Sydney Highs and Lows

I'm still here in Sydney and was going to post an all-pretty-post on what I've been doing, but instead I'm going to get real down and dirty here. I'm feeling like shit --

Well a litte pretty-ing is still nice to begin with -- First up, I've been having a ball chilling with my besties, cruising around Bondi, and enjoying a few cheeky coffees and cuddles with my man now that he has arrived here too (it's been over a week since I got cuddles ok) ... but I needed to buy some clothes for an outing this evening as I've got absolutley nothing to wear (I mean that too - it's not just a girly winge when my wardrobe is busting at the seams; it's legit as my backpack contains half a dozen pairs of running shorts, two tshirts, maybe 3 singlets, and 2 airy-fairy beachy dresses from about 6yrs ago that could potentially be left in Thailand if need be; ie. nothing spesh but super comfy... a pair of thong, sneakers and my vibrams).

So, as the weather has totally changed and it's now freezing, wet and miserable, my Lorna Jane bike shorts, singlet and sneakers aren't quite appropriate even if it is my choice of clothing and all I've got in my backpack right now...
Who am I kidding? Even if it was sunny and warm I dont think I could get away with wearing gym gear out tonight.
So this morning I set off into Bondi Junction to find some clothes. Ok. Not so bad you think. Well, I'll let you in on a not-at-all-secret secret of mine; contrary to almost every other female on the planet it seems, I hate clothes shopping. I always have. I never know what to buy, what suits me, what looks good with what, where to shop and where to buy. I do know what I like though - gym gear. It's comfortable and suits me. Asides from my work tshirt (which I wear with black gym pants), I don't wear much else. But every now and then when I've gotta present nicely and wear something that's not gym gear - I hate it. And Hate is a strong word I know but I'm using it. I feel the pressure to buy, to dress a certain way, to appear a certain way... And sure I can get dressed up with a spin of my style but I've no clue what that is. No doubt my biggest problem.

Shortcut to now so you don't hav to live through my painful teary Westfield experience like I did, and I'm feeling like a miserable bitch trying to perk myself up... I'm sitting here comfy as all hell in my bestie's trakkie daks and my Lorna Jane jacket. With nothing to wear out tonight. What to do? Only time will tell. And as to why I allow all this to happen, what I need to learn from it and all that other jazz... I'm too stuck in it right now to want to care to be frank. I could try and pretty all this up by telling you why this always comes up for me, what it's teaching me, yada yada yada... but I'm yet to nail it, and so continue to avoid clothes shopping, always getting the shits when I've got an invite somewhere that I need to get dressed up for. Yay.

Now let's move along...

More HIGHs from my Syd trip... Last night B and I had a huge Thai dinner with 30 of our friends at Thai Face in Crows Nest. So SO awesome to have seen you all. A great big restaurant with delicious food that's fresh, colourful, and damn tasty. We sat at one long table chatting, laughing, eating and catching up, all having a jolly ol' time. When the restaurant was closing up, the few of us left wandered down to Bravo for sorbets and gelatos, still laughing and talking non-stop in the centre of my old stomping ground. Love love all my friends and family here xx

Tomorrow we fly outta here over to Singapore for 24hrs of fun, food (and fashion? - unlikely)... before we hit Bangkok to begin our 6 week journey through Thailand and Burma. Eeek I am super duper excited!! This is my college break - and the only break I'll get until I finish up in December, so it was a no-brainer deciding to literally and physically get away from it all.

All I want to do (as I'm trying to physically plan less) is:

+ Get massages (after reading Leonie's fabulous post on why daily massages are needed for burnout, I think I might just experiment with these!)

+ Drink and eat coconuts

+ Reading and more reading

+ Yoga

+ Blogging to you lovelies

+ Finishing my online biz course

...and really resting.

If you've been reading me here for a while, you'll know that I've had a few ups and downs with fatigue and adrenal exhaustion, ontop of moving interstate, so now that I've got an extended break from college I intend on using it wisely and actually taking the break so I don't burn myself out further.

And after my coaching sesh yesterday morning, above all else, I am going to commit to being PRESENT. My mind is always off somewhere else and rarely in the here and now, and I can tell you it can cause all sorts of mischief when it's elsewhere.
So perhaps a little challenging, but likely more just a decision to do it... I'm commited to this, so I will keep you all in touch with how I go.

As for now, I gotta jet to finalise travel insurance, hotels, flight meal options (molto importante), and an outfit for this evening... Yippee.

When I next write to you I'll be in Singapore!

Until then...


Christie xx


PS. Have you signed up for my newsletter? Hitting inboxes on Fridays; make sure you're getting the latest goss on food, nutrition, life and more here.

PSS. If you're a clothes-shopping-star, feel free to be my personal shopper next time I'm in your neck-of-the-woods. I'll love you forever ;)

From Cairns - Sunny Coast - Sydney

Happy Easter Monday! 

How was your weekend? I suppose it's still going isn't it? Gotta love long weekends.
As most of you would know (if you're my newsletter subscriber - if not sign up here or Twitter follower) I flew down to the Sunny Coast last week for an extended Easter getaway, visiting mum and my step dad, and then having both my sisters arrive too.

I was so excited to get to mums on Tuesday as it meant my (10 huge) assessments would all have been done and emailed off, my last college class would have been attended do (for the next 2months), our place would have all been boxed up and put in storage, my last days at work and saying bye to friends would have been done, and my bag packed ready for Thailand. And. it. all. was.

So flying down was bliss. I could breathe again. And every moment at mums has been bliss. I love it on the Sunny Coast. I might just end up there at some point. ..

Our Easter weekend was fabulous; plenty of laughter and mucking about, intertwined with delicious chocolate munching, sunshine bathing, forest walking trails and creek splashing, coast jogs that my body loved, a quick catch up with a girlfriend and baby snuggles, and of course a multiple cafe escapades (a favourite past time of all us females in the family it seems)

Buderim State Forest

But now here I am in SYDNEY! And the reason none of you knew about this was because I had to keep it the biggest secret ever as my best friend had no idea I was coming. Her husband grabbed me from the airport last night and I rocked up at her doorstep with a bunch of flowers, super-super excited, and she greeted me with arms, screaming, huge hugs, more screams, disbelief, and questions about the how's and why's I was infact at her doorstep... It was so so good. Just the way we wanted it.
I'll be in Sydney town til Thursday morning when B and I are then flying to Singapore. We were initially flying from Melbourne but with the thought of totally surprising my bestie who is always super busy as she is getting her amazing new biz off the ground... I had to do it!
Opting to crash on her floor so B, my girl, her hubby and I can all get maximus cuddle time, eating time, laughing time and catching-up in, I am so excited to be here!

So Thursday we fly to Singapore for a night, then on to Bangkok where our Thailand adventure will begin, and later onto Burma, we cannot wait to get over there. I will try my best to get your regular posts to you all, and in Thailand I think it won't be too hard, but in Burma - I think you'll have to live without me for those couple of weeks. I've read it's pretty much no-outside-world once you enter Burma. And to be honest I couldn't be more excited!

Until then though, You've still got me for a while.

Speak soon

Christie xx

Weekend Recipe(s!) - Healthy Hot Cross Buns + Easter Cacao Mocha

Healthy Hot Cross Buns

These have no added sugars, no dairy and no gluten, which will leave you feeling good after having one of these. Enjoy this Easter with these delicious, healthy Hot Cross Buns.

What you'll need:
2 tsp instant dried yeast
1 1/2c warm water
1 TBS raw honey
1 tsp stevia
2 dates
2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 c sultanas
1/2c dried apricots
80g organic coconut oil
2 eggs
4c plain gluten free flour
1/4c rice milk

White Cross on the top
2 TBS rice flour
A little water

Method
1.  Place the dates in the blender and chop
2.  Add yeast, warm water, stevia and honey and blend until mixed up
3.  Set aside in a bowl for 10 minutes
4.  Place the other ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly
5.  Add the yeast mixture to step 4, mix well and leave to rest for 5 minutes
6.  Cover the mixture, then leave in a warm place until the mixture has doubled in size
7.  Break the mixture up into bun-sized portions and place on a lined tray close together (I made my very rustic and just put them there with a spoon rather than rolling into a ball)
8.  Leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes
9.  If you wish, add a cross placing the mixture into a zip-back and cut a small hole in the corner.  Pipe cross across the top.
10.  Sprinkle / spray with water to help the dough go brown
11.  Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes
12.  Turn the oven down to 180 degrees and bake for a further 15 - 20 minutes
13.  Remove from the oven, and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving

This delicious recipe is from the relauncher
Sit down and put your feet up with one of these buns... and perhaps team it with this delicious mocha below.

David Wolfe's Sacred Mocha Coffee

+ Brew a hot pot of coffee with spring water (about a litre) and put aside

+ In a blender add the following ingredients:

½ a Sacred Chocolate 69% Twilight Dark chocolate bar (break the bar in half)

1 tablespoon reishi powder

1 teaspoon of raw maca powder

1-2 tablespoons of lucuma powder

+ Add almond milk to the blender as desired if you like creamy mocha coffee

+ Add 1-3 teaspoons of honey to the blender if you like a sweetener in your mocha coffee

+ Pour the hot coffee into the blender directly onto all the ingredients. Cap and blend immediately. After 10-15 seconds, stop the blender, and pour the hot mocha through a strainer into coffee mugs. Taste and enjoy!

From David Wolfe, Lord Cacao

Coz Ur Worth It

Happy Monday chikadees! And what a great Monday it has been - Ok I'll admit it's been a teeny bit stressful (but that's all ego crap anyway isn't it?) - B and I moved the rest of our life into storage, gave our little town house key back, I took him to the airport, had lunch with my sister, wandered all over town grabbing last minute things for our travel, and just finished the rest of my final assessment and then emailed off ALL 10 ASSESSMENTS to my tutor!

This was a major goal of mine since the beginning of this subject. 10 assessments in 6 weeks. 10 BIG assessments. I've written more than 20,000 words. They weren't due today but I had decided there was no way I was taking them on holiday with me.
With a trip to the Sunny Coast for Easter, followed by a 2 month stint in Thailand and Burma at the end of the road... I had to give myself a kick up the bum to get them all done. And so thankful (and bloody exhausted) I am now as I can actually stop.


Stop - wow. That sounds really really nice.

And rest.

Put my feet up.

Pack all college books away.

Sleep.

Stare at the wall.

Meditate more.

Read anything my heart and being longs for - not just Pathophysiology and Biochemistry.

And in Thailand I'm going to get a massage everyday.

And to really rest, relax, rejuvenate, and allow my body and soul the time to heal.

It's long overdue. And the time is now.


I deserve it and so do you.

What do you want to do for yourself now that is long overdue? What have you kept pushing into the back of your thoughts and mind hoping it would disappear?
Your health? That excess weight? The argument you had with your best friend 4 months ago? That pesky chronic fatigue (that's trying to tell you something)?


Have a look at where you've been putting yourself last. I invite you to begin taking steps towards better health, a more beautiful life, and a better more beautiful you.

For more on nutrition, health, life, recipes, and oodles more, sign up for weekly Nutrition Notes from me here


Christie xx

Weekend Recipe: Super Quick Roasted Capsicum Salsa

This weeks recipe comes from Miryam over at Eat Good 4 Life. Super quick, super easy and perfect if you've got unexpected guests dropping by (yep it's that quick).

 

What you'll need:

+ 340g roasted capsicums (from a jar or roast your own)
+ 2-3 jalapeno peppers, some seeds removed
+ 2 garlic cloves
+ 3 cups fresh coriander leaves, washed
+ 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
+ pinch of salt

Place all the ingredients in your food processor and pulse until all the ingredients have combined. About 20-30 seconds. Store in an air tight container for up to 1 week. In the fridge for longer.

Enjoy with veggie sticks, crackers, of choice, ontop of a salad or some roasted potatoes... Yum!

PS. Are you on the newsletter list for weekly doses of delicious foodie stuff, recipes, nutrition know-how, and extra goodies only seen there? Well get your butt on that list girl! Now!

Which diet is the 'right' diet?

This topic seems to be red hot at the moment and I have to say, I prefer not to get involved as I don't believe there is a 'right' diet - not for the masses anyway. But for you my dear? Well yes. As to what that 'right' diet is, I'm afraid I can only help you, educate you with knowledge and support you in your choices and decisions. Only YOU know your 'right' diet.

However there seems to be plenty of people on the web that love telling us all exactly what we should be eating, how much of it, what times of day, and god forbid if we choose to differ from these individuals and groups. We get verbally abused. I know this sounds harsh but I've witnessed it first-hand and yep, it's harsh all right. So when I saw this post written by Robyn from Girl On Raw, I loved every word, read with full attention and respect, and couldn't agree with her more. So here it is --

 

There seems to be a little bit of a trend going on. Some people who are/were considered leaders in the modern vegan and raw vegan movements have made some dietary changes. Changes that if they were not so prominent in our little online communities wouldn’t really create much of a stir. But because we feel like we know them through their blog posts and social media presence it can come as quite a shock when something like this is revealed as we not only feel we know them, but we’ve also gained so much insight from them in the past.

Raw food, for the unaquainted, is generally coupled with veganism and for me this was true for a period of time however when I first ventured into raw food I was neither vegan nor vegetarian. That came 2 years later and was a gradual nondeliberate process.
My veganism lasted 2 years, until I fell pregnant with my first baby, not for any other reasons over than cheese just tasted good and absolutely nothing else for my first trimester.
It was never a conscious or deliberate decision, and even when I was vegan I never really made a song and dance about it, in fact people just assumed I was vegan because i was into raw food and a formally trained raw chef. I even wrote a blog post on labels here when I was vegan but never did I identify myself as vegan nor encourage others to.

When a friend and previous fellow blogger Natasha of the now defunct blog Voracious Vegan came out  after months of  dealing with her change to an omnivore diet due to health issues, I couldn’t believe the outrage over the nets. Honestly? I know many people become vegan for animal activism and sustainability and that I applaud. However I make no apology for choosing a human’s health over an animal especially if it’s your child’s health. Motherhood brings something tribal out in you. And you will never know it until you are one. On a side note, Natasha’s never looked better since changing to an omnivore diet.
Kevin Gianni from Renegade Health also wrote about why his baby will not be a raw nor vegan baby and neither was his wife during their pregnancy on his post here 5 Reasons We Do Not Have a Raw Baby and their Follow Up Thoughts here.

So what sparked this post? Last night my dear friend, mentor and the girl that got me into this raw thing, Kristen Suzanne blogged last night that she is no longer vegan. My first reaction was cool and ambivalent, but who cares – in a nice way, really girl. I guess because Kristen is perceived as an expert in raw vegan circles she felt the need to explain and I get that.
Sayward Rebhal of popular vegan blog Bonzai Aphrodite recently blogged about her failing health as a vegan but refusal to veer away from her vegan diet.

Heathy from Sweetly Raw also blogged about her problems on a vegan diet in 2010 here, and Joanna Stevens from rawdivas.com mentions in her eBook, Well Rounded Pregnancy “an unsupplemented raw vegan and vegetarian diet is difficult to follow for many reasons.” She notes soil depletion, over-pasteurisation of some foods, lack of availability year round of local produce etc.
And it’s not just about leaving veganism, but Penni Shelton, head of biggest raw food space in the place Raw Food Rehab made a video post about full disclosure on her starting to eat cooked foods again here.
In a twitter conversation last year Dhru Purohit of Clean Program but former mastermind behind premier but now defunct raw food hub We Like it Raw, we talked about how it’s not about raw food anymore it’s about being ‘healthy’.

So all this got me thinking that what is it about eating a certain way for a period of time that works, but one day just does not. Well Kristen touched on it in her post, that perhaps it’s a cleaning up of a previously poor diet or placebo. Honestly I think it’s more of the former. Also I think that our bodies are amazing and can cope with so much that we throw at it even if it’s not in it’s best interest. Eating a poor meal choice one or twice may not result in an overall calamity but denying your body of variety and sticking to a militant regime over time can possibly cause havoc.

Of course you are going to feel great after a juice fast, because you have cleansed of years of poor choices, but ongoing you might start to deplete of certain nutrients and vitamins. Same with going vegan after years of a highly processed diet. Yep you’ve cleaned up your act but long term you may suffer deficiencies. These are just examples to give you an idea and not necessarily anecdotal.
Like a friend said to me, some people can thrive on a vegan diet just like some people thrive on an all junk food diet, I just think we are all different.

Do you think our ancestors had to give as much thought to what they ate? How about third world countries? It’s all about survival. And one could argue that we have a longer life expectancy than our ancestors and some of our poorer cousins however we do seem to have an abundance of diseases of affluence.
It’s amazing how much emotion one’s dietary choices bring up in others, good and bad. Again I appreciate the activism and as an animal lover I get it. But again when one’s health is in question would you sake you or your children’s health or life to save an animal. Honestly I really don’t want this becoming an activism speech there are many other forums for it.

In Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, Dr Joel Fuhrman, author of Eat to Live says eating meat once or twice a week can still form part of a healthy diet, despite generally promoting a vegan diet. I admit this is still less than most omnivore household’s current consumption.

The purpose of this post is not to dictate a militant diet regime and honestly I’ve never been about that anyway, plus who am I to talk. I am a chef, I make food taste delicious I don’t prescribe diets, I merely offer educatied guidance. Plenty of my readers and clients are not even vegetarian but are just wanting to eat healthily (whatever that means to you) and I’m all about encouraging more consumption of fruits and vegetables in a society that is either too busy or too unaware to eat their veggies. But I really encourage you to find your own way, and I’ve always been about that.

If you want to add more raw meals into your diet then you’ve come to the right place. I’m all about that too, sometimes even a yummy vegetarian/vegan cooked dish. And for those living in a family like mine where you want to just eat a smoothie for dinner but your meat eating husband and sometimes son wants some salmon and steamed veggies or even a roast chook and your role is to provide then I can relate. I’m not a chemist (i just like making vegetables taste delicious) and if eating a certain way requires supplementation to sustain my health then I’d rather not,  but if it floats your boat go ahead.

Whenever anyone asks what kind of diet I adhere to, I am reticent to put a label on it for fear of it backfiring on me when as a human, I change my mind, but I will say this, I am committed to learning and practicing the healthiest diet I can based on the information I have, what intuitively feels right and what works for me and my family. I feel the closer I stick to nature the better off we will be and am everyday grateful for having the luxury of choice. Especially when I live in a cross section of cultures and backgrounds here and have daily reminders of the adversity and struggle many of us will never experience, every day I step outside my door and am greeted by the company labourers on my compound. Many of which send most of their money home to their families in Bangladesh or Pakistan, and only get to go home every 2-4 years to see them.
I honestly feel there are different reasons and stages in life where different dietary choices are required. For eg a cancer patient can thrive on a juicing regime (Gerson Therapy) whereas juicing and cleansing is not advisable for pregnancy and nursing, weight loss/maintenance, diabetes etc. Seasons and reasons and lifestyle and climate. And so many more.

I believe in moderation in all aspects in life. You will forever find a for and against for any argument you wish to have in life. The thing is, health ‘facts’ and science appear to change all the time.

I’ll leave you with this awesome quote from Josh Rosenthal (founder of Institute of Intergrative Nutriton) --

"Nutrition is a funny science. It's the only field where people can scientifically prove opposing theories and still be right"

I love this post written by Robyn from Girl on Raw as I too have noticed a lot going on in and around the 'raw food world', and have to say I have seen first hand how nasty some people can be towards others that are listening to their bodies and making dietary changes to support their health and it upsets me. I love raw food. I love cooked food. I loved how I felt when I was eating a raw vegan diet, but I began noticing changes in my health that were'nt for the better. So I decided to change things up, and have to say, I'm feeling a lot better, and physically look a lot healthier also. Having said that, there are people that thrive following raw vegan eating habits and I'm happy for them. We should be encourgaing and supporting one another to be the healithiest and happiest we all can be, regardless of whether our dinner plate is cooked food or raw food, fish or lentils.

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts. How do you eat? What feels good in your body? What doesn't? Let's continue this conversation in the comments below and on Facebook :)

Fancy Olive oil + Lemon juice for dinner (minus the salad)?

So if you're a twitter follower of mine you would have seen some interesting pictures of magnesium salts, and olive oil + lemon juice concoctions in place of a delicious dinner yesterday afternoon/evening. What the hell for? Well, my liver. My gallbladder. At the root of it all. But also for strange loopy headaches I've been getting this week, digestion issues that are appearing after I eat anything (so you're the first to hear that I've gotta start looking into foods that exacerbate symptoms seen in IBS, slow oxidiser diet principles, GAPS, and the whole salicylates thing... most of which contradict each other so this will be loads of fun! - hear the sarcasm), and for that fatigue which has actually been so great of late and I've not really felt it. Except for yesterday. Wowzas. Anyway... the liver gallbladder thing.

You may or may not know that the liver is the largest organ in our body and perhaps the hardest working, responsible for over 500 different functions (yep crazy amazing organ that one), including the cleansing of toxins which most of us are aware of. So it's understandable then that many health problems that appear throughout our body stem from a toxic liver, clogged with stones that eventually make their way into the gallbladder (which modern medicine is so fond of ripping out non-chalontly).

The Liver and Gallbladder Flush is a really quick way of flushing toxins, fat, sludge and small gallstones out of the liver and gallbladder. If you google "liver flush" or "gallbladder flush" or "epsom salt lemon liver flush" or anything of those sorts, you will no doubt find a host of amazing reactions and results, but a few not-so-great ones also - usually due to unpleasant reactions. Most of us will have gallstones or sludge in our gallbladders, but often they cause us no pain or discomfort and can be termed "silent gallstones", posing no real threat. But about 18% of these will cause problems over a 15-year period (says Dr. Sandra Cabot) so dissolving them away is a better option than coming up against problems later down the track.

Disclaimer here: If you think you have gallstones or sludge and are feeling pain in your upper abdomen, experiencing nausea, vomiting, or right shoulder pain, you need to see your doctor.

A weak liver and congested gallbladder can result in many symptoms including:

• depleted immune system	• increase in allergies
• poor digestion and constipation	• endless fatigue and exhaustion
• front right side pain below the rib cage	• poor skin condition
• back pain under the right shoulder blade	• emotional outbursts
• weakened eyesight	• depression
• weak alcohol tolerance	• increased desire for sugar
• tendency to put on weight	• debilitating stress on other organs

The reasons we want to keep on top of our liver and gallbladder health are numerous, but put simply, we want to keep these organs! It's a sad fact that too many gallbladders are being ripped out of people with gallstones and gallbladder disease these days, and we should want to keep ours. Gallstones are a Western disease purely due to (poor) lifestyle, and it can easily be prevented, and even reversed (liver removal on the other hand equates to death - not cool either). So this flush is one way to stimulate the elimination of toxins and/or gallstones out of the bile ducts, for happy healthier organs.

So in my decision to try this for the very first time, I came across loads of different ways to do this. Which of course had me (the perfectionist) in a bit of a tizz wondering which was right. Were they all right? How was I to actually know? I'd only be guessing if one book says to do it one way, yet another reference says differently - and both are reputable books by qualified practitioners with a history of experience. Hmmm... more research needed as I wasn't happy swallowing amounts of olive oil and lemon juice that could have been too much  (coz who actually wants to swallow a cup of olive oil?), or not enough to have an effect (again - who wants to swallow olive oil?).

The way to begin this flush can be (1) by drinking as much apple juice as you can each day (along with your regular diet) for a week prior to D-Day, or (2) to skip the juice and just do your usual thing and flush on the weekend. Most sources recommend cutting out meat and dairy for a week prior (if not two), and some suggest eating only raw foods for 2 days prior. Now as I'm eating predominantly cooked foods right now for optimal digestion, I wasn't going to put my tummy in the firing line of 2 days on solely raw veggies as I'm not eating any fruit right now. Ouchies on my tummy that's for sure. So I just ate simply; had a salad or two, cooked eggs for brekkies, at least 3L of water each day, extra coconut water with my green powders, etc. Nothing too heavy or clogging basically. And then came the end of my delicious lunch out on Sunday and that meant no more food until late this morning.

How to flush 

+ Pick a day when you've got little on that afternoon, and nothing on the following morning (most people choose Saturday)

+ Eat light on the flush day. Lunch will be your last meal so try not to think of it as you're last feed and eat more than you usually would. I had a salad with a veggie pattie. Be sure to drink plenty of water (I had about 4 litres throughout the day, but bear in mind I'm in the tropics. 2-3 litres is likely enough if it's not too hot)

+ At 5pm* mix 1Tbsp of epsom magnesium sulphate salts (make sure they're food grade) into 1/4 cup warm water and drink it. Urgh this stuff was horrid. Chase this with more water.

+ At 7pm* repeat this. I'm actually looking forward to live oil now.

+ At 9pm* drink a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice - 'salad dressing' no? (Before this time, make sure you're prepped for bed with nothing else to do but drink this stuff) Now the ratio of this mix seems to be different everywhere I read; one reference said 1 1/2cups olive oil and 1 1/2 cups lemon juice... Another said 3/4 cup grapefruit juice with 1/2 cup olive oil. A third said 115ml of each. The olive oil triggers and stimulates bile production inside the liver, and the excess of bile pushes the stones out. The more oil you take, the more bile is produced. So taking more oil is better. The problem is avoiding nausea. You do NOT want to throw up.

So I decided to drink 1 cup of each. I started with them in separate glasses taking sips from one then the other. But then had to bung them together in one jar, shake, and go for gold. Either or. Just get it down. And do it quick (within 5mins is optimal). Then you need to go straight to bed. Wash up tomorrow. I mean it. Straight to bed and lie on your right side with your knees up to your chest. This will force your gallbladder and bile ducts to contract and begin to expel stones. Lay on your side for at least half an hour, after which you can lay whatever way you're happy sleeping. If you feel so inclined, speak to your stones and command them (nicely) to remove themselves. Then relax and sleep til morning.

You may wake during the night after  feeling nauseous, (a stone in the bile duct can result in vomiting), or needing to visit the bathroom. Try to keep the oil down if you can, but even if you do throw up after several hours the cleanse will still work. I woke up at 3am and couldn't sleep I felt so nauseous, and yep I threw up.

+ The following morning, at 7am mix and drink 1Tbsp epsom salts in warm water, followed by at least another full glass of water. This drink will act as a laxative and provoke several later loose bowel movements. Whenever you do visit the bathroom, watch for "stones" being passed. They will float and are usually green, but can be other colors. Size can vary from pea-sized to over an inch in size. (Having a used egg carton and a disposable plastic spoon is helpful if you want to examine them further.)

I found this photo online (not mine) but my stones look exactly the same

+ If you haven't had a bowel motion, you can take a fourth preparation of epsom salts at 9am. I didn't need this as I began going to the bathroom as soon as I woke up at 630am. If you feel nauseous, wait until you no longer feel it and then take the prepped epsom salt mix.

+ After 2 more hours you may get up and feel like eating something. Start with some juice or broth or yogurt. Half an hour later, eat some fruit or vegetables, if you want. One hour later you may eat regular food but keep it light. Just feel into what  your body wants and choose that. By evening you should be feeling good and ready to phase into eating normally.

*These times were decided upon by me as everywhere I read I was being told something different; Epsom salts at 3pm, 5pm, then the lemon and oil mix at dinner. Or maybe at 6pm, 8pm then 10pm. Well I did mine at 5pm, 7pm, and 9pm. Different again.

I found out that most people/experts/studies/reports/etc seem to lean on the later times, and this is most likely as the gallbladder does most of it's work late in the evening. However if we were to actually wait until that prime time, we'd be getting no sleep. The earlier suggested times, in my opinion, are likely to accomodate the general population who might be wanting to work around feeding times, family members, bed times, etc. And as I'm usually in bed about 930pm, I decided 10pm was too late for me, and thus the times I took my tasty beverages, are a little different to others.

 

So how did I go?

Well I've got to say that initially assuming drinking olive oil would be the worst of this all, it was actually the only good part. Epsom salts are revolting o drink and they made me feel nauseous to begin with. The second dose of them had me looking forward to olive oil and lemon juice! Then the lemon juice was so unbelievably sour that the olive oil was the easiest one to drink of the whole lot! I was worried I would feel very nauseous and throw up the mixture, but in fact I felt a lot better after it. It was 3am I felt horrible, got up and threw up. Bowel movements this morning were very liquid which is why I didn't take the fourth epsom salts mix (just the thought of that stuff makes my body shudder). And I've seen plenty of stones! All green. Some tiny like hundreds and thousands, but a couple that, if I hadn't seen them for myself I would not have believed it but, they are the size of brazil nuts!

So whether they are actually liver and gallstones or simply congealed olive oil, I will never know, But I will say that today I feel much better than I have been. Would I do it again? Hmmm perhaps. But the thought of it right now is too close to home. Urgh. Happy to be eating food later on.

Have any of you ever done this liver flush? I'd be curious to hear how you (or someone you know) went.

Another Source I used besides Dr. Sandra Cabot's"The Healthy Liver and Bowel Book"

Weekend Recipe: Carob Protein Bites in 5 minutes. Sugar, dairy, gluten, egg and grain free

So first up I'm gonna say that this is not my recipe. It is damn delicious, effortlessly easy, and free of most things people seem to be either avoiding or intolerant to these days so Win Win Win. The recipe comes from Heather over at Sweetly Raw

Similar to me, Heather was once following a raw vegan diet high in natural sugars for a few years until she hit some road blocks with her health and began an entirely different way of eating in order to heal her body. She now eats more fats and proteins, among other things, and so this little snack or after-dinner treat is perfect for her, me, and everyone else wanting something sweet that's also super charged with nutrition.

What 'cha gonna need:

1/2 cup almond butter

1/4 cup carob powder

4 tablespoons vanilla protein powder

1 tablespoon coconut milk

5 drops stevia, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

---------------

4 tablespoons coconut flakes

3 tablespoons slivered almonds

+ Stir all ingredients together (from the first section) in a bowl, adding the oil last.

+ Stir in the coconut flakes and almonds. 

+ Spread the mixture into a plastic wrap lined container (I used a container that could hold a sandwich). 

+ Chill in the fridge until it firms up, or even store in the freezer.

+ Chop into bite sized pieces, sit back and relax whilst your taste buds do the talking.

My notes you might find useful...

+ I used macadamia butter in place of almond butter. Yummo this is my favourite nut spread, and the only one in my pantry at the time.

+ I didn't use almonds either as I had none. Only coconut flakes. Still crunchy and delish. Use your taste buds cues here - if you love gojis berries, cacao noibs, chopped nuts or something else, give them a go!

+ My protein powder is sweetened with stevia so no additional drops were needed (it would have been way OTT on the sweet stuff if I had)

So there you go. I made this last night and I kid you not, it took me less than 5 minutes to grab the ingredients from the pantry, whip it all together, squash it in a dish and bung it in the freezer. I got about a dozen little bite-sized pieces from this quantity. B and I ate a few after my stuffed mushrooms attempt at dinner - not bad at all if I do say so myself.

Anyways, off to grab some ingredients from the markets right now and get into my study when I'm back. Have a fabuloso weekend. And if you haven't signed up to my newsletter that goes out today, make sure you do so you get it next Friday and can put your feet up with a cuppa and read the latest blog goss, nutirtion know-how's, recipes, tips and more. Ensure you get the latest here.


Christie 
xx