FertilehealthyAiming for success, not perfection…

Sometimes we get really caught up what other people in the blogging world are doing.  We see how their lives are changed and we clamor to adopt their ways.  Not surprisingly, we find that hoeing other people’s furrows can be exhausting and difficult to maintain.  Yes, we may experience the benefits, but we may also be struggling in the process.

I believe in a plant-based diet.  I’ve been convinced  by the research that our health suffers because of our over-consumption of animal products, the environment suffers because of the greenhouse gasses and the need for ever more water and land that animal farming generates and my gut tells me it’s wrong to treat animals the way CAFO’s  (Confined Animal Feeding Operations – whatever happened to farms?) are treating them.

I even love eating mostly plants.  I love how it makes me feel, sleep and smell.  I will gladly campaign for more vegetarian restaurant options.

I applaud vegans and vegetarians.  I just wish I could be one of them.  I’ve tried.  Lord knows I have.  But once in a while, usually when out and about or dining with friends and family, I love something meaty or fishy. I don’t want to worry about whether something is vegan (beer is not, most wines aren’t, honey isn’t, Worcestershire sauce isn’t) or not.

And I’m done feeling guilty about that.  Having something of animal origin once or twice per week is not going to ruin my health.  It would be different if I had a serious illness (like cancer or heart disease) and were trying to heal from that.  Even Mary-Ann Shearer, my guru (who doesn’t eat any meat) says that 1-2 times per week is all right.

Obviously it makes sense to ensure that anything of animal origin I eat is grass-fed, organic and free-range.  And if it’s only once or twice per week, you’re still following a plant-based diet.

I love how this guy (Graham Hill – founder of Treehugger) puts it.  (You may have to click through to watch the video – he’s very good!)

The same can be said for raw food.  I love raw food and I believe that our bodies need lots of it.  I also believe that it’s possible (and healthy) to live exclusively off raw food.  The only problem is that I like cooked food too.  So, instead of eating 100% raw, like many are happily doing, I am quite content with about 75+% raw.  Some days might go up to 90%, but some days may only be 50%.  I’m okay with that.

So that’s me.  Not perfect.  But perfectly all right and perfectly happy for now.

In which way have you adapted your eating habits to get the best of both worlds?

That’s what everybody’s been asking me since Friday.  And until about 11:30 am today the answer was always, “Nothing yet!”  I was glued to the phone yesterday.  I kept having flashbacks to my single days, especially the ones before cell phones, when we were too scared to even take a shower lest we miss his call.

Anyway, trust the phone to ring in the one place where one isn’t supposed to take calls – the library.  (Similarly, I always want to go to the bathroom the minute I start browsing the shelves in the library.)  If I’d known that, I would have gone yesterday already…  I would also have avoided the R7 fine for returning my books one day late!

So, now I’m throwing the question back to you.  Have you heard?  Are you not following me on Facebook or twitter?  If not, why not? (If you do start following me on twitter, @ me, so that I can follow you back.)

I have been invited for a second interview, this time with the General Manager and the owner of the hotel/estate.  Things are looking good.  My interview is Thursday 11am.

Think of me!

Thank you for all the good wishes.  You guys rock!

I feel on top of the world right now! No, I haven’t lost 20 pounds overnight, or won the Lottery.  I just made a lot of progress this past week by overcoming some emotional hurdles that have been preventing me from moving forward.

I feel light and free.

Suddenly success seems possible and probable.  Not only in the area of  health and weight loss, but even in other areas of my life.  Something significant has shifted.

I was also reminded of how powerful the Law of Attraction really is.  When I left my contract position with no prospects in sight (and I had been asked to stay on for two more months, but I didn’t want to), I said that my ideal job would be to work for a small boutique hotel or inn, preferably in the Winelands.  It had to be west or north of Stellenbosh though, for easy access.  I didn’t want to have to go through the congested university town. I wouldn’t even mind doing the whole accounting function, from processing through to balance sheet (in a big hotel the Financial Manager supervises the Accounts staff, attends meetings and has to do all the crappy stuff like insurance and analysis, while the staff get to do all the actual accounting – the fun part!).  I even had a salary in mind.

I put it all out there and for the first week or two after finishing my contract I scoured the papers for possible positions, mostly outside the hotel industry.  Then I made a conscious decision to stop looking for something that I didn’t really want and trust that my contacts in the industry will come through for me.  And lo and behold, this week the same recruiter that got me the contract position phoned and asked if she could forward my resume for a position – a small five-star boutique hotel on a wine farm west of Stellenbosh.  I thought about it for a micro-second before saying yes.

Yesterday I ventured out for an interview.  It was great fun and lasted 90 minutes.  And I walked away from there wanting this job with all my heart.  I’m sure it’s mine! It’s everything I’ve wanted – the very job I put out there, salary and all – and more.

And the bonus about this job is that I have to drive past the farm where my parents live to get there, so I can rope them in to help make my life easier.  I mean, my mom does grocery shopping twice a week.  Surely she can do my grocery shopping too and I can pick it up on the way home?  She knows what we eat, since they eat pretty much the same kinds of food.  And when she cooks a pot of soup, or a vegetable stew, why not make enough so that I can take some home for supper?  I will obviously pay for her services, but it would take a huge load of my shoulders.

My mind is going a mile a minute trying to organize my life so as not to fall in the same pitfalls as last time.  But I’m not the same Hanlie as four months ago either.  I’ve learned a lot along the way and I know that I can make this work out so that my health and my sanity emotional well-being don’t get trampled.

So, dear friends, please join me in collectively believing this job to be mine!  I should get confirmation early next week, since they would want me to start quite soon.  Being almost immediately available is of course hugely in my favor.

Also, I have been struggling to get hold of my prospective cleaning lady, who I need to start coming this week, so that we can iron out any problems and she can iron my clothes…  Let’s hope I can reach her.

In other news, I joined the 21st century this week by getting a BlackBerry.  It really does make life easier.

And if you’re wondering why you see a different theme every time you visit here, let me tell you.  With the last WordPress upgrade I had to upgrade my theme too and the customizations got lost.  I’ve been so busy this week, mostly with Maggie, that I haven’t had a chance to refresh my memory about html and css and start customizing from scratch again.  So I downloaded some free themes and will rotate them until I find one I can live with for a while.  After all, I don’t wear the same clothes every day.  Why should my blog?

As for Maggie, she’s a handful and needs lots of attention, which I’m happy to provide.  Puppy school is really benefiting her (and me) and we are making great progress.  She and the cats are still struggling to make the other understand that their way of playing is in fact play and not confrontation.  When my cats play with one another they strike with their paws.  Maggie, quite understandably, finds this painful and aggressive.  Her way of play involves growling and giving chase, which the cats find quite scary.  Sigh.  They are all intensely interested in one another though.

I’m really enjoying the Soccer World Cup matches and the eye-candy they provide.  I may be 40, but I still have eyes, you know!

So, life is good!  What is making you happy right now?

There’s a new documentary that I would dearly like to see…*

Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the so-called “diseases of affluence” that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.  The major storyline in the film traces the personal journeys of a pair of pioneering yet under-appreciated researchers, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.

Dr. Campbell, a nutritional scientist at Cornell University, was concerned in the late 1960′s with producing “high quality” animal protein to bring to the poor and malnourished areas of the third world.  While in the Philippines, he made a life-changing discovery:  the country’s wealthier children, who were consuming relatively high amounts of animal-based foods, were much more likely to get cancer.  Dr. Esselstyn, a top surgeon and head of the Breast Cancer Task Force at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, found that many of the diseases he routinely treated were virtually unknown in parts of the world where animal-based foods were rarely consumed.

These discoveries inspired Campbell and Esselstyn, who didn’t know each other yet, to conduct several groundbreaking studies.  One of them took place in China and is still among the most comprehensive health-related investigations ever undertaken.  Their research led them to a startling conclusion:  degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and several forms of cancer could almost always be prevented – and in many cases reversed – by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet.  Despite the profound implications of their findings, their work has remained relatively unknown to the public.

The filmmakers travel with Drs. Campbell and Esselstyn on their separate but similar paths, from their childhood farms where they both produced “nature’s perfect food”, to China and Cleveland, where they explored ideas that challenged the established thinking and shook their own core beliefs.

The idea of food as medicine is put to the test.  Throughout the film, cameras follow real patients who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes.  Doctors teach these patients how to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet as the primary treatment approach – while the challenges and triumphs of their journeys are revealed.

The film features leading experts on health, examines the question “why we don’t know”, and tackles the issue of diet and disease in a way that will have people talking for  years.

Fork Over Knives features the following professionals:

• Dr. Neal Barnard – physician, author of “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes” and Founder and President of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington DC
• Dr. T. Colin Campbell – co-author of “The China Study“, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University and Project Director of the China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project
• Dr. Junshi Chen – Senior Research Professor at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
• Connie B. Diekman, MEd, RD, FADA – Director of University Nutrition, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri and former President of the American Dietetic Association
• Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn – author of “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” and former internationally know surgeon, researcher and clinician at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
• Dr. David Klurfeld – National Program Leader, Human Nutrition, USDA
• Drs. Matthew Lederman and Alona Pulde – physicians, authors of “Keep it Simple, Keep it Whole: Your Guide to Optimum Health” and founders of Exsalus Health and Wellness Center, Los Angeles, California
• Dr. Doug Lisle – psychologist, co-author of “The Pleasure Trap” and Director of Research, TrueNorth Health Center, Santa Rosa, California
• Dr. Terry Mason – Commissioner, Department of Public Health, Chicago, Illinois
• Dr. John McDougall – physician, author and founder of Dr. McDougall’s Health and Medical Center, Santa Rosa, California
• Dr. Pam Popper – Founder and Executive Director of the Wellness Forum, Columbus, Ohio

* It will be screened here at a conference led by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Pam Popper in September.  I’m going to book this as soon as I have the funds available.

While I was working I had to make quick dinners, as we don’t like to eat after 7pm.  That was when I discovered what a  life-saver couscous can be.  You literally add boiling water and “sweat” the couscous for three minutes.  Add a few cherry tomatoes, some mange-tout, chives, sliced mushrooms, corn off the cob…  well anything you can think of really.  Then you just need a dressing.  I like pesto or hummus.

The last time I made couscous I had ample time, so I added some roasted Brussels sprouts and this delicious pesto.

Tomato & Pumkin Seed Pesto

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup pumpkin seed
• 1/4 cup olive oil, cold-pressed and extra-virgin
• 1 tsp lemon  juice
• pinch of Himalayan Crystal salt
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (softened)

In a food processor, blend the garlic, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, lemon juice and salt until a pesto consistency is attained.  Add the basil and tomatoes and processed until well combined.

It’s as easy as that!  And it’s very good for you.  Who says that you have to sacrifice health for convenience?

Health Benefits:

• Couscous is a good source of protein, fiber, niacin, selenium and B vitamins.
• Brussels sprouts are known for their cancer-preventing properties – the phyto-chemical indole and vitamin C.  They are also high in fiber and protein.
• Half a cup of pumpkin seeds contains 92% of your daily magnesium requirement – a mineral most of us are deficient in.  Pumpkin seeds also contain anti-inflammatory agents and are used by many cultures to eliminate parasites.  They are high in zinc, an important mineral for fertility and for protection against osteoporosis. The l-tryptophan in pumpkin seeds is thought to help against depression.
• Himalayan Crystal salt is a full-spectrum salt, meaning it contains 84 minerals and trace elements.
• Basil contains powerful anti-inflammatory agents and is particularly good for people with rheumatoid arthritis.  It also contains cinnamanic acid, which is known to enhance circulation, stabilize blood sugar and improve respiration.  Basil is a good source of the oil-soluble vitamins A and K, which is why it’s always good to eat it with some kind of healthy fat or oil. It is also loaded with iron, calcium, dietary fiber, magnesium, manganese, vitamin C and potassium.
• Sun-dried tomatoes are packed with the same nutritional goodness as their fresh counterparts – lycopene, anti-oxidants and vitamin C.

It tasted good too!  And the best part?  There’s usually enough left over for lunch the next day.