stellargirl returns

so how 'bout that detox?

Delicious cupcakes from Flying Monkey Patisserie

I've been meaning to follow up about the detox diet I posted about a few weeks ago. I feel like I've already had so many conversations with friends where I 'fessed up that I didn't make it the full 21 days. I did, however, make changes that I think are here to stay. Yes, those are cupcakes, and yes, I did eat 1/2 of one at a family party 2 weeks ago!

Regarding the official detox: no alcohol, sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine (and I must be forgetting something), I definitely stuck to it for 2 weeks. The first week was way harder than I imagined. I am fortunate enough to have a nice kitchen with all of my favorite kitchen implements and a juicer to keep me going. I did have a pretty decent headache for a few days, which is an extremely rare occurrence for me. It was a strange reminder that the body has a way of communicating with you when things go awry.  The headache did go away and by the end of the first week, I was really feeling the difference.

Since caving in, I've been a little less strict about the choices I make, but I'm really trying to adhere to as much as I can. I have a massive addiction to soy chai lattes, which I have essentially cut out. Yes, I've had a few here and there. Without going into details, Murphy's Law brought in this unbelievably stressful situation having to do with my house smack dab in the middle of the detox. Talk about finding inner strength. Thankfully, the worst has passed, but I'll admit, I treated myself to a soy chai latte or two during this time :)

I'm also an incredible fan of dairy. I adore eating plain yogurt with granola or fruit for breakfast (not anymore) and one of my most favorite things to create is a beautiful cheese platter. Don't even get me started on aged gouda. Yum. My family is big into the cheese & crackers, and I've seen them a few times over the past month or so. We show up with gluten free crackers and spicy hummus and all is well. And for breakfast? My new favorite is raw almond butter on a thin cake (made with quinoa, corn & sesame).

What I've thought a lot about since making these choices is how difficult it can be to eat out with these restrictions. And I might add, I don't think they are restrictions. Basically, eat more veggies! That's supposed to be simple! Not so much. It's hard to grab a snack somewhere without it being covered in cheese or wrapped in bread.

Essene Market & Cafe

Thankfully there is the amazing & almost entirely vegan (save for the occasional egg or honey) cafe at Essene Market & Cafe in Queen Village. I've definitely been visiting a lot more lately for a meal or a snack. I will always owe any interest I have in food & healing to them, as I learned so much during the years I worked there during college. Quite possibly, one of my favorite places in Philly!

So maybe I wasn't hardcore enough to be unwavering in my 21 day detox, but what I've decided to grab onto instead is an entirely new philosophy of eating. I've been vegetarian (and recently slightly pescatarian) for over 15 years at this point, but I was still eating more crap than I needed to. Paying attention to, reducing, or even better eliminating the amount of sugar & dairy that goes into your body is probably one of the most significant things you can do to see a real change in your body and mind. If you're up for it, remove gluten for a few weeks and see if that feels any different. Coffee nut? How about trying to commit to 2 weeks without. The first week will suck big time, but how about the dream of waking up and actually feeling awake?

Just as in life, most of us are in a constant state of improvement and growth. Embrace it and always be open to more. Live with a beginner's mind. Surprise yourself. Conquer one thing and move onto the next. Share your experiences, but more importantly, savor them. You are what you eat! Change the recipe.

is gluten the devil?

I dunno, is it? On my recent detox journey, I've been making a conscious effort to avoid the stuff. It's not easy. The obvious product to avoid is bread. That's cool, I don't eat sandwiches that much. Next, pizza. Boy howdy, I love me some pizza, but it's loaded with lots of that awesome dairy stuff as well. No dice.

Gluten is sort of everywhere. While I've actually been using tamari soy sauce for a while, I used to be a huge fan of shoyu - which is unfortunately brewed with wheat. Tamari is not. As a vegetarian, another one of my favorite meat substitutes is seitan, pronounced SAY-tan, not Satan, not the devil (or is it?). I have a way I like to prepare seitan using lots of butter, shallots, black pepper and red wine. Whoah, Nelly, that does not belong on the detox diet, but my sister said it tastes just like steak. I'll bet it does!

Recently, I was at the salad bar at Whole Foods and I was so disappointed that so many of their perfectly vegan salads had shoyu in their dressing. WHY? They are actually a company that is so great about clearly marking gluten free items on their shelves and they even have a full on gluten free bakery. I visited another Whole Foods in a different state today and had much better luck, they even used cider vinegar which is another topic, but still really awesome.

As I soak up new information about nutrition through some of the books and blogs I have been reading, especially the raw foods stuff, I'm amazed at how much more interesting a diet that is more plant-based can be. I mean, I know this stuff. I've been veggie for a long, long time, but it's so easy to eat cereals, breads, baked goods and other things that are loaded with gluten. Focusing on eliminating or avoiding gluten is another nudge towards upping the number of veggies on your plate.

Beer is great, but it's got gluten in it!

Just to clarify, gluten is not just found in wheat. It's also in kamut, spelt, barley, rye, malts, BEER (whomp whomp) and triticale. Ever seen the word "dextrin" on your ingredients list? That's got gluten in it, too. In fact, chances are you won't recognize or be able to identify most of the long list of ingredients on packaged processed foods. I'll admit, I'm no pro at that, but making your own stuff or buying products where you do actually recognize all the ingredients are sure fire ways to avoid things you may not want in your diet.

There are still lots of great grains and grain-like things to enjoy if you're going gluten free. Whole Foods stocks lots of gluten free pastas that are made with brown rice, corn and quinoa. I've been trying out a few different blends and I'm on the fence. I think they take practice so that you don't end up with a big old gummy mess.  I eat them on my lazy nights or when I just can't stand another bowl of the trusty superfood, quinoa.

As a cracker hound, I've been happy to find some awesome selections out there. My favorite, first tasted with family friends in Santa Barbara, is Mary's Gone Crackers Onion Crackers. We have also been enjoying Back to Nature's multi-seed gluten free crackers. Dunk in some hummus or a freshly made dip and you're golden. If you're eating dairy, a nice spread of goat cheese would also taste nice.

Other gluten free grains include amaranth, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats (look for oats that are clearly marked gluten free), brown rice, sorghum, teff and wild rice. I can imagine a million different grain pilafs and salads that you can make with these goodies. I haven't done it yet, but I hear that you can make lots of raw treats with buckwheat and wild rice. I'm working my way towards it, not there just yet.

I read the choicest quote today from the chef / owner of famed vegan restaurant Horizons explaining why he's shutting the doors on his esteemed restaurant and starting fresh with a new concept that relies a little less on gluten:

“Vegetables are where all of our creativity is right now,” Landau said. “The grilled seitan has not changed in seven years. It’s like our “Stairway to Heaven,” but vegetables are really where my passion is now. I’m not saying no to seitan at the new place, I just don’t want be known as the guy who puts a big slab of wheat gluten on a plate.” 

Read the article in its entirety on GrubStreet Philadelphia.

Going gluten free, or even mostly gluten free is an adventure. I think everyone should try it for a few weeks and listen to what their body tells them. I'm sure it's something new that you haven't heard before. 

good morning green juice

About a million years ago, my sister and I got my mom the Champion juicer for her birthday (or was it Mother's Day?) The gift was my idea, naturally, as I was getting hooked on all the carrot juicey goodness I was experiencing at the health food store I worked at during college. Of course, I was the one who wanted the juicer, and wouldn't you know, my mom ended up passing it on to me eventually. I've mostly been storing it in my basement, but I dug it out last week and it works perfectly.

The current 21-day detox recommends starting the morning with a green juice of cucumbers, broccoli stems, celery, romaine, what other green goodies you have on hand, plus an apple or a pear for sweetness.  Basically, the ratio is 3-4 veggies to one piece of fruit. I've been tossing in a lemon wedge and a small piece of ginger root as well.  It's been heavenly. 

I honestly never thought I'd juice a piece of romaine lettuce or a broccoli stem, but I've been incredibly surprised with the taste. It's so refreshing and a perfect way to start your morning. 

 

gettin' all detoxy

Just over a week ago, I decided to do something crazy. How crazy you ask? Depends on your relationship with coffee, meat, cheese, cookies, beer, wine, etc.

For 21 days, I have signed up to remove all traces of caffeine, dairy, sugar, gluten, alcohol and animal products from my diet. Before I began, I was really quiet about it and I didn't tell many people. I didn't want to fail. I mean, I was sure I would fail. It just seemed like it would be too hard. But here I write from Day 9 and I'm totally hangin' in there and feeling pretty good about it. Guess I'm not out of the woods yet!

The first week has been an absolute culinary adventure and has really started shifting the way I look at food. I'm actually really enjoying the experience and looking forward to creating some new good habits as a result.

The inspiration for this detox comes from Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet. I wasn't looking for a diet book when I stumbled upon her book. I kept seeing it at Whole Foods and thinking "What's up with that book? What's so Crazy & Sexy about it?" Mind you, I'm not trying to be too crazy or sexy, but I am really very extremely (yes really) interested in food and healing.

Kris' original gift to this world was a documentary called Crazy Sexy Cancer (which I haven't seen). She suffers from a rare form of cancer that is untreatable. That is, no chemo, no radiation, just lots of wait and see. She, like many other wellness warriors out there, decided to take matters in her own hands and educate herself in the ways in which diet can improve your total health. She doesn't stop there either, she's got a lot of ideas about incorporating meditation into your daily life as well as many other tips & tricks to give your life a giant shot in the arm.

I celebrated my last night of freedom by weaning myself off a wine hangover from the night before and enjoying a big old bowl of drunken noodles from my local Thai delivery joint. I savored all that gooey noodley gluteny goodness, knowing that my life was about to become an austere prison of vegetables. I couldn't have been more wrong. After just one week, I like to think that my life has become a vibrant, colorful menagerie of fruits, veggies and leafy greens! 

I hope to follow up with some posts featuring more of the play by play / day by day stuff, but I thought I'd share some of my favorite snacks and meals from the first week so you could get some idea of the yummy foods one can eat while on a restricted diet. I don't feel restricted at all, I feel empowered!

Any links below go right to a photo of that dish, to see an overall set of images from last week, check out the detox! set on flickr.

corn/quinoa/sesame thin cakes with raw almond butter 
celery sticks and miso cilantro white bean dip
butter lettuce salad with shallots, sunflower seeds and raw apple cider vinaigrette 
spicy ginger lime braised tempeh
gluten-free angel hair with cilantro pesto
lemon garlic roasted brussel sprouts
lots and lots of GREEN juice featuring cucumber, celery, romaine, apple, pear, ginger
coconut chickpea curry
collard green wraps filled with caramelized onions, sweet potatoes, black beans & corn 

Thankfully, I have a special buddy on this adventure with me, which makes it all the more fun. We're cookin' up a storm over here, so look us up if you're hankering for a healthy meal!