Revelatory. And tangential.
DETOX
So we have been on a detox the last week or so, though to be honest, calling what we are doing a 'detox' is really a bit of an insult to the process. Things we have managed to achieve, though, are:
- Wheat free
- Dairy free (excluding yoghurt)
- Alcohol free
- Caffeine free
The results thus far? Well, difficult to accurately assess, as I am a sick lump of phlegm cowering in the darkest corner of the room. Whether this in itself is significant, I'm not sure. I was definitely starting to get sick before we even started, so the detox itself definitely didn't bring it on. I haven't really noticed any difference in my digestion, but my skin is MUCH better. It was becoming incredibly dry and my nails were in pieces, but perhaps this change is simply due to me taking cod-liver-oil tablets, thanks to the advice of my ever-knowledgeable sister.
As the main cook of the household, it is really darn hard, as we have a very small and very limited pantry, and the knowledge that we will only be here for a few more weeks before perhaps moving somewhere more permanent means that I won't be stocking it up. So I have no spices, no stock, nothing except fruit, veg, legumes, meat and rice. Oh, and dark chocolate. So, in that way, it has been incredibly uninspiring in the food department for the past week. One great thing about this country, though, is the massive range of organic products that are available - the options are endless, the prices not extortionate and the quality excellent.
Yes, this is the pantry. In another small cupboard hides a few more tins of tomatoes and kidney beans, a tin of corn, a tin of tuna, onions, potatoes, garlic, a few leftover minties from a survival pack sent from home, and... the dark chocolate. Hiding.
The most significant change to routine that will hopefully transform into a lifestyle change, is the porridge in the mornings (though I mentioned this in an earlier post), with grated apple, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cinnamon and natural yoghurt. This is a huge improvement for me in the breakfast world, as breaky has always been a world of pain and trouble for me. This was a constant struggle for us on our cycle trip, as Dunc is a spritely morning person who can quickly wolf down the cheapest bulk-buy cardboard-resembling muesli with powdered milk and get on the road. I however, could not. Cereal has never been my thing, and I am too much of a foodie to happily accept crap. Those days where I had no option but to eat horrible muesli or five-day-old rock-hard rolls with jam-sachets stolen from a cafe we visited somewhere along the line - these were horror days for me. My mood would not budge from nearing-distraught and there would inevitably be times during the day where I would cry and want to throw my bicycle into a tree. Thus, breakfast was always a struggle. So the fact that I am now happy and satisfied with a healthy, filling, cheap and easy breakfast verges on dumbfounding!
Another great discovery I have made this past week is that of POPCORN! None of this chemical-laden-microwave business, though. Just the good old fashioned type, where a few drops of oil and a few shakes of a saucepan result in wheat-free, chemical-free, almost-fat-free fun times. On those days where the early sunset fools us into eating a too-early dinner, we have been resorting to a bowl of popcorn with a tiny sprinkling of salt around 8pm.
My Mum is a detox guru, and I wish I had easy access to her brain at the moment for ideas and recipes! But the supermarket here is just a little bit strange... so no doubt many of her suggestions are simply impossible.
Actually, I just paused for dinner and Dunc and I had a very complex conversation about the differences between supermarkets here and in Oz, but that is for a different post.
No comments:
Post a Comment