Kevins Blog

The greatest job I ever had was when I was working as a tutor in an East Harlem public school. I was there to help students improve their math and reading, but I was already a student at NYU taking my first nutrition courses. With my real interest being in public school nutrition, I asked if I could eat lunch with the kids every day. For an entire academic year I taught children math and reading, while observing what they ate between 8am and 3pm, as well as observing their behaviors before and after meal time. One day, I will write a book about these experiences. For now, I want to stick to the story of one, very special child.

It was when one of my students became emotionally upset after gym class one day, that I feel I first became prepared for my career. We teach children that fruits and vegetables make us “big and strong”. And In third grade, children are aware of themselves. This student, short and overweight for his age was one of the brightest kids in class. It didn’t take him long to realize he was shorter than some of the other boys, and that vegetables may help him become “big and strong”. This student, named Kevin, also loved to play basketball. During recess he would run around the pavements with the other kids, always seeking a sport to jump into. After Kevin lost a game in gym class one day, he became emotionally distraught and began misbehaving. Later that afternoon, after I caught him giving the art teacher an eye roll, I took him out in the hallway to ask him what was wrong (and sort of reprimand him for giving the art teacher an eye roll). I started with “Kevin, do you know you scored a 100 on the math quiz this morning? Do you know how smart you are? You are having a great day today, may I ask why you are so sad?” He started crying. He cried about losing the game in gym. I explained that it was only a game, and that he should be proud of how he did in math earlier in the day. His response?

“I don’t want to be a (hiccup) math star, I want to (hiccup) be a basketball star!” (I tried so hard not to laugh at this moment. As heartbreaking as it was, this kid was hilarious).

I then went on to say that he could still be a basketball star if he wanted to, but the tears kept flowing and what came next gave me a pit in my stomach. Kevin was now sobbing about what was most likely really bothering him. The child switched from basketball talk, to home life. With his hands clasped together, and his head faced down, he told me that he asks his mother to buy fruits and vegetables at the food store, but how he must eat both breakfast and lunch in the school cafeteria since mom can only afford to cook one meal a day for the kids at home. Since Kevin qualifies, he can eat breakfast and lunch at school every day for free. He continued to explain that the food at school “gives me a belly ache”. As Kevin cried that he wanted more vegetables in his diet, I started to think about just how smart he really is. What 8 year old cries because he wants vegetables? And not just any…because I asked what he would love to have and his response was “I don’t know…a cucumber? Zucchini?” (Again,I love this student with all my heart).

I believe Kevin was at an age where he was becoming aware of his height and weight. These first insecurities along with a basic nutrition education had left Kevin feeling like if he could grab a vegetable, it would only be a matter of time before he was an NBA star. As this scene played out in a hallway right outside the Art classroom, I didn’t know what to do. I was caught off guard, but I gave him a hug and told him I was proud of him for being such a good boy and listening to his mom. I promised to eat with him at lunch that day, and walk him over to the salad bar in the cafeteria so we could find some acceptable food for him to eat. I finished by telling him that his mother loves him very much, and that eating at school has nothing to do with how much she loves him, or how much she wants to do for him. We finished by skipping the rest of Art class and walking back down to his classroom where his teacher kept granola bars stocked. I gave him a granola bar, and some cantaloupe I had brought in that day and allowed him to calm down at his desk. “Do you feel a little better?” I asked. He nodded his head yes, and I smiled over the granola that had mixed with his tears and caused a sticky mess all over both hands.

The talk I had with Kevin in the hallway that day was only the beginning. Kevin will be my motivation for a long time to come. Kids are kids first. They are not doctors, or teachers, or machines. They need real food to grow, not food products; and they depend on us as adults, teachers, and care takers to get it for them. Kevins mom is doing the best she can, but the food crisis in our country is worse than many of us realize. Currently, one in seven homes in America is going to bed hungry. The school I worked in had over 50% of the student population relying on breakfast and lunch at school for meals. A single person living in New York City who relies on the SNAP program (aka “food stamps”) gets 46 dollars a week to assist in food purchases. If you live in New York, you understand how difficult that number is to swallow. Currently, we “super size” empty meals (no nutrients), subsidize unhealthy foods to sell to school lunch programs, and have a 66% overweight population (33% being obese). And when I asked my second grade class in the Bronx 2 years ago where food came from, their first two responses were “cans” and “McDonalds”. In addition to all of this over eating, super sized insanity, we are still hungry? It’s a backwards situation as I like to call it. Whether I have 21 followers on this blog, or 2,100…I like to write about this. Because we need to be aware. And Kevin wants a cucumber…or zucchini…..so lets get it done.

Veggie Taco Night

This is one of my favorite dinners to make. Ever since switching to vegetarianism, I have definitely increased the Spanish food intake. Rice, beans, cheese, and carbohydrates are just so yummy and easy to make a bunch of meals with. Also, rice and beans eaten together make a complete amino acid. And while protein is the least of my nutrients I need to worry about, I enjoy that combination especially after lifting weights at the gym. Over the weekend I had a successful trip to wholefoods where I picked up all the necessary ingredients for a successful taco night. It came out so delicious that I suggest you give it a go.
1. Dump one can of black beans and one can of pinto beans into a large pan.
2. Add ¾ cup of water, and a packet of taco seasoning (usually you use this seasoning on the ground beef, but why not just mix it with the beans? This decision was brilliant as it totally worked and I got all the taco seasoning flavor without having to use ground beef).
3. Pre heat the oven to 350 and place your taco shells on a cookie sheet. Heat shells for 5 minutes. I used Garden of Eatin' brand, blue corn shells.
4. Simmer the beans until most of the water is absorbed and then reduce heat to low.
5. Cook a pot of brown rice. I use the Success 10 Minute boil brown rice.
6. Stuff tacos with brown rice, beans, and your favorite taco toppings. I topped mine with the following: organic shredded cheese (365 brand), salsa fresca (from wholefoods), wild arugula, and taco sauce. :)
I asked my roommate “did you eat dinner yet?” He replied with “no…I have a lean cuisine in the freezer though”. I said “forget the lean cuisine, I am about to make veggie tacos and there will be a lot of food, so come in here and grab a plate. The rule though, you can only eat them if you definitely add arugula”. He asked “what’s arugula?” (aye aye aye…we don’t know our greens!) Without being rude, I just pointed to the wild arugula on the counter. When he realized it was a “lettuce” he went “oh…” But my roommate knows that when I cook food for him, I make sure he takes in his vegetables for the night (since I never see him eat anything other than peanut butter on bagels, chicken, or frozen meals). My green rule always works, since well…what 25 year old man do you know that doesn’t accept home cooked food? The tacos were a hit.

a sunday funday, with turkey bacon.

Before I have angry vegetarians tell me that I am out of the club, allow me to explain myself.
Yes I am a vegetarian. Yes, everyday for the last 3 ½ years I have chosen a meatless diet. No turkey, pork, beef, chicken, or fish. My reasons for choosing this lifestyle are largely nutritionally based and of course, my own opinion. I am a very happy vegetarian. I do not, however believe that if I eat meat I am going to die, or be individually responsible for an increase in slaughter house Co2 gasses that week. I am not trying to justify my story, but I don’t want anyone thinking that I broke some major ethical codes I had previously set for myself. I am still a vegetarian, and one incident in the kitchen doesn’t change that.
I was with my good company (that’s what we will call him for now, since I don’t like to do the “names have been changed” thing) and we were watching Kansas City play Baltimore in the NFL playoffs. It was a typical lazy Sunday that had followed a fantastic brunch, but leave it to me…3 hours had gone by and I was ready to eat again. We decided on a kitchen adventure, and pulled out all the worlds finest ingredients: cooking spray, (gluten free) bread, and American cheese. We’ve taken on this recipe before; we are pretty well versed on the “grilled cheese with ketchup” dish. This time, I saw an extra ingredient hit the counter. Turkey Bacon. “Uh, you’re using bacon in yours?” I said. “It always smells so good and then I crave it. Bacon is the only meat I kind of ..miss….at times…”. He asked if I wanted any, and I replied with “of course not, no no..I can’t. But…if some were to accidentally make it into my sandwich then it wouldn’t be my fault right?” We laughed at what I thought was a clear joke. I mean, I always say things like that. I was just trying to be funny, playing the whole “what I wouldn’t give to taste bacon again” game. Or so I thought.
Since the bread slices were small, we also made the non nutritional decision to make 2 sandwiches for each of us (total of 4 sandwiches on the stove at once). We were….hungry. So it wasn’t entirely my fault when I stopped paying attention to which was what on the frying pan. Somehow, right under my nose, my co-chef placed about a 2 inch piece of bacon into one of my sandwiches. I guess all the talk and joking around really stuck with him. I don’t know how he had the courage to do this. It was a risky move that could have went terribly wrong. When we sat to eat, it was only a matter of time before I took my first bite of sodium nitrates in 3 years and well…honestly?
…I didn’t know whether to spit it out, or thank him. I am not going to pretend that bacon doesn’t taste good. It tastes awesome. Does this mean we should over eat anything and everything that simply “tastes good”? Of course not. But is a 2 inch piece of turkey bacon that someone slipped into my sandwich out of love going to kill me? I think I am OK. I bit my sandwich, and looked up. He laughed. I said “you sneak!” He laughed some more…and I said…”oh my god this tastes so good”. “It’s not your fault Jess”, he said; you didn’t know you were going to eat it, it was a kitchen error…whoops?”
Clearly…he just wanted to make sure I got what I deep down, really wanted. He is cool like that. We finished lunch, and then I went to vegetarian confession and repented. (…joke…).


(some food humor from thanksgiving season, thanks to my clinical nutrition professor who included this image in our lecture slides that week).

Cuando Los Ninos Bailen

I know it has been an unprofessional amount of time since I wrote my last blog. Fortunately for me, this isn’t my job because I would definitely have to fire myself by now. Once again, school & work have occupied all my time…but I should tell you I have a memo pad of paper with a list of blog topics to write about, when I get my life back in a few weeks. I hope that after my semester is over (December 22nd people, mark your calendars) that I will be able to spend my 5 weeks off from NYU catching up on all the books I bought for fun (but never read), studying Spanish (my co workers and I finally ordered rosetta stone), and of course…writing tons of blogs to catch you up on all the ideas that have been floating in this head of mine. Tonight though, I put aside the other work I have to do to write a special blog while my emotions are fresh. So, here it goes:
I came home from work tonight to see a letter from Children International. As some of you may know, I have been sponsoring a little boy named Elvis for the last 3 years through this international organization. At first glance of the thick packet I assumed it was an updated picture of him. I love when I get those updated pictures. Not to take too much credit, but he used to stare awkwardly into the camera for those. Ever since last March however, (when I visited him in Honduras) he has become a huge ham for the camera! He looks happier in every one I’ve gotten ever since my visit. I like to think it’s because he knows who he’s smiling for now. We became little buddies that day.

(Elvis performing a little song for me) :)
Unfortunately, the packet was nothing what I expected. Instead, it was a letter from Jim Cook (the founder of Children International). Elvis and his family unexpectedly moved out of the San Pedro Sula area, and therefore are no longer living in an area that Children International covers. They are gone, and he is no longer my sponsored child. What followed was worse. I cannot send any final letters or photos to him or his family. Upon reading this, I did what any sensitive and emotionally invested 25 year old would do…I cried. I held the letter and sobbed. And I feel that it is important to share just how much Elvis meant to me, and the story of how I visited him in Honduras.
It was October 2007 and I was living in Hells Kitchen, nyc. I was on my way to work when yes, I fell victim to one of those teenagers on the street asking “do you have a minute to help end world poverty?” Sure. I have a minute, but isn’t world poverty a little more complicated than that? Of course, I stopped and chatted away with the young man who was trying to sell me a kid. It seemed a little strange to do something like this on the street, and it seemed a little strange that he had photos and packets of hundreds of children living in poverty around the world in his little knapsack. Of course, I was still intrigued. I was told that for only 22 dollars a month I could provide school supplies, a monthly check up, and medical supplies for a kid in need. I had been thinking about doing this for years, and I had a few particular countries I was researching volunteering in at the time, so I started asking questions. “Do you have children from Honduras? I have been learning a lot about the country and I hope to visit it one day”. Man: “Yes! We do!” (man was very excited…starts fishing for all his Honduran baby pictures in his knapsack).
“Does children international allow visits? I feel weird about giving my money away and not seeing first hand where it goes”. Man: “We encourage visits! Just tell us 14 days before you plan to travel!”
“Really?...then sir, you have yourself a done deal. I want the youngest child you have in that bag…because I plan to sponsor for a very long time and I want to be a part of his life from the beginning”. And the man pulled out this picture of a 2 ½ year old butterball named Elvis. I know this may sound insane to some of you, but when I tell you I fell in love on the corner of 49th and 8th looking at a “welcome” packet from Children International…I kid you not. Maybe I am too sensitive a person to be doing things like this, but I was truly invested in Elvis, and his well being. So, from October 2007 on I sponsored him with 22 dollars a month, and a few letters and pictures exchanged a year. I thought about him every night, hoping he was Ok, safe, and healthy. Every time an updated picture arrived in the mail I would stick it on my refrigerator. My friends teased me, “Jessica, he has a mother already…you cannot take him back to the U.S.”
I always knew I would visit him in Honduras, I just didn’t know when. Finally, in March of 2010 I was given the amazing opportunity to volunteer in Honduras. I fundraised my entire trip through beer pong tournaments, letters to friends and family, and even selling some of my clothes. I didn’t know where Elvis lived in Honduras exactly, but it looked like a small country on the map and I was willing to jump on a bus if need be. About a month before leaving, I called Children International to explain what I would be doing in El Progreso. I was amazed and thrilled when the woman on the phone told me Elvis is in the San Pedro Sula area…just 45 minutes away from where I would be staying. I can’t help but write here how I know in my heart this was all meant to be. The organization I was volunteering with thought it was great and had no problem with me skipping a day with them to go make a visit to my little munchkin. So by mid February it was settled. I was going to volunteer in Honduras, and meet Elvis. Life was beautiful.
The day I met Elvis was the best day of my entire adult life so far. Children International sent an amazing woman to pick me up from where I was staying around 7:45 in the morning. We hopped in the van and drove about an hour to the center where Elvis and his mother were waiting for us. With me, I had regalos (gifts, of course) including Dora the explorer books (in Spanish) English/Spanish flashcards to help teach reading, and clothes. I bought matching pajamas from baby gap for him, his brother, and sister. I bought his mother a journal to record all the funny things her kids probably do every day since I knew she didn’t have a camera. I had a bag of goodies and I was so excited/nervous/happy. When we pulled up to the center my heart jumped in my throat. I saw him right away on the see-saw. He put his head down and rocked back and forth pretty violently (being nervous and upset at all the attention that was now on him). He was wearing jeans with a red and white t shirt. He was the cutest 5 year old I had ever seen. His family tried to get him to look up….I just stood there trying not to cry. “I am in San Pedro Sula Honduras, and I am 5 feet away from Elvis…oh my god…how did I get here?” was all I could think. When his mom told him firmly to look up, he became very upset and screamed “No quiero!” haha…(”I don’t want to!”) His tiny voice pulled at my heart and I told my friend Bobby (who speaks fluent Spanish) “tell her its ok! I understand!” 45 minutes of crying and shyness and I started being told by staff that this is a normal occurrence when sponsors show up. “Of course it is” I thought. I mean…imagine growing up in a small town in the United States. You own no tv, no radio, you have barely been educated. A Chinese woman who doesn’t speak English writes to your kid once a month and then after 3 years shows up in a van with a bunch of other Chinese people and she has gifts and a camera. Of course this can be stressful on a child and their entire family. But I wasn’t there to take pictures for fun, or to “hand out” gifts. I wanted to convey so badly how I thought about Elvis every day. I wanted to say how I told all my friends and family about the beautiful little boy and how he inspired me to begin to learn Spanish so perhaps one day I could get a job working in public health…working to help children like Elvis. But I was not fluent in Spanish, and for now…gifts were all I really had. So, I said “Elvis, Mira!” (elvis, look!) “Yo tengo regalos”. His little head looked up and I just got down on my knees and started reading one of the books I bought him to the best of my ability. It was a dora and diego book (in Spanish) and while I didn’t know every word I was reading…I did the best I could.
Throughout the story, he slowly walked closer and closer…I mean, cmon he had to see the pictures! By the time the story was over, a woman nearby told him to give me a hug for reading to him. After I put the book down, he jumped into my arms! After 45 minutes of him playing shy, we hugged it out. We were good now. We decided Elvis would probably feel more comfortable if we left the center, and headed to his own home. So, after a quick tour of the center which included the playground, education center, and pharmacy by the staff of Children International; we got back into the van, this time with Elvis and his mother, and headed to the mountain.
Elvis lived with his mother, sister, brother, grandfather, grandmother, and 12 other relatives in one concrete house. It was located at the top of a mountain on the outskirts of San Pedro Sula. When I say this was a bumpy ride, I really just say “bumpy” because I don’t think another word exists for the level of bumpiness this was. Elvis sat next to me, and I turned back to tell his mother during the ride how famous Elvis was back in Los Estados Unidos (The United States). The van drove a good distance before telling us no mas (no more). “You need to walk the rest! The hill is too steep to drive!” I got out of the van and checked out the hill I was about to climb to get to Elvis’s home. Before I had a moment to reflect, Elvis darted past me with all his gifts in his arms (barely able to hold it all). He ran up the hill screaming for his cousins and siblings, laughing and ready to show off his stuff. The child was a completely different person from when I first arrived that morning. I always had a feeling he was an adorable kid in person, but my god I was So Right! His voice, his smile, his enthusiasm, and his humor shined. As I walked up the hill about to enter his home and sit with his family, I could not have been happier. “This kid is amazing” I said.

When you stand outside in Elvis's house, on the porch, you are among the tops of avocado trees. The view is breathtaking. We spent the morning singing and dancing, reading books, and watching Elvis try on his new clothes. At one point he was so excited to be switching outfits, he ran out in nothing but his underwear. All the other little cousins started laughing and pointing and Elvis just smiled and ran away, with his little tushie sticking out. He is a joy. While I was not fluent in Spanish, I had the help of many translators and a friend who was fluent to help me out. I was able to convey my feelings towards the family, and had a very special conversation with Elvis’s Grandpa. His grandpa told me that in their house they refer to me as the godmother. He then gave me an original copy of a family photo they took one Christmas, and said he wanted me to keep it. He finished by saying (in Spanish) “you always have a place here in our home, and you can return whenever you’d like”.

(Elvis feeling like the superstar of the day with his mama and cousins)


(Watching the rainstorm)
That afternoon, after a typical Honduran rainstorm (which makes a NY rainstorm look like a day in the park) we grabbed walking sticks to assist us in our next challenge…getting down the hill to get back to the van. Of course, I slipped and fell on my tush right in the mud. We hugged and said our goodbyes. I thought for sure, I would return next year and make this day a tradition.

(Yes, I needed a little assistance coming down the hill)

They told me how I changed Elvis’s life. But really, Elvis changed mine.
Wherever you are my little butterball, I will never forget your smile and your teeny voice. You mean everything to me, and I will think about you and your family every day. I wish I could write you one last letter to tell you that I am here with you, in your heart, every step of the way.
Yo quiero mucho, y te extrano mucho.

86 all food: Part One

There is so much I could say about the experience I had during the cleanse that I made so public I was going to try. In all honesty, the numbers of topics are ongoing. I thought to myself “will you write about how hungry you were? Or maybe write about nutritional pros and cons to not eating for three days? Or maybe write about how cleanses aren’t in your opinion the “best” way to go about things…don’t sound too one sided though”. It’s been over 2 weeks since the cleanse and I am only writing about it now. Swamped with midterms, and deadlines at my job…I could only get myself to talk about this experience with friends over dinners these last few weeks rather than actually sit down and write about it. I knew writing about it would stir up a ton of information and use some emotional energy as well. I only hope I can remember all the details now. Although since I have used the word “traumatizing” to describe it …I think I can. For these reasons, I am breaking these posts into multiple parts. There are simply too many roads to take with this one. We will start with Friday. Day One.
I knew I was in trouble when one hour after my first juice, my stomach started growling.” How could I be hungry already?” I thought. I managed to hold off a little while longer but eventually ran for the second juice…both now being consumed before 11am. It was day one, Friday. I had 4 juice left as of 11am to last me for the rest of the day and night. In panic mode, I quickly made myself a Juice calendar, and plugged in evenly how I would distribute the juices for the rest of the weekend. That way, I wouldn’t accidentally finish them all too early in a day…or be left with 4 to drink 2 hours before bed. This little recording I did was just the beginning of the madness I refer to as my food obsession. Day one was the worst, that’s for sure. My body had no idea what was coming (screw the lemon tea I had in the days before, where was my oatmeal? Where was my rice and bean burrito for lunch?). I started suffering from what I was told were “detox symptoms” almost immediately, beginning of course with the headache. Ill save you the suspense and tell you now, that I had a headache from 11am Friday morning to about 4pm Sunday night, with absolutely no relief. Within hours, all I really wanted was to throw my juices off the triboro bridge and sit in a starbucks like a normal New Yorker while I sluggishly sipped a latte.
There were periods of relief however when it came to the hunger pains. These periods were usually about 10-15 minutes after consuming a juice, which made sense. This was the time my cells were being fed. But do the math, or the theorizing…juices don’t take long to digest. My 10-15 minute relief periods were short. I was always hungry about an hour and a half after having one again. This was one thing I was disappointed with. Why was I feeling physical hunger? I thought since my body was receiving all the nutrients it would need, that hunger pains would be the last of my worries. I was very very wrong here. Physical hunger was very much a part of my experience, along with fatigue.
By 4pm Friday I took my first nap. This was the beginning of the lack of energy (not the boost I had been promised). I was feeling tired, weak, and a little cranky. With no energy, and a desire to escape the growling stomach, I went to bed. I woke up around 6, and excited to have shaved off two hours, reached for juice #4. Amazingly, I finished all six juices and didn’t break any cleansing rules. I had officially made it through day one. My mantra was “day one is the hardest. You can do this” (literally people, I was saying these sentences out loud in my darkest moments of doubt and worst moments of hunger). But I finished well on Friday night, and, I will admit: slept great. Hm, maybe I really did just get through the worst?

T’was the Night Before Cleansing…

And all through the house, not a creature was stirring…not even …..not even my typical Thursday night snack which usually consists of cheese, crackers, and a celebratory glass of red wine for surviving yet another week. Uh. Why am I so tense?
The prep email I received Tuesday morning from my BP (Blue Print) friends I think fluttered me a bit. In a sudden rush of fear that my gut wasn’t in check, I decided that all intake of obvious junk food would be ceased immediately (although really...I don’t consume much junk food anyway). As for the caffeine, I went down to one large cup on Wednesday and one small cup (8oz) this morning. Yes, rather than completely going cold turkey I decided to slowly decrease the fluid ounces instead. Around 3pm when I usually hit up my favorite vegan spot on
west 23rd street for my second cup of coffee for the day; I instead these last 2 days opted for tea. My vegan, “raw food/nature/fans of "chill music"” type friends who work at the café suggested the lemon lavender mint tea. All I could think was “am I really doing this? Am I really capable of subbing out my second cup of coffee today for something that sounds like it should be made into a potpourri bowl?” But lemon- lavender- petals- galore tea I had. Actually, it wasn’t half bad. I may sound odd here, but it tasted clean. That is the exact word I thought by the time I reached the bottom of my cup. Yes, it had a clean fresh feeling to it. It was nothing like the coffee breath with a dash of milk and table sugar on the tongue that I am left with typically.
My final “prep” decision was that today, Thursday, I would eat completely vegan. I think 24 hours dairy free is definitely a step in the right direction before drinking juiced parsley. To clarify: Vegans are different from vegetarians, because vegans consume absolutely no animal products. While a vegetarian avoids meats, poultry, and fish…a vegan wouldn’t have cow’s milk in their cereal, or scrambled eggs. So today I went vegan. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stick to the sample menu BP gave me of vegetable broth and cucumber slices. I was feeling more anxious as the day went on, so I decided that eat I was going to…and that giving up my cheese and yogurt for the day was enough of a sacrifice “pre cleanse”. I mean c’mon…I’m giving up solid foods. Now you want my stomach to make funny noises the night before I even begin? Below is what I ate today, a diet high in fruits and vegetables, and low on sugars, dairy, & meats (well, not even low..basically eliminated).
Breakfast: Kashi Cinnamon Harvest Cereal with Soy Milk with an 8oz organic coffee (added soy milk and agave nectar). Mid Morning Snack: Smoothie (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, soy milk, banana, agave). Lunch: ½ cup of Organic split pea soup, & a salad wrap. Salad wrap included: spinach leaves, chickpeas, apples, almonds, and craisins, rolled up in a whole wheat flat wrap with white balsamic dressing. Small herbal tea (my flower pot). Dinner: 4 “chicken” nuggets with steamed string beans. I quote “chicken” because they are vegetarian nuggets. I know some of you are re reading this and feeling confused as ever. I love my fake little nuggets, and these are actually soy free as well as meat free (obviously) which makes me feel even better since I try to not overdose on all the soy that tends to replace meat in so many vegetarian products. They are made from a mushroom protein, and breaded just like any other nugget, except no chickens were harmed in the making. I also consumed two water bottles today, and am wrapping up with a final treat: One Kashi Cookie. They are oatmeal raisin cookies that are baked with flaxseed and supplemented with omega-3. If you are going to have dessert, one of these certainly shouldn’t keep you up at night with guilt. And I find having one a day really keeps me from barging into the famous Serendipity’s in east midtown, and going nuts on a Broadway blackout sundae and a frozen hot chocolate.
My juices were delivered at 3:45pm today to my office. It was at that moment, I actually felt my first real moment of pressure and a teeny bit of anxiety. The box was heavy as I carried it into our company kitchen. I opened the lid, and there they were. Everything (and the only thing) I would be consuming for the next 3 days. I felt nervous, but kind of excited. Maybe the question of whether or not I would fail at this seemed to thrill me. Nevertheless, they are there waiting for me for when I get to my office at 8:30am tomorrow and have my first one for breakfast. My main fear is that I am going to feel sick on this. I don’t want to find myself hungry, and therefore suffering from all my normal symptoms that occur when I am hungry: headache, weakness, & irritability. I have chosen not to stick to my normal workout routine on this cleanse, despite many people swearing that you can. As a first timer, I am staying out of the gym (a great chance to catch up on all my nutrition homework) and have decided on day 3, depending how I feel, the furthest I will go is to my 10am yoga class. I wonder if I will be able to yoga on day 3 of no solids?
I feel as if I am being such a ridiculous American right now. People all over the world go days without food, whether it’s for fasting, cleansing, or simply not having enough food accessible to them to remain full. I only need to get through 3 days, (and my nutrients have been carefully calculated and juiced for me). I do hope that thought registers with me should my stomach start to growl and I should start to feel cranky. Besides, while I can’t site where I may have heard this, I am pretty sure there are some hardcore yogis out there who are practicing yoga for 11 hours a day with nothing by cumin, lemons, and cayenne pepper in their system. And some of them take vows of silence on top of this behavior (something I won’t even kid myself with by entertaining the thought).
I am such a rookie in this spiritual, cleansing world.

Prepare Prepare Prepare:

This marks the first blog entry where I begin discussing the journey that is “my cleanse”. It is Tuesday morning and I woke up to an email from my juicy friends over at BluePrint. Apparently…giving up solid food to drink nothing but fresh pressed juice everyday isn’t something you just wake up and do. What I am told today is that I need to start preparing my body for the experience it is about to encounter. This being, my digestive system catching a break from having to break down solid foods, toxins being flushed out, and getting a major overdose of vitamins and minerals through these 6 different juices I will be drinking each day. This can be a lot for a body to handle all at once, which is why it makes sense I suppose to start prepping your stomach, as well as your small and large intestines. Luckily for me, I know exactly how our digestive system works. I understand the changes that would take place should someone decide to not eat solid foods. I understand the pros, and cons, to cleansing and fasting. All of this knowledge I have acquired has made me very (very) selective on what cleanse I would select, and how long I would do it for.
But why am I cleansing in the first place? And what are some reasons you may or may not want to do the same? I will start with the most popular myth. If you want to cleanse because you want to lose weight, don’t waste your time, or your emotional investment in a cleanse. Cleansing is not (I repeat: not) a permanent weight loss solution. Sure, giving up solid food will definitely make you appear thinner, at least for a short while. Once you return to food however, its game on. Especially for those who cleanse for a week, and then feel that they’ve put in the work to earn back their frequent meals at applebees. But lets think practical here; we also can’t spend the rest of our lives living off nothing but juiced kale and coconut water. It is not only unrealistic, but horrific for our digestive system. Our esophagus (you know…that tube our food goes down to reach our stomach) is a muscle. And just like any other muscles in our body, if it is not worked…it becomes weak, lazy, flabby, however you want to picture it. Our esophagus pushes our food down after we swallow with a one way movement called “peristalsis”. This wavelike motion wouldn’t need to do half the work when we swallow nothing but liquids, nor would our stomach need to do as much churning. Overtime, no solid foods lead to a deteriorating digestive system, which can affect how our bodies eventually absorb nutrients. If we cannot absorb nutrients, we are not benefitting from eating any food at all. Long term affects: Wasting away of muscles, malabsorption, higher risk for illness, and eventual starvation. So, just like any other muscles in our bodies…lets keep our digestive system at work, by giving it a variety of wholesome food that it needs to break down, churn, mix, and push through our intestines. Bottom line: cleansing with a hope that you will lose tremendous amount of weight, and keep it off, even if it means cutting back on solid foods permanently, is not how I want your brain thinking.
I am cleansing, because I am reaching a point where my body, and the decisions I have recently made for it, is catching up to me. I am very much in tune with my body, which is excellent because I know when things are going wrong almost immediately. My schedule these days has contributed to a combination of symptoms including lack of sleep, increase in caffeine intake, increased likelihood to accept a glass of red wine after work, and more lunches then id care to admit being purchased “on the go”. My skin is dry (dehydration), I am tired, feeling sluggish, and bloated. I am cleansing to give my digestive system a break, put nothing but fruit and vegetables into my body, and allow myself the opportunity to rid my system of caffeine and alcohol. When I return to eating solids, I will return with a “clean slate,” and that is exactly what I feel I need. While this may help me drop a few pounds, I view those pounds as the toxins being flushed out of my system (goodbye bloat!) and know that I will need to keep healthy once I eat my first real breakfast again next week.
Back to my welcoming email I received this morning though. I have one issue with it. They are telling me to start preparing, by weaning off my coffee now. As I sit in my bedroom, reading through my morning emails, holding a giant cup of coffee…I looked down at my cup after reading this particular sentence, almost as if to say “im sorry” to it, as it stared back at me. What would I do? Is this my last cup? I mean, I wasn’t exactly prepared to hit this bump until Friday. And believe me, I knew when signing up for this that it would mean no coffee…I think I was lying to myself by ignoring that fact when sharing with my friends what I was about to do. I have two midterms this week (both of which really are requiring more commitment from me), so am I not to have caffeine on the days of these exams? If there is a God, now would be the time Id need to call on his help. If I really had my last cup of coffee this morning for the next week…I may go postal before this cleanse is over.
The rest seemed simple though. No meat (check! For the last 3 years), wean off dairy (not too difficult for me since the only dairy I really eat is yogurt, and cheese) and cut back on those added sugars (I only add sugar to my coffee, so again, I can deal). I am also given a sample menu of the foods I should stick to the day before I begin my cleanse. It’s what I would refer to as a “starve yourself” diet…but it’s only for one day, and I understand it will help prep my stomach for the pure juiced goodness it will need to rely on for the upcoming days. The menu tells me to stick to fruit for breakfast, cucumber, avocados, lettuce, and maybe some olive oil drizzled on top for lunch…and (ready for this?) vegetable broth (low sodium) for dinner. Good god. Are they kidding? Granted, I feel my stomach is already slightly better prepared then someone who eats fast food and is about to do this. I drink fresh squeezed juices frequently as a supplement to my lunches. However, without the support of the cleanse juices, I will be consuming less than 800 calories on this day if I follow their menu, and I fear that I will be left, well…clawing at the glass windows of my neighborhood bakery by 7pm.
So here it goes. I think I just drank my last cup of coffee. I am about to snack on my last stoneyfield yogurt cup for a while, and I will be carefully monitoring everything I eat for the next 3 days until my juices get delivered Friday morning. By the way, did I mention they are getting delivered to my office? This excites me. Friday morning I will come into work for my 9am meeting, and my juices will be there, in our refrigerator, waiting for me to start the day. One can only hope that no one else enters the meeting this Friday eating a buttered croissant, or an egg and cheese McMuffin.