Juicing and Cleansing

This morning I visited my local health store to stock up on some liquid iron (a supplement I take every now and then), Super Greens powder (containing spirulina, barley grass, chlorella and wheat grass) and other essentials (raw chickpeas, sunflower seeds, flaxseed oil, etc). I can just imagine how busy these stores get right after New Year. Everyone has made that (same) New Year's resolution to lose weight, to quit smoking, to live healthier. People are desperately seeking for a (preferably) quick diet solution that will help them lose those extra kilos.

Although I can't exactly say I over-indulged during my break (see my Christmas menu here and New Year's menu here), I felt like it was a good time to reassess my relationship with food. Having done a three day alkalising cleanse in the past, I didn't really want to set up any time restrictions, nor do a full-on juice fast, but rather just replace some of my meals with fresh juices, leaving one light meal (a salad with greens, flaxseed oil and some sunflower seeds) to have each day. I will go like this for 3 days, 5 days, a week - whatever feels right.

This method works well for me, especially since I have already quit sugar and dairy and consume no alcohol and nowadays very little caffeine, if at all. My juicer has been churning all spring and summer and I've become a little addicted to my fresh vegetable juices in the morning and my daily green smoothies. Juicing is a great way to cleanse and even if you are not keen to do the whole fasting thing, you can easily add fresh vegetable juices in your daily diet and perhaps try a green smoothie as a light meal or just as a snack. For a real super smoothie, try mixing in some flaxseed oil and Super Greens powder.

I'm a strong believer in eating right for your body type - we are not all the same so how could one eating plan possibly work for everyone? I also like to experiment and see what effect these experiments might have in my health and general wellbeing. I can honestly say that quitting sugar and dairy have made me feel better. This to me is enough proof to keep me on this clean path. Equally, eating meat never suited me and I have no desire to go back being a carnivore. Thus, I think each person should first understand their body type (Deepak Chopra's book below is a great way to start) and then make the necessary dietary/lifestyle adjustments. What works for me, might not work for you. It is as simple as that.

Here are some of my favourite vegetable juices to get you started. You can really let your creativity go wild! Almost anything can be juiced, even sweet potatoes, onions, garlic and cabbages! Just remember to use seasonal produce and preferably choose organic. If you're using conventional produce, washing the ingredients with white vinegar-water mixture (with a ratio of approximately 1:3) might help reduce the amount of toxic residue.

Green Beauty Juice

 1/2 bunch of celery (with leafy tops)

 1 long cucumber

 a knob of ginger

 juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Wash all the ingredients well. Juice the celery, cucumber and ginger. Squeeze in the lemon juice. Drink immediately (or preferably within 2-3 hours).

Green Smoothie

 1 portion of Green Beauty Juice

a large handful of spinach

1/2 avocado, chopped

1 tablespoon flaxseed oil

2 teaspoons Super Greens

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Drink immediately or within 2-3 hours.

Gorgeous Beet Juice

2-3 beets (can use the leaves as well, if you wish)

a knob of ginger

juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Juice the beets and the ginger. Drizzle with lemon. Drink immediately.

Other tasty flavour combinations include:

carrot

ginger

lemon

cucumber

broccoli

ginger

lemon

bok choy

parsley

ginger

lemon

Other tips for cleansing

I try to dry-brush my entire body every day or at least a few times a week. Here is a good guide for dry-brushing.

I love having a (rather large) range of herbal teas in my pantry at all times. Some of my favourite flavours include licorice root, peppermint, different warm spice mixes (like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves) and dandelion root tea. Herbal teas are a great caffeine-free alternative for coffee.

Exercise-wise, it probably goes without saying that rigorous training, whilst cleansing, might not be the best idea. I prefer walking, swimming and yoga (even when not cleansing), but I also allow my body to rest more during the cleanse.

These are just some of the books I've been reading lately:

Dupont, C.M. Enlightened Eating - Nourishment for Body and Soul (2006)
Deepak, C.  Perfect Health - The Complete Mind/Body Guide (2001)
Junger, A. Clean - The Revolutionary Program to Restore Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself (2009)

New Year's Menu

Another year has come to an end – and what a year!! 

It’s been an incredible year, highlighted by a career change, an engagement and a new home. After 6 years in Australia, I am finally starting to feel at home here, and I have finally found my place.

Towards the end of 2011, I took some radical steps towards even a healthier, happier future.  I went back to being a vegetarian (which I’ve been for the past 10 years on and off), I quit sugar (you can read about it here) and dairy, I changed my exercise to be more holistic and gentle, and had a clean start in our new home after ditching most chemicals (you can read more about it here) used in our daily cleaning and beauty routines. All of this, I’m sure, will have even greater benefits in the long run.

I am looking forward to continuing on this clean path in the New Year. I will strive to be even more mindful about my surroundings, the environment and my impact on it. I will make every effort to have a natural approach in all areas of my life – from mindful consuming and chemical-free cleaning to eating clean and locally. 

There will be some changes and challenges I am looking forward to in 2012. We are, as most of you know, getting married in a few months' time and planning a wedding (although a small and modest one) is at the same time exciting and somewhat stressful. I am also taking up a personal challenge by going back to 'school' for one year. I will share more details about this later, but I am beyond excited to begin my studies.

Here is my menu for this New Year's celebrations. It's a celebration of seasonal produce and clean and fresh flavours. I've taken a couple of my old favourites and added the delicious open sandwiches on to the menu. Enjoy!

I wish you all a happy, healthy and beautiful year ahead!

New Year's Open Sandwiches

Sweet Potato Flatbread

250g cooked and mashed sweet potato
100-125ml almond milk (recipe here)

150g wholegrain spelt flour

1 egg (free-range, organic)

pinch of sea salt

Grilled Vegetables

1 eggplant, sliced crossways

2 zucchinis, sliced

3 tomatoes, sliced

olive oil, for brushing

Rosemary Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

pinch of sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Preaheat oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Mix the mashed sweet potato with almond milk to a mixture that resembles loose mashed potato. Add the flour, egg and salt in to the mixture. You should have a soft dough (the softer dough, the softer bread). Knead the dough lightly (just enough to mix all ingredients well) and turn the dough on the baking tray. Dust your fingers in some extra flour and spread the dough on the tray (about 1-2 cm thick). 

3. Baked for about 20 minutes or until the bread feels firm to touch and has brown spots on top. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

4. Heat a grill pan and lightly brush the sliced vegetables with olive oil. Cook all vegetables (in batches) for 2-3 minutes each side. 

5. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl and drizzle the vinaigrette on top of the cooked vegetables. 

6. Cut the flat bread in squares and top with grilled vegetables. Serve warm.

I am planning to serve these with a green soup like this one.

And these stuffed capsicums will make a lovely main course for the New Year's Menu