It's time for a change

Well lots have happened since the 7 day detox that we did together. As I have shared I was considering myself “veganish” because I occasionally had dairy, fish, and shhhh lamb. The crazy thing about the lamb part is when I was a “meat eater” I couldn’t STAND lamb…so strange.

Anyway as much as I love not being so “rigid” (a plant based lifestyle doesn't have to be rigid, I was just like that with myself) I’m noticing I do not feel my best. The full plant based lifestyle REALLY works great for me. I feel my absolute best, I have great energy; I look my best, everything just coincides together perfectly.

So I've been praying about what to do because I have felt like this for a while. Sure I’m happy to allow myself more flexibility but fully knowing that I don’t feel or look my best I know some changes need to be made BUT I want to be realistic with them. I now have a plan that I’m VERY excited about:

•        Starting next week I will be going fully raw- end date Apr 1

o   I felt my ABSOLUTE BEST when I was raw. Now realistically this is not a full time lifestyle- it messed up my teeth (more on that another time but check out http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/ he shares a lot about the raw vegan lifestyle and the effects on the teeth. I didn't believe it but man I learned the hard way when I went to the dentist.

•     After that I plan to lead a majority plant based lifestyle-

o   Meaning if I want sporadically I will have fish etc. BUT eating mostly plants and many raw plants is my plan of action. I want the love for it that I felt before I started allowing myself more freedom so that’s what I plan to be praying about during my raw journey

So stick with me as I update on how things are going. I’m excited and nervous! It’s been kind of fun going to restaurants and not just ordering sides or salads because they are not fully vegan friendly BUT I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Signed,

Excited, Scared, but READY

Why Does Soda have SUCH a bad Reputation?

Everyone loves some nice strong carbonation right? Isn’t that the point of drinking soda? When a soda goes flat, usually it’s going in the trash. So what’s wrong with having a dark or light soda? Why do these soft drinks have such a bad reputation? Let’s look at some facts about sodas.

·      

•   Soda generally has about 39 grams or more of sugar, sugary substitute, or a combination of both.
•   Soda is linked to obesity, addiction (caffeine), increased risk for strokes, heart attacks, and              diabetes.
•  Studies have shown that diet soda actually increases weight GAIN and not weight loss
•  In studies the caramel artificial coloring in dark sodas have shown to be cancer causing agents.
•  Soda may accelerate the aging process (cause one to look older than they are) because it actually dehydrates the person drinking the soda thus drying out their skin.
• The artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas do not break down in our bodies.
•  Hazardous material signs are required on the trucks that carry the ingredients that are mixed together to make soda.
• Soda can clean corrosion from car battery terminals, can be used to loosen a rusted bolt, and can increase the risk of having kidney stones.

So does it sound like Nakeesha’s Nutrition is an advocate of not drinking soda? ABSOLUTELY but here we also believe in providing solutions or alternatives that still fulfil that carbonation desire. Keep in mind these alternatives are not going to taste exactly like your favorite soda BUT they do provide a much healthier option and still have that great strong bubbly taste.

•       Izze drinks- 100% juice w/ sparkling water
•      100% fruit juice with added sparkling water- may prepare it yourself
•        Reed’s Ginger or other flavored “soda”- drink sparingly they still have sugar but are also sweetened with honey and fruit juice

There are many more but these should help get you started if you are ready to make the “no more soda” commitment. If you’re not, that’s okay too. Just please keep these facts in mind and at least try to cut back as a start and then go from there. Every little step you take towards better health will soon create a huge leap. There are many stories of people who simply eliminate or cut back on sodas drastically and lose weight almost immediately.

Challenge- instead of picking up a soda today drink more water and try one of the above alternatives. YOU can do this!!!

If you enjoyed this article go to www.nakeeshasnutrition.com and sign up for the mailing list for more high content, fresh new high value information to help you grow in health!

Continue to Put YOU First and let’s hydrate our bodies with greatness! Remember it’s not a diet….it’s a lifestyle!

Yours in Health,

Nakeesha of Nakeesha’s Nutrition

Detox Day 5

Day 5

     Wow I can't believe the days are going by so quickly!! This detox is 7 days and we are already on day 5!!!! Wow! Well I'm feeling great and am actually considering extending this longer. This detox is helping put things in perspective for me. It's so simple yet so difficult. I feel SOOOO much better when I eat things that my body loves. It's my mind that I have to convince of that. Especially on the weekends when my husband and I want to hang out and enjoy the fact that it's the weekend. I want to eat what I want and enjoy....but I always end up paying for it in the end. So in this detox my plan is to find a happy balance. I don't necessarily want to be as strict on myself as I was in the past, even though that's when I felt my best, and at the same time I don't want to be fancy free and footloose ( I really wasn't that bad but for me I could have been much better). 

Time to use these next few days to get my mind and body on the same page. Happy DETOXING!!! 

Update about ME!

Happy Holidays!!!!!

Enjoy this time and get ready for 2014! It's time to take our health to a new level. It's time to Put YOU First.

I want to do this detox not just for YOU but for ME too! Yes....yes....and yes again I AM enjoying my holiday time. I am eating, enjoying family and friends, and relaxing. Of course for me the "eating" is in moderation BUT I am still enjoying more foods that I do not normally eat. Let me share some updates about myself:

• I am no longer 100% vegan- I eat fish and dairy occasionally. I would like to think of myself as "plant-based". The majority of the time I'm eating foods that come from plants but I will eat other things. 
• Being that I am no longer vegan, things for me are not as strict. I think if I lived in California being a vegan would be SOOOO much easier but it is what it is....I still love all vegan food and would probably choose that over anything else if it was an option.
• I indulged on a few small pieces of turkey during Thanksgiving...shhhhhhhhh (lol)
• I actually still feel great but I believe that's because I have worked VERY hard to really live a life of total health and well being.
• This health and well being includes- daily prayer, daily reading, daily exercise(5 days), daily healthy eating (I do have treat days) and just constant working on bettering myself.
• I feel FREE!!

Well that's about it for me, I am truly learning how to put me first and in that I want to share the principles that have really helped catapult me into this world of peace, joy, and health, and love.

Let's DO THIS!!!!!!

Practice doesn’t always make Perfect

Wow….where do I begin. These past couple of days I’ve been through a personal  nutritional whirlwind. I almost don’t want to share but I have to because it may help someone.  So, I had a lot to do this weekend: birthday party, bridal shower, household duties, church, errands etc. Now in the past, this never meant anything as far as my eating lifestyle but boy this weekend really made me reflect. So I’ve been a vegan for about 8 months now and really have had no cravings, slip ups, backslides, or anything….until this weekend. Let me summarize (I’m scared)..okay here it goes:

·         Friday- Busboys and Poets- my favorite restaurant- all vegan food not the healthiest but was good. Mind you I ate when I was NOT hungry( a no no in my book).

·         Saturday- God Daughter’s birthday party- the menu: salad (I could eat), potato salad, tuna salad, pizza, chicken shish kabobs, and cake.

o   For some reason all of the sudden I started craving the potato salad, tuna salad, and pizza BAD. I prayed, ate the salad and put a piece of veggie pizza on a plate to the side and had an internal battle that the pizza finally won. I was an instant VEGETARIAN!!! WHAT AM I THINKING? What will others think?

o   Then I went to a bridal shower and snuck a mac and cheese puff thingy that everyone was raving about.

§  Now I’m scared that I may get sick or someone will think differently of me.

§  Did anyone see me do it? I hope they don’t think differently of me.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!!??!

The rest of the days involved cheez it’s, and salt and vinegar potato chips (vegan but not good).

So of course I’ve been reflecting, praying, and trying to figure out what is going on with me and I have come to this:

I don’t feel guilty and I’m wondering why which leads me to the below numbers.

1.       Hmmm I am not perfect, I don’t always have to eat perfectly, and I do slip up even to the point of not being a true vegan occasionally (Sorry Peta).

2.       Maybe this will help others who feel like they can’t stay the course understand that even the strictest, most self-controlled nutritionist can get off course temporarily.

3.       I cannot allow what I think others will think to dictate what I eat or the health decisions I make because my mishaps might free someone else.

4.       Another thing I noticed is I put too much pressure on myself- I went from meat eater straight to veganism. I didn’t even consider becoming a vegetarian or pescetarian (fish eater) and now I’m trying to be a raw vegan. It’s too much, I need to slow down!

5.        Just like I tell others, I need to take things one step at a time and allow myself to fully get used to one thing. Not that I think I will turn back but this does help in case I have any more slip ups and it also helped when I packed my lunch today. I didn’t just try to pack fruit and veggies with no sauce, dressing etc. (Long story that’s another blog). That’s how I fell.

In conclusion, I do still consider myself a vegan (majority raw) I don’t plan on turning back but there may be times that you see me indulge if and when this ever happens again.

 There is a scripture that talks about pressing towards the mark. I can honestly equate that to this health journey I’m on as we speak. I will continue to press, I may fall but I will get right back on and share with all of you what’s happening along the way. In other words practice doesn’t always mean it’s perfect.

Hope this helps someone!!

Lesson Learned

Yesterday I let my mind get me and I ate some chips AND a veggie sub from subway. While the sub wasn't horrible, my body is adjusting and getting used to not having bread and especially not having chips. I reasoned with myself because they were a healthier version of chips BUT they were still chips. I even had the nerve to eat an additional bag a few hours before bed time and boy did I pay the price!

I have read that you go to sleep easier when you eat at least 4 hours before going to bed. So I stopped eating after 6pm and have been sleeping like a baby minus last night. I was so annoyed with myself- restless, couldn't get comfortable, felt the chips digesting, all the no no's I was experiencing.

This morning I was discombobulated(big word lol) thought it was Saturday, and struggled to get up. Now I know some of you are like "Keesh, go sit down, it's one time." You are absolutely correct. I don't always practice what I preach and beat myself up when I eat unhealthy(my version of unhealthy) or don't do what I'm supposed to and I'm working on that BUT this time I don't like how I felt last night or this morning so the lesson for me is this: No eating before bed, AND work on not listening to my mind but allow my body to dictate what it needs and NOT what I want.

Anybody want to make me some raw chips? LOL!

I feel freakin GREAT!!!!!!

I feel GOOD!!!

WOW!! Words cannot explain just how good I feel! As I reflect, I have to reference a previous blog I wrote in which I set several goals for myself. Please see below with updates:

1.    Vegan-am

2.    Majority raw foods-somewhat- RAW VEGAN NOW!!!!

3.    No processed foods- pretty close

4.    No GMO's-working on- pretty close

5.    Make all food- pretty close

6.    Garden-future

7.    Juice Fast – done and will do again

8.    Cookbook/book-future- working on

These above goals basically list what I have accomplished and what I wanted to work on. So let me update you……I am now a raw vegan!! That means that I do not eat foods that are cooked above 105 degrees to keep the enzymes intact insuring my body is receiving all of the enzymes and nutrients. I have been reading this book called Living on Live Food by Allisa Cohen and I’m telling you this book has made me completely change my thinking as far as food is concerned. Not only that, I cannot express enough how GOOD I FEEL!!!! Let me list some things that have changed for me:

·         Every morning Mon-Fri I wake up at 5:30am and workout with my husband. I am not tired, I’m actually excited to get up and get it done.

·         I look forward to the day, I no longer press snooze on my alarm clock but am up and wide awake.

·         I appreciate nature, I notice the green of trees, I hear the birds, I desire to be outside

·         I need less sleep.

·         I am in a better mood overall.

·         I value my relationship with God more and really appreciate Him for who He is and just His overall awesomeness.

·         I really appreciate my husband and my love for him has grown. I have less attitudes and feel a stronger sense of admiration and respect for him.

·         MEN IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE LOOK AWAY FOR THE NEXT TWO BULLETS!!!-

·         MY CYCLE IS SOOOOOO LIGHT AND ONLY LAST MAYBE 3 DAYS. I MEAN LIGHT TO THE POINT THAT I DON’T EVEN HAVE TO WEAR ANYTHING TO PROTECT MYSELF MOST TIMES. I have had the same bag of “materials” for months!! For this reason alone, I won’t go back LOL!

·         I went from a 40G when I first started on my health journey years ago to a 34(I leave the cup size out for respect of my husband) but I can get PRETTY bra colors now not just nude and black which are the only color options for well-endowed women.

·         I’ve gone down two dress sizes

·         I actually LIKE the way I look in bathing suits.

I can go on and on but I think you get the idea. Do I crave cooked food? Yes. I actually had a few tortilla chips with some guacamole and made some popcorn the other day so let’s say I’m 99.9% raw. But even in and through those cravings, I feel too good to turn back. I am also finding new and fun things to cook. I am learning more about myself and life and am just plan happy!

Just wanted to share the good news with you all!!

Time to get it together!

Soooo I'm noticing that I'm becoming a unhealthy vegan. Partly because of boredom, and partly because of lack of planning and self control. Maybe not unhealthy in most eyes but in my eyes, I definitely need to step my game up. Processed foods, fries, fried vegetables, and bread have been on my plate for a while now. I know that doesn't sound horrible, but for me it is not good at all.

Yesterday I ate at two places: Cracker Barrel and Buffalo Wild Wings- both places scream "if you're vegan run!!!" But nonetheless, I was with my family and my friends so I went. Normally every morning I start off with water, raw juice, and then fruit. The past couple of days it has been bread, or something that I normally don't begin with and I KNOW this is not healthy. For breakfast I had sourdough bread french toast and potatoes. For dinner I had fried onion rings, fries, chips and salsa, and of course I had to throw a salad in there, still no meat or animal products but not great either.

I think it all began with the Superbowl. I found all of these vegan dishes to make and they ended up being REALLY good- veggie pizza(my own recipe), nachos and cheese, corn muffins, chili, cupcakes, and cookies all vegan. Not to mention my famous mixture of juices. It was all soooo good even our company didn't know it was vegan! I just kept eating and eating and eating annnnddd eating. Before that, I really was just eating raw foods and some occasional cooked stuff and since then I have been going crazy! Drinking with my foods, just going overboard with my eating style and it kind of stuck.

Again I know this may not sound crazy but for me I feel like I am the example not just for others but for myself. I know what has been working for my body and my health, and when I fall off it's hard for me to get it back together BUT there's good news.....Lent is right around the corner and yes I participate in Lent.

So starting Tuesday- no processed foods at ALL, majority raw foods, and back to the way I was eating when I first started out along with some other spiritual things. I'm looking forward to growing and getting back to the extra healthy vegan that I started off as.

Keep me in your prayers!