Last Wednesday, I gave you a little taste of my weekend up North at the Grail Springs Health Resort. It was a healing getaway unlike any vacation I’ve ever experienced. While my usual week-long vacations leave me with the blues and longing for a return to the beach, after only two days at Grail Springs, I felt well-rested, energized, at peace and ready to take on the world!

Grail vacationers go to heal and learn balanced living. Everyone had a fascinating story to tell, the guests, staff and even the owner. Several guests said it wasn’t their first time here, and this time wouldn’t be their last (one had already booked for next month!) Whether it was to cope with the death of a loved one, learn better stress management or heal from a chronic illness, we all felt the benefits of living the Grail philosophy:

From www.grailsprings.com:

“Our approach to lifestyle is holistic. We believe our natural state is that of equilibrium, clarity, and good health. And that our life is a journey of experiences, lessons, triumphs and fulfillment. Within the challenges facing most in the 21st century; we often find ourselves having made sacrifices in our health, peace of mind, family, finances, or our basic right to happiness and love for life. Somewhere along the road we lost our way.”

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If you’ve been following Live Lighter, we’ve been on an elimination diet adventure. It’s a diet designed to help you find foods that irritate your digestive system because you’re either allergic to or sensitive to them. These foods include gluten, 3 types of nuts, dairy, sugar, nightshade veggies, soy, shellfish and catfish, several fruits, corn, caffeine, alcohol, and certain meats.

That list doesn’t leave much left! Even in my Allergy-Free recipe books, there are recipes that include several items on the “to avoid” list, like tomato or eggplant (both from the nightshade family) or lemon and limes (citrus fruits – not allowed). This makes creating tasty meals quite the challenge, let me tell you!

So I thought I’d share some of my recipes that I’ve found or created since I’ve been on this very restrictive diet. Even if you’re not on an elimination diet, these recipes are very healthy and extremely easy to digest – as long as you don’t wolf them down.

Here are 3 allergy-free recipes to try out:

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Earlier this week I came across this fabulous Canadian Living article, “Practical Weight-Loss Strategies,” that I just had to share with you. It’s written by Kelly Anne Erdman, a registered dietician who helps people take control over their lives through healthier living. Right up Live Lighter’s alley!

I won’t bother reiterating the article but please take 10 minutes to review it as I believe it’s all very sound advice. There are a few items on the list that are debatable, though, and thought them worthwhile to discuss.

For instance, #4 on the list suggests accompanying meals with water. As you know, I’m currently on an elimination diet. My Naturopathic Doctor suggested that I avoid consuming water ½ an hour before, during and an hour after eating. According to the ND and other sources, water dilutes the enzymes in the stomach, along with stomach acid, needed to properly digest the food. However, this effect may only affect those with digestive problems.

As for #6, Ms. Erdman lists several low glycemic snacks, such as fruit and vegetables. But as far as I know, the ones she listed are simple and complex carbohydrates, which still have relatively high glycemic indexes. She does not mention combining these carbs with a protein source to further lower the glycemic index and I have to wonder why.

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With eliminating soy and milk products from my diet, my morning smoothies haven’t been the same. I just love the thickness and smoothness that yogurt and flavoured soy beverage lend these delicious, healthy, easy-to-digest protein breakfast drinks.

However, I found a fabulous substitute! It’s guava nectar (although, I’m sure any fruit nectar will do). It’s extremely flavourful and compliments the other frozen fruit in the smoothie…er, I guess it’s called a froozie without the milk derivatives.

Check it out and let us know what you think!

Berry Guava Elimination Diet-Friendly Froozie

Ingredients

1 ½ cups Europe’s Best 4-Field Berry Mix (straw, rasp, blue & blackberries)
½ cup guava nectar
½ serving Ruth’s hemp protein powder
½ cup filtered or spring water (to desired thickness)

Directions

Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

Nutritional Info

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Earlier this year, my Naturopathic Doctor suggested that I try an elimination diet to help find the source of my digestive problems. To recap, an elimination diet eliminates all foods known to cause allergies or food sensitivities.

Eating hypo-allergenic foods gives your digestive tract a chance to heal itself. It also cleanses your body of offending foods so that it becomes more sensitive to detecting them. After a specific time (TBD by your doc), you slowly reintroduce foods you eliminated and note any reactions.

It’s a strict diet and I had troubles sticking to it in the Spring, so I decided to put it on hold for the Summer. It’s Fall now and since I’m trying to conquer my addictions, I thought I might as well do it all at once. I have a plan to completely cleanse my system, eliminating cravings for addictive substances and any possible foods causing me trouble.

There aren’t a lot of elimination diet-friendly recipes out there, so I’d like to share some recipes that I have in different print sources, some adaptations to them, and even some that I’ve created myself! Here are a couple to try, even if you’re not on an elimination diet. They are super healthy, nutritious and very yummy. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a regular reader, you know I love my morning protein smoothies. I’m an advocate for them and believe they help you lose weight, despite the critics who say they’re too high in calories. But now I have proof! Within 2 days I ran into 2 different sources that said if you want to lose weight, eat a big meal in the morning (meaning the most calories), a smaller lunch and an even smaller dinner.

The Metro published, “Don’t skip breakfast” this past Tuesday, and cited 3 different research studies all concluding that this eating pattern helps you lose weight. The alternative does the exact opposite, that is, skipping breakfast or gradually increasing your caloric intake during the day and into the night helps you gain weight.

The second source is an article, “4 Simple Breakfast Rules for Shedding Pounds” from Oprah’s favourite docs, Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen, on their Real Age website. Both articles clearly explain the multi-faceted benefits of breakfast, which increases brain power and your mood while helping you control food cravings and lose weight!

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It’s been awhile since we had an elimination diet adventure post. Several weeks ago, I started the stage that I was most excited about, food reintroduction. It’s the phase of the elimination diet where you slowly and methodically begin eating the foods that may have been causing our bodies to react negatively.

This part, while fun, has also been very challenging. It’s basically a scientific test and I’ve found that it requires a lot of attention, planning and determination. This is how it’s supposed to go down:

1. Continue eating hypo-allergenic foods from the elimination diet.
2. Take one day and eat 2 – 3 servings of a possibly offending food, e.g. eggs.
3. Note any digestive disturbances throughout the day.
4. Wait 1-4 days and choose another food to try, repeating the process until you’ve tried all possibly offending food groups (wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, sugar and nightshade).

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During the last week, we discussed whether or not fasting is healthy for you, including a post that described a safe, enlightening 3 day fast to follow.

Here’s an interesting (and kinda strange) video advocating nutritional fasting; that is, replacing solid food for juice and blended foods. If you have 8½ minutes, check it out - it’s got Darryl Hannah in it! Man, I gotta try that Chi Swing.

Last post we discussed whether fasting is healthy . While the debate still rages, for those who are convinced and curious to try it, here’s my method for a safe, 3 day fast. Based on my Natural Healing Bible (The Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4^th Edition ) two ND’s have seen it and agreed that it was safe for most relatively healthy people. Of course, before starting any new health program, please consult your MD and your naturopath.

The Prescription for Nutritional Healing recommends we fast at least 3 days a month and follow a 10 day fast twice a year. There are different types of fasts and depending on the length of fast, it accomplishes different things:

3 days helps the body rid itself of toxins and cleanses the blood.
5 days begins the process of healing and rebuilding the immune system.
10 days will help prevent illness and disease by giving the body time to reverse the damage caused by long-term exposure to dangerous chemicals and toxins.

Precautions to take:
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A friend of mine is going through some very strange health challenges right now that resemble allergic reactions. Besides a whole slew of symptoms, his eyes puffed up a few weeks ago. They have since gotten better – unfortunately the swelling has moved down to his tongue! Obviously, he now has difficulty eating, which I said may not be such a bad thing.

According to The Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fourth Edition:

“Fasting is recommended for any illness, as it gives the body the rest it needs to recover. Acute illnesses, colon disorders, allergies, and respiratory diseases are most responsive to fasting, while chronic degenerative diseases are least responsive. By relieving the body of the work of digesting foods, fasting permits the system to rid itself of toxins while facilitating healing.

But fasting is helpful not just in times of poor health or during the body’s low cycles [natural detoxification ]. By fasting regularly, you give all of your organs a rest, and thus help reverse the aging process and live a longer and healthier life.”

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