With the holiday season sapping my energy, needing more sleep while getting less, eating refined starchy meals for comfort instead of whole foods, it's no wonder I am feeling a cold coming on.
Not to mention the impossibly-crowded subways during rush hour, sharing phones and computer keyboards at work and the harsh winter that fell on NYC so suddenly...
I feel sick!
I thought about the way I'd deal with a cold coming on a few years ago. As soon as I'd feel any symptoms, I'd fill myself with cold medication and make an emergency appointment with my family doctor for a dose of antibiotics. This happened pretty much every season.
Until about 8 months ago, when I was taking so much medication that it stopped taking any effect on me. My doctor suggested higher dosages at first but my parents warned against it. My immune system was screwed up enough already that I didn't need anything stronger breaking it down further. Another suggestion was to get off the antibiotics and the daily pills to "restart" my system and go back on them in a couple of months time.
I got off most of the pills last April and gave my body a month. My fiance and I bought a juicer and promised each other to make fresh vegetable and fruit juices most mornings instead of drinking coffee. Also, we decided to quit smoking cigarettes together and he joined my gym while I dusted off my own membership card.
The first few months were tough filled with emotions brought on by detoxification and general grumpiness. But the more we pushed each other towards attempting to live clean and healthy lives, the better we felt. And I spent my first season in a long time cold- and flu-free.
I didn't need the pills anymore!
Some things I took away that I don't miss:
- daily espressos and greek coffees
- cigarettes
- Splenda and other artificial sweeteners
- pills and anti-biotics
- all dairy in addition to most animal products
Some things I added to my daily life that I miss if I don't get:
- chinese green tea
- daily yoga and aerobic exercise
- agave as a low-glycemic sweetener
- pro-biotics and digestive enzymes
- whole foods like quinoa, beans, nuts and seeds, and plenty of veggies
And now aving my own apartment for the first time in my life meant that I could stock the fridge and pantry full of things I wanted and liked, so I was happy to not see hot dogs in my freezer, white bread in my pantry and an empty crisper and loaded up on frozen veggies, sprouted bread and loads of kale.
More on my love affair with kale later...
So last night, after another 8 hour shift at work, I stopped at the market and bought fresh veggies and made myself an amazing green juice when I got home.
It consisted of
- half a small head of kale
- 2 cups of spinach
- 1/2 cucumber
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 carrot
- 2in piece of ginger
- 1 cup of alfalfa sprouts
- dusting of cayenne pepper
my amazing juicer
my delicious juice
my hubby taking in some fresh vitamins
my hubby taking in some fresh vitaminsI don't know if it was the fact that I slept a nice 6 hours instead of my usual 4 last night or the juice but I do feel loads better today. I also took a multi-vitamin, drank 2 Kombuchas and took a couple of acidophillus supplements.
I am happy because that tickle in my throat went away and I can breathe through my nose again.
Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and before the craziness begins, I will try my hand at a green smoothie (I never made one before) and write about the results. : )
Happy New Year!
I am happy because that tickle in my throat went away and I can breathe through my nose again.
Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and before the craziness begins, I will try my hand at a green smoothie (I never made one before) and write about the results. : )
Happy New Year!
