I have not forgotten about doing a detox. But I needed a reminder of why I should commit to doing one, even if it's just for a few days. Here are the top 5 reasons I've found to do detoxes:
5) Because your're feeling sluggish. If you've been feeling sluggish for more than just a few days, your body is saying it needs help. Cleaning things out with a detox can help.
4) For overall improved health. This is both immediate and long-term. If you are constantly getting sick, a detox can be a good way of flushing things out--and perhaps motivate you to get on a healthier eating plan. But a detox can also help with things like blood pressure and other issues, especially if you detox regularly.
3) Improved skin tone. And don't we all feel better when our skin looks great? Of course, this improved skin is the result of improved health, but it's still good to think of it as a reason on its own.
2) If you are overweight, then this is a reason. A short detox might not do anything for your weight, but a well planned one that lasts longer should. Not only because of the change in food consumption but because very often, weight stays on us because our bodies are too clogged up to deal with things properly.
1) Because your body just needs a break, especially after Christmas. All the junk we eat and the harmful substances around us that get into our blood stream end up in our blood. Our bodies can only do so much detoxing on their own and with our modern life, even those who eat nothing but healthy, organic foods are still recommended to do regular detoxes. You may not even have any symptoms that a detox would be useful, but that doesn't mean your body won't get something good out of it.
Of course, the next step is to decide which type of detox and how long--and how to manage it when you are responsible for the meals in a household of people...
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Yearning for a -Free Life
There has been, naturally, discussion here and there of people not being ready to end their Christmas vacations. If you have already ended your Christmas vacation and wish you were still on it, I'm sorry to be admitting that we've had two weeks.
But it doesn't feel like enough.
I could really use another week. Or two. Or three. And I am looking inward to figure out why.
The only answer at the moment is that there is some sort of disconnect between how I am living my life and what I really want. What the innermost part of me says is how I was made to live. But what is it that I really want? Well, watching Pride and Prejudice recently, the version with Keira Knightley, I found myself going, "Yes, that is the life I would like." Not just like, but would thoroughly enjoy and love, I think. While they only show a bit of the involvement the family had in the goings-on of the household, it was all so much calmer and less rushed. Sure, there's laundry and some tending of the animals and some cooking. But other things, too. Go for walks. Hang out under trees with books. Travel by carriage--and not be in such a rush and it's not even that big of a deal if your carriage breaks down and affects your timing. Attend parties. Live fairly simply--yet still have enough to have hired staff. It was, as at least one site has described general life in the early 1800s, a leisurely life. Even for those who worked in typical lower and middle class settings.
As this Christmas season comes to an end (it's the 10th day of Christmas, by the way), I find myself really longing for that kind of a -free life: constant-rushing-free; constant-outside-demands-free; too-much-excess-free. I'm not sure at the moment what the first step to take is for that--to attain a leisurely sort of life that doesn't slip into just plain laziness--but the desire is there.
What about you? Do you have similar thoughts about your own life? Things are too fast-paced? Too full of outside demands and even too much stuff? Will you join me this year in reclaiming the simpler, -free life that your inner self is asking for?
But it doesn't feel like enough.
I could really use another week. Or two. Or three. And I am looking inward to figure out why.
The only answer at the moment is that there is some sort of disconnect between how I am living my life and what I really want. What the innermost part of me says is how I was made to live. But what is it that I really want? Well, watching Pride and Prejudice recently, the version with Keira Knightley, I found myself going, "Yes, that is the life I would like." Not just like, but would thoroughly enjoy and love, I think. While they only show a bit of the involvement the family had in the goings-on of the household, it was all so much calmer and less rushed. Sure, there's laundry and some tending of the animals and some cooking. But other things, too. Go for walks. Hang out under trees with books. Travel by carriage--and not be in such a rush and it's not even that big of a deal if your carriage breaks down and affects your timing. Attend parties. Live fairly simply--yet still have enough to have hired staff. It was, as at least one site has described general life in the early 1800s, a leisurely life. Even for those who worked in typical lower and middle class settings.
from http://janitesonthejames.blogspot.ca/2011/08/trees-in-jane-austens-landscape.html
As this Christmas season comes to an end (it's the 10th day of Christmas, by the way), I find myself really longing for that kind of a -free life: constant-rushing-free; constant-outside-demands-free; too-much-excess-free. I'm not sure at the moment what the first step to take is for that--to attain a leisurely sort of life that doesn't slip into just plain laziness--but the desire is there.
What about you? Do you have similar thoughts about your own life? Things are too fast-paced? Too full of outside demands and even too much stuff? Will you join me this year in reclaiming the simpler, -free life that your inner self is asking for?
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Healthy, Yummy Desserts?
I've been posting recipes for dairy-free Christmas treats, BUT I have to admit: they aren't healthy. Even the butter-free butter tarts which I've posted before and make during the holidays, while they have flax seed and raisins in them, aren't by any means healthy what with the sugar and margarine in them.
So, this has piqued my curiosity: The Dessert Angel Healthy Desserts Cookbook.
There are 78 different recipes in it. It has vegan recipes, which means those ones will automatically be dairy-free and no substituting potentially less healthy ingredients. Most of the recipes are gluten-free, which is excellent since I'm heading back into the realm of gluten-free eating. And many nut-free recipes, which means I can serve them to my niece, too, and don't have to worry about my own sensitivities to nuts.
I admit to being a bit of a sugar addict. I gave into Christmas treats the other day because I just didn't want to stay in that state of craving/discomfort. If I can make some healthy desserts that satisfy the desire for something sweet while not fuelling a sugar addiction, that sounds good to me!
When I try the first recipe, I will let you know how it turned out. :) If you don't want to wait for my first review, do check out the site today. It's actually $10 off for I don't know how long!
So, this has piqued my curiosity: The Dessert Angel Healthy Desserts Cookbook.
There are 78 different recipes in it. It has vegan recipes, which means those ones will automatically be dairy-free and no substituting potentially less healthy ingredients. Most of the recipes are gluten-free, which is excellent since I'm heading back into the realm of gluten-free eating. And many nut-free recipes, which means I can serve them to my niece, too, and don't have to worry about my own sensitivities to nuts.
I admit to being a bit of a sugar addict. I gave into Christmas treats the other day because I just didn't want to stay in that state of craving/discomfort. If I can make some healthy desserts that satisfy the desire for something sweet while not fuelling a sugar addiction, that sounds good to me!
When I try the first recipe, I will let you know how it turned out. :) If you don't want to wait for my first review, do check out the site today. It's actually $10 off for I don't know how long!
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Dairy-Free Nanaimo Bars
Here it is, Christmas Day, and I still haven't posted all of my dairy-free goodies! Ah well! It's still the Christmas season and treats are good for New Year's too.
I tried to find a dairy-free nanaimo bar recipe that had ingredients that I had in my house, which proved an impossibility. So then I started comparing recipes to create my own to try, but I ran out of time, other people in the house were impatient for Nanaimo bars, so I bought the President's Choice nanaimo bar kit:
It is dairy-free and asks that you add butter and milk to it. My usual dairy-substitute is vegan margarine but because Nanaimo bars already tend to be quite soft, I decided to use Earth Balance Original; if you've never bought either, the vegan margarine is very soft even in the fridge whereas Earth Balance is solid. For the milk, I used rice milk. And that's it! Simple substitutions for a delicious treat:
The box doesn't say it, but let it harden in the fridge until the top chocolate is set, cut, and then let it set even longer, at least a couple of hours, if you can, before trying to remove any of the pieces. And after that, you'll want to keep them in the fridge because outside of the fridge, the Earth Balance doesn't stay very firm!
At the moment, the only places I know of for sure to find these mixes is at The Real Canadian Superstore locations. Other Loblaws' locations may also have them. If you are reading this from outside Canada, unfortunately, I don't know of any place else where they would be sold and can't even find any means of purchasing them online. Robin Hood used to sell a Nanaimo bar mix, but as far as I can tell, they don't anymore. (If you find a source for any brand of mix, please post!) Which means that if you aren't in Canada near a Superstore, you're kind of out of luck for this recipe. Sorry! If you can get the mix, then enjoy. :)
I tried to find a dairy-free nanaimo bar recipe that had ingredients that I had in my house, which proved an impossibility. So then I started comparing recipes to create my own to try, but I ran out of time, other people in the house were impatient for Nanaimo bars, so I bought the President's Choice nanaimo bar kit:
It is dairy-free and asks that you add butter and milk to it. My usual dairy-substitute is vegan margarine but because Nanaimo bars already tend to be quite soft, I decided to use Earth Balance Original; if you've never bought either, the vegan margarine is very soft even in the fridge whereas Earth Balance is solid. For the milk, I used rice milk. And that's it! Simple substitutions for a delicious treat:
The box doesn't say it, but let it harden in the fridge until the top chocolate is set, cut, and then let it set even longer, at least a couple of hours, if you can, before trying to remove any of the pieces. And after that, you'll want to keep them in the fridge because outside of the fridge, the Earth Balance doesn't stay very firm!
At the moment, the only places I know of for sure to find these mixes is at The Real Canadian Superstore locations. Other Loblaws' locations may also have them. If you are reading this from outside Canada, unfortunately, I don't know of any place else where they would be sold and can't even find any means of purchasing them online. Robin Hood used to sell a Nanaimo bar mix, but as far as I can tell, they don't anymore. (If you find a source for any brand of mix, please post!) Which means that if you aren't in Canada near a Superstore, you're kind of out of luck for this recipe. Sorry! If you can get the mix, then enjoy. :)
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