Gathering is done

Done gathering… I learned a little bit more about what I crave versus what I actually need. Three weeks is a decent amount of time, I feel very flexible right now, in a dietary sense. I plan to keep the simple carbs out for as long as possible. Going to stay on the whole grain bandwagon as much as possible, it felt good. I am going to keep loading up on the fresh fruit, keeping the dried fruit at bay, going to buy Kale futures. I am just really looking forward to adding tofu, soy milk, smoothies and a good whole grain cereal back into my life, but no late night rendezvous with the cereal bowl, we have split permanently, unless, of course, she begs me back.  A friend pulled me over the other day and told me his wife was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. I know she will beat this but I started to think about this craziness; I do this because it is fun and hopefully some of you appreciate the company as we struggle to control our collective bodies and minds, but at the end of the day, this life is the briefest of journeys and we must squeeze every beautiful thing out of it that we can. So no beating yourself up if you have a Twinkie or two. No one gets out of here intact.  

 Peace and love   

A momentary fall from Grace

Rough week in hunter gatherer land, I was on the road for 5 days and finally an airport took me down, three hour delay, trapped in an airport, hungry, looking wantonly at the plastic shrubs in the airport and shop after shop of incredibly unhealthy food lined up, my stomach screaming at me, my brain beginning to fog, feeling like Dorothy in the middle of the tornado (a little dramatic). I found a place that offered a lentil salad, the place is called Argo, I quizzed the young lady at the counter but I knew she had no idea about the origins of the ingredients, processed or not: the lentils, onions, tomato, oil and salt. I know they did not satisfy the purity of hunter gatherer but could, but then she said “and spices.” I knew that could be anything, could be made in a lab, far from processed so I asked, what kind? She looked at me quizzically, like dude you want it or not? She shrugged and said I don’t know, so I shrugged, the shrug of a man who lost a battle in the war for control of his own body, but not the war.  So I had it; and it was the finest lentil salad I have ever had. But I am back on track for another two weeks.  I also learned a lesson that many of you already know, many of the cravings for junk food are tied to my emotional state and particular times of the day/night. A rough day or late at night I find the cravings increase, I have been satisfying those moments generally with apples (also plums, and pears) instead of dark chocolate or a granola bar…  Love yourself, love you  

Work Week Coming

I feel that doing the hunter gatherer regimen is harder than fasting. In fasting I know I am not eating, with hunter gatherer I have to think about it and there is so much processed foods that surround us.

I have discovered I am still craving something sweet, it could be dark chocolate or a granola bar or some granola cereal or some dried fruit. It has been tough, but I like the journey and the sense of awareness of my body.

Today as I boarded my flight, I was already hungry; needless to say the flight attendant did not offer me the gathering menu.  And of course the flight was delayed, so when I got to Chicago I went directly to the Whole Foods for some grazing, before checking into my hotel. I decided a salad was my best option, Kale, lettuce, kidney beans, black beans, bell pepper, carrot, cucumber and quinoa. I bought an orange to use the juice as a salad dressing. I also bought an apple, two plums and some black berries for breakfast tomorrow. This is going to be one heck of a week.

But something is happening, this Rabbi, sitting next to me on the plane, after a conversation about work, he was heading to Iowa to check meat for Kosher status. He said he thought I had a sense of calm and he wanted to know what I eat.  By the end of the flight I was writing a list of foods he should eat. Funny world on a lot of levels. Peace and Love  

All Quiet on the Gathering Front

Getting into the swing of gathering... I had a major sugar jones in the middle of the day. Normally at that time I would have made myself a soy smoothie with fruit and bananas or a bowl of granola cereal with soy milk but today those options were not available (soy milk is processed, unless I make it myself - maybe this weekend). I was out of apples and plums, a go-to sweet snack. So I went to the local Whole Foods and ate a fist full of the cherries they leave out for customers to taste. They also had cheese out but cheese is processed as well. In fact they also had corn chips out. If I wasn't in my hunter gathering mind set, I could have had a full meal. However after the cherries, I felt a lot better and then I bought some veggies (celery, orange bell pepper, cucumber, corn) to throw into my fresh quinoa salad and also some sweet potato for tomorrow.

The salad was great; to the above, I added avocado, blueberries, onions and again squeezed orange juice on it for some moisture and flavor. It was really quite good. I had a little bit of the garbanzo beans left over from last night to go with it.

We will see what tomorrow brings.

Peace and Love.

Questions

I have had a bunch of questions and I am feeling many have some angst around food. The purpose of the hunter gatherer experience is to raise our consciousness about what we throw in our mouths/bodies. However most important is to love yourself and accept that we make choices that are not always great, fine, recognize them and decide if you want to change. But at the end of the day you have to love yourself for the wacky person you are and the amazing journey you are on; and in this case we are journeying together, in essence supporting each other.

So to the questions, is dried fruit okay? No. It is your mind playing tricks on you, my mind does it all the time, dried fruit is really a candy bar. It is processed, usually with sulfur added to keep the color stable and to give you a little gas later (unintended consequence). But if you find you are craving dried fruit (as I am), know that is your sugar jones kicking in. The hunter gatherer should help you understand yourself a little bit better. You might crave salt, sugar, oils... The hunter gatherer is back to basics.

Some one asked is peanut butter okay, yes, if you are getting it from one of those machines that ground the peanuts, you want just peanuts not Jif's or Skippy's version, which has sugar, hydrogenated oils/transfats (to make it smooth) and probably some preservatives (may be salt). If you do the stuff you grind yourself you will  never go back.

Someone asked about bread, I would say no, unless you have found a place that sells a bread that is all whole grain (or you make it yourself), then it is processed. The stuff masquerading as bread is just not good for us.

One more thing, the point of the hunter gatherer is not about living longer but to be more alive while we are here so we can do lots of good stuff for lots of people.  Peace and Love

So my first dinner in this hunter gatherer mode ... was uneventful. The beans I soaked overnight I cooked today (garbanzo). I experimented cooking with just a little water, fresh chopped tomatoes, onions and garlic (no oil). I threw a potato in the oven as a back up and I cooked some whole grain quinoa. I also made a green salad, lettuce, avocado, cucumbers, apple and blueberry. I used the juice of a orange as the dressing. The salad was real good. I ate way too much. I just popped open the baked potato and threw some of the garbanzo bean dish on it, then I also put some of the bean mix over the quinoa. I was happy to go without the oil, it is doable. But if you are going hunter gatherer with me, you don't have to go to that extreme (but I love the company). 

I was sitting outside after dinner, watching the day come to an end, at least the lighted part, and I saw a rabbit out of the corner of my eye and thought, if I was a hunter and not a gatherer, you would be wabbit stew, but instead he and I compete for the same grub. Makes me wonder.

Peace and Love 

Today is first day of Hunter Gatherer routine. Got up early and went for a run, was on the road at 5:15 AM, a magical time whatever you are eating. The birds are going absolutely berserk and then when the sun rises it becomes dead silent, calm and peace. No cars on the road, just me and the road, a holy moment in sometimes unholy days. 

After my run, I jumped into the shower and had to drive down I-95 to pick up my daughter in New Rochelle, NY. I-95 will take the calm and peace out of you in a heartbeat. When I got back I had some fresh organic strawberries (4) and some raw nuts (a fist full). I was not very hungry and no need to get more complex. I haven't thought about meals for the day but yesterday I put some beans in water, so I can cook them later today. 

Some asked is milk permitted on the hunter gatherer, I would say no, but I would love your thoughts. There is some interesting research out there that says milk is not the panacea that is claimed. But regardless, it is very processed, and unfortunately even the cow that is the factory is processed, filled with chemicals and drugs. But I will say you decide on the milk front, check out the book "The China Study," it will be informative.

Peace to you and love yourself.

Hunter Gatherer Intro

Going hunter gatherer.. Looking for people who want to join in. This is not a fast, just a way to celebrate the bounty of summer and a make a little course correction on the way to a healthier state of being. More details later. But the bottomline is no processed foods (or minimally processed), anything fresh: fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans, fresh meats, whole anything (oats, quinoa, wheat...) Nothing out of a can or jar or heavily processed. If they bleached it, it has to go... white flour is so out, white sugar is so out, hey brown sugar is out, maple syrup is out, if you can steal some honey from a hive, it is in, cold cuts are so out, cocaine is so out, heroin is so out, methylamphetamines are so out, potato chips are so out, pretzels are so out, this hurts, but chocolate is out... Fresh road kill is in. I am starting today. Planning on a month and then see what happens. I blog a little each day right here. You have to choose, do you want to take control of your body or do you want to just give it over to THEM? (I know a little dramatic but not far from the truth). Peace and love

Feeling Whole

I am heading toward the finish line of this fast... I can smell it and it smells like food...

Last night had a normal night's sleep, which does not mean I slept like a baby, but I slept like I sleep, I guess... like an adult. Decided not to run this morning; yesterday, after I finished running, I felt a little light headed and thought that was my body saying "back off." So backing off, going to spend some time chilling out, after some work stuff, going to read some inspirational stuff, do some thinking, meditating and praying.

Putting all my friends, acquaintances and family deep into my heart.
Lots of Peace and Love

Tough day to fast... long meeting, big buffet, delicious looking dessert and I'm drinking a kale, cucumber, celery juice. Add the heat to the mix. Anyway survived... Looking forward to the weekend to break the fast. Peace 

Start Day 3

Day 3,

I went to bed early last night with the thought of getting a good night's sleep, well I did but it was a little short. I was awake at 3:00 but is has been good, I got a lot done that needed to be done. I drank a little master cleanse while I read. Keep drinking the master cleanse or a close approximation.

I make about a half gallon's worth of master cleanse so I can always have it at the ready. Today, I will go out for an early morning run, some juice of celery, kale, spinach and ginger and then off to a lunch meeting... Yikes; I guess for me it is BYOBOG (bring your own bottle of greens). Happy juicing.
Peace

End of Day 2

Finishing up day 2.
The day was not smooth and it had nothing to do with the fast, it was just a little off. Met a friend for lunch, I had juice and she was nice enough not to eat something in my face. Later I went for a run, but it was already a little warm. I think my body had a bit of a fit, feeling real hungry, and the master cleanse was not helping, so I had this massive veggie juice: celery, beets, spinach, wheat grass, kale and some other green stuff with a hit of ginger. I went to Whole Foods, they call it an Earth Goddess, whatever, some times it is nice to not have to clean out the juicer (all the time). Feeling much better now.

Earlier today had lots of  master cleanse and had 2 cucumber, spinach, apple juices. Take care.
Peace 

Day Two

Feeling pretty good. I woke feeling clear. What strikes me with a fast is how clear I feel, I mean mentally, I just feel clearer and it makes me wonder what am I eating or what is in our food that fogs.

Starting off with some master cleanse, then I will do some celery, carrot, kale with a hit of ginger and after the fog lifts (outside) I go for a run. India, one of my daughters that will not claim me on Facebook, understandable, is doing the fast with me and is out running. I want to have a veggie juice waiting for her when she gets back. Peace

End of Day one

Feeling a little munchie tonight, my mouth is craving flavor. First day is always hardest for me, it is not that I feel hungry, just longing for that sensation; and that is why I do this. The sensation I want is sweet and crunchy, like dark chocolate surrounding a piece of coconut. Does that sound good or is it just me? I call that a vegan fantasy.

I stopped in Whole Foods and they had more reasonably priced cucumbers today. I find my sense of smell is heightened during a fast. I think it is my body reaching out and saying, maybe he can't smell anything that's why he's not eating, so the body kicks up the sense of smell. The smell of strawberries was exquisite.

This evening we had a cucumber, kale, pear juice, it was fine, not as delicious as the juice earlier but a good juice. I have been drinking tons of the master cleanse and visiting the bathroom all day.


Peace and Love

Breakfast

This is going sound crazy but I juiced this awesome juice this morning of celery, yellow bell pepper, spinach, dandelion, apple and a hit of ginger. Delicious. Also just pounding the master cleanse.

Day one - Hot off the press.
Just read an article in the New York Times (Sunday Review) which spoke of the nutiritional value of the foods we eat and how we are "breeding nutrition out of the food." If you can find the articule great but if not don't worry but it has some significance for our juice fast, think about adding dandelions, purple/yellow carrots, crab apples, arugula, scallions, the green parts, and herbs like parsely to your juice mix. Make sure the dandelions have not been sprayed with pesticides. I got a ton of them in my yard.
Remember to drink plenty of master cleanse and water.

I am going out for a run and then going to experiment with celery, yellow bell pepper and spinach with a hit of ginger. Stew Leonards did not have cucumbers yesterday, kind of weird and Whole Foods wanted $2.99 a cucumber, sounds like we should buy cucumber futures.

Happy Juicing

Getting it right -Late Spring Fast

Time to get that body into bikini ready shape. If you live on the East Coast you are thinking you may not need to get your body into bikini shape but "they say" winter will ease its horrible grip and we will have days of sweltering heat.

 So here's the deal... We start off with a Juice Fast for five days, starting Tuesday (May 28)... Just like before plenty of Master Cleanse, fresh squeeze vegetable juices, and what is different, we add one fresh squeeze fruit juice once a day. I am focusing on something like watermelon, not the heavy sugary stuff like orange. I usually have the Master Cleanse without the maple syrup because sugar is my drug of choice.

After the five day juice fast, take a few days to reward yourself for doing well, eat some things you love but keep in mind our next step.

Then we will move into a hunter-gatherer regimen for three weeks. In the hunter-gatherer regimen basically we do not eat anything processed. So you wind up eating lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and what I would describe as pure sources of protein. If you eat meat, it can't be cold cuts or processed meats, it also means things like oils are out, let the oil come from the foods you eat. We do this for three weeks, and what I have found is it begins to become a habit, a habit of eating fresh, healthy foods... You start to feel better, you start to feel amazing and you look in the mirror and you say "wow" (in your best Steve Martin voice) I look fabulous. And wham you are on a lifetime of wonderful, until you stop and then we will do it again and again until it finally sticks. The three week target gives us something to gaze upon, but the goal is to positively impact our long term health and really not worry about bikini bodies and the like; in truth your body is beautiful and made perfect, we just want to rediscover the perfect from which it was made.

 On the hunter gatherer regimen keep in mind these are processed foods: candy (eat cherries, blueberries or mangos instead), cold cuts, tofu, olive oil, white flour, white rice, pasta, anything out of a can and many bottles.

 Like before I will be blogging and tracking along on facebook and of course just email me if you want to talk.

 Here are my fasting thoughts if you want to join.

1. So everyday, try to do three glasses of green veggie juice; any combination of the following: Celery, spinach, cucumber, kale, collard greens, green pepper, wheat grass... Anything green is cool. Add some ginger for flavoring or an apple. Go light on the carrot juice, lots of sugar.
2. Add one fresh squeeze fruit juice, as I mentioned watermelon is delightful and real good for you, get some of the greenish flesh in there as well.
3. When you are not drinking the green veggie juice then drink either, Master cleanse, water or herbal tea.
4. Notice the absence of caffeine, if the headaches get bad have some green tea but try to get the caffeine out of your body. .
5. If you need support, you can comment on the blog (http://kgroupltd.blogspot.com/) or you can hook up with me on facebook or just email me (the old fashioned way?) kknight521@aol.com. I think I am Kevin Knight on facebook, look in Norwalk, CT. I am the guy standing in front a mountain.

Master Cleanse Recipe: For every 16 ounces of water, about 3/4 of a lemon, 1/5 teaspoon of cayenne and 2-4 tablespoons of maple syrup (I am not a big fan of the maple syrup but if you need it, try to just put in enough so that you drink a lot, also it should be real maple syrup, preferably grade B, and not the stuff from Aunt Jemima, she is nobody's real aunt). Play with the cayenne and lemon for taste.

Good luck and feel free to share with friends.

Ended fast today... Seeded whole wheat and blackberries... I look forward to a warm weather fast... Peace and Love

Ending day 4. Feeling the quiet much more intensely, from within. This seems to happen in a fast, the quiet kind of sneaks up on you like the grey during the dawn. Started the day with 3 cups of master cleanse and really drank water for the rest of the day and two cups of herbal tea. I taught the kid's karate class, participated in the adult class at a low level and that was all the physical activity I wanted today. I did not want to run and risk over doing it. Next fast I will include carrots and apples with the veggies for that instant energy before I workout.

I just had a cucumber, celery, spinach, bell pepper juice, it was okay, it hit the spot (wherever that is).

I notice the heart opens on a fast, more compassionate thoughts, greater caring and concern. Occasional anger at the machine, but not rage, just really deep disappointment.  As with all my winter fasts, I feel cold, my hands are cold but other than that I am fine.  Next winter fast will be in Florida or the Caribbean.

Someone asked me did I lose any weight, I don't know, I don't weigh myself, but my jeans are hanging a little looser.

Peace and Love

Day 3: Ending day three, feeling good, energy is fine. A little dehydrated this morning which did not go over too well on the treadmill, but at least I did not keel over, that would have been ugly. I am experimenting on this fast with drinking the veggie juice and trying to workout, but I am not so sure this time. Also I am attempting to keep sweets at bay, I miss apples in the juices and carrots, they play a big role in positively impacting the taste. Also I think the apples supply a little needed energy.

I am not fasting to lose weight, I am fasting because there is a need to get cleansed and importantly to gain control of my sweet tooth.  Plus for me, I love experimenting and experiencing all that life has to offer and a fast is just one of those things. I feel it also allows me to play on an edge, safely.

The veggie juices today were: kale, cucumber and a hit of ginger and earlier celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach with a hit a ginger. Last night I experimented with a medley: celery, cucumber, bell pepper, brussel sprout, spinach and a hit of ginger, not as bad as it sound. The bell pepper makes a big difference. The smell associated with brussel sprout was horrible but it tasted better than it smelled (it had to).

I am starting to get into the zone of calm, which is what I love most about fasting.
Peace and lots of love
Kevin

Day 2: Feeling Energized and in Love

Day two: I started the day with between 2 and 3 cups of master cleanse (cayenne, lemon and water). I went  to the YMCA and did my run. I feel like I have tons of energy and not a trace of sluggishness. After running a few errands, I then had a juice of kale, collards, celery and cucumber plus a hit of ginger (from The Stand, love their juices), better than yesterday, so I am on an upward swing but I would be hard pressed to say yum. However, I am starting to feel like I am doing something good for my body. It is about the mind. I mean the energy feels real, but it is like love, it does something to your head and heart that impacts your mind. Being in love feels good... So my conclusion on day two is a veggie juice fast feels like being in love - safe juicing.

End of day 1

Did I just say I had my worst veggie juice ever? Well, I just topped that, I had asparagus, celery, spinach and kale... Absolutely vile. Has to get better. Other than that day one of fast was cool.

Peace

Day 1: An Auspicious Start?

I woke very psyched to begin my veggie juice fast. I went to the Y, ran four miles on the treadmill; it's just too cold to run outside (especially barefoot), it was about 23 degrees. I did some crunches and even looked at some weights and thought this is the year to get the buffed outer body I've seen those guys get in magazines in just six weeks (without working), but right now we will worked at buffed insides.

After the Y, instead of doing my own juicing, I went to Whole Foods and ordered a celery, cucumber and spinach juice with a hit of ginger. The clerk starts putting it together and says, oh sorry no spinach, how about kale, and think that's even better but not tastier. Then she says, oh we don't have any cucumber, how about carrot and I said no just give me a little more kale and celery (how does a grocery store with a juice bar not have spinach and cucumbers?). Now, that drink, I believe, was really good for me, but it tasted absolutely horrible. So every drink after that, will be better; but I have to say, I feel real good.

If we are doing this together, I would like to offer you a cyber high five. Take care
Kevin