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7 Veg Friendly Spots to Visit in London
I really love eating well prepared food. However, more than my love for food is experiencing new dishes in a city that I am exploring while traveling. In London I was kept pretty busy with the film festival, but spent the rest of my time scouting for awesome places to try that are vegan and vegetarian friendly. When I lived in London over ten years ago, I remember carrying around a small book that was essentially a pocket guide to all of the vegan friendly restaurants in London. Although I did find some amazing places to eat, it was astounding to see how much more is available to anyone living a plant-based or simply health conscious lifestyle. I would even dare to say that of all of the European cities I have visited London would be number 1 or at the very least in the top three of vegetarian friendly cities. Below are the favorites of my finds while there. If you end up on that side of the pond and try any of these, shoot me a message and let me know what you think! -XO Raw Girl
Wild Food Cafe has delicious but simple gourmet dishes at an affordable price. Loved this amazing find tucked away in Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden. Lovely location especially when the weather is great and it’s right next to Neal’s Yard Remedies a natural and organic health and beauty shop perfect for browsing for cruelty-free skincare or supplements before or after your meal. You absolutely must try their cauliflower buffalo wings, and the green burger. Oh and the chocolate tart was to die for.
I’ve been in love with Wagamama since I first tried it over 10 years ago. At the time they only had one branch in London in Camden Town and now they have spread throughout London and beyond. There is actually now a Wagamama in New York. Although it’s more cooked fare, they actually have a vegan menu. My favorites are all the fresh veggie juices, the katsu curry, bang bang cauliflower, and the mushroom and panko eggplant hirata steamed buns. Very affordable, service is great, and green tea is always on the house. There are several locations across London.
Mildred’s Salad Bar I found tucked away while walking from my makeup appointment on my way to Soho. It has a fresh variety of mouthwatering pre-prepared salads that make it a wonderful place to grab lunch.
Masala Zone Soho is the Indian restaurant I dined at on my birthday. Loved the ambiance and the food. It has been rated one of London’s top Indian restaurants and if you are able to visit, you’ll see why. They serve a sampling of a wide range of Indian cuisines, have good reliable curries, and incredible desserts.
Dishoom is another top rated Indian restaurant that has people literally queuing up each night to get a seat as they are often overbooked. When I attempted to visit, we decided to skip the long line and head to Masala Zone, but I have heard the wait is worth it. If you want to try this spot I highly recommend making a reservation far in advance. There are two locations that I saw in London, so best to try your luck at both!
Planet Organic is the UK version of a Mom’s Organic meets Whole Foods. That’s the best way I can describe it. I actually loved it so much more that both of those stores, and was amazed at their incredible supplement section, juice bar, food bar options, and the grocery department. Had lunch there, bought some supplements, some of which I mentioned in my last post, and then took several bars of chocolate to go!
West Cornwall Pasty Co. is a small stand in the Waterloo Tube Station that sells meat and vegetable pies. One night I was rushing to catch Antony and Cleopatra at the National Theater and desperately needed some decent on-the-go but healthy food. I was pleasantly surprised that they had a vegan vegetable pie and it was the perfect answer to my growling stomach.
My 5 Favorite Healthy Finds in London
Hey lovelies! I’m baaaaack! Last week was my birthday, and I went out of town to London for the British Film Institute Film Festival, and and some much needed exploration time. Traveling is my favorite thing to do, and it was amazing to visit London 10 years later and see how much more veggie friendly options are available. I ate well, found some awesome supplements, and got schooled on some #Ageless tips by my aunt who is 48 and looks like she is in her early thirties. Black don’t crack! And also putting in place healthy rituals long term can seriously go a very long way.
This week I’ll be posting a quick list of some of the amazing veg spots I’ve found that you can check out if you are ever in London Town. I’m starting the series with a few products recommended to me by my aunt – who focuses on staying sugar-free, eating to optimize her digestion, moved out of the city to a more quiet location, and engages in regular self-care. I’ll elaborate on all of these points soon, but believe me I was taking serious notes! We had lunch at Planet Organic which is my new world favorite one-stop shop health food store. Featuring a hot and cold food bar, juice and smoothie bar, groceries and healthy meals to go, and a vitamin section that made my jaw drop, I was sure that I would be in this store every day if I lived in London. Below are some of the amazing products I picked up at Planet Organic and around London during my stay.
Udo’s Choice – Digestive Enzymes and Probiotics – Another recommendation from my aunt, who credits some of her youthfulness to maximizing her digestion was this brand Udo’s Choice. She takes the probiotic and the enzymes. The enzymes are completely plant-based, and gluten and dairy-free. You can take 1 tablet before meals to enhance your digestion or sprinkle the contents of a capsule directly over cold food only; as hot food will damage the enzymes.
Argiletz Laboratorie Green Clay Soap – This soap has no artificial preservatives, no irradiation, not been tested on animals, has no synthetic perfumes, artificial colors or petrochemicals. Essentially, it is a dream come true that can nourish the skin and suck the impurities out and gently exfoliate. LOVE it already.
Beautifully Scrumptious Foot Pack – Self care lovers this one is for you! These foot packs are awesome, and some have essential oils added. In the package are two booties that you put your feet in and leave on for 20 minutes. Great for a long day on your feet or a pre-pedicure treatment to soften your skin.
Sun Chlorella (Tablets) – This was a recommendation from my aunt as a product that boosts natural glow 100%. It comes in small tablets that you can take up to 15 at a time daily, or in a satchet in powder form. I chose the tablets and will report back. It seems like an amazing way to get a good dose of chlorophyll in, especially in the winter when I am less likely to make smoothies and add spirulina or chlorella.
Keep it Raw…Ombar – This chocolate is to die for! Vegan, no preservatives, no refined sugar, and potent. They have chocolate with a center filling like pistachio, with nuts like the almond chocolate I tried, or just plain. All will give you a legit chocolate fix with absolutely none of the guilt.
5 Reasons to Think Twice Before Taking Collagen
To collagen, or not to collagen? That seems to be the latest question in the natural beauty and health world as natural food stores and conventional grocery stores alike now have shelves full of collagen supplements that promise better skin, accelerated wound healing, reduction of inflammation, and tighter pores, all from a daily dose of powdered animal bones. At the Wellness Market I recently attended, all of us panelists were asked our personal take on these supplements, and I had to give a long answer. Below is my progressive thought process on collagen supplements, and why you won’t see me lining up to add it to my cart in the checkout line. Until the research is more definitive, I personally will be over here side-eyeing the collagen fanatics, eating my fruits and veg, reducing sugar intake, and taking my vitamin C and silica while waiting for this health fad to pass and the next new fix-it-all to emerge on the marketplace. If you are heaven bent on trying them, keep in mind that supplements are not heavily regulated by the FDA. I recommend you do your research to make sure the supplement you take has been tested by a third party to verify its claims. -XoXo Raw Girl
- The Science is Fishy. There is no science to justify that when collagen (mostly from animal bones/ sources) is ingested it translates directly to building the collagen in our own skin. In fact it seems a bit nonsensical as collagen is simply an amino acid or protein, which is not complete as it’s missing tryptophan. When we ingest collagen the body breaks it down like any other protein.
- Opt For Whole Food Sources. IF (and this is definitely hypothetical) I were to buy into this idea of consuming collagen to get more collagen, it would make a lot more sense to source it from bone broth which contains around 6 grams of collagen per cup. I would opt for this because I believe a whole food source is always better than a supplement in a shiny bottle from a company that may or may not properly oversee the production and sourcing of it’s product. Bone broth can be made from the comfort of your home or purchased. I will add the precautionary statement as I do with most meat products to do proper research on your sources, because even broth made from organic ingredients can contain harmful chemicals and toxins. One study found that bone broth sourced from organic chickens had ten times the amount of lead than the water used to boil it with once finished. Not so YUM.
- Lack of Unbiased Research Studies. Most of the minimal research conducted on collagen supplements is not very in depth, does not show long term consequences, and is also paid for by companies that could stand to benefit from favorable results. I won’t be able to trust that I can try these supplements or recommend them without someone showing me valid unbiased research that also shows the long term implications of taking them over time. There are findings that are promising:
- In 2014, a study of 69 women ages 35 to 55 found that those who took 2.5 or 5 grams of collagen daily for 8 weeks showed that those who took collagen had improvement in skin elasticity, compared with the control group.
- A study conducted in 2015 found that protein supplementation in combination with resistance training may increase muscle mass and muscle strength in elderly subjects. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of post-exercise protein supplementation with collagen peptides v. placebo on muscle mass and muscle function following resistance training in elderly subjects with sarcopenia. A total of 53 elderly men with sarcopenia, a loss of muscle caused by aging, found that those who took 15 grams of collagen daily, in addition to lifting weights three times per week for 12 weeks in a guided resistance training program, gained significantly more muscle and lost more fat than those who only lifted weights.
- In 2006 a study of 89 long-term care residents compared Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH) scores at 8 weeks in long-term-care residents with pressure ulcers who were given standard care plus a concentrated, fortified, collagen protein hydrolysate supplement vs. residents who were given standard care plus placebo. By week 8, PUSH tool scores showed approximately twice the rate of pressure ulcer healing in the treatment group that took the collagen supplement compared with the control group.
- The Magical Pill Effect. We all want to stay youthful, maintain healthy weight, and live disease-free but most of us do not want to do the work. The danger here is that products, such as these collage supplements can flood the market and in a wave everyone is rushing to use them and relieved that the one answer to solve all of their health woes has finally arrived. Except, there is no answer beyond the daily hard work of exercise, a healthy balanced diet, and long term stress management. I know, I know, it’s not what any of us want to hear but it’s important to check ourselves so we don’t get caught in health fads that can possibly do more harm than good to our long term health.
- Misguided Focus. Rather than trying to ingest collagen, a more productive focus is to supplement and boost intake of things that will increase collagen production and reduce foods that can lead to it’s speedier breakdown or accelerate aging overall. Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen and you can easily take up to 16,000 mg of vitamin C without adverse effects. In addition to or instead of a regular old supplement, I would focus on increasing vitamin C rich foods and super foods like camu camu which has 30-50 times the vitamin C of oranges. Fruits and vegetables in general which are high in phytonutrients, antioxidants and also include vitamin C are winners when it comes to boosting collagen production. After boosting vitamin C intake, and intake of nutrient dense plant foods, I would focus on eliminating refined sugar and salt intake. The process of breakdown or destruction of collagen and elastin can be accelerated with excess consumption of sugar, and consumption of high protein or high fat foods that also have high sugar content. The other supplement I personally would opt for over collagen, is a high quality plant based silica supplement which can help boost skin, hair, and nail health. Silica is another nutrient that is required for the formation of collagen and decreases naturally as we age.
References:
Lee SK, Posthauer ME, Dorner B, Redovian V, Maloney MJ. Pressure ulcer healing
with a concentrated, fortified, collagen protein hydrolysate supplement: a
randomized controlled trial. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2006 Mar;19(2):92-6. PubMed
PMID: 16557055.
Kassel, G. (2018, May 25). Will Collagen Supplements Really Make You Any Healthier? Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a19995031/collagen-supplements/
Marshall, L. (2018, March 08). Collagen: ‘Fountain of Youth’ or Edible Hoax? Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/news/20180308/collagen-supplements-what-the-research-shows
Monro JA, Leon R, Puri BK. The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets.
Med Hypotheses. 2013 Apr;80(4):389-90. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2012.12.026. Epub 2013
Jan 31. PubMed PMID: 23375414.
Moyad, M. A., & Lee, J. (2014). The supplement handbook: A trusted experts guide to what works & whats worthless for more than 100 conditions. Emmaus, PA: Rodale.
Zdzieblik D, Oesser S, Baumstark MW, Gollhofer A, König D. Collagen peptide
supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition
and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled
trial. Br J Nutr. 2015 Oct 28;114(8):1237-45. doi: 10.1017/S0007114515002810.
Epub 2015 Sep 10. PubMed PMID: 26353786; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4594048.
7 Preventative Supplements and Herbs for Transition to Fall
The seasons are changing. Last week when I arrived in New York it was freezing and raining sideways, (making umbrella’s utterly useless) and the following day the sun was beaming down so hard it felt like summer. As the weather shifts if we are caught in a hectic work cycle and over stressed and not sleeping enough, or simply get caught out and about in a summer outfit on those days when it feels more like fall, we can leave ourselves susceptible to getting sick. Below is a list of seven preventative supplements and herbs that I love to have around as we transition into the colder seasons. If you’d like to join me and group of wellness professionals tonight in DC to chat more about transitioning your wellness practice to fall, check out my last post and RSVP for the FREE event. See some of you all very soon! -XO Raw Girl
- A Good Selection of Herbal Teas. Nettles, Green Tea, Gypsy Cold Care, and Egyptian Licorice are just a few of my favorites that can help ward off a cough, provide awesome nutritional benefits, and soothe the throat.
- Slippery Elm Bark Powder. This amazing herb soothes and coats the throat, has expectorant properties so it can help to expel mucus, and is also a great supplement to include in your regimen for gut healing. I like to add 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon to my tea if I have a cough or want to prevent the onset of one.
- Ginger will never go out of style as a preventative measure and a remedy in the event that you find yourself under the weather. You can make fresh ginger tea, take ginger shots, and also cook with it or add it to your favorite vegetable juice.
- CALM is a powder supplement that is essentially magnesium citrate and can help wind down if you are dealing with regular stress and anxiety while also giving your elimination a boost too. I generally love to add a teaspoon in place of sugar to a relaxing cup of herbal tea at the end of a long day.
- Vitamin C is something you can never go wrong with having more of. In fact it is perfectly healthy and acceptable to take up to 16,000 mg of vitamin C daily without any adverse side effects. Want to read more: check out my past article on how taking vitamins can change your life. When it comes to vitamin C, we can also include foods such as oranges, papaya, camu Camu powder and more.
- Vitamin D is not just a vitamin, it’s a hormone responsible for many essential reactions in the body and also helps to keep our immunity high. Many diseases can actually be prevented with adequate supplementation and monitoring of vitamin D levels. It’s not necessary to take vitamin D separately unless you have a deficiency. For most, taking a multivitamin with at least 2000 IU of vitamin D is adequate.
- Umcka Cold and Flu is my favorite homeopathic cold remedy when and if the onset of sniffles begins. I learned about it years ago from my primary care doctor who knew I had a strong aversion to taking medication and actually had some knowledge of holistic medicines. You can find it online and at general health food stores in tablet and cough syrup forms. It can help with cough and congestion and works pretty rapidly to help the body get back to one without any side effects.
DC Event Alert: Wellness Market, This Wednesday October 3rd!
Dacha Loft, Athleta and Yoga Sihnuu are so excited to team up and host the first Wellness Market on Wednesday, October 3rd! They’ve rounded up some of their favorite health professionals (including Yours Truly) and business owners from many walks of life to answer your questions, offer insight and share health and wellness tips. With topics ranging from fitness and nutrition to reiki and other natural healing modules, panelists will answer the questions around how to transition a wellness practice into the new Fall season. Athleta will also offer us tips on how to prepare our fitness wardrobe for the Fall!
The chat and shop will be held at Dacha Loft from 6:30pm – 9pm. Light refreshments by Calabash Tea and Apothekary will be available for purchase. Select beverages from Dacha Beer garden will be provided. Participation is FREE with RSVP. please visit this LINK to reserve your spot. I look forward to seeing you there!
-XO Raw Girl
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How to Achieve Lasting Weight Loss
At some point in our lives, most of us have struggled with losing or maintaining weight. If you have not, personally, it is likely that you know someone that is overweight or trying a new fad diet to help shed unwanted pounds. One of the common misconceptions is that weight loss is simple. The truth is that it can be much more complex than we think, and requires mental, emotional, and physical toughness depending on how large the task. Weight loss is also complex because your body is different from mine and vice versa. It’s important that when you come up with a plan of action it’s one that is based on your body’s needs. Besides eating less calories, working out effectively, and changing the quality of the food you eat, below are tips that will help you lose weight and keep the pounds off long term. -XO Raw Girl
- Focus on doing deep emotional work. Weight loss is actually more mental and emotional than you think. Our bodies’ store trauma, and for many but not all people struggling with weight, it can be a physical manifestation of a buffer to the outside world because of sensitivity or past hurts. In order to lose weight and keep it off, we have to be ready to face our fears, set healthy boundaries with others, and come to the deep realization that we deserve to put ourselves first. This may take therapy, support groups, affirmations and more, but releasing emotions in a healthy way and acknowledging them can transform your self worth, and demand that the outer change begin to manifest in the form of weight loss.
- Program and visualize new lifestyle habits. Your mind is more powerful that you may know, and research has shown that when you visualize or practice something in our mind the body does not know the difference between the daydream and reality. In a sense our body is tethered to our unconscious mind, and if we can lead it to think new thoughts and imagine new realities we are more likely to take the steps necessary to reach our goal and eventually have that imagined reality come to pass.
- Incorporate some form of Fasting and develop a new relationship with hunger. Fasting has been scientifically proven to regenerate the body, increase longevity, and can have a profound effect on weight loss. The body cannot full detoxify when we continue the cycle of constantly eating. Although going a full day or two without food may be too extreme for most, in order to give your body a break you can try intermittent fasting or eating within a certain window. To get the benefits, it does not have to be extreme, it can be a ten to twelve hour window, for example eating from 8 AM to 8 PM. Research on mice showed that when two groups that were fed the same amount of calories, with one group able to eat as much as they wanted throughout the day and the other was relegated to a specific window, the group eating all day gained weight, while the mice eating within a time window lost and maintained their weight. In one human study conducted on a group of obese patients, one group had their eating restricted to an eight hour window for a 12 week period. The researchers found that body weight and systolic blood pressure decrease in the time restricted group when compared to the control group which ate at whatever time of the day they pleased. Another important benefit of fasting is it can teach us to really listen to and get acquainted with our bodies’ cues and distinguish when we are truly hungry rather than eating from boredom, negative emotion, or dehydration.
- Key into your motivation and place visual cues in places that you can see them every day. What motivates you? I mean what REALLY motivates you? Whether it be the sense of freedom you will have to move freely, the confidence you will gain in social situations, the new wardrobe you may purchase, you must get to the core of your why. Sometimes your why is bigger than you. Perhaps you have young kids, and you want to be alive well and set healthy examples for them in the long term? Or perhaps everyone in your family has struggled with weight and dis-ease and you are determined to break the cycle. Hone in on how it will make you feel to achieve your goal and find an image, mantra, or visual cue that you can look at every single day. Use that to keep you motivated as your push towards your goal.
- Work with your cravings, and not against them. Most of us are taught to deny their cravings and diet in order to achieve weight loss. It’s important to note that not all cravings are equal. Some “cravings” are actually addictions, and we can feel as though we “Crave” certain things because we are addicted to the high we get from refined sugars, flours, or salt. On a deeper level other cravings can signal the bodies’ need for specific nutrients. When we are trying to lose weight we may have more of those “superficial cravings,” and it’s important to acknowledge them and find healthy substitutions. When we work with our cravings and substitute out harmful ingredients for whole foods, we slowly but surely retrain our taste buds to adjust to new ingredients that become as fulfilling with time, and form new habits that will help us sustain healthy choices and keep weight off long term.
References:
Gabel K, Hoddy KK, Haggerty N, Song J, Kroeger CM, Trepanowski JF, Panda S,
Varady KA. Effects of 8-hour time restricted feeding on body weight and metabolic
disease risk factors in obese adults: A pilot study. Nutr Healthy Aging. 2018 Jun
15;4(4):345-353. doi: 10.3233/NHA-170036. PubMed PMID: 29951594; PubMed Central
PMCID: PMC6004924.
Wilson RA, Deasy W, Stathis CG, Hayes A, Cooke MB. Intermittent Fasting with
or without Exercise Prevents Weight Gain and Improves Lipids in Diet-Induced
Obese Mice. Nutrients. 2018 Mar 12;10(3). pii: E346. doi: 10.3390/nu10030346.
PubMed PMID: 29534545; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5872764.
10 Ways to Use Coconut Oil for Beauty
My major skincare awakening happened about a year ago, when I fell asleep with Keihl’s cleanser on my face and woke up with a burn! That was not a great morning. What I learned from that experience, is how important it is to utilize products on your skin from reliable companies, that are almost if not actually EDIBLE. When you have a skincare awakening (hopefully yours will not involve burns), one of the first thing you realize is that you don’t necessarily need all of the beauty products you have. Keep it simple is my new motto. In the last three months I wash my face with a coconut cleanser that is basically coconut water, and I have started the habit of making a coconut oil mask every night that has left my skin much more hydrated and supple come morning. In the spirit of utilizing our food as medicine, there are many kitchen staples that can easily be used in the bathroom. Coconut oil is one of them! A truly versatile oil, coconut oil can replace several toiletry projects you may already use religiously. Below is a list of ten legitimate beauty uses for coconut oil. After all is said and done, don’t forget that you also can eat it! The recommended daily intake is around two to four tablespoons. You can eat it straight, blend it into smoothies, or even salad dressings and desserts. -XO Raw Girl
1. Face & Under Eye Cream
It has been established that lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid that is abundant in coconut oil, improves acne, making it a good option for some with oily and combination skin. For dark under eye circles, you can increase circulation in the area by using a small amount of coconut oil to massage under the eyes and keep the skin from wrinkling.
2. Make-up Remover
Coconut oil is an effective makeup remover and a great natural moisturizer! Simple dip a cotton ball in coconut oil and generously apply to face until makeup is removed. Be sure to cleanse your skin and moisturize afterwards.
3. Face Mask
Add a bit of honey (a natural antibacterial and moisturizer) to coconut oil and apply to your face. Leave the mask on for 10 minutes, then rinse. There are numerous DIY mask recipes you can find on the internet that have coconut oil as a featured ingredient. Experiment and find the mask that works for you.
4. Lip Balm
Coconut oil can be applied directly to chapped lips. You also can transfer a small amount to a container for lip moisture on the go, but be careful in the summer. Hot temperatures liquefy the oil, and you don’t want coconut oil dripping from your bag when you are on-the-go.
5. Body Moisturizer
Keep your skin soft and supple by applying coconut oil after a bath or shower to lock in moisture.
6. Bath Soak
Pour a little coconut oil into your bath with other oils and bath salts and enjoy a relaxing soak.
7. Body Scrub
Add a tablespoon of brown sugar or raw sugar to three tablespoons of coconut oil for a delicious body scrub.
8. Foot Treatment
If you have calluses or rough heels, exfoliate with a pumice stone right before bed. Slather coconut oil on your feet and put on a pair of socks to lock in moisture overnight.
9. Cuticle Cream
Apply to cuticles, then push them back with an orange stick.
10. Deep Conditioner
Massage warmed coconut oil to your scalp and hair. Wait 15 minutes, then rinse. For a leave in conditioner, simply melt coconut oil, apply to scalp and leave hair in a shower cap overnight. This is also an effective treatment for those with dandruff.
Fasting for Weight Loss & Treating Diabetes
To wrap up the fasting series I started last week, I wanted to share an insightful and important video from my personal favorite authority on the subject of fasting: Dr. Jason Fung. I just finished reading his book, The Complete Guide to Fasting, and his insights and history with treating and reversing type 2 diabetes is profound. Given his success using fasting as a mechanism of treatment, it really should be common knowledge and put into practice by the medical community, but unfortunately it isn’t. If you know someone struggling with diabetes, pass this on. My favorite nugget from this video that sums up his argument: “Giving insulin to a type 2 diabetic, is like giving alcohol to an alcoholic.” –XO Raw Girl
Essential Steps to Designing a Fast
This week, we continue the fasting series, with an oldie but goodie post from the past: How to Design Your Fast. Maybe you want to fast for a longer period that intermittent fasting requires, or want to consume fresh vegetable juice for a few days and have no idea where to start. This one is for you boo! Below’s a few steps that will help you plan a successful fast and stay safe during the process. -Xo Raw Girl
Find and fuel your inspiration. Whether it be for detoxification purposes, clarity, spiritual insight, to improve your health, or restore vitality, hone in on your personal reasons to begin fasting. If you are doing a much longer fast up to 7-10 days, you should be prepared with daily reading, quotes, or whatever works for you to keep you focused on your intention. If it’s a spiritual fast, or even if it is not, you may want to make time daily for prayer, meditation, or reflection in nature. When you allow your mind to fixate on your “why” you are more likely to forget that you haven’t eaten anything in hours.
Set the parameters. Decide on the duration of your fast. If you have never fasted before it’s recommended to start with a much shorter period from 24-72 hours maximum. Once you have decided on the length of time, choose your method: are you fasting on vegetable juices, broths, or water? Or perhaps you prefer a partial fast, which could consist of fasting on blended foods, raw foods, or abstaining from specific food groups like the Daniel Fast which removes meat, carbohydrates, and sugar. The simplest definition of fasting, is a commitment to abstain from something. For more marked detoxification results choosing a liquid only fast will give the digestive system more of a break. Water fasting for longer periods (more than three days) should be done under the direct supervision of a medical professional. Make sure whatever method you use that you also consume large amounts of water during your fasting period. There is no set rule to how much liquid you consume a day if you are drinking vegetable juices, broths, or teas. Make sure you have enough on hand to get your fill. Some days you may need more liquid than others. Go with the flow and listen to your body throughout.
Relax your schedule and plan ahead. To prepare for your fast, make sure you’ve got enough groceries and recipes for vegetable juices or whatever method of fast you chose. Even with die-hard commitment if you are fasting and don’t have enough of your preferred fasting food sources, you may leave yourself vulnerable to eating other foods that happen to be in your kitchen, and end up breaking your fast the wrong way. Your fridge should be stocked with more than enough of your preferred fasting liquid or food sources to survive your cravings. During this time respect the process and try to relax your work and activity schedule as much as possible. It’s possible to exercise while fasting, but for beginners and even veteran fasters, it may be ideal to opt for much gentler workouts during your fasting period that encourage detoxification and elimination such as gentle yoga.
Consider some sort of colon cleansing for the duration of the fast. Fasting accelerates the bodies process of eliminating toxins, and if you do not support this process you could end up feeling sick, dizzy, or fatigued during your fast. To avoid this, you can drink at least half of your body weight in fluid ounces of water daily, incorporate enemas or colonics (supervised by a professional), or include a daily dose of magnesium citrate to ensure proper bowel elimination. Enemas or colonic hydration should be cleared by a medical professional, especially if you have any colon issues or gastrointestinal disease.
Slowly break the fast. So you made it to the end of your fast, and you are salivating because you want to bite something! Slow down. Make sure that you spend at least half of the time you fasted coming down off the fast. So for a three day fast, you would take at least a day and a half coming down off the fast. Introduce solids very slowly. Homemade broths, fruit juices, raw fruit, leafy greens, or lightly steamed vegetables can be great foods to transition back into the world of solid foods. Avoid canned broths or soups due to their high sodium content. Eating extremely dense or processed foods, could throw your digestive system into shock so start with lighter foods. Avoid oily deep-fried foods, rich foods with fats, starch, processed sugar, and salt which can cause nausea or headaches if eaten too soon. If you were on a partial fast such as a vegan or raw food fast that included solid foods, you can transition back much quicker.
References:
Koch SM, Uludağ O, El Naggar K, van Gemert WG, Baeten CG. Colonic irrigation for defecation disorders after dynamic graciloplasty. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2008 Feb;23(2):195-200. Epub 2007 Sep 21. PubMed PMID: 17896111; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2134973.
Vollebregt PF, Elfrink AK, Meijerink WJ, Felt-Bersma RJ. Results of long-term retrograde rectal cleansing in patients with constipation or fecal incontinence. Tech Coloproctol. 2016 Sep;20(9):633-9. doi: 10.1007/s10151-016-1502-y. Epub 2016
Jul 5. PubMed PMID: 27380257.
5 Tips for Successful Intermittent Fasting
To continue the discussion from Monday’s post on The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting, I wanted to give you a few tips just in case the spirit moved you to try it! Below are five tips to help you successfully navigate intermittent fasting.
1. Choose a Moderate Eating Window. Extremes with anything, including our diets can be dangerous or at the very least unhelpful. If you are have any blood sugar related issues such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, or glucose intolerance, you may need to fast under the supervision of a physician to be safe. Those with GERD may also need supervision to ensure fasting doesn’t aggravate symptoms. If you are generally healthy it’s important to choose an eating window that is moderate and manageable. Starting with a 10-12 hour window may be your best bet. Another popular window is 8 hours feeding and 16 hours fasting. Remember that you do not need to go to extremes to get benefits from it.
2. Don’t Binge on Junk Food During Your Feasting Period. One of the unhealthy habits some people take on when intermittent fasting is to eat whatever they want during the feasting period, including fast food. Remember that even though you are restricting your time window, your body still needs adequate nutrients to thrive long term. We tend to forget when latching onto anything for short term results what the repercussions could be years from now. It’s ideal to eat well balanced meals full of healthy fats, protein, and a low to moderate amount of complex carbs during your eating window so you don’t binge away your overall cardiovascular health!
3. Take a Daily Multivitamin. Taking your vitamin, with one of your meals during your eating window is a simple way to ensure your body has the baseline nutrients it needs. It’s even more important if we are restricting calories in any way to ensure that the body is still nutritionally nourished. Ideally you should take some sort of daily multivitamin that includes a minimum of 2000 IU of vitamin D, and B12 (especially for vegans) along with an omega-3 supplement.
4. Drink Adequate Amounts of Water & Liquids That Won’t Break Your Fast. Hydration is key to keep our energy and focus up while fasting. Most people get tired throughout the day and assume they are hungry, when 9 times out of 10 they are thirsty! Try to drink at least half your body weight in water, and keep the water glasses coming especially if you feel hunger pangs coming on. Besides plain water other things you can drink while in your fasting window includes: apple cider vinegar diluted water, water with a pinch of sea salt and the juice from a wedge of lemon, coffee (ideally with no added creamers or sweetners), green tea,
5. Exercise Moderately in the Beginning. Continuing exercise while intermittent fasting should not be an issue but as your body adjusts you may want to lighten up a bit on your normal routine and gauge your energy. After a week or two you should be able to go back to full speed. Keep in mind that there are plenty of people using intermittent fasting to build muscle who do very intense workouts while fasting. Do you! And figure out what is going to work best for your body and energy levels. -Xo Raw Girl
References:
Fung, J., & Moore, J. (2016). The complete guide to fasting: Heal your body through intermittent, alternate-day, and extended fasting. Las Vegas: Victory Belt Publishing.