In order to continue the story in its chronological order I feel it's important that I share with you some of the meals that I ate during the early stages of the dietary programme set by the Naturopath. Sometimes the most difficult decision of the day was and still is "What the hell can I eat tonight?" So Part V of the story takes you through some of those decisions, and how I kept on the straight and narrow, when I really wanted to pig out on something unhealthy. And don't worry if I have addressed your concerns and all the meals in this post, I will be continuing on the meals theme throughout the blog, from here onwards...at least this Part V gets you started on that road.
Before I get too far into this post, I'm not going to pretend this was an easy programme to which I had to adjust. It was far from easy. There were times when I wanted to give up and there were times whether I doubted if the programme would do me any good and I questioned if this restrictive diet (which was really to, unnoticeably, become a lifestyle change) was going to save me from the inevitable and if I'd be better off spending the next 2 years merely enjoying myself eating anything I'd like...after all, if I'm going to go early, then it should be on my terms. But for someone with such a positive attitude through life, that seemed defeatist and it's not what my family would want, no matter what a pain in the backside I am to them. Like many when faced with a terminal illness you question your sanity and the logic. So I'm the first to admit that in the early days, when I felt like sh*t and couldn't face the prospect of another salad or having to think "What can I have tonight?" I felt a strong urge to go off the dietary rails. It's natural to experience this feeling...so no apologies from me and, there should be no apologies from you if you too are a sufferer and you experience similar feelings.
It's important too that I tell you at this juncture, that I suffer from no food allergies (of which I'm aware), and so 'coming off' certain foods is only temporary and also a 'life choice'....ie. choose to live by the best means possible. I went to the consultation with the Naturopath, duly paid my fee, had my thorough White Light Radionics body analysis, and was given or prescribed the programme. The decision was entirely mine as to whether I adopted the programme or I chose to ignore it. I chose the former. The first port of call was the internet to purchase the supply of supplements for this 'emergency' programme. Given that the supplements alone came to £250+ on top of the consultation fee, it sort of focusses one's mind on how serious one is about the programme. I had learned that my body was too acidic and apart from knowing that drinking lemon juice and water helped change it to alkaline, I wasn't too au fait with what else I needed to do nor which supplements were best to achieve the quickest response. Giving up at the start point, having already lost 1 stone 7lbs, would seem futile and as I said to myself "What cost do I put on my life?" The decision was made, and I decided that if I was going to do the programme then I couldn't do it half-cock! For me it was an all or nothing and it was at this stage that my mental resolve kicked in and I became 150% committed to making this programme work.
As a training consultant of thirty years experience in and out of the corporate world, I knew enough about goal setting and the need to set myself reachable, and measurable goals - in small manageable chunks. My goals weren't so much written down (and despite what I just said, I recommend that you DO indeed write your goals down), but they were clear, achievable and measurable. I'd start with the weight...
I knew that if I could reduce my weight to a more reasonable level then I'd give my lungs a fighting chance to recover. As I stated earlier, I was 17 stone 7lbs at the Christmas 2020 and I'd already started the process. My goal was/still is to reach 13stone 7lbs (that will represent an overall loss of 4 stones.) However secretly I'm aiming lower...13 stone. I am confident it is achievable and you'll discover how I do later in the story. Of course this is a long term goal and the only successful way to achieve this overall target is to do it in bite size pieces... a few lbs at a time until I reach 7lbs. Then on to the next 7lb target. By building on a few lbs at a time the entire target soon gets closer and each small target reached is incentive to keep going. Not only can I feel the weight coming off but also with each 7lbs (half a stone), I feel fitter.
If you recall from Part III of the story, my new regime recommended by the Naturopath went beyond that diet which I'd prepared for myself in December...as a salient reminder it was as follows...(and it's quite a challenge)
No Grains - nothing made from grains (no bread, cakes, pastries etc - not even gluten free!)
No Dairy - i.e. no milk, creams, cheese etc but Almond milk is okay and Coconut Milk
No Tea (Breakfast tea - I'm allowed herbal teas) No Coffee and No Alcohol
No Sugars nor artificial sweeteners - honey is permitted
No Vinegar - regular vinegar that is (one or two of the others are ok but I stay away from them if I can)
So what did and do I eat?
Well, the first thing I did was to buy a juicer! I already had a food processor with a liquidiser attachment so I was half way there, but a juicer was missing from my range of kitchen gadgets. I purchased an expensive workhorse which is described as a 'masticating juicer' as a nutritionist friend recommended such due to the fact that it produces on average a further 50% more juice than other versions.
Juicer instructions read and understood, next was to juice lemons and oranges...oranges for the daily Vitamin C and lemons for my hot water and lemon drinks which I was to consume throughout the day...this was part of my aid to transforming my body from acidic to alkaline. Practical Tip: After a while I decided to juice the lemons in bulk and to freeze the lemon juice in ice cube trays, form cubes, and store them in the freezer for daily use...this saves me having to keep juicing lemons on an almost daily basis and keep re-washing the juicer for each fruit or vegetable used.
Breakfast: consists of a few different meal/dishes depending upon whether I have been shopping or what's in the fridge. Generally the options are as follows:
Fruit Smoothies - base fruit is always banana, with one of a variety of choices from blueberries, raspberries, mango, red berries, blackberries or strawberries...To those two ingredients I add coconut milk or almond milk. or as a back up natural yoghurt, never low fat. (I'm not one for vegetable smoothies but I do understand the health benefits.) - the smoothies can be consumed plain or if you wish, some crushed pistachios sprinkled on the top will go down well and are very nutritious.
Semi Cooked Breakfast - this usually consists of poached egg(s), smoked salmon, and avocado. Sometimes the avocado is substituted with baby asparagus, or even baby broccoli. No toast as I can't have grains.
Full Cooked Breakfast - a herb omelette with a slice of bacon...sometimes I add semi-roasted tomatoes which I have usually prepared maybe 24 hours in advance. I prefer the semi-roasted style as the tomatoes become more intense in terms of flavour. In addition it allows me to add a further herb in oregano and maybe a little garlic.
Right now I'm going through a smoothie phase and out of 7 days, 5 of those will be fruit smoothies of one variety or another.
Lunch: I started the programme religiously sticking to three meals a day. That was unusual for me. Having lived abroad in Spain and being self employed I lived on breakfast, tapas and one main evening meal. Having returned to the UK to care for my aged father I found myself not only eating three meals a day but often over cooking the dishes and consuming more than was necessary. For the past year however I have returned to a regime of Breakfast and either a very late but decent lunch. or grabbing a bite at lunchtime, and a more substantial meal in the evening. Either way I'm not eating three full meals and to be honest I'm not missing a three meal lifestyle. What is important to me now is i) I'm eating the right foods to benefit my intended goals of weight loss and fitness and ii) that whatever I put on my fork or spoon I am going to enjoy it.
Salads: Without doubt if I'm going to have a meal at lunchtime, however late, it's going to be a salad of some sort. The base ingredient will most often be fish of some variety...from smoked mackerel, tuna, tinned sardines in olive oil (the oil is important - I always go for the olive oil and not the sunflower oil), crab meat, or smoked salmon.
The salads will vary from the usual kos lettuce, and few tomatoes and cucumber and will lean heavily on 'greens'. As I create it I have more of a crude Caesars Salad in mind. Salad leaves (a variety of leaves is fine and makes it more interesting - spinach leaves are good too), cucumber, spring onion, plenty of herbs and especially basil, which I always seem to have in abundance, radish, avocado, green beans (cooked but left to go cold), and flaked smoked mackerel. Anchovies (preferably the white and not brown salted variety) are traditionally used in Caesar's salads but you can use whichever you wish. No croutons (no grains don't forget) and no shavings of parmesan (no dairy). The dressing is usually straight olive oil but I do make my own version of French dressing with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), a touch of either balsamic vinegar, or white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and salt and black pepper...shaken not stirred as 007 would have said. Having lived in Spain where the tomatoes are so flavoursome (bought from a street market where the seller is a small holding owner, and not the supermarkets) a Tomato Salad is a meal in itself. Chopped raw tomatoes with garlic, sea salt, a few scattered herbs and EVOO is perfect. If you can get hold of different varieties of tomatoes to make it both colourful and even more flavoursome, then I highly recommend you do so. Alternatively a Bean Salad could consist of a combination of beans, cannellini, chick pea, red kidney beans to accompany with tuna, tomatoes, sliced red onions and again a sprinkling of garlic....and EVOO dressing. If you have guests then sharing a Cobb Salad is a great way to get everyone involved...and traditional Cobb Salads even look great assuming you keep to the rules. Finally, for the moment in the salad range a Salad Nicoise, made with either tuna or chicken goes down well. If not a salad then subject to time constraints and the weather a quick soup, previously made in advance and housed in the freezer makes a good and substantial lunch...and strictly no grains!
Evening meal: I've deliberately called it an evening meal rather than dinner as the term 'dinner' can be so more formal. This isn't necessarily formal, unless you wish it to be...
For me, I'd again go straight for the fish...Salmon fillet ideally from a fishmonger. The issue with salmon is that much of the product sourced in supermarkets is farm raised and not wild. If you can find wild and you are prepared to pay the extra premium then that's what I'd recommend. If you are in a small supermarket which has no fish counter (and those are becoming more rare by the day) then there aren't the knowledgeable people around to ask. Most supermarket staff stack shelves and don't necessarily know anything about the products. At least with a fishmonger you can ask, where and when it was caught, and determine if it is wild or farmed. To accompany the salmon I'd include any of asparagus, spinach (raw or cooked - raw is more beneficial), tender broccoli stems, mange tout, snap peas, leeks, or basically anything nutritious and green, punctuated with chopped herbs. More often than not I'd exclude potatoes...unless a have a few summer new potatoes, but then only literally three or four cut in half to look like more! As for a sauce or dressing? I'd maybe put a little horseradish on the side or failing that just a squeeze of lemon and EVOO.
Sardines, either fresh or from a tin are another great core ingredient and I'll happily eat my way through a tin of these with semi-roasted Provencal tomatoes, hot or cold. If you are looking for a great tasty potato accompaniment then I'd recommend 'Patatas a la Pobre' - Poor Man's Potatoes. This is a Spanish dish of sliced potatoes (usually peeled although I have left the skins on if I'm using new potatoes), with slices of white onions, and slices of green bell pepper. Cooked slowly in olive oil. (By the way if you are cooking with olive oil, always cook with the cheaper versions, not with the EVOO.) Cook the potatoes until they are soft, and usually there's enough oil in the pan to cover the potatoes. Let them colour on the edges if you wish but don't cook as if you are frying/sautéing them.
Other evening meals could consist of chicken (for me no more than say 4 oz/112 gm per meal)...including a roast to share with family, providing you don't eat the chicken skin. Make the gravy from a little vegetable stock from that which you have boiled and the juices of the chicken - I'm not against the gravy stock cubes and you can use them if you wish but remember that many contain processed additives which you don't need in your life.
Eating Out: Of course this dietary restriction can be a little hard to bear and you may think that it will curtail you ability to dine out and enjoy yourself. Not so. What you need to do is to undertake a bit of research regarding venues and their menus. Admittedly most venues offer similar dishes but if you look hard enough then you can more often or not find something that works for you. For example: a particular French restaurant near me has a pretty exhaustive menu, and my meal was made up from both the vegan menu items and the normal menu. From the vegan menu, (and no I'm not vegan and nor will I ever be) a traditional vegetable soup. From the main menu fillets of hake on a bed of lentils and coriander sauce, with roasted tomatoes and a small swirl of potato.
The key for me (and maybe you too) to keep this dietary regime going is to understand that for every meal you stick rigorously to the diet, the closer you are to achieving full health. None of the foods which I'm not permitted within this strict diet cause any allergic reaction in me, but they do represent a set back should I deviate away from what you have been advised to eat. It reminds me of when I was in a hospital canteen and a huge (I mean huge - about 20 stone) nurse sat on the table opposite devouring a large iced bun. I overheard her say to a friend "Yeah I know I'm supposed to be on a diet but this one doesn't count!" That's the problem they all count and they all hurt...they clearly just keep setting her back from becoming healthy. Eventually poor health and illness will overtake the progress of dietary improvement and one's efforts will all have been in vain.
Dietary change is to be looked upon not as a chore or something to hate...it should be looked upon as your life saviour and maybe just the very change which is going to save your life.
In Part VI of this journey discover how my second and third appointments went with the Naturopath and find out whether my programme made any difference over the first four or five weeks, and then onwards to my tenth/eleventh week of progress.
