Going Back Gluten and Dairy Free

Why? Why am I charting my course to wellness? First I will start by saying what I am dealing with that is directly connected with my diet.

For the past year, I have added in dairy, gluten, sugar and many fatty foods in large doses. Before, I was thin and felt awesome. I had great energy to move around, slept like a little baby and looked gorgeous. A part of me became interested in maintaining my inner world while eating whatever whenever. This did not work. Well, it kept me alive. I could be a 2 year old and still survive, but I was miserable. I was not fully being responsible for my life. I paid bills late, my car was disgusting and I started to feel awful about myself.

So I ended up in this place of confusion and turmoil. In order to save my sanity, I had to allow myself to be there. I convinced myself I was ok even though I felt worse than ever inside.

I am tying these symptoms to my diet because my diet changed drastically to accomodate my feeling so bad about myself. The items I added in include: gluten, dairy and sugar. The attitude I added in is: unworthiness and chaos. The behavior is eating as much as I want anytime, which for the most part meant the middle of the night.

I progressively have felt worse every day in the past year and a couple months. I believe recovery is possible, so I would like to share with you what I know works.

My current symptoms:

BLOATED belly

Plantar warts on hands

gassy

diarrhea

mental fog

confusion

depression

cravings

I hear that these are awful, but sometimes I do not recall them when it comes time to eat. What is it going to take to get over this? A lot of self love.

So I am writing a book about my recovery and will share parts of it with you here...

Thanks for listening!

xox

Waller

Eat More Grains

My favorite grain is brown rice, but I find I can eat it for days before I realize that variety is the spice of life. Brown rice is balanced, but other grains offer a nutritional punch not unlike brown rice's balancing tone, yet with a wider array of content.

Take teff for example. You may have had teff and not known it if you have eaten Ethiopian food, where the bread, injera, is made out of teff flour (though not gluten free, in most restaurants). Teff is gluten free. Teff is also good for the heart, since it is red-toned (specifically chocolate-colored) a species of lovegrass from Ethiopia believed to have originated between 4000 BC and 1000 BC. The tiny seedy grain has an attractive nutrition profile, being high in dietary fiber and iron and providing protein and 17 times more calcium than whole wheat or barley.

And for those with celiac, there is good news! Thanks to a test developed by the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) it has shown that Teff is completely gluten-free, meaning it can probably be accommodated in the diet of patients suffering from celiac disease. Teff is a healthy wheat alternative, and there are ways to make it delicious. Featerued above is basic teff, flourished with avocado slices and cilantro, with a side of boiled collard greens and adzuki-squash soup. The entire meal has: 420 calories, 16 grams protein, 10 grams fat

Basic Teff:
1/2 cup teff
2 cups water
pinch sea salt

Bring water to a boil, add teff and sea salt. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
*this can also be made into a porridge for breakfast, add some molasses and slivered almonds.
Makes 2 servings
Nutrition Facts:
1 serving
Calories: 103
Fat: 1 g
Fiber: 2 g
Carbohydrate: 20 g

The Struggle is the Blessing

In reaching out, I find there is always a friend. It is in reaching in, that we can scare ourselves away from the light that is always available to us. Where are you reaching? What are you looking for when you go within? If there are parts of you that are unhealed–and if you are human there most certainly are–then there may be an urge from within to pick apart the parts of you that need light.

This post was inspired by a blog I have found by a woman who works with eating disorders: Crystal Heiderich
She writes letters to herself to shed light upon the gifts in the parts of herself that may have found unhealthy outlets, and in so doing discovers her gift.

Here is my gift to my body today, which is in need of some deep healing and restoration.

Dear Body,
I hear you. I hear you are tired. I hear you want me to love you and to be gentle with you. I hear you want to have fun, to enjoy life, to connect with friends, to be in nature, to practice and teach yoga and to find balance. I hear you want to find a place to live that satisfies your soul and a healthy community. I hear you have been afraid of growing up, and instead you have used food to hold you back.
I hear what you want is to be in the joy of life, to relax and trust, to work at what you love, to love being in your body, to be in the moment and to move forward into life from this moment on with your head up and feeling supported.
I give you permission to come out and play. I give you permission to follow your heart–to inspire others to enjoy being in the body and in the process reconnect with the love inside of you.
I promise to be gentle with you from this moment on. I promise to ask you before I feed you what you need and to take deep breaths as I move through the day. I promise to check in with your feelings and to not move you too far out of your comfort zone. I promise to allow you to play on a daily basis, to laugh and sing and dance and spend time in nature and with friends. I promise to allow your energy to be used as you teach what you love and live free for all and for good. I promise to speak about what I want to bring about and keep your conversations in a positive and inspired light.
images-3
I love you and others love you and you are precious to the world. The world is waiting for you to come out and shine. I am here and so are your friends and family to receive the positive messages stored deep within your soul. Let it out. Let your self shine. Be yourself, in all of your splendor and radiance.

Here is a daily prayer that I am using these days to remind me of truth:
July__, 2009
The day when God’s grace awakens your heart and touches your Soul.
I will live my life with gratitude and faith in trust that I am being guided and supported in being happy and healthy. I am safe to express myself and to be me.
I forgive myself and all others for all mistakes. I release all stress and struggle or temptations to feel incomplete. I am whole, perfect and complete.
I surrender to a more effortless life and move forward on solid ground to creating a deeply satisfying, nourishing and abundant life. Thanks be to God! And so it is.

Namaste,
Waller

Calm Your Sweet Side

Fall is the time of year when the sweet taste is in season. You may notice yourself craving more sweets, and also be aware of the foods that are starting to be in season are round, sweet foods (ie apples, onions, squashes)
It is important to keep yourself fed with the sweet taste, so that you are satisfied and not at risk to eat the gallon of ice cream or box of cookies. The tips below are certain to heal your body and calm your mind to continue living a sweet life.

5 Steps for Beating Sugar Cravings:

1. Eat Whole Grains and sweet vegetables.
2. Chew Well
3. Give up restricting yourself and pick up enjoying life.
4. Try natural sweeteners (see below)
5. Be patient with yourself. Love yourself. Spend time with sweet people.

Natural Sweeteners

Maple syrup is an excellent substitute for sugar. It is high in trace minerals like zinc and manganese, which can assist in heart health and in balancing cholesterol levels. The light “Grade A” or “Number 1 can contain formaldehyde runoff from the first extraction of the syrup under certain processing conditions. All the other grades are safe, but Grade C (the darkest amber syrup) is the best.

Honey is another item that’s often presented as a healthy alternative to refined sugar, but it is sometimes controversial. People who react to sugar as a “brain allergy” (especially common in children, for whom it can trigger ADD/ADHD symptoms) may react to honey the same way. It is high glycemic, and hits the body as a hard sweet. Raw, unpasteurized honey is rich in elements which can help with wound healing, kill bacteria, soothe sore throats and digestive upset, and decrease local allergy symptoms. Honey is also sweeter than sugar by volume, so you need less in baking or cooking.

Agave is a sweetener extracted from a South American cactus, and traditionally used to make tequila. Often called “honey water,” the agave nectar or agave syrup is light, both in taste and colour. It is runnier than honey and tastes much milder, but is in fact sweeter so even less is required in cooking. Agave is extraordinarily low glycemic – it has almost no impact on blood sugar, making it an ideal sweetener for diabetics and those who are sensitive to sugars.

Blackstrap molasses is a sweetener that is actually good for you. Unlike refined white sugar and corn syrup, which are stripped of virtually all nutrients except simple carbohydrates, or artificial sweeteners like saccharine or aspartame, which not only provide no useful nutrients but have been shown to cause health problems in sensitive individuals, blackstrap molasses is a healthful sweetener that contains significant amounts of a variety of minerals that promote your health.

Brown rice syrup is a liquid sweetener with the consistency of honey. It can be substituted for honey in baking. It has a unique caramel-like flavor that can be used to enhance a recipe, but it will disappear if used sparingly in a recipe. Brown rice syrup metabolizes slowly but does have calories and carbohydrates. Diabetics and low-carb dieters should use it with caution. Brown rice syrup is considered to be one of the healthiest sweeteners in the natural food industry, since it is produced from a whole food source and is made up of the simple sugars.

Foods to emphasize:

• Whole Grains
• Beans
• Miso
• Sweet Vegetables: Carrots, onions, winter squash, cabbage
• Brown rice mochi

Snack Ideas

• Dates stuffed with almond or walnut
• Apple with nut butter
• Rice cake with agave, jam or brown rice syrup
• Tea with molasses
• Carrots with hummus
• Handful of almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds

Recipes for Radiance


Azuki-Squash-Kombu
Makes 4 servings

Soaking time: 8 hours or over night
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 2 + hours

Ingredients:

1 cup azuki beans, washed, and soaked in 2 cups water

1 cup hard winter squash (such as butternut, buttercup or kabocha), cut in large cubes

1-inch square piece of kombu

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

water

parsley, chopped, for garnish

•Place the kombu on the bottom of a heavy pot.
•Add the soaked beans with soaking water and, if necessary add enough water to just cover the beans.
•Bring to a boil over a medium flame. When it comes to boil, cover the pot, reduce the flame to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
•Add a little water occasionally, as needed, to keep the beans just covered. Do not add too much water, as the less water there is the more rich the flavor of the beans will be.
•After 1 hour, place the squash on top of the azukis, re-cover the pot and continue simmering 1 hour more. The beans and squash should both be very tender at this point.
•Add the salt by sprinkling over the top of the beans and squash. Stir salt in a little, very gently so as not to break up the squash piece, and cook 15 minutes more, uncovered to reduce the liquid. If there is still a lot of water after 15 minutes you can continue simmering uncovered as long as you like, just keep the flame very low and check regularly to make sure it does not scorch.
•Serve hot garnished with parsley.

Leftovers will keep refrigerated up to 3 days.

Relax into your Radiance

Step into the here and now. Every ounce of you is welcome here, especially the uncomfortable parts of you. If you are struggling with your weight, fighting an eating disorder or an addiction, stressed out by your work or relationship, it may seem like a chore to relax these days. I don’t blame you for not wanting to sit still, because the discomfort may seem so overwhelming that the idea of relaxing is not even in sight or on your mind. I can relate to this, indeed and experience a similiar sensation when I make an appointment to go have a massage when I really need it, and then the time comes and I am alright and at ease.

Relaxation is the key to optimal wellbeing. It is vital to spend your day in a state of relaxation for your body to heal, grow, develop, process, detoxify and regulate itself from the inside out. If you are not relaxing enough, you may be stressed out and feel like you are out of control. You may have more issues than you feel like you deserve, and at the same time be unable to shake off things that are bothering you. If any of this soudns familiar, I invite you to be with me here now and relax as you are, and take some of what you are learning here into your daily life.

Do you agree with me that you need to breathe in order to live? And that one breath leads to the next breath, and on and on, but that the deeper you breathe, the easier it is to relax? So, focusing on your breath is an exclellent way to relax in the here and now. The breath can guide you out of your mind, or stress and drop you down into a state of being.

Here is a breathing exercise to calm anxiety.

Four-Seven-Eight Breath

Best done sitting but can be done standing or lying down.

1. Sit with your back straight and your hands resting comfortably in your lap or on your thighs.

Look straight ahead, yet try not to fix your gaze on anything in particular. Slightly closing your eyes helps.

Try to focus internally on your breathing.

All inhalations are done through your NOSE; all exhalations through your MOUTH.

Throughout the exercises keep the tip of your tongue in contact with the top of your mouth, just behind your top teeth.

2. Commence inhaling slowly, smoothly and deeply to a mental count of 4 seconds. Fill your lower lungs first (by pushing out your abdomen), then your middle and upper lungs.

Hold your breath for a mental count of 7 seconds.

Slowly and smoothly exhale for a mental count of 8 seconds.

As you exhale, try to let go of all your anxiety, tension & stress.

That’s one round. Pause briefly without inhaling then start another round. This natural pauseis very therapeutic and relaxing.

Do 10-12 rounds to begin. Build up to 25-30 rounds several times a day AND whenever you feel anxious or nervous, etc.

Summary: Inhale for 4 seconds – Hold for 7 seconds – Exhale for 8 seconds – Pause briefly – Repeat.

Benefits

* Calms your mind
* Tones your nervous system
* Regulates your breathing
* Balances your emotions

Tips

* Can be done anywhere – on a bus, in a line, at work, before a test
* If you lose your breath, stop, breathe freely then try again
* With practice your pauses between rounds will naturally get longer
* Soothing music or ear plugs can help reduce external distractions

Ocean of Bliss

"Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in."
-Leonard Cohen

I am working on a manual for relaxation, and so doing research on what that is really. In my experience, deep breathing, healthy sleep, optimal nutrition and hydration, fulfilling relationships and time for self-nurturing all aid in the relaxation response. There is one simple principle that I am keenly trying to practice that you may want to know about...

That is: stop talking nonsense.
By getting quiet and going within yourself, there you will find solace in the Ocean of Bliss. Not only that, but perhaps it will cut your stress in half. If what you speak about you bring about, and you are constantly referring to what is stressing you out, imagine not talking at all until you have something positive and reflective to share to inspire with another being? Or perhaps a glimpse of gratitude for what you are learning or hope for the journey ahead.

I notice there are days when I talk about what is wrong with me and my life. And then what I get deep within is a conversation that goes something like this: you are horrible, shameful, should not do that or go there. I am like Thomas the Tank Engine with attempting full-steam-ahead, yet putting off noxious steam. I am not saying to hold it all in...there is a place for letting go, and therapy is always an option!

Notice who you are talking to and what is motivating you to speak. Perhaps sit on your hands until you have something nice or positive to say. Or until you feel inspired by what your unique and individual mind is aimed to create.

The schism in your soul does not need to create a dent in another's heart...
There is a mysterious power in going within and getting quiet to find the answers. Do you notice a familiar conversation in your life? How true is it really that you need to figure out the problem? How liberating it is to realize that you are whole, perfect and complete and that there is an Ocean of Bliss within you that is your own personal reservoir for love, and that you can marinate in it fully and completely and trust that everyone has access to this sensation.

Choose to be quiet today. Notice the conversations you are having with yourself, and if there is a war going on, perhaps you are plugged into the wrong outlet. Get still and know that the Ocean of Bliss within you is always available and you are not responsible for trying to figure out the problem or the solution to other people's pain. You will know love when you develop the ability to sit still with yourself and the mind is quiet and the voices within are reminding you of your precious nature.

So talk less. Feel more. Go within to find love. Meditate. Meditate. Meditate.

Access your own Ocean of Bliss by placing your fingers on the area in the middle of your chest, on your breastbone. Breathe in through your nose, out through the mouth. And deepen the sensation by placing the other hand on your solar plexus, and then moving that hand down to your navel. Feel the connection, the sensation of letting go, and rest in your own personal Ocean of Bliss.