The Food that Fuels our Body

After a 10-day detox in April, I developed some new eating habits which continue to influence what we eat. I was skeptical of doing a detox, but due to some on-going health issues, my herbalist suggested a detox as a plan of action to rid my body of toxins. The particular detox plan I followed was caffeine, alcohol, gluten, meat, and dairy-free. Prior to engaging in such a plan, I did research and made plenty of notes. For me, the trick of getting through 10-days was to become not mentally attached to food -- I considered food as fuel and I knew that the plan would provide me with the nutrients to fuel my body. I ate 4-6 times a day and only lost 2 lbs. Weight loss was not a goal of mine, so this number was ideal. I did make a few changes to my workout schedule. I reduced intensity and was unable to ride any long distances, i.e., more than 1.5 hours.

Since April, a few things have changed around here. We eat more greens -- kale, spinach, field greens, etc. -- and once (or maybe twice) a week, go meatless. Even though we are not vegetarians, the body does not need meat every day. There are plenty of other sources to get protein. In general, there is a lot more variety in our diet.

One of our favorite breakfast meals these days is a large bowl of homemade muesli. The whole grains mixed with fresh or dried fruit and sunflower seeds is a great way to start your day. I mix up the ingredients prior to heading to bed, cover, and leave on the kitchen counter for the next morning. Jeff claims that this breakfast holds him well past his break time at work; whereas, a typical bowl of cereal leaves him hungry after two hours.

Here is the recipe with a few suggestions:

Serves 1 (I will usually triple this for the Jeffina. We are big eaters around here!)

1 C regular oatmeal (for gluten free, use quinoa flakes)
2 Tbsp unsalted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp dried unsulphured dried fruit pieces (e.g., raisins, goji berries, black currents, cherries, etc.)
1 C water

Combine all ingredients, cover, and let stand overnight on the counter. In the morning, serve with fresh seasonal fruit and nut milk.

** Variations: replace oatmeal with "crimped" rye, spelt, or barley. Stir in 1 Tbsp of chia seeds or flaxseeds. Stir in a scoop of protein powder and/or a pinch of cinnamon.

** If you had a weekend race and were traveling, this would be ideal to mix up in a large baggie before you left home. Just add water and it's ready to eat in the morning.

Source: Miller-Cohen, A. (2005) Organic Annie's Green Gourmet Cookbook: Fresh Tastes for Breakfast (vol. 1). Earth Angel Publishing: Manlius, NY.

Enjoy!

Together, we are Jeffina. Crankin' out the miles, crankin' out the love for Crankskins.com.