Totally Posthumous Cleanse/Detox Wrap

First off - ah quit a day(ish) early. Thar was a halloween party @ my work on the 29th, n ah totally drank a beer n ate some junk. But ah still made it four weeks.

Tha big thang(s) ahm takin from this experiment is a) it DAES make you feel bettah but b) it's nawt a way ah NEED ta live my life just yet. Also that ah don't like havin ta spend all my time thinkin about what ahm eatin, what ahm gawna make, what needs ta be bought, etc.

Ah dae like that a few newer ingredients gawt introduced ta my routine: quinoa, flaxseed, etc. Ah also am very thankful it inspired me ta attend my local farmers market (or markets sometimes) n try ta git tha majority of my foods thar. Ah realized at some point that ahd basically been cookin entirely from scratch in many cases, minus some spices, n that tha most cheatin ahd done was some beans er grains (specially durin my cleanse phase), otherwise it had all been bought at a local market.

It also forced me ta stop dependin on a few non-local products: especially bananas. Ah love bananas - thar easy, tasty, cheap, n good fer ya. Ahd basically been eatin a banana every mornin fer a long time - it was a jump-start to my day, ah could eat it while waterin tha plants, it gave me just a lil energy ta ride ta werk. But thar nawt native. Those bananas come from far far away. So instead, ahve been eatin an apple er pear er persimmon bought from a local vendor. Nawt quite as easy, but bettah fer everyone (specially tha local vendor ah suppose).

So ah believe thars compromises ta be made. Ah love bread n cheese n eggs - thas fine. Ah currently dont eat TOO much of eitha, but ah should be more mindful about those products. Ahve also been good about nawt dependin on tofu fer protein - which is good fer a lawt of reasons. N ahm still gaein to tha farmers market - ah love it. Ah hafta wake up early on my Saturday, but it really is totally werth it.

But ah did miss tha occasional junk food. Ahve definitely snacked a bit now n then since, n haven't felt bad about eatin chocolate er chips er drinkin beer. All in moderation ah figure - n tha more aware of it ah am, tha bettah off ahll be ah think. Right?

All in all, ahm glad ah did it. Ahll prolly dae somethang similar again. Its good ta escape ones comfort zone - specially when you feel awesome durin it. N ah took some good thangs away.

Here's my most recent expedition intae cookin local food:

Attempt at Thai Curry
- Jasmine Rice - cook in cooker

In saucepan, heat olive oil (ah always cook w. olive oil), sesame oil, n soy sauce. Chop 7-8 spicy red peppers (From farmers market of course - $1 a huge bunch ahll nevah use). Sautee in sauce with salt, pepper, brown sugar, and ginger.

Add diced potatos and water. Cover and simmer.

5 minutes or so later, add green beans. stir and simmer. add more ginger.

a few minutes later, added chopped mushrooms and yellow/orange bell pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, then add 30+ thai basil leaves. Stir basil leaves in until wilting, cover for a few more minutes. Squeeze lime over, stir, and serve over jasmine rice.

How'd it come out? Tasty as hell, but a bit spicy. Ahd really thought ah had some coconut milk that ah was gaein ta add, but couldn't find it. Also, ah lost my fish sauce a few months back n haven't replaced that yet either. Ah think w. tha addition of one, er both, of these, it will be pretty fawkin good. Altho all tha recipes ah looked up called fer eggplant, so maybe ah should incorporate that next time.

Cleanse Update - Almost done w. Phase 2!

How ya feelin Anthony?

FAWKIN GREAT!

Yeah, who would've thought that all that healthy livin would make me feel awesome? Ah guess ah sorta did....

Anyway, keepin to tha diet has been pretty easy. Ah mean, ah miss bread and cheese (And some mornings COFFEE) plenty, but it's nawt like ahm gaein hungry. Ahve been makin a bunch of great meals such as Vegetable Soup, Yams and Spinach Curry, Quinoa in a variety of thangs, fresh salads w. some ground flax seed mixed in fer protein, Roasted Veggies n Cranberry beans ovah rice, n Amaranth breakfast cereals. Every day ah drink at least once juice, a few cups of mint tea, green tea, and dandelion root tea at night (fer tha liver). Ahm also takin a multi-vitamin, spirulina, and milk thistle supplements every day. So far ahve made it ta yoga 8 times this month (should have been 9 but tha heat was off one day), n haven't had ta sit out of any regular activities like drummin er bike ridin.

Tha downside: This is really time consuming. It feels like almost every wakin moment is thinkin about food: What ah ken eat, what ah need ta make, what ah should buy, etc. This isn't bad - ah fawkin love food - but ah don't really love it consumin my wakin thoughts. Also, gittin ta sleep has been difficult some nites - altho ahm sleepin much more soundly, n wakin up on time is a piece of cake.

As of Saturday ah will introduce gluten, wheat, dairy, and eggs back into my diet, as well as tha occasional sugar. N next Friday or Saturday ahll have my first drink in 4 weeks - gawta celebrate Samhein n all. So while this has been great, it's nawt gaein ta be tha way ah live my life 24-7. Ah just hope ah take some stuff from it, namely:
* Wakin up on Saturday fer tha Farmers Market is totally worth it
* Quinoa is a really easy grain to cook with
* More fresh veggies in my life is GOOD
* Less tofu/processed meat substitutes and more natural proteins from nuts, flax seed, kale, grains, etc.

But most importantly is ahve learned that this kind of livin IS possible, n nawt even too difficult. In fact, in many ways it's almost cheaper - that is, once ah bought tha juicer, n tha supplements, n all that crap. $30 of veggies from tha farmers market is almost all ah need ta live off (plus grains, etc from tha bulk bins at tha hippy co-op).

Howevah, ah really can't wait ta have a big cup of coffee w. some cream and brown sugar in it, w. a breakfast of avocado on toast n some scrambled eggs w. cheese. How decadent!

Detox/Cleanse (aka, what am ah daein ta myself?)

October is tomorrow n it's a great month. Now that it's fall, ahm thinkin bout tha upcomin wintah, n tha fact that it's been two fawkin years since ah moved here, n otha stuff. N have decided it's time fer me ta try a cleanse.

Ahve gawn on some detoxes, but they were half-assed. N it's nawt that ahm unhealthy, but ah dae drink soda, n eat processed food (usually meat substitute), n thar is tha boozin. So ah started tryin ta find somethang that would fit me well - n didn't.

Tha Master Cleanse is fawkin insane - no way. Ah was thinkin a two week er so deal, but that allowed me ta eat solids so long as they were good fer me. Aftah enuff time on tha internet, ah finally decided ah needed ta put my own program togetha. Ahm still fine-tunin tha supplements ahll need fer part two, but here it is in a nutshell:

Part 1: Oct 1 - 9
- No

• Alcohol


• Junk Food (candy, chips, etc)


• Soda


• Processed/Excessively Fried Foods


• Street Food (burritos, pizza, etc

Ahm also gaein ta try n sleep earlier n wake up earlier to prepare fer Part 2, as well as git ta yoga at least 4 times.

Part 2: Oct 10 - 23/24th
- No

• Drugs, except for Caffeine, and only one cup of Green Tea per day tops


• Dairy


• Sugars


• Eggs


• Gluten


• Wheat

In addition, ahll be takin supplements for things like protein, my liver, and other health-related things to keep me balanced and healthy.

Ah recently purchased a Juicer and will be spending more time shopping for food, attending farmers markets to ensure I'm eating locally and fresh. My garden may provide some greens, although not likely enough to make much of a difference.

Halfway through this, I'm planning on taking a day where I abstain from solid food altogether, and will likely try to fast as much as ah can.

Ahd like ta git ta yoga 5 times during this time period.

Part 3: Oct 24/25 - Oct 30:
(Tha date is ambiguous b/c there's a Wee the Band gig on the 24th so ah haven't decided if ah wanna end my cleanse tha day of, or tha day aftah)
Similar to Part 1, depending on how I feel, and what worked for me. Ahll likely ease back intae certain foods of kerse. If ah git ta 4 more yoga classes, then ahll have done 12 fer tha month, which is about what ah like ta be - perhaps ahll be more ambitious then that....

Then Oct 31st, it's Saturday n it's Samhein, so all bets are off.

We start in tha mornin, hopefully w. yoga!