Body: Spring-Cleaning

My niece Laura just joined as a follower of this blog, and I am thrilled! For her 21st birthday this past December, I gave Laura a necklace that her Uncle Joe (my late husband) had given me. It is a pretty chain with a silver pendant that is inscribed, in Chinese, "Bone & Spirit" and I wanted Laura to have it because she is a girl who exemplifies being able to exist with "her head in the sky and her feet on the ground." A very balanced individual, she is! Welcome Laura, to Auntie Audrey's blog world.

All this rain and hearing the birds singing is giving me confidence that spring is just around the corner. When the seasons change, my body wants to change, too. I know this because my taste in foods changes and I am itching to move around more. I promised you all the cleansing diet, "Jumpstart Detox Program," passed along to me by my sister in law Adele, and will post it at the end of this entry.

Adele and I had attended a workshop last spring that introduced springtime foods and the concept of eating a seasonal diet. It makes so much sense to be in tune with our natural surroundings! Macrobiotic diets are basically made up of local, seasonal foods. Why do we eat tropical fruit in the middle of winter in the north? It is contrary to our natural existence. But we do indulge because we can, living in a global village where goods are available to us from far-flung places in all seasons. For me, I keep these regional/seasonal oddities to a minimum.

The detox diet below is not the one and only answer, but it is perhaps a start towards cleansing the body of toxins that have built up after being indoors too long without enough exercise, and living in a polluted environment. Adele and my niece Victoria both took on this week-long diet and I think were aided by having each other as a team. Victoria, who is 20, showed amazing willpower and even took some "ribbing" from friends who seem both impressed and horrified by her ability to be so healthy in the face of Taco Bell and other tempting junk food that her pals eat regularly. In fact, Victoria found new energy to get up in the morning more refreshed with plenty of vitality all day long. She glows with good health and that is rare in someone so young to embrace a healthy lifestyle. She says she is trying to stick to the diet as much as possible because it makes her feel so good!

The diet might be difficult during the first couple of days, but you will find your rhythm and start feeling lighter and brighter. As you can see, it is not a starvation diet! It might encourage you to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables and fewer processed grains or sugary and fatty foods. As Michael Pollen says in his new book, "Food Rules," if it's a plant, eat it. If it's made in a plant (factory), don't eat it. I don't eat frozen foods at all except for pesto that I freeze after making it from my garden herbs. I avoid food that comes in cans (except sardines) since cans have BPA leaching out of them. I cook from scratch every night or make batches that I can eat as leftovers within the next day or two. Fresh, baby, FRESH!!! I like knowing exactly what I am eating.

I hope you will enjoy either embarking on the detox diet, or contemplating it. Read through and see if you can at least make changes along the way. Awareness is the goal. There is no pressure or competition here! They say, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." A healthy, natural diet is important to health. Finding the right diet for YOU, at this phase of life, is the most important thing. If you are not feeling as good as you'd like to, then you can make changes. You will thank yourself! Good health is important for inner peace and vice versa... and leads to peace everywhere.

"Jumpstart Detox Program"
Duration 1 Week
Dietary Recommendations:
1. No sodas, alcohol, gluten (wheat, rye, oats, barley, spelt, corn, soy) or dairy foods (milk, cheese, yogurt) or any foods NOT listed below.
2. Start your morning off with hot water with fresh lemon 1/2 hr. before eating. Drink at least 64 oz. of fluids/day.
3. Have 1 or more servings of 1 teaspoon flax meal in 8 oz. of water in between meals. Drink 3 hrs. away from any medications or supplements.
4. Organic ingredients are always best.

Breakfast:
"Fabulous Fruit Smoothie" (see recipe below), or veggie omlette with 1/2 cup berries on the side, or 1/2 hard-boiled egg with celery stalks and 1/2 cup berries on the side.

Mid-Morning Snack:
1/2 to 1 cup low glycemic index fresh fruit (apples, blackberries, cherries, grapefruit, grapes, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, raspberries and strawberries) and nuts (raw, unsalted, no peanuts--almonds are a good choice): 5 nuts for women, 10 nuts for men.

Lunch:
Start with 1 cup Alkaline Broth (see previous blog post, Feb. 18, "Healthy Broth: Listen to Your Body" for recipe). 1 or more cups mixed greens and non-starchy vegetables (avoid primarily beans and potatoes) with olive vinaigrette and 1 teaspoon flax meal. 4-6 oz. of protein (turkey, chicken or fish--no red meat) or eggs if vegetarian.

Mid-Afternoon Snack:
1 cup raw veggies with 1/4 cup guacamole or salsa (no sugar, low salt).

Dinner:
Similar to lunch: Start with 1 cup Alkaline Broth (see previous blog post, Feb. 18, "Healthy Broth: Listen to Your Body" for recipe). 1 or more cups mixed greens and non-starchy vegetables (avoid primarily beans and potatoes) with olive vinaigrette and 1 teaspoon flax meal. 4-6 oz. of protein (turkey, chicken or fish--no red meat) or eggs if vegetarian.

Throughout the Day:
Drink decaf green tea, herbal tea, or warm water with lemon.

"Fabulous Fruit Smoothie"
Organic ingredients are best
1 cup fresh fruit ( berries, peaches, pineapple, etc.)
1/2 banana
1 scoop protein powder ("Whey Cool" is a good brand)
1 tablespoon flaxseed oil
8 oz. cran-water or plain purified or filtered water
Big dash of cinnamon
Dash of vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Mix until rich and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. To make cran-water, fill a 32 oz. container (glass or stable plastic) with 4 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice and 28 oz. of pure, filtered water.