Kathryn Lafond

The Mid-Point

This day, this week, and actually for however long I can remember – I choose to focus on the midpoint; the place where common ground lies such as the midpoint for being full but not overly; the midpoint for just enough rest to support action; the midpoint for providing nourishment for mind and spirit.  Heading into the spring equinox I am acknowledging the need for balance.  The midpoint for me represents optimal health.

I know our bodies are actually quite amazing in their ability to continuously seek refinement; to bring us back to a healthy middle ground.  Yet they can get pretty congested after a long winter.  They are as complex as the universe some might say and constantly adapting to whatever we come in contact with.  And yet I also know that I mess with my body’s self-regulating powers when I am constantly under stress.  If I add a bombardment of poor nutritional choices – something as simple as baking a birthday cake and having it around the house – I double the strain.  The same thing happens in an office where sweets are brought in as the norm for morning meetings.

So who can I use as my allies in this spring mid-point quest?  To re-balance and support internal systems I’m headed back to the tonic herbs.  Herbs such as:

• Tumeric – Known to accelerate detoxification and to improve circulation, tumeric (Radix curcumin) is also a potent anti-inflammatory.  (I highly recommend Super Bio-Curcumin, by Life Extension)
• Dandelion – A powerful liver support reducing swelling and congestions, a natural diuretic and regulator of hormones.  (I pick those tasty early spring greens every chance I get and eat them in salads).
• Citrus peel – From organic ripe oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, limes and lemons, they help lower cholesterol, re-balance blood sugar, regulate spleen/pancreas digestive energy, thin the blood and move a stagnant liver.  (Just simmer the peel in water for 20 minutes and drink the tea).
• Milk Thistle – An excellent liver cleanser, milk thistle can stimulate growth of new liver cells doing major repairs.  (Look for a high quality brand)
• Astragalus – Known to restore metabolic balance she likes to normalize our body functions and greatly benefits the immune system improving energy levels, heart health and circulation.  (I take a dropperful of tincture morning and night).

I also use another welcome ally to start my day: a teaspoon or two of organic vinegar plus a teaspoon of honey in water.  Both the bitterness of vinegar and the sweet of honey have detoxifying affects on the liver.  And spring is all about healthy livers.  The body is naturally trying to cleanse itself after winter’s sluggishness and just like the freshening air around us our bodies try to create an inner spring.  Finding a mid-point for balanced health should be easy by including these supportive foods, drink and supplements.  Now if I could just recreate this cleanse in my household environment…

“Strengthens the heart, sedates the spirit, improves circulation, purifies the blood, benefits the liver, moistens the intestines, and promotes menstruation…”¹. Who am I but the amazing Beet!                                  Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pritchard

Many of us were never exposed to the grandeur of beets.  However, since their development in the Middle Ages by German gardeners they have been considered an important food for all manner of healing.  Rich in iron, copper, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, carotene, B-complex, and Vit. C, beets are known to reestablish numerous functions of the body.  We can also use beets to insure adequate vitamins and minerals on a regular basis and that’s what I’m hoping to do.  From a Chinese medicine point of view, beets treat liver stagnancy, promote the flow of bile, cleanse the blood, and treat nervousness and congestions of the vascular system.  “Beets, both roots and tops, have the property of cleansing the liver and the blood, and are often prescribed in cases of cancer..,” according to Pritchard. Other reasons beets are beneficial to cancer patients is their ability to lubricate the intestines to avoid constipation problems.

In Hanna Kroeger’s, Heal Your Life with Home Remedies and Herbs, she suggests eating beets as a remedy for Leukemia, and to heal Kidney or Bladder stones.  In the later case, she recommends boiling 5 whole beets in 3 quarts of water for 1 hour and then drinking 7 ounces of this water 3 times daily.  I think if I was in a battle with Leukemia I could down most anything as long as I knew it supported my healing.

The question for many of us is just how to go about adding beets to the diet when we have never acquired a taste for them.  Fortunately I’ve discovered a wide range of recipes that have served me well.  When I was extremely ill several years ago with heavy metal poisoning (among other things), I juiced beets regularly with a variety of vegetables such as carrot, cucumber, celery, parsley, and ginger in order to cleanse toxins from my system.  Granted I never learned to absolutely love the taste but it was extremely helpful in my recovery. And now that I want to boost my metabolism, soothe my nerves, and take corrective action to ward off a middle bread basket, I’m returning to some of the tactics that worked earlier.

I’ve also discovered that I could get the whole family to eat beets by grating them raw into salads.  The younger the kids the easier it is to add this bright red vegetable.  Pickled beets are also an excellent way to bring beets into the menu. They were a common sight at my Grandmother’s table and I’m certain she knew why!  Beets are one of the easier vegetables to grow and can last well into the cold months while still in the garden plot.  So what do I hope to gain from falling for these blood-red beauties?  A slimmer me!

Mondays Diet Journal –The Plan 1/25/10

It’s odd how the “plan” works.  Last Monday I had planned to be juicing all week and to blog about how great that works.  The truth is I went from juicing in previous weeks to negating it completely.  This wasn’t due to any reason other than my own laziness around purchasing the extra vegetables I needed.  I guess I now have a greater understanding of how quickly we can let go of good intentions.

Where did I go with the diet plan this week?  What wonders did I bring into my life that enhanced my health?  Yoga!  The DVD arrived and it is fantastic.  Whereas the one I received for Christmas stated it was for beginners and just about killed me with its speed into really tough positions; this one is all of what it portends to be and more.  I highly recommend: Yoga Journal’s Complete Beginner’s Guide, a 2-disc set by Jason Crandell. (To order, visit www.shopyj.com).

The days I couldn’t fit in a Yoga workout I stretched or walked and/or used the trampoline.  All of which gave me great energy toward succeeding in the increased demands I was making of myself.  One important discovery was to see how easy it has been to forget the myriad of benefits we give up when sedentary.  Like feeling ALIVE!  Truly there is a sense of aliveness that permeates the cells.  It feels like the cells of my body are having a gab-fest and enjoying the heck out of each other. I’m also growing greater clarity around my energy levels.  By this I mean I’ve discovered I often eat because I’m tired rather than for any other reason.  The quandary is I’m needing rest but have work to do. My pattern has been to choose food as the wake-me-up rather than take time to stretch out and get the blood flowing; or step outside and breathe deeply to oxygenate myself.  Even taking a brief walk outside can re-energize offering another hour or two of work whereas the snack to stay awake extends to an endless chain of snacking. Of course this eventually leads to self-disgust and who needs to add that to the package!  The need for rest is not necessarily due to lack of sleep at night.  I get 7-8 hours generally. However I think that it says a lot more about the stuffiness or messiness of a room or the lack of movement while working at the keyboard.

Consequently, the NEW PLAN is to get up and move my body more.  From morning to night, I intend to bring greater ‘awareness’ to how I’m sitting, moving, stretching the muscles and of course for how long.  In meditation I am consistently guided to – breathe, so I shall add conscious breathing to the plan as well and of course hope to share information on the benefits of juicing soon.

Diet Journal 1-18-09

When a natural disaster hits such as the earthquake in Haiti and we sit glued to the news of the mass loss of life as well as seeing a lack of the most basic necessities such as water and food for those who survived; it is difficult to wrap my arms around concern over a diet.  Instead I would like to offer thanks for each bite I take, each drink I have that I wish I could offer to the one who sits on the side of the street suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.  Instead I offer thanks to the gift of life and remind myself not to abuse it.  I let go of the fear that there won’t be enough; that sniggling unconscious fear that often causes us to eat ravenously.  When you stare at real life not “enough-ism” I believe our imaginary one gets the boot.

I can’t say that I’ve given much attention to my diet this past week, not only because of the earthquake news but because of going to visit my parents.  One of which has been nauseous for three months now.  Continually focused on what might sound good to her; we wonder what we could fix that would catch her attention without stimulating the gagging reflex.

What odd relationships we have around food.  One person never seems to remember to eat while another struggles to ever stop.  I have my days where healthy eating is not a chore at all.  When I can easily set limits on portion size and not feel like I am withholding the goods.  Other days you would think I am hosting a tape worm family.  Speaking of, I did give that consideration upon embarking on a diet journey.  In fact I just completed a two week parasite cleanse just in case that was aiding and abetting the waistline problem.  My chosen cleanse basically consisted of taking horrible tasting herbs morning and night. I was told to start it right before full-moon as they become more active at that time of month.  Given the number of bathroom visits it certainly seemed like I was letting go of a few extra pounds.  “Hindsight” tells me it was a worthy effort in my quest for a lighter body!

You may be wondering why I don’t just write about how I lost 5 pounds and then share the perfect diet.  Well, for one I am trying to stay away from the scale until I can imagine getting on and being thrilled!  And secondly, I don’t believe the “perfect” diet exists.  My perfect diet may not benefit anyone else.

Today I find myself visiting my ‘Doubter;’ the one who brazenly not only puts the brakes on, but derails my train of surrendering weight.  Just when I am feeling invincible about the progress I’m making she sneaks in to remind me of every mistake and miss-step I’ve ever made.  Instilling doubt around my success she turns up my cravings button and before I’m even aware of my actions I’m eating a plate of nacho’s.

Fortunately the whole week hasn’t been like that.  I’ve noticed my pants getting looser.  I’m remembering to include stretching a bit in each day’s efforts.  I’m drinking more water and ‘noticing’ what I eat.   Bringing greater consciousness to my actions has been my biggest success so far.  At least until today…

I had combined breakfast and lunch into a nice healthy brunch – scrambled eggs with a little chopped peppers, green onion, roasted garlic and bleu cheese, spelt toast with butter – but hey, it’s good organic fats!  I had consumed a whole quart of nettle, thyme and sage infusion earlier; flushing myself out.  I was on a roll.

Along about 2:30 I just needed something small to carry me through till dinner.  Doubter had started creeping in with her ‘should-of’ whine:

“Should have eaten a healthy early breakfast and light lunch – You wouldn’t be so hungry now.  You should have gotten that article written earlier.   Should be more successful if you’re so good at what you do…”

You know the voice.  I reached for the Tortilla chips.  There’s only a little in the bag;  I’ll just finish these broken ones, I thought.  I headed out of the kitchen.

But wait – they’d be so much more ‘nutritious’ with some cheese melted on ‘em – not just wasted calories.  I stepped back in, quickly grated the cheese, and slammed it into the microwave (I never use that old microwave!)

And before giving the diet plan a second thought I found myself munching down while answering emails.  Doubter reminded me of my failings about half-way through the plate.  But who’s going to stop halfway through a  ‘small’ plate of nachos?

It’s now after 3 pm on a dark winter’s day.  Night is falling fast along with the rain and I really don’t want to go out to walk.  I haven’t finished the article due today either.  I scratch the walk and go online to order that long desired yoga DVD.  It’s almost as if I’ve done the work out.

Right?!

Today I have cleaned the house in places which haven’t seen clean in a long while.  And, yet there is more to be done.  The box that sat next to the front door since Dec. 31st, 04, was challenging.  Out with the worthless and a few items saved which hadn’t belonged to me in the first place.  A CD I swore had been stolen appeared as well as supplements long past their prime.

The windowsill behind the computer was another haven for dust notes.  I could have written a whole sermon in 3D.  How can these things called homes become such trash collectors?  Normally when one thinks of Home a warm fire comes to mind or at the very least shelter from the dirtiness of the world around us.  But No – our homes are actually gathering spots for unseen mites and fleas that couldn’t possibly exist out in the cold; for magazines with news from the 1970’s and books bought but never read.  I even have a box of presents purchased yet never given… Isn’t that an odd one?  One day I shall host a party and ask only that each one that comes, take something away with them.

The whole cleaning binge started when I got on the scale this morning to find the numbers bigger than I’ve ever been.  I figured I needed a clean out and began with what’s easiest – whatever I laid my eyes on.  I’m hoping tomorrow I will have lightened my internal load.  We know there exists in the microcosm a reflection of the macrocosm and vice-versa so I decided it should work within me as well.

The good news is I lost my appetite for at least half the day.  Juicing at 10:am then a bit of cold cooked broccoli to nibble.  Next a small handful of almonds got me clear to the 2:30 hour.  It was the grocery store run that thwarted the process. My plan was to stay on liquids or fruits and vegetables all day.  But the shrimp and sole looked mighty good behind the glass and I thought possibly low-cal until I got home and began to look up recipes.  The shrimp and spinach stuffing would need something to bind it and a white sauce with wine and butter ought to help.  The avocado needed to be eaten so adding that to the salad probably placed me more toward the 1200 calorie meal category.

Right now my Xmas chocolate is calling from the desk drawer and I am hoping to get to sleep before the voices get irresistible.  My goal is to lose a few pounds before the end of January and yesterday’s homemade Mac and cheddar is still holding down space in the refrigerator.  I am finding that way more dangerous than chocolate or cheese cake.

Strangely enough I just realized that this is Monday.  Do diets that begin on Monday really work?  I’ve never known them to but maybe, due to the fact that I hadn’t thought of that earlier, I’m in luck.

PS:  Unreported foods:

2 tangerines

2 celery sticks with peanut butter

8 baby shrimp with Caesar dressing

1 glass chardonnay