Day 35-37 - Sickness/Stomach flu

Aarrgghhhhhh!!

What a crazy few days I have had.

It basically began with me waking up at 3am and vomitting. And then not feeling well for a few days after that. I havn't even thought about the Earth Diet. I had pretty much just slept... slept... puked... slept... drank water... slept... puked... cry. haha

I havn't eaten any food except yesterday (day 37) I had some dry crackers.. I know it's not Earth food but I didn't really care at that point, it was something I was taught growing up when you have a queesy stomach.. helps settle you down. I also drank Gatorade to try and get my fluids back to normal.

Now that I'm beginning to feel slightly better, I'm asking myself a few questions...

If when you are nausaus and have a stomach bug... what can you eat to help your tummy that is Earth food? Growing up my mum taught me to have some dry crackers (took me a couple of days to actually be able to do that though)

By doing a quick look on the internet it is telling me to... rest (check), drink fluids (check), and as for food... everything I'm reading so far is telling me to eat dry crackers (check) or bananas. So, on The Earth Diet it seems that bananas are the way to go... however, to be honest, when I was feeling the way I was feeling the idea of eating anything like bananas made me want to barf. As I said, it took awhile to get to the point to eat and keep down dry crackers... bananas to me seems like a different ball game.

For the first time (I write this on day 38), I actually have an appetite again... but I'm afraid to eat! And I feel so turned off food. Especially salmon and salad and fruit! They were the last things I ate before I had my barf fest.

Ugh I hate this.

I want to continue with the Earth Diet but my stomach feels so jumbled it feels like it wouldn't keep it down right now.

I'm sure I just have to keep recovering and getting better... and before you know it I will be right back on the wagon and doing well again.

Liana and Sarah, maybe you could shed some light on this? Have you ever had a stomach bug when on The Earth Diet, and if you did, what foods did you eat (and could keep down) that helped you?

Day 30-34 - I'm alive!!!

Hey everybody!!!

Wow!!! It's been 5 days since I last wrote. I am so sorry. When I started this blog I had committed that I would write daily. It's been crazy busy for me here (as I'm sure it is for you guys also, it being the christmas season and all!)

As you know I'm moving back to Australia in less than two weeks. There has been so much to organize and do. Over the weekend a good friend of ours also arranged an engagement party for us! It was so sweet of them and we had the most amazing time. Sadly, that night was when we had to say good bye to a few people because we won't be able to see them before we leave. Leaving Canada gives us bitter-sweet feelings. I'm so excited to go home and see my friends and family (it's been a year and a half), and to enjoy summer!!!! Summer in Canada was incredible but nothing like an Australian summer. I think the hottest day we had was about 23 degrees celcius here! (Good thing we went to Cuba to soak up some hot sun). I'm also incredibly sad to leave Canada because I have made some great friends here (who I will see again, ofcourse!), and I absolutely love my job. Also, Canada is such a beautiful country. Everytime we go for road trips, or simply a walk around the city, I'm constantly amazed at the beauty of Canada.

Here are some photos I took in Canada! :)

How amazing is the Earth! How beauitufl is Canada? The pictures of the blue water (Lake Louise), you'd be surprised to hear that I took that in SUMMER. And in the background you can still see snow! How crazy is that? The water is sooo blue because it is glacier water! Beautiful!

Anyways... how have I been on the Earth diet for the past 5 days? Alot has happened and it feels like a million years ago. It's been an emotional 5 days. I broke down in the office of my chiropractor. My back is at it's worst right now, and he has strongly advised that when I go home to have a blood test done to see if there is anything else going on. I'm determined to see my back and neck be pain-free! I will do the blood test and see if there are any vitamin deficiencies, and I plan to continue eating pain-fighting foods... weekly massages... spinal adjustments... stretching and strength training. It's just a process that I am beginning to be frusrated by.

I've also had really good days... I've been feeling so alive and healthy. As of Christmas I will no longer have my juicer... for a whole week.. until I go home. My mum got me a juicer for christmas :) So I'm wondering how I will go in that week after christmas, leading up to our depature. Most of our house hold belongings will be gone. And we won't have a bed anymore... or a couch... or lamps... or pots and pans... or tv... or... anything. Except for a blow up mattress. Should be interesting!

I must confess... on the day of our engagement party I did not eat earth foods! I had a burger... and cheese... and lots of finger food. The next day I definitly felt bloated and slightly sick! (Or it could have been because I was hungover!)

This post is about a new commitment to my health and a commitment to The Earth Diet. I expect there may be some more ups and downs until we settle in Australia, we will be crazy busy from now until probably the first week of being back home. I will do my best to write everyday. And I promise that I commit to the Earth Diet and I will endeavour to try my hardest. I love the way I feel on this, and the way I look! And I'm not going to give up.

One more thing! On Sunday one of my friends Shari and her husband Mike offered to shoot us some engagement photos. She is such a talented photographer, if you ever would like to use her services check out Shari and Mike photography. They are based in Vancouver but would pretty much travel anywhere. Here are a couple of photos she has already given us (more to come!) Thank you Shari !

Day 29- Honey and coconut baths

So, I'm still feeling pretty shitty! My body is exhausted, I'm in pain and to top all of that off a few stressful things have happened in regards to moving home to Australia.

But that is okay!! Because everything will work itself out. Everything is going to be okay. That's the way life is. Life always has it's ups and downs but in the end it eventually levels out.

We can always help the situation though by looking after ourselves. After a long, hard, achy day I ran myself a nice hot bath. There is nothing better than that when it's raining outside, your bones are cold, you have a headache and everything feels a little too much to handle.

To help the bath be the best possible bath ever I added a few ingredients that I love to cook with.

Raw organic honey

and...

Organic Coconut Oil

It smelt delicious and felt delicious on my body. The water had a sleek oil feel to it. I could feel my skin loving it and soaking it up. As well as my hair! I felt rejuvenated, relaxed and a calmer presence. I often use Coconut oil on my skin and hair (I'll write about this at a later date!)... it was however the first time I used it in the bath. And honey, I went on a whim with that one! I've only ever ate it but I figured it couldn't be bad for me. Apparently raw honey helps to relieve pain, calm the nerves and acts as in anti-inflammatory. There are many many other benefits, that at a later date I'll write about, but these three are what stuck out to me. Perhaps because that is what I needed at the time.

When I got out of the bath my skin was soft, smooth and silky. My hair feels oily (from the coconut oil) and I left it in over night, so that when I washed it out the next day my hair was soft and shiny and healthy.

I felt delicous!

My Day:

Breakfast- Celery/Carrot/Ginger/Apple/Orange/Banana/Rasberry/Flaxseed smoothy

Lunch- Leftovers from last night... Beef, quinoa, vegies etc

Dinner- I felt so out of it and ill that I didn't have dinner. I forced myself to at least have a carrot/celery/apple juice.

Snacks- I drank lemon water all day, apples

Day 28- Detox

"The best way to detoxify is to stop putting toxic things into the body and depend upon it's own mechanisms."

- Andrew Weil -

I think my body is going through the detox process again. I thought that after the first week I was fine, but I have been feeling like toxins and ick has been coming out of my body. Physically I feel AWFUL. But, emotionally/spiritually I'm feeling incredible. This is a necessary process! This is only going to make me feel BETTER. Healthier. Stronger!

I've been very tired (cannot stop sleeping!), my muscles and body ache, I have headaches and stomach cramps. My skin had a small breakout! At first I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. But after doing some reading on the internet I realize that this is all part of the process. I am getting cleaner on the inside.

I'm feeling positive and I'm feeling alive (except physically haha).

If anyone out there is beginning the Earth Diet or are in the midst of it... don't be discouraged when moments like this happen! It's all part of the cleansing process. Keep yourself hydrated and stay positive. Your body is getting healthier! Sometimes it just hurts to do that!

It reminds me of a drug addict. I think of this because I WORK with drug addicts and see this over and over again. When a person decides to clean themselves up... the process is BRUTAL. Absolutely brutal for the person. They vomit, sweat, feel anxious, feel like death. Temptations are everywhere. They are fighting within themselves! But it's part of the process to a new healthier person.

Processed and chemical foods are like drugs. It's addictive and it does no good for our body. When you first eat it, it makes you FEEL GOOD... but you're left craving more. You don't even realize how dependant you are on the food until you try to stop eating it.

Be encouraged, don't give up.

My day:

Breakfast- Carrot/Celery/Ginger/Apple juice

Lunch- Honey chicken and lime spinach, yams

Dinner- Beef, mixed vegetables, quinoa. I made a marinate using orange juice, ginger, onion, garlic, red pepper.

Snacks- Mandarins, spinach, I've been drinking lemon water all day

Day 27- Fake food vs Real Food

For the past 27 days I am constantly amazed when I think about the foods I used to eat. Particularly when I think about how often I would eat McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys, Whitespot, KFC etc. I am amazed at how often people eat this food without even thinking about a) what it actually is and b) what it is doing to our bodies.

Before I stumbled across The Earth Diet... to be honest.. I never thought much about the effects that processed foods and chemically driven foods can do to our body. I never thought much about how food is actually to nourish our bodies. How does fake food such as Mcdonalds nourish us? It doesn't.

I want to share this video with you... Please watch it! Be amazed!

When I watched this I honestly didn't know what to say. I've heard before about how poeple have kept cheeseburgers and it has never moulded. But what really stuck out to me was when she compared a french fry from mcdonalds to a potato fry that she cut from real fresh food.

Honestly... What is it that they are putting in these foods????? How could people watch this.. or even movies like Supersize Me... and not question what it is the food industy is encouraging us to put into our bodies!?

When I was a regular Mcdonald's customer... I loved it! Don't get me wrong. They put some sort of chemical in their food which causes our taste buds to go wild. The sad thing is, it dampens our taste buds to how great healthy and real foods taste! I never enjoyed vegetables, it tasted bland. But now, everything feels so alive in my mouth and I love it.

I feel like I could rant about this for days... and I will probably talk about this again... But for now I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Much love x

My day:

Breakfast- Banana/mango/carrot/celery/berries/apple/flaxseed smoothy

Lunch- Mandarins, berries, almonds

Dinner- Lime salad and sesame chicken (third night in a row! It's that good!)

Snacks- frozen mango, frozen berries

Day 26- Choices

"Choosing to live your life by your own choice is the greatest freedom you will ever have."

- Dr. Shad Helmstetter -

Today I made a choice. It was a small choice. But in the choice I felt empowered and I felt a freedom. I have discovered that when you make a choice for yourself out of the heat of the moment, when you are not fighting your will, you feel free and you don't feel guilty for that choice.

Tonight Dustin and I went to the movies to see New Years Eve. It wasn't the greatest of all movies, so if you want to save your money maybe wait until it comes out on TV. So, normally when I go to the cinemas I purchase fountain diet-coke and a big bag of maltesers. It has pretty much been a tradition of mine since I was a little girl. The tradition started when my dad picked me up from my after-school activity and he told me that instead of going home he was taking me to the movies! We went to see Beethoven and I remember that we were the only ones in the cinema! I was so excited that my dad surprised me with this movie, and it was just him and I! My brother and sister weren't invited! I felt so special. But the best part of it was when he brought me a big bag of Maltesers. I was so amazed because it was before dinner haha. Pretty much since that moment, I always buy Maltesers when I go to the movies.

As I was saying... it was in the afternoon when we thought we'd go to the movies that night. I didn't feel like chocolate. I felt strong in my will. There were no particular cravings for sugar. I would have been semi-happy with mandarins. But I made a decision that that evening I would treat myself to Maltesers. I decided that once in a while it's okay to treat myself like this. I definitly do not want to make it a habit. But I feel like because I made this choice without any pressure, without cravings... I was able to enjoy that bag of Maltesers, and I was able to stop at that and have no more. I think if I had decided that when I was grumpy, negative and craving sugar I would have felt guilty... defeated... a failure.

Instead, I feel empowered in my choices. I feel strong. I have no regrets. And I'm happy.

My Day:

Breakfast- Pineapple, apple, mango, berries, banana, flaxseed smoothy

Lunch- Mandarins, Yam fries

Dinner- Lime Salad and Sesame chicken! (again! It is so delicious!!!)

Snacks- Berries, mandarins, maltesers

Day 25- Discovery

"But I'm an adventurer. I like invention, I like discovery."

- Karlheinz Stockhausen-

Tonight Dustin and I discovered a new recipe. What I love about the Earth Diet is that there are so many food combinations that I had never even thought possible. I feel like because I have cut out processed foods, my taste buds are able to discover new flavours and combinations that come from fresh food.

I'm discovering that on the Earth Diet I am enjoying foods that I once did not like. I used to not like mushrooms, celery, brocolli, beans- and now I enjoy it all !

I want to share this incredible meal that Dustin and I had tonight! We found the recipe on The Earth Diet website. The photo I am providing is also from the website. So full credit to them! And I strongly encourage you try some of their other recipes too! So far each thing we have cooked from this page has been amazing!!!!

Lime Salad with Sesame Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients:
-Baby spinach
-Lime
-Free range organic chicken
-Garlic
-Fresh or dried rosemary
-Honey
-Olive oil
-Sesame seeds

Action:
1. Put baby spinach in two bowls and squeeze lime juice all over it!
2. Cut garlic into small chunks, cut chicken into cubes
3. Heat pan with olive oil, add garlic, fry for one minute
4. Add chicken and cook until it has just turned white then add a couple tablespoons of honey and fresh rosemary. Use as much or little as you like depending on taste.
5. Cook chicken until ready then serve over baby spinach
6. While the juices of that are drizzling over the salad, toss sesame seeds for a couple minutes in the pan and then serve on top!

If you have any great meal ideas, please share! I'd love to try some of your favourite recipes!

Love to you all. x

My day:

Breakfast- Ginger/Carrot/Celery/Apple/Banana smoothy

Lunch- Poached eggs, avocado

Dinner- Lime Salad with Sesame Chicken

Snacks- mandarins, frozen mango, frozen berries

Day 24- Sick

Today I had a sick day and didn't go to work. I spent most of my time either sleeping, talking on skype or eating. 

This will be a short one, but I just want to share my experience after having a carrot, celery, ginger and orange juice. Pretty much immediately after drinking it I felt like I had a big power punch to my immune system. No joke. I stumbled into the kitchen, made my juice, and as I was drinking it I felt the juice literally fight off any sickness that was in my body. I felt 75% better than I did before I drank the juice. 

I still opted to spend my day in bed though! haha. But anyone who knows me know that I love sleeping. 

So keep in mind, when you are feeling sick, remember that foods have the ability to heal your body! 

My Day:

Breakfast- Carrot/Celery/Ginger/Orange juice

Lunch- Poached eggs, sauteed veggies, potatoes

Dinner- Carrot/Celery/Orange/Ginger juice, green beans

Snacks- Carrot/Celery/Apple juice ! 

Day 23- Creativity

"Creativity comes from looking for the unexpected and stepping outside your own experience."

-Masaru Ibuka-

As I continue on the Earth Diet I am learning that it does not have to be boring or bland. I think a lot of people have perceptions of what eating from the earth would look like. That it is tasteless, that you're limited and that you cannot have fun in the kitchen.


I hope that this post will inspire people to try The Earth Diet and to know that it's more than just eating raw carrots and having extra fruit in your diet. That there are so many recipes and food combinations for you to try. Before I started this I had no idea that I could make chocolate mousse using ingredients such as avocado and cacao powder! 


I've been doing a lot of research on the internet, particularly about eating raw foods. There is so much variety!!! We just have to take the time to learn how to make it all. 


I often mention a cafe that I go to regularly. Gorilla Food. I love it! The vibe in the cafe is amazing, the people are friendly, and they have so much variety of food and drinks to eat. It inspires me to know that I could make this myself! That our food does not have to ever get boring! That we do not need to eat processed foods to be able to have a good time. That there is more flavour and taste and texture in Earth Foods! 


I'm only new to all of this, there is so much for me to learn. But I have to not be afraid to try. As soon as I am home in Australia I plan to buy a dehydrator. There are so many amazing recipes using a dehydrator! And the best thing is, when you use the dehydrator you keep all your nutrients! So everything that you eat will provide and nourish your body. I love it!


At Gorilla Food there is something that I love to eat there. It's called a Pesto Pizza. I desperately want to learn how to make this! I want to point out this food and to share with you what ingredients are in it. To maybe inspire you to also be creative and to want to learn how to make all these wonderful food combinations! Pesto Pizza tastes amazing. 


Ok here is the description for the base/crust of the pizza:
Dehydrated, wheat-free and gluten-free sprouted sunflower seed, buckwheat and carrot, flax seeds crust. 


And the topping:
Topped with a savoury sun-dried tomato sauce and a smothering of aromatic hempseed basil pesto, generously sprinkled with a walnut "cheez" crumble and fresh tomato slices.




Yum !!!!!!!!! It is SO good!!! I just wish they would give me the recipe !!! haha! 


So enjoy being creative and learning! Don't ever think that this lifestyle will be boring! 






My day:


Breakfast- Carrot/Celery/Apple/Ginger juice


Lunch- chicken and asparagus


Dinner- Pesto Pizza and Chocolate Hempseed pie (guess where from!?)


Snacks- Bananas, apples

Day 22- Deadly donuts!

Stomach cramps

Pimple break out

Sluggish

Puffy face

Tired looking face

No glow to my face

Gassy

Itchy

Fatigued

All because I caved in and ate one donut.

I'm actually quite excited by how I'm feeling. I'm kinda thankful that I had a donut this evening. Because now it makes me realise just how bad processed foods are for my body! I feel terrible! Next time I look at a donut it isn't going to look appetising anymore. I'm going to remind myself of how I felt immediately after I ate it. It didn't even taste that good! 

Here are some videos that Liana and Sarah Mae posted when they also had a day of eating processed foods. It is amazing to see that it is the same sort of effects!!! 

And, if like me, you crave the occasional donut maybe you should check out The Earth Diet donut! It's found on The Earth Diet website. Perhaps I should listen to my own advice and learn how to make it!

My day:

Breakfast- Poached eggs, tomato, avocado

Lunch- Celery, carrot, banana, strawberry, pineapple, apple, flaxseed smoothy

Dinner- Chicken, asparagus

Snacks- bananas, mandarins.. and a Tim Hortons donut!!! ugh!

Day 21- Weakness

"Growth begins when we begin to accept our own weakness."

- Jean Vanier - 

I really don't want to have to write this post. I have been stalling for it all evening. For the past 21 days I have been doing so well. I have felt so strong within myself, I have felt energetic and great. I have felt like I would never want to not eat foods from The Earth. 

Today has been the most difficult day. It was excruciating. Painful. I felt so weak and so human (ha! I am human). All I wanted was a cheeseburger and an ice cold Diet coke. 

At work we had a Team Day. Which meant we were locked (okay not literally locked), we MET in a booked room in the community centre. We spent the whole day together, planning and doing team building exercises. And on the table in the room, our manager provided us with snacks and drinks! There were cases of soft drink... including Diet Coke... chocolate muffins, pastries and other sugary snacks. Oh, and tiny minuscule apples. I brought with me almonds and mandarins, but it was SO painful being able to stare at Diet Coke ALL DAY. And to have people offer me one! And to watch people drink it! If you are new to reading this blog, you can read about my Diet coke addiction here.  

Finally lunch time arrived. It was catered. The food choices were sandwiches, veggies with ranch dip and fruit. Longingly I looked at those sandwiches! And watching everybody devour them. I opted for the veggie with no dip. But it was one of those pre-packaged party veggie/dip mixes. The carrots aren't the best, the broccoli was limp. But I forced it down. And I had a big bowl of fruit. The fruit was definitely not organic and definitely filled with pesticides. By the end of the day my lips were stinging and itchy and cracking!!! UNBELIEVABLE! This makes me want to do some research on the effects that pesticide ridden fruit can have on your body (or lips in my case). 

By the end of the day I was starving and headachey. All my co-workers were going out for beers and I decided to join them. I wasn't in the mood to drink so I stuck with water (all the while desiring Diet Coke!), I was having fun until everybody decided they were hungry. That's when the plates full of burgers arrived! My goodness! No joke, with the way I was feeling I almost burst into tears. 

I then left and caught the bus home. On my way home I begin to text message Dustin telling him that tonight we were having cheeseburgers. I also mentioned in the text message "F%#@ The Earth Diet" (very ashamed to admit this). He wrote back "WTF". And then he said "I'm not letting that happen". When I was walking home from the bus stop we spoke on the phone, I was almost in tears.. I felt so weak (physically and emotionally), headachey, and complacent. He told me under no circumstances we were going to have McDonald's. I wanted to punch him in the bloody face. 

Eventually, I make it home and ran myself a hot bath. Dustin arrives home and cooks me dinner (Earth Diet friendly, awww), he then hands me a Kit Kat (oh-oh). He told me that he loves me so much, that I had gone 21 days without processed foods, that I was doing fantastic, that he was proud of me for getting through the day and that he felt that I deserved a Kit Kat. As he handed it to me he said that this does not mean I'm allowed to go out and buy more, and that my next Kit Kat I will have to wait for another month! He is so sweet! There was a part of me that didn't want to take the Kit Kat because I survived the day... but it was just so sweet with everything that he said to me. I ate the Kit Kat and entered heavenly goodness. I broke the Earth Diet!!! 

Guys, I promise you, no more Kit Kats for awhile. I'm going to try not to feel bad about this. Tomorrow is a new day. 

If anyone has any encouragement or advice for me I would love to hear from you.

Love you all and good night x

PS.. I should probably mention that a big lesson I learnt is to be more prepared when I know I'll be in situation like this. But how do I fight the temptation!? The last thing I wanted was more fruit (granted, it was pesticide ridden and resulted in sore lips) and raw veg. 

My Day:

Breakfast- Celery/Carrot/Orange/Apple juice

Lunch- Raw mixed veg, pineapples, melon, kiwi fruit, mandarin

Dinner- Chicken, asparagus, potato

Snacks- Kit Kat, almonds, mandarins

Day 20- Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

"Homicide is 0.8% of deaths. Diet-related disease is over 60%. 

But no one fucking talks about it."

- Jamie Oliver - 

Quite a few months ago I watched this video on You Tube. It impacted me in such a strong way that I often go back to it. I would love for you to watch it! It's Jamie Oliver, a celebrity chef, who has a vision (or did before he was kicked out of the States) for changing the school lunches in American schools. 

It goes for 22 minutes but it's well worth it!

Enjoy! 

My Day:


Breakfast-  Carrot/Celery/orange juice

Lunch-  Almonds

Dinner- Poached eggs, sauteed peppers/mushroom/garlic/onion/tomato, avocado

Snacks- Almonds, banana smoothy, baby mandarins

Day 19 - Carrot Juice

If you would like to see some carrots singing and dancing about how great they are then watch this hahaha

Okay so, I have noticed that my body has been craving carrot juice! What is so good about carrot juice? I don't particularly enjoy the taste of it! Obviously my body is trying to tell me that it needs it. 

• Carrot juice is a rich source of Vitamin A. 
• Carrot juice helps improve eye sight! Apparently it can help with our night vision and for our eyes to adjust in dim light. Right now I have to use glasses when I'm reading... will carrots improve my vision!? Only time will tell! 
• Prevents and treats cancer, such as lung cancer. 
• Helps regulate and controls blood sugar. 
• Helps your body to fight fatigue and stress. 
• It is anti-inflammatory ! Also, carrots help to treat cuts and wounds (who would have thought)
• A home remedy to diarrhoea.
• Helps with problems with itchy and dry skin! As it got colder here in Canada my legs became sooo itchy and dry. I've noticed they are back to their smooth self again! 
• Helps with dandruff. 
• Helps with coughing!
• For breastfeeding women, it improves the quality and quantity of breast milk. 

And for all the ladies, what are the beauty benefits of carrot juice???

• As I mentioned earlier, it helps with dry skin! My legs are beautifully silky and smooth. 
• Strengthens hair skin and nails
• People have reported that from drinking carrot juice they notice a glow in their complexion.

I still find it so amazing to all the benefits that different foods can do for our bodies! I love that a good beauty regimen isn't necessarily about what you put on your body but what you put in your body! I love that I can eat all these fruits and vegetables and know that not only is it satisfying my hunger, but that they are also fighting disease and giving me more vitality and energy! It makes me want to stay away from empty foods such as Mc Donalds or sugar. Sure, Mc Donald's may fill you up, but that's all it does. Fills you up and fattens you out. It gives us no benefits what so ever. Why would I want to waste my meal time and calories on foods like that? I just want to feed my body with nutrient dense foods!

So bottoms up, drink up your carrot juice! 

My Day:

Breakfast: Poached eggs, tomatoes. Carrot/celery/apple juice. Yeh!

Lunch: banana/mango/pineapple/apple smoothy

Dinner: Salad, Pesto Pizza from Gorilla Food- my favourite raw vegan organic cafe! Chocolate hempseed pie

Snacks: Banana/mango/pineapple/apple smoothy

Exercise: Walking

Day 18- Pain fighting food

I've had chronic back and neck pain for 14 years of my life. I have been to doctors, chiropractors, physiotherapists, myotherapists, masseuses; to name a few. Most of the time it is to just relieve me of the symptoms. I get treatment about once a week. I have scoliosis and scheurmann's disease, as well as spurs and wear and tear from whiplash. Lots of fun! I often wake up with headaches, and generally towards the end of the day I struggle to breathe because the pain is so bad. But I have learnt to live with it and generally try to ignore it.

Leading up to doing The Earth Diet I decided I want to take control of my pain. I understand that alot of it is due to structural problems in my spine, and as a result it effects my muscles. But I had began to wonder if food would be able to help relieve pain and have an anti-inflammatory effect. So I did research, I wrote down all the foods to avoid and all the foods that help with pain and pinned it on my kitchen cupboards. I then pretty much ignored it (as all the foods to avoid were my favourite foods). Now that I'm doing the Earth Diet I want to take this more seriously. And maybe someone out there has chronic pain, and that could be beneficial for you. I will try to focus on these different foods and report to you all on how I feel. I also plan to buy Betonite Clay (you can buy it on The Earth Diet website).. I read reports on the internet that it helps with problems such as pain (the doctor tells me I have scar tissue along my spine so I wonder if it will help rid the scar tissue?). Anyways, no point ordering that until I get back to Australia!

Foods to AVOID!!!! (pretty much everything you can't have on The Earth Diet)

• Sugar
• Cooking oils (except for virgin olive oil, coconut oil etc)
• Trans Fats... fried food, fast food, baked good, margarine etc
• Milk
• Non-organic meat
• Not to have red meat daily
• Alcohol
• White bread, white flour... 
• Aspartame (Diet Coke!!)
• MSG

Pain- fighting food Excuse me if I repeat myself, I have two pages worth of lists here...

• Peppers
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Garlic
• Green beans
• Green onions/ Spring onions
• Sweet potatoes
• Turnip greens
• Apples
• Avocados
• Blueberries
• Pineapple
• Guava
• Kiwifruit
• Lemons
• Limes
• Mulberries
• Oranges
• Papaya
• Rasberries
• Strawberries
• Basil
• Chilli Peppers
• cinnamon
• Cloves
• Cacao
• Mint
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Tumeric
• Almonds
• Linseed
• Hazelnuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Walnuts
• Fish- all different kinds
• Green tea
• Water
• Avocado Oil
• Olive Oil
• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Grapefruit
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Brazil nuts
• Eggs
• Flaxseed
• Hemp seeds
• Pecans
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Spinach
• Grapes
• Apricots
• Nectarines
• Papaya
• Plums
• Tangerines
• Watermelon

Woah. That's a lot of different foods I can have. I have already incorporated a lot of these into my diet, but I think I need to begin to be more specific about what I'm eating if I want to see my pain decrease. 

My Day:


Breakfast: Poached eggs, tomatoes

Lunch: Potato chips (made them myself), Banana/mango/pineapple/apple smoothy

Dinner: Smoothy

Snacks: none

Day 17- Changes

"Always remember that the future comes one day at a time"

- Dean Acheson -

We got our visa!! Dustin's visa to live permanently in Australia has been approved. We are moving back at the end of the year, I'm so excited... and nervous. 


Because today is such an exciting day for us I thought I would share the changes I have found in my body and mind since I've started on The Earth Diet.

• The complexion in my face has changed considerably. I'm looking brighter and smoother. The pores in my face are smaller and less obvious. 
• I have more energy! I used to come home from work and need a nap. Now, I come home and I'm full of energy. 
• I have lost weight. I havn't weighed or measured myself, but I can see it and feel it. I had to buy new jeans because my other jeans were falling off me! 
• I'm less bloated! My stomach is flatter and more toned looking. 
• I am more regular in the bathroom... must be all the fibre! 
• I feel more positive and excited about life. 
• I am feeling more focussed on the present. I am someone who is generally looking ahead. Nothing wrong with that, but you can often forget to focus on the now. I feel like I am better able to see the "now". 
• More patient! At the beginning of the Earth Diet I lacked patience. You can read about that here: Day 2, Patience
• Less afraid of the kitchen. I've never been one to cook. It kinda freaks me out I feel a bit lost in the kitchen. But since being in the Earth Diet I'm more excited about trying to make meals... and I even found out I'm pretty good! ;)
• I finally mastered being able to make chocolate balls! Before I started the earth diet I tried a few times to make chocolate balls and failed miserably. I feel like I have finally got a grip on it. Today at work, a client and I made chocolate hazelnut balls! Tasted like Nutella! It was so satisfying to be able to create that. 
• Less cravings for sugar. 
• Feeling more satisfied when I eat. 

I'll continue to update you on my journey! 

My day:

Breakfast: Celery and carrot juice

Lunch: Sprouts, avocado, tomato, lettuce leaves.  Chocolate hempseed pie. 

Dinner: Quinoa, lentils, cauliflower, beans, snow peas, red pepper, onion, garlic

Snacks: Chocolate hazelnut balls, bananas, apples, plums

Day 16- Meat

I love meat. I'm a meat eater. I've grown up in a family who every night would have steak, lamb chops and everything else. It's an abnormal idea to eat a meal and not have any meat in it whatsoever. And when you do, you almost feel like your meal wasn't complete.

My friends would always laugh at me with the way I eat chicken. Or lamb chops. I'm known to be a bone sucker. The fleshy meat is just not enough for me. I will suck on that bone until it is completely dry. I would sit there forever just sucking out that marrow inside the bone. When everyone else had already left the table, you'd find me still sitting there, still sucking, with a big pile of bones beside me.

When I first met Dustin's family (a year ago), over Thanksgiving dinner, you should have seen my eyes when I saw the size of the turkey! It was huge! My first thanksgiving. You would not believe the excitement I felt that was growing inside of me. Just thinking about sucking on those bones were causing me to get high. Dustin knew my love of bone sucking, and he placed the biggest wing on my plate. It took up 3/4 of the plate! Wow! I'd be sucking on that thing forever.

And then, to my disappointment... His grandma TOOK THE WING OFF MY PLATE and remarks "Ohhh! You don't want that! That's not the tastiest bit"... and she replaced it with white meat. No bones. Just the flesh. I was so disappointed. But I couldn't say anything because I had just met her.

Actually, now come to think of it... It was probably a good idea that happened! Imagine meeting your future in-laws for the first time and you're sitting there with a pile of bones just sucking away....

Now that you have more of an understanding to just how much I love my meat, let me share with you what has been happening with my body since being on The Earth Diet. It feels like my body has been rejecting all the meat I have been consuming. Firstly, I'm going to be honest here. I don't think I have been 100% with the Earth Diet in that the meat I am eating, it's not the best meat for me. It isn't organic. It's from the supermarket.

I feel like my desire for meat is decreasing. I'm wanting it less. It dosen't feel as satisfying. After I've eaten the meat I feel a little sickly. I don't think I'm going down the path of becoming a vegeterian, but I'm starting to think that maybe my body doesn't need meat everyday. Maybe the media and other sources have just fed our brains with the idea that meat is an important part of our diet. I know that meat is a source of protein, and protein is important in any diet. But there ARE other sources of protein. And the sources are much cleaner and healthier for you. Such as nuts, beans, lentils, legumes.

I'm trying to change my eating patterns. We have made a couple of meals now where we havn't used meat. I think this is going to be a slow transition for me. And our budget. I want to buy organic meat, but it is so expensive.

I've decided I need to incorporate beans and lentils into my diet more. That way I can eat less meat, but still be having a source of proten. Yesterday I brought organic lentils... The only thing is, I have no idea how to cook it or how to incorporate it into a meal so that it's delicious! Any ideas or help would be so appreciated. Thank-you. :)

My day:

Breakfast: Celery/Carrot juice

Lunch: Pistachios, grapes, plums

Dinner: Chicken .. wings. urg.

Snacks: Cashews, Apple Pear (It looks like an apple, feels like an apple, but the texture inside is like that of a Pear. It's an asian fruit)

Exercise: Sleep ;) 

Day 15- Nuts about nuts.

Today I had alot of questions. I've realized that I've been eating quite a few nuts. Back in the day I was afraid to eat too many nuts because it's a high calorie food. But I'm finding different nuts to be more of a comfort food for me in the past 2 weeks. Without my normal daily Kit-Kat, I have found I missed that 'crunch' feeling and that 'fatty taste'. Nuts have been a good compromise. It consist of healthy fats... nuts are from the earth... So is it possible to eat too much of them?

My mission is to lose some weight. Already in the first two weeks I have noticed big changes. I havn't weighed or measured myself yet, but I can feel it in the way my clothes fit. In fact, I even brought a T-shirt yesterday that was a size XS ! A year ago I was a size M.

So if I need to lose weight, should I be watching what I eat... even if it's healthy? Is eating too many nuts unhealthy? Should I still be counting my calories? Or will my body just naturally sort itself out on it's own if I'm only consuming earth food?

The thing that I love about the Earth Diet is I havn't had to stress about if I'm eating too much. I can eat as much as I want. But has my perspective been wrong? I know when it comes to veggies I can eat as much as I want because it's a low calorie food. But what about the earth foods that do have the healthy fats and are higher in calorie?

I really don't want to have to stress about overeating. I love eating. And I'm enjoying eating Earth Foods.

Perhaps I should just keep doing what I'm doing, and see what happens.

I read an article by Zen To Fitness about nuts. Feel free to read it here. The basic summary of it is that...

• The are a source of Calcium, magnesium and zinc.
• Nuts are a power punch of nutrients, good fats and antioxidants
• Some nuts are better than others.. ie. Almonds, walnuts and brazil nuts are the best!
• Cashews and peanuts are actually legumes
• Nuts are the best source for monounsaturated fat, it makes your skin supple and provides great nourishment for your glandular system!
• Eating 40-60 grams of nuts per day is optimal (2 handfuls). If you go higher than this, it isn't too harmful, as long as you have a healthy diet (which you would on The Earth Diet)
• Over 100 grams is probably too much (oops)

I would love people to let me know your thoughts. Do you think you can eat too many nuts? Those who are on the Earth Diet, how many nuts do you think you're eating in a day? And are you trying to lose weight?



My day:

Breakfast: Celery/Carrot/Apple juice

Lunch: Blueberry/Blackberry/Rasberry/ Kale juice. Chocolate hempseed pie.

Dinner: For tonight's dinner we tried something different. We made Tacos!!! But instead of using taco shells, we used Lettuce leaves! And I also experimented and managed to make my own Salsa. I was so proud of myself! I made the salsa by grilling for 5-10 minutes... Red Peppers, Green peppers, tomotos, chilli and onion. And then I put all of that into the blender and "pulsed" it. What resulted was a chunky salsa sauce! It was delicious! I can't believe I actually managed to make that myself. So we put in the lettuce leaves a bit of beef, mashed avocado, salsa, chopped red/green pepper. Wrap the lettuce around it.. and voila, a delicious easy meal!!!

Snacks: Pistachios, cashews, bananas

Exercise: Walking, stretching

Day 14- Menstrual cramps

"Period pains- THIS IS BULLSHIT"

- Sam - 

I thought I would quote myself on that one. Couldn't think of any better words than my own. 

Dustin, I dedicate this blog post to you. 

Over dinner he commented that lately on my blog I've only been writing factual things and no longer about my feelings and what I'm thinking. Okay, well, here it is then... Maybe all the men want to stop reading from this point on.

For the past few days I have had the worst menstrual cramps. I haven't felt this bad in a very long time. I feel nauseous , I've been having hot flushes, my stomach hurts like a mo-fo and all I have wanted to do is curl into a ball and die. I used to get severe period pain years ago, to the point where I'd vomit and once had to visit the hospital. I've been on the pill since which has helped tremendously. But for some reason, this cycle I feel like absolute shit. And I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the Earth Diet? Maybe my body is freaking out because my normal coping mechanisms are not at my disposal (lots and lots of Diet Coke, chocolate and salt 'n vinegar chips.)

Actually, tonight, Dustin pointed out that normally I hide behind all of this with a few big blocks of chocolate and I would eat myself silly. 

This time I am eating... fruit? And vegetables? And..... water.

Today I really really really wanted to overindulge in some creamy Cadbury chocolate. But I didn't!

After the realisation that I did not have any crutch that I can lean on, I decided to look on the internet to see what real food can help alleviate period pain. 

Some of the things I read that can help are ginger, peppermint, kava kava (no idea what that is! Apparently it's grown on islands in the south pacific?), flaxseed, veggies and fruit.

Looks like I'm going to have to try incorporating these into my diet, specifically for that time of month. I already have ginger in my juices.. but maybe I need to try some peppermint or flaxseed. And perhaps I'll try to discover Kava kava???

If anyone has any ideas, please leave me a comment! 

My day:

Breakfast- Celery, carrot and apple juice

Lunch- Apple pie the Earth Diet way

Dinner- Quinoa, cauliflower, beans, broccoli, red pepper, orange juice, ginger, garlic, onion, potato...

Snacks- Bananas

Exercise- Boxing training, but didn't stay too long cos I was hurting. 

Day 13- Baby Mandarins

When I started The Earth Diet I made a decision that I will follow my cravings. That whatever my heart desired I would give it. That I would not be paranoid about whether eating too much fruit in a day is good or bad? Or how many calories am I consuming? Or even let myself feel guilty if I over indulged in any particular food. Earth foods that is. 

After the first initial days of being on the Earth Diet and denying my body of it's usual sugars and processed foods... oh, and who can forget the dreaded aspartame... I found my body begin to shift and change and begin to have a voice. 

When I fill my body with processed foods I am unable to gauge what my body is trying to tell me. Whether it is telling me to eat more greens, or eat this particular food, or "Here! have more nuts!" 

But now it has found its voice, and what it had been telling me for quite a few days now is... "Look!!! Taste these baby mandarins!!! I want more!!!" I literally feel my taste buds have a party as I bite into it's juicy goodness. It is so sweet, so juicy, and also a hint of sour. I feel like I am eating sour lollies from the local 7-eleven! But instead, it is good for me and it nourishes me and gives me vitamins and minerals and nutrients that my body desires... and needs! 

If you do your research on the internet about mandarins... you will find that the number one health benefit is that it reduces your risk of developing liver cancer. It is also a strong source of Vitamin C, improves your cholesterol levels, and help you lose weight. 

Even if mandarins didn't have disease fighting capabilities.. I'd still eat them because they taste so bloody good. 

All you Australians out there... You know what I learnt the other day? In Canada (or North America I guess), they are known as Christmas Oranges. Because fall/winter is their season, and that's when Christmas is! Ho ho ho! 

My day:

Breakfast- Sauteed red pepper, onion, mushroom in coconut oil. Two poached eggs.

Lunch- Banana smoothy filled with all these other fruits that I have no idea about because Dustin made it for me! :) 

Dinner- Chicken, beans, potatoes

Snacks- Cashews, mandarins, apples