People are abuzz this New Year’s Day talking about chosen detoxifying regimes which will hopefully clear interior pathways and redeem past over-indulgences. Some of these programs are endorsed by celebrated television stars, well known authors and established health advocates. Social media is ‘atwitter’ with news of different camps espousing quick-start cleanses to kick off the first day of the rest of our lives.
I just watched Dr. Oz tell his television audience to skip any kind of extreme cleanse in favor of drinking more water and eating more fiber. He notes that this has worked for mankind with great effect throughout our history.
Didn’t Michael Pollan masterfully put a stop to the insanity of trying to defy nature’s brilliance when he reminded us in Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food and now Food Rules that eating and cooking real food seasonally is nothing short of nutritional kryptonite?
Today I woke up wanting to somehow mark this first day of a new decade as a clean start, so I made steel cut oatmeal, added goji berries and organic sprouted granola. I seeped a pot of green tea. I later loaded up my blender for a superfood smoothie with almond milk, raw cacoa powder and maca root powder for extra zip. Before me sits a tall glass of filtered water splashed with high potassium coconut water and 2 drops of high vibration marine phytoplankton (real food) to clear my runway for flight. And to further solidify my intentions, homemade Miso soup is gaining a life force of its own on the stovetop. It’s quite easy to prepare. I’m not a trained cook, just eager to become self-reliant about fueling myself. The life force in sea vegetables and the healing properties of fresh greens and miso are understood immediately by the body, mind and spirit, down to the last drop.
I heated up some leftovers too: sweet brown rice purchased from a bulk bin at the green grocer and enjoyed it with some Swiss chard tossed in a frying pan with fresh, minced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and a juicy chopped tomato. I felt like something sweet so I went into my freezer to retrieve a small square (three bites worth) of a crispy almond butter treat from Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet book. And no, it’s really not a diet in the traditional sense, but more a deliciously energizing lifestyle. The name sells books and this one is a keeper.
Why wait until tomorrow when you can eat a happy meal today. Pure and simple. And never do a packaged detox your grandmother wouldn’t recognize.
Ronna