One Day At A Time

Well, I’m sure you’re all curious (or not) to see how my challenge to myself is coming along.

Well, it’s been 12 days and I’ve already ’screwed up’ on the no ice cream part. I am sure learning a lot though about what my body likes and doesn’t like.

It was this last Sunday that we were at our relatives house for dinner and they offered us ice cream and I could have declined, but I just wanted some ice cream- who knows why, because I “missed it”. I don’t know- I wasn’t really craving it, but I just wanted some. Well the rest of that day was a downward spiral- Hans had made some of his really yummy artisan bread and I had that for dinner along with some chocolate and junk.

Since then I’ve had ice cream 3 out of 5 days. Bleh- oh well. I need to rethink the challenge. Food choices are such an integral part of who we are and I am trying to find what works for me.

As far as the smoothies are concerned, it’s going great. The first little while was a bunch of experimenting to find the right ratio of fruits to greens and which ones I prefer. I really like mangos and fresh pineapple mixed in. The recipe I’m using right now is 1 cup water, 2 oz each of kale, collard greens or turnip greens, and spinach or spring greens for a total of 6 oz dark leafy greens (which is about 2 blenders packed full- a lot of nutritional bang for the buck) 165 grams FRESH pineapple, 140 grams frozen mixed berries, liquid stevia to taste, and 1/8 teaspoon probiotics. It’s just right for me.

I’ve embarked on this journey because of numerous health issues- so far I am noticing that my nails seem to be getting stronger and my skin is getting ‘brighter’. Also my breastfed baby- his skin is clearing up. My monthly cycle is also evening out. So far it’s been great. I still hope to see some improvement in my hair, my eyes, my mood and just about everything really.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about nutrition and it’s amazing how much it is so important to eat well. Particularly the DARK green leafy vegetables which I definitely wasn’t getting before my green smoothies. I normally thought of kale as a pretty garnish, I never imagined eating it, and the one time I made collard greens for hubby and I, I cooked them up and they were so bitter and bleh- but now I’m eating them. (and lots of them to boot)

Our bodies are amazing if we treat them right and feed them well- they are highly adaptable and what you sow you will reap. I was diagnosed with bipolar back in 2001 and since then I have been taking this multivitamin/mineral supplement and eating my healthy diet, I’ve had no problems or recurring symptoms, and Hans and I have talked about experimenting with going off of them. I was a little unsure of that, but the theory behind this particular supplement is that the disease comes because of nutritional deficiency.

With everything that I’ve read it seems to point more and more to diet being key to controlling and even eradicating disease. As I keep adding more fresh foods I will have more data to back me up and help me as I make decisions for my health. It’s all very exciting though and I will keep updating as I progress.