men knitting

these made me happy to see today. knitting has been a therapeutic activity for quite some time:




Both from the National Museum of Health and Medicine flickr site

diet - the first three days

I decided to try the blood type diet for a month. After three days, my commitment has shrunk down to a week. I am an O, so to match this "ancient" blood type, I am supposed to eat like a hunter gatherer (my interpretation) - think foods before agriculture set in. I'm supposed to focus on lean meats, nuts, vegetables and grains. I'm not allowed to eat dairy, wheat or distilled liquids (vinegars, liquor, etc.). The almost deal-breaker was no avocado and only sprouted wheat bread (or spelt bread).

This weekend, no matter how much I ate, I still felt hungry. I was not happy without my carbs. It's getting better, but it's not easy. If I was still in the restaurant business, I would definitely start a bakery that focused on gluten free and wheat free backed goods that retain their moisture. I can't find a bread that I can eat that isn't closer to cardboard than bread.

I had a business lunch on Monday (this was a big test as I refused to make a big deal about this new diet). Thankfully, my colleague suggested a Vietnamese restaurant. It worked out beautifully (I love pho and it's generally okay on this diet).

My next visit to the acupuncturist who suggested this is on Friday. His main reason for suggesting this diet was because he saw that my spirit was blocked and not coming out. I think this diet is a great experience, but my spirit will be crushed without a relationship to nouveau-French food (I've realized how much my identity is still wrapped up in my cooking background). I'll probably end up using this diet in spirit, but staying very flexible. I'll keep posting as the week progresses...

diet

Anyone who knows me, even those who don't know me that well, know that I am in the "live to eat" category, as opposed to the "eat to live" one. I am obsessed with food and have been for a long time. It became official when my mom would find me when she got home from work in the kitchen with a big dinner project started (think pumpkin ravioli or chess pie). I cooked at fine dining restaurants through college and loved it. I didn't love the drama that sometimes surrounded the professional kitchen, though.

I have been fortunate enough to never have all this good food wreak havoc on my body. I've never been on a diet (the closest has been when I found out I was lactose intolerant, but that's just a minor modification in diet). Well, this past Friday, I decided to try a new diet. As a new years' resolution, I promised to try to get to the bottom of my long standing fatigue (I'm an extremely active person, but I've always battled through a level of fatigue that has prevented me from going to the next level like a triathlon). I went to the acupuncturist for the first time and I'm hopeful that the acupuncture will be a good approach. He also suggested trying the blood type diet. I said I would try it for a few weeks. I'm an O, so my blood type diet is very "hunter gatherer" - lean meats and no refined foods. I got home and realized what that would entail and have second thoughts. No dairy, no wheat, no avocado, etc. I think I can approach this diet in spirit, but not methodically. I just don't live in such a black and white world with food. Not being able to eat avocados and vinegars were almost a deal breaker in themselves. So, I'll use this blog as a journal for how the diet is progressing. I already have a post ready about this weekend and my struggle with the diet...