The day before I go raw

It's Sunday, the day before I start going raw. I have some thoughts about it, most of them good, and for the most part I'm very excited about getting started on a process I know will be extremely beneficial to me.

I'm tired today. I had to take Benadryl to get to sleep. That's something I hope will change very soon, what with the incorporation of raw foods, exercise and lots of water into my diet. I think I have to change a whole lot, not just the way I eat --- and I'm prepared to do that.

I called a not-for-profit organization today and inquired about a position there. I'd probably make far less than I do now, but it's a meaningful organization and I know I'd thrive in a situation like that. So ... a lot of things are beginning and ending in my life. Lots of it is hard, but I think all of it is good.

Why Go Raw

Going Raw

Starting Monday I'll be going back to 80% - 90% raw. I'm going to do this for at least two weeks for detoxification and then re-evaluate at that time to see if I want to continue. Last year around this time I had been eating raw for nearly a month and felt incredibly good because of it. I also looked great -- my skin looked shiny and polished and even the tenacious rash on my leg abated altogether.

Breakfast:
Fruit smoothie
Lunch:
Juices, raw nuts, berries, raw cheese

Dinner:
Spinach salad, seeds, nuts, fruit

I'll drink fruit juices (blueberry, carrot, orange, grape --- all organic) throughout the day along with lots of water.

I'll be weighing myself as well, and even though I don't need to lose weight, I'd like to see how much I lose nonetheless. A slimmer person who still manages to lose weight eating raw is indicative of the significant amount a heavier person will lose by doing the same.

Why I'm doing this:

I'm feeling run down again. I have a lot on my plate right now and I have to be physically able to deal with it all. I'd like more energy and verve. Also, I'm toying with the idea of becoming clinically "underweight" as a means to mitigate my high blood pressure. I read in Dr. Joel Fuhrman's informative book, Eat To Live, that it is possible to handle high blood pressure naturally if a person drops approximately ten pounds below their "ideal" body weight. This intrigues me as there's nothing I'd like more than to get off the pills-for-life regime I presently suffer (synthroid for thyroid and avapro for high blood pressure).

However, given my interest in natural beauty, I might not like the way I look if I am too thin. So we'll see.

The anatomy of a healthy smoothie

I'm not a big breakfast eater, and so in lieu of a large meal I tend to make some kind of smoothie chock full of things to keep me going for a few hours.

I drink these nearly every day, if not at breakfast than at lunch -- sometimes even for dinner. They're easy to make, delicious and extremely healthy for you.

The ingredients are not difficult to find or hard to use. I'll explain why I personally use them, too, so you can decide whether you want to begin incorporating some of these things into the smoothies you make at home.

• 8 to 12 oz water or orange juice for base
• Fresh or frozen fruit
• 1 - 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• Nascent iodine, 4 drops
• Biotics Research Aqueous Multi Plus
• 1 teaspoon blue agave

Let's go through them one by one:

Orange juice: Oranges are a superfood. Superfoods are foods which contain important nutrients not usually found in other foods. Basically they are the superheroes of foods. The more we eat these foods the healthier we will be. I try to eat as much off the superfood list as I possibly can each day.

In this case, when unable to consume actual oranges, use orange juice. Get organic with all the pulp, if you can. I realize in the picture above I've got Tropicana and that's because wow, I'm kind of human and also totally budget conscious. Still, I get organic whenever I can. What's also wonderful, though, is using a filtered water base with actual orange slices mixed in with the rest of your fruit.

Fresh or frozen fruit: Everybody needs about five servings of fruit a day, isn't that what thye say? Personally I can't imagine eating that much whole fruit (I'm not as big a fruit lover as others I know) and so this smoothie is a good way for me to get what I need all in one go. Remember: fruit should never be eaten with anything else because the digestive processes required to break down fruit are different from the processes used to break down protein and carbohydrates. If you eat fruit with anything else, the fruit will be last to be processed, and this will cause fermentation in your stomach.

One other thing to remember is that the darker the fruit, or more vibrantly colorful, the more healthy and anti-oxidant rich. Blueberries are also a superfood and I tend to always have them on hand, either to throw into smoothies like these or to put on top of my oatmeal (oats? also a superfood). Unsweetened blueberry jam is also a healthy treat to have around the house --- use liberally on toast or scones or whatever you like. Blackberries are also fab in smoothies, as well as strawberries --- but one warning about strawberries: only eat organic. There's more pesticide found on strawberries than nearly any other fruit.

Coconut Oil: I recently wrote a post on what I consider to be the miraculous properties of coconut oil. As such I not only apply coconut oil liberally to my body, but also ingest it one to three times a day. It adds a nice flavor in this smoothie, and so I recommend it.

Nascent Iodine: I use nascent (or atomic) iodine specifically as a tonic for my thyroid, but its benefits, I believe, are legion:

...another, more modern form of Iodine is nascent iodine. It is a consumable iodine in it's atomic form rather than it's molecular form. It can hold an electromagnetic charge which basically means it has a huge release of energy when consumed.
According to Dr Guy Abraham Iodine is detected in every organ and tissue in the body. And so essential is it for life that a deficiency in it will bring a wide variety of afflictions (including cancer) that are difficult to trace back to the trace mineral, iodine. It used to be routinely added to bread as a supplement up until 20 years ago.
60 million mainland Japanese consume a daily average of 13.8 mg of elemental iodine, and they are one of the healthiest nations based on overall well being and cancer statistics - Abraham, G.E.
Because iodine deficiency results in increased iodine trapping by the thyroid, iodine deficient individuals of all ages are more susceptible to radiation-induced thyroid cancer.
Iodine occurs naturally in very small quantities in Salt (iodized), Cod, Shrimp, Tuna, Milk, Eggs and in much, much larger quantities in Seaweed. Some companies also offer it as a supplement.
Source.
(Please note that the referenced article also indicates an added benefit when taking nascent iodine with transdermal magnesium. I intend to write a post about the wonders of transdermal magnesium and how it has positively impacted my own health. Look for it soon.)

The few drops of nascent iodine used in this smoothie are undetectable.

Biotics Research Aqueous Multi Plus: This liquid vitamin supplement was recommended to me by my trusted integrative M.D. I've taken a lot of supplements, as it's my opinion that the traditional diet no longer provides for the essential vitamins and minerals we all need. I recommend this brand because it works for me. If taken by the tablespoon it tastes a bit like orange flavored cough syrup, though not nearly as objectionable (if you, like me, hate taking cough syrup). I have no problem whatsoever with it, and it too is undetectable in this smoothie.

Blue Agave Nectar: I don't use too much of this as obviously this is a sweet enough smoothie without it. However, sometimes I use more tart fruits like pineapple and the like, and in those cases agave sweetens nicely. I prefer it to honey. Clearly, add according to your own taste.

Enjoy!

Be Enough

Today someone jokingly said something to me and it hurt me. Actually it hurt me pretty deeply.

I know he didn't mean it to hurt me and in fact probably wasn't thinking about me at all as he said it, but it stung nonetheless. When he said what he did I was struck with the idea that I will never be good enough for anybody, not even myself. It wasn't his ultimate message but it's what I heard. Because the problem is mine. Sure, maybe he was a little insensitive but the fact is that I am constantly in a position to receive those messages because part of me believes those messages to be true.

My logical mind assures me the messages are complete rubbish but the heart seems to absorb them nonetheless. And it's the heart that has the greatest ability to hurt us.

We're all wounded in one way or another. We carry our crosses. We all get hurt, too, and lots of times it's by people who don't mean us any harm but who nonetheless hit us where it injures the most. Who knows what it is for you? I only know what it is for me.

It's in these times that I am struck by how much work I still have to do. The enormity of what lies ahead immobilizes me. I can manage the micro only; the macro is too much to take on at once. I'm also aware of how alone I am on this journey --- which is as it should be --- but it's a hard pill to swallow. Sometimes I wish others would understand more or even help me carry it, but it's not their duty to do so. It is not their work. I get that.

And so I get hurt, I might even trip up for awhile, but then I keep going. Because I'm the only me that I've got.

And it's got to be enough.