Tag Archives: food as medicine

Listen To Your Bodies Wisdom.

Food heartThe emphasis on satisfying the body’s needs continues in my household and it’s not just me! My dear Beloved has been suffering with an injury that is changing the way he treats his physical self, or at least is encouraging him to do things differently. Thank the Goddess that I am on the other hand experiencing greater strength in my body and increased energy. We seem to take it in turns when it comes to having big challenges and this time is no exception. So when we moved into a house sit this week I had to do all the packing and lugging over the day and then go and work an overnight shift that same evening. And I was tired but I managed it all without getting overwhelmed and was able to be there for my Beloved as an emotional support too.

slow and steady wins the race

The fact that I was able to do that tells me that the healing program I am engaged in is working. That and also my approach when I have a lot to do which I call, slow and steady wins the race. So I am getting better and the pre-cancerous lesion is also looking like it’s changing, it seems to be fading which has to be good right? I will get it checked later this month but the signs are all good that using food as medicine is producing a much healthier body. Seems a bit bloody obvious really but we live in a world where the medical profession has completely ignored this fact up to now. I read an article the other day that talks about studies showing that cancer is a disease of the modern era. Again it seems very bloody obvious but there are so many vested interests that don’t want us to know this. And how it can be possible to treat cancer and other health issues without resorting to drugs or chemotherapy.

http://www.sciencepunch.com/research-finally-confirms-cancer-purely-man-made-disease/

Healthy bodies yoga food

Anyway that’s it for me now, I could go on and on about vested interests causing immense suffering but lets save that for another time. I am eating the right fuel for my body and feeling great so I am currently living proof of the efficacy of food as medicine!

 

Kerry And The Ketones!

KetogenicDietWhenever I do manage a post it tends to be all about food as medicine and this will be no exception I am sure. The latest episode in my gustatory adventures is all about going back to the ketogenic diet which is where I started this journey three months ago. This time I am measuring the fat burning process and the indicator that tells me I’m doing it right is ketones. Now if you know me you know you won’t get a detailed technical explanation of this, it’s just not my style and I’m sure there are many resources out there that describe it better than I could. All I need to know is that when there are ketones in my urine I am burning the right kind of fat and so far it seems to be going well. And that’s in spite of a day this week when I gave in to desire and had a couple of bliss balls. Normally quite healthy but not ketogenic  but the ketones keep appearing hooray!

salad

I’m a bit relieved to be honest that my lovely naturopath didn’t ask me to do more juice fasting, the benefits were huge but getting it all together really is quite a mission. This diet feels like something I can keep on eating everyday and with all the yummy oils and spices I am never short of flavour. And when you get a hedonist having to restrict her choices the whole process starts to become extremely refined but just as passionate and full of savouring as ever. Let me tell you about fat bombs! All you have to do is melt coconut oil and mix in raw cacao and some peppermint oil and you have a fabulous treat that totally satisfies any sweet cravings. If your taste buds are blunted by sugar you probably won’t like them but for me they are delicious!

fat bombs

Organic chicken cooked up in small pieces in coconut oil, turmeric and black pepper is one of my favourite dishes, we call it popcorn chicken. If you have it with a nice salad that has an olive oil dressing the oils mix together on the plate and the result is divine. Once I have cleared up my pre-cancerous cells I will be still eating a diet that is much the same except for the addition of some carbohydrates and a bit of sugar. It may not be right for everyone but my Beloved and I are very happy with our new food plan. Towards the end of June I will have an appointment at the hospital and we shall see if there has been progress in addressing the underlying causes of this pre-cancer.

Kerry rainbow RSL

The new slender me!

So at this point I can say that I am 10 kilos lighter and feeling more energetic than I have in years, it’s a nice steady kind of energy too, the sort that can go the distance. We shall see how it all unfolds but I am certainly feeling very positive about my progress. I will keep you posted!

All My Food Is Green!

Leafy green veggies in a colander.

Just three weeks ago I was wondering how to improve some of my creeping bad habits, sugar being the absolute worst of the lot! Now I am on Day 13 of no sugar whatsoever in any form and spending what seems like hours preparing lots of green veggies and cooking organic meat. Well my Beloved and I are doing it together but we both agree that it takes an inordinate amount of time and in our small kitchen the dishes have to be washed at least twice a day. Do we sound hard core? Yes we are and for a very good reason, three weeks ago I received a diagnosis from the doctor that informed me that I have pre-cancerous cells on my left labia. I had the same thing on the right side about 9 years ago and at that time I decided to have surgery which was the only option the doctors talked about.

doctors surgery cancer

Well the doctors are still talking about surgical type options but I am a very different person now to who I was then. The logical conclusion to draw from the return of the pre-cancer is that there are underlying causes that were not addressed with surgery. So my response to the doctor was probably a bit different from what he expected. I have a lovely doctor but even so I could feel the panic in the air around the fact that I might not choose to go along with the bio-medical model. I told him I would consider taking up my referral to the hospital but that I would also be focusing on alternative methods and guess what? Three weeks later and I still haven’t heard from the hospital about an appointment, if I was relying on their help I would be sitting, waiting and feeling helpless. None of which is helpful for the immune system and lets face it, if you have cancer or pre-cancer in your body you are going to really need a strong immune system.

So instead I am eating cleaner and healthier than I have ever done in my entire life up to this point! Sure there are some supplements for the immune system and other various treatments but the main aim for my wonderful naturopath is to treat my condition with food as medicine. Which is what food is after all, when it doesn’t come processed and packaged and with all kinds of nasty chemicals and sugar in it. But I am finding out why people are resistant to this kind of information, eating like this is hard work even though the actual meals we’ve been eating are delicious. It takes time and energy and focus and probably seems a lot more challenging than following doctor’s orders and going meekly to surgery. I may even share a story with you next week about my more recent experiences in hospitals but there isn’t time today.

 

But for now I am on the second day of my liver flush and looking forward to the lunch I brought to work, organic chicken and salad. Like I said it’s hard work but I have total trust in the process and a sense of personal power as I take responsibility for my own health and well-being. Life is good and challenging and I am rising to meet it!

Your Body Knows Best!

Junk Food QueenI started my last post talking about food as medicine, it’s been a while since I’ve talked about health from the point of view of what we eat but it is something I am always thinking about. From Junk Food Queen to Miss Organic Raw Chocolate that’s me! Truly though, if I can change my automatic settings to healthy and actually tune into what my body really wants and needs, as opposed to the old taste buds, then anyone can.

The thing is that if you go down this road you will become more sensitive, I can’t get away with munching down on the sort of crap that I used to eat by the bucketful. The reason this is on my mind right now is the experience that I had on my last two overnight shifts, as you can imagine this can be a challenging time to be awake and working. I always have a good dinner before I head off to a 10pm start, but there are times when I want to nibble on something even though I’m not hungry. That’s when I reach for the cheap cream biscuits that are always there, and usually I get away with just that little bit. But last night I did that very thing and it all seemed fine until about 45 minutes before I finished at 4am I started to feel really sick.

cream biscuits

I navigated it by taking some time and going to the toilet, and then focused on taking deep slow breaths, slowly it began to pass but I am now quite determined never to eat those biscuits ever again. If necessary I will bring my own crappy commercial chocolate to eat, the question is why does it seem so necessary to have something processed and full of sugar when I’m not an addict anymore? I think there is some association with the state of being tired and wanting to go home so it is probably a remnant of the old comfort food habit that I had in a big way for so much of my earlier life.

This is a great blog about someone who changed her life by going on a raw food diet: http://fatkidsuit.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/60-day-raw-food-log-day-45-six-weeks-ago-i-was-depressed-and-weighed-254-lbs-today/

This is a great blog about someone who changed her life by going on a raw food diet: http://fatkidsuit.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/60-day-raw-food-log-day-45-six-weeks-ago-i-was-depressed-and-weighed-254-lbs-today/

Something to ponder on but not to take too seriously, I can safely say that ninety per cent of my current diet is very high quality and largely organic. When I eat at my local club the food is organic where possible and always fresh and good, the vegan cafe down the way does the best raw cakes on the planet! So if my body will allow me the odd bit of crappy food well and good, but cream biscuits are definitely off the menu!

Raw Key Lime Tart.

Raw Key Lime Tart.

Bon Appetit!

Spirals of Goodness.

Ok it’s official, I LOVE MY BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He just gave me the coolest present ever! We have  a no presents unless you really want to policy at christmas time, and my brother hasn’t given any for years, don’t get me wrong, he’s very generous, just isn’t into presents.

He has had long-term health problems ever since contracting Ross River Fever a long time ago, and early last year I put him on to a book called “Super Charged Food” by Lee Holmes. She cured herself of Chronic Fatigue when the doctors could do nothing, by researching food as medicine and applying it in her life.

David is a virgo so he is very good and very thorough when it comes to research, unlike his airy fairy aquarian sister! He got really inspired and has been practically living on super salads ever since, he has also discovered equipment to help make great salads, and this brings me to the star of this post!

Enter the Veggie Twister!!!!!!!!!! Mum has been using something called the spiraliser to create long twirly bits out of carrot and zucchini and beetroot, funnily enough I am not a fan of beetroot normally but when it has been spiralised I love it. Go figure, I don’t understand why but I do know that it makes an ordinary salad into something very special. The veggie twister is a lot smaller than the other machine, and so easy to use I was amazed, making my salads has become an entertainment that will not wear off in a hurry. My enjoyment of the finished result will never wear off, that I am quite sure of.

This is an important next step in going more towards a raw food diet, the green smoothies are still starting off my every morning, may do something else from time to time for variety but they are so easy to make and so delish! It is often the simple things in life that bring true joy and the veggie twister has brought such joy and delight into a life already overflowing with goodness!

By the way I apologise for all the exclamation marks, I think I have gone a bit overboard, but it is so hard to contain my excitement, it had to express itself somehow!!

Veggie Twister.

Veggie Twister.