As I promised you last week, dear Thursday Food readers, I have begun my quest to change my dietary lifestyle and get rid of some of my excess weight with the aid of Dr Alejandro Junger, author of Clean, who visited our shores for the Shakti Love Fest last weekend.

I had the pleasure of finally meeting him in person after a telephone exchange and ongoing email communication. He gave a private talk to a few of us at Shakti a day before his major presentation at Shakti Love Fest, sharing his knowledge of how the digestive system works in the body and his inspiration for writing his best-seller.

Dr Junger shared that in modern life, we eat way too much in comparison to our ancestors who were used to periods of fasting or long stretches in-between meals, and therefore didn’t suffer from the lifestyle plagues we do now, such as excessive mucus, serotonin which causes depression, constipation and acid imbalances. They ate more fruits and vegetables and what was available seasonally.

Those of us present asked questions about the availability of the programme in Jamaica one day. Another big concern was that many of the fruits, like blueberries (some supermarkets carry packages of these flash-frozen berries amongst others in their freezer sections) and vegetables like kale or watercress mentioned are not always available from our farmers. He advised that we should substitute. Kale is a super-food, for example, and our callaloo is an excellent green that is available all year round and is affordable. I have also been seeing locally grown arugula and mixed lettuce leaves, so it is possible. String beans, okra, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, bak choy, mustard greens, snowpeas, pumpkin, yellow squash, zucchini, turnips, beetroots are all grown here and are of excellent quality.

However, the elimination diet does not permit corn or nightshades: that is tomatoes, eggplant, hot and sweet peppers and Irish potatoes. I was curious as to why and read up on these varieties. I love these vegetables and tend to use them a lot as they offer healthy attributes such as lycopene in tomatoes, but for those persons who suffer from arthritis, eczema, or acid reflux problems, they can trigger flares. When you are eliminating for detoxing purposes it is better to eliminate then reintroduce them gradually when you go back to your normal, and hopefully improved routine to see how it makes you feel.

I will begin the 21-day detox programme soon, but as I am currently hosting some overseas guests travelling around the island I have decided, rather than dive straight into the detox, I will delay until I am back in Kingston. Please note that when you are beginning any new dietary regime to get your doctor’s approval first.

The second reason I decided to do the elimination process first was to get my body to adjust to the changes. I have found that in the past when I diet drastically I tend to succumb to temptation, so I am setting out a process for myself. The first thing I did was to set aside some space in the pantry and fridge for all the things I am allowed to eat and then gave away to charity the food items I am not allowed to consume. Not everything on Dr Junger’s elimination list is necessarily bad for you, like the above-mentioned nightshades or fruits such as bananas and oranges for example, so trust me, I did not give away junk in case you are wondering!

I have cut out juice and only drink water, coconut water, cranberry water and herbal tea. My current diet consists of mostly healthy soups, green vegetables and a lean animal or vegetable protein and smoothies. Below I will share two diary entries of typical days I have begun structuring for myself during the transition process. Ironically, I have lost two pounds already and I didn’t think I would lose weight until I was full-on detoxing.

A Peek into Juicy’s Food Diary

I consume a lot of water to keep hydrated, this is very important when you are cleansing your system. I also eat my heaviest meal in the afternoon and try not to eat after 7:00 pm. Of course, this gets thrown out the window sometimes in life if you have an evening working overtime and get home late or a business or dinner or birthday party slated for 8:00 pm. Do not beat yourself up about it if there is a change one evening in your routine, simply manage what you eat when you are out and ask for your friends and family’s support and understanding.

Monday, September 28, 2009

7:00 am: Glass of water with lime

8:00 am: Jasmine Green tea (no sugar)

10:00: am Bowl of oatmeal cooked in almond milk, flavoured with vanilla, and cinnamon

1:00 pm: Poached Fish Fillet served with a side of steamed string beans

3:00 pm: Handful of raw almonds as a snack

6:00 pm: Yellow Squash Soup

Tuesday, October 5, 2009

7:00 am: Glass of coconut water

8:00 am: Mint tea (no sugar, I use fresh mint from my peppermint bush, not from a teabag)

10:00 am: Fruit smoothie made with papaya, rice milk and non-soy protein powder

1:00 pm: Grilled chicken breast and green salad with oil and vinegar dressing (as a side)

3:00 pm: Beetroot, Carrot and Ginger Juice

6:00 pm: Split Pea Soup

Poached Fish Fillet

Ingredients:

1 fish fillet (I have been using tilapia, snapper and salmon)

1 cup of water

Juice of 1 lime

Mixed fresh herbs

Method:

Add water, lime juice and herbs to a casserole and bring to a boil.

Place in fish fillet and simmer until cooked through.

Juicy Chef’s Healthy Ginger

Yellow Squash Soup

I get fresh vegetables weekly from Adam Miller of Pantrepant Farm. Lately there has been an abundance of lovely yellow squash in my box, which I quickly grill then purée into a soup. This squash is quite mild in flavour so I have spiced it up. I love creamy soups but since I cannot have diary or soy, I use almond milk in this recipe. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

3 yellow squash, washed, thickly sliced, grilled until golden

4 cups, vegetable stock

2 cups, almond milk

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic, minced

1tsp cumin

1 inch of fresh ginger, washed and peeled, grated

1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent then add cumin, chilli and ginger and give a good stir and continue to cook for a couple of minutes more.

Add grilled squash pieces and vegetable stock and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Blend soup in batches then return to pot and add almond milk, reheat and season with a little salt to taste.

Beetroot, Carrot and Ginger Juice

I just got a whole load of carrots from my friend Junior from St Elizabeth carrot and beetroot is a classic detox juice made even lovelier with warming fresh ginger.

Ingredients:

2 large carrots

1 large beetroot

1 inch piece of ginger

Squeeze of lime (optional)

Method:

In a juicer, pass through all of the ingredients and drink immediately.

Bon Appétit!