There is a steep learning curve with this shift. There's no getting around it.
Parkside Musings
Monday, May 30, 2022
Some Recipes That Are Working for Us
There is a steep learning curve with this shift. There's no getting around it.
Monday, May 2, 2022
What a Typical Day Looks Like
Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.
Thursday, January 27, 2022
A Word About "Cheating"
Sometimes I do “cheat,” however—but only in certain areas... and I try to have it be rare.
I never cheat on the vegan piece or the gluten-free piece. No animal products and no gluten, ever.
The other pieces I do sometimes “cheat” on, in the following (rare) ways:
- Refined oils. I’m sure that when we eat out, refined oil is used, even in the vegan/GF food we select. I don’t use any refined oils at home for cooking. (No, not even organic extra-virgin olive oil. Not even organic coconut oil. Not even organic avocado oil. Especially not any “junk” oils like vegetable oil or corn oil or canola oil!) True confession: we do sometimes have popcorn with a little high-quality olive oil from the exotic local oil and vinegar tap house (and nutritional yeast!) on it.
- Refined sugar. I am very strict with this piece of the puzzle because when I cheat with refined sugar—think a GF pastry treat from the local vegan bakery, or a Chick-fil-A “sun joy” i.e. “Arnold Palmer” here—the familiar band of nerve/muscle pain across my mid back returns within 24 hours! Nevertheless, very rarely, I do have it. Interestingly, this band of pain does not return if I have a little bit of pure maple syrup or honey or use some dates as a natural sweetener. I think processed, refined sugar (whether white sugar or brown sugar) must really cause inflammation and other problems, at least in my body! We have not consumed artificial sweeteners (those terribly unhealthy, sickeningly sweet neurotoxins in the pink and yellow and blue packets) for many years now. If you’re still doing so, cut it out! (Actually, do what you want, of course. But I would strongly suggest you stop reading right now and investigate for yourself the many dangers of artificial sweeteners until you become convinced on your own to “cut it out”! But a discussion of that topic is beyond the purview of this post.) Bottom line? For sweetness, stick to fresh fruit, pure maple syrup, local raw honey, and dates—and even then, have it be moderate and rare! Walk away from the rest of it!
- Processed foods. I do occasionally have a GF pasta or GF crackers or a GF tortilla of some sort. I choose the “cleanest” possible alternative (fewest ingredients, and all permitted). But in general I try to avoid manufactured foods with barcodes.
Now, by way of example—here's a specific question I’ve received concerning vegan cheese. It is “cheating” in both the refined oil category and in the processed food category (if store-bought). So I avoid it. I have eaten a pizza at the local make-your-own-individual pizza) place, with a GF crust and vegan cheese. It doesn’t satisfy the “real pizza" craving for me—and it is definitely “cheating”—so I only do this if this is where someone wants to eat out and I’m joining them. It’s happened once or twice, I think, in six months. (NOTE: Now I order the GF crust, get generous amounts of every veggie and fruit they have, and skip the vegan cheese. It's way more delicious without it!)
There’s a vegan cheese spread at Trader Joe’s I bought once—and it’s delicious!— but it’s highly processed so I avoid buying it regularly. I just make homemade hummus instead and eat that on veggies or GF crackers (which are also “cheating”).
I have saved a couple of recipes for vegan cheese that I plan to try (still “cheating” with oil but not preservatives if I make it homemade) but I haven’t yet because I’m trying to avoid the cheating as much as possible!
My friend Rachel rarely cheats, if ever. She is the one who has rheumatoid arthritis and was wheel-chair bound when she started this. After years of eating this way, she is out of a wheelchair and completely pain-free. Of course she doesn't cheat! She has to eat this way to be able to walk and function.
I have to mostly eat this way to remain pain-free, so I try not to cheat. Since I don't fully understand how and why this has taken away all of my pain (and given me more energy, and improved my sleep), I don't want to mess too much with the variables!
I do notice a return of some pain when I consume processed sugar, so I avoid that pretty strictly.
I have never cheated on the vegan or gluten-free piece since we started, as I feel certain from all my research that these are very big pieces of the puzzle.
Basically, I guess you will have to figure out what are your pieces that you will allow for "cheating" on, and how frequently. In the words of my daughter to a mutual friend of ours, however: “Don't say it didn't work unless you do it the right way, with no cheating, to see if you get better!"
Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.
“What On Earth Do You Eat?!"
Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.
Yes, I Really Did a Week-Long Water Fast (Twice!)
My Water Fast
Practiced intermittent fasting (not eating before 10 am or after 5 pm) and lighter eating for a week before. I like the feeling of being a bit empty at bedtime.
Began water fast @noon on a Wednesday
Not taking any pharmaceuticals, including gabapentin, or using c-pap machine. One “normal” bowel movement this evening.
DAY 1 (Thursday)
Not very different from the intermittent fasting. Stomach growling. Flesh wants to eat but not hungry. No bowel movement today. To bed by 9 pm. Woke at 2-something. Back asleep at 5 am.
DAY 2 (Friday)
Sweaty (like before you throw up during a stomach bug, but hot instead of cold and clammy). Moderate underlying headache all day. Weak and a little woozy all day. Tingly fingers at times. Teeth feel slick (like after you get your braces off) and very clean. Went to a graduation ceremony, moving slowly and sensitive to noise. To bed at 8 pm. Woke at 2-something, back asleep at 5 am till 7:30 am.
DAY 3 (Saturday)
Small, solid bowel movement in the wee morning hours. No more sweating or tingly fingers but still weak with moderate headache. Majorly irritable, with very little patience. I feel worse today than yesterday. Headache is really awful by the end of day. No bowel movement the rest of the day. Can’t get to sleep. Certainly not “beginning to feel better,” as forecast for Day 3.
DAY 4 (Sunday)
Still have the headache. I am able to get up and make it to church for nursery duty, but mostly sit in the rocking chair and let my husband play with the kids. Go to bed when I get home, though I don’t sleep. Up and soaking in the bath in the late afternoon (my lower back is killing me!) then watching TV with my husband in the early evening. Tiny bowel movement. Early to bed. Still don’t feel better.
DAY 5 (Monday)
Headache is milder but still present. My lower back is KILLING me. (I had assumed that this was possibly from being rather inactive for several days, but Rachel told me later that the terrible backache is almost always a part of it, for everyone, regardless of activity levels.) We take a slow stroll to my parents’ house half a mile away, visit a bit, then return slowly. Weak and woozy. Soak in bath and have a back rub from my husband for pain. In the afternoon we go to my parents’ house for a cookout with the fam. It’s hard to prepare the salad and also not to eat all the yummy-looking food, but I don’t feel hungry. Feeling slightly better by evening, but certainly haven’t “turned a corner” yet..
DAY 6 (Tuesday)
I would say that yes, today I have technically “turned a corner,” but that phrase doesn’t mean what I thought it meant when I heard that prediction. I feel finally like I may actually survive this. And I don’t have a headache anymore. No "wonderful spike in energy" or "sudden clear thinking" like others describe, but like I have maybe, just maybe, cleared the hard part. Rainy today, so I am skipping the walk. A small, hard bowel movement today.
DAY 7 (Wednesday)
Still feeling weak today, but still somehow better. The pain in my thumb (from before the fast, for months) is gone, and also my shoulder. (It was intermittent “zingy” pain, so I am not sure if it’s totally gone, but I haven’t had it since about mid-fast.) My lower back still hurts. Throughout this process my teeth have been totally “clean” and slick-feeling, like when you’ve just had your braces off. Strange. Still raining so not walking.
BREAKING THE FAST
NOTE: It is extremely important when breaking a fast of longer than three days that you take great care with "reintroduction" of food to avoid "refeeding syndrome." As noted on Healthline.com, "Refeeding syndrome is a serious and potentially fatal condition that can occur during refeeding. It’s caused by sudden shifts in the electrolytes that help your body metabolize food."
Again, the rule of thumb is that you take <half as many days as your fast was long> to reintroduce solid foods. So, for example, since I fasted for seven days, I needed to take 3-4 days to reintroduce my body to digestion slowly, allowing it time to begin producing all the digestive chemicals needed for digestion of solid foods (which it had "turned off" during the fast).
DAY 1 (Thursday)
It was astonishing how much stronger I felt after just a cup each of juice and broth! And both were soooo delicious!!
- Meal 1: green juice of celery, cucumber, granny smith apple, spinach, romaine, and lemon. Homemade veggie broth (diluted). (See "Two Song Soup," below.)
- Meal 2: same green juice but sub papaya for romaine. Homemade broth (diluted).
- Meal 3: sipped broth during community group, spoonful of sauerkraut juice (Bubbie’s brand).
DAY 2 (Friday)
Took a 2-mile walk today at about half pace. Feeling strong and good. Good energy. Low pain. I’m shocked that I’m not hungry at all or craving anything. Explosive loose stool this afternoon, very stinky. (Lots of floating black lumps that I think were possibly gallstones?) By nighttime my familiar “band of pain” back pain (at bra strap level, which has been with me for years) was really hurting me. Low-back pain from during the fast is gone.
- Meal 1: green juice and homemade broth (diluted).
- Meal 2: green juice and seitenbacher broth. Spoonful of sauerkraut juice.
- Meal 3: spoonful of sauerkraut juice.
DAY 3 (Saturday)
Our young grandsons had a sleepover last night. We got up and walked 3.5 miles, but I was out of energy by the end. Today I begin eating “solids," but only very soft solids that are more like liquids. More loose stool with floating black things, though fewer this time.
- Meal 1: green juice, strained seitenbacher broth, small bowl of chunked papaya (about half), spoonful sauerkraut juice and a few tiny sprigs of sauerkraut, chewed very well
- Meal 2: green juice, Two Song Soup (recipe below—eat the veggies and drink the broth.) Couple bites of sauerkraut and spoonfuls of juice, chewed very well
DAY 4 (Sunday)
Today I feel good. High energy, not much pain. Heading to church, then to finish "the book job”—a clean sweep of our entire book collection, which we had begun but never finished, and which now doesn’t seem as impossible or overwhelming as it has in the past.
- Meal 1: early, before church: green juice, strained seitenbacher broth, couple forkfuls of sauerkraut w/juice
- Meal 2: after church, we went to Moe’s: shared really clean bowl of cilantro-lime rice, black beans, fresh tomato pico, cucumber, grilled peppers and onions. Chewed each bite to death. Skipped the chips. Drank lemon in water.
- Meal 3: sauerkraut, watermelon, cherries
After finishing the “book job clean sweep” tonight, my back was hurting and I did the Kathleen “pillow rise” exercise followed by Janet’s abdominal leg lifts. It felt better, and after watching a show with my husband, I was falling asleep in the chair so I just went to bed... at 7 p.m.!
DAY 5 (Monday)
I fell right to sleep with a face mask and ear plugs at 7 p.m. and slept until 5 a.m.—10 hours!!—with one up-to-pee-but-right-back-asleep moment in the middle of the night! Unbelievable. This morning I feel great! A friend and I walk First Landing with the dogs for 4 miles.
- Meal 1: green juice, broth
- Meal 2: a bowl of rice, beans, and greens (since Moe's was so yummy yesterday).
- Meal 3: another bowl of same thing, kefir soda, 2 strawberries
Tonight, I skipped joining my husband and daughter for yummy-looking homemade spaghetti. Heading to bed at 8:30 p.m. with ZERO pain anywhere! I don’t want to jinx it, but I can’t believe it! So happy!
DAY 6 (Tuesday)
Again, I fell right to sleep with face mask and ear plugs (this time at 8:30 p.m.) and slept until 5 a.m.—8.5 hours!—with one up-to-pee-but-right-back-asleep moment in the middle of the night! Again, I can’t believe it! No c-pap or gabapentin and I’m sleeping through the night fine. Still no pain.
- Meal 1: green juice with some VitaMix berries (with pulp)
- Meal 2: another of the same bowl, kefir soda
DAY 7 (Wednesday)
Still sleeping great. The weird fourth toe is hurting today (for no reason other than a couple of 4+ mile walks the past couple of days, maybe?)
- Meal 1: leftover green juice with berries (pulped), bowl of well-cooked oatmeal
- Meal 2: homemade veggie stew, kefir soda
- Meal 3: veggie stew, kefir soda
DAY 8 (Thursday)
Slept 9-5 last night, without even getting up to pee! Walk 4+ miles with my dad and grandsons. Feeling really good!
- Meal 1: green juice with juiced berries, spoonful of sauerkraut, oatmeal, 3 strawberries
- Meal 2: half a Cava bowl (mixed greens, brown rice, black lentils, grilled veggies, sweet potatoes, roasted cucumber, pickled onions, cabbage/slaw, hummus) 2 vegan donut holes
- Meal 3: bowl of veggie soup, bite of vegan donut
Having trouble getting to sleep tonight… ate later in day, ate sugar, up late making food for beach week… not sure reason but still awake at 1:30 a.m. :(
DAY 9 (Friday)
Only slept about 4 hours. Walked 4 miles this morning. Feeling droopy and tired.
- Meal 1: leftover other half of Cava bowl, kefir soda, 3 strawberries
- Meal 2: veggie stew, strawberries
- Meal 3: green juice with strawberries and blueberries, bowl of well-cooked oatmeal
TWO SONG SOUP* (vegan broth for nourishing, gentle nutrition)
Only purchase organic ingredients:
fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (put in herb bag)
bay leaves (5)
garlic (1 bulb, crush cloves)
onions (2)
carrots (5-6)
parsnips (5-6)
celery (5-6 ribs)
celery root, washed well (1 whole)
leeks (1 huge or more)
fresh greens (sweet leaves: sweet baby lettuces, baby spinach, chopped romaine)
nutritional yeast (1/2 cup)
kombu (laminaria japonica seaweed, Emerald Cove brand)—2 sheets
dried mushrooms (forest blend of porcini, chantrelle, etc) (1/2-1 bag)
strained seitenbacher broth (1/2 cup powder, brewed then strained)
Celtic sea salt (grey, 1-2 Tbsp)
Roughly chop vegetables, but into smaller chunks not huge. Fill stock pot full (they cook way down) and then fill to top level of pressed-down veggies with water/broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer (strong) for 45 minutes exactly.
Serve cooked veggies and broth together as a soup.
*”Eating leeks and onions by the Nile” from “So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt” by Keith Green
*“Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme” from “Scarborough Fair” by Simon & Garfunkel
Helpful Videos / Articles on Fasting:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=amCyI5JBRoc
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319835
https://www.nateliason.com/blog/5-day-water-fast-health-benefits
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/water-fasting#how-it-works
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gq.com/story/six-day-water-fast-diet/amp
https://hvmn.com/blogs/blog/biohacking-water-fasting-all-you-need-to-know
https://thepilotworks.com/break-a-long-water-fast/
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/whats-water-weight
Read Part 9, “What On Earth Do You Eat?”
Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.
Monday, November 22, 2021
Let's Hear From Some Experts
The Change That Changes Everything, Part 7
Throughout this experience (of both the week-long water fast and the new way of eating), I have read several books and watched several documentary films that I have found helpful. I have also read and watched lots of anecdotal accounts on social media, which for many is the epitome of shoddy "research." Nevertheless, I found many of them helpful and encouraging, so I will share some of those links, too.
I must warn you that both this investigative journey and the practical experience of fasting and whole food, plant-based eating—should you decide to embark on it—will involve several paradigm shifts in your thinking. You may find yourself doubtful, confused, angry, perplexed, shocked, indignant, frustrated, cynical, and any other number of unpleasant emotions before it's all over with.
In the words of my own father, who is slowly dipping his toes into this way of eating—and who says he is planning to give it a real try after the holidays—"It's pretty compelling stuff."
So here it is, some of the "pretty compelling stuff"... for those who want to read about it.
NOTE: All of these experts support some version of whole food, plant-based eating. They each differ slightly in the other things they advocate for (and against) in the diet, so it has been freeing (if not also confusing) to read the differing perspectives on the same basic diet plan. Don't be confused or bothered by that, but rather encouraged. There's more than one way to skin an orange!
Read Part 8, Yes, I Really Did a Week-Long Water Fast (Twice!)
Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Some of the Psychological Pieces of the Puzzle
The Change That Changes Everything, Part 6
As I’ve mentioned before, I began this eating plan as a trial run, “just to see what happens” and to see if it would help with my horrible chronic pain. I did not set out to change the way I ate forever. In fact, when I first began eating this way, I literally could not even allow myself to think about “regular food” (i.e. the foods I used to eat). I would dismiss out of hand any thought that popped into my head of former treasured foods—pizza, I’m looking at you!—or of any idea that this would be a lifetime change. I just couldn’t “go there.”
Every day, I would plan for the day at hand, and tell myself, “I can eat this way today.” It was literally one day at a time.
I also found myself struggling desperately with other psychological aspects to this new way of eating. Here they are, in no particular order:
1) “I can eat this way today.”
This was by far the biggest psychological hurdle. You can’t think about forever. You can’t plan for a lifetime of eating this way. Just do today. The todays will add up until you’ve completed your trial period—however long you gave yourself initially to see if you notice any differences that make you want to continue. For some, it was a month, for some three months. So far, we’ve all made the switch and just continued eating this way, never to stop. But it is because we don’t want to go back. If you complete your trial, and then you want to go back to eating your old way, that’s perfectly your choice. It won’t hurt anything to have eaten mostly vegetables for a few months!
2) “I don’t want to be ‘that person’!”
This was (and is) a big one for me. I feel dumb being the person who needs a special diet… who eats weird at potlucks and parties and wedding receptions (if she eats at all!)… who takes her own food places… who can’t come to your house for dinner… who is asking about the gluten-free and vegan sections of the menu at a restaurant. (Note: It is challenging to eat this way at a restaurant, but not impossible—and you almost certainly have to fudge on the no-processed-oil part, even if you find places that you can have mostly whole foods that come from plants. But during the Very Difficult First Three Weeks—that initial period when you can’t get your bearings or figure out how you’re going to cook this way Every. Single. Day.—we relied heavily on a trip to Moe’s or Cava to get us through some days!)
3) “I don’t want to talk about it.”
I find myself caught in this near schizophrenic place, between wanting to never, ever talk about this, hoping no one ever asks me, especially in front of others… and wanting to tell everyone I know, because I’m convinced they’ll feel better and be healthier if they make this switch. But I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. I don’t want them to roll their eyes at me… to think ”she’s talking about that again,” or “Laurie is at it again with something weird,” or “I bet she’s judging me.” (For the record, I’m not judging you! After all, you’re the one eating conventionally, and I’m the one doing the next weird, counter-cultural thing!) I don’t want to bring it up to people because I don’t want them to think in any way that I think they should be eating this way, too. I totally respect your decision to eat however you want to, and to do so without thinking that I’m judging you for not eating "my" way. But if I think it would help you with some pain or physical issue you’re having, it is hard not to want to tell you!
That's why I've written these blog posts. Now I can "tell you," without telling you in person, and you can read or not read based on your own interest. Feel free to ask questions, of course (posting them in the comments is fine), but I'm trying to give answers to folks' questions—as they pose them to me—in the blog posts themselves.
4) "But I'm a good cook!"
This one is stupid, maybe, but I'm a good cook. I've spent a lifetime honing my cooking skills, and I make delicious food. Well, delicious conventional food. This way of cooking and preparing food is totally different, and it is totally outside of my element. I am no longer a "good cook" in the same way I was. I feel like I'm having to learn all kinds of new ways of cooking now,.. and even so, it is quite probable that only other whole food/plant-based eaters will find the new foods utterly delicious. This may be, for me, nothing more than the death of some worldly pride, but it is real nevertheless, and it is inextricably bound with the next one...
5) "But we feed people!"
There's a sign on my fridge that says, "Food is our love language," and it's the truth. For years, a significant part of the way I care for and love people has been to feed them... to cook for them... to have them over and fellowship over a shared meal. Things that are sometimes challenging for others were easy for me: cooking for a crowd, inviting people into your home even if it isn't spotless or the meal is simple fare. This is an entirely different skill set, and I am still—to this day (four months in now)—finding it challenging to cook for a crowd this way. It is expensive to buy organic produce. It is time-consuming to chop all the vegetables... and it takes a lot of vegetables! I'm sure this will get easier as I get more experienced with it, but it is a very real piece of the puzzle for me at this point.
6) "My face is kind of saggy now."
This is a piece that is difficult to share (because I feel vulnerable and silly), but there it is. If you switch to eating this way and lose a lot of weight—and if, like me, you carry a lot of weight in your face and are over the age of 50—the skin on your face and neck may sag in disconcerting ways after the weight loss. My daughters assure me that "slim and a little saggy" is far more attractive and preferable to "taut and fat," but it is still a psychological piece of it for me. I do, however, feel far more attractive, slim...saggy skin notwithstanding.
Read Part 7, Let's Hear From Some Experts
Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.