Monday, June 11, 2012

30 days of birthday - day 11: eat clean!

today is the first day of the clean program -- 21 days to not eat certain things strategically for maximum health benefits and to also spark long term habits. thankfully, i'm not just cleaning out my insides.  i'm building a better life for myself.

i know i need to drink more water and eat less salt and sugar but this is way bigger than that. when it's time to eat, it's a dirty world out there. thanks to the chemicals that are pumped into all kinds of animals that we eat as well as the stuff that's sprayed on genetically engineered fruits and vegetables, and things like peanuts and soybeans (a lot of people don't even know they're allergic to them!), a lot of what we eat can be pretty toxic nowadays, especially when we think it's good for us.  the only real way to figure out how food affects me is to see how my body responds to my not eating it for awhile.

i also like the idea of shutting my stomach down for 12 hours to give my body a chance to heal itself. 

this is my fourth go-round with the clean program -- my second one with mpb -- and the truth is, i'm actually looking forward to it. i'm not anticipating too much drama with my digestive system, mostly because i've incorporated a lot of the principles dr. junger teaches into the everyday ordinary moments of my life. i consider myself to be pretty healthy because i don't eat fast food and yet the first time around was a real jolt.  example? i stopped eating wheat gluten and i lost all the bloat and excess in my torso. who knew? since then, no bread, rice, crackers, cookies or pasta. every so often, yes i'll have some if that stuff if hits the table but for the most part i avoid it like the plague -- and i can see and feel a difference. especially in my voice. the same goes for dairy products.

it wasn't like this when i was a kid. in the good old days, i could eat whatever i wanted and hardly ever give it a second thought. but stomachs change. mine did, anyway. this is my way of getting to know myself from the inside out, all over again.  that's why i don't listen to anyone when they tell me what to eat. why should i, when it's my body that's breaking down because of it.

here's a list of all the stuff i CANNOT eat.

Fruit: Oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, strawberries, grapes, banana 
Dairy: Eggs, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ghee, ice cream, non-dairy creamers 
Grains: Corn, Barley, Spelt, Kamut (farrow), Rye, Couscous, Oats, Tritical, Wheat, White Rice,

Meat: Raw fish, Pork, Beef, Veal, Sausage, Cold Cuts, Canned Meats, Hot Dogs, Shellfish, Frankfurters, Kielbasa

Plant based protein: Soybean products (soy sauce, soybean oil in processed foods, tempeh, tofu, soy milk, soy yogurt), Textured Vegetable Protein

Nuts: Peanuts, peanut butter
Vegetables: Corn, Creamed vegetables, Sweet potatoes, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Eggplants, Peppers, (American) Yams
Oils: Butter, margarine, shortening, processed oils, canola oil, salad dressings, mayonnaise, spreads 
Beverages: Alcohol, coffee, caffeinated beverages, soda pop, soft drinks, black or oolong tea, fruit juice (unless it's fresh-pressed)

Sweeteners: Agave, Refined sugar, white/brown sugars, honey, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, Splenda®, Equal®, Sweet’N Low®, molasses

Condiments: Chocolate, most Jam & Jellies (made with sugar), ketchup, relish, chutney, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, teriyaki, Bragg's Amino Acids, other condiments


Other Foods / Extended List:
Farro (wheat)
Goji Berries (nightshade)
Bulgar (gluten) - Tabouleh
Sprouted Wheat (Wheat-grass & Buckwheat are the only wheat allowed!)
Plantains
Gum (unless natural & organic, there are some made with stevia)
Breathmints
Udon Noodles

...and here's a list of the stuff i CAN eat!

Fruit: Whole fruits, unsweetened, frozen or water-packed, diluted natural juices
(Acai Berries, Apple, Apricot (fresh), Blackberry, Blueberry, Cantaloupe, Cherry, Coconut, Fig (fresh), Huckleberry, Kiwi, Kumquat, Lemon, Lime, Loganberry, Mango, Melon [Honeydew / other], Mulberry, Nectarine, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Prune, Raspberry, Watermelon)
Note:  All fruits are preferred to be fresh and organic as well as local and in season whenever possible.  Dried fruits are okay in moderation but be aware that they are still very high in sugars (albeit natural sugars).  You can also reconstitute them by soaking in water to add moisture content back in which will cut down on their often constipating effects.

Dairy Substitutions: Coconut milk, Nut milks such as Almond milk, Brazil Nut milk, Hazelnut milk (unsweetened), Hemp Seed milk, Rice (whole grain, brown rice)
Note: Rice milk is the most processed of the dairy substitutes and often sweetened. Other dairy substitutes preferred.

Grains: Amaranth, Buckwheat, Millet, Quinoa, Rice: (brown, red, black, wild), Teff, Tapioca

Meat: (Cold water ocean fish): Anchovies, Cod, Haddock, Hake, Halibut, Mackerel, Ocean Char, Pollack, Sardines, Sole, Trout, Tuna, Wild Pacific Salmon, Striped Bass; (Wild Game): Bison, Buffalo, Chicken, Duck, Elk, Lean [grass-fed] Lamb or Goat, Pheasant, Quail, Rabbit, Turkey, Venison

Plant-based Proteins: Hemp Protein, Legumes and Beans (all except soy [Cannelini, Chickpeas, Chinese Long bean, Black, Black-eyed Peas, Fava, Kidney, Lima, Mung, etc.]), Lentils (brown, red, green, yellow, French), Pea or Brown Rice protein, Split peas

Nuts/Seeds: Almond, Brazil Nut, Cashew, Chia, Hazelnut, Hemp, Nut and Seed butter, Macadamia Nuts, Pecan, Pine nut, Pistachios, Pumpkin, Sesame, Sunflower, Flax, Poppy, Walnut


Vegetables: Preferably fresh, raw, steamed, sautéed, juiced, roasted
(Artichoke, Arugula, Asparagus, Avocado, Bamboo shoots, Beet & beet greens, Bok Choy, Broccoflower, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Chive, Cucumber, Dandelion, Endive, Jicama, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leek, Lettuce [red or green leaf & Chinese], Okra, Olive [rinse well], Onion, Parsnip, Pickle*, Radish, Ramp, Red leaf chicory, Rutabaga, Snow peas, Spinach, Sprouts [all], Squash: winter & summer, Swiss chard, Taro, Turnip, Watercress, Yucca, Zucchini
  • Vegetable protein: split peas, lentils, and legumes, bee pollen, spirulina, and blue-green algae

Bread & Baking Baking soda, Baking powder (non-aluminum), Gluten & Yeast-free Bread, Quinoa flakes, Rice Bran

Flours: Amaranth, Arrowroot powder, Brown Rice, Coconut, Chestnut, Garbanzo Bean, Millet, Sorghum,  Tapioca, Teff

Oils: Almond, Coconut, Cold-pressed Olive, Flax, Hazelnut, Macadamia, Palm, Pumpkin, Safflower, Sesame, Sunflower, Truffle, Walnut
Note: Please make sure oils are unrefined, extra virgin, non-GMO, organic, cold-pressed, etc. (especially in food that you aren’t preparing, yourself!)

Beverages: Coconut water, Filtered or Distilled Water, Green tea, Herbal teas, Kombucha (unsweetened), Seltzer or Mineral Water (sparingly - best to avoid), Spring water, Twig tea, White teas, Yerba Maté

Sweeteners:  Stevia, Coconut Nectar, Yacon, Whole/Fresh Fruit, Dried Fruit (sparingly), Monk Fruit

Condiments: All spices, Agar Agar, Backing Soda, Baking Powder (sparingly), Basil, Carob, Cinnamon, Coconut Amino Acids, Cumin, Dill, Dried Pepper (sparingly), Fish Sauce (sugar-free), Garlic, Ginger, Miso, Mustard, Nama Shoyu, Nutritional Yeast, , Oregano, Parsley, Raw Cacao, Rosemary, Sea Salt, Tamari (Wheat-free only), Thyme, Turmeric, Vinegar (Apple cider, Balsamic, Coconut, Red wine (sulfide-free), Rice, Tarragon, Ume plum), Whole Fruit Jam or Jelly (sugar-free),

Spices: Allspice, Anise, Basil, Bay leaf, Caraway seeds, Cardamom, Carob, Celery seeds, Cinnamon, Clove, Coriander, Cumin, Dandelion, Dill, Dry mustard, Fennel, Garlic, Ginger, Mint, Nutmeg, Oregano, Parsley, Raw Chocolate (sugar- & dairy-free), Rosemary, Saffron, Sage, Salt-free herbal blends, Savory, Sea salt, Stone-ground Mustard (watch for added sugar), Tamarind, Tarragon, Thyme, Turmeric, Vanilla extract (pure),

Sea Vegetables/Seaweed: Arame, Dulse, Hijiki, Kelp, Wakame

Noodles/Pasta: Brown rice pasta, 100% Buckwheat noodles, Glass Noodles, Kelp noodles, Mung Bean (Thread) Noodles, Pho (With no MSG), Shirataki Noodles (*soy free)

Other:
Mushrooms: all (sparingly)
Wheatgrass
Puffed brown rice
Puffed millet
Rice crackers

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