By Monica Cravotta | Published: Wednesday, January 20, 2010
I fear this is going to come out sounding ridiculously trite and cliche, and I’m saying it anyway. Health is everything! And like anything in life that we love, it’s so damn easy to take for granted until you don’t have it. This last round of sick for everyone in the family has me bound and determined to make health our #1 priority.
We’ve been committed to eating mostly vegan (we still eat eggs, fish and butter), and to minimizing our consumption of fried and processed food and refined sugar. Fans and friends of Rip Esselstyn who convinced us to change our diet six years ago, we believe diet is the #1 foundation for both short-term and long-term health. Check out his Engine 2 Diet web site. The name comes from his fire station in Austin — all vegan firefighters, thanks to Rip’s influence.
Sleep and regular exercise come next of course — the first of which must remain in its current “lack” state in order for me to stay committed to attachment parenting in the way I’d like. The second, I have the ability to get on top of and will when we’re all past feeling so crummy.
What I can do is follow what I’m calling the Recharge & Fortify Mama Plan. It’s a combination of prescriptions from my naturopath and a diet recommendation from my friend, Patrice Sullivan, the most amazing healer and acupuncturist I know. These women, among others, became concerned when seeing me last fall following my year of mothering a newborn, toddler and teen, and told me I was extremely depleted and needed to get on top of my health immediately.
I’m doing my best and find it challenging to keep up with everything they’ve suggested while taking care of two small children. I’m on top of the supplements for the most part and am eating this way 80% of the time — just not juicing yet. Here is everything suggested to me:
DIET
Morning: tea, red clover in tincture for hour or two. When hungry, fresh juice: veggies plus apple and lemon with 2 tsp spirulina, 1 tsp maca. Next, miso soup with 1/2 tsp bee pollen, more tea or diluted jar juice. Smoothies fine on a warm day. Chew juice/smoothies to activate better digestion.
Lunch: vegan meal: combination of beans/legumes, rice, kale, and veggies is ideal; salad with sprouts and seaweeds. You can make a “pressed” salad while you juice in the am. Mix 1 tbsp goat yogurt and 1 tsp fresh lemon into salad and put a heavy bowl on top to press. Pressing has the effect of “cooking” the vegetables in the sense of making them more digestible, but preserves the active living enzymes.
Dinner: 80% veggies. Some almonds, egg or legumes if you feel like it. Sprouts and seaweed are good too.
* Note: use soaked beans versus canned, and soaked, raw almonds.
Bed Time: goat yogurt with minerals.
SUPPLEMENTS & HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES (Am I keeping up with this? Not entirely…..but I do my best)
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