The 100-Mile Diet

Yeah, I was skeptical too. I saw the book Plenty: Eating Locally On The 100 Mile Diet at Barnes & Noble, snapped a picture of it with my phone, and when I got home I looked it up on the Seattle library database. “Huh. It’s got a different name: Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally. Same authors, same book! This should be good! But what does “raucous” mean?” Either way, here it was: *click*. I put it on hold along with a few other books I found and went on my way. A week later, at the most, I stopped by the Ballard library and picked it up along with another book and a couple of DVDs. I still had some time left on my parking meter sticker, so with nowhere to go anytime soon I sat in my car with the February sun warming my face and cracked open the book.

March

The year of eating locally began with one beautiful meal and one ugly statistic.

First, the meal. What we had on hand, really, was a head of cabbage. Deep inside its brainwork of folds it was probably nourishing enough, but the outer layers were greasy with rot, as though the vegetable were trying to be a metaphor for something. We had company to feed, and a three-week-old cabbage to offer them.

As I’m reading this first chapter, all I can think is that they’re not going to be able to do it. Put me down for ten on Epic 100-Mile Fail! As much as I’d have loved to know then that they succeeded (notice I didn’t say “survived”) and lived happily-ever-after, I just couldn’t believe that it was possible for just anyone. She was a hunter-gatherer who was forced to dig for roots if she was going to survive toddlerhood, right? He could catch a fish with his bare hands in a raging river…am I close? Nope. They were a couple of journalists, boyfriend-girlfriend, and he was just that much more adventurous than she was. That’s why he came up with the idea: “I think we should try eating local food for a year.”

That’s what started it all. I don’t want to ruin the book for you, because as informational as it is, it’s really a story. A true story, yes, but we never want to ruin the ending or the surprises of a true story either. Their experience of eating locally from March to February developed a wave of interest that splashed all across America. Many people are trying to do it now — and succeeding. 

Okay, okay. So I’ve probably given away the ending: They succeeded and liked it. They haven’t really gone back to their way of eating before they started the experiment either. So it’s possible. I’d like to try it. However, it isn’t easy. Most grocery stores don’t carry too many whole foods that are as local as 100 miles. Most Seattle grocery stores consider local as being from Oregon, Washington, or Idaho. It’s pretty good, but that’s still quite the traveling distance! I’d have to go to the farmer, to the fisherman, almost every time, if I was going to find a local product and really know that it was local. I can only imagine how difficult something like that could be, especially here in Seattle.

But maybe someday I’ll be able to talk Amanda into doing a 100-day, 100-mile diet. I’ll make sure we plan a good chunk of it out since she’s the planner, but I refuse to plan it all out, since I’m the adventurer. I think we could do it. Maybe not for a while, but we could do it. We would sure learn a lot about the people around us! I already plan on frequenting Ballard’s Farmer’s Market come spring, so that can be our way of getting our feelers out. I want to be able to think of the people I buy my produce from as I’m preparing it back at home, knowing it was from their farm, sown by their hand, plucked by their hand, reaped by our content bellies. 

I like food and I like this planet we’ve been given to use. For so long I’ve been disconnected with it. I’ve never known where my food comes from. Like, really known. Sure, these organic bananas were grown in Mexico. Never been there. Never seen the person who harvests them. Never really known. Think of how the word “know” was often used in the Hebrew Scriptures: “Abraham knew his wife.” Translation: Abraham had sex with his wife. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to make any trades with any farmers for corn this summer, but I do want there to be some intimacy when it comes to paying for food that is going to nourish my and Amanda’s bodies. I want to shake the hand that feeds me. Get it?

I’m also really excited to try and garden on the apartment balcony. It faces West. You think I could grow a tomato plant and enjoy some flavorful tomatoes on a West balcony? I don’t know either. I remember when I was in my pre-teen years and we had some raised beds in the backyard where we’d grow tomatoes and cucumbers. We would be giving them away we’d have so many! I want to get back to that. I want to sink my hands in the soil and not complain this time. I want to weed and till the soil and create a place where new life is ready to grow. Amanda and I can only do so much with pots on a balcony, but we’ll work our way up. I’m excited to create life with her……but for now, we’re just going to start with flowers and tomatoes. Nothing, yet, that poops.

{Check out the 100-Mile Diet on my Blogroll. It’s a neat website!}

30th Day

Well, today is day 30 of my colon detox program. I just weighed myself in at 261.2 lbs. Yes, that sounds like a lot, and it still is, but do you know where I once was? Let me tell you…

11.22.08 | I found the LIVESTRONG application in the iTunes store and added it to my phone. This was it. This was, for some reason, the last little shove for me to start actively working on my health and my weight. It enabled me to count my daily caloric intake, log whatever exercise I did each day (honestly it hasn’t been much until recently), record my weight everyday and show a little graph of my progress (which, unfortunately, has way too many glitches in their app), and their website provides a lot of great information. It was actually fun to use this! It made me want to live healthier and that’s exactly what it did!

That day, November 22, 2008, I weighed in at 276.8 lbs.

Today, January 9, 2009, I weighed in at 261.2 lbs.

I’ve lost (roughly) 15.6 pounds! I say “roughly” because our body’s weight fluctuates about 3 pounds, so I can’t guarantee that number until a few days from now if my weight continues to drop or remain the same. Either way, I feel great, I have more energy, and….well….I look good.

But this isn’t all about LIVESTRONG or eating healthier or working out. A piece of the credit goes to DrNatura and their product called Colonix. It’s an all natural “formula” that helps promote healthy colon function. I started this 30 days ago on December 11th along with my roommate who surprisingly did it even though he wasn’t willing to entirely follow the rules. Oh, well. It’s his money 😛

The “rules”: In the morning, I tookk 4 Paranil capsules. These are vegetarian pills that contain 18 high-quality herbs that are used to purify the liver and the colon. 15 minutes after taking the Paranil VegiCaps, I mixed up a drink with the Colonix Intestinal Cleansing Fiber. This is an all natural, vegitarian, “fiber supplement that cleanses the colon of accumulated toxic build-up and prevents the formation of new build-up through the use of herbal dietary fiber.” This was the hardest for me to get down because it doesn’t mix too well. I’ve found it bearable to blend with 8 oz. of Rice Milk or Soy Milk and half of a large banana. I upped the 1 scoop to roughly 1.5 scoops, where I then chased it with 12 oz. of water. 

By this time, I’m full and just about ready to go to the bathroom!

At night, I’ve taken 2 capsules of FloraProtect, which is “a high-potency, stable freeze-dried, professionally formulated probiotics supplement… It contains 8 different species of beneficial bacteria with a minimum of 4 billion cells per capsule.” Basically, this these capsules shoot right through my non-digesting stomach and enter my intestines where they then break down and release the probiotics that make my intestinal cells all squeeky-clean after flushing them out during the day. And after the pills, I put the kettle on and make a cup of KleriTea, which I really enjoy, but my roommate gags almost every time he takes a drink of it. This tea is “a combination of 12 specially selected herbs that assists the body in the detoxification process while helping to restore normal bowel function and regularity”. I’ve come to steep the tea for 10 minutes, which is the max time to steep it. If you know tea, the longer you steep the tea bag (leave the tea bag in the hot water), the stronger or more potent the cup of tea will be. This is the case for KleriTea, but not just for the taste–it causes the tea to have a stronger effect on the body.

And for each day, I’m supposed to drink 64 oz. of water a day. Total. However, on some days I’m just really thirsty and emailed their customer service (which is so good! they respond within 24 hours!) and they said I could drink up to 80 oz. a day, but more than that would dilute the fiber and capsules too much. On top of drinking the water, we’re supposed to eat foods as often as we can that do not have any preservatives in them (primarily as little sugar and salt as possible). DrNatura.com states that over time, if we stay away from foods loaded with preservatives, then we’ll begin lose our desire for them. This isn’t just because we’re abstaining from them, but it’s because of what the Colonix program is doing: Our intestines are more than likely filled with not only crap, but this stuff called plaque. It’s definitely crap, but it doesn’t come out of us as easily. This plaque actually absorbs a lot of the food and nutrients that we eat rather than our body absorbing them. Preservative-filled foods don’t have a lot of nutrients in them already, so when we eat a lot of it, our body ends up getting loaded with more plaque, which then makes us want more food because our body isn’t absorbing the entirety of the food–it’s just storing it in the nooks and crannies of our intestines.

That’s a lot of info….does it make sense?

Whether or not all that info above makes sense to you, this will: this stuff works. My love handles are almost gone, my stomach is flatter (but not that flat), I don’t have much of a desire for sweets, but my mouth still waters for Arby’s. I’ve had it once over the last 30 days it was just one chicken club sandwich with a few fries off of Amanda’s plate. 🙂 I’ve had only about 5 or 6 beers over the last 30 days (another thing people need to avoid while doing the program) and I’ve had, I think, 1 Thomas Kemper Ginger Ale, which really is the most soda I drink on even a quarterly basis.

After today, I have a 5-day resting period. I think I may make it only 4 days for me since the last day of the second 30-day phase I’m going on a winter camp with the youth group I work for. The second phase will be a little different as I introduce the Toxinout program along with the Colonix program. Even though these “programs” aren’t cheap, I really believe it’s worth it. I haven’t experienced the drastic results as this testimony will show you, but that has everything to do with the individual’s current state of health and their past lifestyle (ex: Did you eat fast food once a day for at least 5 days a week? Did you drink astronomical amounts of alcohol during your college days? You’d have more extreme results than I have.)

So take a look at Colonix if you dare. I think it’s worth it, but it’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself. Don’t be afraid of poop. Everybody poops. We should poop more than we actually do, but we’re afraid to because it’s yucky. Or if you don’t want to even bother looking into it, all I ask is that you rejoice with me in my new-found health and passion in life…..because it really has everything to do with life.

The Curious Face of Bearded Brandon

Okay, so that title was just for kicks and giggles, but the point of this post is because I saw a beautiful movie last night: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The experience is still settling in me, but after less than 24 hours from leaving my theater seat, I can easily say this is one of my favorite movies. The warmth of the picture and the soundtrack, the engaging performances by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, the depth and weight of the entire moral behind the story, and the demand the film gives to the audience to wrestle with the conjoined and avoided topics of Life & Death: this is a must-see classic.

Let’s take a quick look back to another one of my favorite films starring Brad Pitt: Fight Club. That film looks at life and death in a completely different–yet important–way from Benjamin Button and challenges the viewer to look at what their life is like and evaluate the way that they live it and evaluate the society that tells them how to live it. Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) creates this legion of henchmen who forsake all of their past in order to follow him and live a life of meaning and purpose (mainly wreaking havoc, which in turn makes CCoBB more applicable to how we should view life and death) and see death as the inevitable final hoorah!

As for Benjamin Button, this film reminded me that life will never go as planned and that’s the way it should be. We can plan and prepare and have everything in a neat order and then life turns backwards and we almost always have no choice but to keep going the way the path turns out.

And that’s okay.

It reminded me that not everything in life will last forever. People change, things come and go, we fail and succeed, life throws curve balls and sometimes life throws a ton of bricks.

And that’s okay.

It reminded me that with keeping the first too reminders above close at heart, we must always enjoy and savor every sunrise, every relationship, every experience, every everything. Typically life flies by us and we forget to STOP or even SLOW DOWN. Perhaps we don’t forget, but choose to not stop or slow down. We’re always wanting to get to the next thing, the next day; the progression never stops. Realistically, progression won’t stop. The hours won’t slow down, stop, or even go backwards, but we can make the choice to slow our own selves down and truly appreciate the ones we love and loving them so much every day as if it’s the last day you’ll ever be able to love again.

Then the whole issue of death comes up. We have Life: “Yes, I can slow down and enjoy a sunrise or two. I can love people today better than I did yesterday.” But once the issue of death comes up, most people tend to get really uncomfortable. Have you seen a dead body? Outside of an open casket? I have. That helps a lot, I think, but most people avoid the issue of death and even more so a dead body! We can’t be afraid of something that is inevitable. This is why we must live our life the best we can to the absolute fullest, so that once death creeps up on us (whether we know it or not), we’ll be okay with that reality. Sure, I don’t know what’s going to happen afterward exactly. I know where I’m going, but I haven’t been there before, and that’s what makes me a little uneasy, but mostly…..well….curious 🙂

We’ll never cheat death and we’ll never get any younger.

So enjoy what God has blessed you with.

It could be gone any day.

Really live life …because you are going to die!

____

From Fight Club: 

Tyler Durden: (after holding a gun to a young man’s head threatening to shoot him and after letting him go) Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K. Hessel’s life. His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted.

From The Curious Case of Benjamin Button:

(loosely paraphrased quote) Everybody dies. That’s the only way we can truly appreciate someone.