To eat... or not to eat...

In my last post, I listed all the main food/beverages that I have to say No Thanks! to for the next 10 - 14 days. Now it's time to celebrate what I can - and most likely will - eat in the days to come:

• YES to veggies (limitless) - broccoli, squash, cauliflower, peppers, celery, spinach, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, just to name a few...
• YES to meat 'n fish - mostly chicken, wild salmon, tilapia...
• YES to legumes - bean salads, lentil soup...
• YES to grains - yeast-free kamut bread (I love this stuff!), quinoa, whole grain rice, whole wheat/kamut/spelt pasta (is that a grain?!), whole wheat tortilla wraps...
• YES to fruit 'n berries - although I should limit fruit to one or two pieces a day, due to their high natural sugar content...
• YES to nuts 'n seeds - almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds...
• YES to eggs - mostly of the hard-boiled genre...

I've never been one to plan menus ahead of time, so I'm making an effort to keep primarily the YES foods around and create meals from those ingredients. Last evening, for example, I made a hearty lentil & vegetable soup and froze the left-overs; that'll give me at least two lunches. Then there's the beef stew, frozen from a couple of weeks ago. This morning's breakfast, as demonstrated in my photo above, was a delight in so many ways! FYI: Instead of using butter, I drizzle flax seed oil on my toast and sprinkle with cinnamon. Yum. "And what about that milk?" say you?! It's almond milk. Double Yum.

In case you're wondering what is behind all this effort, while on an extended sick leave in January 2006, an environmental allergist & homeopath helped me discover that I likely had an over-abundance of yeast in my body. After a strict dietary change and time to let my body detox, I began to experience good health in a way that I couldn't have imagined! Now, I keep watch of what I eat and every six months or so, I allow myself a nutritional detox process that also involves homeopathic remedy - just to give my liver a rest. And in the day-to-day, as much as possible, I avoid sugar, anything fermented as well as all things fungal (ie. mushrooms, old cheeses...), for these all encourage the growth of yeast in our bodies.

Interestingly, I experienced a vivid reminder of how my body can no longer tolerate concentrated amounts of sugar last week. Hubby & I tried out a new restaurant; the food was great and the desserts, well, irresistable. Knowing full well that it was a major cheat, I ordered a piece of homemade gingerbread cake soaked in maple-rum sauce. Exquisite! Within an hour, I had a headache that made me want to disappear into a quiet, dark space. I thought my head was caught in a vice. Quite the reminder! Garbage in; garbage out.

And that, my friends, brings our episode of jag's adventures in nutritional health to an end for today. Join us again next week as we... ah, never mind. :-)

Pace e bene,