Hi everyone. It’s a beautiful Spring day, and there has been so much going on there is much to report.
I will fill you in soon but first I need to switch off for a while and step away from the screen a little. Find some life beyond the laptop and re-connect with my tired brain. It turns out that running your own business, coping with endo and having young twins is tiring. Who knew.
I may not be actually going anywhere but mentally be assured I am sipping cool drinks from a hammock.
x
For the lovely Jayne, who requested my just-made-up recipe just now after I tweeted a pic of this dessert, here is how I dunnit as 140 characters is just a little too short!
Raw aint a bore Angel Delight pud
Whack 100g cashews into a food processor with a pinch of salt so it grinds to fragments.
Squeeze in a dollup of agave syrup and continue to mix.
Add in 2 bananas and whizz until they are completely blended, and squeeze in some lemon juice. Vanilla essence would be a nice addition but I have run out (from making too many raw cupcakes….)
Add a tablespoon of liquified coconut oil and whizz up again until the mixture looks fluffy.
Pour into a glass and sprinkle cacao nibs on the top.
Eat. Done!
x
…and by sick I mean poorly, not the actual vom action.
Evenin’g all, hope you had a fab weekend.
So, one week in on the no sugar/fructose/yeast/alcohol addition to my already wheat and dairy free diet. I am eating at least 50% raw food more like 70% or so), and I am working towards Candida elimination and, of course, optimal health.
So hows it going? Really well, I would say. For the last 3 days or so have struggled with ‘flu symptoms which may be a viral thing or may be detox side effects, who knows. Other things I have noticed are that my hunger levels are non-where near as ravenous as usual and I am eating much lighter. I LOVE experimenting with new recipes and have found that raw choc cupcakes and cacao brownies are hitting the spot for me, and I am totally hooked on fresh veg juices.
I haven’t suddenly lost all the extra weight (yet), but this is all about health, so I am certain that my weight will balance out as the detox continues and I increase exercise.
One thing I have been thinking about this week is the social acceptance of being sick, of living in a body that is unwell and at dis-ease with itself.
Embarking on a (fairly) radical change of eating is always bound to instigate responses from observers, especially so, of course, if one blogs about it to all and sundry. It is clear I am currently overweight, and it is also clear to anyone who knows me that my body is having a tough time, as endometriosis, depression, and candida have plagued my health for years.
So, you would think that taking action is a good thing, yes? I believe so, but I think that the willpower it takes to make a big change scares people, so they seek to sabotage. “Why are you doing that? “oh my god, what else is there to eat?!” “Not drinking?? You?!?”.
Yes, I am not drinking for a while. It really is ok! I have more energy at the moment and I use alcohol to relax and escape which is great in some ways but it’s really fine to have a break.
There is so much I can eat, there are nuts, seeds, a huge variety of grains, rice, fruit and veg, the earth has loads of stuff we don’t notice when we stick to the same routine.
Cutting out wheat and dairy isn’t for everyone, but there is certainly sense in increasing the raw fruit and veg we intake, just read one of Patrick Holford’s tomes for that nuggett of truth.
It seems more socially acceptable to be overweight, take pills, complain of an illness and seek medical help than to take control of nutrition, seek alternative therapies and embark on a hourney of healing. Maybe the fact I consume bentonite clay to aid detox makes me sound like a crazy tree hugger, but why should it? If I was eating doughnuts every day and developing diabetes, that’s ok, thats normal.
Ahh, normal.
You see, I think the norm is to feel pretty crap, to be tired, to function below par, to have IBS, depression, lethargy, candida. I think the norm is to give in to standard ways of eating, to over consume and to go with the crowd. No one can treat their body badly for a length of time and not pay for it at some point. In our youth while livers work superfast to cope with alcohol abuse and metabolisms are still fast enough to burn extra calories we may feel lucky, but at some point that waist band gets tighter, the body struggles to detox the abuse and we feel worse for wear.
So why fear a new way of thinking, a new way of being? Does it highlight the need for change in other people’s lives? Do we all want others to feel as crap as us because the alternative is less socially acceptable? Does it feel strange to ask for a soya milk decaff latte, or to have a mineral water in the pub? What else can you fill life with if the overconsumption of food and booze is gone, is there a hole that needs addressing?
I was a smoker in my 20′s for a while, and gave up 6 years ago as a present to myself for my 28th birthday. I hung on to the act of smoking as a rebellious part of me, that creative designer-type social thing which would make me who I am.
In actual fact it made me less smelly, skint and likely to die of lung cancer.
The same thing with nutrition; I often fall off the bandwagon because the emotional and social pressure associated with food habits becomes too strong, but I am determined this time to let myself be well, and to live a life as full of vitality as possible.
What obstacles do you find to optimal health? Do you think its socially more acceptable to be sick?
Let me know what you think.
x
Hello peeps.
So, here is a little snapshot of what I ate today, simply because when I tell people I have cut out wheat, dairy, sugar and fructose for #projectendo they seem to think I am eating a lettuce leaf. Well, I am eating a lot of them but I can really feel that my tastes and needs are changing.
Here is what I had today:
Breakfast: Smoothie from cucumber juice, dark greens and avocado
Lunch:
Carrot and ginger juice
2 x boiled eggs, fresh tomatoes, beetroot, olive oil
Dinner:
Carrot and celery crudities dipped in home made hummous
Raw choc brownie (nuts, dates, cacao) with live soya yoghurt
Drinks: 2 x green tea, mint tea, decaf coffee ( still need to work on cutting out caffeine)
Suprisingly, I am nowhere near as hungry as I would have thought I would be if I seen this list myself a few weeks ago. I don’t get huge energy crashes and I genuinely feel full enough with all I have eaten.
It being a Friday night the thought of wine is loud in my head but I really feel fine
Let’s hope I can keep it up to feel the benefits of a diet change and sort my poorly body out!
x
Hello everyone.
A quick update from me today, but a truly positive one.
The end of last week was simply amazing. A lovely friend responded to my post and bought me a juicer and a recipe book which arrived yesterday. I am so thrilled to be able to be juicing now and the universe worked pretty quickly with that one. Thanks my lovely, you know who you are. xx
On Saturday, following a lovely organic, veggie lunch and some shopping with my fellow bridesmaids for my bro and sis in laws forthcoming nuptials we stopped for an AMAZING cocktail, mine was a lavender and lychee martini, utterly lovely and pretty strong.
However…on the train back home my tum seemed to react really strongly to the sugary syrup – I can ony presume because I have been eating well that a trigger becomes all the more strong – and my belly blew up so much that someone offered me a seat on the tube. Thinking I was pregnant.
Can you feel the squirm and imagine how mortified I was?
Bless this lady, she was so kind and in fact had I been preggers would have loved a seat ( not many did offer when I was waddling with the girls), but I was gutted. So, it has made me plod on with excluding nasties from my diet for #projectendo, and this week I am now eliminating sugar, fructose and caffeine in addition to the wheat and dairy I have already cut out. So basically this is moving towards an anti candida diet to sort out my intestine and let my body have some good stuff back in.
I am DETERMINED to be well, to feel well and to live life to the full.
I don’t feel too bad so far this week, a few headaches but nothing I can’t deal with. I am fully expecting a detox crisis, and want to manage the symptoms so I can cope, I do have a career and little ones to look after in addition to myself.
I have been experimenting with some new recipes, and made some raw cupcakes today for my lovely Mum’s birthday. I did have to sneak one to try, and it really is delicious. I have also discovered Bentonite clay and am using it with Psyllium husks to help detox and cleanse, its an odd one but I will give it a go.
So, the journey goes on. Keep me posted on any tips in this process you guys out there, and I will keep you in on the loop of how I am going. I WILL beat this!
Finally, an inspiring link I discovered from Polly Noble by Dr Christiane Northrup on Women’s Health.
Until next time xx
‘Ello ‘ello, blog reading lovelies.
I hope you are all well and having a good week – Spring is around the corner I think, roll on some days of sunshine and birds chirping.
So, update from me:
Raw Monday went well. As those of you who follow my tweets and this blog will know, I am on a journey, #projectendo in hashtag language, to deal with my long term endometriosis. I have cut out wheat and dairy from my diet (someting I did years ago but fell off the bandwagon) and am endeavouring to make my diet 60-70% raw so I get as many nutrients from unprocessed foods as possible.
This Raw Monday I had a smoothie for breakfast with bananas, apples, soya milk and agave syrup. Lunch was ryvita ( not technically raw but hey, I need to get to grips with making my own raw crispbreads) and a pate I made from garlic, chick peas, tomatoes and coriander. I experimented with the lovely Polly Noble’s kale crisps, which didn’t last long. I don’t have a dehydrator yet so got by with using the oven on the lowest heat with the door ajar.
By the afternoon I felt headachy and nauseous which I know from experience is a strong detox sign, so I added in a jacket potato for dinner with my huge salad of chick peas, grated carrots with cucumber and lemon juice/olive oil dressing to help slow the detox to be bearable.
I had lots of energy on Monday and felt really creative, energetic, calm and just, really, WELL. A nice feeling. I am sure I am on the right path when I get those moments or days of feeling so good.
I have kept as raw as possible since Monday too, as I want it to be part of my life and to become the norm. It will take a lot of work experimenting with recipes and food groups, but I can see benefits already. my skin is much, much clearer already and I haven’t worn foundation for the last few days as I have been looking ok without it. Also, my weight has begun to shift and I am creeping towards my goal inch by inch. ( and there are a few inches to go..)
I bought myself a soya cappuccino this week and struggled to drink it, the more I detox the stronger the effects of my usual vices; caffeine is something else I plan to greatly reduce, and this week I have been having 1 or 2 cups of coffee a day, a vast improvement from my 4-5 mugs, and frankly a miracle given the fact the twins have been teething this week and therefore awake most nights.
So, Monday – thumbs up. Nice one. Great, on the road.
Roll to Tuesday, I had been awake since 2am with the girls crying/teething during the night and my belly also decides to distend and become very painful. At 6 am I crawled back to bed with a codeine painkiller, the first in 10 days or so, and managed to get some sleep. I was shocked, however, at how pronounced the side effects of the codeine were; given I had built up quite a tolerance to it again recently before my laparoscopy and during recovery time, I can tell that my little detox so far has done a lot. I felt as though ants were crawling all over my skin and in my hair, and had uncontrollable itching and irritation. I have never had such a strong reaction to codeine, and it acted as a reminder that my body doesn’t like this stuff, and to stay away from it as much as possible.
Today has been, frankly, crap. I didn’t sleep much again last night but also have the inherent exhaustion that my condition brings. My belly is distended today so much that walking is uncomfortable, and I don’t have much energy to do anything. I struggled immensely today being at home with the ninos, and was relieved when at 3pm my aunt in law popped over to take them for a walk and I could crawl back to bed.
I feel frustrated. It so often seems that its 1 step forward and 2 steps back. But, I suppose it still averages out at a step of improvement so I need to be mindful of small progress.
Having had so many good days recently I can see how I became so uterly despondent last year whrn the ba times return. Being in pain in lonely. It confines you to a small world of isolation and it is so, so hard to remain upbeat when your body is sore and sick. I am really trying though. I so want to be fit, well and healthy again, and I am determined to find the way.
I fiind that I become angry about things I feel like I cannot change. For example, I am totally convinced by the benefits of acupuncture, yoga and massage therapy. I know they work for me, I know they help, but we simply cannot afford it. It seems to sad and so wrong that I should be considering a hysterectomy and all the issues it would bring with it when I KNOW there are therapies which help, but how on earth am I supposed to be able to pay for them?
I really don’t buy much, I havent bought new clothes in ages (and goodness knows I need them), I dont spend money on beauty treatments like I used to when I had a real job, and basically as a Mum of two running her own business, money is tight.
It angers me that these therapies aren’t available on the NHS, that we are handed drugs to manage pain quicker than exploring Eastern treatments. I would love to run away on a retreat, to detox, have colonics, massage, have time to adjust to a new diet, let my body cleanse itself and partake in yoga, acupuncture and meditation. Back in the real world this doesnt happen, although I do keep asking the universe for a way.
It is my hope that my journey will shine a light to others, so I need to find a way to bring the right mix of holistic medicine and raw foods into my life. If other people are to also find a way then I need to show them, and that is the tricky part at the moment. Food is one part of the equation, so I am trusting that as the raw magic works so will follow the ability to afford the extras.
So, universe, I know you read my blog and here is my wishlist:
- regular acupuncture once a month or more
- the money to be able to afford raw foods and the superfoods I need to better my diet
- a juicer to get the good stuff out of fruit and veg and to mainline the fresh juice
- a dehydrator, not essential immediately, but this is a wishlist after all
- regular massage therapy, once a month
For my part of the bargain I will continue to trust that I will recieve all I need. I will try to stay positive and I will still try to stay happy with myself and my body even though I look like the Michelin man currently.
Until next time x
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