Serves +- 2. I don't have fixed quantities for the salad itself (I do for the dressing) so feel free to adjust
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup cranberries
few slices of gorgonzola, cut into smallish pieces
salad leaves
cucumber slices (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Use a flat platter so you can lay the toppings out over the leaves. Lay lettuce leaves on platter and layer the cucumber, walnut, gorgonzola and cranberries.
SALAD DRESSING
1tbs white vinegar
1tbs raspberry vinegar/vinaigrette
1tbs olive oil
Mix and pour over salad. Sometimes I place lettuce leaves in bowl and drizzle with dressing, mix it up so leaves are coated and then place leaves on platter. I then make another batch of dressing and pour over the salad.
Even more delicious if the walnut are coated in sugar to make candied walnuts. I do this if we have guests, but not when cooking for myself - still good without all the sugar. To make candied walnuts, put same amount of brown sugar as walnuts in a frying pan and heat to melt sugar. Be very careful they don't burn. Crumble and top salad.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Banana and coconut dessert - quick and easy
Delicious and so simple. Serves 2
3 bananas
1/2 tin coconut milk
Bring coconut milk to boil.
Slice bananas lengthways and then widthways (into 4 pcs)
Add bananas to boiling coconut milk, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes
I'll try adding honey/almond paste/berries next time to come up with some variations.
3 bananas
1/2 tin coconut milk
Bring coconut milk to boil.
Slice bananas lengthways and then widthways (into 4 pcs)
Add bananas to boiling coconut milk, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes
I'll try adding honey/almond paste/berries next time to come up with some variations.
Italian 'Ignorant Soup'
This soup is unexpectedly delicious. Makes 2 servings.
1 small carrot chopped
1 small stick celery chopped
1 clove garlic minced or 3/4 tsp garlic powder
handful fresh basil/parsley (optional)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 long thin aubergine chopped (we get ones about width of a thumb)
1 tin kidney/haricot beans
1-2 cups chicken stock
INSTRUCTIONS
Fry carrot and celery 2 mins.
Add garlic and thyme and fry 1 min
Add aubergine
Fry few mins
Add beans and chicken stock and simmer for about ten mins
Allow to cool enough to liquidise.
1 small carrot chopped
1 small stick celery chopped
1 clove garlic minced or 3/4 tsp garlic powder
handful fresh basil/parsley (optional)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 long thin aubergine chopped (we get ones about width of a thumb)
1 tin kidney/haricot beans
1-2 cups chicken stock
INSTRUCTIONS
Fry carrot and celery 2 mins.
Add garlic and thyme and fry 1 min
Add aubergine
Fry few mins
Add beans and chicken stock and simmer for about ten mins
Allow to cool enough to liquidise.
Gluten free Venetian carrot cake (contains eggs)
Ingredients
- For the carrot cake
- 3 tbsp pine nuts
- 2 medium carrots (approx. 200-250g/7-9oz)
- 75g/3oz golden sultanas
- 60ml/2¼fl oz rum
- 150g/5oz caster sugar
- 125ml/4½fl oz regular olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 free-range eggs
- 250g/9oz ground almonds
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg, or to taste
- ½ lemon, finely grated zest and juice
- For the mascarpone cream (optional)
- 250g/9oz mascarpone
- 2 tsp icing sugar
- 2 tbsp rum
Preparation method
-
For the carrot cake, preheat the oven to
180C/350F/Gas 4. Line the base of a 23cm/9in round springform cake tin
with re-usable non-stick silicone liner or baking parchment and grease
the sides with olive oil.
-
Toast the pine nuts by browning in a dry frying pan; the oven alone is not enough to scorch out the paleness. Set aside.
-
Grate the carrots in a processor (for ease) or with
a coarse grater, then sit them on a double layer of kitchen paper and
wrap them, to soak up excess liquid. Set aside.
-
Put the golden sultanas in a small saucepan with the rum, bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 3 minutes.
-
Whisk the sugar and oil until creamily and airily mixed.
-
Whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs and, when
well whisked, fold in the ground almonds, nutmeg, grated carrots, golden
sultanas (with any rum that clings to them) and, finally, the lemon
zest and juice.
-
Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin and
smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. The batter will be very
shallow in the tin.
-
Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts over the cake and
put it into the oven for 30–40 minutes, or until the top is risen and
golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out sticky but more
or less clean.
-
Remove from the oven and let the cake sit in its
tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then unspring and leave it on the
rack to cool.
-
For the mascarpone cream, mix the mascarpone with the icing sugar and rum.
-
To serve, transfer the cake to a plate. Put the mascarpone cream in a bowl to spoon alongside the cake, for those who want.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/gluten-free_and_11807
Crash hot sweet potatoes
Ingredients
- 12 Sweet Potatoes
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt To Taste
- Black Pepper To Taste
- Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.
With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Source: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.
With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Source: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/
Turmeric, Ginger and Lemon Tea
Turmeric, Ginger and Lemon Tea
¼ cup grated fresh turmeric root (or 1 tbsp ground turmeric)
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
4 cups water
1 lemon
¼ cup agave nectar or honey
To prepare the tea, peel and grate the turmeric and the ginger root. Place in a soup pot and add water. Bring to mixture to a boil and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
Strain the mixture into a clean glass container. Allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes.
Then, juice the lemon and pour into the turmeric tea along with the agave nectar or honey.
This infusion can also be drunk at room temperature.
Enjoy the liver tonic.
Source: http://divinape.multiply.com/journal/item/85/Turmeric_Ginger_and_Lemon_Tonic_Tea
¼ cup grated fresh turmeric root (or 1 tbsp ground turmeric)
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
4 cups water
1 lemon
¼ cup agave nectar or honey
To prepare the tea, peel and grate the turmeric and the ginger root. Place in a soup pot and add water. Bring to mixture to a boil and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
Strain the mixture into a clean glass container. Allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes.
Then, juice the lemon and pour into the turmeric tea along with the agave nectar or honey.
This infusion can also be drunk at room temperature.
Enjoy the liver tonic.
Source: http://divinape.multiply.com/journal/item/85/Turmeric_Ginger_and_Lemon_Tonic_Tea
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Gluten/wheat free crumpets
Follow recipe here, but try replace flaxseed oil with coconut oil and peanut butter with almond paste. Don't expect them to look and taste like 'normal' crumpets. Easy and delicious!
http://vegweb.com/recipes/gluten-free-wheat-free-pancakes
http://vegweb.com/recipes/gluten-free-wheat-free-pancakes
Rambutan (lychee), pineapple and tofu curry
Rambutan (lychee), pineapple and tofu curry (serves 4)
Delicious! Serve with red rice (much more nutritious than white rice)
500
grams
firm tofu
(cubed)
5tsp (level) coconut oil
3cm piece ginger
2
chillies
(red)
2
cardamom pods
3
cloves
cloves garlic
(crushed)
2tsp garam masala
2tsp ground coriander
2tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1tsps
salt
2
slices
pineapple
5
lychees
(rambutans)(I used canned, but will try get fresh when available)
1
pineapple juice (try juice your own)
200
mls
coconut milk
Instructions
| 1 | Shallow fry the tofu and set aside. |
| 2 | Heat the oil in a thick based saucepan. |
| 3 | Add and saute the ginger, chilies, cardamom pods and garlic. |
| 4 | Add the garam masala, coriander, cumin and turmeric. |
| 5 | Lightly fry. |
| 6 | Add the salt, tofu, pineapple, rambutan and pineapple juice and simmer for 10 minutes. |
| 7 | Add the coconut milk. |
| 8 | Serve with rice when cooked. |
Karen's Salad
Karen's Salad
Mixed lettuce leaves
Handful cherry tomatoes
Handful green olives (no pips)
1/3 cucumber sliced
6 slices halloumi
Fry halloumi and cut into small pieces and add to all other ingredients. Top with dressing.
Dressing
1tb honey
1tb raspberry vinaigrette
1tb olive oil
1tb lemon juice
salt if needed (not really needed)
Mixed lettuce leaves
Handful cherry tomatoes
Handful green olives (no pips)
1/3 cucumber sliced
6 slices halloumi
Fry halloumi and cut into small pieces and add to all other ingredients. Top with dressing.
Dressing
1tb honey
1tb raspberry vinaigrette
1tb olive oil
1tb lemon juice
salt if needed (not really needed)
Halloumi Aubergine Salad
Halloumi Aubergine Salad (serves 2)
Mixed organic lettuce leaves ( I do BIG salads)
Handful cherry tomatoes
Aubergine (we get long very thin ones - use 2)
6 slices halloumi fried in coconut oil
toasted pine nuts
1/2 avo with pomegranate syrup
Instructions
Roast cherry tomatoes and aubergine
Dry fry pine nuts (or grill them)
Fry halloumi
Dressing
1 tb raspberry vinaigrette
1 tb honey
1 tb lemon juice
1 tb olive oil
salt if needed
Mixed organic lettuce leaves ( I do BIG salads)
Handful cherry tomatoes
Aubergine (we get long very thin ones - use 2)
6 slices halloumi fried in coconut oil
toasted pine nuts
1/2 avo with pomegranate syrup
Instructions
Roast cherry tomatoes and aubergine
Dry fry pine nuts (or grill them)
Fry halloumi
Dressing
1 tb raspberry vinaigrette
1 tb honey
1 tb lemon juice
1 tb olive oil
salt if needed
Mexican Red Rice
Mexican Red Rice (2 people)
1 cup dried red rice
1 cube veg stock in quarter to half cup water
1 onion and 3 cloves fresh garlic fried in coconut oil
tb tomato paste or to taste
Instructions
Steam or cook rice.
In saucepan, fry onion and garlic, add tom paste and stock.
Add rice to saucepan and mix
Suggestion: Serve with "Karen's salad"
1 cup dried red rice
1 cube veg stock in quarter to half cup water
1 onion and 3 cloves fresh garlic fried in coconut oil
tb tomato paste or to taste
Instructions
Steam or cook rice.
In saucepan, fry onion and garlic, add tom paste and stock.
Add rice to saucepan and mix
Suggestion: Serve with "Karen's salad"
Typical meals
Breakfast
1. (for 2 people) handful of walnuts and a smoothie (1 or 2 bananas, 1/2 papaya, 1 pear, coconut milk or 1 tsp coconut oil, tb almond paste, 2 tb cocoa powder, 1/2 tin kidney beans), or
2. almond crumpets with marscapone, honey and red wine stewed pear or just honey (will post recipe)
Lunch/Dinner
Generally rice/sweet potato/lentils and steamed veg and sometimes tofu. Lots of great recipes coming...
Early evening
Vegetable juice (1 beetroot, carrots, cucumber, ginger, flax seed oil)
Nuts/cranberries/chocolate dessert (!) in between
1. (for 2 people) handful of walnuts and a smoothie (1 or 2 bananas, 1/2 papaya, 1 pear, coconut milk or 1 tsp coconut oil, tb almond paste, 2 tb cocoa powder, 1/2 tin kidney beans), or
2. almond crumpets with marscapone, honey and red wine stewed pear or just honey (will post recipe)
Lunch/Dinner
Generally rice/sweet potato/lentils and steamed veg and sometimes tofu. Lots of great recipes coming...
Early evening
Vegetable juice (1 beetroot, carrots, cucumber, ginger, flax seed oil)
Nuts/cranberries/chocolate dessert (!) in between
Delicious "all free" cinnamon and dried fruit loaf/bread
A vegan and gluten-free snack bread loaded with dried fruit and
seeds (10 slices)
There are so many possible variations if you use chickpea flour, brown rice and baking soda (and water) as the base
Ingredients
¾ cup chickpea flour (tapioca flour)
½ cup brown rice flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp Himalayan rock salt
¾ cup +2 tbsp water
¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce (you can juice yourself)
2 tbsp unpasterurized honey (organic)
1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, melted (use boiling water in a bowl with coconut oil in a cup)
1 cup mixture of dried cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins, and apricots (as you wish)
½ cup misture of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment or wax paper across both sides for easy lifting
Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Add wet ingredients. The consistency should be similar to a muffin. (I used my blender on pulse action)
Add dried fruit and seeds afterwards
Pour mix into prepared pan
Bake for 35 – 40 mins until sides begin to brown and top will be cracked and toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, lift from the pan and place on a cooling rack for 20 mins before cutting with a sharp knife
There are so many possible variations if you use chickpea flour, brown rice and baking soda (and water) as the base
Ingredients
¾ cup chickpea flour (tapioca flour)
½ cup brown rice flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp Himalayan rock salt
¾ cup +2 tbsp water
¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce (you can juice yourself)
2 tbsp unpasterurized honey (organic)
1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, melted (use boiling water in a bowl with coconut oil in a cup)
1 cup mixture of dried cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins, and apricots (as you wish)
½ cup misture of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment or wax paper across both sides for easy lifting
Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Add wet ingredients. The consistency should be similar to a muffin. (I used my blender on pulse action)
Add dried fruit and seeds afterwards
Pour mix into prepared pan
Bake for 35 – 40 mins until sides begin to brown and top will be cracked and toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, lift from the pan and place on a cooling rack for 20 mins before cutting with a sharp knife
Chocolate Pudding ("all" free)
Chocolate pudding (makes 2 servings)
1/4 cup cocoa/carob powder
5tb tapioca (I didn't use heaped)
2 cups coconut milk
1/2cup honey
2tsp vanilla essence
Cocoa and tapioca in a saucepan and add a quarter of the amount of coconut milk you are using to form a paste
Stir in rest of coconut milk, add the honey and cook over medium heat til boiling.
Remove, stir and serve cold or pop in fridge and eat cold
Personally I prefer it without the tapioca and uncooked/eaten raw.
1/4 cup cocoa/carob powder
5tb tapioca (I didn't use heaped)
2 cups coconut milk
1/2cup honey
2tsp vanilla essence
Cocoa and tapioca in a saucepan and add a quarter of the amount of coconut milk you are using to form a paste
Stir in rest of coconut milk, add the honey and cook over medium heat til boiling.
Remove, stir and serve cold or pop in fridge and eat cold
Personally I prefer it without the tapioca and uncooked/eaten raw.
"Leeann Alive" because I FEEL ALIVE
For the first time in about 15 years I feel like I am back to my "normal", happy, confident self. Besides the cervical dystonia condition I have, I was suffering from severe bloating, a 'foggy' head, difficulty breathing/catching my breath, inability to concentrate during conversations and social anxiety.On a CD forum I posted "I also didn’t feel ‘normal’ in social situations – I felt like I was
faking it all the time – my personality, reactions and what I said and
how I acted in social situations didn’t feel natural. I felt like I had
lost myself/my personality. Most of the time (especially in social
environment) I felt hyped and a bit ‘unreal’/floaty. My breathing was
often difficult throughout the day (breathed high almost in my neck, my
voice was raspy at times and I sometimes felt like I was being
strangled!). At least once a week I’d wake up at night and have to get
on my hand and knees, let my stomach fall to catch my breath."
All of the above changed dramatically two days after I started following a vegan (no meat, chicken and fish), dairy, wheat/gluten and sugar free (except for natural sugars in fruit and honey) way of eating ("diet", but not to lose weight). I started the "diet" on the evening of Saturday 25 August. That morning I was on my usual one hour walk and decided that I was sick of having to continually pull my stomach in, which I suspected had a negative effect on my breathing and consequently must lead to loss of oxygen/inability to concentrate. If I couldn't cure my CD, then at least I could start dealing with fundamental problem of bloating. I had read that steaming food is the best way to maintain nutrients in food so I researched and bought an 'Intellisteamer', which can be programmed to steam 3 different foods for different lengths of time. That afternoon, while researching recipes for my steamer, I came across www.nutritionfacts.org. After watching about 5 videos something clicked inside me and I 'knew' that I was going to give up the above foods. The videos that had the most impact on me were the following:
Canned tuna - geez! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/
Spices http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/
Chocolate ice cream - the more you eat the healthier you become http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/
Best anti cancer veg http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/
Chicken http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/ (must watch - not about how they are treated - more about what they feed them)
Dairy - mindblowing - http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/
I also learnt that one needs to eat lots of fruit and veg to increase your oxygen levels. Haha...this reminds me of my research to increase my oxygen levels leading me to swim underwater for as long as I could every day. apparently this has an effect on your SCM (?) which helps get oxygen to the brain. friends thought I had lost it! I haven't kept this up.
Whether one has CD or not, I firmly believe that what we eat is having an immediate impact on our bodies and minds and that by eating the right food, and most importantly eliminating foods known to be polluted with chemicals/pesticides (I don't know about free range etc), we can eliminate so many of the physical and mental problems we deal with everyday. I am not advocating this diet, I am just sharing my experience in the hope that it may help and inspire someone.
I have kept a detailed food diary of my meals and moods. Here is part of a post I posted on a CD forum about 4/5 days after I started the "diet".
"The following are my moods/thoughts.
On Monday at midday, my bloating was down from a 10 to 6 and my breathing was “very relaxed, can easily take deep breaths although do not need them”. Twice during the day I noted that my neck felt like it was turning more smoothly – more relaxed, however after seeing some friends my neck got worse from trying to keep my head straight during the conversation, but fine after some time. The overwhelming sense I had was a feeling of CALM. I’ve put it in uppercaps because I it was such a dramatic experience. I wrote in my food diary“I feel like I’ve got it together, i.e. if faced with someone in conversation, I feel I could take in what they’re saying, think and reply calmly, clearly and in my own time. Not scatty and no quick, reactions without thinking”.
My initial thought on Monday when I felt the immense sense of calm was that my symptoms had greatly reduced not because of what I was eating, but because of what I was *not eating*.
On Tuesday: “My voice has changed (lighter – not raspy). I am joking with people!!”. I.e. I found I could react to people naturally. “Mood – amazing, calm, clear headed, when I hear myself talking on the phone my voice is happy, youthful and natural! Very lighthearted. Head clear. Feeling GOOD. Bloating 5″.
On Wednesday: “Feeling good. Not off the charts as previous days – 9″
Forgot to record Thursday, but I was feeling very upbeat. I feel confident that mood will be fairly constant.
This is one of the most dramatic, immediate experiences I have ever experienced. My CD hasn’t gone away, but I feel like physically and mentally I am able to cope with the CD. I feel like it has become secondary in my life because the happiness and calm I’m feeling has taken dominance."
On the Saturday evening (a week after starting the diet) I posted on the forum
"I started the new way of eating on Sunday 26th August so it has been ten days now. I cannot begin to tell you how my life has turned around. Complete 360 degrees. After 2 days I felt an incredible sense of calm and my voice became lighter and breathing less constricted. I have remained this way (with occasional bloating but not to same extent) the entire ten days. I went to a party on Saturday night and for the first time in maybe 15 years I was my old happy, light, carefree, fun self (I have been like that since 2 days after starting ‘diet’). My neck felt (and is feeling) amazing – smooth with no jerks and I held a 20-30 second conversation without my head turning. I could sense it wanting to turn but when I then felt it turning, I let out my new (semi flat!) stomach and concentrated on completely relaxing a muscle in my stomach. This in turn relaxed my neck. At the time I recognised that there must be a stomach muscle linked to the neck. I need to find out about this. So, when I stopped relaxing and it wanted to turn I relaxed my stomach completely and my neck stayed straight. It’s difficult to concentrate on letting my stomach out all the time (habit built up over years), BUT there has got to be a physical/muscular link between the two.
Other huge improvements are:
- my walking stride is longer and my arms are swinging much more freely
- my Feldenkrais exercises are much, much easier – somehow my body has lost its rigidity
- my skin overall especially on my face is 100% improved (I don’t wear concealer during the day anymore)
- my eyesight is better and I feel that when I look at someone I can actually ‘see’ them – it’s wierd but somehow my eyes are much clearer (I have never had eyesight problems).
- my thinking and concentration is hugely improved – this is probably the most significant result. I used to be able to concentrate on a conversation for about 2 seconds before my mind wandered. Now, there is no effort to concentrate.
- I can take in what people say, process it and respond appropriately, confidently and cleverly (make jokes) – I used to be talented like this, but ‘lost it’
- I am so much more relaxed and less hard on myself. I am taking rests now when I feel the need.
- I told two stories in a small group of people, which I would never have done previously. I managed to maintain eye contact and my language was lively and expressive – just how it used to be.
- lost the 3 kg’s I would have liked to lose (now I need to try and stay same weight)
- my road rage has significantly decreased. I was stopped by a traffic officer and given a fine for not carrying a fire extinguisher in my car. I felt my anger rising but it didn't get completely out of control like it used to (I didn't use to scream and shout, but I would feel a white rage coming over me).
I was trying to think when last I was my ‘old self’ and it seems to be somewhere around when I moved to Frankfurt a few months after getting married. We lived in a hotel in a very depressing area, I couldn’t work and I got severely depressed. My arm started to shake, I couldn’t handle the smallest social event and I lost all sense of myself and became very depressed. It took me years to function at a level I was happy with, but I never got the 'old me' back – until now. The depression was a ‘trauma’, then my bicycle accident (body went into complete shock) which flicked the CD switch (head started to turn about 3 months after accident). I don’t know how to say this, but even with all of that and the fact that the accident trauma may have triggered my CD, my not eating the *wrong* food (or maybe eating the *right* food) has unmasked the old me which is now able to cope with life as I should be/I have regained the skills I had lost. I now have the confidence and happiness and no anxiety which means that I’m not reacting negatively and resisting (resist was my second name), which in turn aggravates my CD. My personality now is ‘go with the flow’. I have a sense that my old self is and always will be ‘out there’, but something I was eating was blocking it.
On another note, for a long time now I have been doing Feldenkrais exercises. I am now at the point where my rotation exercises have improved dramatically. I also believe that this has something to do with my improvement as I do feel it (not nearly to the same extent as before ‘diet’ though) if I don’t do them. They are so simple, but they really, really work for me. I do however believe that it is the ‘diet’ which has had the most significant effect (personality wise – not anxious anymore) and the exercises have kept my body supple and functioning normally. Once again they are not ‘stretching’ exercises – they re-educate your body to move the way it should (Google it).
In summary,
- my sense is that I have regained my old self through not eating something that was bad for me. There are chemicals (arsenic/mercury) in so many of our foods (meat, chicken, fish) that one/some of them must have been affecting me negatively. I never get ill (touch wood) so I’ve always thought I was healthy and I just accepted that my sypmtoms (foggy head, anxiety, bloating etc) were just a normal part of life
- there must be a muscle linking the stomach to the neck? Letting my stomach out has a similar effect to the sensory trick that CD's use to stop the neck turning.
- Feldenkrais or the Santa Fe clinic exercises are very important to get your body moving naturally again and out of bad habits"
Whether one has CD or not, I firmly believe that what we eat is having an immediate impact on our bodies and minds and that by eating the right food, and most importantly eliminating foods known to be polluted with chemicals (I don't know about free range etc), we can eliminate so many of the physical and mental problems we deal with everyday.
This is a pic of me (left) before I started the new way of eating. I am shyly hanging at the edge and I can see that I’m not ‘all there’ - I can see it in my eyes. I was really battling that night – very ‘foggy’, bloated and head turning/pulling badly.
Above is a photo of me (right) a week after starting the "diet". My head is leaning to the right (opposite direction to which it normally turns). It's still turning to face the left, but much improved. My eyes are clear, I am HAPPY, confident, vibrant, socially engaged, my gaze is clear and I am ‘all there’. My posture, skin is improved and I have lost weight.
All of the above changed dramatically two days after I started following a vegan (no meat, chicken and fish), dairy, wheat/gluten and sugar free (except for natural sugars in fruit and honey) way of eating ("diet", but not to lose weight). I started the "diet" on the evening of Saturday 25 August. That morning I was on my usual one hour walk and decided that I was sick of having to continually pull my stomach in, which I suspected had a negative effect on my breathing and consequently must lead to loss of oxygen/inability to concentrate. If I couldn't cure my CD, then at least I could start dealing with fundamental problem of bloating. I had read that steaming food is the best way to maintain nutrients in food so I researched and bought an 'Intellisteamer', which can be programmed to steam 3 different foods for different lengths of time. That afternoon, while researching recipes for my steamer, I came across www.nutritionfacts.org. After watching about 5 videos something clicked inside me and I 'knew' that I was going to give up the above foods. The videos that had the most impact on me were the following:
Canned tuna - geez! http://nutritionfacts.org/video/amalgam-fillings-vs-canned-tuna/
Spices http://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/
Chocolate ice cream - the more you eat the healthier you become http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/
Best anti cancer veg http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/
Chicken http://nutritionfacts.org/video/arsenic-in-chicken/ (must watch - not about how they are treated - more about what they feed them)
Dairy - mindblowing - http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nutrient-blocking-effects-of-dairy/
I also learnt that one needs to eat lots of fruit and veg to increase your oxygen levels. Haha...this reminds me of my research to increase my oxygen levels leading me to swim underwater for as long as I could every day. apparently this has an effect on your SCM (?) which helps get oxygen to the brain. friends thought I had lost it! I haven't kept this up.
Whether one has CD or not, I firmly believe that what we eat is having an immediate impact on our bodies and minds and that by eating the right food, and most importantly eliminating foods known to be polluted with chemicals/pesticides (I don't know about free range etc), we can eliminate so many of the physical and mental problems we deal with everyday. I am not advocating this diet, I am just sharing my experience in the hope that it may help and inspire someone.
I have kept a detailed food diary of my meals and moods. Here is part of a post I posted on a CD forum about 4/5 days after I started the "diet".
"The following are my moods/thoughts.
On Monday at midday, my bloating was down from a 10 to 6 and my breathing was “very relaxed, can easily take deep breaths although do not need them”. Twice during the day I noted that my neck felt like it was turning more smoothly – more relaxed, however after seeing some friends my neck got worse from trying to keep my head straight during the conversation, but fine after some time. The overwhelming sense I had was a feeling of CALM. I’ve put it in uppercaps because I it was such a dramatic experience. I wrote in my food diary“I feel like I’ve got it together, i.e. if faced with someone in conversation, I feel I could take in what they’re saying, think and reply calmly, clearly and in my own time. Not scatty and no quick, reactions without thinking”.
My initial thought on Monday when I felt the immense sense of calm was that my symptoms had greatly reduced not because of what I was eating, but because of what I was *not eating*.
On Tuesday: “My voice has changed (lighter – not raspy). I am joking with people!!”. I.e. I found I could react to people naturally. “Mood – amazing, calm, clear headed, when I hear myself talking on the phone my voice is happy, youthful and natural! Very lighthearted. Head clear. Feeling GOOD. Bloating 5″.
On Wednesday: “Feeling good. Not off the charts as previous days – 9″
Forgot to record Thursday, but I was feeling very upbeat. I feel confident that mood will be fairly constant.
This is one of the most dramatic, immediate experiences I have ever experienced. My CD hasn’t gone away, but I feel like physically and mentally I am able to cope with the CD. I feel like it has become secondary in my life because the happiness and calm I’m feeling has taken dominance."
On the Saturday evening (a week after starting the diet) I posted on the forum
"I started the new way of eating on Sunday 26th August so it has been ten days now. I cannot begin to tell you how my life has turned around. Complete 360 degrees. After 2 days I felt an incredible sense of calm and my voice became lighter and breathing less constricted. I have remained this way (with occasional bloating but not to same extent) the entire ten days. I went to a party on Saturday night and for the first time in maybe 15 years I was my old happy, light, carefree, fun self (I have been like that since 2 days after starting ‘diet’). My neck felt (and is feeling) amazing – smooth with no jerks and I held a 20-30 second conversation without my head turning. I could sense it wanting to turn but when I then felt it turning, I let out my new (semi flat!) stomach and concentrated on completely relaxing a muscle in my stomach. This in turn relaxed my neck. At the time I recognised that there must be a stomach muscle linked to the neck. I need to find out about this. So, when I stopped relaxing and it wanted to turn I relaxed my stomach completely and my neck stayed straight. It’s difficult to concentrate on letting my stomach out all the time (habit built up over years), BUT there has got to be a physical/muscular link between the two.
Other huge improvements are:
- my walking stride is longer and my arms are swinging much more freely
- my Feldenkrais exercises are much, much easier – somehow my body has lost its rigidity
- my skin overall especially on my face is 100% improved (I don’t wear concealer during the day anymore)
- my eyesight is better and I feel that when I look at someone I can actually ‘see’ them – it’s wierd but somehow my eyes are much clearer (I have never had eyesight problems).
- my thinking and concentration is hugely improved – this is probably the most significant result. I used to be able to concentrate on a conversation for about 2 seconds before my mind wandered. Now, there is no effort to concentrate.
- I can take in what people say, process it and respond appropriately, confidently and cleverly (make jokes) – I used to be talented like this, but ‘lost it’
- I am so much more relaxed and less hard on myself. I am taking rests now when I feel the need.
- I told two stories in a small group of people, which I would never have done previously. I managed to maintain eye contact and my language was lively and expressive – just how it used to be.
- lost the 3 kg’s I would have liked to lose (now I need to try and stay same weight)
- my road rage has significantly decreased. I was stopped by a traffic officer and given a fine for not carrying a fire extinguisher in my car. I felt my anger rising but it didn't get completely out of control like it used to (I didn't use to scream and shout, but I would feel a white rage coming over me).
I was trying to think when last I was my ‘old self’ and it seems to be somewhere around when I moved to Frankfurt a few months after getting married. We lived in a hotel in a very depressing area, I couldn’t work and I got severely depressed. My arm started to shake, I couldn’t handle the smallest social event and I lost all sense of myself and became very depressed. It took me years to function at a level I was happy with, but I never got the 'old me' back – until now. The depression was a ‘trauma’, then my bicycle accident (body went into complete shock) which flicked the CD switch (head started to turn about 3 months after accident). I don’t know how to say this, but even with all of that and the fact that the accident trauma may have triggered my CD, my not eating the *wrong* food (or maybe eating the *right* food) has unmasked the old me which is now able to cope with life as I should be/I have regained the skills I had lost. I now have the confidence and happiness and no anxiety which means that I’m not reacting negatively and resisting (resist was my second name), which in turn aggravates my CD. My personality now is ‘go with the flow’. I have a sense that my old self is and always will be ‘out there’, but something I was eating was blocking it.
On another note, for a long time now I have been doing Feldenkrais exercises. I am now at the point where my rotation exercises have improved dramatically. I also believe that this has something to do with my improvement as I do feel it (not nearly to the same extent as before ‘diet’ though) if I don’t do them. They are so simple, but they really, really work for me. I do however believe that it is the ‘diet’ which has had the most significant effect (personality wise – not anxious anymore) and the exercises have kept my body supple and functioning normally. Once again they are not ‘stretching’ exercises – they re-educate your body to move the way it should (Google it).
In summary,
- my sense is that I have regained my old self through not eating something that was bad for me. There are chemicals (arsenic/mercury) in so many of our foods (meat, chicken, fish) that one/some of them must have been affecting me negatively. I never get ill (touch wood) so I’ve always thought I was healthy and I just accepted that my sypmtoms (foggy head, anxiety, bloating etc) were just a normal part of life
- there must be a muscle linking the stomach to the neck? Letting my stomach out has a similar effect to the sensory trick that CD's use to stop the neck turning.
- Feldenkrais or the Santa Fe clinic exercises are very important to get your body moving naturally again and out of bad habits"
Whether one has CD or not, I firmly believe that what we eat is having an immediate impact on our bodies and minds and that by eating the right food, and most importantly eliminating foods known to be polluted with chemicals (I don't know about free range etc), we can eliminate so many of the physical and mental problems we deal with everyday.
This is a pic of me (left) before I started the new way of eating. I am shyly hanging at the edge and I can see that I’m not ‘all there’ - I can see it in my eyes. I was really battling that night – very ‘foggy’, bloated and head turning/pulling badly.
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