on your system.
Food combining principles:
- Always eat Fruit alone with no other foods
- Eat vegetables with starches (grains, root vegetables, beans/legumes, avocado)
- Eat vegetables with protein (nuts, seeds, beans/legumes, flesh)
- Never eat starches together with proteins
Now the problem? I often have all great intentions, but to actually follow through and stick with a program continuously proves to be a challenge for me. After all, I’m only human
BUT, I will try for the next 5 days and completely eliminate the foods I know do not work for me. Let’s see how this goes… give it a try. After all, the one thing I do know – if I can “cleanse” in this manner for 5 days, my body adjusts and no longer “craves” those things that aren’t good for me. The difficult part is getting past the hump.
I will share with you my daily meals and routine and we’ll see where it all lands. Check out my 5-day Cleanse Journal to read more about my travels on this cleanse.
Today started with black coffee once again… although I’m starting to think it’s time to reduce the coffee and increase the green tea over the next few weeks, what do you think?
) . Also I was feeling a bit “off” all day – although that may be because I didn’t have my morning coffee until noon, and as always I’m very much affected by caffeine withdrawal in a BIG way, with crazy headache and in general just low energy (scary that lack of coffee does that to the body!!).
