Makers Diet - Day 2

Day 2 of the Maker's Diet is nearly over. I am experiencing some mild detox symptoms: fatigue, headaches, general spaciness. (I don't think that last one was a medical term.) I am also really craving grains. There are so many things I "can't" eat during the first two weeks of this diet. I'm pretty much limited to: most meat, most veggies, some fruit, some nuts, eggs, and goat dairy. Portion sizes are supposed to be smaller (people in ancient times ate about 1/4 of what we eat), but I'm ok with that. In fact, I didn't really want to eat much today, because it all sounded unappetizing. I guess this is where the "prayer and purpose" portion come in. This is the hardest phase - the cleansing phase. In two weeks, I can start adding some foods back in, and in four weeks, I can eat all things allowed on the Maker's Diet.

I always have high hopes in starting diets and exercise plans, but they usually falter after a few days. I really hope that I can keep this diet up for 40 days, because I sincerely believe that most of what Jordan Rubin argues in his book is true, and I think it will be good for me. So, if you see me, encouragement is appreciated. Or, at the very least, don't rub it in my face that you're eating pizza and I'm not.

Hitting a wall.

My last post was poorly written in my passion and search for settlement; sorry to say, I have not come to many more conclusions in my own personal quest for wellness. My last post was also a month ago. It seems that when I become very busy, my health and wellness goes out the window. Luckily, I have not been sick (I think not being around 17 nine-year-olds daily helps in that department), but I have been eating on the go quite a bit - a recipe for disaster. It's hard to make meals ahead of time in general, and hard to make good meals that will taste good after being heated in the office microwave.

I've also been trying to add a decent exercise routine to my schedule; however, this also seems to be failing. Working full time and having a "part time" nonprofit business on the side often pushes out any notion of getting in a good workout (which then needs to be followed by a shower). How do people do it? I honestly can't imagine if I had children, trying to fit this all in.

In spite of all my complaining, I am happy to report that the nonprofit is thriving. Slowly, but steadily, those $4 t-shirts and $8 dresses are adding up to hundreds of dollars taken in to provide school clothes for local refugee children. I don't know if temporarily forfeiting my personal wellness is "worth it," but I guess I'd rather it be for this reason than for Netflix or Wii.

Old Testament, Old School?

So... I just read a little bit more of The Maker's Diet. The author made the point that God commanded us, in the Bible, to eat certain kinds of foods (Genesis 1, Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14, Ezekiel 4). For example, the reason He told us to eat meat from animals that have divided hooves and chew their own cud is because they have separate stomachs that filter out toxins and create healthier meat. Pigs do not fall into this category. Pigs do things like eat other dead pigs in the pen, along with pretty much anything that's in front of them. So imagine if a pig eats a dead, rotting pig, gets slaughtered a few hours later, and shows up on your plate within the next day or two. AWESOME.

The thing that struck me, and caused me to come inside on a sunny evening and type this into my blog is that THESE ARE COMMANDMENTS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT! And they are in multiple chapters! So ALLLLL the Christians who harp on things like homosexuality - because "God says it's a sin in Leviticus" - are sinning every time they eat a hot dog! So, the revelation that I have is: it's either all relevant, or none of it is. You can't pick and choose what you want to believe God is telling you in the Bible. The message to the Southern, Bible-belt, overweight, gluttonous, Sunday-barbeque-eatin' Church is: YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT, TOO.

(This was written in great haste; therefore, it was not written well. I'll try better next time.)

On a quest for health.

A diet has got to be more about avoiding certain foods. It's got to be about looking for the right ones. After trying to eat "gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free" for the past eight months, I'm ready to add some things back into my diet. I've already added in small amounts of raw sugar, and, at the recommendation of another gluten-free friend, tried Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted-grain bread, as it is easier to digest and nutrient-rich. Today I had some dark chocolate and didn't feel guilty - the antioxidants can be beneficial. I still know that my body does not respond well to dairy, and will still try to avoid that. I've learned that soy is questionable, and should be consumed sparingly. And staying away from processed, pre-packaged foods is ALWAYS a good idea.

I was thinking about my own health, and the health of my family members last night. Different members are dealing with obesity, diabetes, depression, blot clotting, and other issues. I wonder if these could have been avoided, or would have manifested to a lesser degree, if our diets were better. I did not grow up on overly-greasy food... my mother was always doing Weight Watchers and exercising, and tried to feed us relatively healthy foods. But sweets were a centerpiece in my family. Desserts after every meal. Having dessert taken away was a punishment. My grandmother even gave us dessert after breakfast when we stayed at her house as kids! And school - cupcakes for friends' birthdays, candy for prizes... they were everywhere. As a result, my one weakness is sweets. I can give up fried foods, salty foods, french fries - all of it. But cookies, chocolate, brownies - that's difficult. I found myself getting angry at how hard it is for me to avoid these foods because of how I've been conditioned. I have to learn to overcome these cravings, somehow.

I'm about to start reading The Maker's Diet. I've heard rave reviews from those who have adopted this way of life. I don't know about the whole "no tattoos" thing, but everything else seems pretty legit. I will update with my findings soon.

In remembrance

In the midst of the misery of St. Patty's Day hangovers and the frustration that your iPhone can't send the sweet video of Bon Iver you took at SXSW, have you forgotten that March 19 is the sixth anniversary of the Iraq War?

I could write lines upon lines about the immorality and injustice of this senseless "war." The death toll continues to rise, innocent lives are lost, and the world is becoming less and less safe. While our economy is crumbling, we continue to pour money into this war that is benefiting our nation in no tangible way whatsoever.

Here are some staggering numbers, taken from www.unitedforpeace.org:
*At least 1 million Iraqis killed
*4.5 Iraqis displaced and 5 million orphans
*Over 4,000 American troops killed with tens of thousands wounded
*Upwards of $600,000,000,000 already spent
*$720 million spent every day
*Estimates say that upwards of $3 trillion will have been spent by the end (but who knows when the end will be?)

From a monetary standpoint, this is an interesting read: http://www.whatwecouldhavedonewiththemoney.com/

From a personal standpoint: This war has just recently touched me in a personal way. I've befriended a girl from Iraq, just a couple of years younger than me. She and her brother fled from Iraq to Lebanon, then relocated to the United States to escape the violence. They now live in a run-down apartment complex, with no jobs, no car, and no options. She was studying graphic design at a university in Lebanon, but cannot do that here because she doesn't have the English skills yet to attend school.

Can you imagine troops occupying our country? Can you imagine having to flee to another country and give up every luxury and right you've ever enjoyed?

CAAA is doing a prayer vigil on Saturday, March 21, from 11am to 1pm. We'll be praying for all those who have been impacted by the war in Iraq. If you'd like to join us, please meet at Centennial Park at 11am. We'll walk in prayer and meditation to intercede for soldiers, civilians, families, and politicians who are involved.

The direction of my thoughts.

As I’m writing this, I’m listening to a live version of Jimmy Eat World’s “Goodbye Sky Harbor,” the song from which my blog title is taken. They are one of my favorite bands of all time, and their record “Clarity” is my number one record of all time. I’ve been watching live clips of their shows all week on YouTube, as they are now on tour, playing “Clarity” in its entirety at each of their 10 shows across the U.S. A couple of friends saw the show in New York the other night; others are attending their show in Chicago tomorrow.

I say all this as a preface to my expression of my longing… yearning… desperation… to see this show. Ryan and I just could not find a couple hundred dollars to buy tickets, gas, and accommodations for the trip to see them play. I am extremely disappointed, but also conflicted.

Last weekend, Ryan and I watched a documentary called “Gaza Strip.” We watched Palestinians who were not allowed to cross the Israeli border to see family members trek across the sandy beach with donkeys and trucks loaded with their belongings because it was the only way out of Gaza. We watched little boys throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers, only to duck seconds later as the soldiers fired at them. The Palestinians had no weapons – they were armed only with rocks. The only way they could fight back was throwing rocks at people. How helpless must they feel? The most gruesome and disturbing scene was a hospital scene in which doctors were treating a boy whose stomach was blown out by a grenade. The boy later died.

Am I really lamenting over Jimmy Eat World tickets when a small boy was gutted for doing NOTHING WRONG? Where does my money go? Where does my time go? Where are my longings directed? For what is my heart yearning?

It doesn’t seem practical to devote my time to intercession instead of entertainment. To send my money to missions instead of IKEA or Target. I think the Christian life – the humanitarian life – is much more difficult that we think it is.

On food, and the consumption of it.

Deciding to eat healthily is like opening Pandora's box. Hear me out.

You start by buying "low-cal" and "fat free." This was what I grew up with. Skim milk, chips made with O-Lean (luckily they never gave me the runs, but I heard others did not fare so well), fat-free ranch dressing... you know the deal. It was the craze of the 90s. I spent my afternoons and weekends in junior high recording what I ate in a notebook, downing Slim-Fast, and working out with my mom's Tony Little and The Firm workout tapes (in retrospect, both of which were very creepy and laden with erotic undertones). Oh - and I can't leave out Jane Fonda. Okay, back from the rabbit trail. As children of the 80s and 90s, we grew up with parents who were starting to be "health conscious" - or perhaps, more appropriately, "fat conscious." The goal was to be healthy, yes, but it was mostly not to get fat. This stayed with me as I became an adult and starting buying my own reduced-fat peanut butter.

After converting to a gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free lifestyle last summer, I started reevaluating the "benefits" of "fat free" and "sugar free" products. To replace the taste and/or consistency that comes with fat or sugar, oftentimes manufacturers will insert chemically-derived ingredients in the food. Or, should I say, "food." Is not the next step to ask, "Why are there chemicals in my food? What are the benefits or detriments of this mystery ingredient that is spelled with 14 letters?"

The diet restrictions forced me to drive to Green Hills to shop at the Whole Foods. I hate Green Hills traffic and snobbery, and thought Whole Foods was overpriced. (I still maintain my opinions on Green Hills, but now find that WF's prices are usually comparable to Kroger's or Wal-Mart's.) While at Whole Foods, I noticed the extreme emphasis on "ORGANIC! ORGANIC! ORGANIC!" and "free range" and "vegetarian fed" and "no hormones" and "no GMOs." Okay. So the whole time that I was shopping at Kroger and Wal-Mart buying Tyson chicken and non-organic apples, I was ingesting hormones and chemicals?

All of a sudden, I wasn't paying attention to calories or fat content anymore (and after doing so, ironically lost 15 pounds right away.) I was looking for foods that were not on my "DO NOT EAT" list, which was a huge challenge. Moreover, I was looking for those foods to be organic, hormone free, and/or chemical free. I started reading every label. I learned that "natural flavors" are not regulated by the USDA and that can mean that there is gluten (a no-no for me) in a product - and who knows what else? I even changed from being die-hard sugar-free to replacing the Splenda in my coffee with raw turbinado sugar. Cut out the chemicals!

The next logical step is to wonder WHY there are harmful hormones, chemicals, and mystery ingredients in the food. Why isn't the USDA regulating this more carefully? My conclusion: It is about the money. Isn't it always about the money? I wrote about soy as one of my first posts. If soy is a highly-industrialized crop, do you think that the USDA, a government agency, is going to announce its setbacks? No! It's going to recommend soy as a cancer-fighting agent, not as a cancer-causing one. Corn is also highly industrialized; hence, these commercials have been produced.

I know this next conclusion won't fly with everyone, but here goes: The harmful additives in our food could be part of a plot for American genocide. Think about it! Genetically modified foods - how else might these foods be modified? The commercials about high-fructose corn syrup being "okay," soy formula for babies, school lunches that are high in fat, sugar, and cholesterol... And what of the fact that the cheapest foods are the worst for you? The poor are slowly being killed with each bite they take of McDonald's, Doritos, and Little Debbie snacks. A 2-liter of Coke is three to four times cheaper than a jug of 100% juice. Finally, there are all the cancer causing additives that are in most fast foods and popular packaged foods. Why is the government allowing these harmful ingredients to be a part of the food industry? Or, are they not only allowing these things, but promoting them?

I even made an attempt to start switching my body products to natural ones, realizing that the chemicals that I was washing my face with were seeping into my pores and entering my system. My toothpaste has fluoride, my deodorant contains aluminum, and so on. But then I realized that there is chlorine, fluoride, and hundreds of other chemicals and impurities in the very water I am washing with.

It is all very overwhelming. The fact that it is nearly impossible to avoid ingesting chemicals in the things I eat, drink, and bring into contact with my skin is disconcerting. How did it become this way, and who brought it on?

I welcome your comments. This is a topic I'd love to learn more about, and maybe actually reach some conclusions.