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 -)
Monday, February 21, 2011
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...
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Soba noodles with Tempura (Tempura-soba)
I went through some recipes, video tutorials and finally was ready for this experiment. To begin with - let me highlight some tips which were very helpful for me:
1. Oil temperature should be about 160-170 C (320-340 F) for meat of thick and large pieces; about 170-180 C (340-360 F) for meat of a small bite-size pieces. For vegetables though - 160-170 C (320-340 F) is quite enough. Best way to determine temperature of oil is candy thermometer. But there are some hint ho to without. Tip 1: drop a few drops of batter into frying pan with oil and if it sinks to the bottom of the pan and floats up to the surface quickly than temperature is around 160 C. Tip 2: drop of batter sinks halfway to the bottom, and floats up quickly - about 170 C.
2. Ingredients for deep frying should be put in order. First: pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot (all vegetables with a little smell). Second: squid, shrimp and sillago (and other seafood or meat).
3. Do not deep fry many ingredients at once - they will overlap with each other preventing heat from distributing evenly.
4. Before tossing ingredients in batter - pat them dry and sprinkle with some flour.
5. Use really cold water, add few pieces of ice if needed.
I made tempura only with shrimps and served it over soba noodles in tasty stock. Soba can be easily substituted for udon.
Ingredients for Tempura:
8 fresh shrimps in shell
4 pieces of maitake mushrooms
Ingredients for Tempura batter:
1 egg yolk + chilled water to make 3/5 cup (5 oz or 142-150 ml)
3/5 cup of Hakurikiko flour (weak flour with gluten content 6 1/2-9 %)
Oil for deep frying (canola is mainly used, hence does not have a strong smell)
Method:
1. Wash shrimps in cold salty water. Remove the heads of the shrimps, devein and shell. Remove back vein with toothpick. Chop off the tips of the shrimp tails and gently press out moisture with a flat blade of the knife. If moisture remains in the tail - it will cause oil to sputter). To prevent shrimp from curling, make 3 incisions across the belly and open each of the cuts with hands to straighten the body. Wash and pat dry the mushrooms.
2. To prepare the batter: sift the flour. In a mixing bawl, lightly beat the egg yolk and pour in chilled water to make 2/5 cup. Add the sifted flour, and stir briefly. Do not over-mix, other wise the batter will become too sticky.
3. Dust shrimps and mushrooms with extra flour. Heat oil and start deep-frying while coating each ingredient with batter. Deep fry maitake first, than shrimps. Skim the oil surface to keep it clean. When the bubbles around the edges of each piece become small with the noise fading away - touch it with cooking chop-sticks. When the batter feels crispy, it is time to take it out of the pan. Place them on draining tray.
Ingredients for noodles:
7 oz dried soba (buckwheat noodles)
8 Tempura deep fried-shrimps (recipe above)
1 inch green onions
3-4 stalks trefoil
Ingredients for broth:
3 1/3 cups water
1 tsp granulated Dashi (Niboshi small dried sardines and bonito flakes flavor)
3 Tbsp sake
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp Mirin sweet cooking wine
1/2 tsp salt
Method:
1. Bring water to the boil in a large pot. Place soba noodles in the pot, boil while stirring with chop-sticks. When the water rolls up to the edges of the pot, pour in 2/5 cup of cold water. It will reduce the boiling and make noodles harder. Cook for as long as prescribed on the package - mainly 6 minutes. Drain soba on the sieve, rub and rinse in running cold water to eliminate slipperiness.
2. To prepare broth - bring water to boil with dissolved dashi. Add sake, soy sauce, miring and salt. Simmer for 1 minute.
3. Put noodles into donburi bawls and put tempura on top. Pour on hot broth and garnish with green onions and trefoil stalks cut into 5 inch lengths.
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