Yoga Journal - Yoga - Rethinking Breakfast
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Monday, February 16, 2009
good start
I had a good start to the day, albeit a late one. Made my usual baked beans last night and awoke at 7:15 am today to turn off the oven then went back to bed until 12:15 pm. Fuck it, it's Louis Riel Day and I have only afternoon plans.
So I got up, had a long cold glass of water, put some favourite clothes on and had e-mail for pre-breakfast. It's satisfying whenever I go to bed at something like 2:00 am and not even 11 hours later there are 11 messages in my inbox, all of which have worthy content. Very satisfying pre-breakfast. Amazing how this internet thing has become such integral part of my life, and yet, take it away and I hardly notice.
On to food. I had a bowl of the just-cooled beans and a piece of my pumpkin scone, which is actually more like a fucking fancy bannock this time around. The pumpkin scone kind of evolved into bannock as I realized just a second too late, that the pumpkin puree must be COOL in order to work with the vegan margerine I'd cut into the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and dried ginger. Whoops. So I ended up having to add a ton more flour and the result was a very bannock-like thing, tasty indeed.
My recent resolution has been to eat three grapefruits per week as they're an amazing citrus fruit, very low in sugar, very high in fibre. I don't eat oranges as I'm allergic and well, lemons and limes are great in the cocktails and food and shit, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna eat a lemon for breakfast unless it's in the form of sugar-coated wedges with a chaser of vodka.
I've bought about ten grapefruits this winter and have eaten probably only one. I've just watched these grapefruits shrink and harden and wither and dry the fuck out over and over. Today, I ate a grapefruit and fuck was it ever good. I hate peeling citrus fruits, that's the major thing with me. That shit that gets under the fingernails is so sickening. Totally revolting. So from now on, the rule is that I cut the fruit into wedges and rip the fruit and pulp from the peel with my teeth. These are minor details that I MUST concern myself with, otherwise I won't be eating the grapefruits apparently.
I also drank a cup of hot water infused with fresh ginger and a wedge of lemon and a teaspoon of honey. Hardly vegan this drink, but so delicious and yes,good for you.
I haven't had very consistent breakfasts in the past week; I had a few cups of coffee at the start of the work week that I suspect really screwed with me; sleeping pattern was infuriating around Wednesday, my appetite's been wonky and I've had terrible issues with pain management. These are things I blame caffeine for. I switched back to yerba mate on Thursday morning and well, all my patterns just shifted from self-abuse to self-care. Got a massage on Thursday night, had a treatment involving Reiki and other types of spooky shit on Friday night and then went for acupuncture on Saturday morning. Now I feel like the leg I've injured is actually on the road to recovery. I've had issues with headaches but I feel like I'm turning a corner in that regard too, as long as I stay away from the caffeine and get proper rest and hydration.
I'm also happy to report that I can add berries to my repertoire of breakfasts. My latest acupuncture also involved a treatment for my berry allergy. Yesterday I drank a totally delicious cup of the "Nourishment Tea" that wreaked such terrible havoc on me only a month and a half ago on my birthday (the raspberry leaves caused my eczema to completely go insane, I haven't been the same since). Today, no eczema. My berry allergy has been eliminated!!! This means I can have raspberries in my oatmeal, strawberries in my Red River Cereal, blueberries in my pancakes!! It's a revolution. My room mate is so pleased, as she's a berry fiend and of course wants to share the joy.
I notice I'm fairly conservative about eating foods to which I've been prohibited for a long time, at least at the beginning of our reconciliation. I'll report more when I've become more bold about it.
So I got up, had a long cold glass of water, put some favourite clothes on and had e-mail for pre-breakfast. It's satisfying whenever I go to bed at something like 2:00 am and not even 11 hours later there are 11 messages in my inbox, all of which have worthy content. Very satisfying pre-breakfast. Amazing how this internet thing has become such integral part of my life, and yet, take it away and I hardly notice.
On to food. I had a bowl of the just-cooled beans and a piece of my pumpkin scone, which is actually more like a fucking fancy bannock this time around. The pumpkin scone kind of evolved into bannock as I realized just a second too late, that the pumpkin puree must be COOL in order to work with the vegan margerine I'd cut into the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and dried ginger. Whoops. So I ended up having to add a ton more flour and the result was a very bannock-like thing, tasty indeed.
My recent resolution has been to eat three grapefruits per week as they're an amazing citrus fruit, very low in sugar, very high in fibre. I don't eat oranges as I'm allergic and well, lemons and limes are great in the cocktails and food and shit, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna eat a lemon for breakfast unless it's in the form of sugar-coated wedges with a chaser of vodka.
I've bought about ten grapefruits this winter and have eaten probably only one. I've just watched these grapefruits shrink and harden and wither and dry the fuck out over and over. Today, I ate a grapefruit and fuck was it ever good. I hate peeling citrus fruits, that's the major thing with me. That shit that gets under the fingernails is so sickening. Totally revolting. So from now on, the rule is that I cut the fruit into wedges and rip the fruit and pulp from the peel with my teeth. These are minor details that I MUST concern myself with, otherwise I won't be eating the grapefruits apparently.
I also drank a cup of hot water infused with fresh ginger and a wedge of lemon and a teaspoon of honey. Hardly vegan this drink, but so delicious and yes,good for you.
I haven't had very consistent breakfasts in the past week; I had a few cups of coffee at the start of the work week that I suspect really screwed with me; sleeping pattern was infuriating around Wednesday, my appetite's been wonky and I've had terrible issues with pain management. These are things I blame caffeine for. I switched back to yerba mate on Thursday morning and well, all my patterns just shifted from self-abuse to self-care. Got a massage on Thursday night, had a treatment involving Reiki and other types of spooky shit on Friday night and then went for acupuncture on Saturday morning. Now I feel like the leg I've injured is actually on the road to recovery. I've had issues with headaches but I feel like I'm turning a corner in that regard too, as long as I stay away from the caffeine and get proper rest and hydration.
I'm also happy to report that I can add berries to my repertoire of breakfasts. My latest acupuncture also involved a treatment for my berry allergy. Yesterday I drank a totally delicious cup of the "Nourishment Tea" that wreaked such terrible havoc on me only a month and a half ago on my birthday (the raspberry leaves caused my eczema to completely go insane, I haven't been the same since). Today, no eczema. My berry allergy has been eliminated!!! This means I can have raspberries in my oatmeal, strawberries in my Red River Cereal, blueberries in my pancakes!! It's a revolution. My room mate is so pleased, as she's a berry fiend and of course wants to share the joy.
I notice I'm fairly conservative about eating foods to which I've been prohibited for a long time, at least at the beginning of our reconciliation. I'll report more when I've become more bold about it.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
in pain
I need to start eating dedicated breakfasts again. I've sort of had very little will to take care of myself, mostly because my right leg fucking hurts. It's so hard to take care of oneself when there is pain to deal with. When it hurts to take care of oneself.
I need to start eating dedicated breakfasts again, not only because it's "good for me", but because I've been overeating in a very self-punishing way and of course, when I was eating regular breakfasts, I didn't seem to do that kind of self-abuse. Overeating was just overeating, not some fucked-up morbid ritual of autobrutality.
I am stressed/anxious/etc., I do have to admit. New job, a deadline to meet, having a disability for the time being, things happening around me that definitely allow for paranoia. Not getting enough sleep. Being injured prevents me from working out in my usual manner, which is also a problem.
One thing I can do is eat breakfast, concentrate on controlling my diet and appetite. A relatively easy thing to do, and doesn't require an enormous amount of time in the sense that my breakfasts can be prepared ahead of time and "whipped up" within 15 minutes or less, normally. Grocery-shopping is an issue, but for the most part simply requires that I ask one of my more car-endowed chums for a favour in a time of real need.
Life is good; I'm just really overwhelmed by change at the moment. I'm also painfully reminded that sleep and nutrition are extremely necessary during such times of serious adjustment. I'm so tired that I couldn't care less what happens right now, so full of food that I can't sleep. ugh. Every time I stuff myself like this there's an extreme urge to fast the next day which leads me right into an extreme urge to stuff again. ugh. Must get a grip.
I need to start eating dedicated breakfasts again, not only because it's "good for me", but because I've been overeating in a very self-punishing way and of course, when I was eating regular breakfasts, I didn't seem to do that kind of self-abuse. Overeating was just overeating, not some fucked-up morbid ritual of autobrutality.
I am stressed/anxious/etc., I do have to admit. New job, a deadline to meet, having a disability for the time being, things happening around me that definitely allow for paranoia. Not getting enough sleep. Being injured prevents me from working out in my usual manner, which is also a problem.
One thing I can do is eat breakfast, concentrate on controlling my diet and appetite. A relatively easy thing to do, and doesn't require an enormous amount of time in the sense that my breakfasts can be prepared ahead of time and "whipped up" within 15 minutes or less, normally. Grocery-shopping is an issue, but for the most part simply requires that I ask one of my more car-endowed chums for a favour in a time of real need.
Life is good; I'm just really overwhelmed by change at the moment. I'm also painfully reminded that sleep and nutrition are extremely necessary during such times of serious adjustment. I'm so tired that I couldn't care less what happens right now, so full of food that I can't sleep. ugh. Every time I stuff myself like this there's an extreme urge to fast the next day which leads me right into an extreme urge to stuff again. ugh. Must get a grip.
Monday, January 26, 2009
been a long time
I have a hard time blogging/writing when my life is improving. It's interesting - a lot of folks notice their creativity levels depend on their emotional state of being. Take now, for instance, I'm not at my full happiness potential right now and here I am, coming back to this blog. It's a shame I approach writing as a therapeutic process rather than a creative process. I'm thinking of going to talk therapy to turn this issue around hehehehe.
On that note, my life's been improving. I feel as if I have finally regained control overy my appetite: I'm overeating very rarely and when I do find that I've overeaten it is not at all to the degree I was overeating and all my food choices are healthier. I think the breakfasts have really helped me with the balance; I'm not encountering cravings the way I was and I'm able to "go without" more often.
This morning I was late getting out of the house so I ate a carrot covered in hummus for breakfast and then later on had a small bowl of homemade granola and water.
Yesterday I had leftover chili from a party I'd been to on Saturday night along with two pieces of spelt bread and some sour cream.
On Saturday morning I ate a bowl of cold baked beans. I really hit on the beans recipe this past week; the trick is browning the onions. Good ol' browning. the pinto beans I buy from Organic Planet are extremely good; they are firm, tasty and a great colour.
A breakfast I really enjoyed last week was leftover Three Sisters Casserole; beans corn and squash baked in a creamy polenta. They're like squares of mexican breakfast. Not too greasy at all, very tasty and a nice mix of proteins and carbs.
On that note, my life's been improving. I feel as if I have finally regained control overy my appetite: I'm overeating very rarely and when I do find that I've overeaten it is not at all to the degree I was overeating and all my food choices are healthier. I think the breakfasts have really helped me with the balance; I'm not encountering cravings the way I was and I'm able to "go without" more often.
This morning I was late getting out of the house so I ate a carrot covered in hummus for breakfast and then later on had a small bowl of homemade granola and water.
Yesterday I had leftover chili from a party I'd been to on Saturday night along with two pieces of spelt bread and some sour cream.
On Saturday morning I ate a bowl of cold baked beans. I really hit on the beans recipe this past week; the trick is browning the onions. Good ol' browning. the pinto beans I buy from Organic Planet are extremely good; they are firm, tasty and a great colour.
A breakfast I really enjoyed last week was leftover Three Sisters Casserole; beans corn and squash baked in a creamy polenta. They're like squares of mexican breakfast. Not too greasy at all, very tasty and a nice mix of proteins and carbs.
Monday, December 15, 2008
oversoaking
I've oversoaked the beans. I put them in water on Wednesday evening and was only able to get to them last night. That's a whole lot of soaking. They came out of the oven this morning very runny and somewhat unpalatable. The seasoning is there and it's great, the aroma's right, it's just I think the taste of the beans themselves has been lost through four days and nights of soaking and occasional rinsing thanks to my gracious room mate.
I still ate the beans and also had a banana and I'm glad I did. I needed the fuel in a bad way. I had a hellish bike to work this morning. Very cold. Too cold. There were moments where I could have laid down and died because of the difficulty of pedalling. That said, it is good to do such hard work. I am still unsure if I will attempt the ride home. Upon arrival at work, I was deadset against the concept of a round trip today, but now I'm not so sure. I do need wheels of some sort tonight.
I am thinking I will have to thicken the liquid for the beans somehow. Possibly add some barley or millet, maybe oat bran.
I still ate the beans and also had a banana and I'm glad I did. I needed the fuel in a bad way. I had a hellish bike to work this morning. Very cold. Too cold. There were moments where I could have laid down and died because of the difficulty of pedalling. That said, it is good to do such hard work. I am still unsure if I will attempt the ride home. Upon arrival at work, I was deadset against the concept of a round trip today, but now I'm not so sure. I do need wheels of some sort tonight.
I am thinking I will have to thicken the liquid for the beans somehow. Possibly add some barley or millet, maybe oat bran.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
on track
I'm back on track with breakfasting. I attempted to make another batch of baked beans over the weekend and mistakenly used dry soybeans rather than what I thought were small white beans. My room mate pointed my error out rather too late, just as I had added the molasses and vinegar. So, committed to my recipe, I baked the soybeans overnight. They came out just like you'd imagine soybeans baked in the style of Boston: slimy, greasy, shiney. Yuck. I ended up donating the whole lot to a drop-in centre for the homeless.
I visited my Chinese doctor on Tuesday afternoon and rather than treat me she persuaded me to buy some diet pills. Not the usual diet pills but some herbal magic that:
and so forth.
The doctor got very upset with me. I have gained a total of fifty pounds since the summer of 2006. That's an average of 2-3 pounds per month. If I keep this up, my middle age spread will be seriously gargantuan. I've been trying halfheartedly but with good intention to halt the weight gain and even lose pounds. I started running in September and consistently continue to increase my distance, time and am also trying to have intense workouts whenever possible. I began to eat breakfast in an attempt to control my appetite. I am taking measures, but they have not been drastic enough even to put a stop to my incredible rate of expansion.
So it's go-time. Dr. Shi made me commit to the pills at a cost of $80.00 and one hour of strenuous activity a day for the next thirty days, as well as a very rigourously sensible protein-rich, low-carb diet.
I had lamb korma for breakfast yesterday. The day before, I had deer chili. This morning I ate a tofurkey sausage and a pile of lettuce and cucumber. The exercise has been surprisingly easy to do because of the energy these pills are making out of the scorching of hundreds of fat cells.
I visited my Chinese doctor on Tuesday afternoon and rather than treat me she persuaded me to buy some diet pills. Not the usual diet pills but some herbal magic that:
"-Dramatically increases the metabolic rate, suppresses the appetite, scorches hundreds of fat cells and turn them into energy.
-Burning away years of stubborn stored fat on belly, thighs, buttocks and arms while not sacrificing foods."
and so forth.
The doctor got very upset with me. I have gained a total of fifty pounds since the summer of 2006. That's an average of 2-3 pounds per month. If I keep this up, my middle age spread will be seriously gargantuan. I've been trying halfheartedly but with good intention to halt the weight gain and even lose pounds. I started running in September and consistently continue to increase my distance, time and am also trying to have intense workouts whenever possible. I began to eat breakfast in an attempt to control my appetite. I am taking measures, but they have not been drastic enough even to put a stop to my incredible rate of expansion.
So it's go-time. Dr. Shi made me commit to the pills at a cost of $80.00 and one hour of strenuous activity a day for the next thirty days, as well as a very rigourously sensible protein-rich, low-carb diet.
I had lamb korma for breakfast yesterday. The day before, I had deer chili. This morning I ate a tofurkey sausage and a pile of lettuce and cucumber. The exercise has been surprisingly easy to do because of the energy these pills are making out of the scorching of hundreds of fat cells.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
wayside
I fear my breakfasts are in bad decline. I'm not paying enough attention to my bed time lately and therefore am not able to drag myself out of bed on time to prepare a healthy meal in the morning. I'm trying very hard and for the most part have actually HAD breakfasts; they've just been somewhat unhealthy and/or fly-by-night. I am endeavouring to make a breakfast casserole tonight and also put beans in to soak.
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