Summary- Joshi's Holistic Detox
Well, it's over, I have completed the Detox and the Maintenance Program. The results are better than I imagined in some ways and not quite as good as I'd hoped in others.
- My Tongue is still slightly purple with dints along the sides, though they don't seem as distinct as they were.
- I am sure that my acidity levels are lower due to the fact that I am hardly eating any refined sugar or other acidic foods these days.
- My weight is 99kg, my BMI is now 32- I have lost 10kg overall, but I would have liked this to be more. I am guessing that this won't move much until I make some kind of strenuous exercise part of my daily routine.
- My chronic cough is pretty much gone, so I will be getting an allergy test to find out what it was caused by.
- I still seem to retain fluid at night, but not to the same uncomfortable degree.
- I still crave chocolate, and really enjoy coffee, though I am drinking coffee with soy milk now and I don't keep any chocolate, sweets or cakes in the house.
- I am sleeping better.
- I feel less achy and lethargic.
- I feel more positive.
- I am trying to exercise more.
- I have reduced my caffeine and alcohol intake dramatically.
- I now drink filtered water.
- I now buy fruit and vegetables from farmer's markets, organic/biodynamic shops or the local greengrocer.
- I now hardly eat dairy or wheat products at all.
- I eat very little red meat and when I do it is good quality and free range.
- I am making an effort to reduce the number of chemicals in my home, changing to natural detergents, shampoo and conditioner, beauty products and taking shoes off at the door.
- My overall diet has changed to include a lot more vegetables.
So yes, I would say that this Detox lives up to expectations. I wonder if would be accused of having a 'fatty liver' I had another liver scan now...
It is interesting to note how much I have learned about food, its production and healthy eating in general. I now frequent many different health food shops and I am far more interested in searching for healthier alternatives.
Overall, the feeling I get from having done this Detox is the same as the one I felt when I quit smoking. I am sure that the effects will be far-reaching.
Showing posts with label Live Better. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Live Better. Show all posts
Friday, 5 July 2013
Day 42
Day 42-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: A slice of rye bread toast with a sliced boiled egg.
Morning snack: A small piece of sweet bun, a coffee with 2 sugars.
Lunch: Lots of small things, a couple of small pieces of spinach and feta pie, grapes, some organic corn chips, hommus and carrot & celery sticks.
Afternoon snack: Another coffee with 2 sugars, some homemade muesli slice.
Dinner: Grilled salmon with carrot salad (grated carrots, finely chopped spring onion, mint and coriander, pepitas, sunflowers seeds, linseeds, chia seeds, lemon, flaxseed oil and sultanas) and a couple of rice paper rolls (carrots, cucumber, celery, chicken, bean noodles).
After dinner snack: Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: Nope.
Sleep: About 8 hours, didn't wake at all...
Had another lovely day, hosted mother's group, all went well, the healthy food was enjoyed, though didn't get to make the salad, falafel or rice paper rolls on time, so made them later for dinner!!
This is the last day of the Maintenance Program for me. I am very happy with the way things have gone. I will write one more post in this Blog tomorrow to see what the end result is and if Joshi's Holistic Detox has really lived up to my expectations.
For now though, back to Meditation and Visualisation....
Visualisation is also a technique that has been used for thousands of years to encourage positive influences in peoples lives. It is a great way to change your thought patterns from negative to positive which can, in turn, lead to more positive outcomes in your life. It is really just imagining what you desire, as if it was already here. For example, if you would like to become fit and healthy, you imagine yourself in fitness clothes, running without effort. Many cancer patients use visualisation to mentally cleanse their bodies, by imagining their cancer as dirt or dust within their house that they then clean up.
It is above all, a great way to train your brain to see the world, your life and yourself in a more positive light. It can help to reduce stress, depression and insomnia, to name a few conditions. I have read a bit about visualisation and also neuroplasticity, and the fact is that the more often you think a thought, the stronger the neural pathways of that thought are. The brain is just like a muscle in your body, the more you use it, the stronger it becomes and the easier it is to complete the same task with it. So pretty much, the more you think happy thoughts, the easier it is to think in a positive way generally.
Here is Joshi's Visualisation Exercise:
- After your meditation exercise, imagine there is a bright white light pouring through you from above like a warm liquid penetrating the top of your head.
- Imagine it seeps down through and over you, onto your shoulders, arms, chest, all the way down your legs to your feet and forming roots stretching deep into the ground beneath you.
- Imagine your body as this glowing white form with a bright, glowing future.
- Visualise what you would like to happen, see yourself going for a job interview and getting the job, finding a loving person to have a relationship with, imagine how you would like to look and feel in 6 months time.
- Make the picture as real and tangible as possible, imagine what it smells and tastes like, put yourself there.
- Imagine that this is all happening here and now.
- Once you feel this, Joshi suggests covering the image with a protective white light, or simply becoming aware of your surroundings.
- Try to repeat this process as often as possible, at least once a day.
Joshi uses visualisation for 10 minutes every morning, thinking about all of the good and positive things that will happen during the day and for 10 minutes after meditating each night, visualising in a positive way events in the coming days.
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: A slice of rye bread toast with a sliced boiled egg.
Morning snack: A small piece of sweet bun, a coffee with 2 sugars.
Lunch: Lots of small things, a couple of small pieces of spinach and feta pie, grapes, some organic corn chips, hommus and carrot & celery sticks.
Afternoon snack: Another coffee with 2 sugars, some homemade muesli slice.
Dinner: Grilled salmon with carrot salad (grated carrots, finely chopped spring onion, mint and coriander, pepitas, sunflowers seeds, linseeds, chia seeds, lemon, flaxseed oil and sultanas) and a couple of rice paper rolls (carrots, cucumber, celery, chicken, bean noodles).
After dinner snack: Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: Nope.
Sleep: About 8 hours, didn't wake at all...
Had another lovely day, hosted mother's group, all went well, the healthy food was enjoyed, though didn't get to make the salad, falafel or rice paper rolls on time, so made them later for dinner!!
This is the last day of the Maintenance Program for me. I am very happy with the way things have gone. I will write one more post in this Blog tomorrow to see what the end result is and if Joshi's Holistic Detox has really lived up to my expectations.
For now though, back to Meditation and Visualisation....
Visualisation is also a technique that has been used for thousands of years to encourage positive influences in peoples lives. It is a great way to change your thought patterns from negative to positive which can, in turn, lead to more positive outcomes in your life. It is really just imagining what you desire, as if it was already here. For example, if you would like to become fit and healthy, you imagine yourself in fitness clothes, running without effort. Many cancer patients use visualisation to mentally cleanse their bodies, by imagining their cancer as dirt or dust within their house that they then clean up.
It is above all, a great way to train your brain to see the world, your life and yourself in a more positive light. It can help to reduce stress, depression and insomnia, to name a few conditions. I have read a bit about visualisation and also neuroplasticity, and the fact is that the more often you think a thought, the stronger the neural pathways of that thought are. The brain is just like a muscle in your body, the more you use it, the stronger it becomes and the easier it is to complete the same task with it. So pretty much, the more you think happy thoughts, the easier it is to think in a positive way generally.
Here is Joshi's Visualisation Exercise:
- After your meditation exercise, imagine there is a bright white light pouring through you from above like a warm liquid penetrating the top of your head.
- Imagine it seeps down through and over you, onto your shoulders, arms, chest, all the way down your legs to your feet and forming roots stretching deep into the ground beneath you.
- Imagine your body as this glowing white form with a bright, glowing future.
- Visualise what you would like to happen, see yourself going for a job interview and getting the job, finding a loving person to have a relationship with, imagine how you would like to look and feel in 6 months time.
- Make the picture as real and tangible as possible, imagine what it smells and tastes like, put yourself there.
- Imagine that this is all happening here and now.
- Once you feel this, Joshi suggests covering the image with a protective white light, or simply becoming aware of your surroundings.
- Try to repeat this process as often as possible, at least once a day.
Joshi uses visualisation for 10 minutes every morning, thinking about all of the good and positive things that will happen during the day and for 10 minutes after meditating each night, visualising in a positive way events in the coming days.
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Day 41-
Day 41-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat-free muesli with lecithin, psyllium husks, honey and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: A slice of rye bread toast, 1/2 with peanut butter, 1/2 with marmalade. Detox tea.
Lunch: Fried rice (rice, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, beans) with chicken.
Afternoon snack: None.
Dinner: Roast chicken with hommus, carrot sticks, celery sticks and feta cheese.
After dinner snack: Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: Housework- all day long!!!.
Sleep: About 8 hours, woke up once.
So much housework today, it was ridiculous. I am absolutely shattered. Tomorrow I am hosting mother's group, which is always fun and at least I have a nice clean house for it! I am making some seriously healthy snacks, spinach and feta pie, vegetable and chicken rice paper rolls, home-made hommus with vegie sticks and brown rice crackers to dip, mini carrot salads with falafel balls, home-made muesli slice, a fruit plate and iced fruit tea with ginger. Yum!
But, I did promise to write about Joshi's views on Meditation & Visualisation so here is the Meditation part:
Joshi states that meditation has been practiced for thousands of years in the East as a means of relaxing and enjoying quiet contemplation. It is designed to allow you to create a mental environment which is not influenced by the external stresses of day-to-day physical and emotional life. Apparently the practice of meditation has been clinically shown to not only reduce cholesterol and bring down high blood pressure, but improve the well-being of people suffering from stress, headaches, acidity, emotional vulnerability, skin irritations and insomnia.
We all meditate when we daydream, allowing our mind to wander, but concentrating on doing it is far more beneficial. Joshi says it is important to be alone and uninterrupted and suggests turning off your phone, telling everyone to leave you alone for 25-30 minutes and following these steps:
- Have a nice hot shower to relax and let go of the day's negative thoughts and energies.
- Sit in a warm room, with your back against the wall, on the floor, or in a comfortable chair, try to make sure that your spine is straight.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale.
- Try to think of nothing else and you will relax completely.
- When your mind wanders and you find yourself thinking of things that have happened, or things you have to do, try to make your mind as blank as possible, try hard to think nothing at all.
- Focus on a candle flame or create a mental picture of a place or painting or environment, like the sea or the forest, that promotes a feeling of calm.
- Keep your eyes closed.
- When you feel ready, become more aware of your surroundings and gradually open your eyes. - Do this for 10-15 minutes at the end of each day as a way of relaxing your body and Detoxing your mind.
Joshi also mentions a couple of other forms of meditation, like chanting a mantra, which is a word or sound which evokes a positive energy. There is also the practice of focussing on a chakra point (energy centre in the body), to promote balance and health.
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat-free muesli with lecithin, psyllium husks, honey and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: A slice of rye bread toast, 1/2 with peanut butter, 1/2 with marmalade. Detox tea.
Lunch: Fried rice (rice, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, beans) with chicken.
Afternoon snack: None.
Dinner: Roast chicken with hommus, carrot sticks, celery sticks and feta cheese.
After dinner snack: Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: Housework- all day long!!!.
Sleep: About 8 hours, woke up once.
So much housework today, it was ridiculous. I am absolutely shattered. Tomorrow I am hosting mother's group, which is always fun and at least I have a nice clean house for it! I am making some seriously healthy snacks, spinach and feta pie, vegetable and chicken rice paper rolls, home-made hommus with vegie sticks and brown rice crackers to dip, mini carrot salads with falafel balls, home-made muesli slice, a fruit plate and iced fruit tea with ginger. Yum!
But, I did promise to write about Joshi's views on Meditation & Visualisation so here is the Meditation part:
Joshi states that meditation has been practiced for thousands of years in the East as a means of relaxing and enjoying quiet contemplation. It is designed to allow you to create a mental environment which is not influenced by the external stresses of day-to-day physical and emotional life. Apparently the practice of meditation has been clinically shown to not only reduce cholesterol and bring down high blood pressure, but improve the well-being of people suffering from stress, headaches, acidity, emotional vulnerability, skin irritations and insomnia.
We all meditate when we daydream, allowing our mind to wander, but concentrating on doing it is far more beneficial. Joshi says it is important to be alone and uninterrupted and suggests turning off your phone, telling everyone to leave you alone for 25-30 minutes and following these steps:
- Have a nice hot shower to relax and let go of the day's negative thoughts and energies.
- Sit in a warm room, with your back against the wall, on the floor, or in a comfortable chair, try to make sure that your spine is straight.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale.
- Try to think of nothing else and you will relax completely.
- When your mind wanders and you find yourself thinking of things that have happened, or things you have to do, try to make your mind as blank as possible, try hard to think nothing at all.
- Focus on a candle flame or create a mental picture of a place or painting or environment, like the sea or the forest, that promotes a feeling of calm.
- Keep your eyes closed.
- When you feel ready, become more aware of your surroundings and gradually open your eyes. - Do this for 10-15 minutes at the end of each day as a way of relaxing your body and Detoxing your mind.
Joshi also mentions a couple of other forms of meditation, like chanting a mantra, which is a word or sound which evokes a positive energy. There is also the practice of focussing on a chakra point (energy centre in the body), to promote balance and health.
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Day 40-
Day 40-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 3 homemade pancakes (flour, egg, rice milk) with maple syrup and banana. A small banana smoothie (banana, rice milk and yoghurt).
Morning snack: None.
Lunch: Ate at a brilliant Afghan restaurant, shared meal including- rice with carrot and sultanas, chicken skewers, lamb curry (mild), flat bread, salad.
Afternoon snack: A soy latte with 2 sugars.
Dinner: Scotch fillet steak with grilled slices of sweet potato, broccoli, snow peas and carrot.
After dinner snack:Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: None.
Sleep: About 10 hours, woke up once. (WOW!!)
Excellent day! Started with pancakes, which always makes me happy, then my mother in law came over and after we had gone to a brilliant Indian specialty food store, she took me me shopping for clothes!
It was so lovely to try things on and not feel like they didn't suit me or that I was too bumpy to make anything look good. Lots of things looked good and I tried on things I possibly wouldn't have considered before (like white pants). I walked out an hour or so later with 6 new items of clothing and feeling like a million dollars.
We had a lovely lunch at an Afghan restaurant. It was quite easy to be healthy, grilled chicken & salad, but I also had to try the rice, bread and lamb curry, it was all soooo good.
After we came home I took my daughter for a play in the park, but didn't get much exercise done because I met a friend there and we just chatted, very nice.
I cannot believe that I only have 2 more days left on the Maintenance Program. I'll finish up this blog after 43 days but I'm pretty happy to keep my diet going this way, I feel great!
I'll write about the Meditation and Visualisation tomorrow...
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 3 homemade pancakes (flour, egg, rice milk) with maple syrup and banana. A small banana smoothie (banana, rice milk and yoghurt).
Morning snack: None.
Lunch: Ate at a brilliant Afghan restaurant, shared meal including- rice with carrot and sultanas, chicken skewers, lamb curry (mild), flat bread, salad.
Afternoon snack: A soy latte with 2 sugars.
Dinner: Scotch fillet steak with grilled slices of sweet potato, broccoli, snow peas and carrot.
After dinner snack:Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: None.
Sleep: About 10 hours, woke up once. (WOW!!)
Excellent day! Started with pancakes, which always makes me happy, then my mother in law came over and after we had gone to a brilliant Indian specialty food store, she took me me shopping for clothes!
It was so lovely to try things on and not feel like they didn't suit me or that I was too bumpy to make anything look good. Lots of things looked good and I tried on things I possibly wouldn't have considered before (like white pants). I walked out an hour or so later with 6 new items of clothing and feeling like a million dollars.
We had a lovely lunch at an Afghan restaurant. It was quite easy to be healthy, grilled chicken & salad, but I also had to try the rice, bread and lamb curry, it was all soooo good.
After we came home I took my daughter for a play in the park, but didn't get much exercise done because I met a friend there and we just chatted, very nice.
I cannot believe that I only have 2 more days left on the Maintenance Program. I'll finish up this blog after 43 days but I'm pretty happy to keep my diet going this way, I feel great!
I'll write about the Meditation and Visualisation tomorrow...
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Day 39
Day 39-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 1 poached free-range egg on gluten and wheat free bread with avocado, salt and pepper. Green tea.
Morning snack: 5 almonds, 3 brown rice crackers, carrot sticks.
Lunch: 6 falafel balls, a small bowl of Joshi's tomato and lentil soup (see below).
Afternoon snack: A soy latte with 2 sugars and a chocolate truffle.
Dinner: Grilled chicken thigh with Joshi's parsnip and beet fry (see Day 31), broccoli, corn on the cob and green beans.
After dinner snack:Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 60 minute brisk walk.
Sleep: About 9 hours, woke up three times.
Joshi's Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of lentils (I used canned)
- 3 cups of water
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 small onion- chopped finely
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon of thyme
- 500g of tomatoes. chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- (I also added 1 tsp of salt and some cracked black pepper)
Method:
(I completely changed the method, if you want Joshi's you'll need to check the book, but I prefer the ingredients cooked before they are made into soup and he just adds them to the water at the end)
- Rinse lentils thoroughly.
- Add butter and onion to a saucepan, cook until golden brown, add some water, cook until water has gone again.
- Add chopped tomatoes, cook until they begin to stick, add some water.
- Add the carrot, thyme and bay leaf.
- Add the water, lentils, salt and pepper.
- Simmer on medium for 45 minutes.
Another good day, very productive, my daughter and I did heaps of boring housework, then tidied up the spare room, finding heaps of things we don't need anymore to give away in the process. We walked into town (I pushed her on her tricycle) and after shopping for some groceries, we went to the park for 3/4 of an hour and then walked home again (she walked 1/3 of the way). But, I feel good, got some things cleared away, did some exercise and ate a very healthy diet (except for my afternoon snack of course). I do find it very difficult to resist coffee or chocolate if they are available, but in general, my consumption of these things has reduced incredibly, so I'm not too worried.
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 1 poached free-range egg on gluten and wheat free bread with avocado, salt and pepper. Green tea.
Morning snack: 5 almonds, 3 brown rice crackers, carrot sticks.
Lunch: 6 falafel balls, a small bowl of Joshi's tomato and lentil soup (see below).
Afternoon snack: A soy latte with 2 sugars and a chocolate truffle.
Dinner: Grilled chicken thigh with Joshi's parsnip and beet fry (see Day 31), broccoli, corn on the cob and green beans.
After dinner snack:Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 60 minute brisk walk.
Sleep: About 9 hours, woke up three times.
Joshi's Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of lentils (I used canned)
- 3 cups of water
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 small onion- chopped finely
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon of thyme
- 500g of tomatoes. chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- (I also added 1 tsp of salt and some cracked black pepper)
Method:
(I completely changed the method, if you want Joshi's you'll need to check the book, but I prefer the ingredients cooked before they are made into soup and he just adds them to the water at the end)
- Rinse lentils thoroughly.
- Add butter and onion to a saucepan, cook until golden brown, add some water, cook until water has gone again.
- Add chopped tomatoes, cook until they begin to stick, add some water.
- Add the carrot, thyme and bay leaf.
- Add the water, lentils, salt and pepper.
- Simmer on medium for 45 minutes.
Another good day, very productive, my daughter and I did heaps of boring housework, then tidied up the spare room, finding heaps of things we don't need anymore to give away in the process. We walked into town (I pushed her on her tricycle) and after shopping for some groceries, we went to the park for 3/4 of an hour and then walked home again (she walked 1/3 of the way). But, I feel good, got some things cleared away, did some exercise and ate a very healthy diet (except for my afternoon snack of course). I do find it very difficult to resist coffee or chocolate if they are available, but in general, my consumption of these things has reduced incredibly, so I'm not too worried.
Day 38
Day 38-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, banana and rice milk.
Morning snack: Peppermint tea, seed & nut mix (almonds, pecans, brazil nuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds).
Lunch: A chicken roll with mayo. Detox tea.
Afternoon snack: A soy latte with 2 sugars and a chocolate.
Dinner: Vegetable stir-fry with tofu, brown rice vermicelli and rogan josh paste.
After dinner snack:Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 20 minute brisk walk.
Sleep: About 7 hours, woke up once.
Back to the detox again today, mainly. Not much to say about today actually, spent it running around picking up garden supplies and putting the primer on a cabinet that I am painting white. There is (unusually) a bit of time for me to spend with my husband tonight though, so I'm signing off to do that!
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, banana and rice milk.
Morning snack: Peppermint tea, seed & nut mix (almonds, pecans, brazil nuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds).
Lunch: A chicken roll with mayo. Detox tea.
Afternoon snack: A soy latte with 2 sugars and a chocolate.
Dinner: Vegetable stir-fry with tofu, brown rice vermicelli and rogan josh paste.
After dinner snack:Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 20 minute brisk walk.
Sleep: About 7 hours, woke up once.
Back to the detox again today, mainly. Not much to say about today actually, spent it running around picking up garden supplies and putting the primer on a cabinet that I am painting white. There is (unusually) a bit of time for me to spend with my husband tonight though, so I'm signing off to do that!
Sunday, 30 June 2013
Day 37-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, banana and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: None.
Lunch: A ham and cheese toastie on rye bread. Mint and ginger tea.
Afternoon snack: A chai tea with honey and rice milk, half a blueberry muffin.
Dinner: Joshi's chicken and fresh herb pesto (see below) with gluten free pasta and a sprinkling of feta cheese.
After dinner snack:Lemon and ginger tea with honey, another half a muffin.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 3 hours of heavy gardening (mixing cement, moving heavy rocks, digging etc).
Sleep: About 8 hours, woke up once.
Had a great day in the garden today, really got a lot done. My retaining wall is starting to look like a wall all of a sudden, after months of preparation! Yay! I also transplanted a bunch of plants to make a new hedge, which looks great.
Unfortunately I was so busy working outside that I forgot to have a morning snack, so I was starving at lunch and demolished a ham and cheese grilled sandwich in about 3 seconds flat. Then I was unable to resist a blueberry muffin that my Aunt brought when she came to visit not long after.... ahhh...
Still, not too bad a day and I think that all of that exercise in the garden probably made up for the calories at least.
For dinner we tried Joshi's Chicken and fresh herb pesto. Not too keen to be honest, just seemed to be missing something, not salty enough maybe. The fresh herbs were nice though.
Chicken and Fresh Herb Pesto-
Ingredients:
- 4 spring onions, chopped
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1&1/2 tbsp of lemon zest
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
- 2 tbsp fresh continental parsley
- 1/2 a cup of olive oil
- chicken
- We also used gluten free pasta and feta cheese.
Add the first 6 ingredients to a blender/food processor.
Add oil until a paste forms.
Cook pasta as per directions on packet.
Cook chicken in a frying pan. Add the pesto.
Add the cooked pasta.
Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, banana and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: None.
Lunch: A ham and cheese toastie on rye bread. Mint and ginger tea.
Afternoon snack: A chai tea with honey and rice milk, half a blueberry muffin.
Dinner: Joshi's chicken and fresh herb pesto (see below) with gluten free pasta and a sprinkling of feta cheese.
After dinner snack:Lemon and ginger tea with honey, another half a muffin.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 3 hours of heavy gardening (mixing cement, moving heavy rocks, digging etc).
Sleep: About 8 hours, woke up once.
Had a great day in the garden today, really got a lot done. My retaining wall is starting to look like a wall all of a sudden, after months of preparation! Yay! I also transplanted a bunch of plants to make a new hedge, which looks great.
Unfortunately I was so busy working outside that I forgot to have a morning snack, so I was starving at lunch and demolished a ham and cheese grilled sandwich in about 3 seconds flat. Then I was unable to resist a blueberry muffin that my Aunt brought when she came to visit not long after.... ahhh...
Still, not too bad a day and I think that all of that exercise in the garden probably made up for the calories at least.
For dinner we tried Joshi's Chicken and fresh herb pesto. Not too keen to be honest, just seemed to be missing something, not salty enough maybe. The fresh herbs were nice though.
Chicken and Fresh Herb Pesto-
Ingredients:
- 4 spring onions, chopped
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1&1/2 tbsp of lemon zest
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
- 2 tbsp fresh continental parsley
- 1/2 a cup of olive oil
- chicken
- We also used gluten free pasta and feta cheese.
Add the first 6 ingredients to a blender/food processor.
Add oil until a paste forms.
Cook pasta as per directions on packet.
Cook chicken in a frying pan. Add the pesto.
Add the cooked pasta.
Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Day 36-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 2 slices of normal grainy bread, 1 with peanut butter, 1 with butter and marmalade. Green tea.
Morning snack: A soy latte with 2 sugars.
Lunch: Shared lunch including satay chicken & lamb, feta & spinach gozleme.
Afternoon snack: 1 jam doughnut.
Dinner: Fried rice (brown rice, beans, snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, spring onion, ginger, garlic and Maggi seasoning).
After dinner snack: 1 more small slice of birthday cake.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 2 hours of grocery shopping....
Sleep: About 5 1/2 hours, woke up 3 times.
Super tired and drained from the alcohol and rich food yesterday. I certainly didn't help matters by starting the day with regular toast and spreads but I really wanted them. Maybe I had a slight hangover. Also had too much sugar due to being really tired. I didn't want to get on the scales this morning because I knew what would happen, but I did and I am 100kg on the dot...argh! So five weeks into the detox and I am 9kg lighter and feel better, but I am no better off than I was 2 weeks ago....
I only have one week left on the Maintenance Plan and I am really going to do what I can to stick to it this week, more sleep, more exercise, healthy eating, no caffeine or alcohol and I am hoping to lose weight by the end of the week. Wish me luck..!
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 2 slices of normal grainy bread, 1 with peanut butter, 1 with butter and marmalade. Green tea.
Morning snack: A soy latte with 2 sugars.
Lunch: Shared lunch including satay chicken & lamb, feta & spinach gozleme.
Afternoon snack: 1 jam doughnut.
Dinner: Fried rice (brown rice, beans, snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, spring onion, ginger, garlic and Maggi seasoning).
After dinner snack: 1 more small slice of birthday cake.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 2 hours of grocery shopping....
Sleep: About 5 1/2 hours, woke up 3 times.
Super tired and drained from the alcohol and rich food yesterday. I certainly didn't help matters by starting the day with regular toast and spreads but I really wanted them. Maybe I had a slight hangover. Also had too much sugar due to being really tired. I didn't want to get on the scales this morning because I knew what would happen, but I did and I am 100kg on the dot...argh! So five weeks into the detox and I am 9kg lighter and feel better, but I am no better off than I was 2 weeks ago....
I only have one week left on the Maintenance Plan and I am really going to do what I can to stick to it this week, more sleep, more exercise, healthy eating, no caffeine or alcohol and I am hoping to lose weight by the end of the week. Wish me luck..!
Day 35-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with, psyllium husks, lecithin and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: A soy latte with 2 sugars and a chocolate.
Lunch: A shared tasting plate including lamb kofta, salt and pepper calamari, olives, feta, salami, orange, soy and ginger duck and turkish bread. Pork belly on potato mash with apple and red cabbage. 1 glass of red wine.
Afternoon snack: Not necessary.
Dinner: Spiced chicken (turmeric, cumin seeds, cinnamon, salt and black pepper) with salad (baby spinach leaves, grated orange and purple carrot, sunflower seeds, pepitas, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, lemon juice) and pilaf (brown rice, brown lentils, coriander, toasted slivered almonds, finely sliced spring onion, sultanas and grated carrot) with a little yoghurt dressing. 1/2 a glass of red wine.
After dinner snack: 1 small slice of birthday cake (an icecream cake, mainly chocolate and cherry & coconut icecream) 1 glass of champagne.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: not really.
Sleep: About 7 hours, woke up once.
Well, today was my husband's birthday and so all detox rules were null and void for the day, as predicted. I didn't go too wild though, I had to drive home from the city after lunch so I could only have one glass of wine then and I wasn't really that keen on the red we had with dinner, so only had about another half a glass. Breakfast and dinner were actually completely in line with the detox. My morning snack, lunch and after dinner snack were not, but hey, it was a birthday. No exercise really either, but we did spend a great day out together, had a lovely time at the exhibition and talked for hours, all whilst Grandma was babysitting, brilliant!
Not much to say about today, only that perhaps I had intended to be back into my favourite dress for today, but I didn't even try it on. I was pretty sure it still wouldn't fit. My husband however, wore one of his favourite shirts that had been getting really tight around the belly and the arms and it now is not at all tight, so he's lost a fair bit of weight. He's scared he's losing muscle mass and has vowed to start doing weights again. I really do have to make some kind of commitment to exercise more. Maybe I'll book it into my diary or something...
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with, psyllium husks, lecithin and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: A soy latte with 2 sugars and a chocolate.
Lunch: A shared tasting plate including lamb kofta, salt and pepper calamari, olives, feta, salami, orange, soy and ginger duck and turkish bread. Pork belly on potato mash with apple and red cabbage. 1 glass of red wine.
Afternoon snack: Not necessary.
Dinner: Spiced chicken (turmeric, cumin seeds, cinnamon, salt and black pepper) with salad (baby spinach leaves, grated orange and purple carrot, sunflower seeds, pepitas, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, lemon juice) and pilaf (brown rice, brown lentils, coriander, toasted slivered almonds, finely sliced spring onion, sultanas and grated carrot) with a little yoghurt dressing. 1/2 a glass of red wine.
After dinner snack: 1 small slice of birthday cake (an icecream cake, mainly chocolate and cherry & coconut icecream) 1 glass of champagne.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: not really.
Sleep: About 7 hours, woke up once.
Well, today was my husband's birthday and so all detox rules were null and void for the day, as predicted. I didn't go too wild though, I had to drive home from the city after lunch so I could only have one glass of wine then and I wasn't really that keen on the red we had with dinner, so only had about another half a glass. Breakfast and dinner were actually completely in line with the detox. My morning snack, lunch and after dinner snack were not, but hey, it was a birthday. No exercise really either, but we did spend a great day out together, had a lovely time at the exhibition and talked for hours, all whilst Grandma was babysitting, brilliant!
Not much to say about today, only that perhaps I had intended to be back into my favourite dress for today, but I didn't even try it on. I was pretty sure it still wouldn't fit. My husband however, wore one of his favourite shirts that had been getting really tight around the belly and the arms and it now is not at all tight, so he's lost a fair bit of weight. He's scared he's losing muscle mass and has vowed to start doing weights again. I really do have to make some kind of commitment to exercise more. Maybe I'll book it into my diary or something...
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Day 34-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 3 small homemade pancakes (wholemeal flour, egg, soy milk) with strawberries, banana and pure maple syrup. Green tea.
Morning snack: About 100g salmon.
Lunch: Chicken laksa (this freezes quite well).
Afternoon snack: A soy latte with 2 tsp sugar, 2 bites of a custard scroll (husband ate the rest) and 1 square of dark chocolate (supermarket tasting).
Dinner: Homemade pizza with chicken, salami, avocado, green olives and bocconcini.
After dinner snack: Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 2 hours of housework, 2 hours of shopping.
Sleep: About 3&1/2 hours all up, woke up 4 times (once for two & a half hours).
As you can see my daughter (and I) had a terrible night's sleep. She woke up 3 times between 11:30 and 1:30 then slept until 3:30, when she woke again and said her tummy hurt. Then she asked for a banana. After eating 3/4 of a large banana at 4:30am, she finally went back to sleep about 5:30, I got back to sleep around 6am, to be woken again at 8am. Arrrgh!!
So pancakes were on the agenda first up, they are always a bit of a treat and a pick-me-up. Considering how little sleep I got I am amazed at how little sugar and caffeine I consumed today. Back in the days where nearly every night was like this, I would have had so much of both just to keep me awake enough to function. Here's hoping tonight is better.
Tomorrow is my husband's birthday and we are heading out to the city for the day, a special lunch and an exhibition he's been wanting to see. I have made him an ice-cream cake too, as per his request, so we may as well say that the Detox will be right out the window tomorrow.
Anyway, the rest of those complimentary therapies are:
Hypnotherapy- A hypnotist puts you into a deeply relaxed state and can then either address problems, such as finding the cause for comfort eating, or use the power of suggestion on the subconscious to create positive change. Not sure I'd be into this, I don't think I have emotional food issues, but I think it would be helpful if I did.
Massage and Reflexology- A great way to get the toxins stored in the muscles released and get fresh oxygenated blood flowing freely to all areas again, Joshi recommends hot stone massages. Reflexology is a type of foot massage where parts of the body are mapped on the foot. Massaging a particular area on the foot can help with circulatory problems, digestive disorders, migraine, sinus and hormonal imbalances. When we lived in China I had a therapeutic massage (pummeling) every week. It was brilliant and really loosened me up so I would happily do this again.
Yoga and Pilates- Joshi explains that these wonderful exercises concentrate on the entire body and cleanse it of stress and toxins through increasing suppleness and strength. Yoga assumes that our bodies need to have all of the muscles and organs moved around to free them of toxins. There are lots of different types of yoga, some which hold stretches for several minutes each, some which are dynamic, constantly moving and some which are purely breathing exercises, it is good to try a few different types to find one which suits you. Pilates helps to strengthen core muscles and lengthen limbs. These two can be used together. Personally, I love Yoga, I have tried lots of different types and prefer those where the pose is held for a couple of minutes. The more of this I can do the happier I am.
Joshi also mentions Meditation and Visualisation but I will go into that in depth another day....
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 3 small homemade pancakes (wholemeal flour, egg, soy milk) with strawberries, banana and pure maple syrup. Green tea.
Morning snack: About 100g salmon.
Lunch: Chicken laksa (this freezes quite well).
Afternoon snack: A soy latte with 2 tsp sugar, 2 bites of a custard scroll (husband ate the rest) and 1 square of dark chocolate (supermarket tasting).
Dinner: Homemade pizza with chicken, salami, avocado, green olives and bocconcini.
After dinner snack: Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 2 hours of housework, 2 hours of shopping.
Sleep: About 3&1/2 hours all up, woke up 4 times (once for two & a half hours).
As you can see my daughter (and I) had a terrible night's sleep. She woke up 3 times between 11:30 and 1:30 then slept until 3:30, when she woke again and said her tummy hurt. Then she asked for a banana. After eating 3/4 of a large banana at 4:30am, she finally went back to sleep about 5:30, I got back to sleep around 6am, to be woken again at 8am. Arrrgh!!
So pancakes were on the agenda first up, they are always a bit of a treat and a pick-me-up. Considering how little sleep I got I am amazed at how little sugar and caffeine I consumed today. Back in the days where nearly every night was like this, I would have had so much of both just to keep me awake enough to function. Here's hoping tonight is better.
Tomorrow is my husband's birthday and we are heading out to the city for the day, a special lunch and an exhibition he's been wanting to see. I have made him an ice-cream cake too, as per his request, so we may as well say that the Detox will be right out the window tomorrow.
Anyway, the rest of those complimentary therapies are:
Hypnotherapy- A hypnotist puts you into a deeply relaxed state and can then either address problems, such as finding the cause for comfort eating, or use the power of suggestion on the subconscious to create positive change. Not sure I'd be into this, I don't think I have emotional food issues, but I think it would be helpful if I did.
Massage and Reflexology- A great way to get the toxins stored in the muscles released and get fresh oxygenated blood flowing freely to all areas again, Joshi recommends hot stone massages. Reflexology is a type of foot massage where parts of the body are mapped on the foot. Massaging a particular area on the foot can help with circulatory problems, digestive disorders, migraine, sinus and hormonal imbalances. When we lived in China I had a therapeutic massage (pummeling) every week. It was brilliant and really loosened me up so I would happily do this again.
Yoga and Pilates- Joshi explains that these wonderful exercises concentrate on the entire body and cleanse it of stress and toxins through increasing suppleness and strength. Yoga assumes that our bodies need to have all of the muscles and organs moved around to free them of toxins. There are lots of different types of yoga, some which hold stretches for several minutes each, some which are dynamic, constantly moving and some which are purely breathing exercises, it is good to try a few different types to find one which suits you. Pilates helps to strengthen core muscles and lengthen limbs. These two can be used together. Personally, I love Yoga, I have tried lots of different types and prefer those where the pose is held for a couple of minutes. The more of this I can do the happier I am.
Joshi also mentions Meditation and Visualisation but I will go into that in depth another day....
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Day 33-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 2 slices of gluten and yeast free bread with avocado, salt and pepper and a sliced boiled egg. Green tea.
Morning snack: 1 soy latte with 2 tsp sugar.
Lunch: Chicken parmigiana with vegetables (carrot, eggplant, zucchini, onion and tomato- mostly just ate the carrot) and thick chips.
Afternoon snack: Another soy latte with 2 tsp sugar.
Dinner: Grilled salmon with vegetables (broccoli, snow peas, cauliflower, orange, yellow and purple carrot).
After dinner snack: Lemon and ginger tea with honey, about 20 almonds.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: About 90 minutes of brisk walking, pushing a tricycle..often uphill...
Sleep: About 9 hours, woke up once.
Overdid it a bit on the coffee today, but I had lunch with friends and we took the kids for a play in the park after so I just kinda got swept up in the enjoyment of both conversation and coffee. The obvious issue with this is not just the caffeine, but the sugar. Must not have so much in future. Lunch was also slightly unhealthy, but not very large and I shared it with my daughter, she is quite happy eating most vegetables thankfully.
Everything else about today was great, and I'm especially happy to have had such a good walk. It was a near thing, I almost decided to take the car because we were running a bit late but I'm glad we walked instead, it was a beautiful sunny day and I feel happily tired as a result, so I will probably sleep quite well tonight.
Joshi has a chapter devoted to Complimentary Therapies, designed to get your body to respond to the Holistic Detox more quickly or efficiently. I am certainly interested enough to look into some of these and I am happy to find that I am already using some of them:
Acupuncture- The ancient Chinese technique of inserting very thin needles under the skin to effect certain points or organs within the body and harmonise the flow of qi (energy) which will encourage the body to heal itself. I have had acupuncture in the past and felt a slight tingle as the needle was moved into position, but it certainly didn't hurt. I would be happy to try this again to see if I can give my 'fatty liver' a helping hand.
Allergy Elimination- Joshi says that most common food allergies are to wheat, gluten and dairy, but there are a number of different methods to test for and treat food allergies. He recommends the Nambudripad allergy elimination technique (NAET) which uses kinesiology to test for functional imbalances and then acupressure to treat them. This sounds really interesting and I would certainly give this a go, I might see if there is anyone in my local area who might provide this test.
Food Intolerance Elimination- It works along the same guidelines as allergy elimination but the intolerance could be due to chemicals used in the production of food rather than the food itself or it could be a sensitivity to a particular food which has developed as a result of overconsumption. Take this food out of your diet completely and then reintroduce it carefully.
Endomology: An intensive massage type procedure performed by a machine. It uses a system of rollers and can help to shift fat in stubborn areas and improve lymphatic draining through a suction device. Recommended for 35-40 minutes, twice a week for 5 weeks. I just Googled this and found that it is available at a number of places in Melbourne, but the least expensive place is $100 per session. Would totally give this a go if I had a spare $1000 kicking around.
There are others that I will list tomorrow...
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 2 slices of gluten and yeast free bread with avocado, salt and pepper and a sliced boiled egg. Green tea.
Morning snack: 1 soy latte with 2 tsp sugar.
Lunch: Chicken parmigiana with vegetables (carrot, eggplant, zucchini, onion and tomato- mostly just ate the carrot) and thick chips.
Afternoon snack: Another soy latte with 2 tsp sugar.
Dinner: Grilled salmon with vegetables (broccoli, snow peas, cauliflower, orange, yellow and purple carrot).
After dinner snack: Lemon and ginger tea with honey, about 20 almonds.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: About 90 minutes of brisk walking, pushing a tricycle..often uphill...
Sleep: About 9 hours, woke up once.
Overdid it a bit on the coffee today, but I had lunch with friends and we took the kids for a play in the park after so I just kinda got swept up in the enjoyment of both conversation and coffee. The obvious issue with this is not just the caffeine, but the sugar. Must not have so much in future. Lunch was also slightly unhealthy, but not very large and I shared it with my daughter, she is quite happy eating most vegetables thankfully.
Everything else about today was great, and I'm especially happy to have had such a good walk. It was a near thing, I almost decided to take the car because we were running a bit late but I'm glad we walked instead, it was a beautiful sunny day and I feel happily tired as a result, so I will probably sleep quite well tonight.
Joshi has a chapter devoted to Complimentary Therapies, designed to get your body to respond to the Holistic Detox more quickly or efficiently. I am certainly interested enough to look into some of these and I am happy to find that I am already using some of them:
Acupuncture- The ancient Chinese technique of inserting very thin needles under the skin to effect certain points or organs within the body and harmonise the flow of qi (energy) which will encourage the body to heal itself. I have had acupuncture in the past and felt a slight tingle as the needle was moved into position, but it certainly didn't hurt. I would be happy to try this again to see if I can give my 'fatty liver' a helping hand.
Allergy Elimination- Joshi says that most common food allergies are to wheat, gluten and dairy, but there are a number of different methods to test for and treat food allergies. He recommends the Nambudripad allergy elimination technique (NAET) which uses kinesiology to test for functional imbalances and then acupressure to treat them. This sounds really interesting and I would certainly give this a go, I might see if there is anyone in my local area who might provide this test.
Food Intolerance Elimination- It works along the same guidelines as allergy elimination but the intolerance could be due to chemicals used in the production of food rather than the food itself or it could be a sensitivity to a particular food which has developed as a result of overconsumption. Take this food out of your diet completely and then reintroduce it carefully.
Endomology: An intensive massage type procedure performed by a machine. It uses a system of rollers and can help to shift fat in stubborn areas and improve lymphatic draining through a suction device. Recommended for 35-40 minutes, twice a week for 5 weeks. I just Googled this and found that it is available at a number of places in Melbourne, but the least expensive place is $100 per session. Would totally give this a go if I had a spare $1000 kicking around.
There are others that I will list tomorrow...
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Day 32-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, banana and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: A cup of black tea with a dash of milk, 1/2 a chocolate biscuit.
Lunch: 2 nori rolls (teriyaki chicken, spicy prawn), 1 steamed dim sim, 1/2 a yakitori stick.
Afternoon snack: Carrot sticks.
Dinner: Chicken Laksa (Ayam brand laksa paste and coconut milk, vegetable stock, broccoli, snow peas, cauliflower, carrot, coriander, bean sprouts, sliced chicken)
After dinner snack:Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: not really.
Sleep: About 8 hours, woke up once.
Not much to write about today, but a quick recommendation, when I looked through the labels on all of the Laksa Pastes and Coconuts milks, creams, etc, the AYAM brand was the only one with no additives, worth looking for.
I'm very tired today, not really sure why, but I was woken in the middle of a dream this morning and that always seems to bode ill for my energy levels for the day. As a result I'm not going to write much tonight, I'm going to heat up a couple of wheat bags, pop a glass of water on the bedside table, curl up with a good book and try to do a bit of meditation before I fall asleep!
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, banana and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: A cup of black tea with a dash of milk, 1/2 a chocolate biscuit.
Lunch: 2 nori rolls (teriyaki chicken, spicy prawn), 1 steamed dim sim, 1/2 a yakitori stick.
Afternoon snack: Carrot sticks.
Dinner: Chicken Laksa (Ayam brand laksa paste and coconut milk, vegetable stock, broccoli, snow peas, cauliflower, carrot, coriander, bean sprouts, sliced chicken)
After dinner snack:Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: not really.
Sleep: About 8 hours, woke up once.
Not much to write about today, but a quick recommendation, when I looked through the labels on all of the Laksa Pastes and Coconuts milks, creams, etc, the AYAM brand was the only one with no additives, worth looking for.
I'm very tired today, not really sure why, but I was woken in the middle of a dream this morning and that always seems to bode ill for my energy levels for the day. As a result I'm not going to write much tonight, I'm going to heat up a couple of wheat bags, pop a glass of water on the bedside table, curl up with a good book and try to do a bit of meditation before I fall asleep!
Monday, 24 June 2013
Day 31-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, honey and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: About 20 almonds, a small glass of carrot and beetroot juice.
Lunch: Miso soup with rice vermicelli and an omelette.
Afternoon snack: A soy latte with 2 tsp sugar and a small piece of cherry coconut slice.
Dinner: Grilled chicken with broccoli and Joshi's parsnip and beet fry (see below).
After dinner snack: Another small piece of cherry coconut slice, lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 3 hours of gardening (digging, weeding, sweeping, etc).
Sleep: About 7 hours, woke up once.
Had a great day today, everything seemed to flow smoothly and go to plan, which is lovely. Mainly spent the day in the garden with my daughter, she was helping me using her little broom to sweep and her little spade to re-plant and dig with me. We were weeding and she turned to me and said with a 2 year-old's wisdom, "This is really hard work Mum!". But we had fun and it is good to see the results.
I had a pretty decent day diet-wise too, except of course for the obviously non-detox coffee and cherry slice. I really wanted a coffee and have found that switching from cow's milk to soy milk when I order a coffee isn't really a problem, I mean it tastes different, but it's not unpleasant and you get used to it. The cherry slice came free with the coffee, so I couldn't really turn it down, could I?
I finally used my juicer!! Yay! I was disappointed when I realised (I had not thought to check before) that the plug was a Chinese plug and wouldn't fit an Australian socket, but since we lived in China a few years ago, I was lucky enough to still have an adaptor kicking around, so I could use it. The juicer works well, the vegetable juice is...well, interesting. I'm glad it's good for me. Next time I'll add ginger and maybe mint...
Also tried another winning recipe of Joshi's tonight for dinner- Parsnip and Beet Fry, here is the recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 medium beet, unpeeled.
- 1 medium parsnip, peeled and grated.
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp shallots (spring onion) chopped finely
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme, crumbled (I used fresh thyme)
- fresh thyme sprigs
- (I also crumbled some sheep/goat's feta over the top, yummo!!)
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180C/350F, place beet in a baking tray and bake for an hour until tender.
Fry the shallots in oil, when golden add grated parsnip and dried thyme.
Remove beet from the oven. Allow to cool then peel and grate into the same pan as the parsnip and shallots.
Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme sprigs and serve.
This was a really delicious and simple side-dish, though to be honest, I am not sure why the beet needs to be roasted and then grated and fried, I'm sure it would be fine to just peel and grate it raw before frying it. Either way you end up with a lovely purple hand.
Next time I would probably add another parsnip to the mix and I also added some feta because feta and beetroot are best friends, it was perfect.
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, honey and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: About 20 almonds, a small glass of carrot and beetroot juice.
Lunch: Miso soup with rice vermicelli and an omelette.
Afternoon snack: A soy latte with 2 tsp sugar and a small piece of cherry coconut slice.
Dinner: Grilled chicken with broccoli and Joshi's parsnip and beet fry (see below).
After dinner snack: Another small piece of cherry coconut slice, lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 3 hours of gardening (digging, weeding, sweeping, etc).
Sleep: About 7 hours, woke up once.
Had a great day today, everything seemed to flow smoothly and go to plan, which is lovely. Mainly spent the day in the garden with my daughter, she was helping me using her little broom to sweep and her little spade to re-plant and dig with me. We were weeding and she turned to me and said with a 2 year-old's wisdom, "This is really hard work Mum!". But we had fun and it is good to see the results.
I had a pretty decent day diet-wise too, except of course for the obviously non-detox coffee and cherry slice. I really wanted a coffee and have found that switching from cow's milk to soy milk when I order a coffee isn't really a problem, I mean it tastes different, but it's not unpleasant and you get used to it. The cherry slice came free with the coffee, so I couldn't really turn it down, could I?
I finally used my juicer!! Yay! I was disappointed when I realised (I had not thought to check before) that the plug was a Chinese plug and wouldn't fit an Australian socket, but since we lived in China a few years ago, I was lucky enough to still have an adaptor kicking around, so I could use it. The juicer works well, the vegetable juice is...well, interesting. I'm glad it's good for me. Next time I'll add ginger and maybe mint...
Also tried another winning recipe of Joshi's tonight for dinner- Parsnip and Beet Fry, here is the recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 medium beet, unpeeled.
- 1 medium parsnip, peeled and grated.
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp shallots (spring onion) chopped finely
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme, crumbled (I used fresh thyme)
- fresh thyme sprigs
- (I also crumbled some sheep/goat's feta over the top, yummo!!)
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180C/350F, place beet in a baking tray and bake for an hour until tender.
Fry the shallots in oil, when golden add grated parsnip and dried thyme.
Remove beet from the oven. Allow to cool then peel and grate into the same pan as the parsnip and shallots.
Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme sprigs and serve.
This was a really delicious and simple side-dish, though to be honest, I am not sure why the beet needs to be roasted and then grated and fried, I'm sure it would be fine to just peel and grate it raw before frying it. Either way you end up with a lovely purple hand.
Next time I would probably add another parsnip to the mix and I also added some feta because feta and beetroot are best friends, it was perfect.
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Day 30-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 1 slice of Pharoah toast with avocado, salt and pepper and a poached egg. Green tea.
Morning snack: About 20 almonds.
Lunch: Joshi's chicken curry (recipe below), brown rice with toasted slivered almonds, grated carrot and green beans, 1/2 a piece of fresh garlic naan bread. About 100mls of soft drink.
Afternoon snack: Not necessary.
Dinner: Vegetable stir-fry (orange, purple and yellow carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, spring onion, garlic, ginger) with fried tofu (with lemon juice, salt, chilli and garlic), vermacelli noodles and about a tablespoon of Rogan Josh paste.
After dinner snack: Lemon and Ginger tea with a teaspoon of honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: About 2 hours of gardening and housework.
Sleep: About 8 hours, woke up twice.
I feel much better about my diet today, far healthier, except the naan bread & soft drink. I'm going to have to get back on the Detox far more than I have been, but I'm on track generally. I have bought a different bread, Pharoah bread, very nice, not sure if it is gluten free, but it's certainly much nicer that gluten free bread.
Just looked it up, pharoah is NOT gluten-free but I've found a great website to tell me which grains are from the Whole Grains Council.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it but Joshi has a stack of really great recipes at the back of his book and I've decided to try out quite a few of them this week.
This is the recipe for the chicken curry we had for lunch. It was the first time I have made a curry from scratch and it was delicious, will definitely be trying this one again:
INGREDIENTS (for 4 servings):
- 8 chicken thighs (skinned)
- 1 cup of soya yoghurt (can't find this so used normal plain bio yoghurt)
- 1 tsp ground ginger (I used fresh)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup of vegetable oil (I used about 1/3 of a cup and that was too much)
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground almonds
- 1 tbsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground mace
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 cup of soy milk
- 1/4 tsp saffron
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice
- (I also added 2 tsp salt)
METHOD:
Marinate chicken, yoghurt, ginger, turmeric and garlic for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Fry onions in oil until golden, remove from the pan and set aside.
Fry ground coriander, cumin, almonds, coconut, nutmeg and mace over low heat for 3 mins.
Add these spices and the onions to a blender and blend until the mixture forms a paste, I added water and oil.
Transfer the mixture back to the pan and add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, stir until combined and remove from the pan.
Add more oil and cook the chicken in the pan, turning until browned, about 20 minutes.
Put the spice paste over the chicken and then pour the remaining yoghurt marinade mixture over the top.
Add warm water and simmer for another 20 minutes.
In a small saucepan warm the soy milk and add the saffron. When warmed through add this to the pan.
Cook until desired consistency and serve. YUM!!!
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: 1 slice of Pharoah toast with avocado, salt and pepper and a poached egg. Green tea.
Morning snack: About 20 almonds.
Lunch: Joshi's chicken curry (recipe below), brown rice with toasted slivered almonds, grated carrot and green beans, 1/2 a piece of fresh garlic naan bread. About 100mls of soft drink.
Afternoon snack: Not necessary.
Dinner: Vegetable stir-fry (orange, purple and yellow carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, spring onion, garlic, ginger) with fried tofu (with lemon juice, salt, chilli and garlic), vermacelli noodles and about a tablespoon of Rogan Josh paste.
After dinner snack: Lemon and Ginger tea with a teaspoon of honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: About 2 hours of gardening and housework.
Sleep: About 8 hours, woke up twice.
I feel much better about my diet today, far healthier, except the naan bread & soft drink. I'm going to have to get back on the Detox far more than I have been, but I'm on track generally. I have bought a different bread, Pharoah bread, very nice, not sure if it is gluten free, but it's certainly much nicer that gluten free bread.
Just looked it up, pharoah is NOT gluten-free but I've found a great website to tell me which grains are from the Whole Grains Council.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it but Joshi has a stack of really great recipes at the back of his book and I've decided to try out quite a few of them this week.
This is the recipe for the chicken curry we had for lunch. It was the first time I have made a curry from scratch and it was delicious, will definitely be trying this one again:
INGREDIENTS (for 4 servings):
- 8 chicken thighs (skinned)
- 1 cup of soya yoghurt (can't find this so used normal plain bio yoghurt)
- 1 tsp ground ginger (I used fresh)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup of vegetable oil (I used about 1/3 of a cup and that was too much)
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground almonds
- 1 tbsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground mace
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 cup of soy milk
- 1/4 tsp saffron
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice
- (I also added 2 tsp salt)
METHOD:
Marinate chicken, yoghurt, ginger, turmeric and garlic for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Fry onions in oil until golden, remove from the pan and set aside.
Fry ground coriander, cumin, almonds, coconut, nutmeg and mace over low heat for 3 mins.
Add these spices and the onions to a blender and blend until the mixture forms a paste, I added water and oil.
Transfer the mixture back to the pan and add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, stir until combined and remove from the pan.
Add more oil and cook the chicken in the pan, turning until browned, about 20 minutes.
Put the spice paste over the chicken and then pour the remaining yoghurt marinade mixture over the top.
Add warm water and simmer for another 20 minutes.
In a small saucepan warm the soy milk and add the saffron. When warmed through add this to the pan.
Cook until desired consistency and serve. YUM!!!
Day 29-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, honey and rice milk.
Morning snack: Peppermint tea.
Lunch: 1 chicken satay stick without sauce :(
Afternoon snack: Half a muesli bar.
Dinner: 3 slices of pizza.
After dinner snack: 2 dark chocolate tim tams, 2 glasses of red wine.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 40 minutes of Vinyasa Yoga, 20 more minutes of shoveling rock.
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat free muesli with psyllium husks, lecithin, honey and rice milk.
Morning snack: Peppermint tea.
Lunch: 1 chicken satay stick without sauce :(
Afternoon snack: Half a muesli bar.
Dinner: 3 slices of pizza.
After dinner snack: 2 dark chocolate tim tams, 2 glasses of red wine.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: 40 minutes of Vinyasa Yoga, 20 more minutes of shoveling rock.
Sleep: About 7 hours, woke up once.
Wow, what can I say about today? Woke up early enough to do some yoga before anyone else was awake, which is always good. I was running around from one place to another shopping for 3 hours, then we had to drive and collect the 2nd load of rocks from the city. My lower back is slightly sore but not a bad workout again today. My brother came to stay the night, I had a brilliant Indian feast planned using one of the recipes at the back of Joshi's book, but we got stuck in traffic and got back from the city far too late to start cooking curries and dhals. So we got a couple of pizzas...
I was fairly restrained (though it may not look it) when it came to the alcohol and chocolate biscuits, I had 2 glasses and 2 biscuits. My brother and husband finished the rest of the packet and 4 and a half bottles between them!
So, not a good Detox day, and considering it is the end of week 4, I resolve to do much better from now on as I have gained 2 kilos back!!! Arrrgh! So I am back up to 101kg, all other detox related health matters seem fine, though I am sure that I am not getting enough vitamins. Must try that juicer...
To finish off, here are the other health issues that Joshi offers holistic advice on:
Skin Conditions: DUE TO: a number of things cause different conditions- menopause, hormone imbalances, iron deficiency, liver congestion, stress, alcohol, sugar, acidic food, chemicals...the list goes on. TRY TO: basically stick to the detox diet as much as possible, include more dark leafy greens in your diet as they contain sulphur which helps your liver to purify the blood, try yoga and meditate to reduce stress, avoid skin creams, hair products, perfumes, use natural/biodegradable detergents.
Tiredness and Lethargy: DUE TO: Stress, poor diet, consuming alcohol, sleep deprivation, a generally sedentary lifestyle. TRY TO: Cut foods from your diet that are difficult to digest or contain lethargy-causing chemicals (dairy, red meat, refined sugars, alcohol, bread, biscuits, cakes and chocolate), drink more water, exercise more, try to get enough sleep.
Constipation: This was interesting- Joshi said that people are more constipated that they realise and that only one bowel movement a day is not enough. If your body is working efficiently, you should have three or four a day! To achieve this, you are supposed to make sure you drink a lot of water, eat fibrous foods (vegetables, salads, gluten free cereals) and avoid foods that stick to the walls of your digestive system, (red meat, dairy and products containing gluten).
Indigestion: DUE TO: Eating too much or too quickly, meat, dairy, alcohol and fruit, increased acidity within the gut, foods that produce too much gas, a blockage of dry foods or it could be something more serious. TRY TO: Slow down, chew your food a lot, eat less food more often, avoid foods that seem to trigger indigestion.
Heartburn: Stomach acids irritating the valve that closes between the stomach and the oesophagus to when digesting food, causing it to open and acid to come into the wind pipe. TRY TO: Avoid spicy food, sugary foods, dairy, beer, fermented foods, red meat, fried food. Taking too many painkillers can also cause heartburn.
Insomnia: DUE TO: Stress, anxiety, eating late at night, alcohol, coffee, tea. TRY TO: Avoid stimulants and alcohol, exercise more, do yoga, and meditate, read before bed, write down concerns so as not to take them to bed, try camomile tea, and in extreme cases herbal supplements such as valerian or rhodiola will help to calm.
Mood swings: DUE TO: Chemical imbalances TRY TO: Avoid alcohol, sugars, caffeine and processed foods which contain preservatives and chemical additives.
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