Always Experimenting, Always Learning....

I haven't written in awhile.

For a lot of reasons.

Mainly, I have gone within to experiment and contemplate a lot...away from the critical questions and eyes of the public....to find me and what works for me.

I have experimented with not eating fruit for awhile and wanted to give it some time until I shared how it's working with "everyone".

I love fruit. I do. It's so beautiful and tasty. I had some today and yesterday in fact, and it's the first I've had in a long time.

I don't exactly know where my relationship with fruit will end up in the end, if there really will be and end, but I do know that for now what is necessary is that I give it up totally to see what effect that has on my body.

What have I been eating instead?

Well, mainly brown rice, garbonzo beans (chickpeas) and lots of lettuces.

I am thinking about going back to raw, but mainly veggies and then sprout the garbonzo beans.

I had some donut peaches, blueberries and apricots these last two days. I felt the need for more variety and for something "sweet."

Why did I stop eating fruit?

Well, for one thing, I was sick and tired of being cold all the time and I noticed that high-sugar veggies and fruit would trigger my Raynaud's where my fingers turn numb and cold and dark blue or completely white. This would happen even in the summer time. I would  get it after drinking pineapple juice, sweet potato or carrot or beet juice. The only common denominator I could think of was sugar. So....the experiment to cut out these foods and eat higher protein foods and lower-sugar foods has yielded way less incidences of my Raynaud's.....

It also has yielded almost perfectly clear skin almost 100% of the time. No rosacea flares hardly ever.

And, my endometriosis cramps are WAY, way down (hardly existent) and my cravings for food are gone and so are my allergies....

So....I am experimenting with vegan foods that agree with me and adding things back slowly.

I still do no salt. I still do low-fat.

And, after reading the book Wheat Belly, I have resolved once and for all, to give up wheat for GOOD.

I went vegan several years ago after reading several of Dr. John McDougall's books. His "original" program recommended or condoned bagels, pasta, etc.

I didn't do well on his program.

Whenever I would "cheat" on vegan foods it was always with wheat: Indian food Paan bread, vegan cheeseless pizza, pasta with marinara sauce, bagels,, Subway's veggie delight sandwiches, etc.

I realize after reading this book that aside from the time that I was eating a fruit diet, I have hardly went a time in my whole life where I never ate wheat. I grew up on the stuff----Chef Boy R D's Raviolio's, Kraft's Mac and Cheese, Oreos, bread, Olive Garden, Pizza, you name it.

The book talks about the insulin resistance that dairy causes, but puts most of the fault flat square on Wheat's shoulder's.

It blamed skin rashes on wheat, cataracts on wheat, weight gain on wheat (along with corn tortillas, soda, and other high glycemic foods including bananas, figs, dates and raisins) and other things....

So I realize that I need to eat low-glycemic which is a challenge as a vegan. I realize, too, that there are probably a lot of people out there like me which is why a lot of people try vegan and then go back to eating meat or paleo or something because they have genuine problems.

There are a lot of vegan dishes and foods that are very high-glycemic because most vegan diets are based on carbs.

So that is why I am excited to be working on some interviews with some raw vegans who are not high-carb and who have aged really well and look beautiful.

I can't wait to bring their information to you.

I also am committed to my own growth and betterment and not some dogma. I realize I have lost "friends" due to this journey and that some are simply a tad upset.

I am not here to purposely offend anyone, I simply want to find what works best for ME.

As I continue on my journey, I also am reading some fascinating books on electro-magnetic field's affects on the body and healing, as well as people who say they can communicate with animals via "heart to heart" communication.

This last area is fascinating to me. I have an appointment tomorrow with a gal who practices empathy-based Non-violent communication skills, which I really want to hone in on. I also have been reading a lot on the electro-magnetic field that the  human heart gives off and how this can affect other's and even our own health.

I find all of this as fascinating, if not more fascinating, than diet itself as the mind/body connection is a powerful one that compliments perfectly a dietary regime that is healthful.

There simply is more to the equation than food and that is a FACT that should not be overlooked.

I also realize that "friends" come and go and when out with the old, the new comes in....and sometimes this is a necessary fact of life.

I'm okay with all of it. I love this journey I am on and it's always exciting, always new, always rewarding.

I am grateful for all I am learning and if some small part helps someone else on their own journey, then so much the better.

Where it will end is anyone's guess, but I suppose it really doesn't matter. :)