Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox

Snacks

2011-02-09T22:15:00.003-07:00

Here's what I've been snacking on lately:

Homemade roasted red pepper hummus with rice crackers
Trader Joe's Eggplant Garlic Dip on rice crackers too! This one is a real winner!
Apple slices dipped in all-natural almond butter
Dark chocolate squares (70-90% cacao)
Single-serving nuts from Costco (a box with three individually-packed varieties: cashews, almonds and peanuts)

What didn't go down well:

A London Fog with skim milk. Yucky yucky in my tummy.

What I Ate: Maintenance or "Day 28"

2011-01-30T11:43:00.002-07:00

Now that I've re-incorporated nightshades (in what I consider to be reasonable quantities) I have been eating a wider variety of foods!

Yesterday I made a green soup: onion, garlic, leeks and celery as the mire-poix, with broccoli, zucchini, peas and spinach added during cooking. At the end I did a fridge- and freezer-check and found some dill that I could add, as well as some lentils I'd cooked earlier and frozen. Voila- greens and "beans"!

I also made an omelette: two eggs cooked omelette-style, filled with onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes, spinach (gotta use up what didn't go in the soup!) and goat cheese. I ate this with two slices of the Kinnikinnick gluten-free bread that I mentioned in a post earlier this week. Breakfast for dinner- what a treat!

And today I started my morning with an apple sliced and dipped in natural almond butter- a little change from my norm!

Edging Off the Wagon (and Post #100!)

2011-01-28T19:12:00.003-07:00

I cheated a bit (well, a lot) today and had a quarter of a pumpkin scone at Starbucks. I feel like I'm going to poop my pants; my stomach is that upset. My body wants some peas and carrots! What a way to mark my hundredth post!

A Better Gluten-Free Bread

2011-01-25T20:47:00.004-07:00

I wrote earlier about not being impressed by the Glutino gluten-free bread I'd bought, and I'm happy to say I've found something much yummier: Many Wonder Multigrain Rice Bread by Kinnikinnick Foods. The taste and texture are both far superior. You should be able to find it in the freezer section at your local health food store- give it a try!

(Image courtesy Kinnikinnick Foods website.)

Day Twenty-Four: Maintenance

2011-01-25T17:47:00.002-07:00

Technically, I finished the detox on Saturday. But since I'm feeling good, I've decided to stick with most of the principles. One thing I've done is re-introduced nightshades: tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini and bell peppers have all been an integral part of my rainbow-hued lunches this week. Another thing I've done is re-introduce certain fruits: I had a stockpile of frozen fruits in my freezer and have now been adding some frozen berries to my morning smoothies. To expand my taste horizons I've had a small amount of dark chocolate (70-90% cacao) as well as a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. The key things I've stuck with include: no gluten (including wheat, duh), no bovine dairy, no sugary treats, no acidic/calorific fruit juices and no coffee or black tea (I'm vegetarian anyways so red meat isn't an issue).

I've also upped my exercise a bit. The first time I Joshi-ed I lived in a tropical climate, and the energy boost got me walking twenty blocks in each direction to and from work each day; it's not warm enough to include a walk like that in my work commute here. While I can't walk to and from work, I do feel good about getting my money's worth from my gym membership.

Day Twenty: What's Next?

2011-01-21T15:49:00.002-07:00

So tomorrow will mark the end of the three-week detox period. I would say I've stuck to the detox plan 99.9% (once I asked for soy milk in a cup of herbal tea but I suspect they gave me regular milk). Now I have to think about how I want to move forward.

The first time I followed the plan I did it for three full months because I was feeling so amazing. I don't know when I started to feel amazing (or how "amazing" it really was, relative to how bad I may have felt before due to my poor lifestyle choices), so I'm not sure if it just hasn't kicked in yet, or if this is as good as it gets. I would like to reincorporate some nightshades (zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants and potatoes), but I know those things often end up being accompanied by cheese and/or wheat, so I'm reluctant to head down that path straightaway. One thing that's on my agenda in the immediate future is a fantastic-looking "frittata" I saw on the New York Times' website: a Persian Herb Frittata. I wont' be including the barberries (no idea where to buy them here!), but I can't wait to try the rest of the recipe! A piece of dark chocolate would also be nice!

In other news, my period arrived "out of the blue" today. I've noted in the past that this plan dramatically reduces my PMS symptoms, to the point where my period becomes a surprise, and today was one of those days! If you're dealing with horrible PMS, I would definitely recommend giving Dr. Joshi's plan a try.

Weekend Breakfast

2011-01-16T13:32:00.004-07:00

On the weekend I like to make something different for breakfast, as I've got more time. Today I went with eggs and toast- "Italian style". Sorry for the blurry photo, I guess I wasn't holding my phone very steady when I took the photo (I'll never be a pro food blogger!).

For the eggs, I first sauteed some garlic, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes in olive oil. Then I added in two scrambled eggs and allowed it to set omelette-style. Once it was flippable I turned it over and added some crumbled goats feta to the top, folding it in half when the bottom eggs had set.

The toast is Glutino Premium Flax Seed Bread, which I'll admit isn't my favorite gluten-free bread (but it's two dollars cheaper than the other brands!). On top, I've spread some homemade white bean dip, made from a can of canellini beans, an entire bulb of roasted garlic, fresh sage, salt and pepper. You can jazz this dip up further with tahini, lemon juice or toasted pine nuts (as recommended by the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook), but I was in a hurry when I made it the other day.

Link: Mulligatawny Detox Soup

2011-01-16T12:04:00.003-07:00

I just made a recipe from the Gluten Free Goddess blog called Mulligatawny Detox Soup. I made a few minor adjustments based on the detox rules and what I had on hand: used olive oil instead of avocado oil, reduced apples to one (as I'm still on the no-fruit stage, but wanted the flavour), replaced both liquids with four cups stock plus two cups water, did not add salt, used light coconut milk and replaced brown rice syrup with honey. To make the soup meal-worthy I also cooked up two servings of brown rice (with a pinch of saffron) and will be adding a scoop into each bowl (I always like to keep grains like rice and pasta separate from the main soup so they don't get soggy). The soup came out a beautiful light orange color, which is great because new studies show that people who eat food high in carotenoids are more attractive!

Sample Shopping List - 2011

2011-01-15T16:52:00.003-07:00

Last year I did some posts about my shopping lists. Let's see how things have changed:

Grocery
Generic chickpeas (15 oz can) - $1.59
Generic black beans (15 oz can) - $1.59
Generic red lentils - (dry, unsure of weight) $3.29
Vegetable stock - $2.50
Light coconut milk - $3.50

Refrigerator
Organic plain fat-free yogurt - $4.79

Produce
3 Bananas - $1.21
1 Apple - $0.77
2 Lemons - $1.00
1/2 Head green cabbage - $1.25 (most supermarkets will halve one for you if you ask!)
1 Sweet Potato - $0.70 (not sure if it's a nightshade or not?)
1 Head cauliflower - $3.89
2 Red onions - $1.36
2 Bulbs garlic - $0.53
1 Piece ginger - $0.40
1 Acorn squash - $1.56 (not sure if it's a nightshade or not?)
1 Bunch cilantro - $0.99

Health Food Store
I had to make a special trip to pick up Greek yogurt (which is not common in my country), where I also picked up some cheaper soy milk.

And that's that!

Things I'm Eating

2011-01-11T21:18:00.003-07:00

Well I guess today is Day 10! At noon tomorrow I'll be halfway done!

I'm still eating a lot of smoothies for breakfast, mixing it up with oatmeal. I'd like to add in some egg dishes (I know I'm to limit eggs, so I'm trying to eat no more than four per week).

For lunches and dinners I've got a few things that I'm mixing and matching, including arroz verde, baked tofu, grilled carrots, red quinoa, white beans, spinach and kale.

I'm snacking on nuts, as well as rice crackers with either almond butter (if I haven't had other nuts that day) or hummous.

Day Five? Day Off!

2011-01-08T12:16:00.003-07:00

First: Love getting your messages! I'm excited to hear that so many other people are starting their year on a wheat-, gluten-, dairy-, caffeine-, sugar-, yeast-, red meat-, nightshade- and other stuff-free foot!

I had Friday off work! That means a nice sleep in... even though I was still ready to get up by 8:30 am! I started the day with some oatmeal (made with plain rice milk for a yummy rice flavour), and then had a simple green salad for lunch. For dinner I was actually able to pull a bowl of carrot-ginger soup out of my freezer that I knew would be detox-friendly. I'm still drinking lots of hot water with lemon (and sometimes honey), as well as herbal teas, green teas and water. I've managed to kick my cravings for carbonated water and haven't had any yet, which is probably good from a bloating perspective.

This may be the easiest detox to date (excluding the first go, of course).

Day Four: A-Okay

2011-01-05T19:19:00.002-07:00

Still doing just fine. Breakfast and lunch was the same as yesterday; I had a bag of almonds for a snack. For dinner I did a simple scramble with red onion, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, two eggs and some feta cheese (the book says it's okay!). I've drunk a litre of water, two cups of green tea, and a few glasses of hot water with lemon slices. I'll try to get in another cup or two of water before bed.

Day Three: Feelin' Better

2011-01-04T17:29:00.003-07:00

Phew! I got a good sleep last night (maybe even slept in a bit too late today) and I'm feeling totally better. No headaches, definitely no eye-aches, no dizziness or light-headedness. I'm pretty sure I ate exactly the same things I did yesterday. However, I also made up some hummus because I didn't want to be stuck spreading only almond butter on my crackers. Did I mention that yesterday? I had a few rice crackers with almond butter (ingredients: almonds). I've probably posted a hummus recipe before, but just in case I haven't:

Hummus

In a blender, puree a two or three heaping tablespoons of tahini, a few cloves of garlic, and a liberal squirt (or four) of lemon juice. I also like to add spices before pureeing; today's hummus contains turmeric and black pepper. Once you've pureed the aforementioned ingredients, slowly add in a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas- with the motor running if possible, otherwise in small batches. You may need to add some water to keep things moving. When it's smooth, you're done. I like to sprinkle with paprika, but it's totally optional. Voila! Easy hummus!

Day Two: Chuggin' Along

2011-01-03T17:15:00.002-07:00

No big surprises today, except for how addicted I am to crappy foods (and/or how much I over-indulged over the holiday season). My head hurts, my eyes hurt, and I'm feeling light-headed. This too shall pass.

Wake Up - Hot water with lemon. Flash of genius! I set my coffee maker to brew a big pot of... boiling water! As soon as I got out of bed I was able to add the lemon to the water, and then it was cool enough to drink when I was out of the shower.

Breakfast - Smoothie. Half banana, plain yogurt, plain soy milk, ice cubes, water, 1/2 serving Vega Vanilla Almondilla Shake & Go Smoothie Mix.

Lunch - Salad. See yesterday's post for details of ingredients.

Snack - Some cashews. I had to re-read the book to see what nuts were okay. Early in the book Dr. Joshi says that vegetarians (like me!) need to eat nuts, and later he advises against eating peanuts and pistachios. So I figure I'm safe with cashews and almonds (my faves) (in reasonable quantities).

Dinner - Soup (see yesterday for link to recipe) with a slice of gluten-free bread for dipping.

Beverages - Three or four glasses of hot water with lemon, one cup of green tea, two litres filtered water.

Day One: Gettin' Ready

2011-01-02T19:14:00.006-07:00

So I spent this afternoon getting ready for the upcoming detox. I've decided to go with salads for lunch at work this week, as there's no avoiding raw vegetables if you're hungry and there's nothing else on hand! Here's how I prepared my salad:

Washed and dried a one-pound box of mixed greens. Washed and dried the box as well.
Grated two carrots.
Drained and rinsed one can of chickpeas.
Rinsed and dried a box of alfalfa sprouts. Washed and dried the box as well.
Grated one beet.
Shredded a quarter of a small head of red cabbage.
Grabbed some slivered almonds from the pantry.
Made dressing: Peeled and chopped ginger and extracted the juice by pressing it in a garlic press, then added in flax oil and some lemon juice.

Then I made Lemon Thyme Lentils Soup with Coriander Oil from a blog called Orange Thyme. Mine doesn't look as green as the original yet, because I haven't poured in the coriander oil (you can see it in the background).

I started the day with a simple smoothie: half a banana, some soy milk, some water, some ice cubes and a tablespoon of Vega Shake & Go Smoothie in Vanilla Almondilla (which is not something I would normally eat but it was a gift). I picked up some plain yogurt at the grocery store so I'll be able to add that to tomorrow's smoothie. Then I had a bit of a frittata: red onion, garlic, broccoli and cauliflower cooked with two scrambled eggs. I've also been drinking lots of water and herbal tisanes.

I'm definitely missing out on the snack food, so I will probably pop back to the grocery store after work tomorrow to grab some nuts. I looked for wheat- and gluten-free crackers and cereal at the store today but nothing looked very appealing. I'll keep my eyes open (and maybe make a special trip to the health food store).

Well... here I go!

D Minus One

2011-01-01T20:00:00.002-07:00

So I am sitting at the airport with a banana in my purse (for breakfast tomorrow) and purposely avoiding going over to the bar for one last glass of wine... Tomorrow will hopefully be an all-out fridge and house "detox" to get rid of some of the clutter, then it will be off to the store to actually buy the food. Leafy greens better watch out!

Starting Fresh

2010-12-29T20:41:00.001-07:00

I'm thinking of Joshi-ing again! I was in the States last week and picked up some fun stuff at Trader Joe's that I thought would be good Joshi food. I also cleared out my pantry and made room for lots of healthy stuff (which was one of the key steps in my insane amount of success this first time around). Let's see what happens!

Italian Vegetable Grain Salad

2010-04-10T12:34:00.001-06:00

Click here for the recipe!

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1023846

It was loosely inspired by a recipe in the Jamie Oliver Italy cookbook, but I made some adaptatations. Make it on the weekend and you'll have enough for lunch all week!

Upcoming Meals

2010-03-31T09:08:00.002-06:00

I'm on my way out of town for the next week, but when I return I know I'm going to make some grain-based salads using this grain blend I bought at Costco (brown rice, whole oats and "black barley"). I know it will include some feta, and some vegetables too!

I think I'd also like to make another quiche- any inspirational ideas?

Lately I've been upping my water intake (it's warming up!) and I've been making it more fun by dropping in chunks of frozen fruit. I'm thinking I might even make some "gourmet" ice cubes by freezing fruit and herbs into ice cube trays (cilantro-lime, raspeberry-mint, etc.) and popping those into my glasses!

Nothing New

2010-03-24T18:13:00.001-06:00

During the previous few weeks, I always had a few extra servings left over. So this week I'm clearing out my freezer and eating them up. I'll have lots more reusable containers AND lots more space in my fridge and freezer to start cooking again in April. Waste not, want not!

Vegetarian Cassoulet

2010-03-14T17:51:00.002-06:00

This recipe is in a different format than usual, as I have already plugged it into a nutritional information site.

Ingredients:

3 stalks celery
1 bulb fennel
5 small carrots, peeled
3 leeks, cleaned
2 bay leaves
1 32 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
4 cups vegetable stock
3 cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
100 grams puy lentils
2 cups water
5 tbsp olive oil
1 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley
3 slices O Organics Flax Bread with Omega 3

To Do:

1. Chop vegetables into half-inch pieces. Sautee in olive oil with bay leaf until soft.

2. Add tomatoes to pot. Break apart with spoon. Add beans, lentils, stock and water. Bring to a boil and simmer until lentils are soft. Stir occasionally.

3. While cassoulet simmers, lightly toast bread. Break into pieces and pulverize into coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside.

4. While cassoulet simmers, chop parsley.

5. When lentils are soft, remove cassoulet from heat. Add chopped parsley and stir.

6. Immediately before serving, top individual bowls with breadcrumbs.

Optional: Put on beret, listen to Edith Piaf.

Get Cookin'

2010-03-11T21:34:00.002-07:00

This weekend, I'll be making Vegetarian Cassoulet (for work lunches), even more fried rice (for breakfast) and probably some lentil soup for dinners. I'm going to get some more steaming veggies for variety, pick up some yogurt for snacking, and look for cheap fruit that can be frozen and then added to smoothies later.

I'm also contemplating a Costco membership... I mean, it would only take me ten years to eat a twenty-pound bag of brown rice! And I could store it... on the other half of my sofa!

Afternoon Snack: An Apple with Peanut Butter

2010-03-09T18:34:00.004-07:00

I never thought the day would come, but I am eating apple slices! I've never been a big fan of apples, but I'm finding that with the detox my palate is changing and I'm craving different-tasting and different-feeling foods... like crunchy apples! The peanut butter is for protein, of course!

Breakfast was veggie-fried brown rice (peas, carrots, corn, cabbage, onion, garlic, brown rice, scrambled egg, soy sauce). Lunch was the veggie soup posted below. Dinner was tomato-eggplant soup. I'll also eat some rice crackers with salsa.

Spring Soup

2010-03-06T14:06:00.002-07:00

March is technically the snowiest month in the area I live, so traditional "spring" foods are rarely fresh and are sometimes hard to come by. Last night I decided I wanted to make a big pot of soup, so I headed to the supermarket and picked up what was fresh. I made a huge pot of delicious vegetable-bean soup. Here's how I did it:

1. Sautee one yellow onion, one large leek and three ribs of celery in three tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add in two bay leaves.

2. When soft, add in the following vegetables (peeled and chopped): four carrots, one rutabaga, two turnips, one sweet potato, two yellow potatoes. Sautee for ten minutes or so.

3. Open a 28-oz can of whole tomatoes. Use a fork and knife to break them into pieces (tomato companies put the best tomatoes into the whole tomato cans, so they're better than pre-diced ones!). Add to the pot, stir and simmer for ten more minutes.

4. Add in one litre stock and one litre water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for thirty minutes.

5. Add in one bunch of curly green kale (chopped), a can of romano beans and a can of white cannellini beans. Simmer for twenty minutes.

6. Turn off heat. Squish some vegetables with a spoon to thicken the soup. Add in two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

7. Enjoy!

(NB: This makes a huge pot- about eight meal-sized servings.)

This recipe is nutrient-dense, high in protein and low in fat.

Breakfast of Champions

2010-03-02T17:02:00.002-07:00

My Standard Smoothie

1/2 cup orange juice (for Vitamin C and flavour)
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk (for protein and calcium)
1/3 cup plain, non-fat yogurt (for protein, calcium and good bacteria)
1 tsp flax oil (for Omega-3)
1 medium banana (for potassium)
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (for fibre and antioxidants)

Mmmmmm! I make it in a Magic Bullet blender, put a lid on it and eat it at work around 9:00 am. This is maintenance-friendly, but you can detox it by replacing the berries with a tablespoon of almond butter and replacing the orange juice with ice cubes.

Counting Calories

2010-03-01T21:23:00.002-07:00

I have been tracking calories on SparkPeople.com, and I'm shocked to see how the numbers are adding up. For the next little while I am going to work on reducing my caloric intake while sticking to the maintenance stage of Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox. We'll see how things go!

Maintenance: Back on Track(ish)

2010-02-27T20:09:00.003-07:00

I am transitioning from the (Dr.-prescribed) junk food phase into a maintenance-inspired phase. I've had a really speedy recovery from my illness and I'm only taking one medication at the moment (an antibiotic that can't be mixed with dairy; I've also had to stop taking all vitamins and minerals until I finish the treatment). I am preparing some meals for the upcoming week and I've come up with:

Chana Masala from Smitten Kitchen - Chickpeas cooked with tomatoes, herbs and spices.
Vegetable Korma - Cauliflower, peas and green beans simmered in low-fat President's Choice Blue Label Korma Sauce (the link goes to the full-fat version; the Blue Label products are healthier)
Curry-Roasted Carrots - Carrots sliced lengthwise, glazed with olive oil, honey and seasonings, roasted in the oven until soft
All served on a bed of basmati rice

I'm also planning to make a quiche (with spinach, roasted red pepper and leeks), and I've got a pot of homemade roasted tomato and eggplant soup on hand.

Will Update Soon

2010-02-21T17:45:00.003-07:00

Sorry that I haven't updated much lately; I've been extremely sick and my doctor has pretty much put me on a "junk food diet" in which I am eating huge amounts of everything Dr. Joshi tells me to avoid. When my course of medication is over next week I can go back to eating normally and share some ideas with you!

Buy the Book

2010-02-17T18:21:00.002-07:00

Hi everyone!

I've had several comments in the last few days about people who have been inspired to start the detox based on reading my blog. That's fantastic! I promise you'll feel great!

I do want to point out that there are several places selling the book. I don't make any money from referrals, so feel to buy it in whatever way is most convenient for you!

In the USA, Amazon.com carries the book, and in Canada Amazon.ca carries it as well.

In the UK, you can order it directly from Dr. Joshi's Clinic (there's also a link at the side of this page).

I don't know much about Australian booksellers, but Angus & Robertson has copies in stock for sale in Australia.

So look around and try to find a way to avoid paying international shipping; you can use the money you saved to buy some great organic vegetables!

Detox Burgers

2010-02-14T22:39:00.004-07:00

Today I made a batch of detox-friendly veggie burgers. I looked through some different cookbooks to get a sense of the ingredient ratios I would need to use, then mixed ingredients I had around the house with some that I picked up just for the occasion. I actually think these are more maintenance-friendly than detox-friendly, on second thought...

For the patties: Sautee an onion with garlic. Add in lots of turmeric, cumin, coriander and some curry paste. Mix in salt and pepper. In a blender, grind about two-thirds of a cup of nuts (I blended almonds and cashews). Pour into a bowl. In the blender, pulverize two slices of gluten-free bread. Add to bowl. Next, blend onion mixture with two cans of beans (I used black beans). Add to bowl. Stir in whatever else you want to add (I used lots of fresh cilantro). Shape into patties and fry in a touch of oil.

For the toppings: Slice three bell peppers in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Wash four beets, massage with olive oil and wrap in tinfoil together. Roast peppers and beets for about forty-five minutes at 425 degrees. While roasting, thinly slice a red onion and sautee in olive oil. Add a splash of balsamic and keep stirring. When dark brown, remove from heat and allow to cool. Take roasted peppers from the oven, place in a heatproof bowl and cover the top with plastic. Allow to sit for ten minutes, then peel off the skin. Let beets cool and then slice.

For the sauce: The veggie burgers I tried last week were slathered in herbed cream cheese, which is great but not Joshi-style. Instead, I strained yogurt (line a sieve with cheesecloth, pour in lots of yogurt, place over a bowl and allow to drain in the fridge for between six and twelve hours). When drained, mix in some curry powder (or paste) and a bit more cumin, coriander, salt and pepper.

To serve: Cover a plate with a bed of lettuce. Heat up a patty and spread with yogurt sauce. Top with re-heated onions, peppers and beets. Done!

Mexi-Dinner

2010-02-09T19:51:00.003-07:00

While not veggie-full, my recent dinners have been full of much-needed protein after trips to the gym. I'm eating:

Two corn tortillas
Two scrambled eggs
Refried black beans
Half a sliced avocado

Mmmmmm! Slather some beans onto half a tortilla, top with some eggs and avocado slices, fold in half and eat! If you cut the tortillas in half, it's like getting four instead of two!

Anyone know how Joshi feels about cocoa powder (no added sugar; the kind used in baking)? I would kind of like to add it to my banana smoothies...

On Cheating Yet Again

2010-02-05T23:37:00.002-07:00

It's the time of year where my office is full of very unhealthy food. I'd intended to pack my own food but rushed out without it in the morning; this meant that yesterday I had an open-faced sandwich for dinner: half of a whole-wheat bun with a tiny bit of margarine plus lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber slices. For dessert I tried to stick to the fresh fruit, but ended up eating a very small lemon square and a very small brownie (as in, less than 1/10th of the size we ate growing up!). Today I also forgot to pack food, but I didn't succumb to the ordered-in Chinese food this time. Instead I succumbed to a slice of chocolate cake and ate healthy when I got home. A few hours later I headed to the gym... where the combination of exercising and eating poorly made me feel so sick I barely made it through the class.

I'm not feeling really inspired about cooking next week... hopefully I'll come up with some good ideas! Anyone have any recommendations for work lunches or at-home dinners?

I (Almost) Survived the Buffet!

2010-02-01T22:24:00.005-07:00

Major detox challenge today: a buffet dinner! As a vegetarian buffets are usually hard enough; as a detoxer they're nearly impossible! Here's what I chose:

Beverage

Unsweetened iced tea

First Course

Mixed salad greens
Cucumber
Cherry tomatoes
Red and yellow peppers
Corn salad
Bean salad
Small drizzle of Italian vinaigrette

Second Course

Tiny whole-wheat bun (no butter)
Brown rice
Lemon-pepper potato wedges
HUGE portion of steamed vegetables (carrots, celery, green beans, yellow beans)

Dessert

Small bowl of green Jello

I know it wasn't perfect, but it was in the spirit of the detox. Plus, it's now Week 5 and if I need to fudge the eating plan a tiny bit to accommodate eating out, so be it.

So... How am I Doing?

2010-01-31T12:24:00.003-07:00

It's been about four weeks now. I'm doing well, although I've cheated a few times (wheat wonton wrappers, two pieces of red licorice and three cans of soup that included tomatoes... I think that's all). I'm not sure why, but it's been easy to detox this time around and I don't think I'll have any problems keeping it up. I have two days of total craziness in mid-February in which I will probably fall off the wagon; hopefully I can just right back on it afterwards.

This week, I've made Greek Red Lentil Soup- you can find the recipe online here. It's from the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook, which I highly recommend. I will be including a small sprinkle of feta (made from goat's milk) as a compromise between the detox and maintenance plans. It's a really great cookbook, especially for the maintenance stage. What about a salad of quinoa, tomato, cilantro, red pepper and jalapeno with a vinegar-free lemon-lime dressing? Or Tuscan White Bean Soup with rosemary and kale? If I had to live with only one cookbook, I wouldn't have to think twice before choosing this one!

Website: The Kind Life

2010-01-28T21:10:00.003-07:00

Yesterday, actress Alicia Silverstone was on Oprah talking about her vegan diet. Here are some gems from her interview:

It's okay to "cheat"! Even Alicia occasionally succumbs to the pull of cheese! In Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox, Dr. Joshi acknowledges that giving in to the craving for a small square of organic dark chocolate every now and then is okay... but downing an entire chocolate bar is not!
What goes in must come out! Alicia was hilarious when talking about her bowel movements, saying she often poops two or three times a day! Dr. Joshi says, "I've always been fascinated with the fact that people think that having one bowel movement a day, or een every other day, is normal when they're eating three or four meals a day. [...] We have to encourage the elimination processes within the body to work at an adequate level so that we are going to the loo three or four times a day. In this way, as we are taking in food, we are digesting it, processing it and eliminating the waste as efficently as possible."
Changing your diet changes your life. Alicia talked about the health problems she had before she switched to a healthy vegan diet. Many of her problems disappeared when she started eating well.

Alicia has started a website to support her book "The Kind Diet." The website is called The Kind Life. Visit the site to get great recipes (some are detox-friendly, many are maintenance-friendly), health tips, fashion advice and suggestions for ways to detoxify your environment.

Recipe: Green Frittata

2010-01-26T19:00:00.002-07:00

I have been eating a Green Frittata for dinner, along with a bit of polenta and acorn squash. To make a Green Frittata, sautee a diced red onion and some minced garlic in olive oil until soft or even golden. Pre-heat your broiler. Add in lots of chopped frozen spinach and stir occasionally until thawed. Seperate and steam a head of broccoli, then allow to cool and chop finely. Combine broccoli and onion-spinach mixture in a bowl with herbs of choice (I am using chili powder, cumin, coriander and black pepper). Scramble five eggs, then mix with cooled vegetables. Pour into an oven-proof skillet and cook on the stovetop for about seven minutes (covered is better). Then, transfer to the oven and cook under the broiler until the top is set. Done!

Detox-Friendly Indian Meal

2010-01-24T21:12:00.003-07:00

Mmmm... I finished making the Indian food that I blogged about last night! Here are the recipes, adapted from Vegetarian Times (March 2009).

Pink Lentil Pancakes

1.5 cups brown basmati rice
1.5 cups red lentils
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 small red onion, minced
1 jalapeno, de-seeded and minced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Soak rice for twelve hours. After ten hours, add in red lentils. When twelve hours are up, drain and puree with one cup of water. Pour into a bowl; leave on counter for six to twelve hours.

When ready to prepare, stir in yogurt, salt and baking soda. In a seperate bowl, combine peas, red onion, jalapeno and cilantro.

Heat a non-stick skillet and add a bit of oil. Using a ladle, scoop in 1/2 cup of batter. Don't squish it down! Sprinkle the top with the pea mixture and allow it to cook for three minutes. Then, carefully flip it over and cook for two more minutes.

Voila! Yummy-licious rice-lentil-veggie pancakes!

Mixed Vegetable Kootu

1 cup firmly packed cilantro leaves
1/2 can coconut milk
5 cloves garlic
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, de-seeded
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
- - - - -
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Puree all of the ingredients above the line and set aside.

Put sweet potatoes into large skillet, cover with 1 cup water, bring to a boil and simmer for two minutes. Add in cauliflower, simmer for two more minutes. Add in peas, simmer for two more minutes. Drain most of the water, stir in cilantro puree.

Lymphatic Drainage

2010-01-23T22:41:00.003-07:00

One of the supplementary therapies recommended by Dr. Joshi is Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD). In Joshi's Holistic Life Plan, he writes that it is a "very gentle massage technique that encourages the elimination of toxins by stimulating the lymphatic system. Has wonderful cosmetic effects too- reducing puffiness and the appearance of scar tissue."

I tried MLD today for the first time. It is offered at a natural health clinic near my house. The massage therapist brought me into the room and showed me a map of the lymph system within the body. She told me that I would lay on my back for the duration of the massage. Before we started, she ensured that I didn't have a fever and that I wasn't taking anti-biotics (both of which mean you'll need to postphone your MLD). I stripped down and laid on the massage table, on my back. Throughout the massage the pressure was very light, though sometimes she did actions like "pumping" which required lifting my limbs up and down while running her hands along the skin. As well, I was frequently told to take long, deep breaths while she worked on certain areas. She began with my neck and chest, moved to my arms, then my abdomen (where the pressure was a bit firmer), down to my legs and feet then finally back up to my neck and chest. When it was finished, she instructed me to stay well hydrated for the rest of the day, not to exercise strenuously for forty-eight hours, and to eat healthy, easily-digestible foods for the next twenty-four hours (no nachos and margaritas!).

It's been eight hours and I'm not really noticing anything different, but I can see how a treatment like MLD would help flush out toxins (even if you can't feel the difference right away). The same massage therapist offers "detox massage"; I might alternate between the two treatments monthly.

Detox Shopping List - January 23rd

2010-01-23T22:34:00.002-07:00

Grocery
80 Green Tea Bags - $6.00 (these ones don't smell like granny's laundry detergent)
2 Cans Chickpeas - $3.40
Bottled Lemon Juice - $3.90 (I know, I know...)

Fridge
12 Eggs - $2.30

Produce
2 Yams - $1.60
1 Head Cauliflower - $3.30
1 Red Onion - $0.70
1 Large Broccoli Crown - $1.55
2 Bulbs Garlic - $0.65
1 Long Ginger Root - $1.15
3 Jalapenos - $0.60
1 Acorn Squash - $2.40
2 Bunches Cilantro - $1.60

So I'm making something really odd right now. I found out that my public library card gives me access to magazine databases, and I can search back issues of Vegetarian Times. I found this Indian menu with "ivory lentil pancakes" and "vegetable kootu". It's cool to see pancakes with no flour and a vegetable dish with no nightshades. Anyways, the pancakes are requiring a bit of make-ahead prep work. I got up early this morning and soaked brown basmati rice (I subbed it for white), then a few hours ago added in red lentils (which I had on hand, rather than white lentils). I've just now pureed the whole lot with water to form a batter, which I'm supposed to leave out overnight covered with a dish towel. In the morning I'll be adding more ingredients and cooking them in a skillet- I'll let you know how it goes!

Detox Notes

2010-01-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

Nuts are not shelf-stable! They should be bought from stores with high sales and stored in the fridge!
Check your natural yogurt ingredients! Do you really need gelatin in there? Food starch?You might have to buy organic to get your yogurt at its purest!
Make sure you're eating a variety of vegetables, grains and proteins. Just today I've eaten gai lan, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, butternut squash, banana, brown rice, mixed nuts and tofu!
Use fresh herbs. My local Asian supermarket carries huge packages of fresh herbs for less than half the price of a tiny package of regular herbs at the non-Asian grocers!

Shopping List: Asian Supermarket

2010-01-17T22:12:00.004-07:00

I went to the Asian supermarket today. I'm trying really hard to spend less money on food! I actually find Joshi-ing to be extremely easy on the wallet!

Grocery:
2 Packages Buckwheat Soba Noodles - $2.50
100 bags of Jasmine Green Tea - $6.20 (which is $6.20 down the hole because the jasmine scent is so strong it's like drinking Granny's perfume... must dispose of this tea immediately!)
Sesame Rice Crackers - $3.60
Spicy Seaweed Rice Crackers - $2.50 (both rice crackers are fairly large and come individually wrapped- perfect for portion control!)

Produce:
850 grams Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) - $3.35
1 Bunch Curly Green Kale - $1.10

"Deli"
2 Blocks of "Traditional" Tofu -$2
Wonton Wrappers - $2.90
2lbs Frozen Edamame (Shelled) - $5.50

Total Bill = $30

What I'm Missing: Plain Yogurt, Bananas (will buy at regular grocery store tomorrow). Plus, I need to top up my Kleenex supply!

Cooking Up a Storm

2010-01-17T21:09:00.003-07:00

So I've been cooking up a storm. I accidentally purchased wonton wrappers that contain wheat, and I'm stuck with them, but I'm hoping that in small quantities I'll be okay (especially if I stick religiously to all other Detox Rules). Here's what I cooked up today:

Tofu-Vegetable Wontons
Basically, I pressed some extra-firm tofu and chopped it up. Then, I shredded my leftover cabbage, grated some carrots and mashed up some broccoli, and sauteed it with garlic and ginger for a while. When it was soft(ish), I mixed the vegetables with the tofu, splashed on some lime juice, drizzled on some sesame oil, and mixed it all up. I beat one egg and added it to the mixture as well. Oh, and I added some fresh cilantro. Then came the hard part: I put a dollop of the mixture into the middle of a wonton wrapper (not detox-friendly, sadly), wet the edges, folded it up and steamed it for twelve minutes. I had planned to buy a bamboo steamer today but I couldn't find one that I liked, so I was stuck using my metal veggie steamer. It was a pain in the butt and about 15% of the wontons got stuck to it.

I'll be eating my wontons with Brown Rice and Greens. I sauteed some more garlic and ginger, then added in washed gai lan (Chinese Broccoli). After it wilted, I added the mixture to some cooked brown rice, then I tossed in some sesame seeds and slivered almonds. It didn't look green enough, so I added in some green peas (from frozen). Voila!

I also expect that I'll be eating oatmeal with bananas (and maybe some pumpkin pie seasoning!) for breakfast. For dinner, I've got lots of different leftover soups in my fridge. So, I think this week is looking pretty organized!

Detox Shopping List

2010-01-16T18:00:00.004-07:00

I went shopping last week. Here is a breakdown of my bill (rounded up a bit to make numbers easier):

Grocery Section (interior aisles)
3 Cans of Chickpeas - $5.10
1L Olive Oil - $10
Small Almond Butter - $7 (whoa... I won't buy that again!)
2 Boxes Rice Crackers - $4.60
2L Soy Milk - $6
2 Cans Coconut Milk - $6.40

Fridge and Freeze
12 Eggs - $2.25
2 Tubs Plain Yogurt - $10

Produce Section
5 Bananas - $1.60
1 Avocado - $1.80 (a little splurge)
2 Lemons - $1.60
Head of Green Cabbage - $0.85
Head of Cauliflower - $3.25
Broccoli Crowns - $2.70
2 Celery Sticks - $0.30
3 Heads Garlic - $1.10
1 Leek - $0.80
1 Onion - $0.40
1 Butternut Squash - $4.00
1 Bunch Cilantro - $0.80
3lbs Carrots - $2.50
1 Bag Baby Spinach - $3.50
1 Block Extra-Firm Tofu - $3.50

Blaugh...

2010-01-15T16:21:00.003-07:00

The other day I was sniffling, but last night I was puking! I was already feeling really sick when I woke up, but more in a cold-flu-allergies kind of way. Here's what I ate throughout the day:

Breakfast- Smoothie with a banana, rice milk, almonds and flax oil.
Lunch - Felt too ill to eat.
Snack - Mrs. Mays Naturals Almond Crunch (not detox friendly due to rice malt for sweetening)
Dinner - Vegetable and bean soup (homemade)

Something that I ate sure didn't sit right, and since the soup is from a batch that hasn't been problematic, and I ate the same smoothie again this morning, that leaves only one thing... Guess I should have stuck to detox-friendly foods!

However, I'm feeling a lot better today and I'm planning on going to a fitness class tonight. The Friday evening instructor is hilarious!

Sniffle...

2010-01-12T20:04:00.003-07:00

Unless toxins can leave your body through the mucus of a runny nose, I'm coming down with a cold. I'm not sure how I'll fight it. I have been looking around for Joshi's Total Health for Life (aka Joshi's Holistic Life Plan), to see what he says about colds, but I can't find it amongst my piles of books.

In other news, I decided to detox my life in a way, by dealing with a huge pile of mail that I'd been keeping for the previous tenant of my apartment (after being asked not to mark it RTS, of course!). It's not my job to send it to her, but I'm going to do it anyways. Aaaah, one less thing to do.

Fried rice for breakfast, lentils / greens / quinoa for lunch, veggie soup for dinner.

Working on My Fitness

2010-01-11T17:25:00.003-07:00

The first time I Joshi-ed I was able to incorporate physical fitness into my daily routine quite easily. Basically, pretox I'd been a lazy ass and taken public transit to work, even though it took the same amount of time as walking. Once I got into the detox and starting bouncing out of bed at 5:00 am, I had spare time on my hands in the morning so I started walking to work, taking the scenic route. It is 1.5 km each way, and I walked home, so I was doing an extra 3 km of walking every day. On top of that, I'd go for long walks all weekend. It's a bit too cold here to get into the whole walking thing (as in, minus twenty degrees celcius and snow up to my waist!), and I live and work in the same building, so walking to work is out. Instead, I'm going to dust off the old gym membership and commit to thrice-weekly workouts. Just three. I feel like the combination of three workouts a week plus the detox should be sufficient, and when it warms up I'll do some more walking. I know Dr. Joshi would approve!

Weekly Cooking Plan

2010-01-10T19:28:00.003-07:00

I spent Sunday in the kitchen, the way I spend most Sundays. A few relaxing hours of cooking on Sunday means that I can devote virtually zero time to the task throughout the week. Here's what I came up with:

Lunches will be the following:

Mixed Lentil Daal - I had some moong dal on hand, but I'm not the biggest fan of the flavour or texture. I soaked it overnight, then mixed it with some rinsed masoor dal (aka red lentils). I popped the mixture into a pot, added lots of turmeric, covered it in filtered water and cooked it until it was soft and falling apart. While it cooked, I sauteed half an onion, three garlic cloves and two tablespoons of minced ginger until everything was nicely browned. When the lentils were done, I stirred in the onion mixture. Yum!

Curried Quinoa - Even easier than daal! I rinsed a cup of quinoa. Then, I brought two cups of water to a boil, sprinkled in more turmeric and curry powder, and added the quinoa. I covered it and let it simmer for seventeen minutes, then removed it from the heat and let it sit (still covered) for ten more minutes. Done!

Sauteed Greens - Even easier than daal or quinoa! I rinsed and tore up some spinach, green kale and black kale. Then, I sauteed them in a bit of olive oil until wilted, then splashed with lemon juice. Finito!

Dinner will be soup. I sauteed some onion, celery, grated carrot and leek in a touch of olive oil. Then, I added in some dried thyme, basil and oregano. I mixed it all up and added a litre or two of water. I added in some cooked white beans that I'd had in my fridge (basically, soak dry cannellini beans overnight in water, then bring to a boil in lots of water and simmer at a low boil for two hours), and the rest of the rinsed, torn kale.

Drinks throughout the week are hot water with lemon in the morning, and lots of green tea and filtered water throughout the day. My colleague mentioned that she hates drinking green tea at work because it makes her pee - that's the reason I love it!

To the best of my knowledge, all of these meals are Detox Friendly!

Hail to the Kale

2010-01-09T18:10:00.004-07:00

Okay, I ripped that off from a salad offered at Planet Organic, a chain of Canadian health food stores. I was driving past one today and decided to stop in. I actually have a health food store one block from my house, in addition to two major supermarkets within walking distance, but I have to say I was really impressed with Planet Organic. I went to my local health food store the other day looking for kale, and they only had one bunch of wilted-looking black kale left. Today, Planet Organic had three different kinds of kale, so I picked up bunches of black and green kale. My plan is to boil up some quinoa, make some daal and sautee the greens, then pack it all up and take it to work for lunch next week. Planet Organic was also great for bulk items: I got some lightly-sweetened gluten-free cereal (sweetened only with maple syrup, and it was the last ingredient in the ingredient list), bulk seeds and lentils, plus a salad of beets and fennel which I think I will eat right now!

Recipe: Detox Friendly "Fried Rice"

2010-01-08T21:16:00.003-07:00

I'm also in the middle of making a HUGE batch of fried rice. Since it's slightly labour-intensive, I'd rather make lots at the same time. I'll eat it for brunch over the weekend or something. Here's what I do:

1. Measure 1.5 cups of brown rice; cook according to package directions. Allow to cool, overnight is best.
2. Peel and grate 2 carrots, shred 1/4 of a small head of green cabbage.
3. Pour about 3 cups of frozen peas and 1 cup of frozen corn into a bowl.
4. Sautee carrots and cabbage in a bit of oil until soft. Pour into a bowl.
5. Pour peas and corn into used pan, cook on low heat until thawed.
6. Combine all vegetables.
7. Scramble 4 eggs. In two batches, cook in frying pan, omelette-style. Remove from pan, allow to cool, then thinly slice each omelette.
8. Add eggs to vegetables.
9. When ready to eat, heat some olive or sesame oil in a pan. Add cold rice and sautee. Stir in vegetable-egg mixture.
10. Plate the fried rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

Detox Friendly Ingredients: carrots, cabbage, peas, corn, brown rice, eggs, olive oil.

Willpower

2010-01-08T21:09:00.004-07:00

Breakfast - Puffed rice cereal, soy milk and plain yogurt topped with some slivered almonds.

Lunch - Spaghetti squash with aforementioned pasta sauce and sauteed spinach.

Bar After Work - Sparkling water. Victory!

Dinner - Leftovers. Roasted broccoli, cauliflower and green beans (I have a strange obsession with roasting green beans right out of the freezer!), served with broiled tofu (marinated in a touch of yellow curry sauce, natural peanut butter and orange juice).

Snack - Smoothie with a banana, soy milk, flax oil and slivered almonds.

Once again, these meals aren't totally detox-friendly but I'm using up the groceries (especially the staples that are taking up a lot of space in my cupboard) that I have on hand.

Natural Beauty Update

2010-01-05T18:28:00.003-07:00

I'm also fairly committed to phasing out some of the chemicals that I typically slather all over my body.

Jason makes a great tea-tree body wash. It's been keeping my skin clear (even after sweaty workouts) for months now. It's a great deal- a bottle costs about $11 here but lasts about six months of daily showering!

Alba makes shave cream in a yummy vanilla-mango scent. Unlike traditional shaving foams, shaving creams don't dry out your skin.

Rocky Mountain Soap makes lots of great lip balms that are really popular here. Everyone seems to be carrying around the coconut flavour lately!

Still Cleaning Out the Fridge

2010-01-05T18:20:00.003-07:00

I am still cleaning out my fridge, but working towards Joshidom!

Breakfast - Oatmeal made with half apple juice and half soy milk, with a banana and some blueberries mushed in. Joshi-friendly: the oatmeal, banana and soy milk. Not Joshi-friendly: the juice and the berries.

Lunch - Baked spaghetti squash with pasta sauce and sauteed spinach. Joshi-friendly: squash and spinach. Not Joshi-friendly: jarred pasta sauce (hey, it was "7 Vegetable"!).

Dinner - Thawed three-bean vegetarian chili, two corn tortillas and a mashed avocado. Joshi-friendly: some chili (beans, carrots, spinach), corn tortillas and avocado. Not Joshi-friendly: some chili (tomatoes and red peppers).

Making - Hummous. A jumbo, 100% Joshi Friendly batch! First, puree some tahini with some lemon juice and a garlic clove or two. When it's creamy, slowly add in a can of chickpeas while continuing to blend the mixture; add water to keep it creamy. I am making a double batch! I like to top it with paprika.

It's Been a Long Time!

2010-01-04T21:39:00.003-07:00

But it's a new year! My best experience Joshi-ing started in January 2006; I think there's something about coming home to an empty fridge that allows me to get off on the right foot. I'm going to kind of ease into it this time as I eat the food that I have left in my house, then I'll segue into full Joshi mode.

This week, I'll be eating baked spaghetti squash with tomato sauce and sauteed spinach for lunch at work. The tomato sauce is not Joshi-friendly, but I need to use it up. I'm also going to use up some non-Joshi-friendly three-bean chili with corn tortillas (the chili contains nightshades like tomatoes and red peppers), to make some extra space in my freezer.

I'll try to keep you informed!

Detox Day Seven: Easy as (Wheat- and Dairy-Free) Pie

2009-06-07T19:49:00.002-06:00

This has not been a challenging detox for me. I think it has something to do with the fact that time is flying for me; the end of the month marks a big change and my schedule is jam-packed with important events. I think Day One of the detox was so horrible because I binged on sugar hardcore the day before; next time I do this I'll binge on sugar a few days before and ease my way into the detox instead.

I've got really into iced tea. Detox-friendly iced tea, that is. I've been making huge pots of green and herbal teas, then popping them into the fridge in a pitcher and drinking them when I get tired of water. It's working really well and it's a nice treat. As well, I think it will help wean me off sugary drinks (not that I really drink soda anyways).

One thing that I will acknowledge is that I went a little crazy with the gluten-free snacks. Mary's Gone Crackers makes gluten-free treats that anyone would consider good- Joshi or not- and these treats have been on sale at the health food store down the street from my house. I'm going to stop eating them (and save some money) because Joshi strongly advises against eating calorie-laden packaged snacks, no matter how natural and healthy they are.

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast - Gluten-free granola on plain yogurt with a dash of soy milk.
Snack - Mary's Herb Crackers (see above)
Lunch - Homemade soup with green lentils, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, leeks, green beans, onion and garlic. Seasoned with bay leaves (always remove before serving), thyme, basil, oregano and rosemary.
Dinner - Not sure yet; probably a light salad.
Beverages - lots of (homemade, unsweetened) iced tea, lots of water

I also did some experimenting in the kitchen tonight and have whipped up something that should be interesting: Bengali Five-Spice Lentils with Cauliflower, Peas and Spinach. I'm going to serve it atop Coconut Basmati Rice. Bengali Five-Spice is also known as Panch Phoron; I haven't cooked with it before so I'm excited to see how it turns out. I modified a recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen; I couldn't include the tomatoes (no nightshades!) so I used spinach and peas instead.

Water, Water, Everywhere

2009-06-03T20:58:00.002-06:00

A note on water:

I trained myself to live dehydrated. In my line of work, a quick trip to the bathroom could result in someone being hurt. I need to be present, in the room, the entire day (except for my lunch break, of course). A typical day for me used to be a smoothie for breakfast, a cup of black tea mid-morning and two glasses of carbonated water after work (usually, one with dinner). I barely got a litre of liquids all day, and a quarter of it was caffeinated.

Now that I'm detoxing again, I have dramatically upped my water intake. And the surprising thing is that I crave even more than I'm already drinking! I start the day with a big glass of water, and then drink from a BPA-free plastic water bottle all day at work. The bottle is 750 ml and I fill it once or twice. Then, I come home and chug more water. I actually think water is replacing my incessant snacking. I would say I'm easily taking in more than three litres of water each day. Yes, I have to pee more at work, but I've found colleagues who are willing to cover for me.

I filtre my water through a Brita water filter, which has always worked well for me. I like having super-cold water ready in the fridge all the time. At work, we have a water purifier, although I don't know how regularly the filtre is changed. I don't like the taste of tap water (especially if it's warm), and I don't like the waste that comes from drinking bottled water.

Detoxing is a great chance to get back on track with your water intake, especially because all the water you're drinking will help flush those toxins out of your system.

Detox Day Three: Not Too Shabby

2009-06-03T17:58:00.002-06:00

I'm feeling okay. Still having a tough time getting down all my raw veggies at lunch. I think I'll choose a different lettuce mix next week; it could just be too much spinach.

Breakfast- Gluten-free granola on plain yogurt with a dash of soy milk. Dr. Joshi is down with plain yogurt.
Lunch - Salad (as per the previous two days).
Snack - Mary's Sticks and Twigs- a gluten-free snack food with all natural ingredients, no funny stuff. I had the curry flavour. Oh, and I ate a square of dark chocolate at work.
Dinner - I'm going to make red lentil dahl and roast up some cauliflower to eat on top. Maybe some steamed peas too.
Beverages -Two litres of water.

Aaaaah... Breathe In...

2009-06-02T21:06:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was, as I wrote, horrific. I crashed around 5:00 and slept for two hours, then got up and got stuff done before heading back to bed at 10:00. The headaches are over and I'm feeling pretty stable; I'm very glad I didn't give in to sugar temptation yesterday.

Breakfast - Gluten-free cereal with soy milk.
Lunch - Salad with baby spinach, fennel, radicchio, red cabbage, alfalfa sprouts and carrots. The dressing was ginger juice (squeeze a piece of ginger in a garlic press), honey and olive oil.
Snack - Rice crackers with peanut butter, a smoothie with a banana, almonds, green tea and soy milk.
Dinner - Brown rice (with caramelized onion and garlic), roasted broccoli and cauliflower (tossed in olive oil, turmeric and garam masala first).
Beverages - Two litres of water (yay!), green tea, herbal tea.

Detox Day One: Shoot Me Now

2009-06-01T21:35:00.005-06:00

I need sugar!

It's my first day of detoxing and it's killing me! However, I have not succumbed to temptation! I feel nauseous and my head is throbbing. I don't recall sugar withdrawl being this bad before, but I'm just going to stick with it!

What I Ate

Breakfast: Unsweetened gluten-free cereal with soy milk.
Lunch: A salad with spinach, red cabbage, radicchio, alfalfa sprouts, grated carrots and raw pumpkin seeds. Dressing was olive oil and lemon juice. (I almost vomited... my body wanted junk food!)
Snack: Rice crackers with natural peanut butter.
Dinner: Brown rice with steamed broccoli and peas, tossed with a teaspoon of sesame oil and two sprays of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
Beverages: More water than you could shake a hose at.

Signs

2009-05-29T19:34:00.003-06:00

Today I went to a grocery store I'd never been to before. Lo and behold, I received a message directly from Dr. Joshi! Or, at least that's what I'd like to think! When I was walking down the coffee and tea aisle, what did I find but the beverage that saw me through my first successful detox attempt? It's only the best herbal tea ever- Twining's Blackcurrant, Ginsent and Vanilla herbal tea. It doesn't even appear on the Twining's website for my country- to see it on the UK site look under "Fresh and Fruity". I bought three boxes of the tea and will definitely be going back for more!

I also picked up lots of fresh produce, mainly for making salads but also for cooking up. However, I'm not obliging myself to start detoxing until Monday so I'm going to enjoy a lovely Dr. Oetker's pizza tonight!

Retoxing

2009-05-26T19:43:00.002-06:00

Well, I fell waaay off the wagon and have been eating quite poorly lately. As well, I've recently moved to a much nicer apartment building- unfortunately my new digs don't have an on-site gym so the exercise has fallen by the wayside too. I've decided to mark June 1st as the day I re-start the detox and get back on track.

Here's what I ate today, so you'll know how far I've fallen:

Breakfast: Smoothie with a banana, frozen pineapple, frozen mango, pineapple-orange juice, vanilla soy milk, almonds and flax oil.
Lunch: A big salad with greens, roasted peppers, tomatoes, grated carrots, grated beets, chickpeas, raw pumpkin seeds and cranberries. Oil and balsamic dressing.
Snack: Black tea with two packs of sugar and two creams.
Snack: (Oh God) Two doughnuts and a large instant flavoured latte.
Dinner: Two slices of roasted vegetable quiche.
Beverages: One litre of water, two glasses of carbonated water spiked with an ounce (each) of cranberry juice.

(I'm hiding my head in shame!)

Natural Health Update

2008-11-27T21:35:00.002-07:00

I am now on a three-week course of herbal supplements called UNDA Numbers. I am taking #39, #45 and #243 on the recommedation of my naturopath, who says these will help me cleanse my system. I am back to strictly following the detox. The UNDA Numbers come in little glass bottles. I take eight drops of each one in the morning and again in the evening. I can't take them within fifteen minutes of food, drink or toothpaste. They don't taste great, but it's less offensive than say, a shot of Jagermeister.

I also finished my big bottle of chemical-filled body wash and have started using Kiss My Face Olive Oil soap. So far, so good. It's a HUGE bar, it's totally natural, and it's working well with my puff so far. It was $4. I have switched to a natural face wash made by Juice Organics. It is made mainly from lemon and apple juices. I really like it and would highly recommend it. It's a drugstore brand and cost $12. On the weekends I am using Alba's Clear Enzyme deodorant (not an anti-perspirant). I have the lavender one and it smells great. I'm working on phasing other things out, but I'm having a hard time finding natural products that are either unscented or that aren't a super "hippie" scent. Patchouli? Tea tree? No thanks!

Vegetarian Mulligatawny Soup

2008-11-22T23:44:00.002-07:00

Tonight I made a vegetarian version of mulligatawny soup, pumping up the amount of vegetables in the recipe to make it more substantial. Here's what I did:

1. Heat four tablespoons olive oil in a pan, add a very finely chopped yellow onion, six cloves of very finely chopped garlic, one finely diced jalapeno pepper and about four tablespoons of freshly grated ginger. Sautee until it starts to brown.

2. Add in your vegetables. I used a fine chop (is there such a thing?), so I had fairly small pieces of one red potato, one yam, one carrot, one zucchini, one tomato and one red apple (yes, an apple). Add in some frozen chopped spinach. Sautee until the vegetables soften up.

3. Add your spices. I used about two tablespoons of coriander, one and a half tablespoons of cumin and one and a half tablespoons of tumeric. Mix to coat vegetables.

4. Add two cups of lentils. I used red lentils, but yellow lentils would have made the soup a prettier color. Mix everything up so lentils are coated with spices as well.

6. Add five cups of vegetable stock and five cups of water. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for an hour.

7. Add in one cup of unsweetened coconut milk, half a bunch of cilantro and the juice of one large lime. Stir.

8. Eat and enjoy!

Just Checking In

2008-11-16T15:45:00.003-07:00

Sorry for not posting recently. I've been really sick and haven't had the energy to do much other than drag myself to work. Tomorrow I'm going to the naturopath to discuss doing a cleanse, that would be sort of like Dr. Joshi but with herbal supplements as well. I'm not sold on the idea yet (especially if the herbs are expensive!) but we'll see!

What is that, you ask? It's my version of huevos rancheros, but with extra healthiness! Traditional huevos rancheros are fried eggs served atop a refried bean-covered tortilla. They often involve lots of gooey cheese and fresh salsa too. However, my version is a healthier adaptation. I made these by sauteeing zucchini, tomatoes, frozen spinach, roasted red pepper (roasted by me, not jarred) and frozen corn. While they were sauteeing I stuck two corn tortillas in the oven to crisp them up, and I also scrambled on egg. I poured half the egg into a non-stick skillet and swirled it until it was thin like a crepe. I flipped it, quickly cooked the other side and then put it aside. Then, I repeated with the other half of the egg. When the tortillas were crisp I took them out and spread them with refried beans. Then, I put each half-egg round onto the refried beans, and topped with even more refried beans. Then, I spooned some of the sauteed vegetables on top and stuck the whole mess back into the oven until the beans were warmed through. Yummmmm!

Halloween + Detox = Bad

2008-11-01T11:42:00.002-06:00

I work in an environment where Halloween is a big deal, and usually involves huge amounts of candy (as well as an expectation that I will provide candy for others). Needless to say, the past week has been a bit rough on my body. I ate quite a few Halloween-sized packages of candy, including Smarties, a few chocolate bars and (my weakness) totally artificial products like Sour Patch Kids and Starburst. I feel like crap! I really need to get it together in the next little while, and I'm probably going to make an appointment with the naturopath for a proper cleanse in November.

What I Ate: October 29, 2008

2008-10-29T21:05:00.002-06:00

Breakfast: Corn-flax-amaranth cereal with soy milk.
Lunch: Black bean soup with homemade salsa.
Snack: Trail mix with dried cranberries, chocolate chips, almonds, cashews and toasted soy nuts.
Dinner: Tempeh (from frozen; boiled in water and Bragg's liquid aminos) and stir-fried frozen vegetables (yellow and orange carrots, red peppers, snow peas, bean sprouts and baby corn).
Beverages: Herbal tea, green tea, water.

Weekend Brunch Ideas

2008-10-26T21:04:00.002-06:00

Here's a Tex Mex brunch idea for you. Actually, you could easily turn this into a lunch or light dinner dish. Called migas, this is my version of an egg-tortilla scramble, that I've punched up with extra veggies and spices. It's perfect for the maintenance phase, once you can eat nightshades again.

Take two corn tortillas and spritz each side with olive oil. Cut into strips and bake in an oven until they're crispy and crunchy. Meanwhile, dice some red onion and garlic, and sautee it in olive oil. Once the onion and garlic are starting to brown, add in some thinly-sliced zucchini and frozen corn. Sautee until the zucchini is very soft, then add in a diced tomato. Sautee until it's warmed through and then stir in some herbs and spices (I like salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and coriander). Take the tortillas out of the oven and break them into pieces into the frying pan. Scramble two eggs and pour them over the tortilla-veggie mixture, then stir frequently so that the eggs cover everything as they set. To serve, sprinkle with lime juice (and cheese, if you're eating cheese...). Yummmm!

What I Ate: October 21, 2008

2008-10-22T06:54:00.001-06:00

Breakfast: Amaranth-corn-flax cereal with soy milk.
Lunch: "Minestrone" with mixed vegetables, wild-rice pasta, lentils and mixed beans.
Snack: Bubble tea. (I need to deal with this fixation.)
Dinner: Rice crackers with hummous; salad with quinoa, bell peppers, red onions, cilantro, lemon juice, lime juice and cumin.
Beverages: Not enough. Some herbal tea, some water.
Vitamins: Multivitamin, calcium, Vitamin B.

Fallin' off the Wagon

2008-10-19T17:55:00.003-06:00

It has been a very, very, very long weekend! I spent all day Thursday at work, then had to attend a conference on Thursday night, all day Friday, and Saturday morning and afternoon. On Friday night there was also a staff party, so on both Thursday and Friday nights I got less than six hours of sleep. And of course, on Thursday night there was much drinking at the conference, and there was more drinking at the party on Friday. I hadn't drank since August! Oh, and to top it off the conference food was totally detox-unfriendly. I skipped the food on Thursday (eating beforehand instead), but on Friday I had to give in to their lunch choices: Asian baby-corn salad, tomato salad, Mexican rice and refried beans. Saturday was worse: it was an Italian-style lunch spread so I ate wheat for the first time in a while, munching on tomato and mozzarella salad, tomato salad, bruschetta with tomatoes, white pasta in garlic-herb sauce and five-cheese tortellini. I did a great job of having really small servings, so I can't be mad at myself for that, but I felt like crap by the end of yesterday. Pure crap! I was dehydrated and headachey all weekend, and I broke out with massive pimples almost immediately after eating the conference food. Today has been my Day of Rest, but I am having a really hard time fighting the urge to go back to unhealthy foods. Luckily I don't have anything that bad in my house, but I did go to the store to buy some tomato-basil rice cakes and ate half a package (full of preservatives and artificial flavours!). I also ate some honey-roasted nuts. Nuts on their own are okay, but honey-roasted is just unncessary!

I'm trying to start next week out on the right foot by making myself some healthy food. I've got two pots of minestrone soup simmering on the stove (garlic, onions, leeks, celery, carrots, peas, green beans, mixed canned beans, green lentils, broccoli, peas, tomatoes, red wine [the alcohol will cook off], spinach and wild-rice pasta). I also made a big bowl of a grain-based salad that I'll eat over the next few days; it's got quinoa (try it if you haven't- it's so easy to cook and it's very high in lots of essential minerals), a red pepper, a yellow pepper, a red onion, a bunch of cilantro and corn tossed with a dressing made from lemon juice, lime juice, olive oil and cumin. I also bought some more tea to bring to work; I'm worried that I'm not staying hydrated enough.

Failure to Sleep

2008-10-15T21:06:00.002-06:00

I haven't slept in two nights, and I've been pulling twelve+ hour workdays. This is not cool. I'm hoping to sleep tonight. It's definitely insomnia- I go to bed at my normal time and just lie there, totally unable to fall asleep. Aaaah! I'm going c-r-a-z-y!

Breakfast: Banana, yogurt, puffed brown rice.
Lunch: Red lentil soup.
Snack: Tiny sliver (1 cm) of white cake, teaspoon of icing.
Unhealthy indulgence: Green milk tea with tapioca pearls (I can't help it! There is a bubble tea place INSIDE my building!)
Dinner: Haven't eaten yet but I'll make a smoothie following my normal recipe.

Yaaaaawn...

What I Ate: October 13, 2008

2008-10-13T21:52:00.002-06:00

It's Canadian Thanksgiving. I am thankful that I can fit back into my jeans!

Breakfast: Smoothie (see recipe in earlier posts).
Lunch: Bowl of red lentil soup (red lentils, garlic, onion, veggie stock, carrots, lemon juice, feta cheese).
Snack: Rice crackers with organic salsa.
Dinner: Bowl of brown-rice pasta with peas and pesto. I sprinkled some freshly grated parmesan cheese on it and realised that I'm a bit off cheese. That can't be a bad thing.
Beverages: Hot water with lemon, a few cups of tea, water.
* Vitamins* : Multivitamin, calcium, Vitamin B complex.

What I Ate: October 12, 2008

2008-10-12T22:46:00.002-06:00

Short and sweet.

Breakfast: Brown rice-millet cereal with soy milk.
Snack: Homemade tortilla chips (corn tortillas sprayed with olive oil and "fried") with organic salsa.
Lunch: Fruit smoothie (as per photo in the last post).
Dinner: Leftover minestrone soup, with a slice of gluten-free bread instead of pasta.
Snack: Rice crackers with more salsa, banana chips.
Beverages: A couple cups of herbal tea, hot water with lemon, water with my vitamins.

A Couple of Food Photos

2008-10-11T14:08:00.003-06:00

What do we have here? Why, it's part of a take-to-work lunch that I mentioned a week or two ago. I made up some coconut-curry broth and packed it in a Thermos. I put this stuff in a separate Tupperware (well, make that IKEAware) container and poured the hot broth over it all before eating. In this container there are a few pieces of fried tofu, rice vermicelli, blanched veggies (carrots, snow peas and baby corn), fresh bean sprouts and fried shallots. This was an iffy lunch: the broth was never quite hot enough and the veggies were always a bit too cold, but I thought they would have got mushy in the microwave. It would be a great dinner for a few people, but it needs tweaking to be good for a packed lunch.

And qu'est-ce c'est? Why, it's a smoothie! This shows about how much of each ingredient I use when I make my smoothies. At the bottom there is plain yogurt. Above it there is a mixture of frozen blueberries, frozen bananas and green tea. At the top there's soy milk. I use a Magic Bullet to blend it all together- I got the smaller Magic Bullet package (called the "Single Shot") at Canadian Tire for less than $30. The larger package is available at Costco for about $57, but this was all I needed.

What I Ate: October 9, 2008

2008-10-09T19:28:00.002-06:00

I know it's been a while since I've written, but I wanted to let you know that I'm still trying really hard to stick to the detox plan. I'm doing quite well. Recently I've slipped and had a bubble tea (yesterday), three Halloween-sized chocolate bars (two Caramilks and one Crunchy) and a sprinkling or two of parmesan cheese (only a tablespoon or two at the most).

I went to a Naturopathic Doctor to discuss my overall health. It cost $160 for a one-hour consultation, but I should be able to get reimbursed from my health care plan (yay for Canada!). I had to fill in an eleven-page form before the appointment, and then I answered her questions for about half an hour, then she talked to me for about half an hour. I learned that my blood pressure is extremely low, and I've been told to increase my salt intake. As well, there is concern that my adernal and thyroid glands aren't functioning properly. I'm supposed to take my temperature during my next menstrual cycle to check the thyroid.

Breakfast: Banana, plain yogurt, puffed brown-rice cereal.
Lunch: Homemade minestrone with onions, garlic, celery, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, brown rice pasta and a splash of red wine. Made with normal vegetable stock to boost my sodium intake.
Dinner: I haven't been very hungry lately. For dinner I've been doing smoothies with bananas, yogurt, mixed berries, slivered almonds and soy milk. The naturopath recommended I add in some flax oil, so I've been adding in a teaspoon to get some bonus Omega 3s.

What I Ate: September 28th, 2008

2008-09-28T20:51:00.003-06:00

Today was remarkably similar to yesterday. That's the joy of cooking for ten and eating for one- lots of leftovers!

Breakfast: Smoothie with banana, blueberries, slivered almonds, yogurt, soy milk and green tea.
Lunch: Two slices of wheat- and gluten-free toast with almond butter.
Snack: Two square of dark chocolate, a couple rice crackers with the rest of the roasted carrot dip.
Dinner: Aforementioned chili, served over a blend of wild and brown rice, topped with some chunks of roasted acorn squash. Sooooo good!
Beverages: Ooodles of tea, hot water with lemon.

What I Ate: September 27th, 2008

2008-09-27T20:47:00.002-06:00

No, I haven't given up! They finally found some work for me to do at my job, so I've been busy getting into the swing of things. I've had a couple of detox slips: I ate a couple of arrowroot biscuits at a staff meeting, I had two bubble teas (on really bad days!), and I ate a Callebaut milk chocolate-almond bar that I received as a gift from a client. One of the bubble teas was a green tea and milk blend, and it made my stomach quite upset. Sayonara dairy! I also felt a bit sick after drinking a medicinal tea made for sore throat relief... I'm going to give it another try but I think it might not be a good blend for me.

Last week I made a coconut-curry broth which I ladled over tofu, rice noodles and crunchy vegetables. It was quite good, but could have used something more. Tonight I've made a pot of chili, which is quite good. The basic recipe came from The Daily Soup Cookbook.

Brunch: Smoothie made with rooibos tea, vanilla soy milk, frozen banana, frozen blueberries and slivered natural almonds. Delicious!
Snacks: A dark chocolate square and some rice crackers with roasted carrot dip.
Dinner: A bowl of four bean chili (pinto, kidney, black and lima beans, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, zucchini, tomatoes and quinoa) with a toasted corn tortilla (I couldn't find any that were freshly made, so I bought some packaged one that have more preservatives than I would have liked).
Beverages: Tea, tea and more tea. Hot water with lemon.

Weekly photos to come.

What I Ate: September 17th, 2008

2008-09-17T21:09:00.004-06:00

Did anyone catch Oprah today? Gwyneth Paltrow was on, talking about food and eating and health, and there was nary a mention of Dr. Joshi! In fact, she basically said that she eats absolutely everything and just works out two hours a day to keep her body looking good. This seems like bad news for Dr. Joshi, who claims that his detox is what helped her lose the baby weight. I've read online that Gwyneth actually went on Oprah several years ago to talk about macrobiotic eating- I guess she didn't stick with the plan!

Today has been a horrible day - I decided to eat all of the remaining Tim Tams that arrived in the package from Australia! It was a rough day at work and I figured that I may as well just eat them all so they're in my stomach rather than in my cupboard. Perhaps it wasn't the best logic, but on the plus side there are no more Tim Tams to be eaten!

Breakfast: Banana, plain nonfat yogurt, puffed brown rice cereal.
Lunch: Homemade minestrone soup (with veggies, beans and brown rice pasta).
Dinner: Roasted vegetables with dahl (boiled lentils).
Snacks: Rice crackers at work, Tim Tams at home.
Beverages: Hot water with lemon in the morning, tea throughout the day.

What I Ate: September 15th, 2008

2008-09-15T20:51:00.003-06:00

So! My three weeks are officially over! As previously mentioned I am going to try to stick with the detox (mostly). Today was a horrendous day- I started a bit late (had to be at work at 10:30) but didn't get a lunch break and had to work straight through to 5:00 pm, then take the bus home, bringing me back at 6:00. All of that and I'm not actually doing any productive work. A package arrived in the mail today from Australia, containing Tim Tams! These are totally detox unfriendly cookies, so I ate one and put the rest at the very back of the top shelf in my kitchen.

Breakfast: Smoothie made with a banana, plain yogurt, soy milk, one giant frozen strawberry, a frozen peach slice and two frozen pineapple chunks. It was too thick.
Lunch: Didn't get any.
Dinner: Huge dinner! A bowl of Extreme Green soup followed by a frittata made from two scrambled eggs, half a roasted red pepper, half a roasted zucchini, onion, garlic and herbs.
Snacks: A Tim Tam, a few tablespoons of roasted seeds, rice crackers with Roasted Carrot Dip.

Meal Idea: Dahl and Vegetables

2008-09-13T20:02:00.004-06:00

One of the things I've been enjoying eating lately is dahl with roasted vegetables. To make the dahl, I just sautee some onions and garlic in a little pot, then add in some red lentils and vegetable stock. Boil that sucker like mad until the lentils are soft and falling apart (you might need to add more water or stock). You can add whatever herbs and spices you'd like, but traditional curry flavours are fun. While I'm making the dahl I toss some vegetables (I like broccoli, cauliflower and carrots) with olive oil and a bit of Bragg's all-purpose seasoning, then roast them until they're soft and just beginning to turn brown. A perfect meal in a bowl!

What I Ate: September 9th, 2008

2008-09-10T17:26:00.002-06:00

Not much is new. I ordered Dr. Joshi's Holistic Life Plan and it finally arrived yesterday. It contains a lot of the same stuff as the original, but I am thinking of maybe waking up a bit early to do yoga from now on. I'll need to find a cheap yoga mat... for kicks let's just see how much they cost at Lululemon... okay, they don't even put their prices online! Google tells me $58 for a yoga mat though... I'm looking to pay less than half that.

Breakfast: Banana, plain yogurt, puffed rice cereal.
Lunch: Rice crackers, winter minestrone soup.
Snack: Bowl of millet-brown rice cereal with soy milk, a square of 85% cacao chocolate.
Dinner: Yumm! Dahl made simply by boiling red lentils then stirring in some ginger juice (extracted with a garlic press) and sauteed onions and garlic. Served with roasted cauliflower, carrots and broccoli on top.
Beverages: Hot water with lemon in the morning, oodles of tea during the day, 500 ml of water at work.

What I Ate: September 7th, 2008

2008-09-07T18:33:00.003-06:00

I have had a very unproductive weekend! Oh well, on the plus side I made two pots of soup for the upcoming week! I made another batch of Extreme Green soup, but this time I flavoured it with lemongrass, ginger and Bragg's Liquid Aminos. The second pot of soup was another variation of minestone (see the photo below), this time with onions, garlic, carrots, celery, parsnip, turnip, peas, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, green lentils and Italian parsley. I stirred in some lemon juice afterwards to kick up the flavour a bit. As well, I cooked up some brown rice pasta that I will stir into individual servings when I get around to eating the soup.

Late breakfast: Smoothie with a banana, plain yogurt, soy milk, honey and ice cubes.
Lunch: Small bowl of minestrone soup.
Dinner: Brown rice pasta tossed with olive oil, garlic, onion, cauliflower, parsley and lemon juice.
Beverages: Hot water with lemon in the morning, tea through the day.

What I Ate: September 6th, 2008

2008-09-06T21:45:00.001-06:00

I was walking down the street today and someone driving past hollered, "Looking good!" It's nice to know someone appreciates my hard work! My skin is looking really good. The change has been immediate. I bought some skin cream today- it's by Yes to Carrots and the texture is amazing. I think I'm going to end up hooked on this one! Inspired by my face cream, I also decided to make a roasted carrot dip instead of my normal hummous.

Roasted Carrot Dip

Rinse and peel one pound of carrots. Slice each carrot lengthwise and cut into thirds. Toss with olive oil, black pepper and a bit of honey. Roast in a 400 degree oven until soft and beginning to brown. Puree roasted carrots with plain yogurt, cumin, coriander, tahini and lemon juice to taste. Yes, it's that easy!

Breakfast: Banana, yogurt, soy milk and honey smoothie.
Snack: Square of dark chocolate.
Lunch: Millet and brown rice cereal with soy milk.
Dinner: Extreme Green soup, rice crackers with roasted carrot dip.
Beverages: Hot water with lemon in the morning, herbal and green teas throughout the day.

What I Ate: September 5th, 2008

2008-09-06T09:15:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a wonky day. I had been planning to eat lunch right after work (on Fridays we finish fairly early), but at the very last minute I got called into a two-hour meeting and found that everyone else had already eaten. I am The New Girl and I didn't want to be slurping my soup in front of everyone else, so I waited to eat. On my way home I got a call saying I needed to pick up some money that I was owed, so I took ninety minutes to go deal with that rather than go home, eat and backtrack (which would have taken even longer). So... I basically went all day without eating. That's not in the true spirit of the detox and should be avoided. Needless to say I was one cranky bitch by the time I got home!

Breakfast: Banana, plain yogurt, puffed rice cereal.
Late afternoon snack: Square of dark chocolate and a bowl of millet-brown rice cereal with soy milk.
Dinner: What I'd packed for lunch: Extreme Green soup and rice crackers spread with hummous.
Beverages: Hot water with lemon in the morning, a litre of water at work, herbal teas in the evening.

What I Ate: September 4th, 2008

2008-09-04T19:26:00.000-06:00

Well, the days are getting shorter and the workdays are getting longer. I was out from 8:00 to 6:00 today, which is a long day for me! I still don't have any work to do, but I'm still at work... it's a very strange situation. I have actually decided to "cheat" a bit- I bought a bar of 85% cacao chocolate today and I'm going to eat a little piece here and there when I really feel like I need it. Tomorrow is Day Fourteen, meaning I will be finished two of the mandatory three weeks. After three weeks I am planning to re-introduce nightshades but try to keep everything else as is.

Breakfast: Banana, yogurt, puffed rice cereal.
Lunch: Vegetable soup (spinach, peas, carrots, green beans, beets, celery and white beans) with rice crackers.
Snack: Piece of very dark chocolate.
Dinner: Brown rice pasta with broccoli sauce (steamed broccoli, garlic, yogurt, feta cheese).
Beverages: One litre of water at work, hot water with honey in the morning, assorted herbal and green teas.

Detox Rules: Top Ten

2008-08-30T13:45:00.000-06:00

In case you're still in the dark as to what Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox actually is, I'm going to give you some information straight from the book. I definitely recommend buying the book because there is so much information in the book that I just can't put it all up here for you. Plus, the book gives you the background you need to know that you're making smart, not crazy, choices. It's important to know why you're doing something!

Top Ten Detox Rules

1. No red meat (as a vegetarian, I don't eat any meat anyways)
2. No dairy produce (except goat cheese and buffalo mozzarella)
3. No fruit (except bananas, which release sugar slowly)
4. No wheat, gluten or yeast (no exceptions!)
5. No alcohol (no problem!)
6. No buiscuits, cakes or doughnuts
7. No jams or spreads (except honey)
8. No coffee (including decaf) or black tea
9. No sugar, chocolate or sweets
10. No artificially processed flavourings or colorings: ketchup, vinegar, mustard, etc.

What I Ate: August 29, 2008

2008-08-29T20:42:00.000-06:00

Today was the first day where I woke up feeling like I'd actually got enough sleep. When I detoxed the first time, I remember getting up most days at 5:30 and just feeling like I was ready to take on the world. I've been eating Extreme Green Soup every day... hopefully all those vitamins and minerals have kicked in! Work is still stressing me out big time... all I want is to actually have some work to do! A girl can only sit around so long before she starts going loca! Tomorrow I'm going to take some pictures in my hideous, too-small pink bikini to see how I look a week into the detox.

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast- Banana, plain yogurt, puffed rice cereal.
Lunch- Rice crackers and Extreme Green Soup
Snack- Millet and brown rice cereal with soy milk
Dinner- Brown rice pasta with "pesto" (puree steamed broccoli, steamed spinach, sauteed garlic, feta cheese, plain yogurt and water, adjusting quantities to get a sauce-like texture).
Beverages- Hot water with lemon (a.m. and p.m.), rooibos tea with dried coconut and pineapple, "yoga" tea, Detox Tea, water.
Supplements- I've started taking a multivitamin, but I'm not great at remembering to take it.

What I Ate: August 26, 2008

2008-08-27T17:30:00.000-06:00

Breakfast: Banana, no-fat plain yogurt, puffed rice cereal.
Lunch: Extreme Green Soup
Dinner: Salad with lettuce, carrots, red cabbage and raw seeds, and dressing made from ginger juice, olive oil, lemon juice and a tiny bit of honey. On the side, brown-wild rice blend mixed with kidney beans.
Snack: Rice crackers with homemade hummous.
Beverages: Detox Tea (yuck!), Rooibos-Lemongrass Tea, regular green tea, hot water with honey and lemon (a.m. and p.m.)

Detox Shopping List #3

2008-08-26T17:53:00.000-06:00

Today I hit up the health food store again (again) to pick up some more food. Here's what I got:

Brown rice fusili pasta, wheat- and gluten-free - $3.99
Millet flake cereal, wheat- and gluten-free - $3.99
Wheat- and gluten-free multigrain bread, frozen - $7.89 (owwww!)
Kale - $1.99
Organic kidney beans - $1.89
Rooibos and Lemongrass Tea - $3.99
Unsalted rice crackers - $2.39
Chard - $2.29
Leek - $1.01
Almond butter, fresh and made on-site - $3.30
Extra-firm tofu - $2.49

Oh yeah, and I bought one more thing: Detox Tea. I really hate all varieties of detox tea because I really dislike that black-licoricey, anisey flavour. This particular blend contains aniseed, fennel seed, cardamom seed, licorice root, coriander seed and celery seed. It's suitably gross and smells a bit like vomit. However, it's supposed to be good for me! It was expensive at $6.29 for twenty bags, but it's an investment. In my health. Right? Right?

Oh, and one final thing. My new benefits plan includes a fairly decent allowance to visit a naturopath, as well as massage therapy. I wonder if it would cover the trip to London to visit The Joshi Clinic...

What I Ate: August 25, 2008

2008-08-26T17:43:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was my first day of work and I think I came home so emotionally wrecked that I forgot to record my daily meals. I'm not in the best work situation right now- I'm actually getting paid normally and getting full benefits, etc.... but they don't have any work for me. None. Sitting in a chair getting paid $300 a day might sound appealing, but trust me- it's not. They are hoping to find some work for me in the next week or two! Until then, I'll be keeping that office chair warm I guess.

Anyways, I feel like I'm doing pretty well with the detox. I experience a bit of sugar withdrawl in the evening (the main symptom for me is headaches) but I just have some water and tea and it goes away shortly. I was hungry about three hours into work today and yesterday, but (despite not having any work) I couldn't take a break until lunch. The book has a "Progress Chart" that you are supposed to use to monitor your symptions of general unhealthiness. So far, I haven't noticed any big changes, except that I'm "pooping" a lot less often than I was before. I guess Sun Chips and Pull & Peel are in and out of your system pretty quickly!

So... what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast: Banana, plain non-fat yogurt, puffed rice cereal.
Lunch: Blend of wild and brown rice with steamed carrots, broccoli and peas.
Snack: Rice crackers with almond butter.
Dinner: Extreme Green soup.
Beverages: Green tea, herbal tea, water.

What I Ate: August 24, 2008

2008-08-24T20:28:00.000-06:00

I had grand plans for today, but then I realized it is kinda sorta my last day before actually beginning work. For real. So I took it easy. I walked all over town looking for a good thermos (I went to two grocery stores, an office supply store thinking of back to school, and one outdoor supplies store) but I didn't find one I liked. This means I can't bring the soup I made to work tomorrow. Anyways, I'm feeling pretty good. I got a little light-headed when I was walking this afternoon, but if I'd known I would have had to walk that much I definitely would have eaten more before I left. Anyways, here's what I did eat.

Breakfast: Banana, plain yogurt, puffed rice cereal.
Lunch: Greek tofu scramble, rice crackers with hummous.
Dinner: Extreme Green Soup.
Beverages: Two or three glasses of green tea, hot water with lemon at wake-up and bedtime.

Greek Tofu Scramble

Take 1/3 of a block of tofu and either press it properly or squeeze the water out over your sink. Crumble it and put it in a frying pan. Add some frozen chopped spinach to the frying pan, drizzle everything with olive oil and turn on the heat. Meanwhile, scramble one egg and add in some herbs (I use basil, oregano and rosemary). Once the tofu has started browning and all the spinach is heated through, carefully pour the egg mixture onto the tofu-spinach mixture, covering as much as you can. Quickly begin stirring everything so that the egg coats all of the tofu and spinach. Serve warm, topped with crumbled feta (from goat's milk) and a lemon wedge on the side.

Extreme Green Soup

Roughly chop 2 carrots, 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 leek and 1 stick of celery. Place in a soup pot, drizzle with olive oil, turn the heat to medium, stir the veggies and allow them to soften. While they are softening, add herbs and spices of your choice (I used cumin, coriander and mild curry powder).

While these vegetables are softening, rinse 2/3 of a bunch of kale, 1/2 bunch of spinach, and 1 head of broccoli (florets only). Tear the greens into small pieces. Slowly begin adding the greens and broccoli, bit by bit, allowing them to lose most of their volume. Stirring helps quicken the process. Add 2 cups frozen peas and stir some more.
Now, pour in some stock or water and bring everything to a boil. Simmer briefly and then puree the whole mix, either with a handheld/immersion blender or in a blender. Serve warm, plain or with a dollop of plain yogurt.

What I Ate: August 23, 2008

2008-08-23T20:48:00.000-06:00

Well, the first day of the detox is coming to a close and no more food shall pass through my lips. What did I eat on the first day of my detox?

Morning: As per above, a banana with plain yogurt and puffed brown rice cereal.

Afternoon snack: Rice crackers with almond butter.

Dinner: Salad with lettuce, baby spinach, red cabbage, carrots, raw pumpkin seeds and raw sunflower seeds. As a dressing, I pressed some chopped ginger in my garlic press to extract the juice, then mixed that with some lemon juice and olive oil.

Evening snack: Rice crackers with homemade hummous (a can of chickpeas, a couple tablespoons of tahini, the juice of 1/4 of a lemon, one entire bulb of roasted garlic and some water).

Beverages: Copious quantities of water, three cups of green tea, and hot water with lemon to start and end the day.

Detox Shopping List #2

2008-08-23T14:23:00.001-06:00

I was planning to go to the Farmers' Market but I realized that the best stuff would probably be picked over by the time I went to the bank (do farmers take credit cards?) and got to the market. So, I stopped by the big health food store and the regular grocery store to pick up a few more essentials. You might already have lots of this stuff in your house; I only have what I've bought because I just moved in.

From the big health food store:

Organic Tahini - $4.69
2 Yellow Onions - $.91
Large can of chickpeas - $1.29
2 bulbs organic garlic - $2.90 (I didn't notice the price! Next time I'll get it at the regular supermarket.)
Almond butter - $2.92 (made in-house, and on sale)
Raw pumpkin seeds - $3.26
Raw sunflower seeds - $1.40
2 packs unsalted rice crackers- $4.78
4 oz alfalfa sprouts - $1.99
2 packs "all-natural, low-sodium" vegetable stock - $4.98
* * * Bulk Herbs * * *
20 grams Rosemary - $.60
30 grams Basil - $.99
60 grams Cinnamon - $3.06 (maybe too much cinnamon?)
70 grams Curry Powder - $.98
5 grams Bay Leaves - $.11
30 grams Cumin - $.84
35 grams Coriander - $.88
35 grams Oregano - $1.82

Seriously, bulk is the best way to buy herbs! With the exception of the cinnamon, I would have paid three to five times as much if I'd bought them bottled at the regular supermarket.

Total: $38.24

From Co-op

Whole cauliflower - $2.99
330 grams Broccoli crowns (no stems) - $1.45
2 lb bag of carrots - $1.79

You can do that math in your head! Figure out the total yourselves!

Again, all this may seem like a huge amount of money to be spending up front, but I am literally starting with a bare kitchen.

Day One: Brunch

2008-08-23T11:35:00.001-06:00

It's the weekend, so I slept in a bit. I got up around 9:00 and lazed around in bed drinking hot water with lemon, and then green tea. Around 10:30 I had a shower and then made myself brunch: a banana with yogurt (plain, with no fat although I don't object to some fat in yogurt) and some puffed rice cereal sprinkled on top. The only ingredient in the cereal is organic brown rice, and it adds a nice crunch to the mix. I'm going to get ready to face the day, first I'm heading to the farmer's market then I'll see how I feel about the health food store.

Must... Fall... Asleep...

2008-08-23T00:35:00.000-06:00

I forgot how much you have to pee when you actually start hydrating yourself properly! I can't even sleep!

Detox Shopping List #1

2008-08-22T18:29:00.001-06:00

This is an itemized list of the things I bought to begin my detox. As I was moving into a new apartment, all I already had was two litres of juice (mixed berry and orange-mango-peach) and some pita bread. I'm going to eat the pita bread with canned chili tonight, have a glass of juice, polish off my last few chocolate-covered almonds and start from scratch with the following.

From Safeway

1 litre Petrilli Olive Oil - $9.23 (saved $3.96 with membership card)
Vitasoy Light - $2.00 (saved $.99 with membership card)
Celestial Seasonings Tea, Chamomile Honey Vanilla $3.79
The Republic of Tea Honey Ginseng Daily Green Tea, 2 x 50 bags - $6.48 (saved $6.48 reduced to clear)
12 Large Eggs - $2.33
O Organics Chopped Frozen Spinach - $3.58 (in my opinion, the best brand of frozen spinach)
Olympic Organic Yogurt, Plain, No Fat - $4.29 (saved $.50 with membership card)
4 Bananas - $1.16
2 Lemonds - $1.98 (ouch!)
Red cabbage - $2.59
2 Carrots - $.44
Ginger - $.59
Extra Firm Tofu - $2.99
Bagged salad mix, half spring mix, half baby spinach - $3.99

Total - $45.50 (no tax on my healthy food!)

From the small health food store
(I opted not to get an itemized receipt so my prices are guestimates)

Puffed brown rice cereal - $4.50
Brown and wild rice mix, bulk - $3.50

Total - $8

Tomorrow I am going to visit the big health food store to stock up on lots of bulk products (especially herbs and spices), and I might to go the Farmer's Market as well.

Last Day Pre-Detox

2008-08-22T18:20:00.000-06:00

It's been a week since I've written, and for a good reason! I've moved to a new home more than a thousand miles away from where I was before (following another 2000+ mile move in June) and I'm now (mostly) set up in my new apartment!

So, what did I eat on my last day pre-detox? Nothing good for me, that's for sure! I had to wait around the apartment all morning and I made the stupid mistake of assembling IKEA furniture rather than actually eating (not that I had any food).

3:30 pm - Wolfed down two Fibre1 bars that I got on the street from a sample guy. Not bad indeed. Bye bye, Fibre1 bars!
6:00 pm - Handful of chocolate-covered almonds that I bought while grocery shopping.
7:00 pm - Amy's Organic chili (not a bad choice necessarily, but very nightshade-heavy) and some pita bread (left over from yesterday's hummous extravaganza).

Tomorrow... everything changes!

What I Ate: August 13, 2008

2008-08-13T21:17:00.000-06:00

Another day of eating poorly is upon us! Or at least, upon me! I can't wait to detox... and I know you think I should start now but starting a detox and moving to a new city don't exactly go hand and hand. It's just a few more days!

Lunch - Pita bread with tzatziki, some Sun Chips, a glass of Koala Springs.
Snacks - Two glasses of Koala Springs, a banana smoothie (as per every day).
Dinner - Out for Mexican! A mini pastry stuffed with yams and feta, seasoned with chipotle peppers, then tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole. As a main dish, I had two roasted vegetable enchiladas in mole sauce, served with a salad, Mexican rice and refried beans.
Dessert - I'm contemplating some ice cream for later this evening.

What I ate: August 12, 2008

2008-08-13T14:36:00.001-06:00

I should be packing but I'll update anyways.

Breakfast: Cheese scone and banana smoothie (as per every day).
Lunch: A roasted vegetable club sandwich (rye bread, cream cheese, basil pesto, roasted vegetables such as beets, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant), a cup of unsweetened iced tea (I'd asked for sweetened).
Dinner: Corn on the cob with lime-chipotle butter, three parmesan-herb muffins, salad with lettuce, roasted peppers, smoked cheddar, avocado and pine nuts. And a big margarita.
Dessert: Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips.

Oh, Dr. Joshi would not be proud! But he will be proud of me next week(ish)!

What I Ate: August 11, 2008

2008-08-11T19:27:00.000-06:00

Another day, another chance to prove that I fell off the detox wagon hard! I prefer to go into the detox cold turkey rather than gradually ease my way into it. For me, it's easier to make a huge lifestyle change than little changes here and there. I'm moving this Friday but probably won't be stocking my kitchen until next Monday, so I've got about seven more days of "toxic" food to go! I promise you, I will savour them!

Brunch: Yves Veggie patty on a cheese scone with barbecue sauce and a bit of cheese. Oh, and a glass of Koala Springs.
Snack: An entire large package of Pull & Peel at a movie (don't tell the usher!), and a small Coke.
Dinner: Macaroni and cheese, steamed peas and carrots.
Dessert: Banana smoothie as per yesterday.

What I Ate: August 10, 2008

2008-08-10T22:03:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned before, I think it's important for you to know that I don't always eat the healthiest food! So, I'm going to give you a glimpse into my kitchen pre-detox, in the days leading up to Week One of the eating plan.

Breakfast (consumed waaaay after noon): A cheddar cheese bagel with butter.
Snack: A smoothie made with a banana, a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, a tablespoon of honey, 2% milk and ice cubes.
Beverage: Two glasses of Koala Springs Raspberry-Guava soda.
Dinner: Veggie kebabs (green and yellow zucchini, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, assorted peppers and onions), yellow beans and Uncle Ben's ten-minute rice (the "Herb & Wild Rice" variety).
Dessert: I'm seriously contemplating going downstairs and making a milkshake!

One thing that is very important to note is that I am a vegetarian. I stopped eating chicken about four years ago and it's been more than ten years since I last ate red meat. I have been known to eat fish every now and then (like, once or twice a year) but I try to avoid it as well. I am not a vegetarian for moral reasons, I am a vegetarian because I am a picky eater!

A Little Background

2008-08-10T21:52:00.000-06:00

Back in 2005 I heard about Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox. At the time, I was living la dolce vita in Italy and chowing down on red wine risotto, ravioli stuffed with pumpkin and crushed almond cookies, and a daily bottle of Moscato d'Asti, a sweet dessert wine. Needless to say, I wasn't taking very good care of myself. I thought I would give Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox a try, so I bought the book when I was back in Canada for Christmas that year. When I moved back to Italy I cleared all the biscotti out of my pantry and made room for the foods recommended by Dr. Joshi. My Italian friends thought my new eating plan was pazzo, but I was determined to stick with it. And stick with it I did, for nearly three months. More than two years later I still look back on those three months as being some of the best of my life. I've since moved back to Canada and I'm about to begin a real career, and now I'm planning to give the detox another try. I'm hoping to document the detox, so that anyone who has considered detoxing in general, or Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox in particular, can see what it's all about.

In the coming days I am going to document my pre-detox life. I am going to begin the detox in about two weeks, when I make a big move for a big new job. However, I think it makes sense to show a bit of my pre-detox life, so you'll know where I started in relation to where I finished.

NB: The photo at the top of my blog was actually taken at a restaurant in Mexico. While Dr. Joshi would approve of the mixed-lettuce base and sliced avocado in the salad, he certainly wouldn't approve of the three giant pieces of goat cheese and soy-based dressing that topped it all off!