What Would You Change Today?

Today's Food:

Breakfast (after a fabulous run):
2 bananas with 2 tablespoons raw crunchy almond butter, shredded coconut and cinnamon (becoming a yummy addiction!)

32 ounces lemon water

Lunch:
3/4 cup cashews
3/4 cup "Go Take Hike!" raw trail mix


Snack:
RawRevolution chocolate cashew bar

Dinner (eaten a little later than I'd prefer):
a few garlic olives
salad with romaine, purple cabbage, daikon, carrot, sprouts and dulse with nutritional yeast, Herbamare and olive oil

12 ounces water

What would I change today? Not for guilt, not for imperfection, merely for learning where food still sometimes pulls me into old habits that don't keep my organs, blood and digestive system humming as high level as they could be:
1. I could have chewed my meals much more deeply and eaten more slowly; really savoring each bite. For anyone who has struggled with food or weight in their early life, you'll notice that sometimes you just can't get it in your mouth quick enough, and it's some reaction to immediate taste or consistency you keep seeking. This is as opposed to noticing how the food would taste on the secondary level if you really took your time with it; you wouldn't need as much to fill up, as you would start to shift the cellular response that has you crave food as an addiction. It would actually taste different, and somatically speaking, the charge would be taken out of it. Also, we need to chew until our food becomes liquid for it to digest in a way that allows it to move effectively into our body system.
2. I ate too many nuts. Nuts are a fabulous form of protein and healthy fat, but we're talking about a handful; you know, ten nuts! Don't go nuts with nuts. It's too much fat and protein to digest, unless you're planning on running a half marathon in the morning.
3. I ate dinner too late, having come home from a late session at the office. Therefore, my body does not have enough time to digest before sleep so that it can detoxify during the night. This stresses the body and creates fermentation and gas.
My best option would have been to come home and simply have the ripe Bosc pear that has been sitting in my fridge, and then to have called it a night with food.
I will look to these learnings as I enter into my beautiful relationship with food tomorrow.
What have you learned today about your relationship with food? Please write in and share...

Let's Talk About Dairy

What did I Eat??

Breakfast:
17 ounces Crazy Cacao elixir with raw cacao powder and nibs, fresh Thai coconut water and meat, psyllium seed powder, flax seeds, raw vanilla bean, raw crunchy almond butter, Revitaphi superfood alkalizer and agave

Lunch:
Sunflower sundried tomato pate with celery and carrots
1 Bosc pear

Snack:
a few handfuls of raw cashews

Dinner:
A big bowl of Seaweed chowder soup (see yesterday's blog for that recipe); DELICIOUS!
Some herbed olives

Dessert:
3 bricks Two Moms in the Raw goji berry granola

24 ounces of water

Did you know that often, when a child (or adult) with asthma is taken off dairy, the asthma disappears? Dairy is both an "acid" food, on the Acid-Alkaline connection, as well as a muccus and phlegm producing food. Because we actually do not have the enzymes to digest cow's milk (not only those who are lactose intolerant; everyone), it creates an acid environment in the body with associated health symptoms. When we cannot effectively digest something (physically or emotionally), it "clogs" us up and produces symptoms. Dairy is really the largest culprit of that. Symptoms that have been associated with high dairy consumption are: Muccus and phlegm; respiratory issues, including asthma; arthritis and bone degeneration...What?? you may say, but it's dairy. It has calcium. Yes, it does, but if we are unable to assimilate the calcium, it does not serve us. The statistics show that the countries with the highest dairy consumption have the highest rates of osteoporosis! If it creates an acid environmant, then the body looks to alkalize. Calcium is a great alkalizer, so the body leaches calcium from the bones. OK, back to symptoms and illness associated with dairy; breast cancer and prostate cancer.
What can I do in place of milk and for my children? Either buy almond, rice or hemp milk, or make fresh nutmilk; once you do that, you'll never go back.
Nutmilk:
raw almonds, cashews or Brazil nuts (not roasted; no additives)
in an open bowl of water, soak a bunch of nuts overnight.
In the morning, drain, rinse and dry. You can put the bulk back in the fridge in a container and they will last about 1 1/2 weeks.
Now you've soaked the nuts and they are a "living" food. The enzymes have been released to help with digestion. Nuts are super high in protein; almonds in calcium.
In a blender, take a handful of nuts. Add 1/2 blender of water. Blend and see it turn into a white milk! Now you can add either agave sweetener, honey or a couple of dates. You can even add Stevia as a sweetener, and some vanilla extract. For a different flavor, toss in a banana. Your kids (and you) will love it!
Just go nuts...