Category — Food, Drink, and Health

I wish I could shout this from a mountaintop for all women to hear, all over at least America. Now, I don’t know this personally (yet)(although did notice my cramps went almost completely away when I gave up sugar/wheat once), but…I was randomly googling and came across info about how a raw food diet lightens and can even make periods almost nonexistent. definitely take some of the pain, hassle, heavy flow, crampy cramps, PMS etc…away

Edit/update- then after reading for a while I thought, hmm, some of these people might be losing their period from not eating enough (which is bad), but, everyone’s different. Balance. Moderation. (I will never again call myself a fixed label “vegan” “raw” “vegetarian” because I like options, and like to experiment to see what’s best for my body and I strongly believe it does include meat!)

Raw Food Support forum page where I first encountered it

Well, then I googled about it for more info, and instead of posting a bunch of links like I was initially intending, I am going to not do that, and just summarize what I read. Because at first I was way into it, and then, like with every “diet” (or lifestyle choice I prefer), there are pros and cons, and while something may be a fact, you can always find some people who are different (and everyone is different when it comes to food reaction/body stuff/etc…)

Anyway, I think eating healthier, and less toxin-filled food, and…just less food, would indeed make your periods lighter. I see how eating less meat and/or dairy might lessen the flow (and you’re undoubtedly affected by what these animals eat- mostly crap), and also soy- which messes with estrogen, would make a difference (hormonal balance/dysmenorrhea etc…)

Woh, again, I’m mid-post, get really distracted (reading about a freak lady, won’t mention her name, don’t want to increase her SEO/google stats, but, she is annoying enough to keep reading about…let’s call her banana b#$%h). Anyway, I could finish this post, edit it to be a bit cleaner and more concise, but instead I’m delving into this off-topic-offshoot. Only a bit. That’s me. That’s a lot of people. Anyway…let’s focus

At least try this as an experiment:

Eat less meat and dairy (obviously raw would mean you ate none of this stuff, but I think it is good for you in small amounts (meat over dairy, really)), but the stuff you do eat, make the effort to get organic- really look into the food.

Eat less processed foods. Focus on raw foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc…) I think that makes perfect sense that all the other crap added into foods would make it harder not just for digestion, but for excretion, through whatever avenue (sorry if that sounds gross).

AVOID SUGAR! This could be an entirely different experiment. I used to take down a whole box of midol each month. I have had many a day when I could hardly function from cramps. But when I gave up overt sugar and really minimized my grains to limited whole grains (and just things like potatoes), my cramps lightened, and then went away for several menses months. It was unexpected, and hugely life-changing. (But apparently not enough so to stay off sugar? Well, I try, and it’s hard. Sugar is disgustingly hiding in so many foods and I’m somewhat of an addict).

Anyway, long story short- eating better will likely help your period get better. That said, I feel like not much has changed for me after looking through/thinking about all this stuff. It is about balance, moderation, and not getting GMO/hormone/chemically/toxic food from most grocery stores. It ain’t easy, but it’s worth it.

I knew I was bound to get sick sooner or later, what with the stress and the ridiculous schedule I was keeping! In fact, it had been a LONG time since I’d been sick. I do highly believe in the power of positive thinking (more than just that, but yes I strongly believe research and stories about how your thoughts deeply influence your health). And part of me almost was allowing myself to get sick, so I’d have an excuse to not go out, which, of course, is the opposite of what I end up wanting to do- I want to go out. I want to hang out!

Now that it’s definitely here and at a stage where I’m trying to shift it towards the upshift (aka GO AWAY phase), it is harder than I thought. Wait, didn’t I just say something about thinking?!

Well, I’m having trouble thinking. I reflected that I do indeed need to slow down, chill out, and appropriate my time better. So I’ll do that. I also almost missed today’s blog, and then had a vision of me sometime soon remembering I have to write a blog and just writing “This is my blog for the day” or rambling on endlessly like I sort of am right now.

While it’s far too early in the year to abandon my goal, I am open to the option of shifting it around so I add a minimum of 365 blog entries to my blog this year. And if they are higher-quality, all the better. So maybe one day I could knock out 12 blogs (it is not unfeasible, as I have some flexibility in my schedule right now).

I have oodles of things to talk about. For now, remember to find positive mantras to repeat in your head.

I AM HEALTHY. MY CELLS ARE JOINING FORCES AND FIGHTING DISEASE.

Or something like that

Read all about it here. I juiced, but ate 2 handfuls of raspberries, which I was ok with. One goal of mine is drinking enough to lessen the caffeine withdrawal. I’m on day 2 now, and it’s going well. We’ll see.

I always feel like I have so much to do, even though it’s the Summer. It’s amazing how the days fly! I did accomplish one goal today, sending out for my transcripts for my new job, but, that’s small. It really does almost shock me how time flies. And it is flying, considering I’m not eating!

Back to business, and hydration. Will blog again soon. And, because I’m blogging about my juice cleanse, that means I’m definitely hitting 2 of my 3 big Summer goals- blog more, juice more. Running? Well, not gonna be running much (if at all) during this cleanse.

I’m pretty lazy when it comes to cooking, but making soup is a great way to combat several cooking-related issues.

a. If you make a huge batch of soup, you can eat it for several days afterward, so you don’t have to cook much else.

b. You don’t have to be a good cook to make a good soup. In fact, experimentation is a must, to find your most delicious match.

c. It’s really easy to make a good tasting soup, and pretty hard to make a gross one, unless you have zero skill.

d. Soup is cheap, I’m talking delicious healthy hearty meals for less than 80 cents a serving. Depends on what you put in and what quantity you make, but most likely your cost to food outcome will be cheap.

e. It’s an easy way to get some nutritious, and warm-your-soul goodness, if you’ll let me go that far. Soup is great, especially now that it’s getting colder in most places. Have it hot, with some crackers, bread, or just alone, and it will make you feel great.

The soups I make have a plethora of vegetables, and often some chicken sausage or something of that nature. I’ve only made one bad batch out of like 23. I plan on making and exploring many soups this Fall and Winter.

Soup-a-loup!

I had seen these before without giving them a second thought, until one day while shopping at Trader Joe’s, I wanted something sweet to eat, and I thought I might like some chocolate chip cookies. I took a look at the information for these Righteous Rounds (nutritional information here), because they were on display, and seemed kind of expensive ($3.49 for an 8 oz. bag)(okay, expensive for Trader Joe’s, that is), and I wondered what was so special. I was intrigued to see some fruit and vegetable concentrates listed (apple, broccoli, carrot, cranberries, orange, tomatoes!) so I decided to try them.

I think, since then (which was probably a month ago), we’ve eaten like 5 bags. The first night we opened them, we finished them within an hour. I think it was part pig-out, part phenomenal cookie perplexities! We couldn’t believe how awesome they are.

The bag claims they “have never been heated to more than 75 degrees” though we don’t know how that’s possible if ingredients like butter are included. They are nice and crispy, so as one blogger put it: “Sorry soft chocolate chip cookie lovers- you won’t be too fond of these. These cookies are sweet though and very tasty. They are “hard”, but in a good way.” This health nut also described them well, and the health benefits they oddly have, like lycopene and added vitamins and minerals.

Sure, they’re not totally healthy for you, but as far as cookies go, they’re pretty great for you. And there’s nothing lacking in taste.

My best friend and her husband were in town and they eat healthily, though he values taste and won’t sacrifice it for tofu (ha), and I had them try them. She was hesitant at first, but then went for more (she says if she’s going to eat sugar, it’s going to be real sugary- like Dairy Queen). And I love his quote, he took on a more sugar-addicted population point of view:

“They taste kind of weird, but I find myself really wanting another one.”

Indeed, watch out for sharing a whole bag, which I don’t recommend (but have done), but these are a wonderful tasty and semi-healthy junk food snack. Pack a small bag for lunch, or portion some out in the evening for a crunchy, sweet, taste-bud-tantalizing delight.

Remember that awesome part in Better Off Dead when the mother serves up some blue raisin schloop? Then it goes and slurps right off the plate? I love that movie!

I just finished wasting over an hour on a whirlwind readabout: Gwyneth Paltrow, Goop, her marriage and its rumored disintegration, and a blogger who really has it out for “fishsticks” paltrow.

I eagerly signed up for Goop’s weekly newsletter after seeing her on the Tonight Show a few weeks back, touting its practical and environmental wonders. I like eating healthy, and travel, and “nourishing my inner self”, so I jumped on the boat.

Honestly, I mostly forgot about it as well. The email address I signed up for is my spammy account so there are a bunch of lists and sites I’ve signed up for (like the daily news in French) that I rarely read. I did read it once or twice, but was slightly depressed about her advertising of a detox cleanse I could never afford.

After my adventures in pointless research, I realized how stupid the site is for most everyday humans (and I had already had my suspicions due to this pricey fashion advice) and I will unsubscribe, if I have the motivation to even do that. I figure another less-than-positive blog review will hurt more than one less subscriber on the list.

To continue my adventure- who ever said Twitter isn’t a wonderful way of peeking into others’ lives?! I found other people who related to feeling poor and worthless after reading about all of these wonderful things she writes about that cost hundreds and/or thousands of dollars!

Here are some of my favorites:

A British woman writes: “gwyneth, I’m just not interested in your ridiculous tosh today. you and me are over.” (I had to look up tosh, and as I suspected, it is similar to rubbish. that’s grand!)

A woman from ‘beantown’ writes: “Reading GOOP. Why do I do this to myself?” it will likely make you feel bad about yourself, with few exceptions.

there are others, but i want to maybe focus on doing something actually productive, having wasted so much time reading about gwyneth and a possible boob job? gwyneth stealing the idea for goop from some beet lady?!

i like to think of myself as a pretty good person, but i’d be better if i had just a little more money. ha.

I did just find this quote from her, while doing even MORE research for this ‘article’. I like it for a number of reasons I’ve bolded: (May 2009)

“She tells Life & Style magazine, “It’s hard! Nothing is as good as it looks. Life is complicated, and there are always issues to overcome. Yesterday, he went to Australia, and I came here (New York); you have to accept that. We’re brutally honest with each other. Even if, God forbid, we weren’t together in 10 years or whatever, I think we’re like a family.”

also like the “I think we’re like a family” because that is just kind of weird to say. i mean, aren’t they family?! i definitely partially wrote this article out of jealousy at her richness. whatever. she’s decent. the site is, eh, alright, if you have a lot of money floating around.

i know i’m a decent person, because now i feel sort of bad. like, hey, she’s a human, it’s tough to be a celebrity, but then i remember the quote i read about her saying “f#$% the haters!” about blog criticism, and i’m like, hey, all’s fair in life and hollyweird-ness.

i’m bitter. and i do like the bitter taste of dandelion leaf in a juice, like the one i made last night. a girl can take small, steady steps.

p.s. i was finishing up reading about the detox program (and finding myself still experiencing that love-hate feeling) when i stumbled upon a girl named ally’s awesome comment:

“Frankly, this is a “lose weight through diarrhea” diet plan.
Going for a run is better than the runs, IMO.”

oh, humor! how you help remind me to enjoy life, and to remember the other people out there going through life in a realistic manner.

I bought a Garmin Forerunner 305 on Craigslist, which I just finished knocking in terms of real employment opportunities, for a much better price than anywhere else I had found.

I was happy that it worked, and today I’ve spent some time setting it up, and figuring out my maximum heart rate (which my mother told me can be found by subtracting your age from 220).

Now it’s time to take it for a run. I’m going to try and do a pace run where I push myself a little. I’m not very methodical in my ways. I am running the Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon in November (11/22/2009) and my goal is to get under 2 hours, which would be under a 9:10 pace. I think that is doable, seeing that my goal would be like an 8 and a 1/2 minute pace, but it’s for 13.1 miles, which I’ve never done before.

As I said, I’m not very methodical, but I am enjoying myself all along the way, and I hope to continue to do that up until race day- read more about my training here!

***1 hour later ***** Ugh. Went for a run. The Garmin pedometer GPS thing seems awesome. My performance, however, did not. I got depressed. At first, I was all excited because it was cool out (or so I thought- later I realized it was pretty humid). I pushed myself and I’m embarrassed to say I did not get under a 9-minute mile. I blame my dog for stopping to pull a #2, and then I feel bad for blaming her.

(what is wrong with me?! how could you even pretend to be mad at this ball of fluffy cuteness!?!?!)

But overall I’m excited to figure out the Garmin and its many possibilities- virtual partner, pacing, heart rate, etc.! (Just might have to leave the dog at home )

My father has stage IV non-small cell cancer. At least that’s what a doctor told him, though he is unique because there are spots where it has metastasized, but there is no large area where he has it.

Unfortunately it was so serious when he found out. He is going through chemotherapy (just had his 1st round yesterday), and is being responsible medically to get it taken care of.

Fortunately, and happily for me, he is also open to and is doing whatever he can to help his physical health. He is willing to take supplements, drink teas and kombuchas, he started drinking Xango, and he even likes the juices I’ve been making him.

My juicing involves heavy amounts of leafy greens such as kale and spinach, and other veggies like carrots, celery, parsley, cucumbers, maybe even some tomatoes, and fruits like apples or grapes to help the taste, and garlic and ginger for additional flavor and health benefits. It tastes good to me, and it tastes better because I know it is helping my health. I aim to keep making it for him to help keep his body as healthy as possible.

It’s only been about 2 weeks since we found out, and it’s been tough since then. Ups and downs, and a huge mix of emotions. I have been proactive (making juice), and ordering things and reading things and I got the family bracelets and pins and such. I got free books from the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, and free pamphlets, brochures, and other helpful informational materials from the Lung Cancer Alliance. They even have a phone buddy program (but I’ve been playing phone tag because I’ve been so busy).

It’s amazing how much hope and inspiration is out there. I was skimming through these books, which I plan to take over to my Dad with some juice in a bit, and I was reading about “approaches” or attitudes with cancer.

My favorite one is this, the one they encourage of course:

“Hope. Hoping is an active process in which one imagines a positive future based on a realistic assessment of the present. Hope does not blot out the bad. Instead, it emphasizes the positive.” (from Fighting Cancer by Annette and Richard Bloch)

The other “approaches” are 2) hope plus denial, 3) total denial, and 4) giving up. I am HOPING my father can allow himself to grow into an appropriate HOPE style. One where he is doing all he can (which he already is doing a good job of), and can factor in the scary parts too, but with a positive outcome as the hopeful end.

I also hope our mixed family can all see this as a time to forgive and forget, and talk about things, and I hope this will help us remember what is important in life.

I got one. I really aim to keep my “personal life” out of my blog, but this is too much of a thing to not talk about, as it will be an issue for a bit. Cancer. In my direct family. I’ve had an aunt die of breast cancer, and my Grandpa passed away in February from cancer (though he did beat a few types before that). I’m still way too much in shock to really know what to think.

But my healthy instincts geared right up with “doing”. I have already dropped off some Kombucha, and made mad-healthy-fresh juice (which Mrak and I have done twice), to my father.

Luckily he liked the juice, which today had Kale, Celery, Carrots, Apples, an Orange, Parsley, Ginger, and Garlic in it. Woohoo for juicing! It also makes me much happier to be doing the half-marathon because my cardio has been lacking. Walking is great, but I don’t get my heart rate up enough. And running helps me release aggression and/or helps me have less aggression (not to mention anxiety!).

Needless to say I’m pretty upset, and scared. But I have hope. I really want to bring more healthy food into my dad’s life, and maybe we could go walking. Since I live nearby him and his 3 kids from his first marriage don’t, I can do us all a favor and be a huge support to him. I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t.

I like juicing really healthy greens, and sometimes even if it doesn’t taste the best, I know it’s what’s good for me, and I like it because of that. Plus, eating healthy grows on you. And if you lessen the high-fructose corn syrup in your diet, your taste buds improve. I know I need to keep doing that.

Anyway, I could ramble on for all sorts of hundreds of words, but I better go do some orderly things, and get to bed at a decent hour so I can get up early for the 4th of July, and there’s a reason why which I will blog about like I have most years since I found Darryl Nathan.

Organic Mary’s Gone Crackers Sticks and Twigs snack is out of control awesome. I mean, I’m blogging at 1:40 am directly after eating them for the first time, and I could not resist spreading the good word.

They’re:

-wheat-free
-gluten-free
-whole grain

AND they’re made of amazing yummy good-for-you ingredients like:

-brown rice
-flax seed
-amaranth
-quinoa

and more! and more importantly, they’re actually delicious!!!

yes that’s right. delicious.

I had the sea salt flavor and listen to these nutritional facts:

For 15 sticks it’s 150 calories , 5g fat , 4g fiber! , and 4g protein – No Sugar!

Whoops, I was test-tasting them and I probably had like 2 servings
So, you could eat too many of them, but probably they’ll be just right for many people looking for a crunchy yummy snack taste that’s sort of (looks) like a pretzel that tastes sort of like a cracker.

Highly recommended!