Wrapping It Up

My cleanse is nearly complete and while I am still avoiding dairy and limiting gluten and sugar, I have reintroduced many foods back into my diet. Unfortunately, it is hard for me to judge how my system has responded to the foods I am adding back as I haven't been at 100% due to the stomach flu that has hit our family and an antibiotic that I am taking.

But here are a few of my take-aways (some quite obvious) from this experience as well as habits that I hope to continue.

-Previously, I consumed alot more sugar than I realized and it has an impact on my body. While I can't avoid it entirely, I hope to be more aware of how much sugar I (and my family) consume. It has no nutritional benefit and while it may taste good in the moment, it makes me sluggish later.

-Convenience foods may be quick and easy, but they are also highly processed. I hope to offer my family as many real foods as possible i.e. foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. I am even attempting to make a homemade cracker since crackers are a lunch time staple.

-I didn't miss dairy and bread as much as I thought I would. And I feel better with a diet limiting those. In the future, I will try to consume more lean proteins and whole grains such as quinoa in lieu of bread and dairy.

Here was dinner last night: local beef, steamed broccoli, brown rice

It was easy, satisfying, and I felt good about feeding it to my family.

While no meal plan is perfect or miraculous in effects (and most good changes in eating take work), this cleanse taught me to pay more attention to the things I put into my body. It taught me some new ways to get in those fruits and vegetables and made me appreciate my local CSA that provides those wonderful greens, even in the winter. I feel better and learned so much about the fuel that our bodies need. So I am walking away with a better relationship with food; I am still eating good, clean food and hope to continue to do so as much as possible.

And, I will likely do a cleanse again in the future and this is the best test of whether something was a success.

Happy eating!

Kara

Adding New Foods

I am enjoying all of the foods that this week of recipes includes. This cleanse gradually adds back the foods that I have not been eating: fish, legumes, whole grains (like quinoa), and chicken.

I am also thinking alot about what habits I will continue after this is complete. One thing I hope to do is to include more vegetarian entrees in our weekly menus. Even though I loved the grilled salmon with avocado and orange, served with grill bok choy (below), I do thoroughly enjoy vegetables too.

above mentioned grilled salmon

red lentil stew with diced tomato and Wildwood turnips

vegetarian fare that I would eat again: roasted brussel sprouts, parsnips, sweet potato, leek, and white beans

Happy eating!

Kara

One Week and Counting

I started the cleanse one week ago this morning. Other than the initial headaches, I feel great. I am sleeping well, have energy for my day, and have even lost some weight. I am getting a bit tired of the same few recipes but this new week brings new food: fish and legumes (I thought that legumes were part of last week's plan, but alas, they were not. So, after eating black beans twice, I realized my mistake and followed the plan accurately).

One other slight variation that I am making to the plan is a bit of a abbreviated time frame. The plan I am using includes a possible fourth week of integrating more foods into a healthy eating plan that is sustainable over the long haul. As Brian and I leave for a week long trip at the end of the 3 weeks and since it seemed like a bad idea to suddenly start eating food that I didn't have control of (at the airport and resort), I am going to trim a day or two off of each "week" so that I can start eating more foods by the time we leave for our trip. I also want to be able to write a post-cleanse blog entry before I leave.

But, onto the food I have been eating:

butternut squash soup with sliced almonds

steamed broccoli and squash with tahini dressing
Both squash recipes included Wildwood produce from the summer CSA!


roasted cauliflower with red peppers, Greek olives, and almonds

I am eager to introduce some new foods this week but will probably stick to my smoothies for breakfast. I really like them and they are great for sipping while taking my oldest to school.

I am going to grill salmon and bok choy for supper tonight. Yum!

Happy eating,

Kara

Will Power

It is Thursday. I have been tackling this cleanse for 3 and half days (or 11 meals and a handful of snacks). I am getting into the routine of it. I even have left overs that I can eat for lunch which makes food choices so much easier. I have only had one major fail: a cucumber and honeydew smoothie that I ended up dumping down the drain. I just couldn't drink it. But the food has been surprisingly good. I have been surprising satisfied. I have had tasty salads, yummy smoothies, and warming soups. I have roasted vegetables and enjoyed avocados and black beans (a favorite food combination of mine anyway). I even had lunch out with my mom at Qdoba where I ate romaine lettuce, black beans, guacamole, and salsa. And it was good. I only missed the chips a little but my mom was kind and didn't order any either.

Even this salad of red cabbage, kale, and seeds with a mustard dressing for lunch left me feeling full.

My sweet tooth has been satisfied with fruit. This is a feat that amazes me as I do love sweets. I snack on dried apricots or grapes and feel good about my healthy choices. I even think about consuming less processed foods, less sugar, less dairy, and maybe even less meat when this time is complete. I am rethinking what I feed my family, vowing to make more of their food from scratch, time allowing. And despite the thought that I have always put into our food, I realize that there are more things I would like to incorporate into our life.

My biggest hurdle has been headaches, some so painful that I just want to go to bed. I am perplexed as I never consume caffeine and am wondering again about sugar withdraws. A more humorous side effect has been my cravings. Like last night, just before bed, I really wanted a crunchy chicken taco with lettuce, cheese, and extra salsa from our local Mexican restaurant and half kidded Brian that he should head out to get one. I haven't had cravings like that since pregnancy. And oddly, I have noticed foods or restaurants that I don't even like but noticed anyway just because I know that I can't have it.

But today is the first day that I had a headache-free morning and I felt awesome. I stocked up on salmon and trout that will be added into next week's menu, ordered an herbal tea at Starbucks, and felt good about my food and my resolve to continue on despite my headaches and the extra time that is going in to food preparation.

Last night at yoga, my awesome instructor told us in final relaxation that, "In this moment, everything is wonderful. Feel good about yourself and your practice," and even with a lingering headache, I did.

Happy eating!
Kara

And we are off!

Day 1 of my cleanse is complete. From all have heard about cleanses and drastic changes in diet, the first 3-4 days are the worst. Then hopefully all the benefits set in.

So, here are the the highlights: the food was very good, I didn't feel famished, I lost several pounds (probably water weight but still)

and the low points: I had a very bad headache by the end of the day, I had people over and had to eat my own separate food

Other than the headache, the day was a success. I can live with eating different foods and my food was really tasty. They all wanted to try it too.

Yesterday's breakfast was a carrot, mango, and mint smoothie.

I spent some time yesterday morning making snacks so that I had quick food available when hunger struck. I made these roasted spiced chickpeas which will satisfy my crunchy cravings.

And my kids loved these dried fruit and nut bites.

I forgot to take pictures of lunch and dinner but they were also very good. I had an avocado mixed with peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, lime, salt, and olive oil for lunch and roasted cauliflower with almonds, olives, and peppers along with hummus and raw veggies for dinner. Both were very satisfying (Although I may have eaten a bit more than one serving at dinner. I was quite hungry by that point)

Breakfast for day 2 is an antioxidant smoothie (berry and pomegranate) with trail mix as a mid-morning snack.

My kids are requesting that I make another batch of smoothies already so it passed the kid test. And Brian, my husband, called it breakfast candy!

Overall, I feel good about how things are going. I am not sure quite why the headache hit so strong last night as I am not withdrawing from caffeine (I avoid caffeine) and wonder if I could be withdrawing from refined sugar. But I am also easily prone to headaches and am still letting down from all of the holiday festivities. Any other thoughts?

I luckily have one more quiet day before we launch into the school routine again so I hope to try out some more recipes and establish my own routine today before the busyness sets in.

Happy eating!

Kara

Final Countdown

I have shopped at 3 stores (some 2 times) and stopped at the farm to stock up on all of the things I will need beginning on January 2. And I have made some observations.

First, eating healthy is expensive. I am struck that highly processed foods (take boxed mac-and-cheese for example) is so inexpensive while food in its simplest form is much more pricey. My grocery budget was larger this week and I do understand that produce, for example, is more fragile to ship than boxed meals, but very little needs to be done to it to prepare it prior to shipping. Think of all the steps it takes for a box of mac-and-cheese to be produced vs. an apple: noodles, cheese powder, cardboard box, little bag vs. tree. (I know I am simplifying things but it is an intriguing concept.)

Second, the majority of the grocery store is processed foods. I searched in a new store for frozen raspberries. There is one small shelf for frozen fruit. There is an entire wall of ice cream and another wall of packaged dinners. Have you seen how many ways you can consume a potato from the frozen food section? We are a do it fast society and many of our consumed items are pre-made.

Finally, I pride myself on being fairly aware of what I put into my body. I have read The Omnivores Dilemma and watched Food Inc. I have been a member of a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm for years. I order my beef, pork, and chicken from farmers that I have actually had conversations with. But I consume so many other things. I absentmindedly munch on crackers or pre-made dips without giving much thought to where they come from or how they got to my kitchen. I love quick meals and convenience snacks for my busy family because they are so easy to make. And, they are everywhere!

So I will take this journey one step at a time, knowing that I can't make every change at once (that would be too overwhelming), I have to live in this society and don't want to be that house guest who annoys her host with special food requests, and I will do the best that I can. I will forgive myself for the occasional stop at the drive through window (after these 3 weeks, of course). I will also continue to teach my kids to think about their food choices and my primary method of teaching will be with my actions.

And for three weeks, I will feel good about what I eat and hopefully just feel good.

Happy eating!

Kara

Wildwood farm greenhouse under a bit of snow

the greens that the greenhouses and a dedicated farming family have produced

Preparations

January 2012 is upon us and it is traditionally a time for resolutions. I generally don't make resolutions for the new year; if there is something I should be doing, I try to do it right away, adding mini-resolutions to my daily life: eat vegetarian one day a week, drop everything to read to my kids at least every other time (ok, every third time) that they ask, exercise enough throughout the week so I can participate in an occasional 5K, take the kids to yoga on Friday afternoons.

But this year, I am trying something I have never done before, I am doing a 21 day cleanse. The cleanse that I have chosen doesn't include any type of fast (all water or all juice) and it doesn't have supplements that I need to take. It is clean, vegan, gluten-free eating for three weeks. It is real food in its purest form.

I am doing this for several reasons. First, so I can counter act all of the party food I have consumed. Don't get me wrong, I love it - the cheesy things, the gooey treats, the sugary sweets, but it is too much in too short period of a time and my digestive system needs a little vacation. Second, the cleanse promises to increase my energy and with three busy kids, I always need more energy. And third, I want to challenge myself to eat a vegan diet, rich in fruit and vegetables, in a time when Michigan is typically under snow. I am getting as many greens and herbs from Wildwood Family Farms CSA (www.wildwoodfamilyfarms.com) as I can and then shopping at Harvest Health foods and Meijer for the rest. I know not everything will be local or sustainable - Michigan will never produce mangoes - but I am cutting out processed foods, meat, and dairy (all things that take alot of energy to produce and transport). And I admit, the promise of dropping a few pounds while cleansing is alluring as well.

I am eager to see if I feel better and have more energy (after the expected first few days of adjustment). I am nervous to cut out extra sugar (chocolate!), caffeine, and alcohol. And I hope I am able to see it to the end.

If you wish to check out the cleanse that I have chosen, go to
www.wholeliving.com/challenge-plan
(I am not in any way affiliated with Whole Living magazine, I just liked their plan.)

Happy eating!
Kara