Today I will be writing about food. Delicious and healthy food. More specifically food that reinforces health. It won't be about a plant-based diet, but it will certainly be about plants. For many, many years I was the last person I would ask for a piece of advice regarding a healthy diet or body movement. Three huge life forces helped (and made) me change my eating habits and my attitude toward my body. These forces are love, fear, and compassion. So let's get back to where it all started.
I was a very picky child and teenager. I liked only pancakes, bread, ham, cheese, spaghetti (which I would eat only with instant tomato sauce), kabanos sausage, and coke (I was a total coke junkie, needing at least 1 can every single day). I didn't even drink water. My parents grew a whole variety of vegetables and fruit, that I would constantly refuse to eat. They would ask, beg, demand, but I acted like a haughty princess (and I felt entitled to do it as an only child). I literally hated my mom bothering me with a handful of freshly picked strawberries or a raspberry tomato. And as much as I would like to say that I had a huge realization after I moved out, I actually spent three years living on my own (and in 3 different cultures) and still having sandwiches, canned tuna, and pasta mostly. Besides, I didn't exercise and lived quite a sedentary lifestyle. I was often going out and drinking lots of alcohol. I could literally have toasts with ham, cheese, ketchup, and mayo for every meal. The fact that I was always slim kept me in the illusion that I was doing fine.
And then big changes came along. 10 years ago, while I was living in Ecuador, I fell in love with someone who was totally into healthy living. Sports, a balanced diet, and spiritual practice. I got so enthused with his lifestyle that suddenly I ate fruit and veggies all day long. I cut bread, pasta, and processed food almost to zero, and ate fish, seafood, and plantain instead. Fitness, zumba, crossfit, my first yoga practices, bodyboard. I also started practicing gratitude. Food was a blessing every time it showed on my plate and nourished my body. The most amazing thing was that I actually started liking everything. I discovered that healthy food had flavor, a huge variety of flavors and that it could give me a lot more pleasure than I had ever expected. I could not live without a portion of papaya, melon, bananas, boiled broccoli, potatoes, and carrots a day. I suddenly realized how fulfilling that new lifestyle was. I was stronger, more energized, resistant. The end of that relationship was one of the toughest periods in my life, but I promised myself to take good lessons from it and never fall into unhealthy living again. Wishful thinking! The truth is that if you make lifestyle changes for another person (consciously or not), they will last only as long as the other person is present in your life or worse, as long as your relationship is going fine. Once it's not, your ego will give you plenty of excuses and justifications to go back to your old self. In my case, there was also grief over that relationship and the deep need for comfort food. That was 2014, when, again, I fell into the loop (and trap) of carbohydrate pleasure - white bread, croissants, pasta, and pizza. Add late Spanish dinners ending just before bedtime and a new relationship that not only was more entertaining than going to the gym but also with an Italian, who loved to explore new bars and restaurants in town with me and cooked so well, that I slowly became a round carb princess...
One of my 2015 resolutions was to practice yoga daily and it's when my relationship with my body changed for real. My yoga teachers would say: 'your body is your temple', but for quite some time it sounded only like an empty phrase. But when you spend hours and hours moving your body along with your conscious breath and letting your mind and body become one, in communion, the epiphany is almost inevitable. Suddenly I realized that my body was the true gift from life, something to love, cherish, and respect. I realized that it wasn't my adult decision to live an unhealthy lifestyle. It was the child inside me, constantly trying to be rebellious, always acting against my parents, trying to punish them (or maybe my adult self), not feeling worthy of attention, admiration, love. With the mindset shift, I changed my eating habits almost naturally - concentrating on a more balanced diet and exercise. I finally started listening to my body and eating according to its needs (I could recognize when I needed more iron because I was craving beetroot or when I needed more protein because I felt like having tortilla de patata, which contains eggs. This time love to myself acted as a trigger for change.
Fast forward to 2018, my dad who has had diabetes type 2 for over 30 years needed vascular surgery. He almost died and needed another one, which saved his life. He had never taken proper care of himself. He could never control his weight or diet properly, often satisfying his cravings. He also relied on all kinds of pills for many, many years. He worked really hard, half of the time as a night guard, the other half in agriculture. He didn't sleep enough and manual weeding and harvesting were his only exercise. When I looked into his eyes when he was in the hospital I saw dread, pain, and suffering. That was the first time I felt true compassion for my dad. I couldn't blame him for his lifestyle choices. The time and place where he was born and raised, lack of access to proper health, and emotional education (or education in general) led him to that place in life. I felt fear too. Fear of suffering, dying, fear of a painful death, and fear of being totally dependant on others due to your health state. I also felt very compassionate toward my mom. 35 years of being married, she must have been terrified at the idea of losing him. She would go to the hospital twice a day, despite the August heat and her own tiredness (and only 3 months after spending 2 weeks with me, helping me to recover from my surgery). Seeing her made me want to take care of my own health even more. She deserved some break and relief from other people's health issues.
I believe that fear can be very useful, even essential in our lives if we are able to transform it into positive changes. The fear I felt back then motivated me to research the possible causes of illnesses according to Western medicine, but also the holistic and Eastern traditions. It was when I first heard of dr. Michael Greger and his book "How not to die" (which I'm mentioning in each post, this is how valuable I find dr. Greger's work!). Again diet and body movement seemed to be one of the keys. I also watched "What the health", "Cowspiracy" and "The Magic Pill". And I decided to switch to the plant-based diet.
Even if the decision was good, the time and place to make that shift were unfortunate. The struggle was huge (I've written more about it here). Fear flowed through my body again, this time constantly, for weeks, even months. Being a stubborn Taurus wasn't helping, my ego didn't want to give up on the idea of a plant-based diet. On the one hand, I felt a lot more in alignment with my beliefs when choosing less packaging, more ecological and biological foods, and cosmetics, paying more attention to fair trade, but at the same time, I was terrified with my own health, not knowing what was best for me. And one day I started feeling a deep sadness. I thought about all the animals that are being killed or baby animals taken away from their mothers because we want their milk. Again I started feeling compassion, this time toward animals. And I just knew I didn't want them to suffer. For the first time in my life. Me, whose both grandmothers had farms. Me, who, from early childhood, saw animals being milked and slaughtered, suddenly felt that I didn't want to be a part of it anymore. Me whose approach to life was quite rational and down to earth. But my heart was telling me, that plant-based food was the right choice. And I just knew I had to stick to it.
But there was still the question of how to deal with my health in that situation. I was scared that my decision would bring more harm than good to me. And once again I used that fear to push me to look for answers. This time I concentrated on research on immune system boosting foods. I also shifted from one-works-for-all diet to a more individual approach, I consulted a macrobiotic dietitian, implemented ayurveda techniques for my personal constitution (dosha) and completely dove into the idea that our bodies and minds are inseparable. I learned the basics of Chinese medicine, the elements, and foods related to each one.
So today I would like to share my experience regarding health-enhancing foods that can be easily implemented in daily meals, regardless of a diet (at least to some extent). I won't talk about benefits of a plant-based diet itself, just about specific plants. Some of the foods are well known for their medicinal effects, others were a novelty, at least to me. Based on my experience, all of them are absolutely worth a try, but it's always best to check if there are no health preconditions or allergies and consult a doctor or a dietician in case of doubts. So let's start from:
seawater - my number one discovery. Filtered, of course. Together with conscious breathing, it alkalizes the body slightly. It's known that pathogens die in an alkaline environment. Taking into account that most of us suffer from stress that creates a more acid environment in our body, a shot of seawater with a dash of lemon juice, first thing in the morning can help bring such a needed balance. I personally mix it with normal water in a glass to make it less salty. Seawater also speeds up post-workout recovery. Drink half a glass before exercise or make yourself a natural isotonic (1/3 seawater, 2/3 normal water). Just make sure to start gently, choosing only one of these options each day. Seawater can also be used as a natural mouthwash.
lemon juice - cleanses and rejuvenates the liver, best drank with water in the early morning on empty stomach. Source of vitamin C, improves digestion, skin quality and may prevent kidney stones.
ginger - there is a long list of its benefits, from anti-inflammatory effect, through preventing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. I add fresh ginger to smoothies and pressed juices. Also to soups and curries. But my favorite is as a base of an infusion. I cut slices of ginger into a cup and pour hot water. And I add my next favorite root:
turmeric - the curcumin inside turmeric has strong antimicrobial properties. It's widely used in Asia as it's anti-inflammatory, can help lowering cholesterol, preventing cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. To activate the curcumin it's best to add a bit of black pepper. Apart from the infusion, I use turmeric similarly to ginger.
maca - this root was completely new to me. Known as Peruvian ginseng, it fights free radicals, reduces blood pressure, improves mood, boosts energy, and endurance. It increases libido and fertility, and even reduces erectile dysfunction. I usually add a tbs of maca powder to my smoothie or yogurt. It's pretty dense and tastes earthy, so to me, it tastes bests in liquids.
garlic - I feel that it doesn't need any introduction, but still... Diallyl sulfide, a compound in garlic is a powerful antibiotic. It helps to prevent and fight common cold and flu. It lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. It contains antioxidants that may slow down the aging process, prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease. It may also detoxify heavy metals from your body (the ones we accumulate eating food from cans, fish, or just with plants that absorbed them from the soil). Some people, including myself, find it hard to digest it when raw. And there's also the breath smell effect. Still, I use garlic for all veggie sautes, stews and... in aioli (Mediterranean sauce similar to mayonnaise, made of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and optionally egg yolk).
blueberry - supposedly eating a handful of blueberries a day might slow down your brain's aging process by two years. They also boost cells in your immune system that are our first response to kill viruses and even cancerous cells. And they do it in two different ways - by 'motivating' our defense cells to act rapidly and by increasing their reproduction. Blueberries are also great for runners, as they can reduce oxidative stress after long-distance running.
flax seeds - rich in protein, fiber, and fatty acids (could they get any better?). They contain lots of antioxidants, magnesium, and iron. They may lower the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart diseases and help to reduce body fat. I add one tbs of flax seeds to smoothies, salads, and soups (iron is best absorbed when consumed with vitamin C from fruit and veggies). Flax seeds are more easily absorbed if crushed or ground just before eating!
kale - known as 'the queen of greens'. One of the most nutrient-dense food on our planet.
Rich in antioxidants, vitamin C & K, and beta-carotene. May lower cholesterol and even help lose weight. I add it to my smoothies and as greens in salads. I also make kale chips - fresh with lemon juice, grated lemon skin, herbs, and olive oil - or from the oven - sprinkled with olive oil only.
Mung beans - very rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber. May reduce risk of heart disease, lower blood sugar levels. For me, the most beneficial part was that mung beans don't cause bloating or anxiety (so I could eliminate chickpeas that were not good for me). I eat mostly red mung beans - adzuki - in hummus, soups, stews and even home-made biscuits. Another property of mung beans is that they contain resistant starch which helps nourish healthy gut bacteria. And it's been scientifically confirmed that our gu is the brain of our immune system. Resistant starch can be also found in other beans, cold boiled potatoes, raw oats, and pasta al-dente.
Fermented foods - natural probiotics, very beneficial bacteria and enzymes for the intestinal flora. It's not easy to find fermented foods in the Mediterranean, but it's possible. I recommend kombucha (a shot 30 min before each meal), unpasteurized miso (on my table always as a soup), yogurt and Sauer kraut (in salads or on sandwiches). One of the myths about probiotics is that they should be consumed while taking antibiotics. The truth is that they should be consumed daily regardless - and especially if you have ever taken antibiotics in your life (and who hasn't?)
Food has been one of my greatest pleasures in the last 10 years, but satisfaction from eating healthily and consciously is indescribable. Today my health results are better than ever before (especially my good to bad cholesterol ratio and iron level). And as much as my spiritual practice helped me understand that we don't control anything in our lives, except our attitude toward what happens to us, I feel that by following a more conscious diet I'm in charge of my health a lot more than ever before.
My healthy foods inspirations come from: my mom, Michael Greger M.D., Josep M. Villagrasa Pedret, Montse del Rio, Deepak Chopra, Anthony William and Miguel Marsan.
Disclaimer: While publishing this post, I'm having a homemade hod-dog with veggie sausage, that contains egg white (which I normally don't eat, but I bought it by accident). Recently I've come across a book that is helping me to discover how rigid and controlling I have been with myself for the past few years. Trying to always be (or at least appear to be) the ideal self that my ego had created in order to protect me from pain. So I'm eating this hot-dog that I craved so much with true pleasure - no guilt. At this moment my spirituality is reflected in accepting my not perfect self, rather than in trying to fit into the only-plant-eating persona that my ego aspires to be. Buon appetito to me!
Comments