Day 29: A New Birthday for Moi

Thirty years ago today was the saddest day of my life. Without going into detail as to why, let me say very clearly that Providence has turned that sorrowful event into good. Since today begins a whole new 30-year cycle, I feel as if I am being born all over again. Dramatic, I know, but nevertheless quite true. (Mystics and such say 30-year cycles are extremely significant in people's lives.) A new beginning is probably one of the most beautiful things we humans can give ourselves, and we don't have to wait for 30-year cycles to do it, either. It just so happens that for me the 30 years thing happens to coincide with this recent decision I've made to love myself enough to become as healthy as I can.

As I approach the one-month mark, my feelings about this undertaking are all over the place:

I feel confident and assured that I'll become the fittest I possibly can become;

I feel joy and thankfulness for the commitment to do it, a gift in and of itself;

I feel free as a child because I can see how to have FUN with it all;

I feel proud because it's an accomplishment I once nearly despaired of achieving.

Now back to the mundane food diary! Today I was smarter than yesterday, and made sure I ate something before I left home this morning! I stumbled on this yesterday and saw how truly SIMPLE it is to eat living food that is delicious. What you'll see in this video took me about 1-1/2 minutes to make this morning (I used strawberries instead of blueberries). How simple could it get?

Makin' A Smoothie

This simple little "meal" was delicious. In late morning I had two small bananas. I had a late lunch at about 2:45 of spinich and mesclun greens with a medium piece of broiled salmon on top. Yummy. Tonight I'll spiral out some "fresh pasta" (made of summer squash) and use the leftover pesto sauce from last night as a topping. I even have some Rawmesein "cheese" made from nuts to sprinkle on top. It's a simple life, but I have to ask myself, Who's got it better than me?

Today, in honor of my lovely daughter, I'm posting a lullaby I first sang to her the day she was born ... the very same lullaby my mother sang to me. And to my daughter I say THANK YOU for inspiring me over the last seven years to take the paths that have led me back home to myself!

Toora Loora Loora

Days 27 and 28: Not so easy-peasy ...

Day 27 (Tuesday): Began the day great with my "power-washer" greens juice. I added a "hit" of wheat grass juice, just one ounce, but potent as all get out. I asked the juice gal to add extra carrot juice so I could down it better, but it wasn't enough to keep the gag reflex from kickin' in (eek). Wheat grass is loaded with amazing things, but still very much an "acquired taste," to put it mildly.

Benefits of Wheat Grass Juice

Had a large salad for lunch, too large, I think (I ate beyond full, I'm afraid). I think it's because I'm genuinely missing "normal" food. But I have to remind myself that what is "normal" is only normal because I've eaten it nearly all my life (with the exception of a couple of years macrobiotic). I'm in the process of creating a new normal, my normal, and the testing moments come when I'm longing for those old familiar tastes, smells, textures, etc., of cooked and/or processed foods. I'm keeping the vision of my new self clearly before me: increased stamina, energy, grace, litheness, fitness. A fit bod is beautiful, so that'll just be "icing on the cake." (Even our cultural metaphors are junk-food-related!)

For dinner I had leftover mushroom soup and some flaxseed crackers and a handful of cashews. Had a few date/nut balls for dessert.

Day 28 (Wednesday): Made the same mistake I did the other day -- left the house without eating and was famished at the train station; had two buttered rolls instead of fruit. (But I made sure to enjoy them!) At work I had a delicious pink grapefruit that filled me up until a very late lunch at 2:30 p.m., which was a small salad, including a little cold pasta w/ roasted vegetables mixed in.

For dinner, I think I'll make a simple angel-hair zuccini pesto (made with pine nuts and fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil). It'll be easy and quick. I want to start experimenting more with different types of foods so that I don't get bored and then give myself a "reason" for reverting back to what's familiar (cooked and highly processed foods).

Today was an important day in this "going mainly raw" process because I set up several appointments over the next 6 weeks with a "hydrotherapist." For those not in the know, you'll have to look that one up for yourself! But if you want a hint, check out the sidebar info. It has to do with personal housecleaning, if you will.

Since this is my on-going journal to optimum health, I figured I may as well include all the things I'm availing myself to in the process. Years ago in my mother-earth days, I was a big fan of Norman Walker, one of the early raw food advocates who lived to be 109! It was either he or Herbert Shelton who coined the true but indelicate phrase, "Death begins in the colon." I never forgot it. (Had I heeded it, however, I wouldn't be writing this diary today!) A great book to check out in this regard is Colon Health: The Key to a Vibrant Life, by Norman Walker.

Here is a link to another of his books that I'm reading now. It's simple and terrific. Norman was a cool guy.

Become Younger

Here's to becoming younger ... one bite, one step, one pedal rotation, one jog, (one colonic) at a time!

Days 25 and 26: Plugging Along

Day 25 (Sunday): Had a terrific day -- ate mango pudding (just frozen mango blended together with a couple of majool dates and water) for breakfast and lunch. For dinner I made my very own version of "raw" mushroom soup. It could use a bit of "tweaking" ... but my friend, Jami, said it was delicious. I modified a menu I found in one of my raw cookbooks. Instead of miso I put in Bragg's amino acids; instead of olive oil, I put in about five cashews. I blended with about 3/4 cup of water the following: Approx. 1-1/2 cups portebello and regular mushrooms, 1/8 of a red pepper, 1/8 of a yellow pepper, 6 sun-dried tomatoes (soaked for a couple of hours before), 2 celery ribs, 3 carrots, 1/4 cup cilantro, 5 cashews and approx. 2 tbls. Braggs. I "garnished" it with a spray of fresh sprouts and a couple of cashews. It looked gourmet. Well almost. The brown color kinda made it look like lentil soup ... but it was very tasty, and I'm proud of myself.

Day 26 (Monday): Today was an okay sort of day. I've started to miss what my brain tells me is "real" food (you know, things like roasted meats, veggies, breads, cheeses, etc.) ... so I gave myself some of those things today (just some) ... no meat or bread, tho. I had a little feta cheese on my salad, some cooked artichokes and chick peas. Also had about a 1/4 cup pasta salad as well. Still didn't finish it though -- it was too large. That is what I love most about eating this way. One needs a lot less food to feel satisfied.

Been kinda bluesy again ... it would be cool to be doing this with someone else, I've thought. We could commiserate and spur each other on. As it is, though, I'm doing A-okay on my own.

The weekend saw one huge heavy, heavy rain storm here in the Northeast ... our brook in the backyard looked like a small river, and two roads were closed, I discovered, as I tried to get to the train station this morning. And it was brrrrrr COLD! Spring is reluctantly coming I hear, even tho being dragged in kicking and screaming. I'll be thrilled when I can sun on the deck ... listening to a splash of waterfall that rushes over stones not too far away. To smell a freshly-mowed lawn would be divine. Ahhh.... Spring, come in earnest!

Days 23 and 24: A Little Bump in the Road

Day 23 (Friday): This was the first day I wasn't psyched about how I "did" overall. I made the mistake of skipping breakfast at home (woke up late and rushed out of the house). Since I'd eaten somewhat lightly the night before, I was ravenous by the time I hit the train station. I had two buttered rolls -- one onion and one poppy seed -- at the station. The first bread I've had in over three weeks. During the day I had a small dark chocolate/mint bar a friend had in her office and offered me. Except for those two things, I did terrific -- had a good bit of fruit and a great salad! What WAS good is that I spent zero time in self-criticism. I just enjoyed in the moment the things I ate ... which I think is pretty darn smart and healthy! :-)

Day 24 (Saturday): Eating very lightly today ... feeling very, very tired and sorta "detoxy" ... skin breaking out, a sense of exhaustion even though I've had 8 hours sleep. And feeling very bluesy too. Ho hum, as they say. All part of the process, from what I've read. Things may get better as the day progresses. Made sure to get out today and do some deep breathing on the deck and some stretches. This bod is definitely going through good changes ... just trying to help it along.

Day 22 - Fwee

I always loved how the word "fruit" is pronounced in French. It sounds like Elmer Fudd saying FREE. Which leads me to the point of my post today: I'm seeing a direct connection between eating fruit and being free! Okay, so it's a stretch, there, with the Elmer Fudd thing ... but the point I'm making is this: eating mostly fruits in the mornings and afternoons is freeing me from having cravings for foods that really don't serve me at all, things like sugars, breads, meats and cheeses. Amazingly, since I've been eating more fruits each day, I've lost nearly all desire for those four things (I still have parmesian cheese, a few croutons and eggs on my salad here and there). This loss of desire is quite shocking, and the abundance of fruit is all I can attribute it to, as that is the biggest change I've made in my diet these last three weeks.

Early this morning I had half of a cantelope ... and around 10:30 a.m. I had 3 little kiwis (did you know that kiwi is actually classified as a berry?) and a banana. I'll have a mango later in the afternoon and a salad. I'll pick up a green juice on my way to the train after work, and might even get "exotic" tonight and pull out the food processor for some kind of yummy sauce to put over a zuccini "pasta" (made with that gismo that can make summer squash and zuccini look just like angel hair pasta). Ahh, I think I'm getting in the flow of this thang.

It's a wonderful feeling to listen to one's body for what it wants to eat (something I've always wanted to be able to do!) -- rather than being driven by literal physiological imbalances/cravings (these WILL occur in one's body if eating too much cooked food) -- imbalances that cause one to crave foods not at all "good" for us. It seems that if I give my body what it NEEDS, it stops craving what it doesn't need!

Some may have an argument with what I wrote above ... but I know from experience that one can be on every diet in the world and still be unsuccessful IF the body is toxic from years of eating non-nourishing food. Non-nourishing in many instances means cooked. But if one doesn't KNOW this, efforts to become more healthy will be thwarted.

Profound quote of the day: "It is easier to change a man's religion than to change his diet." (Margaret Mead) Ain't it the truth!

Oh ... here's a website that gives away free posters (some are really beautiful). The receiver pays for shipping only. My favorite is "Peace Be With You."

Posters for the Soul

Day 21 - Fancy Raw Food Fest

This morning I had a banana on the train into work and then had an apple mid-morning. Had a large salad for lunch and another banana and pear in the afternoon. Tonight I think I'll have what I brought home in my "doggie bag" from last night.

A buddy of mine and I met up for dinner downtown last night at the premier raw foods restaurant in NYC, a place called

Pure Food & Wine

Been wanting to check out their organic wine, and it was very, very good. I went mainly, though, to sample their delectable, all-live-food concoctions (see menu at website for just how intricate some of these are). It was a real treat, a once-a-year sorta deal for me, a "special occasions" kinda place. The prices were sky-high, but so was the food, i.e., out of this world.

The food was very rich and yet afterward neither of us felt uncomfortably full. And it seemed that I could feel it affecting my body in a good way. I have to say, as we had our "dessert" -- we created quite a scene (think Meg Ryan in the coffee shop with Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally!) Suffice it to say that the two women next to us ordered the very same dessert we had based solely on our response! If I were a food critic, I'd have given this place five stars.

Well, enough FOOD talk for one post ...

Overall, after three weeks, how am I doing? I'm still psyched, still joyful, still confident this is the path to full health for me. It's becoming more "normal" with each passing day.

Day 20 - Feeling like a kid again.

Today was an excellent day. Early morning I had a banana on the train to work; from mid-morning through noon I had a pear and my large green juice (kale, parsley, spinich, celery, cucumber and a smidgen of carrot). Around 2:00 p.m. I had a large salad.

One thing that's happening with this new way of eating is that I'm re-discovering what I think we all knew as kids: that fruit is the best food there possibly could be! (Think hot summer days and peach juice dripping down your chin ... slabs of watermelon at those big family picnics ... bowls of strawberries on the Fourth of July. I spent my summers in the country, and behind my aunt's house was a huge field of blueberry bushes. I have such fond memories of spending hours there -- playing hide and seek, tag, and every other game we could imagine. We'd save the picking for the end of the day and bring home loads of big, plump, purple-y blueberries to my Aunt Evy, who'd oblige us the next morning with her blueberry pancakes.

I have vivid memories of my best-friend's backyard (in my home town of Mount Vernon, New York, the city that abuts the Bronx, only two square miles in area but with 90,000 people in it!) -- a backyard that made you feel you were in the opening scene of The Sound of Music ... with its amazing variety of flowers and fruit trees. The "star" of the yard was the giant cherry tree. We'd lay in the grass after gorging on handfulls of the most outrageous tasting cherries -- shiny, deep burgandy little balls of pure heaven. And we never gained weight!

Yup, I'm amazed at how delicious I'm finding fruit to be. It's like my taste buds are being re-invigorated or something. Also noticing a natural thankfulness coming up in me each time I have a piece of fruit, more aware of the "luxury" of having such delicious food to eat each day. I thought this would be hard, but instead it's becoming an unexpected blessing. All this no-frills food is having a positive effect on my psyche. Seems I'm more peaceful ... and playful.

Just like I remember in that blueberry field over 40 years ago!