Tuesday, September 27, 2011

September Challenge: Less than Four Days to Go **with Joshi Basics**

I have mixed feelings right now about the 'end' of the detox. I don't want to stop, and this is normal for me. This happens every time we do a detox. I feel great. I have a reduced appetite. I have minimal (some days zero) cravings. I feel happy. I feel like I can keep going like this forever. Alas, the 30 days are about to come to an end.


When I've done the Master Cleanse in the past, which is much more severe than a holistic detox (it's a fasting cleanse), I've had those same feelings near the end: a reluctance to go back to 'normal.' And hoping that my new normal will be different than my old normal, but I guess everyone has their own brand of normal to default to. I always say, "I feel so good not needing caffeine first thing in the morning--I think I'll stay off coffee!" I say, "Wow, wheat and too much dairy really make me bloated; I'm going to continue to buy gluten-free and stay away from most cow products!" I say, "Sugar spikes and crashes are not worth the taste of a lemon bar."


But you know what? Sometimes a lemon bar is worth it. And that's okay.


Things I want to continue:


- Dry skin brushing. This feels great, and according to many websites, it reduces cellulite. All I know is that my skin feels super soft.
- 99% no red meat. I wouldn't be fussy as a guest if someone served red meat, and I might have the occasional sausage when out for breakfast, but I would like it to be less than a monthly occurrence.
- Minimal wheat. We like the brown rice pasta, wheat-free waffles, and rice crackers. The bread is so-so, but we don't really eat enough bread to care that much. I think we'll still probably eat tortillas on occasion for wraps, but not weekly or anything.
- Caffeine... I don't know what to do with this one. I definitely want to keep up the tea drinking because of all the health benefits. And I would rather not go back to daily coffee consumption, but I really love it. Like, so much. It's my favourite food. So I don't know. I can live with one cup a day (I normally drink two, three max on a rare occasion), but I'd love to be able to turn it into a weekend thing.
- I want to stay off sugar. We are able to keep sweets in the house without eating them, and we always have a box of Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate in the cupboard, and an ounce of that does wonders for a sugar craving, as does a tablespoon of dark chocolate Chipits, which we always have in the freezer. I only crave chocolate about once a week or every two weeks, even, and other than that, raw honey in some yogurt or on a waffle also does the trick. I definitely want to stay away from anything that is both wheat + sugar. Those are the things that make me feel the worst, and cause me to have cravings for more of same.


Actually, that was just a total ah-ha moment for me. I don't do well with sugar + wheat. Cakes, squares, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, etc. I don't eat them on a regular basis, but when I do, I want more the next day, and the next, and the next. Sugar on its own isn't a problem for me, and neither is wheat (but maybe a little more so than sugar--crackers, pitas, etc), but together, they are my enemy. Okay, good to know.




I wanted to write down the basics of the Joshi Program for those who are curious about trying it. In his book, he doesn't write down GOOD foods vs BAD foods, just things to decrease vs things to increase. We take his suggestions seriously and avoid the bad foods altogether, but if he's wishy washy on something, we jump on it (like avocado seems to be straddling the two lists, so we've shared maybe two this entire month). I'm going to call my lists the EAT and DON'T EAT lists, just because we are pretty strict with it.


DON'T EAT


- red meat
- dairy other than exceptions in other list
- booze
- fizzy drinks (even water)
- caffeine (other than green tea)
- sugar and sugary products (candy, etc)
- wheat
- mushrooms
- tomatoes
- vinegar, mustard, miso, anything fermented
- nightshades (cucumber, peppers, zucchini, eggplant)
- fruit, other than bananas, lemons, and limes
- seafood (shrimp, scallops, etc)
- canned fish or poultry


EAT


- chicken, turkey, white fish
- legumes and pulses (lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, etc)
- leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, chard, etc)
- herbal and green teas
- lemon water
- tofu
- cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, etc)
- carrots, celery, beets, onion, radishes, leeks, asparagus, etc
- bananas
- Joshi-approved dairy: goat cheese, goat feta, pro-biotic yogurt, buffalo mozzarella (limited)
- walnuts and almonds, seeds (in moderation)
- brown, black, or wild rice
- soy or almond milk


He recommends avoiding processed foods, but we've found some great brown rice pastas, brown rice crackers, store-bought hummus (though it's simple to make your own), waffles, cereal, etc, that fits the bill. The recipes in the back of the book seemed incredibly boring, but fortunately we are creative enough in the kitchen to make some great meals. I highly recommended playing around with flavours--we bought fresh herbs every week and found ways to work them into our meal plan, and we added roasted walnuts, almonds or sunflower seeds to many dishes (especially delicious in salads). Farm Boy Lemon Garlic dressing is okay on the detox as well, plus we used a detox recipe for a creamy tahini dressing, so we didn't get bored.


If you have any questions about any particular foods, feel free to ask!


The regular Joshi plan is 21 days, and we normally began those on Mondays, with liver flushes on the three Sundays. The daily dry skin brushing is also part of the program.


Here's our basic soup recipe--we get asked for this a lot!


Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
4 cups of broth
2 cups of veggies*
salt and pepper
seasoning*


*Some combinations we use are: cauliflower/curry, broccoli/pepper, fennel/cayenne, carrot/ginger.


Heat oil over medium heat, and add diced onion and garlic. Sauté for about five minutes, until tender (do not brown). Add chopped veggies and sauté another 10 minutes or so. Add broth, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for about twenty minutes.


Use a blender to purée all of the soup. Add salt and pepper, and whatever spice(s) you've decided to use. That's it!


Here is the recipe for the Tahini Dressing we use (from the Wild Rose Detox Cookbook):


2/3c unsweetened soy milk
1/2c tahini
5 Tbsps freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sesame oil


Place all ingredients in blender and mix.


This is our favourite Smoky Split Pea Soup, from Appetite for Reduction (a great vegan cookbook):


1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tbsps smoked paprika*
2 tbsps dried thyme
1 1/2 cups diced carrot
1 1/4 cups split peas
6 cups broth
1 tsp salt
1-2 tbsps fresh lemon juice


*We don't have smoked paprika, so we use 3 tsps regular paprika and 1 tsp chipotle flakes--muy caliente!


Heat oil over medium heat and sauté onions until translucent but not browned. Add salt, pepper, and garlic, sauté another minute, then add split peas, carrots, paprika, and thyme. Stir continously to toast the spices a little, and then add the broth. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer. The recipe says to simmer about 40 minutes or until split peas are creamy, but I find that it takes more like an hour and a half.


We threw cilantro into it last time and it added some great flavour! This would also be great with a dollop of plain yogurt to calm the heat a bit if you find it too spicy.



Now it's off to the gym for me. I was going to take September off because I thought I'd be getting more yoga in, but that didn't pan out quite like I wanted. I went for a run last week and now I'm dying to go again! I'm just going to let my lunch digest a little more first, and then it's time to hit the treadmill!

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