Yoga class was not as fun as usual this morning. I was achy, I was tired, my body didn't want to do what I was asking it to do. New pains cropped up in poses that usually feel great. My mind didn't want to stay in class and went skittering off in ten directions. Harumph, I thought.

Then I began to wonder; why was my body so stiff? Well, I'd been sewing seams on a knitted tank top I'm making, and perhaps I didn't stretch enough afterwards. But that wouldn't make my foot hurt. Or keep my brain from settling down. I couldn't think of anything else that was out of the ordinary.

As I was lying in Corpse Pose at the end of the class, trying one last time to empty my mind and concentrate on my breath, it came to me. I've been eating all kinds of things this week that I don't usually have. White floury things. Sugary things. My body was reacting to the chemicals I'd put in it. Well, duh! What have I been studying and helping other people with for three years now? Apparently, I needed to perform one more experiment on myself, just to be absolutely sure that those foods aren't helpful for me. Boy was that a successful experiment! So now it's back to greens, whole grains and mostly vegetable proteins for me. Let's hope this is a lesson I don't have to keep re-learning...

When I got home from class I decided to make some hummus. We were out of tahini, so I had to improvise. I think I may have discovered something! Here's what I did:

Chickpea Improv

Ingredients:
1 can organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 heaping tablespoon almond butter
1 teaspoon flax seeds
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic
8 or so leaves of fresh lemon basil (it's what I grew this year)
2 fresh peppermint leaves (also from the garden)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
The juice of 1 lemon (I would have put in some zest, too, if I could have found the zester)
1 teaspoon gomasio (ground sesame seeds and sea salt)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Water

Directions:
Place all ingredients except water in a food processor and pulse until mixed. Add water slowly until smooth consistency is reached. Process for several more seconds.

That's it! Yummy! Now I'm off in search of some dark, leafy green things...

Posted by Jody on August 31, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

For those of you who consider cleansing, but look at the Master Cleanser as a crazy person's fast, I have an excellent alternative for you. It's called the 28-day cleanse, and it's a comprehensive, clear-headed approach to eating and lifestyle guaranteed to set straight your imbalances, and give your insides a scrub. It was devised by Scott Ohlgren, of http://www.howhealthworks.com - a self-taught but straight talking health guru who is a breath of fresh air: Scott doesn't subscribe to any food "cults" and is not extreme in his beliefs, in fact he's all about a realistic, common-sense approach.

The diet consists of - you guessed it - 28 days of eating a "cleansing" diet. What is that, you say? A diet comprised mostly of fresh (organic when possible) fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains - and devoid of processed foods, and most animal products (which can have a congesting effect and tax organ systems while working hard to clean themselves). Practices such as daily juicing (that's vegetable juice), sauna rounds, skin brushing, cardio, and meditation are prescribed as regimens to support the body's elimination process.

I did this cleanse myself earlier this summer - and it changed the way I eat. Even though I'm a seasoned and devoted whole-foods eater, concentrating on just these foods alone opened to me a world of both increased personal vitality and curiosity about vegetables, grains, and legumes I hadn't really incorporated into my diet. Furthermore, it began what will probably be a lifetime juicing regimen: I now make - and look forward to - fresh vegetable juice every morning when I wake up. I've noticed my skin change, my body lighten, and my finicky sinus congestion issues come to a stop. (The cleanse is purported to clear up most digestion and skin issues, as well as the usual suspects of fatigue, congestion, aches, pains, etc...)

Scott's book - of the same name: The 28-Day Cleansing Program - is a fantastic roadmap. In it, he succinctly and clearly covers the regimen, how it works and how it's different than what you're probably eating now, the supportive modalities you can and should undertake, recipes for healthful eating, and then, what I think is the most brilliant part: an example day-by-day schedule for the full 28 day cleanse. Even for the seasoned cleanser, this day-by-day schedule provided an excellent jump start for getting the hang of the regimen.

We've just entered Autumn - seeing that Winter is, in most climates, a building season when our bodies create what they need for warmth and regeneration, Winter is the only season that we should NOT be cleansing. But in Autumn, we have abundant fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes to work from - and this is the last great chance to cleanse our systems and prepare for the hard work of Winter. Furthermore, the 28-day cleanse will give you tools for a lifetime of healthful eating and care-taking of this great machine we all operate: our bodies.

Posted by themindfuleater on September 26, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Do you really understand your digestive system and how it works? It is, without doubt, the single most important aspect of our physical health. Many diseases and ailments start with a dysfunction in our digestive system. Moreover, it is a very active nerve center - there are more nerve endings in our gut than in our brain! The "butterflies in your stomach" only begin to describe the fascinating dynamic between our emotional and mental states, and our digestive system.

I invite you to take a moment and learn about the "Long Hollow Tube" that is our gut. This article by By Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig is fascinating and edifying: The Long Hollow Tube: A Primer on the Digestive System

Posted by themindfuleater on July 3, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)