detox

I thought it might be interesting (well, for me at least) now that 2 months have passed since I began this adventure, to go back and see what things I have and have not done in accordance with my “detox” program. at 23 to 16, it seems I’ve implemented more of my resolutions than not! and some of the “nots” are in progress. I love when my plans come to fruition!

Did:
-begin each day with 2 glasses of water with lemon
-sip warm water with lemon throughout the day
-purchase a non-plastic water bottle
-take more baths (1-2 per week)
-eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup
-identify and eliminate hidden sugars
-avoid all “fake” sugars (like aspartame, splenda, etc.)
-consume lots of miso soup
-try barley miso (well, it’s in the fridge to be tried)
-consume lots of garlic
-get 8 hours of sleep a night by having a consistent bed/wake-up time
-calm down with a pre-bed cup of tea
-not eat b/f bed
-drink green tea in the mornings with coffee as a special treat (i’m slowly falling off this wagon)
-take a flax oil capsule
-drizzle flax oil onto air-popped popcorn as a snack
-refrigerate all oils except olive once opened
-schedule a mid and end of detox massage
-do a grain self-test to determine sensitity (only one, but hey, I did it)
-focus on eating when eating (doing breakfast at home at the kitchen table)
-get consistent cardio exercise (another one that’s nearly in relapse thanks to this wacky weather)
-do ayurvedic dry brush massage before showering
-stop checking work email at home and agreeing to non-essential meetings that I don’t need/want to attend

Did not:
-remove TV from the bedroom
-do a yoga pose at work when I feel like snacking
-replace cornstarch
-try amaranth
-determine the protein I need vs. the protein I get
-eat more sea veggies (they’re in the cupboard but I just am not eating them)
-switch to blackstrap molasses (still using up the regular moleasses we have)
-research colon cleansing
-research plastics advocacy
-avoid aluminum pans
-swap out our pots and pans that are non-stick
-buy houseplants (though I am doing very well at keeping the one my mom gave me last month alive!)
-strategically reduce apartment clutter
-do a spring clean-up day
-research non-plastic storage containers
-organize a yard sale

The latest OCA newsletter retracts their previous statement on Sigg water bottles. still don’t know about that “baked-on enamel coating”, though.

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK: HOW TO AVOID BPA: In Issue #104, we ran a piece with quick tips on how to avoid toxic BPA. One of our bullet points mentioned avoiding SIGG water bottles (among other brands). We acquired that information from the Environmental Working Group. Unfortunately, the data was slightly dated. SIGG has since gone BPA-free, so it is now safe to purchase SIGG water bottles.

Doing something else while eating numbs our awareness of what we’re eating. That lack of awareness can easily lead to overeating, especially things that aren’t nourishing to our bodies.
When we’re under stress, we tend to find solace in quick, bad food and habits, essentially kicking ourselves when we’re down. we mistreat our own bodies in ways we’d never do to others.
Retail therapy (incessantly buying “things”) is a misguided way to show ourselves love and care. Not only does it not get to the root of the problem (stress, unhappiness, etc.) it adds another negative aspect to our lives (exploiting the earth, people and animals to relentlessly produce unnecessary material goods).
Regular exercise flushes the “fight or flight” toxins that remain unused when stress is psychological, not physical.
Our bodies continually release toxins through the breath.

To Do:
Stop eating in front of the TV (or while on the computer, or while reading, etc. I always multi-task when eating)
Implement consistent cardio and weight training, but change it up on a regular basis to keep body guessing (<—this is what my original note from 7 weeks ago said, but I’ve since become immersed in a regular yoga practice and am back to believing that is more healthful than lifting weights. the consistent cardio is a must for me, however)
Check and see if the Y has a sauna, if so, try it to sweat out toxins and relax (again, my original comment. we’ve since purchased an indoor bike trainer which I am loving the heck out of, so now I’m considering canceling my Y membership to save funds.)
Try a colon cleansing therapy (no matter how “clean” you are/eat, every-body needs a little spring cleaning, right?)
Resume using a dry skin brush before showering (this is something that I began doing after we made our first Kripalu visit. skin massage with a dry brush is prescribed in Ayurveda. It removes dead skin cells, promotes circulation and therefore leaves your body better able to release toxins.)
Schedule a massage (my muscle memory is in a state of tenseness. regular massage would be a great habit to get into)

After much research and consideration, I finally purchased a new water bottle this morning. My main goal was to get away from plastic, of which some are better than others but none are “good”. things became more urgent yesterday when I realized that the nalgene I’ve been using to hold me over is #7, the most evil of the bunch! http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2005/01/10/umbra-bottles2/
plus, I’m finding things on the interwebs that I don’t so much like regarding nalgene.
http://www.rmad.org/nalgene.html
so I narrowed my choices down to two, Sigg (http://www.sigg.ch/) and Kleen Kanteen (http://www.kleankanteen.com/index.html). Sigg is aluminum, which isn’t generally a good material for food, but the material with which they coat the inside is supposed to keep it from leaching. this interior coating was what eventually eliminated them from the running. It’s a “baked on enamel” but I had a hard time finding anything more specific than that. numerous sources mentioned it cracking. I also found a comment in an Organic Consumers Association message about some Sigg bottle having a plastic lining, but I couldn’t find substantiation of that. Really, the thing mainly keeping them in the running despite all of this is their fun designs. but alas, health trumps aesthetics.
I present you with the winner http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=48002906&parent_category_rn=5760748&vcat=REI_SEARCH.
there seems to be some confusion as to whether it (and Sigg for that matter) is appropriate for hot beverages. their own websites say no, but other sites (like REI) talk about how you can use them for hot or cold beverages. I plan to use it simply as a water bottle, though, so no matter.

Fun Facts:
Plastic is convenient and “cheap” and it is leaching toxic petrochemicals all around us (there are always hidden “costs” to cheapness) (http://www.43things.com/people/progress/Onkelo/6079234)
Every time you wear, sit on, eat/drink from or are in a room with plastics, you are ingesting them
The FDA considers plastics “additives” b/c they are ingested so easily, yet they leave it up to the manufacturers to test and control for the “migration” of these substances
Every plastic ever made is still on this earth (they never biodegrade) unless it has been burned, in which case it released toxic chemicals into the atmosphere at the time of it’s fiery death.
PVC is the most toxic plastic, the “safest” are #5, #2 and #4
Most of the chemicals in conventional cleaning products are not regulated to ensure safety for home use. many are even banned in public workplaces by OSHA.
Indoor air pollution is 2-5 times greater than outdoors.
Greenery, whether outdoors or house plants, makes you better able to handle stress (shows a study done on kids)

To Do:
Learn more about advocacy against plastics
Never reheat food in plastic containers or with plastic wrap covering it (I already don’t)
Encourage my nearly-perfect partner to stop consuming so many beverages from plastic bottles
Purchase non-plastic, reusable water bottles
Avoid aluminum pans and one use trays
Inventory our pots and pans-keep stainless steel, cast iron, copper, clay and glass- work out a plan to phase out all others (aluminum, non-stick)
Purchase no more plywood or particleboard furniture
Aim for no carpeting if we change apartments
Buy houseplants and, more importantly, commit to keeping them alive! A few in each room.
Be more choosy with candles- only soy with cotton or fabric wicks
Avoid alpha and beta hydroxy acids in skin care products
Look for additional ways to reduce clutter in our apartment: kitchen table/pantry, think about recycling some of our tupperware to reduce and eventually eliminate, go thru desk and eliminate, linen closet
Schedule a spring clean-up day
Research non-plastic storage containers
Approach super fabulous friend/co-worker about the potential for a spring yard sale

despite the fact that I swear it’s left me bloaty in the past, sg brown rice and I seem to be all right with each other. I had a small bowl this morning and experienced pretty much nothing in the following two hours. I did have a wee bit of a headache thanks to not having my regular tea, but that’s subsiding after a few sips of some green w/lemon. the other thing that I learned was that I definitely need a higher protein/fat content in my b-fast. I was hungry by 10:30! one last comment: i soaked the brown rice over night before cooking it. not very scientific of me since that was modifying two variables.

(last week was crazy so I’m doubling up this week. turns out it’s not a big deal, though, since this particular chapter is the part of the book my lifestyle already closely followed)

Fun Facts:
Most Americans eat way too much protein (100-120 grams as opposed to the 25-50g recommended for women). this is very stressful on the body.
High protein diets lower the PH balance of the blood (makes it too acidic).
A serving of cheese is the size of a domino!
70% of all antibiotics used today are fed to livestock
The higher up the food chain you eat (i.e. animals instead of veggies, the greater the concentration of toxins)
Nations with the highest calcium intake from dairy also have the greatest incidence of osteoporosis
Vegans have better bone health than dairy consumers
Kids who drink lots of milk are at a greater risk of diabetes
Sea vegetables (wakame, dulce, kelp, kombu) are very high in calcium
Heavier animal proteins can get stuck in our (long) intestines and decay there
Many plant protein sources actually contain more protein than beef (example, 1oz of beef=7 g of protein, 1/2 cup of quinoa is 11 grams)
when you switch from meat to vegetable sources of protein, you automatically consume less antibiotics, cholesterol, saturated fats, nitrates and hormones.

To Do:
Determine exactly how much protein I’m getting and how much I “need”.
Eat more sea vegetables (I purchased a few different types of these a few weeks back, but only used them in once, in my ubiquitous miso soup. I’ll experiment more with these)
Switch to blackstrap molasses (for more calcium)

Fun Facts:
Carbohydrates are our body’s main energy source. the key is choosing complex carbohydrates (brown rice, quinoa) over refined, processed ones (bread, flour)
When you refine grains and remove the husk, you lose fiber, vitamins and minerals. what’s left is an empty carb that is immediately metabolized as straight sugar.
Think about when you made the glue for papier-mache in grade school, that’s essentially what you’re sending through your digestive track when you eat things like white bread and other refined, processed carbs.
Americans eat tons of carbohydrates, but are only getting about 12 grams of fiber a day, instead of the recommended 20-45g.
Multi grain doesn’t mean whole grain. If all of the grains in it are refined, it’s no better for you than white bread.
Wheat, corn and gluten are three of the most common food allergies. Many people are undiagnosed.
The ubiquity of corn is causing us to react allergically to it.
A diet rich in whole grains can help avoid weight gain as we get older and also cut the risk of developing heath disease, obesity and diabetes.
If your diet hasn’t contained a lot of whole grains, it’s best to introduce them slowly so your body can adjust. You can also soak grains overnight to make them easier to digest and faster to prepare.
Don’t stir simmering/cooking grains (don’t really go into why, need to research this more)

To Do:
Avoid instant, boxed, flavored rice mixes (filled with preservatives but not a lot of nutrition.)
Replace cornstarch with arrowroot or kudzu (to eliminate one of the many avenues through which we’re ingesting corn)
Self-test for grain sensitivities/allergies/intolerances: have a small portion of a different grain with absolutely nothing on it for breakfast (and drink nothing but water) and take notes over the next two hours tired? foggy? sleepy? we have short grain brown rice, quinoa and oats on hand. plus I’m going to give amaranth a try. (she suggests you focus on beans, legumes, nuts and veggies if you find you can’t stomach a lot of grains)
Try amaranth for breakfast (it’s higher in calcium than cow’s milk and also a good source of fiber, lysine, b vitamins, zinc, copper and iron)
Try barley miso (supports the digestive system, stimulates the liver)
I love, love, love this week’s “mental detox” and it’s the story of my life so it won’t be much work for me. the theme is “what you buy and eat matters”. understanding where you food comes from and how it was produced is important. what country did it come from? how were the animals and people that produced it treated? how did it’s production affect the environment? Her suggestion is to choose one of your favorite foods and do some research on it.

Fun Facts:
In addition to vitamin absorption, proper brain, cell and hormone function and various other necessary thing, fats are needed for detoxification. Good fats help break up bad fats and the fat soluble toxins they contain.
The liver processes fat soluble toxins and so acts as our personal detox machine, but it gets overloaded when we fill it with too many toxins (like transfats and other nastiness).
Flaxseed oil should come in a dark or opaque container and be stored away from heat
Don’t cook with flaxseed oil, use it for cold preparations (like salad dressing)
Unrefined organic coconut oil is great for hi temp cooking and baking and helpful for people with candida overgrowth

To Do:
Continue avoiding trans fats and eating plenty of “good” fats (flax, nuts, seeds)
Watch out for: shortening, hydrogenated oil, partially hydrogenated oil
Take a flax oil capsule (begin doing this 4 weeks ago)
Drizzle popcorn with olive or flax oil and sea salt (she gives a list of healthy, convenient snack foods to replace processed snacks like cookies and crackers. popcorn is already my snack staple, so this little boost is perfect for me. I’ve also discovered recently that misting a little Braggs on plain popcorn is super yummy too)
Avoid refined oils. if the label doesn’t say how it was extracted, it’s probably refined
Refrigerate all oils (except olive) after opening and don’t store over the oven
Schedule a massage to celebrate making it through 4 weeks and feeling great because of it! (thanks to mdm for this great idea for a reward. a pint of ice cream doesn’t really fit into the detox regime)

finally got to the grocery store yesterday to pick up some white miso and try out a new recipe. It’s essentially just oatmeal, but fermented with miso overnight to make it pure, easily digestable goodness. here’s the “recipe” http://www.southrivermiso.com/recipes/porridge.html.
I can happily report that it is super yummy (I’m eating it right this very minute!), especially if you like the taste of miso. I do so mine is a little heavy on the miso, but you could probably use less and still get the benefit.