Reflecting on Health

I read Chris' (from Flock) raw food and commitment to a cleanse post with great interest and it brought me back to 'really healthy days' living in Israel, India, other parts of Asia, where it was easy to eat healthy non-processed food on a regular basis. And in those days, I never ate meat.

I can be fairly disciplined once I commit to a 'diet' or lifestyle change. Note the important word here - commit. I didn't stray from my recent South Beach diet for four weeks, but sadly only lost a couple of pounds while others have taken off ten.

While 'raw' is all around us in northern California, I find it increasingly anti-social and complicated to stay on a raw food diet and maintain the lifestyle. Part of the reason is that I like wine and don't want to completely abandon it from my life.

The one year I gave up wine/alcohol altogether, I didn't discover much of a difference in my life, but then again, I was only 32 at the time, and it seems that up to 35, your body can handle a lot more abuse with few consequences.

I went on a fabulous cleanse that changed my life a few years ago in Fiji. Not only did I feel ten years younger, but I looked it.....there was such a dramatic shift, that I tried to replicate it in the states and succeeded for, well, two months. Not bad given my social circles.

I still eat a healthy diet - tons of veggies and fish, but to 'stay raw,' I discovered that I would either have to give up going out to eat altogether or give up my entire social circle of the past twenty years. It doesn't mean that I couldn't make new 'raw food enthusiast' friends, however, if you've ever lived in Europe or happen to be from there, you'll understand the missing element here.

Food is a social experience - trying and sharing. Did I mention sharing? Wine is also experiencial, at least it is for me.

The breakthrough for me was finally the sharing part. I was having drinks with TEDster pal Daniel Gilbert in Cambridge when he ordered a pretty nice Cabernet or something to that effect.

He looked over me and simply said I wasn't as much fun on my new diet, despite the fact that I 'looked' better. (he didn't add the last part, nor am I trying to pick on Daniel - he wasn't the first one to bring it up, perhaps just bolder than most). As a professor of psychology, you can get away with saying things like this.

So the question becomes - did I cave to peer pressure to give up a program that I KNEW was better for me physically and spiritually? Partly, yes, but partly, its about the debate that you end up having with yourself.

I actually like raw foods and even before the cleanse, I juiced, ate tons of salads, never ate deep fried food or processed foods, wouldn't touch a burger, dog, potato chip, fry or donut, and avoided fatty foods. The only sweet I would ever crave was pure dark chocolate -- still the case.

Often what would creep into my diet over time was cheese and hearty bread cravings, particularly when presented with a bowl of extra virgin olive oil and pesto. While not necessarily something on its own that will add weight or be an unhealthy choice, carbs beg more carbs, at least they did with me.

I could easily polish off an entire basket of bread and the more I ate of it, the more I craved. The same applies to the dark chocolate cravings. Ray Kurzweil told me to cut out all carbs and sugars until afternoon hours and my sugar and carb cravings would stop. While it took a few days to clear out of my system, he was right. Problem solved.

So I sit here reading Chris' raw food cleanse with great interest, because now I live in a far easier 'land' for subscribing to this lifestyle. After all, Cafe Gratitude is not far away - they even serve organic wines. There are at least six yoga studios within a two mile radius.

It's the day-to-day lifestyle and the 'on-the-road lifestyle' that makes it tough to sustain, but isn't life a journey. A long one. For those who have never done a cleanse, try it. You'll feel lighter, more energized and balanced. And as many know, I'm a huge fan of wheat grass, since its a great alkalizer for the body.

My advice after going through this many times at this point, whatever you can do to add more natural, organic and raw foods to your diet, even if its one meal a day, is worth the accomplishment. Take baby steps rather than thinking - I need to overhaul my diet and lifestyle completely........tomorrow.

Change one meal and then two. Do a yoga class twice a month if you can't commit more than that, or a vigorous walk around a park or block and then slowly increase it to a point where you start to crave it and can't ommit it from your day.

On meditation and silence, theoretically, I'm a huge believer, but I struggle with this more than anything else. Acupuncture, acupressure and massage are all great additions to slow you down, as is yoga. Bottom line, you need to do it 'sans' the external props.