Me at 25...not very organic...I don't think I even knew what organic was
My non organic self and my I don't care attitude
I'm so addicted to coffee I choose to paint about it
There was a moment a few weeks ago when I was walking down the street and had a thought, "My neck could most likely break in 2 right now and I would hear a loud crack". Beyond that I had heart palpitations, insomnia, and I think I was unquestionably irritable. Months prior to this a client of mine suggested Frank Lipman's book, Spent, but at the time I felt I was too busy to add another book to my growing "To do list". When the neck thing happened I decided to check it out of the library and I quickly soaked up Dr. Lipman's words. He hit on many of my ailments and by changing my diet and a few other things I would be cured. I also was very drawn to his process of slowly eliminating and then adding.
Of course as we all know this is always easier said than done. My anxiety over the past month was at an all time high and I knew I needed to do something or I would soon be found curled into a ball under the kitchen sink so I began to eliminate the toxic and add in the positive. I have to say it is a difficult plan at first, time consuming, expensive if this is far from the way you are use to living, and there is withdrawal (lot's and lot's of withdrawal). But...I felt an immediate change. The physical affects of my anxiety were gone. Mentally I still felt the stress but my body did not hold it the same way.
So the gist of his work is that we should eat whole grown foods and get rid of all the processed foods. Shop on the outside of the supermarket and if the food comes in a box or can or has more than 5 ingredients then it should no longer have a place at your dinner table. Sounds easy in theory but in practice it has become a bit of a struggle. Add into that mix a toddler and one mother who does not have a talent for cooking and has a strong taste for coffee. Oh, did I mention NO CAFFEINE!!! WHAT??!! Now again, I need to remind those who may not know me that this is a problem. Coffee is my vice. It is what makes me happy. I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs but I do drink coffee and lots of it. So I made a compromise and allowed myself 1 cup of home made coffee each morning. Maybe eventually I will also get rid of that. I also am trying to cook. Did I mention my little apartment in this grand city does not have an oven. So obviously a microwave is out since this is about whole natural foods. I am learning to cook on my 2 burner stove top. So far I have mastered rice. Oh, and soup. And rice with soup or soup with rice. I am in the process of finding recipes. Soon I will also have a recipe page on this blog...so any favorite non dairy, non sugar, non wheat recipes feel free to send them my way.
There are actually lots of options but you do need to cook. This is not the city slicker's diet. I won't lie we are consuming so many eggs in my home right now that it may be cheaper to invest in a hen soon. Soon I will get it together to try a recipe and of course post it here. It isn't that I hate to cook, but it takes an awful lot of preparation, ingredients and time, which just is not a priority now. It will be soon when I can't fathom another egg, rice dish or soup.
Oh and did I mention there is a lifestyle change as well. This part I secretly like. He would like us to limit technology. I got rid of my television a year or so ago so that was not a big deal. I also have begun to cut back on the computer and phone at night. I no longer am very news savvy and really should have a plan in case of evacuation because I would never know. I am reading more and it has helped me to relax. I also am suppose to meditate and do yoga. Both of which I know are amazing for mental health and yet I have only been able to to this twice since the beginning of my program 3 weeks ago, but as I mentioned I am going slow.
So here is the Lipman breakdown.....
No
- Dairy (I do allow myself a yogurt in the morning with my coffee...because I am a rebel)
- Wheat/gluten....that's right folks unless you find a recipe and make it yourself without wheat there is no bread or pasta on this plan
- Processed foods....slowly we have weened ourselves from the frozen comfort food of Trader Joes and have walked across the street to the aisles of WholeFoods
- Caffeine (tea, coffee, soda etc)
Yes
- Whole grains....brown rice and other grains I can't pronounce as well as steel oats
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Almond milk (Silk makes a great one now)
- Nuts
- Low Mercury Fish
- Organic Local Meat
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