Next class we had - right after this one - was "Duck Breast with Warm Lentil Salad and Orange Seared Chicory". We did this class together on the same table and nothing went n fire, thank god, this time.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Dubai Food Festival "Taste of Dubai"
Most waited by all foodies event in Dubai. Unfortunately i could not go to it last year - so this year i panned my visit way ahead of time! It started on Thursday 3rd at 1 pm and I was there by 2 pm!! Early you say - i will too - it was still kind off "under construction" (as everything in Dubai).
But i had my reason to head there so early - reason is early sign up for cooking classes! The one thing i was looking forward to so much. Miele hosted their cooking school second year in a row and they are very professional. Hope they will open soon permanent cooking school here in Dubai.
That days - was quite and I managed to sign up for 3 classes. First I signed up myself and Khaled for separate tables to make pan-seered Sea Bass with cauliflower puree. It turned out really beautiful for me and fire-like experience for Khaled - his pans were smoking black and Cheef had to come down to remove burning pans and discard the oil.
I will add recipe for this beauty in the next post. Really simple and quick!
Next class we had - right after this one - was "Duck Breast with Warm Lentil Salad and Orange Seared Chicory". We did this class together on the same table and nothing went n fire, thank god, this time.
Next class we had - right after this one - was "Duck Breast with Warm Lentil Salad and Orange Seared Chicory". We did this class together on the same table and nothing went n fire, thank god, this time.
Monday, February 21, 2011
My Schedule
I wake up at 7:30 or 8:00 am every day.
Have ½ litter of room temperature water on empty stomach, while sitting on the bed. Do not rush to get out of bed too quickly – let blood flow slowly after awakening. Sit-down on the side of the bed and count till 20 - since it takes 9 seconds for blood flow to come back to normal after sleep. And never drink cold water – even during the day.
Start preparing breakfast porridge on the stove, while doing my bathroom routine.
Have Breakfast minimum after ½ hour after your water in the morning. Or most of the time I am packing my breakfast with me and heading for yoga practice. I would have eaten my breakfast ½ hour after Yoga or Pilates. It should be well balanced protein/carbohydrates breakfast. I will give my menus and recipes later on.
Lunch is normally at 1 pm – not to let myself go too hungry. It is normally going under best food plate guide: ½ - vegetables cooks or raw, 1/3 – healthy non-gluten grains, 1/3 – lean protein from animal or non-animal source.
Brief walk after and before lunch.
Around 4-5 pm I am normally going hungry again. So it is time for a healthy power snack – like nuts, toasted buckwheat or quinoa crisps, nuts, vegetable sticks, avocado shake (with apples or with skimmed milk), nuts etc.
I go home after work, dry brush my body with natural brush followed by nice comfortable shower.
Then I start preparing dinner, which normally have at 8:30 pm.
11:00 I am normally in bed, just relaxing and not distracting myself with any actions or thoughts. Put some lavender/chamomile oil mixture in to the aroma oil lamp to relax.
I am asleep most of the days before midnight, to let my body fully regenerate.
Have ½ litter of room temperature water on empty stomach, while sitting on the bed. Do not rush to get out of bed too quickly – let blood flow slowly after awakening. Sit-down on the side of the bed and count till 20 - since it takes 9 seconds for blood flow to come back to normal after sleep. And never drink cold water – even during the day.
Start preparing breakfast porridge on the stove, while doing my bathroom routine.
Have Breakfast minimum after ½ hour after your water in the morning. Or most of the time I am packing my breakfast with me and heading for yoga practice. I would have eaten my breakfast ½ hour after Yoga or Pilates. It should be well balanced protein/carbohydrates breakfast. I will give my menus and recipes later on.
Lunch is normally at 1 pm – not to let myself go too hungry. It is normally going under best food plate guide: ½ - vegetables cooks or raw, 1/3 – healthy non-gluten grains, 1/3 – lean protein from animal or non-animal source.
Brief walk after and before lunch.
Around 4-5 pm I am normally going hungry again. So it is time for a healthy power snack – like nuts, toasted buckwheat or quinoa crisps, nuts, vegetable sticks, avocado shake (with apples or with skimmed milk), nuts etc.
I go home after work, dry brush my body with natural brush followed by nice comfortable shower.
Then I start preparing dinner, which normally have at 8:30 pm.
11:00 I am normally in bed, just relaxing and not distracting myself with any actions or thoughts. Put some lavender/chamomile oil mixture in to the aroma oil lamp to relax.
I am asleep most of the days before midnight, to let my body fully regenerate.
Fitness Routine
In addition to all this changes in my diet – I follow pretty easy exercise routine on daily basis:
1. I do Yoga at least 3 times a week. Yoga Is great body and mind work out. There is poses for everything in your life: your cravings, your reproductive system, your muscles and mind. I will be posting more interesting information on benefits of yoga practice and my experience.
2. I do Pilates at least once a week – just to give some intense muscle work out, since I am not fan of fitness machines.
3. I walk. At least ½ an hour per day during my lunch break - I go to the further restaurant or make a walk in the mall, since many times I drive there to have lunch in Organic Supermarket in Dubai Mall.
Sport speeds up my metabolism and I can enjoy my favorite foods with less guilt for it -)
1. I do Yoga at least 3 times a week. Yoga Is great body and mind work out. There is poses for everything in your life: your cravings, your reproductive system, your muscles and mind. I will be posting more interesting information on benefits of yoga practice and my experience.
2. I do Pilates at least once a week – just to give some intense muscle work out, since I am not fan of fitness machines.
3. I walk. At least ½ an hour per day during my lunch break - I go to the further restaurant or make a walk in the mall, since many times I drive there to have lunch in Organic Supermarket in Dubai Mall.
Sport speeds up my metabolism and I can enjoy my favorite foods with less guilt for it -)
CYL Part III: Challenges and New Plan
Now after my body eliminated a lot of toxins, I had to think on Diet Plan suitable for me to mentain healthy living.
I am not a big dieting person myself. Meaning I cannot avoid eating some products strictly, life for example they suggest in Candida Diet. It would be impossible for me to do. I also studied Atkins Diet – but found it gross to get all my nutrition from mainly animal protein sources, and I do not believe that eliminating Carbohydrates will do any good. On the other side I was truly believing in whole-grains and “Good” carbs properly described in Yogic Books and supported by Food’s Glycemic Index studies. So many options – so many diets. But – on the other hand a lot of sources guiding you to go Gluten Free and eliminate whole grains and wheat.
Candida Die advises to start with very strict diet and eliminate all the foods which possibly causes allergies and intolerances. I omitted this step and did Food Intolerance tests – just to make sure that are the possible foods to avoid completely and which ones are tolerable.
My Food Intolerance List contained following allergic reactions:
Number 1 and 2 Allergy to: gluten (oats, barley, wheat etc.) , chicken egg, spirulina algae, cocoa beans
Number 3 Allergy (stronger intolerance): kiwi fruit, sunflower seeds, peanuts
Foods to avoid: milk (cow) products, eggs, yeast, glutten
So I had to opt for gluten free after all…
It was time for me to identify best for myself. I made a rough idea about the Goals I wanted to achieve:
1. To lower blood sugar (Dec’2010 – 5.08)
2. To eliminate Yeast from my diet
3. Limit Antibiotics intake (even the ones from non-organic red meat and chicken)
4. Limit and avoid as much as I can gluten
5. To have cow milk/products not more often than once a week
6. To consume foods law in GI Index
7. Opt for more organic products
It was it. Then seeing this Goals was easy to make a Food list, which helps me do my grocery shopping and even orders in restaurants:
Foods to avoid:
- Everything White: sugar/flour/rice
- Everything Sugar: fructose, sucrose, maltose etc.
- Gluten: barley, oats, wheat, kamut, rye
- Everything Eggs: including pastry, breads, and all the hidden eggs in some cereal/crisps or spreads
- Everything Yeast: including hidden yeast in bullion stocks and some supplements
- Some Fruits: melon, grape, orange, fruit juices
- Some nuts: pistachio (very high in mold) and peanuts (I am allergic to)
- Aged cheese
- Coffee, green tea
- Sunflower oil and seeds
- Mushrooms and truffles
- Cocoa Beans
- Vinegars all except for Apple Cider Vinegar
- Beer (high yeast and sugar contain)
- Soft drinks/energy drinks (I do not drink hem for more than year now but noted down just in case)
Foods to limit:
- Fruits – one per day
- Milk and Milk Products (from caw milk) – to limit to 1-2 per week preferably Organic (to omit antibiotics)
- Tomatoes
- Lentils
- Wine – pure sugar – so be cautious of drinking any alcohol
- Some veggies: pumpkin, turnips, beetroot, carrot
- Some Non-glutinous grains, like millet for its Medium Gl Index.
Food to enjoy:
- All vegetables raw or lightly cooked
- Avocadoes – stabilizes blood sugar
- Chicory root – stabilizes blood sugar and replaces coffee
- Goat/sheep Milk Products: cheeses, yogurts etc. But no to Aged Cheeses!
- Other equivalents of milk: almond, rice, quinoa
- Proteins: fish, beans, chicken, lamb, beef (but to limit red meat)
- Nuts and seeds: preferably soaked in water over night and/or dehydrated
- Non-glutinous grains: quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, wild and brown rice
- Oils: coconut, sesame, olive, almond, flax, pumpkin seed
- Herbal Teas: especially Pau D’Arco (for it anti fungal/parasites properties), Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Peppermint, Licorice, Lemongrass, Detox Herbs to support your guts
- Supplements: garlic, calcium, Vitex, Probiotics, Multi-Vits (I take for supporting my fertility function)
I am not a big dieting person myself. Meaning I cannot avoid eating some products strictly, life for example they suggest in Candida Diet. It would be impossible for me to do. I also studied Atkins Diet – but found it gross to get all my nutrition from mainly animal protein sources, and I do not believe that eliminating Carbohydrates will do any good. On the other side I was truly believing in whole-grains and “Good” carbs properly described in Yogic Books and supported by Food’s Glycemic Index studies. So many options – so many diets. But – on the other hand a lot of sources guiding you to go Gluten Free and eliminate whole grains and wheat.
Candida Die advises to start with very strict diet and eliminate all the foods which possibly causes allergies and intolerances. I omitted this step and did Food Intolerance tests – just to make sure that are the possible foods to avoid completely and which ones are tolerable.
My Food Intolerance List contained following allergic reactions:
Number 1 and 2 Allergy to: gluten (oats, barley, wheat etc.) , chicken egg, spirulina algae, cocoa beans
Number 3 Allergy (stronger intolerance): kiwi fruit, sunflower seeds, peanuts
Foods to avoid: milk (cow) products, eggs, yeast, glutten
So I had to opt for gluten free after all…
It was time for me to identify best for myself. I made a rough idea about the Goals I wanted to achieve:
1. To lower blood sugar (Dec’2010 – 5.08)
2. To eliminate Yeast from my diet
3. Limit Antibiotics intake (even the ones from non-organic red meat and chicken)
4. Limit and avoid as much as I can gluten
5. To have cow milk/products not more often than once a week
6. To consume foods law in GI Index
7. Opt for more organic products
It was it. Then seeing this Goals was easy to make a Food list, which helps me do my grocery shopping and even orders in restaurants:
Foods to avoid:
- Everything White: sugar/flour/rice
- Everything Sugar: fructose, sucrose, maltose etc.
- Gluten: barley, oats, wheat, kamut, rye
- Everything Eggs: including pastry, breads, and all the hidden eggs in some cereal/crisps or spreads
- Everything Yeast: including hidden yeast in bullion stocks and some supplements
- Some Fruits: melon, grape, orange, fruit juices
- Some nuts: pistachio (very high in mold) and peanuts (I am allergic to)
- Aged cheese
- Coffee, green tea
- Sunflower oil and seeds
- Mushrooms and truffles
- Cocoa Beans
- Vinegars all except for Apple Cider Vinegar
- Beer (high yeast and sugar contain)
- Soft drinks/energy drinks (I do not drink hem for more than year now but noted down just in case)
Foods to limit:
- Fruits – one per day
- Milk and Milk Products (from caw milk) – to limit to 1-2 per week preferably Organic (to omit antibiotics)
- Tomatoes
- Lentils
- Wine – pure sugar – so be cautious of drinking any alcohol
- Some veggies: pumpkin, turnips, beetroot, carrot
- Some Non-glutinous grains, like millet for its Medium Gl Index.
Food to enjoy:
- All vegetables raw or lightly cooked
- Avocadoes – stabilizes blood sugar
- Chicory root – stabilizes blood sugar and replaces coffee
- Goat/sheep Milk Products: cheeses, yogurts etc. But no to Aged Cheeses!
- Other equivalents of milk: almond, rice, quinoa
- Proteins: fish, beans, chicken, lamb, beef (but to limit red meat)
- Nuts and seeds: preferably soaked in water over night and/or dehydrated
- Non-glutinous grains: quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, wild and brown rice
- Oils: coconut, sesame, olive, almond, flax, pumpkin seed
- Herbal Teas: especially Pau D’Arco (for it anti fungal/parasites properties), Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Peppermint, Licorice, Lemongrass, Detox Herbs to support your guts
- Supplements: garlic, calcium, Vitex, Probiotics, Multi-Vits (I take for supporting my fertility function)
Change Your Life Part II - Start Off Detox
I was making a lot of research - i was looking and all possibly related to the subject themes - most of the websites everybody knows about - Massive WebMD , Candida Diet & Detox , Fran's Ayurveda Blog , Recipes on Whole Foods Market and many many more... I also got some book on yoga and Low GI Diet.
I figured that the only one way to become healthy and wake up fresh is to eat right food. I was also previously suffering from recurrent Candida infection - which also was one of the main pushes to start becoming healthy eater.
First off all i decided to start off Detox and Colon Cleansing. Here some few point on it:
1. Quite a few clinics doing it in Dubai - I chose the semi-governmental one Dubai Herbal and Treatment Centre .Some more information on the procedure you can see here.
2. Start preparing for this in advance by following easy detox plan. I could not afford following harsh process of not eating for 7 days as advised On Candida Diet website . So I just limited food intake to only vegetables, vegetable soups and drunk 2 Phsillium Husk Drinks during my first Colonic Session.
3. Repeat Colonic Hydrotherapy at least 3 times - once every week. All the week I was opting for light meals, consisting mainly from vegetables or fish (the easiest to digest). 72 hours after colonic are the most sensitive - so be really strict of what you eat in otherwise stomach will have quite a trouble to digest.
During this 3 weeks of colon cleanse - I was prescribed to take Probiotics - twice daily 1,000 mg, and dietary fiber blend - 2 scoops at night time. All this to help my body to restore micro flora of my intestine. Also I was taking one capsule of "Gut Cleanse" Formula three times daily on empty stomach (i still have some of those pills - which i keep on taking one to two pills daily just for sake of finishing the box).
Some more points on detox plan:
- Drink a lot of Detox Tea or Detox Drink or Vegetable Soup during the day in addition to plenty of bottled water.
- Book spa of your choice and go there for detoxifying massage/body wrap,
- Also do not forget to hop in the sauna for a few sweats. Sauna - is called to be one of the most beneficial options to get rid of all the toxins in body.
- Dry brash with natural brash everyday before shower. Dry Brushing Technique is well described here After this three weeks - i felt better - I had less craving for foods (or did not have at all), more energy, my skin cleared up, my stool became more regular. Overall experience was fantastic - I felt and i did finally something really good for my body and my body was responding quite well.
I figured that the only one way to become healthy and wake up fresh is to eat right food. I was also previously suffering from recurrent Candida infection - which also was one of the main pushes to start becoming healthy eater.
First off all i decided to start off Detox and Colon Cleansing. Here some few point on it:
1. Quite a few clinics doing it in Dubai - I chose the semi-governmental one Dubai Herbal and Treatment Centre .Some more information on the procedure you can see here.
2. Start preparing for this in advance by following easy detox plan. I could not afford following harsh process of not eating for 7 days as advised On Candida Diet website . So I just limited food intake to only vegetables, vegetable soups and drunk 2 Phsillium Husk Drinks during my first Colonic Session.
3. Repeat Colonic Hydrotherapy at least 3 times - once every week. All the week I was opting for light meals, consisting mainly from vegetables or fish (the easiest to digest). 72 hours after colonic are the most sensitive - so be really strict of what you eat in otherwise stomach will have quite a trouble to digest.
During this 3 weeks of colon cleanse - I was prescribed to take Probiotics - twice daily 1,000 mg, and dietary fiber blend - 2 scoops at night time. All this to help my body to restore micro flora of my intestine. Also I was taking one capsule of "Gut Cleanse" Formula three times daily on empty stomach (i still have some of those pills - which i keep on taking one to two pills daily just for sake of finishing the box).
Some more points on detox plan:
- Drink a lot of Detox Tea or Detox Drink or Vegetable Soup during the day in addition to plenty of bottled water.
- Book spa of your choice and go there for detoxifying massage/body wrap,
- Also do not forget to hop in the sauna for a few sweats. Sauna - is called to be one of the most beneficial options to get rid of all the toxins in body.
- Dry brash with natural brash everyday before shower. Dry Brushing Technique is well described here After this three weeks - i felt better - I had less craving for foods (or did not have at all), more energy, my skin cleared up, my stool became more regular. Overall experience was fantastic - I felt and i did finally something really good for my body and my body was responding quite well.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Change You Life: Part I - Came to Realize
I love food! I love all different cuisine, flavors, exotic ingredients, sweets and chocolates! I used to enjoy ordering pizza to the house with loads of cheese and mushrooms! I was indulging into sweet ice cream during shopping... Ahh... I am sure there are so many woman like me out there - who knows what i am talking about.
Recently I started reading a lot about healthy lifestyle, foods and fitness. I realized that time has come to become more healthy and start paying off my body for all the bad stuff (alcohol, bad food choices, unhealthy sleeping routine and lack of exercises) I did.
I did not straggle from much overweight to come to realize that my body and soul in need of detox. It just appeared to me because of i started thinking of family planning with my beloved husband and by the God's will to extend our family.
Firstly - I quit smoking in August 2010 via method "cold turkey" - it did not do any good though - i became very nervous and put on weight, what was making me even more nervous (poor husband - he had to go through all this). Then I got addicted to shisha (if anyone have ever tried it - they would say that this is even more damaging for lungs then regular cigarettes). After struggling like this for a while I figured that i might take my weight and tobacco cravings under control by doing heavy cardio and pumping in the gym. I was there every other day for 1,5 hours, even oh the weekend and managed to shed off a couple of pounds. But it was exhausting and time by time I was becoming very nervous and stressed over simplest things. I was very off balance - mentally and physically. I needed something to get myself together...
And there, it came to me - i had to look deep into root of my lifestyle - not just picking from the top. And I randomly did...
Recently I started reading a lot about healthy lifestyle, foods and fitness. I realized that time has come to become more healthy and start paying off my body for all the bad stuff (alcohol, bad food choices, unhealthy sleeping routine and lack of exercises) I did.
I did not straggle from much overweight to come to realize that my body and soul in need of detox. It just appeared to me because of i started thinking of family planning with my beloved husband and by the God's will to extend our family.
Firstly - I quit smoking in August 2010 via method "cold turkey" - it did not do any good though - i became very nervous and put on weight, what was making me even more nervous (poor husband - he had to go through all this). Then I got addicted to shisha (if anyone have ever tried it - they would say that this is even more damaging for lungs then regular cigarettes). After struggling like this for a while I figured that i might take my weight and tobacco cravings under control by doing heavy cardio and pumping in the gym. I was there every other day for 1,5 hours, even oh the weekend and managed to shed off a couple of pounds. But it was exhausting and time by time I was becoming very nervous and stressed over simplest things. I was very off balance - mentally and physically. I needed something to get myself together...
And there, it came to me - i had to look deep into root of my lifestyle - not just picking from the top. And I randomly did...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)