Monday, November 9, 2015

Must Haves

Look at that color!
I've been reflecting alot lately on my life, and my journey to health and happiness. I've tried a lot of different things, diets, and suggestions. I've tried Raw till4, raw all the time, and various juice/smoothie cleanses just to name a few. None of those things hurt or helped me. I always notice a certain vitality that comes from lots of raw fruit and vegetables, but the down side is I don't ever feel fully satisfied. When I first embarked on this journey, I discovered several well known vegan health "gurus" on YouTube that I looked to for some tips. For awhile I was way into these channels, and I really gave them my full support. But, slowly I started realizing that for one thing I didn't have the access to the abundance of fruit and veg living in PA. in the winter. I also need variety in my life, and while I know bananas are inexpensive, I cannot live on ten banana smoothies. I also do love fruit, especially in the summer, but in the cooler months I lose most interest in fruit, and want savory breakfasts. It was getting frustrating because a lot of these YouTubers tell you your doing it wrong if you don't have the same amazing results as them.
I've gotten rid of the gurus, and have been slowly finding what works for me, and my body. And finding that balance for myself. We are all individuals, and while I live for ideas and suggestions, it's very important to honor and respect your body. For me, I come from a very disordered eating past. Very restrictive. Even before I became disordered, my food background was very restrictive as a kid. My mom was a health fanatic, and as an adult I can now appreciate where she was coming from, but as a kid I sometimes wished pizza could be a regular white crust, not super whole wheat, and I wished maybe for one sandwich without sprouts. So, for me having the pressure of eating only raw, or only organic, or whatever else is not the life I want. I spent years as a bulimic wishing I could just have a normal meal with friends without having all the stress, purging, and guilt. I always wanted eating to just be a normal affair like it seemed to be for everyone else. So, having to make a production of finding a fruit or raw only restaurant is not something I desire even a little bit. The only restriction I have, and will always have is the food needs to be vegan. That to me doesn't even feel like a restriction, because I don't desire non vegan food at all.
So far I have found that following more of a starch solution diet is what makes me feel the best, and most satisfied. But I don't even follow that to a T. I like to have vegan junk food every now an again, and some days I eat a lot of raw vegetables, other days I eat a lot more cooked. But there are two helpful hints I've picked up along the way that I can't live without. One is green juice. I love the way it makes me feel, and I notice a drastic change in how I feel if I go too long without it. I'm talking about homemade green juice. When I was traveling to Seattle and couldn't make my own, I stopped a few times and got various bottled green juice. It just isn't the same. A lot of the nutrients go wherever nutrients go to die while the juice is sitting there in those clear plastic bottles. My favorite green juice has kale, cucumber, celery, cilantro or parsley, ginger, and pears. Apples are good to, but pears add an extra sweetness that I love. The second healthy habit is lemon water. Every morning I squeeze one lemon into 15oz. of water, and sip on it all morning along with my tea. I've been doing this for well over a year, and I cannot recommend it enough. An old co-worker of mine told me that her 90 plus grandma has been doing the same thing for as long as she remembers, and also mentioned that she just doesn't feel the same without her daily lemon water.
What is a healthy habit that you can't live without?

10 comments:

  1. That's awesome that you are finding what works for you! I hear you on the youtube channel gurus. I recently had to unfollow a bunch of raw healthy living accounts on instragram, because it just wasn't promoting a lifestyle I could strive for. I think so much of social media is a facade, so it's good to see through the bs.

    I couldn't live without herbal tea in the morning!

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    1. Oh hi! Doesn't it feel good to purge? When I unsubscribed to some YouTube channels, I felt so much freer and lighter! I need tea in the morning too! Especially in the cooler months!

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  2. I hear ya! That's what I struggle with...produce in PA in the winter! That's what keeps me from being more raw. That an I tend to cheat with corn chips! LOL

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    1. I know. i always feel like you can only eat so many apples, oranges, and grapefruit! Hey, guacamole is raw, and that goes great with corn chips!

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    2. Winter is kind-of what killed eating raw for me. I would look at a plate of cold food and get sad. Nothing is worse than eating a salad on a snowy day in a cold room.

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    3. That's how I feel. It makes me colder. And I don't feel satisfied, and end up eating more than I should.

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  3. I think the two healthy things I don't stop doing anymore is a cup of kombucha in the morning and a smoothie with spirulina. I joke with my husband if my shakes even taste good anymore because I crave that spirulina taste with greens blended in.

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    1. Wow, that's pretty amazing that you crave spirulina. I've tried adding it to smoothies, and I cannot handle the taste! I agree on the kombucha! My home brew should be ready for the second ferment in a little under a week, so that will be nice. Since it's so pricey to buy, I definitely have had to cut back.

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    2. Yeah I homebrew kombucha, and on rare occasions I still buy a bottle. The trick to spirulina is starting small, and with lots of fruit. I first had it with in a smoothie at my work which used orange juice, kiwi, banana, apple, carrot, and spinach in it. Now the flavor has grown on me and I just have it with a creamy chocolate or matcha shake.

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    3. I have heard a lot of people pair it with chocolate. I know it's sooooo good for you, so I might experiment with it again in the future. Maybe I'll make that a New Year's Resolution!

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