Tag Archives: water

Fasting, not Cleansing

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You see, I’m a faster. I do fasts once or twice a year as I see fit.

I don’t cleanse, or that is to say I haven’t put myself onto a cleanse yet. They fascinate me, and I value the.. flushing they do, but my reasoning for not doing a cleanse rather than a fast is because I eat healthy and try to keep myself fairly free of toxicity in the first place, all year long, for life…

But fasting is a different bird, in a way.

Fasting for me isn’t about physically cleaning my system, though it does more or less force my system to tap into any resource my body has available to it.

Fasting is about mental strength for me. Fasting makes me release the desire of hunger from my mind. Fasting forces me to walk down the path or street (because it’s important to stay a bit active) and repeatedly tell myself that the strength I require to continue walking comes from my mind first and foremost. Fasting encourages me to be aware of every ounce of energy that my body uses, which also encourages me to be very aware of how I am spending the energy that my body does have. It’s kind of the same feeling one gets when they start a long hike; the feeling of pacing yourself.

Another thing that makes me appreciate fasting, is it encourages me to fully recognize every ounce of anything I’m consuming as a human in my day to day: from paper to garbage to heating the house. I like being aware of this. These are important things to me.

I feel, in the end, being aware of all of these things makes me a stronger human. This inner dialog that would otherwise sit dormant is entirely necessary for exercising the mind.

Have you ever fasted, or taken on a cleanse? Do you feel the same as I do? What is important for you to focus on while fasting? And also, are there any tricks, rituals or special practices you do for yourself while on the fast, like find meditation multiple times a day?

I’m very interested to hear.

Oh, and today is day two of a five day fast. 🙂

Carrot And Yam Soup

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The carrot and yam soup is a delicious number on account of the strong flavor of the yams. Not only is it delicious, but it warms you to the soul!

What you’ll need (feeds 1):

  • 2 large yams
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1/3 cup barley
  • 1/2 cup split lentils
  • 3 slices onions
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • oregano
  • paprika
  • ginger
  • nutmeg
  • chili powder
  • bay leaf
  • salt/pepper
  • spoon of butter

To start, get about 4 cups of water boiling (depending on the size you’re planning on making).

Peel the yams, and chop them up into cubes to get them cooked as quick as possible. Put them into the boiling water.

Then wash and dice the carrots, as well as the garlic and onions. Put those into the frying pan, with a spoon of butter and fry them to bring out some flavor. You know its ready when the onions have turned a clearer color.

When these are done, put them into the boiling yams and add the split lentils and the barley.

Add all the spices you want, I went heavy on the ginger, salt, pepper, and oregano. The chili powder and the paprika added a nice flavor. I find that in soups, all the spices become less dominant, so don’t be afraid to put a lot in.

Let this boil for about 15 minutes so all the flavors mix and the split lentils and the barley cook properly.

When this is done, stick it into the blender, and blend it up! I usually have to do it in about 2 or three portions, for the soup tends to be thick and it doesn’t fully mix in the blend. Don’t forget to take out the bay leaf though!

Put it back on the oven and put it on low heat (simmer) for about another 10 minutes. Stir it constantly and keep it covered so splattering doesn’t occur.

yam&carrotSoup-4

Tomato Paste Sauce

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tomato pasteThis is a recipe that I have perfected after many mild alterations throughout the years.

What you’ll need:

  • Tomato paste 100% pure (3 small cans is enough for 2)
  • Black Olives
  • Basil
  • Oregano
  • Cinnamon
  • Tarragon
  • Pepper
  • Ground Nutmeg
  • Cumin
  • Cloves

First, get the paste in a pot. Put this on heat that just gets it bubbling a little bit. To much bubbling and you’ll get burning on the bottom of the pot, and splashing over the top which makes a mess on your oven top.

I use one of the now empty can’s to fill about half way with water, and stir in a bit of water at a time. Don’t put to much water in or it will make the sauce to liquid, but ensure you keep adding some over time, as it is required to make it a little less thick.

Add all the spices, be light on the cumin and wait on the cinnamon. Don’t be afraid to be extra heavy on the oregano and basil. That’s what its supposed to have! I love adding black olives too. It just makes it amazing! I would also suggest some fried garlic if you so feel inclined to prepare a bit.

Only add 1 (or 2 if the dish is big or you want big flavor) cloves. They are strong.

Stir it constantly as it simmers. Make the rest of your meal at this point, let the sauce simmer for the whole time.

Near the end, add a bit of cinnamon, this, I find, is my secret spice and makes this tomato sauce extra special with a bit of signature to it!

chicken speghetti 03_0

Cliff Bars

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I am a fan of energy bars. There are some out there that simply do not agree with my stomach, like Vector, but there are some that work, like Clif Bars.

clif_0The folks at Clif are environmentalists wanting to make a difference. Directly from their webpage I shall quote: That’s why we’re working to understand our impacts from the field to our final product, and helping to create healthier, more sustainable communities in the following ways:

  • Sourcing organic ingredients and supporting organic agriculture
  • Engaging the people who grow, make, package, transport, and eat our food
  • Partnering and collaborating with innovative people and organizations
  • Encouraging hands-on volunteer service

clif-bar-logo

In the thick and thin of things, every company that’s smart will boast that their product is organic, hands down, which is a good thing. Having an organic meal is second to none. Clif bar packages are stamped with a 70% organic emblem. What makes me like Clif Bars so much, is that they do indeed fill me up with one bar. I find with other bars I have to always eat at least two, and I don’t like to eat two.

The ingredients of their Clif bar are (which will vary slightly depending on the bar: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisp [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Barley Malt Extract, Calcium Carbonate], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Rolled Oats, Dried Apricots (Apricots, Evaporated Cane Juice, Rice Flour, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, ClifCrunch® (Organic Oat Fiber, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Bran, Psyllium), Organic Dried Apples, Organic Date Paste, Organic Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Salt, Colored With Annatto.

My favorite right now is the chocolate mint or the chocolate almond fudge.

I highly suggest you take one for a test meal. They are a great meal on the go, and they cost $1.25~$2.00 in Canada which means you won’t be breaking the budget compared to a cafe where you’ll be paying ~$10 for a meal.

If you’re going on an outdoor adventure, these are a great small item to bring for your meals, but never forget the water!

However, I have been finding that staying on a steady diet of these over a month tends to make my stomach a little bit upset, mostly just making loud noises. You might want to try changing it up with other nutritious bars available out there, or more solid forms of food that aren’t processed like apples, bananas, oranges, etc.. Your local health store, or even supermarket will have an isle full of them!

EnergyBars

Remember, eat right!

All In A Day

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Healthy eating is the place to start when you’re looking for a new lifestyle, a new you, or even exercising the best you into a daily routine. So ask yourself, what are staples that you eat every day, and how can you introduce a more healthy collection of foods into your eating habits. A lot of people find that the word ‘diet’ refers to you something that fat people need to do, or uber health conscience people do, but really, what you eat IS your diet. That’s just the plain truth. First thing to think about is the three meals of the day. What do eat? For me, it’s an easy choice.

Breakfast

My breakfasts consist of fruits, oats, flax seeds, and almond milk, all blended together and poured into a full beer mug, and gulped down in a few quick minutes.

Breakfast-Keeps-You-FitNow, I’ve gone through quite the different milk selections, from dairy milk, to soy milk, to rice milk and finally on to almond milk. This is a choice I’ve made because of the calcium. Look on the boxes and you’ll see the content of each. Just take a few minutes at the grocer and look at the content and ingredients of each.

newtons_breakfastThe rest is an easy, bananas, apples, oranges, cherries, melon, watermelon, and blueberries, fruits that are very healthy. For a few years now, I’ve eliminated dairy from the diet, so this means no eggs in the morning, or cheese on those scrambled eggs, or cereal with milk, or.. well, you get the point, this eliminates a lot of things from the menu.

American_lunchOn to lunch.

This is kind of a free for all. But, really think about the traditional meals. Sandwiches, wraps, tuna bowls, well really, put anything into the mix and you have a good lunch. But, what I think really matters, is that you are eating a dish that doesn’t consist of grease, fats, or salts. You most definitely want to avoid the fast food chains like McDonalds, Arby’s, etc. These kind of places will suck you into their fries, or their milkshakes, or their pop. Bad news.

lunchbag

Really good ideas are:

  • A cold cut sandwich with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, meat, mayo and mustard is one of my faves.
  • A salad of many varieties.
  • Energy bars like Nature Valley, or Clif bars (which are my favorite) are a good choice for lunch, and quick.
  • Wraps with left over roast, or chicken salad stuffed in
  • A bowl of tuna (I eat it just the tuna, but mayo and lettuce is a good addition too)
  • Fry up a some chicken with yams

family-dinner

Dinner

A lot of rumors are out there that you need a lot of proteins to stay alive. These rumors come from the producers of protein shakes and supplements as a propaganda machine, in my honest opinion.

That being said, you still need to get yourself some healthy meat into your body for consumption. I recommend a ranch where they sell range roaming, grass and grain fed, hormone free, and healthy cattle for you to eat.

This ensures that you’re not eating meat that’s been brutalized and lives in a cubicle for its whole life, being fattened with hormones and steroids, and eating pesticide rich grass. It’s very important to purchase good meat.

To go with your meat, make sure you mix up your dishes. I find it really helpful to learn a few key recipes, that you can use frequently and fall back on when you’re in a rush or just want to get it done. This way it’s not such a daunting task to get out the cookbook, buy the spices and ingredients, and the carefully care and attend to the meal.

But if you do want to try something new, you can see some of our recipes.

dinner

I’m a cook that likes to be creative in the kitchen. A must have staple for me is to keep at least a dozen different spices to use that I instantly recognize the flavour of. It’s easy to experiment with this kind of stuff, so have fun!

The idea though, is that you are eating healthy dishes. I find that if I eat enough main dish, with maybe sticking an avocado or a carrot in there on the side, I get all the food in my belly to make me feel like I’ve eaten to much, and don’t want or require any junk food or rich desserts.

I always feel like I’m killing my body when I eat the kind of crap that comes in wrappers, so for me it’s always been easy to eat healthy. A policy that I’ve started is that I don’t buy things that come in plastic or metal wrapping. This means no .99c cans of soup, no chocolate bars, chips, gummy bears, etc. but, naturally, I am not an uncompromising human being, and I do have cravings for some chocolate once and a while, in which case I’ll go to the bulk section and stock up with some chocolate covered almonds! Yum.

I have also compromised on chips, I do occasionally buy myself some nachos and salsa and eat those. I usually find when that happens, I get to full to eat a dinner, so it’s a substitute, which isn’t a good thing.

I find it really helpful to buy snacks that are going to be healthy choices, and not even have the option between candy or healthy in the house. I buy snacks like apples, bananas, or bulk trail mix, instead of Lays BBQ chips, or Mr. Big chocolate bars. Hopefully this will give you some inspiration on how to start focusing on your diet.

Remember, water is key, and a glass of wine never hurt anyone!

winedinner

 

Health

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healthHealth is the single most important factor that keeps humans, and all animals, alive. Strong, healthy, long lives are what most humans strive for, if it’s not, hopefully these pages will help you make it a goal!

Health comes in many forms and ideals. Millions, if not billions of government dollars are spent a year creating and sustaining health systems that keep citizens living long and comfortably. Some people might relate health with health care facilities like the hospital, nurses and clinics for all intents and purposes, but it really comes down to a personal effort which sustains you in the long run. Going on drugs to help combat depression, stress and anxiety are not your answer. These drugs are just a temporary relief of a much much bigger problem that the sufferer needs to combat with all of their might to give themselves a sustainable, healthy life.

200534351-001Pills are not the answer. Development of health comes from exercising, eating healthy, and always being conscious of what is around you and how it is affecting your whole body. Most health experts will tell you that if you listen to your own body it will tell you when it’s in bad health, alerting you that it is now the time to change for the better to give your body a sustainable level of healthy benefits!

how-does-stress-affect-health01Things like the ecosystem and environment, positivity of your thoughts, and eating properly grown and prepared food all counts towards the goal of seeking health. In these pages we will give you tips and tricks, and open your mind to new ways of achieving a healthy lifestyle some of you may have already known, or provide development to your current health conditions.

stethascope

Some foods that we’ll focus on are blends, clif energy bars, and vitamin B5, and many recipes can be found in that section of the website, like the Chicken Balsetta.
Also, what does it mean to eat right, and what are proper eating habits that help ensure that a body is fed the right nutrients, and tricks to ensure it’s sustained!
We will discuss our opinion on dairy products, and stress the importance of water for the body, and explain the hazards of pesticides humans face in their every day eating.
Of course, like any healthy lifestyle, all of this needs to be absorbed into what we feel is all in a day, to sustain a healthy life, and live as long as possible!