I have been kind of M.I.A. these last few days partially because I have been doing a juice fast and work has been really busy for me. Another huge reason for my absence is that my boyfriend is back from being away for 2 months! I have been catching up on spending time with him and I have never been happier with his good company 🙂 So I apologize if this post is not too exciting today…I haven’t been in the kitchen a whole lot so I don’t have fun recipes or food pics to share. I do have some neat new products I came across within the last few weeks that I haven’t shared yet. Today is the day I will finally get to them!
So first off I want to tell you why I had to do a short juice cleanse. Last post I said how finding optimal digestion is such a journey. Well this last week or two definitely has been a journey alright. An aggravating one! No matter what I was eating, I was getting very bloated and uncomfortable. Nothing had changed food wise, but I do know how nervous and excited I was for my boyfriend’s return. I was nervous mainly because I didn’t want my tummy acting up when he came home. The perfectionist in me was thriving way too strongly off my deep thoughts. All I wanted was the days of his return to be perfect and without any tummy troubles. It’s amazing how far my mind can wander in controlling my symptoms. I took action. I started meditating to calm my worry-some thoughts, I was going to yoga every Saturday and doing some stretching and breathing techniques in the mornings, I was drinking calming and ginger tea, taking enzymes, eating my vitamins, consuming smaller meals and chewing as much as I could….yet for some reason I was having a very difficult time with my digestion. The closer the date came to his return, the more worked up I got that things were not going to get better. I therefore had to intervene with a juice cleanse to clean things out and get back on a clean track.
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| I save all my glass bottles and re-use them for big batches of juices. |
Now I can sit here and come up with a million reasons added on to these worries why I think things were off with my digestion. Could it be my anatomy and the way my intestines are twisted and full of scars? Could it be I’m getting too much fiber? Too little water? Is my food-combining off? Is my pro-biotic working properly with my body? So many factors. Sometimes it drives me crazy to wonder why it’s doing what it’s doing which in turn begins the whole process of my over-driven thoughts. I will admit I think way too much about all this and it is something I am working on letting go of. One thing I do know is now that my boyfriend is back, I am forgetting about my worries. He makes me so unbelievably happy that I’m forgetting about the bad thoughts that have been plaguing my mind recently. Not only has he been so understanding to my Crohn’s but he always reassures me that no matter what happens- if I have a bad tummy day, if I have to cancel plans, or if I need to rush to a restroom, he will never look at me differently. He is trying to teach me to let go of the what-if’s. He reminds me that we will deal with them as they come. There is no point in worrying about them if they have yet to even arrive. So true, yet so hard to train your mind to get there. I’ve come far, but still need some mind-tweaking.
My point here is this: If you are doing everything right by the books as far as feeding your body healthy things and treating it right but you are still not at a point of optimal being, take a look at your mind. Yes, that little dome of yours can be in such control of your body! There is such a deep mind-body connection with your thoughts and your digestion, that its too incredible to dismiss. Kris Carr made a comment in her last newsletter that made me smile. She said “Always remember, your cells know. They have ears. They listen. Think about it.” So true. If you have negative thoughts going through your mind, your body reacts. Step back, take a deep breath and clear your thoughts. From there, take a moment to delve deep into your conscience and try to discover what it is that is holding you back from being the best person you can be. It may not come right away. It may come upon you in a eureka moment days from then. Don’t rush to it. Like I said, its all a slow journey. For me, it was a matter of finding true happiness. That is where I began to realize what happiness does to my whole-being. My boyfriend’s positive attitude, caring nature, the way he makes me laugh and smile and the reassurance he gives me is something I needed in my life and if you can find people like this that reassure you with positivity, gravitate towards them & don’t let them go. Happiness doesn’t need to come from anther person either. It can be within a hobby, passion, or even a thought. Go out and find something you love to do and bring that joy into your life on a daily basis. It could be something as simple as walking through the fall leaves down your street or hugging your pet. Do at least one happy thing for yourself everyday. Reward yourself with joy and overcome whatever it is that is stopping you from achieving full health. Surround yourself with people who bring you positive energy. Do things that unlock your true inner happiness. When you are in a moment of true joy, capture that feeling and re-create it over and over again in different ways. You may just find how addicting happiness can really be – for your mind, your being, and your physical body.
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Product Reviews!
I miss putting yogurt in my smoothies! I have been searching for a non-dairy, sugar free yogurt that doesn’t contain Carageenan. (additive that can cause digestive issues) Low and behold
Cultured Amande Almond Yogurt. It is so good. Same consistency has thick dairy yogurt with a subtle almond taste. Perfect! I saw recently they sell small containers in all kinds of flavors at my local Whole Foods. I got these big containers at Deans, a local health store near me.
If you haven’t tried
Rawbundant’s products yet, I’m urging you to give them a whirl! I met Zoe, the owner and operator of this small raw foods business as she was doing a food demo at my local health food store. Everything I sampled was sooo good. I ended up buying the Sweet Vanilla Cream Style Cheeze to put on the Rosemary Raisin Buckwheat Crackers (what a great flavor combo!) Her Bavarian style nut cheeses are so creamy, so decadent. The next time I go there I am getting the new herb cream cheeze. It tasted just like the real thing and I love how there are probiotics in them. I cannot wait to try the new “Mexican Beans” made of sprouted sunflower and pumpkin seeds & sundried tomatoes. They may just be my new replacement for the food I cannot endure yet always crave.
You can place orders on everything but juices by emailing or calling her :
zoe@rawbundant.com
(908) 494-9696
For some reason, cabbage, including the raw kraut that I love so much just hasn’t been sitting with me well so I made the switch to these. Wow – they are so yummy. You can definitely taste the ginger which I love because this it helps with digestion.
So listen. Sometimes a girl just needs bread. I know Udi’s is not Vegan because it has egg whites in them but sometimes I just need to indulge in the doughy goodness of Udi’s creations. I was excited to find Millet-Chia Flavor bread at Whole Foods! Cinnamon Raisin Bagels – yes please! I use these toasted to make my PB&J’s that I often crave. I haven’t tried the Gluten Free Tortilla’s yet but I can tell my there consistency and appearance that they will be much better then the Brown Rice Wraps I get at Trader Joes. I will let you know how they are soon.
Yum – this was really good. I liked the fact that it had Flax seeds, Protein, Greens & even Chlorella. I still love my Apple Cinnamon Pure Bars the best but this is pretty up there for having more nutritional value.
I got these Raw Breakfast Treats at a my local health food store. They were just ok. Kind of bland and too crunchy for my taste. It seemed to be all buckwheat which crumbled everywhere as you took a bite. Won’t be getting these again.
I’ve been wanting to try these Garden of Life Raw Powders for a long time. This is packed with all great stuff but unfortunately did not please my taste buds. I even mixed these with milk, berries, peanut butter…seems like no matter what I put in, the chalky cardboard taste still came through. I will definitely be sticking to my Sunwarrior Protein!
I absolutely love Danielle’s Veggie Chips, especially the Coconut. I saw this new flavor and had to try them. They were really good. Too good to be healthy. So I investigated and emailed the company, for there wasn’t any information on the bags or their website on how their chips are made. To get them so crispy, they fry them then bake them. Eww. I will not be buying these anymore. Yes, they have less fat than potato chips, but the fact they are flash fried is not appealing to me at all.
Last but not least,
MimicCreme!! How neat is this? I made Tomato Soup and poured some of this goodness in there to make it rich and creamy. It has a very subtle taste to it alone, it didn’t change the taste to my soup, just the consistency. I think I will definitely be finding all kinds of uses for this.
Question of the day: Do you guys ever find your digestion changing out of the blue? What do you do to get back to normal?
Last weekend was such a joyous one. Not only did I get to spend time with my mom’s side of the family Thanksgiving day, but the whole clan on my dad’s side (over 30 of us!) got together the next day for lunch at my Aunt’s. We don’t typically get together on holidays so this was an extra special occasion. It was really really nice to have everyone together. The newest addition of the family, my cousin’s baby (as seen on the left) was the main highlight of the evening. My poor boyfriend hadn’t met my family yet, so I chose that day for him to meet EVERYONE. I give him lots of credit for that – I know I would of been so nervous to meet that many family members in one shot! Needless to say, he was a hit with all of them and did a great job at fitting in. I knew he would.
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