If you're like me, you grew up in a hotbed of white flour. I'm not hatin' on my Italian Ma and her tasty spaghetti, or anyone else who cooks with and/or loves the white stuff, I'm just sayin' if you have it in your DNA, it's hard to expel it.
I love the angel dust of cooking. Whether it's bread, pasta, muffins, cakes, cookies, whatever. If it's made with white flour, I'll love it. Problem is, white flour carries a whole baggage of ills that we're all pretty familiar with by now. Everything from the fact that it's simply devoid of any whole grain goodness, to the fact that some flour has chemicals in it to bleach out the natural colour, it's all bad news. It's linked to a naughty list of diseases, everything from constipation to fatigue to diabetes and cancer, and it just generally makes regular folk experiences spikes in moods, energy, and mojo. So yeah, it's tasty, but c'mon.
No surprise that the detox forces you to remove white flour from your diet. And after the detox is over, don't bring it back. I've turfed the stuff from my cupboard altogether. If there's a recipe I'm making that needs it, I'll find another recipe. Because I crave the stuff and it gets into my blood, man, I can't have it just sometimes. It's gone forever.
What you can have on the detox are quinoa, millet and buckwheat. There are a host of sites that trumpet the benefits of these quick-exit grains (some of which aren't true grains at all), so read up and experiment with these babies if you haven't already. I've been avoiding all grains for the first week of the program, but last night we had soba (buckwheat) noodles with homemade marinara (did I mention I'm Italian and it's hard to purge this stuff from your blood?!). It congealed and looked awful but tasted not bad. Wouldn't make it again, but will keep messing around with the noodles to see what we all like.
After the detox is over, I would recommend experimenting with introducing other whole grains back into your diet. Pay attention to what they do to your energy/mood/bowels and stay away from packaged/processed breads from the grocery store. Yes, some have whole grains, but a lot also have other shite, like sulphites, that gets mixed in there. And if you bake, remember that whole wheat is not necessarily the same as whole grain. It's work, y'all, but your bod will thank you.
I'm off to spend almost a whole freakin' day at the cancer clinic - four appointments in all, including injection time this afternoon. And tonight, it's all about the eggplant.
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ReplyDeleteIt was a tasty dinner tonight, but sure misses me bit'o'toast.
ReplyDeleteThis month-long thing can feel like an ordeal, but it's all a matter of perspective. I found in the past when being in the midst of a cleansing diet I would focus on what I couldn't have and was bummed out. I learned that it's about the opportunity to explore the different types of food that I might not normally try...
Stuff like kale, collard greens, fricking juicing and different ethnic styles that lend themselves to vegetarian and raw. Jumping out of the rut of what I've always had and assumed that is part of a meal is kind of cool --reminds me of my mis-spent yoot.
Doing this is akin to when you travel in a foriegn country. I dig that thrill of experiencing things out of my comfort zone and getting the chance to look at the world thru a different lens.
Kind of invigorating.
-Pete
Just came across this:
ReplyDeleteA month to adopt a habit
Geez..........I learn something from you, Carissa, EVERY time I read one of your posts. You are inspirational, you rock, you are real, honest to god, the real thing. Love ya girlfriend!
ReplyDeleteI love your post, Pete; and the article was very interesting. Let's focus on what we CAN have, not what we can't have. You two are soooo matched for each other. Did Carissa ever tell you I was worried that she'd never find anyone.............well, she waited, and waited, and I waited and waited, and turns out she finally found her prince. You do her good..........thank YOU.
Let's go everyone............get juicing, get healthy, throw that shit out we've been eating for years and GET ON WITH LIFE! xo
Once you get these white flour devils out of your body you still have to pass by them on the way to the cashier! I walk as fast as I can, clutching my greens trying to think bad thoughts about the bakers who are working just behind the bake room door. Being a marketing type person I also realize more and more how the store is designed so that you HAVE to pass all those smells before you leave. The veggie area is usually worked by cranky guys who have never heard of half the veggies you are looking for and really could care less - where do they find these people?
ReplyDeleteJ-Bird, you're the picture of health, so I covet whatever you're doing.
ReplyDeleteDitto on the spelt and agave, and I'm a fan of dates or prunes for sweetening, too. Did lots of experimental baking in the summer and some with pretty decent results. Something for after the detox:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/raspberry-scones