What's On My Plate?

Today I'm going more into what my diet consists of these days, as I've received a lot of emails from people wanting to know exact meal plans. I understand the dilemma. When I first changed my diet, I didn't know what the heck to eat either, nor did I have the energy for much preparation so I kept it simple - come to think of it, I still keep it simple. While my diet has evolved a little in the past three months, I still eat most of the foods I mentioned in my updated health post, in October. Here's what I've been eating since starting this new sugar free phase, after Christmas.

I mentioned eating a high protein diet, but I realize that it's actually more of a moderate level of protein. Much lower than the protein levels of most fitness models, athletes, and body builders, that's for sure. Relatively speaking, though, this is high protein for me since I'm not used to eating protein rich animal foods. Matt Stone is often quick to remind me that it's important to eat enough carbs. Carbohydrates I do eat - gluten free ones, mostly in the form of vegetables both raw and cooked. I'm not interested in analyzing the ratio of macronutrients in my diet. Instead I'm happy eating a various fresh, whole foods and go by how I feel to gauge my progress. I drink lots of fresh spring water all day long, and sometimes medicinal and herbal teas.

Here are the foods I eat:

- Veggies/nonsweet fruits - romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, bell peppers, zucchini, celery, avocado, chard, kale, eggplant, broccoli, cabbage, onion, cauliflower, lemon, lime
- Wild meat, mostly deer/moose/elk
- Wild fish (raw & cooked)
- Sauerkraut
- Plain yogurt
- Eggs
- Seaweed
- Nuts/seeds
- Squash/yams
- Fresh/dried herbs, himalayan salt, miso, apple cider vinegar
- Olive oil, coconut oil, cultured butter

I start the day with 1/4-1/2 cup plain yogurt, as a probiotic. My breakfast is either eggs with veggies, or a salad with meat - and I have the other for lunch. I often make a big enough batch of salad dressing to last a week, or I mash some avocado and a drizzle of olive oil/ apple cider vinegar /salt into my salad. I usually have another salad for dinner - maybe with an egg or two, or fish (if my dad has caught any), or with meat if I haven't had any earlier in the day (I eat meat once a day). Or I might have a combo of raw and cooked veggies for dinner, which sometimes includes yams or squash, either baked or in a soup. For snacks I enjoy nuts (I love cracking nuts these days), plain yogurt, and veggies with dip.

Here are some typical daily meals:

- 2 eggs, cooked in a little coconut oil or cultured butter - scrambled, overeasy, or sunny side up - along with lightly sauteed chard and zucchini, with raw tomato on top (in the past few days I've also been adding a bit of my eggplant dip to my eggs).

- Salad with romaine, cucumber, celery, tomato, avocado, sauerkraut, seaweed, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and himalayan salt with moose/deer meat which I cook in a little bit of water (on the rare side).

- Baked yam or squash (which I eat with veggies).

- Veggies - roasted, stir fried, or in a soup.

When I write out these meal options it looks plain and boring. But I love love love salads and veggies, so it works for me, plus there are so many things you can do with basic foods. With all the ingredients I mentioned above, I've made various egg dishes, curries, soups, dips, stir fries, and noodle dishes. I'll post recipes soon.

Confession time. In all my humanness I've had one slip in the sugar free journey thus far. After 6 days of being really diligent, I had a few treats to ring in the New Year. The difference is that it had nothing to do with cravings. I was feeling really good with the diet, and when it was time to celebrate, I decided to enjoy a martini (vodka, fresh lemon & lime juice, ginger, peach medicine flower extract, sparkling mineral water), some wine, and 2 small truffles.

Like I said, this plan satisfies me and I'm without any sugar cravings for the first time in my life. Cheers to great health!

Questions? Post a comment :)

Letting Go of Sugar and Cacao

Today I'm picking up where I left off in my updated health post regarding my sugar/cacao free diet plan for the next month, and how I am making it possible. Ideally I should be off sugar completely for a few years, as a result of all the damage I've done overdosing on sugar over the years. Instead, my goal is to take it one step at a time.

After going completely off cacao for 3 1/2 months, I proved to myself that I AM capable of going without, and I've vowed to take breaks every so often from now on. Some people can easily eat cacao occasionally (for many women it's during their time of the month) - not me. It's just like the person who cannot eat just one cracker or chip - funny, I AM someone who can eat just one cracker. But I have never been able to eat only a small piece of chocolate, or just a few bites of dessert.

On December 26, I went off sugar and cacao completely. For a while I will not even be having stevia or berries, but will reintroduce low glycemic sweeteners in a few weeks. Leading up to Christmas, I knew I had to take the step - but it was only on Christmas day that I actually decided to go for it.

Here's how I did it:

- The important thing for me was to tell myself that I WILL eat and enjoy these foods again. If I thought it had to be this way for the rest of my life, I never would have started, in fear of the deprivation.

- I have a willingness to do what is necessary for my health and mental emotional well being - this is big and what I believe to be a huge factor in avoiding self sabotage. From what I know, sometimes we don't think we deserve true health or happiness, or there is a long standing negative belief that is standing in the way of achieving health goals (or any goal, for that matter). I have done a lot of work with a spiritual therapist named Ria Caro (email me if you'd like her #) over the years to get to the bottom of why I use sugar, and it has helped tremendously.

- On a physical level, I have been giving my body lots of great fuel - specific low glycemic foods. Denyse has me on a high protein diet containing a lot of high quality animal products (much like a Paleo diet, and the meat/fish I eat is wild). While I know this appears scary to some people, I attribute the animal protein to my success. For the first time since becoming a vegetarian at the age of 14, I feel truly satisfied after a meal. I feel GOOD, and much more balanced eating this way. To me, this is a true test. Of course it's not for everyone - I know people who thrive on a raw vegan diet, and I did well for a while too. (I'll go more into my diet tomorrow).

- I eat small meals every few hours throughout the day to prevent energy crashes and cravings.

- I've dropped the idea of "eat light until afternoon". Despite the fact I did it for 13 years (juice, smoothie, or fruit), I don't think it worked very well for me, because I would often overeat at dinner, or would end up craving/eating sugary things most of the day (fresh/dried fruit, raw desserts, cacao). I now eat something substantial in the morning. Usually I have a salad with wild moose meat, or eggs and veggies.

Recap - My strategy for going off sugar:

1. I told myself it would only be for a while - that way my mind doesn't freak out and feel deprived.
2. A willingness to take the action required for my health.
3. Eating a high protein diet which includes animal products.
4. Eating every few hours.
5. I start off with a solid, low glycemic meal in the morning.

There you have it. A few steps and voila. It's been the most effortless thing and I'm still a bit in shock because I've tried to cut out sugar before and I never lasted. I was plagued with cravings and "no willpower" - but now I see that it's nothing to do with will power. I think that my body is getting what it needs, so it doesn't need to search out anything else.

Chunky Eggplant Red Pepper Dip

I was going to elaborate on my whole "cacao/sugar free" diet, but after yesterdays long post and being busy today, I've decided to post a recipe instead.

Today I made a chunky eggplant dip that is quick and easy to prepare. I've made this dip many times for a client I used to chef for. I like to eat it in romaine lettuce leaves with tomato slices, or in celery. It would also be really great in a sprouted grain wrap with veggies and sprouts.

Chunky Eggplant Red Pepper Dip

2 eggplants, peeled and diced into 1-2" pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small red onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Himalayan salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

1. Toss the veggies with enough olive oil to coat lightly, and sprinkle with salt/pepper.
2. Spread evenly on a baking sheet.

3. Bake in a 375F preheated oven for 20 minutes. Check on the veggies, pushing them around and then bake another 8-10 minutes, or until the veggies are soft.

4. Roughly mash the veggies with a potato masher. Add another drizzle of olive oil.
5. Chill before serving (but I like it warm too).

If you like eggplant, I promise you'll love this dip! Enjoy :)

Progression - My Health Update

January 2011 - my month to break down old habits and patterns. I've come so far over the past 4 months that the only place to look is UP, and I've decided that it's time for me to thrive. I'm jumping in with my whole heart and soul. Here's a recap on what I've been through in the past 2 months, and why I've started my January "detox" plan.


Back to October
Since my last updated health post, I've forged ahead - but not as diligently as I should have. At the end of October I went to California again for 3 weeks. During that time I was extremely fortunate to have access to the healing foods I needed. My good friend Deb cooked free range bison, bone broth (you can find her recipe here), and eggs for me, plus I had access to fresh raw milk, colostrum, butter, and yogurt, which I consumed daily. It was soooo nice to be able to purchase these nourishing raw dairy products because in Canada they are not sold in stores (except raw cheese). In addition to all that I required for my therapeutic diet, I indulged in plenty of sugary goodies - raw and cooked vegan treats. I stayed away from cacao (victory!), but yeah, I was eating too much sugar.

Sugar Coated Confusion
Upon returning home I tried to get back to a lower sugar diet, and experimented with using stevia in dessert recipes in conjunction with coconut (crystals, nectar, and dried). I got into using a LOT of stevia and was proud of myself for using this "zero calorie, zero glycemic index, and zero carb" sweetener. In fact, for a month or so I was going crazy dumping droppers of stevia into my medicinal and herbal teas all day long, thinking it was acceptable. I didn't realize it at the time, but having this sweet taste in my mouth around the clock was triggering my sugar sensitivity and addiction big time.

Here's what my homeopath, Denyse, explained "our focus for you was to bust up the addiction to sugar, and forms of the taste of extreme sweet like stevia, xylitol, honey, grains, all have trigger sites on the cell that are similar in the pattern of addiction as to other addictive substances...its not that stevia and xylitol is bad, one day you will be able to play with these again, its that the trigger for sweet pulls you into a cycle of wanting more, because they are natural it gives the illusion of being "natural and okay", and keeps you in the cycle of craving, desiring, and manifesting the symptoms of sugar (or sweet) addiction."

Healthy Again
Despite the fact that I was eating sugar, my overall health remained greatly improved. By November my strength and energy had returned, my digestion and elimination were great, zero headaches, zero menstrual cramps, my mood was much more balanced, a healthy outlook on life returned, and my skin cleared up except for a persistent rash around my mouth that had been developing for a while. Denyse explained that it was a sign of my digestive system rebalancing and that a rash would naturally manifest itself at one or both (getting a rash on my tushy was a possibility too, but fortunately that didn't happen to me) ends of the "digestive tube". In addition, for the first time since being a vegan, my body started warming up! Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have been extremely cold for as long as I can remember.

I continued eating animal products, taking specific homeopathic remedies which have changed regularly and are very specific to each individual (so I will not be giving names of what I am taking - one person's remedy is another's poison), supplementation, and energetic healing work by my friend Pam. In these regards I was doing well.

Pushing Past Fears
I admit, there have been times in the past few months where I've questioned everything. "Is this the right direction? Can I follow through? Do I really have to chew my way through all this meat? Is this weight gain normal?!" It brought me to tears at times, and support became crucial. My mom has been instrumental in helping me see that I am a new person as a result of all the changes I've made, and has encouraged me to persevere. Talks with Denyse always helped to set me straight too. On a particularly rough day she listened to my frustrations and once again explained how "the body is till going through its rebalancing stages. Some water retention is natural, flush it with lots of water and take X remedy." Then she said something that really struck me "Sometimes you have to go back to the low place you were at, to see how far you've progressed". That was my "ah ha" moment where I knew I couldn't turn back. It was NOT an option to go back to the physical pain, depression, high anxiety, crazy mood swings, and thoughts of suicide that I had endured only months ago.

The Weight Debate
An approximate 10 pound weight gain has frustrated me to no end, but then again it's not surprising with all the dietary changes. In the summer I effortlessly lost some weight, and was starting to be pleased with where my body was at, even though I felt far from "perfect" (time to drop the idea of perfection!? Uh yeah).

I went from Diet #1: lots of cacao, spirulina salads, fruit, and nuts (although I had whittled down my nut intake greatly in the summer), to Diet # 2: meat, fish, vegetables (cooked/raw), yams/squash, dairy, and eggs in addition to the salads, nuts, and fruit.

So now my body feels too big and I feel self conscious, but I'm working on getting over my issues around my weight and understand that things will balance out. After all, my metabolism was sluggish and I'm still working to rebalance. What's interesting is that even though I've gotten bigger overall, I think it's a combination of muscle and fat, not just the latter as I thought at first. I can feel the muscles (particularly in my legs) being tighter - and it's certainly true that I'm stronger. I'm back to the full power yoga routines I was doing before getting sick, and then some. I'm also teaching yoga again.

Building My Blood
In the middle of December I got some updated blood work done. Denyse wanted to see where my numbers were at, and how she needed to adjust my homeopathic remedies. She was thrilled at the progress I had made! My iron is still a little low, but everything is back to where it should be. Now we are working to cleanse my liver, bring my iron to normal, continue to rebalance my digestive system, and clean the candida from my body.

One Last Culprit

In the past month a bit of fatigue has came back. Growing anxiety also started creeping in, and my body went through uncomfortable puffy/water retention spells which were annoying and made me feel even bigger. I finally realized the culprit... Slowly my sugar intake grew, and I was consuming too much once again. Much less than I did in the past, but more than I should have been eating nonetheless, and I had the feeling it was stressing my body. Denyse said it was time to let go of the sugar completely for a while because it was having the same effect that the cacao had on me.

Cacao Free/Sugar Free Diet

No one had to tell me to stop eating sugar and cacao for a while. I know that it's the last critical component to becoming truly health again. The day after Christmas I decided to jump in all the way. On December 26, I stopped eating ALL sugar - even stevia/fruit, and all cacao. Tomorrow I'll get into more of that. But I can tell you this. I'm going extremely strong - and with sugar being my #1 favorite food, I never thought it was possible.

Healthy, strong, and happy in 2011! 

A New Space - Welcome!

Happy New Year! Welcome to my new space. I'm really excited about this new bloggie - the idea came to me a few days ago, and seems quite fitting as the new year begins. Here, I'll continue to share my healing journey which involves a step away from a raw vegan diet to eating foods from nature, both raw and cooked, including animal products.

You'll notice that Universal Eater is a step in a different direction from what you see on Sweetly Raw. I'll be taking a 180 from all things sweet as I share a detailed account of my January sugar free/cacao free "detox" plan. You'll see a more personal side of my ups and downs, and I'll be blogging daily for the whole month of January as an expression of the commitment to myself. As I stated on Sweetly Raw, I will be sharing my food plan, recipes, my emotional and physical reactions to going without my beloved cacao/sugar, how I am ensuring my success, other modalities I am using to heal, and what I've been through since my last post which detailed my health progress.

Another reason I've chosen to create this blog is as a result of all the emails and blog comments I've received with questions and stories regarding my health challenges, and my decision to make such  huge dietary changes. If you're not familiar with my story, you can read about it HERE, and an update HERE. I was shocked to see how many people are dealing with the exact same issues I was experiencing, and I was surprised to learn that many well known names in the raw food community have shifted toward a diet that includes some animal products - many of whom are not comfortable sharing openly due to expectations they feel must be upheld.

To me, the term "Universal" encompasses everything in this world and beyond - The spiritual and the physical. I like to think of a "Universal Eater" as one who is open to all foods that Mother Nature has to offer. For the first time in my life, I feel like I truly understand the meaning of "food as medicine". This medicine has turned my physical/mental/emotional self around faster than I could have imagined, and I am truly grateful.

If you have questions or suggestions for what you might like to see me post regarding my journey, leave a comment or send an email. A lot of people have told me that they'd particularly like to see what I'm eating on a regular basis, so I'll be sharing a lot of that.

Do you have any health related new years resolutions, or are you starting with a cleanse/detox of any kind?