Yesterday, I did a post on being happy all the time. In that post, I shared that a large part of my recovery was about starting to live my life according to my heart’s desire – what I truly wanted to do – and more importantly, how I wanted to BE. Any time we go against how we truly want to be or what we truly want to do, our lives start to go out of alignment. This can create imbalance, that at first might manifest as unhappiness and insecurity – and over time, if we truly stray from our heart’s desires, we can create addiction.
Heart’s Desire
The first thing I want to explore is our heart’s desires and what that means. If you think of yourself fully as a human being, you can imagine that your mind plays a huge role in your life. It shapes how you learn, how you see the world and how you relate to others. Your body is also important because it shapes your physical capabilities and your physical health. What we often don’t realize is that both mind and body play a critical role in how we FEEL. You can feel good or bad based on thoughts you think, beliefs you have or emotions you feel. You can feel good or bad based on the state of your health, things you put into your body (food, drink, drugs) or the amount of rest you get.
At the same time, because the brain in our head is linked to the brain in our gut, how we feel is also determined by the mind-body connection. If you put something into your mind that doesn’t align with what is truly right for YOU, it can affect body mind and body. Similarly, if you put something into your body that doesn’t align with what is right for you, it can affect your mind.
Life Example – What I Put Into My Mind
I’ll share a couple of examples in my own life. When I was in my corporate job, I had thoughts and beliefs that I had to play a role to be successful and accepted. Because of this, I chose friends, did activities and focused on things that were out of alignment with what I truly wanted. In fact, I really didn’t think about what I wanted at all, because I had already decided that the thoughts and beliefs I had about success were true. This created a sense of discomfort, fear and insecurity in my life – which added up to being unhappy. Being unhappy and fearful kept me working long hours, trying to please for approval and lacking sleep due to overwork and anxiety. Lack of sleep and the stress that resulted from constant fear adversely impacted my body. It’s not that I was unhealthy on the surface – I looked like the picture of health. Instead, it was little things – foggy thinking, depression, cold hands and feet, cravings, constant mind chatter, etc.
Life Example – What I Put Into My Body
Now let’s take a look at it the other way around – things I put into my body. Each time I had a glass of wine or some sugar, I felt like it went straight up to my head on the first sip or bite. I could almost feel the change, but I had not yet learned to listen to my body, so I ignored it. Eating sugar in any form often led to wanting more – although sometimes I was lucky and could control my desire for more – most of the time I just wanted more. Cravings would set off a heroin-like need to eat and I’d feel defective for not being able to control myself. I also noticed more mind chatter, fear and anxiety. Over time, this cycle of cravings and giving in and feeling bad and resolving to be better seemed to only end up in depression, feeling worse physically and finally, an eating disorder.
I’m not sure how to break down whether my mind or my body contributed most to having an eating disorder. If I were to guess, I’d say that it is both equally – because it doesn’t matter where imbalance starts. Once it starts, it can affect you on all levels. Once mind and body are effected, it is hard for your spirit to be free. This is when you feel locked inside and stuck. This is when it feels like you cannot find your way out. That is how I felt.
Breaking Free
This doesn’t mean that you can’t start to heal one thing first – it just means that all need to be looked at in your healing, in order to really let your spirit soar. To really break free. And while it may seem like such hard work, it is in fact the most worthwhile thing we could all do. This is why many have said that addictions can serve as awakeners – it’s not that we live in a dark place of recovery once we heal – it’s that we live in the light of joy, of bliss. Full healing goes beyond living a normal life and can lead to happiness we might not have reached without the addiction that awakened us.
What is it that is awakening in us? Our true essence – that is the root of our heart’s desire. In yesterday’s post, I invited you to really listen to your heart and your body. Depending on how long it’s been since you’ve done this, it could take a little time before you really start to hear what’s deep inside of you. I remember not being able to hear or feel anything when my coach first asked me to do this. I felt numb – and in fact, I was – having an eating disorder was helping to maintain the numbness.
The Only Way Out of Pain is Through It
At first, all I could feel was the abdominal pain that had become chronic in my life – that seemed to cover up all other feelings, along with the numbness from bulimia. After practicing this listening, I started to become aware of a feeling in the pit of my abdomen. It didn’t feel the same as the chronic pain – instead, it was an empty-feeling terror. And it was about my job. I realized that from the morning when I woke up to do my exercise, to my commute into work, I had this feeling of terror, fear, dis-ease in my abdomen. By the time I got to work, I was less aware of these feelings, but I can imagine that they only served to make my chronic digestive pain worse.
Once I realized that it was my job, I felt a bit scared – what else was I going to do? How would I pay my bills? What was going to happen to me? Could I just keep going on in my job? For awhile, I did just keep going on in my job. I started to clean up the rest of my life, which made it better, although that low level of fear was still there – telling me I had more to clean up.
Leaving my job was the best thing I ever could have done. I didn’t just leave though, I made many plans to change my life around so that I could pay my bills and support myself in following my heart’s desire. I even worked with my husband so that both of us could make these changes. While it seemed insurmountable at first, it was actually just a series of steps, like anything else in life. Everything worked out beautifully – and if it can for me, it can for you too!
The Steps To Living Your Heart’s Desire
Power of Mind:
- Write your vision of how you choose to be, how you choose to feel and who I choose to have in your life. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do at first, so I just wrote about the kinds of things I really loved to do. The key is to pretend money is no object and think really big – not worrying about the how’s. Focusing on my vision allowed me to retrain my brain – breaking the limiting thoughts and beliefs that were holding me back.
- Read your vision everyday – each morning and night, sometimes 3 times per day. Repetition is a great way to create a new habit. Even if I wasn’t sure I believed it fully, I kept an open mind – I was open to believing it. I figured I’d just see what happened.
- Pay attention to your thoughts – I caught myself in limiting beliefs and replaced them with positive affirmations.
- Get still each day through meditation, yoga or some form of quietness that allows you to really listen to your body and heart.
- Look for the proof of your vision coming true – pay attention to the things that happen in your life, the people that come into your life, everything you come into contact with – even your thoughts. Express gratitude for each thing that looks like proof that your vision was getting closer.
These are all things you can do in your life. They may seem simple – and they are! You may wonder, like I did, whether they really work. Try them and find out! These steps are not new – they have been used by countless people who have achieved their dreams.
Practical Matters:
- Once you realize what your vision is – and subsequently realize what you want to do, write it down. If it is different – or even the opposite – of what you are currently doing, see how that makes you feel. If you are uncomfortable, congratulations! Moving out of your comfort zone means you are about to do something big – where you will learn more than ever before! I invite you to create a perspective of excitement about that so that fear is not the only thing you feel. We have often been taught to fear the unknown, which causes many of us to try to “control the outcome” of everything we do. Yet this keeps us locked up inside and playing small. Going after your heart’s desires is BIG and while it’s scary, it can also be very exciting!
- Get support – find a mastermind group (a group that gets together to support one another in achieving big things), a coach, a supportive friend or loved one who you can talk to about your goals. When you have a dream, sometimes it feels much bigger than you feel – and it might be! That’s okay, because when you join with one or a few others who support you in your goals – who really listen and give feedback on your limiting beliefs, your spirit grows as big as your dreams! It’s amazing what can happen when you do this – you start to move toward your true essence and your true potential.
- Write down your goals – everything in life can be achieved with support, a plan and a series of steps. Write down your goals and make a plan for how to achieve them. Create action steps and ask for help when you aren’t sure what to do next. If you remember reading mythology – the hero always has helpers and never could have been successful on his or her own. Mentors, a coach, people who are already doing what you want to do – there are many options for people who can support you in accomplishing the goals you create – or even helping to clarify your goals.
- Be creative – if you aren’t sure how to achieve your dreams or what steps to take, be creative. Sometimes, we think we can’t do something because we won’t make enough money – could that just be a thought? When I entered the coaching field, I was told that new coaches only make $10,000 per year and have to have alternative careers to pay their bills. There were two things I did – one was my husband and I sold our big house and most of our possessions and moved to a beautiful rural area that was more affordable. We pared down all of our expenses so that I could take my time building my business. The other thing I did was choose to have a different reality – I knew I could find multiple streams of income to support me in growing my business. I never realized how many ways there were to make money, nor did I realize how little I really needed – opening your mind to different ways of thinking can really open new doors for living your dreams. Now we live this beautiful life in the mountains – and my business grew beyond my expectations in my first year of business. All of this happened by my focus on what I really wanted to do, rather than on what I thought I “should” do. It also helped that I had a coach, who challenged me to continue thinking big.
- Work the plan – take the steps you’ve written down – put everything on a calendar and work your to do’s. If it gets overwhelming, just look at one step at a time – and call your support people to help build your spirits back up. We all need encouragement regularly when we are trying to do something big.
- Suspend Disbelief – Stay open to your success every step of the way. Go back to the Power of Mind list and keep training your brain to work for you, rather than against you.
- Pay Attention to Finances – If what you want to do requires leaving your job, do an inventory of your savings, debt and expenses. What would it take to support yourself in your new line of work? If you aren’t sure, this is a great place to use your support people. Come up with a plan for how you can make this work for you financially. If you notice that you do have the financial plan to make it work, ask yourself whether you trust this plan. Are you fearful? I remember feeling scared for a long time before and after leaving my job – and yet, my husband and I did all the right planning and lowering of expenses to make it work. I realized I had issues with my feelings of safety and security and working on these with my coach allowed me to get beyond them. Getting beyond them went a long way in developing overall trust in my life.
- Celebrate – come up with ways to celebrate each challenge you overcome, each step you take and each goal you reach. We often forget to celebrate, especially when it’s just for ourselves. You deserve to celebrate each shift you make and each action you take – think of some really nice things you can do for yourself. It could be a day off, a bubble bath, a new inspirational book, a massage – anything that makes you feel wonderful.
Reinventing Myself
I was terrified when I decided to leave my job – every step, from telling my boss I was resigning to starting my own business was scary. For awhile, my life felt like it was in chaos – because as I left my job, I was coming to terms with living life from my own voice, rather than my habit of listening to others. Over time, it got easier and over time, I healed. I didn’t just start a business, I reinvented myself from a corporate person playing a role to a business owner living her true essence.
The pain and chaos and fear? It’s all worth it. If I were to describe it now, I’d say it felt like a right of passage or a hero’s journey. We are all capable of hero’s journeys and we all have unique skills that align with our dreams. The question is, when do you begin?
You CAN Live Your Dreams! Recovery IS Possible!
You can use these steps for any goal – whether it’s for your recovery or to go after your dreams. I’ve gotten many e-mails from people asking me if recovery is possible – or if living your dreams are possible – and my answer is a resounding YES! If I can do it, so can you. And many before us have done the same. Try some of the steps and see what you think. At some point in the process, you may truly embrace one of my favorite quotes:
“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve with positive mental attitude.”
W. Clement Stone
More Inspirational Quotes by W. Clement Stone
Heather,
I found this so useful. I wrote down the steps to living your life’s desire.. I love having steps to follow…just like my food plan. I am not sure what I really want to do, but, I can start, and then refine from there. I may write a few visions. I appreciate the idea of giving thanks for what is coming into my life…and what I have already. Getting still is the hardest thing for me. When I wake up in the morning..i just want to go full steam ahead.
Listening to my body and heart..this is a novel idea….what about my head??? SMILIE
Heather, you are such a big cheerleader for us!!!
When I come back and read all that you have to share, my heart feels so grateful!
I want to live from my heart and soul…not out of fear….
Turtle
Comment by turtle — June 20, 2006 @ 6:53 pm
Hi Turtle, How great is that — you are going to write a few visions! Knowing how excellent you are at following structure, I can imagine you will be amazing at making things happen as you follow steps that your heart leads you to. Funny, in my coaching practice, I’ve found that almost everyone does well with structure — even if they don’t like structure as much, they like having it so they know when they don’t need to follow it!
And yet, for some reason, it seems like we are brought up to think we should be able to just know the answers and know what to do — as if structure is a hidden thing. It certainly doesn’t seem like we learn how to create structure for ourselves or recognize when we need it. At least that’s how it seems in my experience. Then, suddenly, we find out that all of the people who’ve gotten things done have some kind of system, some kind of structure.
Well, I have a feeling that you are going to be a guide around that — maybe that you will be creating great things for people and showing them how they can make it happen to, with a system or structure. Making it easy for people to follow. You have so much to share — and you deserve to live from your heart and soul!
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — June 21, 2006 @ 4:40 pm
Hi, Heather:
I have been tring to incorporate your tips on “what I eat everyday” to my diet. It is working very well with me. Apple cider is great for me. Recently, I started to add kefir. I really love the taste of kefir. However, I experienced some trouble with it. I found if I eat it on an empty stomach, after 2 hours I will have some intestinalgas. But I do not seem to have problem if I after meal or so. I wonder if this could be a Candida die off sympton or simply just I do not tolerant it well yet. If latter, will I tolerant it more if I introdue it bit by bit.
BED book also suggest to have probiotic on a empty stomach, but I usually take it at bed time. I wonder if you know whether this matters.
Thanks.
Meg
Comment by Meg — July 15, 2006 @ 1:02 pm
Hi Meg, I am glad you are experimenting and paying attention to your body! What kind of kefir are you having? In the first stage, which tends to be the first 3 months of the BED, it is recommended that you have young coconut kefir, but not milk kefir. These guidelines are just that — guidelines — so keep listening to your body.
For me, I tried milk kefir 5 months after starting BED and it was too soon. I’ll write about my experience in a post — I had to stop drinking it. For others, they are fine with it after 3 months. I found that I LOVED it, but I started to have cravings, where I had formerly had none…and I started to feel tense. The day I stopped the milk kefir, it all went away. Just be aware of your body. I think for me, my body wasn’t ready for any kind of dairy — and I figured it had to do with systemic candida. It makes sense because the yeast overpower the bifidus bacteria, which I was very low on. I’d need that to digest the casein in milk.
Regarding gas — you will most likely experience gas both when you start cultured veggies (which were better for me than the milk kefir) and milk kefir. The microflora go after the yeast, which creates gas. It goes away after a week or so.
Remember to follow the rules for food combining if you use milk kefir. Donna says start with 1/2 cup per day and build up to about a cup. It can be consitpating in higher quantities for some people and not at all for others, so watch your body. For young coconut kefir, you can drink it after meals to aid digestion. Watch your body with any of the kefirs, just to see how it reacts — maybe even keep a journal of how your food is affecting your body and mood. Have fun with this, like an experiment — like getting to know your body. It’s all okay and everything balances out.
Yes, it’s supposed to help to take probiotics on an empty stomach. Night time is fine. First thing in the morning is excellent too, to bring your body back into alkaline from sleep. You can do this by having young coconut kefir, cultured veggeis or BED Vitality SuperGreen first thing in the morning. If you decide to buy any BED products, let me know — I am giving Transcend readers a 10% discount on all the products.
Another reason to keep your journal is to track your body’s symptoms. You may notice a whole bunch of weird little symptoms from candida and toxin die off. Itchy skin, fatigue, weight loss, etc. But at the same time, you may find you feel better at the same time. Depending on how systemic the yeast is, some people have terrible die off symptoms…that’s when you know you need to slow down with your cleansing or get enemas or colonics. If you’re just doing BED and probiotics — or just BED without probiotics (since the probiotics are in your cultured veggies and kefir), you should experience a light die off.
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — July 15, 2006 @ 9:34 pm
Hi, Heather:
I am taking milk kefir. Perhaps I had too much because I loved it so much. I just recieved BED book. I have read it but I found there were too many things to try once. It seems that I need to have a kitchen revolution. So I picked a few things to try: coconut oil for cooking, kefir, liver flush drink in the morning, probioitic, some BED introduced hebal tea. I have take kefir for about 2 weeks and I have yet found that I have cravings. I hadn’t have problem with it untill I drank it on empty stomach. Well, I always seem to have problems (excessive gas) when i drink milk on empty stomach. But I was fine if I drank milk with food. Would you suggest I stop kefir or try to take less.
I live in Toronto and I can not seem to find coconut easily. That seems to be a problem for me to have coconut kefir. So I thought maybe I should take milk kefir. I have not taken any cultured vegetables yet. I am going to make it soon.
I do feel better, but just as I told you before, I need lots of sleep and rest now. I found my entire system is much relaxed than before. Thanks so much for your advice!
Meg
Comment by Meg — July 15, 2006 @ 10:15 pm
Hi Heather,
I just read your e-mail to Meg.
Thank you, it was helped me.
As of today, I am going on the strictest form
of BED as I am giving up the sprouted beans for awhile..
and also eggs. I am going to keep it very very simple for the
first month at the very least.
I had some DUO for BED so I made some DUO out of
young coconut water until I can get some kefir starter…
I also want to get the new edition of BED. Can I get those items
from you?
I really want to keep up with the y. coconut water kefir regime as
it helped so much when I was using it regularly. I would like to clarify
something you said to Meg…is it better to take the kefir after a meal?
I was taking it before my meals before… How much is a good amount to
start with 1/2 cp like dairy?
I am doing enemas as I don’t go on my own. I am hoping that the Duo will help.
In the last 7 days, I have done 6…what is the right amount or what would be too much.
I do cultured veggies at two meal a day and have been for quite a while.
Thank you for your ideas on this…
Turtle
Comment by turtle — July 16, 2006 @ 11:46 am
Hi, Heather:
I have made my first batch of cultured vegetable. I am a little skeptical about whether I did everything right although I followed BED book. Hope it will turn out to be good.
I have been trying to incorporate more and more BED food. But I found it is not easy for me to follow the recipe, because it is so different from the way I am used to cook. I also found it is not easy for me to get used to food. For example, I usually eat hot cereal in the morning. Since I read your poster, I started to use quinoa as my hot “cereal”, I mix it with some fresh grounded flax seed and some lactose free milk. I found it is very satisfying and not so much different from the way I had before. For lunch, I usually have fish, shrimp or scallop (steamed) with some soup. For dinner, I have some stir fry vegetable or some soup with quinoa. I found I work pretty with this way because quinoa gave me lots of fibers.
However, I have experienced some problem since I tried the BED breakfast because it doesn’t have flax seeds in the morning and it doesn’t allow milk. However I have been so depended on flax seed. I am not sure if it is good or bad but my body seems to need lots of fiber in order not to be constipated. Although I always love vegetable throughout my life, it showed that was not enough for my constipation. I could still be constipated even I have LOTS of vegetables. Well I figured perhaps I overcooked them so the fibers were destroyed. I tried raw vegetables, but it did not help. Then I found the only thing that helped my constipation was flax seeds. Since I started to take it everyday in the morning, my constipation become so much better and my body is more relaxed. But I become so depended on it. I got nervous if I do not have it. I am not sure if I could over eat flax seeds.
Another thing is that I LOVE milk although I am a little lactose free (I drink lactose free milk), but the BED diet does not include milk or even soy milk. I do not know what to put in my breakfast (the hot cereal type, but I used quinoa and flax seeds) and my body is craving for it these days so badly. I wonder if it is okay to drink lactose free milk?
I guess it takes time to change habit. Thanks so much.
Meg
Comment by Meg — July 16, 2006 @ 7:23 pm
Hi Turtle and Meg, I’ve been behind on my blog due to a couple of trips out of town! Ok, here are my responses:
Meg: It’s great that you are trying things and listening to your body. Given the principle of uniqueness, you may be able to handle milk kefir better than others in stage 1. Watch your body and go with what works. For young coconut water, if you can’t buy young green coconuts (not the brown hairy ones they usually sell) and the buko juice or young coconut water is not being sold in health food stores in your area — try going to wildernessfamilynaturals.com. They are in California and sell unpasteurized young coconut water. It takes less than 10 minutes to get it ready to ferment, then 36 – 48 hours for the fermentation process.
Turtle: Yes, you can get BED products from me. I give a 10% discount on all products if you spend $100 or more. Let me know what you want or call me if you want to chat about it. If you want to order less, I can see what I can do on the discount — I can’t usually get one unless I order $100 or more, but sometimes, if I have several people who want to order, I can combine orders and get the discount.
Re: Young coconut kefir, start with 1/2 cup and build up in the beggining — that’s the guideline anyway. Follow your body with respect to when to start having more. You can have it before meals if you want. After meals is what Donna recommends to help aid digestion, but there is no real reason you can’t have it before. Again, experiment and see how your body does in both scenarios.
Re: enemas, here is what I’ve been told by the colon hydrotherapist who taught at the certified body ecologist training: if you are just starting a cleanse, do 30 enemas or 15 colonics — then do them periodically as needed. I didn’t do that at all — I’ve done 10 colonics and they were so far away from my home that I bought a colema board instead. I haven’t started using it yet — it just got delivered. I’ve been doing enemas whenever I have a lot of painful gas and feel like my digestion is “backing up” from my stomach down. That typically cures me of that horrible feeling and I let my body guide me. Enemas take a lot of time and energy, so be aware of the “shoulds” you might carry and go with how your body feels.
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — July 19, 2006 @ 1:02 am
Hi Meg, regarding lactose free milk — it is usually they lactose (sugar) and the casein (protein) that people have trouble with. If you want to keep having milk that is not fermented (kefir), I’d recommend having BED Assist Dairy or another digestive enzyme that will help you digest the lactose and casein.
Regarding flax seeds — keep having them, they are great! If they work for you to combine them with quinoa or other grains, keep doing it. I combine ground flax seeds with my grains or my eggs for breakfast — or I put them on my salad with my protein meal at lunch. I also often combine nuts with grains and animal protein because I eat almond butter or other nuts for dessert. This doesn’t really combine well if you are following the BED strictly, but it does work for me, so I’m sticking to it!
If you feel good in body and mind, stick with it.
It’s great that you are cooking as you need to for your meals. I often follow my own recipes to make BED cooking easy, instead of following recipes. A great breakfast, if you like sweet things for your first meal is buckwheat, sweetened with stevia — add cinnamon and a little ghee for a delicious warm cereal. Since buckwheat is the only acid grain, it’s best to have a green drink, like Vitality SuperGreen first — to bring your body to alkaline after sleeping.
You could use soymilk if fermented…probably not too tasty on your quinoa. You could also consider almond milk at some point. I’ll post some recipes for almond milk and other BED breads and crackers…I have a bit of catching up to do this week, but I’ll get them out there soon!
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — July 19, 2006 @ 1:14 am
Heather,
What an incredible gift to get your expertise, experience, strength and hope…
I am so grateful…..
I do know that you have a very full life other than this blog! I am always amazed how much you
can get back to all of us little chicks…Thanks.
I had my coconut DUO this morning…1/2 cp…do want to get the kefir starter…. I do not think I have $100.00 worth of things to get at this point…but, understand the need for this amount in order to get a discount.
In all honesty, doing the enemas have been a tremendous relief as I have such constipation, I don’t mind the time. I am trying not to do them every day…I don’t want to completely rely on them, so I am hoping the Duo and Kefir will help. Thanks for the heads up that I don’t have to worry at this point about doing to many.
I am so looking forward to going and seeing Rhonda on the 31st…I am sure she will be able to help me… And I look forward to having some instruction from her…
A friend recommended I get a reading from a friend of hers who works with people on health issues. I have been wondering why this illness has been lingering on for so long.
Apparently, she gets guidance from her quides or maybe they are my guides talkiing to her.
I had a reading with her yesterday… she told me that my health issues are about stress, and that I really need to do something about it….the stress was why I can not heal…from any of my issues…. She is recommending some tinctures, supplements, and dietary things.
I don’t want to get too deeply into this until I see Rhonda, but, taking the tinctures and the
supplements may be a good idea. I feel her reading was pretty much right on.
The one area I need to really contemplate,which I have for quite some time is eating meat.
She says the guides say I need to eat some, not a lot of animal protein. I have tried to so many times…I have tried to cooperate with this advice, even accepted and eaten it for months on end. I have tried to adopt a spiritual attitude, I have told myself it is my medicine,
and yet, I have not been able to stick to it. Why…some part of me just doesn’t resonate with eating it…some part of me doesn’t really believe it is right for me. Whether it is spiritual, emotional and or physical, I don’t want to eat it.And yet, I have been told a number of times
my body needs it to heal…
So how do I answer this questionn…Is it SELF WILL or is it INTUITION. When do I surrender, and stop the augument…when do I let go and do what I am advised to do and when do I stick to my guns and say..no, I trust myself this in not for me. I have lived my life in both directions and there have been times I thought it was intuition…but, perhaps it wasn’t and there are times I trust and I am glad I did. If it is the amino acids I need, is there not another way? Sometimes one does have to trust the quidance of another because it is my guidance in the end and sometimes one must go against the flow and say…I know what is best for me.
And Heather, I know I don’t always know… Healing is what is most important to me..
not being right!!!!
With appreciation
Turtle
Comment by turtle — July 19, 2006 @ 7:45 am
Hi Turtle, You’re welcome — it is my pleasure to get your excellent questions and comments. Finding reader comments is like a gift to me each day!
You ask some very good questions and I can see what an internal struggle it has been to make a decision about meat. As a blood type A, I can understand why you are less likely to want meat — since the A’s tend toward vegetarianism. Also, since most people don’t digest animal protein well, it can create toxins in our intestines that cause other problems.
Your body may not be ready for meat yet. Donna always talks about correcting digestion before eating animal protein. Once your digestion is corrected, you can actually eat meat and digest it. Young coconut kefir, cultured veggies — fermented foods will help correct your digestion. And they will take care of the vitamins and minerals you need as they really build up in your body. Yes, meat is the best source of vitamin B12 — but if you are not digesting it, that’s not going to help with vitamin absorption anyway.
If you need amino acids, I like things like pure noni juice from Genesis Today and Fulvic and Humic acid that BED sells. They are mineral and amino acid-rice liquids that you can drink througout the day. i have noni juice in the morning because it improves digestion. Then I have 1 or 2 Tablespoons of fulvic or humic acid in-between meals (1 TBL in 8 oz of water — could add stevia if you want). This is for the adrenals, which go looking for minerals every hour. So if you are short minerals, they will go to your body or bones to get them. I find it regulates my appetite too — sometimes I feel hungry because I’m thirsty — or maybe it’s also my body needing minerals. Drinking the water with minerals really helps.
Is it possible to just allow the answer to come to you? Or even to do a meditation where you go into your body and ask it what it needs right now. As you listen quietly for the answer — or let it come to you when the time is right — you’ll know because it will feel gentle and peaceful. It will reasonate with inner wisdome and feel right.
Rhonda will probably tell you more about your need for meat becuase she will answer your question as you — as your inner wisdom which can see the situation in its totality. She will also make supplement and tincture recommendations. If she suggests things that come from Emerson Ecologics — and you can’t get them at work — try http://www.illnessisoptonal.com. Their prices are much lower and they give free shipping for orders $100 or over.
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — July 19, 2006 @ 8:57 am
Hi, Heather:
I still could not figure out the tense I am experiencing these days. Certainly, I have lots and lots of work to do, but I do not think it is related to the tension my body feels. It is hard to figure out why because I introduced so many new foods to my diet at the same time. I guess you are probably right that I might introduce kefir too soon. My body has been feeling very tense, tight and nervous if you know what I am talking about. I feel the food sits in my stomach and I feel heavy (in fact, I gained a bit weight but that is not what made me feel bad.) and tired although I am getting 8 hours sleep.
Today was bad because I had some pizza with lots of cheese them sweet (cherry pie). I took 2 enzymes with that meal. I know it is not going for me, but I was at a big meeting with lot of people and I do not want to look like a “healthy nuts”. I guess most people on BED diet could find this is difficult situation. (Okay, I should say it is probably just an excuse for my craving for bad food. Possible? Yes, I do feel that these days I am craving for bad food. The craving is coming not so strongly as monster, but it is sneaking in gradually.) My feeling was not horrible after the meal, but my body feels very tense. I am not sure how should I describe it clearly, but it was the tightness and tension and my eyes and mouth all get very dry. I really do not like myself enough because I have such sensitive body. I can not see any good side of it.
I was too lazy to keep logging what I eat, but I think probably I should. Milk is my biggest problem because I love all sorts of dairy products. I don’t know what else could satisfy me as milk.
Thanks so much for answering my questions. I can not appreciate it more.
Meg
Comment by Meg — July 19, 2006 @ 9:04 pm
Hi Meg, consider stopping the milk kefir and see what happens. You may be going through exactly what I went through — feeling tense and having cravings. See how that feels for you. I also gained weight on milk kefir — very quickly actually. I felt okay with it as you mention you did — I realized my body was signaling me that someting was wrong. Everything got better as my body normalized from not having the milk kefir.
The milk thing is a challenge — what would happen if you try no milk and substitute with almond milk? Not from the health food store because it usually has sweeteners. Here is how to make it:
Courtesy of RAW Restaurant, San Francisco
1 Part Almonds
4 Parts water & Blend
(Example: 1 cup almonds, 4 cups water)
To activate almonds, soak overnight, pour off water & follow recipe above.
You can also strain the resulting blend through cheescloth to get the pieces of almond out and just use the liquid.
If you like that, see how your body does on a week of doing that. Take your changes with diet slowly so that you can track how your body feels. It can be very confusing to try a lot at once.
Re: not wanting to look like a health nut, I can identify with you. I was afraid of seeming weird at work. I was in a lot of meetings with executives — including big sales meetings at client sites. I found people to be very kind and very curious — I got a lot of questions from people who wanted to make healthy changes in their own lives. I tended to tell people that I had a wheat and sugar sensitivity and then they would tell me how their neighbor, spouse, sister, friend, etc. had the same thing. It’s so common now to have food allergies that it’s pretty normal. For some reason, I found that people loved to talk about it and they always wanted to try my food. I’d make beautiful salads with my grains or something and it never failed — everyone wanted what I had. Well, except maybe when there was pizza!!
Be kind to yourself — see if you can find some time to get in touch with your body. Ask it what it needs most from you now.
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — July 19, 2006 @ 10:16 pm
Hi, Heather:
Almond milks sounds delicious. I wonder whether you boil it and drink or drink it raw?
Thanks so much. It seems I can identify lots with you. How interesting!
Mei
Comment by Meg — July 20, 2006 @ 12:06 am
Hi Meg, You’re welcome! You would drink it raw — let me know what you think when you try it! It is interesting when we find we can identify with another person, isn’t it? I find it so helpful when we can all share what we’re going through. Someday, researchers will write about what happens in recovery so we have a little guidance. Until then, thank heavens for each other!
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — July 20, 2006 @ 9:26 am
Hi, Heather:
I can not believe how tasty almond milk is. How exciting! Now I feel that I do not need milk. Sometimes it is not about your body needs some thing, but it is about your body has gotten used to somethings and it doesn’t want to change so fast. I founnd milk things to me was exactly a habit. I just liked have a glass of white liquid (soy milk, rice milk or milk anything looks white). I got nervous when all of the sudden I can not have it. I guess this is related my highly addictive personality. Now I am so happy because I can continue to have some white liquid in the morning. I know this sound silly. Can I ask you a couple of things:
I wonder if almond milk is easy to digest? Can I have it everyday? I soaked it overnight, but it is not sprouted.
I wonder if we can use the pulp. It taste delicious with coconut oil but is it too high in fat.
I wonder how would you store almond milk if you do not boil it. I know it is better to drink it raw, but it won’t hold long, right? Fresh smoothies do not hold for more than 3 hours I found. So I was wondering if we could boil it and store it in fridge. That is how I made soy milk.
I wonder if we can make cultured almond milk too.
Wow, I am so excited about the “white liquid”. Thank you so much. You made my day.
Meg
Comment by Meg — July 20, 2006 @ 10:55 am
Hi Meg, I’m glad you like almond milk — good for you for jumping right in and trying it — you are very committed to finding solutions! You can refrigerate the almond milk — soak your almonds in the refrigerator overnight, then make the almond milk and store in the refrigerator. I don’t usually sprout my nuts when I make almond milk.
You can use the pulp. You could eat it alone, or add a little sea salt. Or you can cook with it — adding it to steamed veggies for a nice flavor. If you like it with coconut oil and want a little treat every now and then, that’s great too. It’s not so much that it’s high in fat — healthy fats are really good for our bodies. Believe me, I’ve eaten 2 jars of almond butter in one week and boy was I freaked about the fat content. But my body is fine and nothing changed. I do think it’s too much almond butter though — too much fat is difficult for the liver and I’ve also found it constipating. But one jar per week seems fine for me — and I never would have had that when I had the ED. Keep in mind that I’m a type O blood, who needs more healthy fats that a type A.
You’ll find the right balance for you as you follow your body. Re: culturing almond milk — you can do that. You can use the kefir starter, the culture starter or the Duo. The duo is great for constipation — and rotating them is really beneficial for a spectrum of good microflora in your intestines.
I’d love to hear how you like the almond milk kefir if you end up making it!
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — July 20, 2006 @ 9:44 pm
Hi, Heather:
Always feel so great to read your poster. It is really becoming part of my life.
I’d have to say the almond milk works beautifully for me. So this morning I had almond milk with quinoa. I love the taste a lot. I did not feel really good instantly, but gradually, starting from the afternoon, I felt great with lots of energy. I did not feel that I have cravings today even I have been working very intensively for more than 10 hours.
I guess kefir was the cause of that tense feeling my body experienced. As you said I am not ready for it yet, although it is such great food. I did not have any diary products today and I did seem to better. But I’d have to see what happens in a week.
I guess one of the big reason I felt that I have to have diary produces was because I think the fat will help my dry skin. My skin is always so dry, in the winter time I feel nothing seems to help. Then I was told that I need to have more fat or milk. I started to drink lots of milk everyday, but it has been many years, it doesn’t seem to help. I guess it was because as Type A person, my body doesn’t digest fat very well. However I am worried that on a diet with such low fat, will my skin become dryer?
I wish I could write more and better, but I am so busy these days, lots of deadline to meet. Thanks so much again. Wish you have a great day!
Meg
Comment by Meg — July 21, 2006 @ 12:20 am
Hi Meg, I’m glad you felt better — that’s great to hear! Regarding fat, Body Ecology recommends lots of healthy fats — olive oil, ghee, egg yolks, red palm oil, coconut oil, pumpkin seed oil, flax oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil, and essential woman are some. The idea is to use a variety of healthy oils throughout the week — each plays a different and vital role. Start with a few and see what you think.
Almond milk will have some fat, as will the coconut oil you are eating. Young coconut kefir is also great for your skin — if you can find the young coconut juice (wildernessfamilynaturals.com). Avocadoes are also a great way to get fat that is good for your skin.
Blood type A can have fat, they just tend to tolerate less than a type O — although the principle of uniqueness always overrules the rules! No one can say how much fat a person should have — but what we do know from the latest research is that low fat is not the healthy way anymore for most.
You’ll know if you’re having trouble digesting fat — gas, bloating, digestive problems. Eating cultured vegetables can help correct your digestion, including fat digestion. The question is, how is your liver? If your liver is congested, it may not digest fat well. The good news is that BED guidelines help heal your liver and correct digestion.
It sounds like you are great at watching your body for reactions, so have fun experimenting with the healthy fats. See what happens to your skin — give it a month or so to see results in your skin. I started to notice small changes at first — my skin got softer and less dry. Then the red spots that were like roseacea went away and the lines in my forehead went away. If you have heard about face reading, all the trouble spots on my face went away as the corresponding organs healed. Pretty cool stuff.
With love,
Heather
Comment by Heather — July 21, 2006 @ 1:06 am