Sandra Smith

Category: Health

  • Juice Days at OHI

    Juice Days at OHI

    It’s Juice Days at OHI! Eight meals in a row of streamlined, refreshing, green goodness. We tried not to talk about how nice it would be to actually CHEW something. We were both amazed at how “not hungry” we were. The juice is so packed with nutrients that your body really doesn’t ask for more. If there were an apple or two thrown in there I may have gone back for seconds and thirds but the plain juice satisfied me.

    The food-addicted cravings are another story altogether, but I was pleasantly surprised at how tame they were after juicing. I felt hopeful that one day my life will be ruled by something more profound than my sweet tooth. 
    The ingredients listed for this juice were: cucumber, celery, zucchini, chard, kale and ginger. They must stick to the same recipe because the taste is pretty consistent from meal to meal. Those participants on the regular diet had some beet and carrot thrown in the mix as well. We did the hypo diet for those with sugar issues or cancer (I always do the hypo diet since sugar is a huge issue for me). I’ve tried the regular juice and you’d think I’d prefer the slightly sweeter juice but I don’t. The straight green is so refreshing.
    The first weekers juice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until dinner. Second weekers, third weekers and returnees juice one day only. I was shooting for the entire fast since I’ve never actually succeeded before.
    We were plowing straight through this juice fast (feast), feeling smugly proud of ourselves when the kitchen made the mistake of serving a yam soup for Wednesday’s non-juicing lunch. We caved and had a bowl in addition to our juice and it was sooooooo good! I’m going to blame them because they really should know better than to serve deliciousness during juicing days. There are limits to my self control. (Way too many limits, actually. In fact, so many limits it may not even count as self control to begin with.  Debatable.) The soup portion was actually only about a half a cup so it’s all good!
    The kitchen is staffed with accommodating angels who filled my heart with gratitude on many occasions. They’re very good at special requests or extra servings and will even email all their recipes to participants.
    The juice did have a pronounced celery flavor which did not bode well with Renee. After Thursday’s breakfast juice we asked the kitchen if they could make some without the celery. They said no problem and made us a special batch for lunch. It was heavenly. It never occurred to me how much better it would taste without the celery! I’m so glad Renee had that brilliant stroke of genius. We were both happily guzzling our new and improved juice and wishing we had thought of it seven juice meals earlier!
    By Thursday’s dinner most of our detox symptoms had diminished and we were feeling pretty good. It was so lovely to be able to walk up the hill from our townhouse without wanting to stop and rest. Simple pleasures.


    Thank you, Anne Giacinto, for sending me these recipes. You’re the best! (The soup we had was wonderfully spiced, almost like a pumpkin pie.)

    Yam Soup
    (10 servings)

    6 – 8                 Yams
    2 pints                 Sesame milk
    1 Teaspoon            Cinnamon
    1                     Avocado

    Combine above ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth

    You can add seasonings:

    Suggestions:
    Mace
    Allspice
    Nutmeg
    Cloves
    Pine nuts (ground finely)




  • Monday at The Optimum Health Institute

    Monday at The Optimum Health Institute

    Here I am getting ready to down my shot of wheat grass juice. I’m pretty excited about it.

    20130518_083528-1
    Here I am, licking the cinnamon off my hand in an attempt to cut the green taste.
    Monday 5/13/13
    Down to business. Following the program takes organization and planning. We have to drink half of our body weight in ounces of water plus 32 ounces of rejuvelac every day. There is a reason you probably haven’t heard of rejuvelac: you probably wouldn’t like it. It’s a fermented grain drink full of probiotics and enzymes. My sister, Audrey, calls it tart lemonade and actually likes it but she is a strange and rare creature. It tastes a lot like bile to me. Renee discovered if you plug your nose while drinking it you won’t think you’re dry heaving. If you’ve calculated the total number of ounces of liquid we are to consume daily you may have already figured out we have to plan for a lot of potty breaks.
     
    We are also expected to juice and drink two ounces of wheatgrass juice in the morning and then again in the afternoon. I find it hard to get down but it’s doable with a cinnamon chaser. The smell of the juicing room can be a bit strong but we toughed it out because around here wheatgrass juice is the magic elixir. It’s easier to drink after you discover how powerful and nutritious it is. 
     
    Renee went to the morning class to learn all the ins and outs of the program while I meditated on the massage table. I felt like a bowl of jello afterwords-it was kinda wonderful.
     
    For lunch we had a plate of greens, sauerkraut and a flax seed cracker. I was feeling strong and craving-free so I drove to WalMart to purchase a forgotten item. My strength crumbled and I stumbled around the store struggling with the inner voices screaming for junk food. I hurried back to the safety of OHI, vowing not to leave campus again until I check out Sunday morning.
    The afternoon, “Mind Body Connection” class was really interesting. At 3:30 we went to the exercise class and then stayed for the 4:30 stretch class. It was wonderful and we both felt much better afterwards. 
     
    We are both feeling the some detox symptoms. We’re tired and I tend to feel a little nauseous now and then. Experience tells me I will feel worse before I feel better. I also remember how great the better feels, and not just in relation to the worse!
     
    Tonight was our last dinner of solid food for three days. I’ve never been able to juice before because I would get dizzy and weak and hungry. Mostly just weak in the discipline area. I came here with the goal of getting through the juicing days without resorting to solid food. It should be interesting.
     
  • The Optimum Health Institute

    The Optimum Health Institute

                                  Mother’s Day 5/12/13

    A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting with my dear friend, Renee. (You can read her guest blog here.) I was feeling desperately helpless in the wake of her increasingly serious health issues. The world simply could not go on without her lovely song.

    I suggested she try to attend the Optimum Health Institute, OHI, to heal. We decided to get more information about it and I opened my laptop. Waiting for me in the inbox was an email from OHI with a special offer to return and bring a friend. It felt like a sign. We decided to go. We got really excited, despite my warning of the “crying days”. Before we knew it, schedules had been rearranged and we were booked to attend one week, starting Mother’s Day.
    This will be my fifth visit in about 13 years. I always vow to go every year for my annual detox/oil change, but life has gotten in the way. I average about once every two years instead.

    On May 12th, I was up by six am, excited to get there to start my detox and transformation. My morning weight was 162-ouch! I gave the offspring an extra week to make their Mother’s Day gifts/cards/loving affirmations even better than planned. By 7am     I was on the road, driving to San Diego with St George and my sugar addiction in the rear view mirror (or so I thought).
    I had brought fresh green juice and fruit to keep me occupied and full while driving. It didn’t prevent me from buying and eating a candy bar at a gas stop but it kept me feeling good otherwise.
    I arrived and checked in just in time for lunch, which was my plan. I wanted to get in as many OHI meals as possible. I told myself I wasn’t going to fall into the “last supper” mentality that I usually do but old habits die hard. I drove off campus after lunch and ended up eating a fresh baked donut from the bakery (it tasted better than it should have due to the last supper mentality.) I also got a one-serving size container of chocolate brownie ice-cream from the WalMart run, which I ate as soon as I got back into my car. It’s a little on the pathetic side but hopefully this trip to OHI will be my starting point to a new way of eating.

    I meandered around campus, enjoying the tranquility, and then unpacked and settled in. Dinner was similar to lunch- salad greens, cherry tomatoes, celery, sauerkraut, and lots of sprouts and sunflower greens. It took me 40 minutes to chew it all.

    The day was complete when Renee arrived and although I knew I should get to bed early and we could visit later, it didn’t go down that way. Friendships add such a sweetness to life.


  • Juliano and I

    Juliano and I

    Renee (my fabulous friend), Soup and Monica (two of my three incredible sisters) and I made a quick trip to LA. We had a great visit with my brother, Andy, and then headed off to crash the Craig Ferguson party at NBC studios. I’m not much of a TV person and had actually never heard of the guy but was excited about being in the audience during a taping. After being “warmed up” and coached on how to be a fantastic audience (they bribed us with chocolate) we watched them put a show together. I’m a fan now. That Craig guy is one funny dude. Thanks, Renee, for getting the tickets.

    After we checked into our hotel in Santa Monica, we explored the neighborhood. We had a great dinner at True Foods and soaked up the artistic, funky atmosphere near the pier.

    Before going to California I had researched some raw restaurants in the area in hopes of trying one out. I wrote down a list of five or six and their locations but then left the list on my desk at home.

    Early the next morning I was drifting in and out of sleep when I suddenly remembered that one of the raw food restaurants was located on Broadway in Santa Monica. I didn’t know which one but realized we had walked down Broadway the night before. I jumped out of bed, eager to start my quest. Monica heard me get up and offered to go with me. So, with about 5 minutes of primping (looking gorgeous in my sweats) we were off on our adventures.

    We walked about ten minutes and found Planet Raw Cafe with the front door wide open, awaiting our arrival. We entered and I explained to the man on the computer that we knew they weren’t open yet but wanted to look at their menu. He kindly gave us the menus and allowed us to sit and peruse. Halfway through the menu I saw references to Juliano and excitedly asked the man if this was perhaps Juliano’s restaurant. (I have read about the famous raw food chef.) He said, “I’m Juliano” which immediently sent me into geeky fan mode.
    “You’re Juliano? REALLY? I’ve read so much about you!”
    Then Monica chimed in, “Picture time!” which was great because although it NEVER crosses my mind, she’s really good about getting pictures of everything. He was gracious and accommodating and spent time explaining the benefits of raw food to us. When I complained to him about my cookie downfall he brought out two chocolate coconut raw cookies for us to sample. Delicious!

    Monica and I eventually let him get back to his work and made our way to the beach. I happily remembered how the ocean soothes my soul and made a note to get there more often.

    Suzy and Renee were game to try the Planet Raw with us at lunch which was no small sacrifice given the abundance of incredible restaurants around.

    It was a new experience for Renee to have an extensive menu in hand where every single item was gluten free. We ordered four different entrees and the avocado chocolate pudding to share. (It sounds weird but is really good.) They gave us a complimentary appetizer sampler plate and we were oohing and aahing our way all through lunch. The best part was how good we all felt afterwards. Or maybe it was the chocolate pudding. Possibly it was the kelp noodles with a wonderfully flavored, creamy sauce. It’s hard to say. But we did feel energized after eating that delicious food.

    I could easily be a raw foodist if Juliano would just move into my house for while and take over the food prep!

    Of course It never occurred to me to take any pictures of the food but that only means we will need to return. The sooner the better.

  • Raw, Raw, RAW!

    Raw, Raw, RAW!

     

    Twenty years ago I was living on Lantau Island (Hong Kong) with my husband and two small children. I was sick, sick, sick. I had asthma, allergies and non-existent energy levels. I could barely make it up a flight of stairs without feeling faint. I was tired all the time but couldn’t sleep at night. I was convinced I was loaded with cancer or some other evil, yucky stuff and would most likely fall down dead in the near future. I even cried a few times thinking of how my two babies would grow up not knowing their mother. The doctor prescribed increasingly strong asthma and allergy meds which had their own set of side effects.
    One day I took a ferry to the next island over, Peng Chau, to visit my friend Laura. I was explaining my mysterious health condition (most likely in a super whinny voice loaded with self pity) when she grabbed the book, “Fit For Life” off her shelf and told me to read it. Although I protested and argued with Laura about the merits of the diet, I was desperate enough to try anything.
    A week later I felt like a new person. My invisible cancer had disappeared.  It was an Ahah! moment for me. I had never before made the connection between what I ate and how I felt.  Over the years I have found that eating a high raw or an all raw diet gives me super powers and rapid weight loss. So, here I go again in my attempt to blog about my raw food experiment. I will not beat myself up for less than 100 percent because I have found that pursuing perfection tends to back fire for me! 
    I am also very inspired because my friend Laura is blogging about her raw food goal of losing 100 pounds in 90 days. She’s nearly half way there! For some laughs, insight and inspiration go to: hundredraw.blogspot.com 
    Keep up the good work, Laura! 
    Raw, Raw, RAW!
  • Independence Day

    Independence Day

                          One of the fellow residents at Mom’s home

     
    I spent independence day among dependent people in a skilled nursing facility. Some of the residents were there because of accidents but most were there due to glitches in the aging process like the stroke that sent my mom to bed four years ago. The residents are dependent on oxygen tanks, tube feedings, wheel chairs and other people for everything from personal hygiene to entertainment. It’s hard to be there with my mom. It’s even harder to imagine myself living in a place like that one day. The staff is wonderful and treat mom with love and respect but the place still reeks of despair and broken down bodies.

    Mom taught me how to be independent by example. She left her home country of Germany as a 17-year old and ventured off into a foreign land alone. She learned English by watching TV and was planning her next around the world adventure when she met my dad. Fast forward 50 years and five kids later. She’s an empty nester, socially active in her community, enjoying the peace and quiet she’s earned but trades in for time with her grandkids. 

    Mom was an active, vibrant 70-year old when her life irrevocably changed in a matter of minutes. On 8/8/08 my parents came to visit us at my home in Panguitch. At 1:30 am my dad found her laying on the floor and was unable to wake her up. After a CT scan, Dr. Mooney told us she had had a stroke caused by a brain hemorrhage. It was humungous, he said in layman’s terms. The kind you don’t survive. She was suddenly dependent on machines to keep her alive. Terms like, “vegetative state” were thrown around with what I consider reckless abandon.  

    But she showed them. A few months later she was speaking some, communicating much and slowly regaining some of the movement she had lost to paralysis. We were all planning the day she would be ready to walk out of the hospital, celebrate her recovery, and show the doctors that miracles do indeed exist. 

    That day never came but humungous stroke number two did. Tube feedings, fresh tracheotomies and paralysis followed.

    Although we all hear stories of 95-year-old lifetime smokers, common sense tells us they are not the norm. Based on our family medical history I probably don’t have the live-an-independent-life-till-I’m-100 gene. The thought of someone else having to wipe my bum one day makes me wonder: do I have any say so in the matter?
    If I trade my junk food for greens will it extend my independence? Improve my quality of life? Allow me to keep enough functional gray matter to solve my sudoku puzzles? Will my food choices today keep me out of that place?

    I do believe there is a critical link between nutrition and health. Unfortunately there is often a large gap of time between the two. As a senior in high school I had a pint of Baskin Robbins ice-cream every night for dinner on the way home from swim team practice. I’m feeling it now, thirty years later. Which makes me think that if I want to be a vibrant, independent 70 year old, I should prepare for it right now. 

                                     I love you Mom

  • Test Results

    Test Results

    More good news! A few days after the raw food cleanse I got some blood work done to see what happened on the inside. I really hate needles so for me to just volunteer my arm up for puncturing was pretty amazing. I got my lab results back and I’m pretty excited. My cholesterol was 189 which is down 55 points from a year ago. In fact, this is the first time in nearly 20 years that it’s been under 200. Some other numbers that had previously been out of the normal range (for kidney function) are all now wonderfully normal. I don’t normally seek out normalcy but in the case of lab results I’m abnormally happy with normal! I’m still a little anemic, which is something I’ve struggled with off and on for years. That will explain why I had more energy after the cleanse but not as much as I had experienced in the past after cleansing at OHI.

    It was exciting to see that even though I wasn’t perfect 100 percent raw (and did have the occasional really bad slip up) I still saw a big improvement in my health. Baby steps, Sandi, baby steps. Perfection is still an elusive, frustrating concept for me so I’m going for progress, not perfection.

    The plan is to focus on getting out of the anemia zone, getting in some quality workouts and continuing with a high raw diet with small amounts of high quality (cooked) meat. I need to lose more weight because right now it’s a REAL handicap as far as swimming and running go. It’s me and my extra 20 pounds, just plodding along...