Really. This is the question of the day!
In many things I have read regarding a quick...cold-turkey...jumping in head first...no ease into it...switch to Veganism they all say the same thing: there is a certain period of detoxification in the beginning that will last shorter or longer in relation to the amount of toxicity in the body to start with.
Symptoms may include anything from swollen joints to cold and flu-like issues. None of which are pleasant! The idea of re-living any of these can make a person run the other way saying "Why would I intentionally put my body through something like that?!?!"
I can even remember one of my nutrition instructors mentioning that in the detox process a person may experience some form of EVERY ailment they have ever had! Not guaranteed for all people in such extremes as when the issue actually took place but the process of releasing toxins allows all remaining stale, stagnant energy to be shaken out of every nook and cranny of the body; really, anything is possible. The funny part of this little phenomenon is that these reappearances can occur for minutes, hours or days depending on the depth of the toxins!
At the end of week two I am chuckling a bit as these little things come to the surface! I have experienced a half day of bronchial/allergy symptoms similar to the ones I had in high school, pain in my shoulder that mimicked the aches that lingered after a random big wheel accident at the age of 6 and today my finger joint feels like it did when I jammed it in one of my aggressive basketball games back in middle school.
In each case, the pain or ailment has only lasted a matter of hours...not bad for not taking time to transition in the eating plan though had I eaten large amounts of junk food prior to this journey it could have been worse, much worse!
Thankfully, due to my burning desire and chef approach to Operation GO Vegan, I am not feeling the need for any other foods! While I used to crave cheese, burgers and various other heart stopping foods, I can safely say that I feel incredible so far and have a deep satisfaction with the foods that I have chosen to prepare and consume. SO, while I may be experiencing a bit of pain in the detox process the pleasure of treating my body with respect and honoring it's healing process makes it all worth while!
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Friday, May 11, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
One Week Down...and only one slip up!!
Last week was a learning lesson to say the least!
The task of not only learning how to be vegan, gluten free AND soy free all in one swoop was quite the undertaking and of course, I am an all-or-nothing kinda girl...you know I jumped in head first.
In all fairness, I have been soy-free for a few years now but I was perplexed at the idea of being vegan without the use of tempeh and various soy products such as my old favorite, Bragg's Aminos. I don't give in easily!
So throughout the week I spent hours on end each day experimenting with different recipes, testing flavors, gluten-free flours and finding countless ways to make beans taste good. Quite the journey, I'd say. Not for the faint of heart or those who are not serious about this level of commitment!
Being a trainer for almost 8 years now, I have seen the one major reason why any "diet" fails is a due to improper planning. Most people say "Oh, I think I want to lose 10 pounds so I just won't eat..." or "I'll switch everything from full sugar to artificial..." or even worse "I want to be a vegetarian so I will just live on cheese and pasta..." and so the yo-yo begins...
Vegan eating is not a light subject. For many people the need for a transition period is crucial! Fortunately for me, I can quite anything cold-turkey, no pun intended, when I make a commitment to do so. It's not about will power it's about self-honoring choices. I honor myself enough to make the change and am committed to give it a chance until I know for a fact it is working or not.
In this choice, I take time to research to make sure I am getting enough protein, ample amounts of iron to prevent my past history of anemia from leering its ugly head, and various other nutrients that Vegans are challenged to get in their daily diet. I mean, if you are not going to go balls to the walls and do it right, why half-ass it?!?!?!
Many years ago I committed to this way of life for about 8 months...well, 8 and a half to be exact. The one thing I struggled with was anemia. And it was bad too!
Every day I found myself taking a 2-3, even four hour nap and struggling to find the energy for my workouts. The major factor in this problem came in my whole grains called Phytic Acid. This acid binds to vitamins such as D and minerals such as Iron which were major contributors to my energetic downfall.
Now I soak brown rice and beans overnight and rinse before cooking them to prevent these toxins from stealing my thunder!
This past weekend was a long one as I was back in school for my three day monthly installment. As I usualy grab an assortment of pot roast, mac n cheese and a chocolate bar, all grounding foods to get me through the energetic curriculum of the day and not on my standard daily list of eats, this time I brought my food the first two days and had a minor slip up on day three.
On the night of day two some of my classmates and I had taken a late night adventure after class to head down to the beach and watch the SuperMoon. A couple of people grabbed a piece of pizza that smelled....soooooooooooooooo good........BUT I didn't eat one bite. I sat and contemplated how life must be for all of those dairy and gluten intolerant people who miss these food items. I felt for them. This eating path for me was a choice not because of any official allergy.
By day three of class all I could think about was a tasty, hot meal.
Due to the beach excursion being so late at night, I didn't make it home. I had crashed in my friend's hotel room and didn't get my clothes until Sunday morning with enough time to shower and race to school.
I rationalized that a bowl of soba noodles with sea veggies and green onions with a kombucha would be safe, until my first bite. Then it dawns on me: soy sauce in the broth and the soba noodles may not be ALL buckwheat. YUCK. Funny because I actually could feel the gluten and soy in my body. Learning to find safe Asian food flavors will be a journey in itself!
On Monday, I was pretty much cut off from the world by choice. It takes me about 1-2 days to recover mentally from a weekend at school and to process all of my learnings so I didn't have a chance to prepare any food for the day. Mom took the opportunity to go in to Whole Foods to purchase some things that appeared safe to bring home for me to experiment with.
On Tuesday morning she was complaining of knee pain so I turned to the foods she brought home to find salt in amounts more than double of what I would use on a regular basis. In addition she purchased a sprouted manna bread that she had a slice of thinking it was safe. Little did she know that three of the 5 grains listed were all containing gluten! The beauty of it is, she feels the gluten making her "puffy" so she know has a good reference to what is really happening in her body when she eats these foods and has a greater desire to avoid them.
I'd say overall, week one was a success. So much to learn and I am taking a crash course for my mom's health! I am looking forward to this week adding to the daily walking with some weights and yoga...my body is calling for it.
The task of not only learning how to be vegan, gluten free AND soy free all in one swoop was quite the undertaking and of course, I am an all-or-nothing kinda girl...you know I jumped in head first.
In all fairness, I have been soy-free for a few years now but I was perplexed at the idea of being vegan without the use of tempeh and various soy products such as my old favorite, Bragg's Aminos. I don't give in easily!
So throughout the week I spent hours on end each day experimenting with different recipes, testing flavors, gluten-free flours and finding countless ways to make beans taste good. Quite the journey, I'd say. Not for the faint of heart or those who are not serious about this level of commitment!
Being a trainer for almost 8 years now, I have seen the one major reason why any "diet" fails is a due to improper planning. Most people say "Oh, I think I want to lose 10 pounds so I just won't eat..." or "I'll switch everything from full sugar to artificial..." or even worse "I want to be a vegetarian so I will just live on cheese and pasta..." and so the yo-yo begins...
Vegan eating is not a light subject. For many people the need for a transition period is crucial! Fortunately for me, I can quite anything cold-turkey, no pun intended, when I make a commitment to do so. It's not about will power it's about self-honoring choices. I honor myself enough to make the change and am committed to give it a chance until I know for a fact it is working or not.
In this choice, I take time to research to make sure I am getting enough protein, ample amounts of iron to prevent my past history of anemia from leering its ugly head, and various other nutrients that Vegans are challenged to get in their daily diet. I mean, if you are not going to go balls to the walls and do it right, why half-ass it?!?!?!
Many years ago I committed to this way of life for about 8 months...well, 8 and a half to be exact. The one thing I struggled with was anemia. And it was bad too!
Every day I found myself taking a 2-3, even four hour nap and struggling to find the energy for my workouts. The major factor in this problem came in my whole grains called Phytic Acid. This acid binds to vitamins such as D and minerals such as Iron which were major contributors to my energetic downfall.
Now I soak brown rice and beans overnight and rinse before cooking them to prevent these toxins from stealing my thunder!
This past weekend was a long one as I was back in school for my three day monthly installment. As I usualy grab an assortment of pot roast, mac n cheese and a chocolate bar, all grounding foods to get me through the energetic curriculum of the day and not on my standard daily list of eats, this time I brought my food the first two days and had a minor slip up on day three.
On the night of day two some of my classmates and I had taken a late night adventure after class to head down to the beach and watch the SuperMoon. A couple of people grabbed a piece of pizza that smelled....soooooooooooooooo good........BUT I didn't eat one bite. I sat and contemplated how life must be for all of those dairy and gluten intolerant people who miss these food items. I felt for them. This eating path for me was a choice not because of any official allergy.
By day three of class all I could think about was a tasty, hot meal.
Due to the beach excursion being so late at night, I didn't make it home. I had crashed in my friend's hotel room and didn't get my clothes until Sunday morning with enough time to shower and race to school.
I rationalized that a bowl of soba noodles with sea veggies and green onions with a kombucha would be safe, until my first bite. Then it dawns on me: soy sauce in the broth and the soba noodles may not be ALL buckwheat. YUCK. Funny because I actually could feel the gluten and soy in my body. Learning to find safe Asian food flavors will be a journey in itself!
On Monday, I was pretty much cut off from the world by choice. It takes me about 1-2 days to recover mentally from a weekend at school and to process all of my learnings so I didn't have a chance to prepare any food for the day. Mom took the opportunity to go in to Whole Foods to purchase some things that appeared safe to bring home for me to experiment with.
On Tuesday morning she was complaining of knee pain so I turned to the foods she brought home to find salt in amounts more than double of what I would use on a regular basis. In addition she purchased a sprouted manna bread that she had a slice of thinking it was safe. Little did she know that three of the 5 grains listed were all containing gluten! The beauty of it is, she feels the gluten making her "puffy" so she know has a good reference to what is really happening in her body when she eats these foods and has a greater desire to avoid them.
I'd say overall, week one was a success. So much to learn and I am taking a crash course for my mom's health! I am looking forward to this week adding to the daily walking with some weights and yoga...my body is calling for it.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
What Will I See When I Die?
I can imagine how jolting this subject line is to many of you. Seriously though, have you ever thought about what you will see in your life when you look back on it? Will you wish that you took better care of your health, spent more time with your loved ones or just honored your spirit more?
We can find many ways to make excuses on a daily basis to not get things done, to not be adventurous and to not be living the life we came here to live. Whatever your excuse, it is just a self-placed barrier to help us live small. Don't you wish you could be living BIG?
So what will it take?
-a shocking diagnosis from a doctor
-an intervention
-a child graduating high school
-a job loss
-a "come to Jesus" talk
In any case, you must find the life inside of you that is ready to be lived! Embrace it and know that you will not stand another day without playing this life with joy and abundance. Be present in the knowing that you are a being who has needs and wants and desires and that you can have the life that you crave if you would only set out to live it with intention and passion!
Get started today by taking one small step in the right direction. Plug into your heart for that one thing that can bring you closer to having a life that you can be proud of. Just one step can lead to a wide open space of the greatest adventure of your life, so why not start today?!
If this struggle is yours, then my new book is right up your alley- It's being released this week and you can pre-order your copy of this step by step Life Capturing book! Pre-order your copy of my ebook to receive an additional FREE report "5 Simple Strategies to Banish Cellulite for Life"
I'M IN! SEND ME MY FREE REPORT AND PRE-ORDER LIFE CAPTURING
We can find many ways to make excuses on a daily basis to not get things done, to not be adventurous and to not be living the life we came here to live. Whatever your excuse, it is just a self-placed barrier to help us live small. Don't you wish you could be living BIG?
So what will it take?
-a shocking diagnosis from a doctor
-an intervention
-a child graduating high school
-a job loss
-a "come to Jesus" talk
In any case, you must find the life inside of you that is ready to be lived! Embrace it and know that you will not stand another day without playing this life with joy and abundance. Be present in the knowing that you are a being who has needs and wants and desires and that you can have the life that you crave if you would only set out to live it with intention and passion!
Get started today by taking one small step in the right direction. Plug into your heart for that one thing that can bring you closer to having a life that you can be proud of. Just one step can lead to a wide open space of the greatest adventure of your life, so why not start today?!
If this struggle is yours, then my new book is right up your alley- It's being released this week and you can pre-order your copy of this step by step Life Capturing book! Pre-order your copy of my ebook to receive an additional FREE report "5 Simple Strategies to Banish Cellulite for Life"
I'M IN! SEND ME MY FREE REPORT AND PRE-ORDER LIFE CAPTURING
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