Why pressing the restart button is not just for your PC
Juicing every morning, but just can’t beat the cravings? It’s time to clean your system and press the restart button.
My friend has been going through a comprehensive elimination diet for the last 3 weeks. I admire her for sticking with it, even if it means going BYO on social dinners, being the designated driver at parties and moments of serious food envy when your husband indulges in Golden Gaytime.
It’s important to know how your body reacts to certain foods to find out how to eat right for your own body. Yes, we do talk about how much life is on your plate, but it is equally important to feel into the food you are ingesting.
For example, I recently found out that my raw food diet left me with a slack digestion. With my Vata energy overload in my internal organs, grounding my diet will calm my nervous system when digesting. Meaning, eating baked potatoes, warm soups and spicy stir-fries is not off the list for me – in fact, these meals make me bounce and blissful. Check your Ayurvedic constitution to learn more about what food should make you feel yummy.
Before you make any changes to your diet though, consider the following:
THE IMPORTANCE OF RESETTING
Your body can react to food that aggravates you in different ways and waves. Some foods you could feel sensitive to may stay in your system undigested for a long time, even days.
Take for instance the fact when I eat a handful of cashews (I am sensitive, not allergic to nuts), I may feel the effects for a few days, and on day 3 I may have forgotten I even had nuts and wonder why I am unwell. Hence, a food diary is a crucial starting point for a full reset of your body. If you want to find out what food makes you feel good and what doesn’t, there’s a simple principle to follow:
1. Go plant-based (yes, no meat, fish, dairy, eggs for at least a week)
2. Cut out the usual culprits such as processed foods, sugars, wheat, gluten, nuts, caffeine, alcohol (there are lots of elimination diets you can follow)
3. Then reintroduce one item at a time.
Juice cleanses for the first few days can be good for some, just be aware that if you are sensitive to fruit sugar like me, this option is not a good one. I would in any case reintroduce whole fruits and veggies sooner rather than later, for the reason mentioned below in the section ‘eating wholesome’. Juicing removes large parts of the edible plant and produces high-sugar water.
HOW TO EAT FRESH
By fresh I don’t mean Coles supermarket fruit and veg section. Go to your local weekly markets. Buy organic if you can. Food that shines bright and perfect looks suspicious to me. Oversized lemons do too.
If a certain item is expensive, it may not be in season, in which case be flexible and exchange it for something else. Rinse your food with cold water before preparing and use it as soon as possible after buying.
PUTTING THE ‘WHOLE’ IN ‘SOME’
Wholefood to me means a few different things; number one being, that we use as much of the food we buy, i.e. skin on, core in, seeds too. The skin of many fruits and vegetables contains essential nutrients, fibre, enzymes, amino acids etc. Although my diet is generally plant-based, you can say the same about meat, fish, dairy and eggs.
Imagine, the natural state of food is a complete state. If we extract only what we like and leave the rest behind, i.e. the more we separate, the more likely we are to disrupt the natural digestive capacity, absorption and transportation of nutrients.
Whatever strategy you follow, remember to document it, so you remember how it makes you feel when you pick it up again later on. And have fun experimenting with your awesomely constructed machine, called BODY!
Try our super delicious smoothie bowls to replenish after class – here’s the menu to pick your fave!
