Category Archives: Salad

Day 12 Food Reboot

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Unique Events for the Day:  Got my “Big Shot” from Good Belly in the evening time at the Whole Foods in Naples.  Whole Foods seems to be the only place to carry “The Big Shot” from Good Belly.  I’ve checked 8 stores now and no one else has it.

Also doing research for natural / organic stores in Sarasota & Venice, FL.  Starting next weekend I’ll be staying up there for a few months.  I checked out Richard’s Food Emporium and two Earth Origins natural stores in the Sarasota area.  The biggest one of the bunch was the Earth Origins on Stickney Point Road (41) next to Carrabas (bought the fennel there).  Richard’s Food Emporium carries longer-perishable items but I didn’t see any produce.  Future areas to check out in Venice, FL:  Choices Natural Market, and (restaurant) sunflower organic cafe | MAP

Lastly, I did not take my pre-dinner fiber supplement & substituted fennel for it.  Seems to have worked well.  A good alternative should I forget to take the fiber supplement.

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 11:30 & got up at 6:30am with the moderate right leg / buttock area of inflammation with moderate shooting pains.  Back stiffness was quite prevalent (more mid-back than lower) as I was sleeping in my parent’s house (I have a sleep number queen bed that I use there & a king bed at my house).

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)
I used what my parents had left in the house.
•2 smaller bananas
•2 handfuls of strawberries
•1/2 Cup blueberries
•3 Handfuls Spinach
•3 to 4 ounces of filtered water
Synopsis of Smoothie:  Instead of the Omni blender, I used my parents NuWave blender (similar to a Ninja blender).  The smoothie was less frothy, but you could taste the bits of spinach.  I remember that my Ninja would have a difficult time fully grinding harder leaves like Kale.  The taste was good & my mother even enjoyed it (she does not eat vegan / raw food diet.  Her diet is based on Weight Watchers).  Makes less than 2 glassfuls.
Lunch Menu:  Salad, Soup & Coconut Water (Earth Origins Market)
Artichoke with Tofu + Peppers & Tomato – 1/2 Hour Later (Earth Origins Market)

  • Salad – beets, spinach, romaine, carrots & artichoke hearts w/ Vinaigrette
  • Soup – Turkey, carrots, squash, tomatoes
  • Coconut Water
  • Tofu & Artichoke
  • Peppers, tomatoes, tomato sauce, capers and olives
  • Piece of 85% Chocolate Bar
Synopsis of Lunch:  I ate at two Earth Origins Markets.  The salad was standard, the soup was ok (definitely not like mom’s chicken soup) & the coconut water is never the same as the real thing.  The 2nd “meal” for lunch were both tasted good and were good combinations of each other.  I also bought some fennel (refer to yesterday for explanation) to help indigestion / bad breath and it works quite well.  I’ll try it some more & let you know if it’s consistently good.
Dinner Menu: Shrimp Salad
  • shrimp (small cup)
  • sweet peppers
  • cherry tomatoes
  • spinach
  • romaine lettuce
  • cauliflower
  • balsamic vinaigrette
Synopsis of Meal:  Take the salad from yesterday & substitute shrimp (my parents made this).

Evening inflammation check:  Since inflammation is most prevalent after the Denny Roll, I’m going to report on that from now on.  Inflammation below the right-buttock area & shooting pains in the right hip.  Stiffness in the lower to mid back continues due to the driving and moving materials today & yesterday.

Day 11 Food Reboot

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Unique Events for the Day:  Learned that eating a spoonful / drinking fennel reduces / removes gas & bloating.  According to Natural News you can chew on fennel seeds or else make a tea by crushing the seeds and pouring boiling water over them. The compounds in these seeds, as well as those in anise and dill seeds, relax muscles in your digestive tract and allow trapped gas to pass. As a bonus, you should also have fresher breath, similar to consuming parsley.

Also I found out about thinning hair- use Black currant. This contains a fat called GLA, which blocks hormonal breaking down. The black currant is the edible berry from a shrub and can be found in Northern/Central Europe and Asia. For maximum benefits, take 500ng twice per day. Caveat: this product normally takes 6-8 weeks for results.  SOURCE:  Dr. Oz & Dr. Weil

Waking Up:  Went to bed at midnight & got up at 6:45am with the moderate right leg / buttock area of inflammation with moderate shooting pains.  I find that if I do a couple of lower back stretches, it helps reduce / remove the shooting pains when I get out of the bed.

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 (Frozen Banana, Mango, Papaya & Strawberry Smoothie Recipe)
As my grandma would say, “it’s time to use up the old meat.”  Today it’s time combine the leftover fruits & veggies as they are expiring soon.
•1 frozen banana
•1 1/2 Cups Papaya
•1/2 Cup Mango
•2 Handfuls of Strawberries
•3 Swiss Chard Leaves
•1 Handful Spinach
•3 to 4 ounces of filtered water
• Bee Pollen (1 Tbsp)
Synopsis of Smoothie:  I’m really liking my bananas frozen.  It gives it a more consistent taste & less “frothy”.  The end result of this smoothie does look like your typical “mean green” smoothies you hear about.  But the taste is still quite good and a great alternative when you don’t want to use the darker berries.  Made 2 1/4 glassfuls.

Lunch Menu:  Sushi Rolls with Tomato Soup 

“Sushi” Nori Rolls – 2
  • 2 raw, untoasted nori sheet
  • 1/2 avocado for each roll
  • 1 to 2 sprigs of fresh dill
  • 1/2 large zucchini
  • 2 Campari tomatos
  • 2 tablespoons of dulse flakes
  • 2 handfuls of organic sprouts (alfalfa, sunflower, etc…)
Directions:  Lay out the nori sheet on a flat surface or a sushi roller (ask for it when you pick up the nori roll).  Spray nori roll so that it becomes flexible.  Add in the sprouts 1st, then avocado, tomato, dill, zucchini, and dulsa flakes.  Make sure to leave 2 inches off the end of the nori roll so you can wrap the entire thing.  Compliment with the tomato soup from Day 9 with organic sunflower sprouts (heated up in the saucepan).  After the meal I also snacked on some various nuts and dried cherries.
Synopsis of Lunch:  I am in no way a sushi chef.  As you can see by the photo, I didn’t cut it as I tried once & failed miserably.  The taste of the rolls were good and an alternative to a wheat tortilla or a collard green wrap.
Dinner Menu: Chicken Salad
  • broccoli
  • grilled chicken (1/2 chicken breast cut-up)
  • sweet peppers
  • cherry tomatoes
  • spinach
  • romaine lettuce
  • cauliflower
  • balsamic vinaigrette
Synopsis of Meal:  Standard acceptable meal to plan.  The twist:  my parents made this. Thanks mom & dad!  I also had a variety of nuts & craisins an hour later.

Evening inflammation check:  Doing quite well today.  The only issues I can tell is more stiffness in the lower back; especially when driving up to Venice today.  Not sure how well diet is going to help, but this is where yoga, stretching & other exercises will really help.

Day 10 Food Reboot

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Unique Events for the Day: Tackled a Chinese Buffet today.  It’s a landmine of Starches and inflammation foods.  Look at the dinner portion to check out & see what I got.

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 11:30pm & got up at 6:30am with the right leg / buttock area of inflammation with shooting pains.  While I see improvement in the continual pain, the shooting pains are at their worst when I’m sitting for too long or out of bed.

Chiropractor: Head alignment machine, Pettibon / Wobble Chair, neck & lower back / spine adjusted, neck alignment for 12 minutes, Head weights 2X per day (10 min. morning & evening) + Denny roll 1X in evening (20 min.)

Morning Physical Symptom Check:  My normal stiff lower & less mid-back (less than moderate stiffness), I’m fine turning my head all the way + the chiropractor saw a major improvement.  Smoothie gave me another boost this morning & really helps out the tiredness & pain.

Smoothie Recipe (Papaya-Banana Smoothie Recipe) Papaya might not be completely ripe, but I’m not waiting any longer…
•1 frozen banana
•2 Cups Papaya
•4 Cups Swiss Chard
• 1 Cup Frozen Berries
• Almond Butter (1 Tbsp)
•3 to 4 ounces of filtered water
• Bee Pollen (1 Tbsp)
Synopsis of Smoothie:  Yep, this works.  It’s got a nice, even taste to it & doesn’t seem overly sweet.  I can easily see subbing Kale & spinach.  Made 2-2 1/2 glassfuls.
Lunch Menu:  Nutty Mixed-Up Salad (Jason’s Deli)
Nutty Salad - Jason's Deli
  • Natural, grilled chicken breast
  • organic field greens
  • grapes
  • feta
  • nuts
  • dried cranberries
  • pumpkin seeds
  • raisins
  • strawberries
  • organic apples
  • citrus balsamic vinaigrette
Synopsis of Lunch:  Salad was quite tasty.  However, it wasn’t big enough and I ate more of the tomato soup from Day 9 with raw broccoli (heated up in the saucepan).
  • bean sprouts
  • broccoli
  • squid
  • red peppers
  • onion
  • green beans
  • salmon
  • imitation crab (1 small piece)
  • shrimp
  • egg drop soup (1 spoonful – my friend Mary Anne mentioned they usually use corn starch to thicken the soup – NSD nightmare!)
  • pineapple
  • oranges
  • fish eggs & seaweed (I did not eat the rice underneath nor the fried tofu “breading” around it)
Synopsis of Meal:  So I went a little crazy here tonight.  It’s Friday night and I don’t want another salad.  Except for the fruit, everything was cooked and I could tell a big difference. After eating all this food I still felt hungry.  Even as I write I feel hungry.  Clearly there are some nutritional deficiencies when eating cooked food covered with sauces.  The Mongolian Bar they had (look at 1st picture of cooked food on the left) did have raw ingredients that they prepared to cook for you.  I wouldn’t grab it because they’ve got the buckets of meat right next to it.  To me that’s asking for food poising.  I’d rather be hungry than sick.

Evening inflammation check:  Right thigh & right buttocks area  are noticeable, but ok.  Still my biggest issue is the shooting pains when I get out of bed. The worst is during the Denny roll exercise.  That pain is brief, but it hits around a 9 out 10 on the pain scale.  I’m anxious to get that issue out of my life. Stiffness in lower back – not bad, but noticeable.  I added a helpful lumbar support in the car so that my sacroiliatic joint areas (lowest parts of back) don’t press against the seat;  only my mid-lower back does.