Day One

Yesterday was day one.

And it was awesome! As G said last night while we were saying our evening blessing, "If this is day one, I am so excited for day 60, day 90..."

L (and V) have an incredible amount of openness. And one amazing kitchen! This is really going to be so fun. I spent 11 hours at their house, and I am surprised I have a voice today with the amount of talking I did yesterday, but I also did a lot of listening. I listened to L's Lyme story, and how difficult a diagnosis it was to come by, what a draining (and frustrating and painful) diagnostic process it was, and how inconclusive it all still is in some ways.

One aspect of L's current diet that really has me concerned is her aspartame and sugar consumption. She is a woman who loves her diet cokes. I found an interesting doctor online who has devoted herself to raising public awareness about aspartame poisoning and the diet industry's (successful) 20+ year attempt to keep the truth about artificial sweeteners out of common knowledge for profit's sake. Anyone who consumes diet soda or has loved ones that consume diet soda - make sure you/they know the potential side effects of a toxic aspartame build-up: http://www.sweetpoison.com/ . I find it interesting that all of L's primary symptoms (parasthesia of the extremities, numbness of the hands and feet and therefore mobility restrictions) are all listed on the website as commonly-experienced side-effects of aspartame poisoning as well as Lyme Disease is the fourth from the top on a list entitled "aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses". And if she really does have Lyme, her level of sugar consumption is basically fueling the Lyme pathogen to accumulate and wreak havoc in her central nervous system (bacteria needs acid to grow).

L and I went to Whole Foods and went aisle by aisle - she'd show me things she would normally reach for (breads, sweets, and cheese are L's favorite food groups), and I introduced her to some alternatives. It is important for anyone undergoing radical dietary changes to understand the distinction between substitutes versus alternatives. If you have mentally set yourself up for a direct substitute of what you're used to, you're going to be disappointed. If you think of it as an experiment into alternatives, you enter with openness and a spirit of adventure and willingness. You, on a molecular level, set yourself up for a positive change. Another related aspect that I think is very important to understand is the experience of deprivation and the work that must be done to not let it take hold in the early days of navigating a transition this epic. Especially when we are trying to set up a healing environment in L's body - we need to remember that that necessitates a healing environment in her mind and spirit also. Feeling deprived is counter intuitive to the entire purpose. This can't be a cold-turkey, radical, all-or-nothing approach - my strategy is incremental, progressive, and radically open and neutral with no judgment, and no lectures or sermons, and an eye on the process and the big picture always.

And we had so much fun! It was lovely to not only catch up with L on a personal level, but infuse her with my zest for this food and lifestyle. It was easy! When V got home from work, I made a stew that is yummy, hearty, and savory, and V polished off 2 bowls faster than you can say holyveganglutenfreebatman. And L thought it was delicious, and commented on how filling it was (*update - this filled her up for the entire night and she didn't eat until the next day). This stew is easy and satisfying, and has loads of soluble fiber (lentils, quinoa, carrots, etc), and as soluble fiber lengthens the stomach emptying time so that sugar is released and absorbed slower, it is going to be important for L as I can feel a sugar withdrawal on the horizon and I want her to feel full for awhile because she'll be less inclined to reach for a sugary cheat-treat.

Lentils are a clarifying food (boosting kidney function, etc.) according to Paul Pitchford, and quinoa is one of the highest calcium and protein contents out of the whole grains (and totally gluten-free, of course!), making this the perfect meal to sit down around with L and V as the rain was falling outside and the Giants were winning the world series (party down, San Franciscans!) on day one:

Quinoa Red Lentil Stew________________________________________________________________

· 1T olive oil

· 1 med-large onion, diced

· 2 celery stalks, chopped

· 3 carrots, chopped

· 3 garlic cloves, minced

· 5c total liquid (H2O, veg broth, etc.)

· 1c red lentils, sorted and rinsed

· 1/2c quinoa, rinsed for 2 minutes

· 1t basil, dried

· 1t oregano, dried

· 1t sea salt

· 1t cumin

· 1t black pepper

· 2t salsa (or if you actually have real tomatoes use 1)

· 1/2t cilantro, dried, or 1/4c loose fresh

· 2T apple cider vinegar

· Method: In a large stockpot on medium heat sauté onions in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and spices and stir. Turn heat up to medium-high and add the water (or equal), lentils and quinoa. Stir. Cover. Bring to a boil and lower the heat. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. With an immersion blender (or in 1/2 batches, carefully), puree only 1/2 of the soup. This step isn't necessary, but blends everything nicely (highly recommended). Turn off the heat and let it chill. Finally, add the salsa (or equal), cilantro and apple cider vinegar. Stir and serve.

From http://eatpeacepleaserecipes.blogspot.com/2007/02/quinoa-red-lentil-stew.html

My adaptations for Day One: I served this stew hot, not cold, and instead of salsa I used a 1/2 a tomato since they have an aversion to spicy (and used less black pepper), and I pureed slightly more than half. I'm going to stay away from acid and nightshade vegetables completely, but that's eventual, we're not there yet, and this was a great way to introduce L and V to quinoa and the garlic/salt/pepper/basil/oregano/cumin seasoning combination that works so great with many of the grains and vegetables that are the staples of eating this way.

Still to come on the blog this week:

• I'm going to talk about Paul Pitchford and the Eastern/Asian system of spiritual nutrition involving thinking of food in terms of elements, polarities (hot versus cold, wet versus dry, etc.), and vibration and how this is going to correlate with and be implemented into what L is eating, given her uniqueness and symptomology.
• Indian food recipes....vegan/sprouted/gluten-free style! A delight of flavors and vegetables for the palette. G & J and I ate a gorgeous Indian-inspired spread that J prepared last night, and I am committed to reproducing something similar (a little dialed down on the spice) for L & V, as they traditionally don't like spicy or super-seasoned food, and I want to introduce them to some flavors and seasonings that will open up their palette a bit.
• Some tips for those trying to incorporate more plants and less animals/dairy in your diet - easy alternatives for the transition and products you should know about.

I am so grateful to Be. Here. Now.

JRW