Treating the Holiday Food Hangover

You know how the movies always treat a hangover with some weird concoction that is based on raw eggs and worchestershire? Well food hangovers during the holidays beg for treatment as well. After the Thanksgiving all-you-can stuff buffet which ended with trying every dessert on the table you feel horrible the next day. Your stomach is crampy and your eyes are puffy. Food hangovers can be every bit as painful as alcohol hangovers.

So, I’ve developed a quick reboot that settles down my system and prepares my body for the next holiday onslaught. Hopefully, it will also dampen the temptation to overeat rich food again.
Invest in a basic juicer. Anything that will handle raw fruit and vegetables with the peels. Then follow the recipes the next day after a night at the buffet.

> First major tip, drink lots of water with fresh lemon throughout the day.

> Breakfast with Pear Nog which was published a few years ago on this blog. Search for it under Healthy Recipes. It’s a combination of greek nonfat plain yogurt, two ripe pears, plain soy or almond milk and a scoop of plant protein powder. I like to flavor it with vanilla and cinnamon.

>For midday I like to eat a clear soup with chicken broth, tofu, carrots, and snow peas. Our local Chinese eatery makes a great soup like this without msg.

> When I’m hungry again I combine peeled limes and oranges with a handful of fresh cranberries, carrots and apples in the juicer. Experiment with the combinations and quantities. I like to drink at least 2 cups worth.

> Then, dinner is a spinach salad with lots of fresh vegetables and if I’m really hungry some steamed pasta or brown rice. More juice works before bedtime and add some fresh mint leaves if you have them available.

I’ve found that this formula restores my sense of wellbeing and I feel so good that I don’t always want to eat every rich concoction that I see. So try it and give me some feedback on how it worked for you.

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Throwing Out Sugar

Yesterday “Sugar is Toxic to the Human Body” was a headline on the radio news.  The University of California, I think, has been researching the effect of the typical, American, high sugar diet on human bodies and they are recommending that the government forces us to throw out sugar. 

     First of all, research is usually inaccurately portrayed by the mainstream news organizations.  They will sensationalize anything to sell their product.  Secondly,  we all know that refined sugar, and fructose and honey are all metabolized in the body the same way and our brains need sugar or we pass out.

What do they mean by the word “toxic”?  I have no idea, but we already have guidelines for healthy consumption of sugar.  The American Diabetes Association recommends three servings of whole fruit (not juice) per day and  this is enough simple sugar for your body to thrive.  Simple sugars release into the bloodstream fairly quickly.   The ADA also recommends complex carbohydrates made from whole grains with increased fiber which cause slower absorption of sugar preventing your pancreas from working overtime. And, dentists are dead set against consuming candy, sugary soft drinks and sugared gum because they destroy your teeth.

So, where does that leave us health conscious humans in a semi-free society?  Whether it is toxic or not, it’s a healthy decision to throw out the sugar bowl, the white flour, candy, sodas and the orange juice.  Replace them with a natural sweetener like Stevia, whole grain flours and real fruit containing fiber.  It is amazing how sweet fresh pineapple tastes after only a week of cutting out the sugar.  For you rebooters, incorporate more vegetables into your juices, try three veggies to one fruit.  Although change is hard, just think of it as taking responsibility for your own health by throwing out the refined sugar before the government does it for you.

Immunity Boost For Rebooters and Toddlers

Carmen, my granddaughter, and I came up with a new juice recipe this morning.  She is a toddler and cannot crunch up raw vegetables and fruit, however, with a juicer she can still consume all the nutrients.   This time of year we all need a boost for our immune system, so whether you have todds at home or not, here is a great recipe for a winter reboot.

Winter Booster

3 Valencia Oranges, direct from Florida if you can get them

2 Gala Apples

2 Large Raw Carrots washed well, not peeled

2 fresh Lime Wedges, peeled

2 to 3 fresh Basil Leaves, found in grocery if you don’t live in southern climes.

Peel and segment the oranges, wash and segment the apples, wash the carrots well but do not peel, cut the limes remove the peel from the segments and thoroughly wash the basil leaves.  Then juice, stir and drink.  Don’t store because the water-soluble vitamins break down over time.

90 Day Vegetarian Adventure – Day 90 Return to the Beginning

The last day of the adventure and I find myself returning to the Juice Reboot.  Halloween with its mini-candy bars just about did me in.  I am now craving sugar and chocolate again.  So, the remedy is to Reboot.  At the end of the 90 day adventure I’m dusting off the juicer and enjoying at least one day of fasting to break the addictions and get back on track to healthy eating.

Fall fruit and vegetables make delicious juices.  The fresh kale is still growing in the garden and apples are available from the orchard.  Plus carrots have been recently harvested.  The two recipes using these seasonal ingredients are as follows:

Breakfast:  1 stick celery, 1 organic carrot, 2 Golden Delicious apples.

Lunch:  1 stick celery, 1 organic carrot, 1 Golden Delicious apple, handful fresh kale.

Enjoy!  Send me some of your favorite juices.  I welcome your comments.

 

90 Day Vegetarian Adventure – Day 36 Help with the Reboot

For those of you who are rebooting your system with a juice fast.  Visit www.fatsickandnearlydead.com site for explicit instructions.  The 15 day fast is doable with a normal schedule, just remember that the first 2 days are uncomfortable.  If you feel really hungry and tired, eat raw or steamed vegetables.  Bake a potato, steam some kale, raw carrots, a fresh tomato, etc.  It helps if you can get your vegetables and fruit in season close to where they are grown.  A Farmer’s Market and local orchards are great sources.  Everything will taste better.  Also, if you want more juice recipes, just write a comment.  Send me a line, I’m listening.

August 7 Reboot Day 14 Almost Thru

Almost thru the juice, fruits and vegetables fast.  Today I broke the fast by eating something sugary, a dessert that I used to love.  Now it tastes way too sweet, so I didn’t enjoy it.  I also ate something I have craved for three days.  I’ve found that when a craving is that strong, I give in to it.  It was a bagel with an ounce of swiss cheese.  Tasted delicious and I was satisfied for the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow will be a day of juicing and fruits and vegetables again.  I’m realizing that my choices are what my body needs and I prefer fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and non-caffeinated teas.  So many foods don’t appeal to me anymore.  This is where I want to stay and I’m afraid that after tomorrow I will be lured back into my old ways of relating to food.  Never thought I would be able to stay the course for 15 days.  This has been an amazing journey and it’s just begun.

August 6 Reboot Day 12 and 13 A Night Out.

Missing Day 12 will be added in to Day 13 because I went out with my hubby last nite to Chipotle and a movie.  Dinner was great because I was able to order all fresh vegetables and guacamole.  Shared some chips with my date and they weren’t on the fast but they tasted amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed them.  Everyone at the movies was munching popcorn and had oversize cups of soda.  Once the movie started I didn’t even notice that we weren’t snacking along with the crowd.  I thoroughly enjoyed our evening out and instead of focusing on food I was able to give my full attention to the special man in my life, my husband.

Day 12 has been a day of exercise, walked two miles with a knee brace and a day of preserving peaches and tomatoes.  The fresh peaches from Cavetown set me to wondering about what they were like in the Garden of Eden.  I’ll bet they were a favorite of Adam and Eve too.

About To Be Juiced!

This plate of veggies makes approximately 2 cups of juice.

August 4 Reboot Day 11 The Home Stretch

The last 5 days of the reboot are considered the home stretch.  I’m incorporating more steamed and baked vegetables instead of juicing everything and have added nuts, fresh pineapple and tofu today.  Still not eating meat, dairy, refined flour or sugar.  Also, very little whole grains though a limited quantity of brown rice was part of dinner last night with beans. I’m still juicing during the day and adding in the chewable foods in the evening.

The miracle is that I want to eat this way, it’s not just a diet that I can’t wait to finish so I can get back to burgers and fries.   I even went shopping for fresh veggies and fruit at the grocery store.  A trip I’ve been dreading due to half of the store set up for impulse eating.  Actually I didn’t like the smell of the restaurant and deli sections so I bought whole wheat buns and got out of there. The rest of the trip was fine, I didn’t splurge on anything unhealthy.  What a relief, I wasn’t even tempted.  I can do this!

August 3 Reboot Day 10 The Nitty Gritty

Now it’s down to the nitty-gritty.  Paying bills, juggling schedules, babysitting, fatigue, frustration, are all of the everyday events that used to send me to the freezer for ice cream or to the local fast food place for french fries.  How do you handle the challenges of living without relying on the numbing effect of food?  I welcome your suggestions and comments.