Category Archives: Food

Day 16 Food Reboot

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Unique Events for the Day:  My 1st breakfast without it being a smoothie, getting 9:15 hours of sleep, a change in my “end product” (read under gas / bloating at your discretion), and a massive amount of food – seriously, my “snack” consisted of 1 head of romaine lettuce!

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 9:00 & got up at 2:30am with moderate shooting pains getting out of bed, right hip area slightly inflamed, and my entire chest / back area is inflamed & stiff.  Laying on my stomach on my bed, walking around, doing bends / stretches & drinking water from 2:30 – 3:30.  Slept from 3:30 – 7:15am.  This is the 1st time in over two weeks I got 9:15 of total sleep.  At 7:15am I woke up with a stiff lower back, no shooting pains, & my right hip / buttock area with moderate inflammation.  8am took a walk for 15 minutes and noticed pain in my right hip / lower buttock area throughout most of the walk & afterwards.

Breakfast:  Fruit Salad
  • 3 bananas, peeled (Subbed 1/2 Papaya + 1 Banana)
  • 2 cups pineapple, cubed
  • 2 cups blueberries (1 pint)

Synopsis of Breakfast:  As I’m sure the picture above will tell you, that’s a lot of fruit.   I could barely finish all of it.  I hope I don’t go into insulin shock!

Lunch Menu:  Green Smoothie
  • 2 mango, peeled and pitted
  • 1 cup whole strawberries
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon whole flax seeds, freshly ground
  • 6 to 8 ounces filtered water
  • 1 tablespoon of dulse flakes
  • 1 tablespoon of bee pollen

Directions: Blend the mangos and water together. Add remaining ingredients and blend on high for 30 seconds or until smooth.

Synopsis of Lunch: 40oz!  Geez, that’s a lot of smoothie.  The taste was ok, but nothing spectacular.  My suggestion is to take some of the filling from the collard green recipe in day 15 and eat some of that between each glassful.  BTW, this smoothie is 3 glassfuls of healthy goodness.

“Snack”:  Salad with Strawberry Dressing
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped (only used 1/2)
  • 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ avocado, chopped
  • 5 medium mushrooms, chopped (didn’t use b/c I don’t like them)
  • 3 to 5 slices of red onion, chopped (future sug. – 1-2)
  • 2 small carrots, slices

Dressing:

  • ½ cup whole strawberries, chopped
  • ½ cup parsley, chopped

Directions:  Add water as needed to reach desired consistency
To make the dressing, blend the strawberries in your blender for about
30 seconds. Next add the parsley. Add water to make it a thinner
consistency.

Synopsis of Meal: I’m starting to wonder if I’m living in the land of the giants because these meals are a lot of food.  This “snack” alone is what I used to have for dinner.  The meal was was overall OK, but I didn’t get to eat until 4:30pm.  I didn’t like all the red onion.  I suggest using 1-2 THIN slices in the future.  Also, there was no way I could eat more romaine lettuce + have dinner 2 hours later.  So I cut that portion in 1/2.  The dressing was not easy to blend and had to shake the strawberries to make it all work.  Eventually it pureed enough to get it to the dressing form (kept adding little bit of water each time to make happen).  The taste was fine & again the meal was overall good.  I just don’t see how someone can sustain eating this way due to a typical American busy schedule.

Dinner Menu:  Fruit Salad

 

  • 2 bananas, peeled
  • 1 cup pineapple, cubed
  • 1 cup papaya, cubed
  • 1 orange

Synopsis of Dinner: This meal complimented the “snack”.  Not nearly as filling (whew!) and the bananas taste excellent with the orange juice & a good mix when you add the pineapple.  The papaya was fine, but I feel it tastes better on it’s own.

Evening inflammation check:  After lunch, the inflammation was quite manageable.  However, it did come back (started with a shooting pain & then subsided to a moderate pain in the right hip area) after my dinner and it could be the excess in bananas.  My limit is usually 2, but today I had 4.  Going to go to bed early again (9:30 probably) & see if I can make two great nights of sleep in a row.

Gas / Bloating Check:  Take a truckload of healthy food & feed yourself to the limits.  What happens to it?  Well “the stuff” compacts and you get very little bloating / gas & a big end “product” – twice.  Hey, I don’t like writing about bowel movements as much as you don’t like reading it.  But this is what we’re looking for when we know our body is healing itself.  The lack of inflammation & end “product” delivered in a way I haven’t seen in awhile tells me this food reboot is working.  What a day…

Day 15 Food Reboot

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Unique Events for the Day:  Day 1 of Week #3.  The smoothie in the evening was strange, but worked.  It was quick to make & filled me up.  Also, I’ve purchased some Vitamin B12 spray as a vegan diet doesn’t offer B12.  The spray version allows for quick and effective absorption.  Also the collard green wrap was fantastic and worth making again & again.

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 11:00 & got up at 6:00am with moderate shooting pains getting out of bed.  Back stiffness was still prevalent through not as bad as yesterday (but still bad).  Right hip pain is noticeable after head weights.  No Denny roll for the morning.

Chiropractor: From now until early next week, I will stop my home rehab (as suggested by my nutritionist & I agree) to allow my body some healing time.

Smoothie Recipe (Banana, Mango, Papaya & Strawberry Smoothie Recipe)
•2 bananas
•4 medium oranges
•4 Cups Kale
•tablespoon of dulse flakes
•Bee Pollen (1 Tablespoon)
•4 to 6 ounces of filtered water

Directions:  Blend the oranges & bananas for 30 seconds.  Blend the rest for another 30 seconds.

Synopsis of Smoothie:  36 fluid ounces!  When I get done with the reboot this week, I’m going to go less on the smoothie & add in something chewy / offsets the smoothie.  The consistency was like a “thicker” water with small bits of kale.  While the taste is fine, it’s just too much for me to drink.   Makes less than 3 glassfuls.

Lunch Menu:  Collard Wrap with Mango Salsa
  • 1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 5 or 6 sprigs fresh cilantro
  • 2 or 3 slices of red onions
  • 4 fresh figs (or use dried figs), chopped
  • 1 mango
  • 1 small lime
  • 2 large collard leaves

Directions:  In a large bowl, chop and mix everything but the collard leaves, figs
and lime. Next, squeeze the juice from the lime over the mixture and
stir. Fill each lettuce leaf with 1/2 the mixture and top with chopped
fig.

Collard Green Roll-up Directions: To roll the collard green, remove the bottom stem by making a “V” cut & start to roll from the “V” cut end.

Synopsis of Lunch: Now this is a wrap!  I highly suggest making this wrap for the taste, variety of vegetables / fruits, and the variety of adding to other dishes.  It is one of the best raw dishes I’ve ever eaten and will do so again.

Dinner Menu:  Smoothie

  • 2 bananas, peeled
  • 5 cups spinach, chopped
  • 3 large apples, cored (subbed 1 apple, 2 kiwi fruit & 1 mango)
  • 4 to 6 ounces filtered water

Synopsis of Meal:  Good subbing 2 kiwi fruits as they add a little bit of texture to the smoothie.  And I just learned that the skin of the Kiwi contains 3 times more of the antioxidants of the pulp.  Made 2 1/2 glassfuls.  The 2nd banana also does make the smoothie creamier.

Evening inflammation check:  Feeling tired but focused on improving the web site today.  The inflammation wasn’t as prevalent today.  By removing my chiropractic routine until early next week, I’m going to go to bed early tonight.

Gas / Bloating Check:  Overall not too bad today.  After talking with my nutritionist today, the gas have a lot to do with my system rebuilding itself.  There are a lot of chemical changes going on & repairs.  Just like a broken bridge, the construction doesn’t look pretty.  But when it gets done, it’ll be brand new.

Day 14 Food Reboot

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Unique Events for the Day:  4 days of USDA organic food bought tonight for week #3 of the diet.  Week 3 is said to be the hardest week and based on all the veggies I bought tonight, it’s going to be interesting…

 

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 10:30 & got up at 5:00am with the right leg / buttock area of inflammation with moderate shooting pains.  Back stiffness was prevalent throughout entire back plus the feeling of body aches all over.  I’ve had this feeling before and this could be as simple as changing my office chair back pillow with the foam support I used from the chiropractor yesterday.  I will be using the pillow on the backside of my chair today.  Tried to go to bed at 5:30am with a cold pack on my mid-side & shoulder areas which seems to have helped.  I will apply a heating pad on the neck today.  Got up & out of bed around 6:45am battling the shooting pains down the right leg / buttock area.

Chiropractor: Head weights 2X per day (10 min. morning & evening) + Denny roll 2X in morning & evening (20 min.)

Morning Physical Symptom Check:  My normal stiff lower & less mid-back (moderate stiffness).

Smoothie Recipe (Banana, Mango, Papaya & Strawberry Smoothie Recipe)
•1 banana
•1 carrot
•2 slices of pineapple (makes around 1 1/2 cups)
•1 Cup of sunflower sprouts
•1 Cup Spinach
•2 Cups of Rainbow Swiss Chard
•Almond Butter 1 Tablespoon
•Bee Pollen (1 Tablespoon)
•3 to 4 ounces of filtered water
Synopsis of Smoothie:  Smoothie was at a good amount of thickness.  Although you can taste the pineapple & acidity, it doesn’t overpower the drink due to the peanut butter.  I couldn’t taste any berries, carrot, or the other 4 cups of vegetables.   Makes less than 2 1/2 glassfuls.
Mid-morning Snack:  Handful of almonds, walnuts, craisins, 4 dried figs, and a Brasil nut
Lunch Menu:  Tomato Soup + 2 Collard Wraps & Pineapple
image

Collard Green Wraps (2) Includes:

Collard Green Roll-up Directions: To roll the collard green, remove the bottom stem by making a “V” cut & start to roll from the “V” cut end.
Synopsis of Lunch: Everything tasted OK, but it’s a start to much better tasting collard green wraps.

 

 

 

Dinner Menu:  Salad, Shrimp Curry & Eggplant w/ Veggies (Whole Foods)

  • Salad – Snow Peas, broccoli, romaine lettuce, radishes shredded, shredded carrots, carrot dressing
  • Shrimp Curry – Can’t remember, but didn’t have any starches
  • Eggplant w/ Veggies – Eggplant, jalapeno, peppers, squash
  • 2 hours later I had handful of sunflower seeds, almonds, 1 dried fig & macadamia nuts

Synopsis of Meal:  The eggplant had a kick and it was a nice change of pace with the curry.  Salad was a standard raw meal.

Evening inflammation check:  Feeling tired mainly throughout the day.  My A.S. was acting up & got progressively better as the day progressed.  It took me 2 naps to get things going better.  The main issue is the body aches & some shooting pains.  I hope to get a better sleep tonight.  I’m also hoping to see more out of my body in week #3.

Gas / Bloating Check:  Better today than yesterday, but still prevalent.  Using fennel helps a lot when it acts up.