I don't know WHAT it is with vegans but we're always pushing the food envelope. Some of us are seeing how long we can live on a diet of only processed foods (Leahey's Mac & Cheese, Yves Veggie dogs and buns, Newman-O's, and peanut butter sandwiches come to mind). Others of us are seeing how long we can live without such things.
Livers are funny organs. They put up with all of your toxic junk, clean up after you, and love you in spite of it all. Sometimes, though, livers can get to feeling overtaxed and under-appreciated and then they start to get really cranky. Under all of this stress your liver starts to lash out at you, making you gain weight, develop skin problems, causing all types of pooping problems, cravings, mood disorders, insomnia, fatigue and the list goes on and on. You'd think a heartfelt Hallmark card would do the trick, but what they TRULY want is a little attention and a vacation away from it all.
According to those in the know, livers seem to like:
Fresh, organic fruits and vegetables (especially the leafy, green variety),
Steamed brown rice,
Lentils,
Seeds, seeds, and more seeds (sunflower, flax, sesame),
8 glasses of water per day (so if you hear sloshing when I walk, you'll know why)
...and for you to lay off the sauce every now and then!
Here's what they don't like:
Environmental toxins (commonly found in non-organic produce),
Booze,
Sugar,
Caffeine
Processed foods.
If you are a vegan and eat fairly well, you're already doing a lot of great things for your liver. You are probably taking in more raw fruits and veggies than the average carnist, but you may be just as likely to indulge in a (vegan) Miller Lite or OD on salt. At any rate, if you are experiencing any of the nasty little liver tantrums mentioned above, it might be time to give your liver a break. I decided to do it and now you're going to have to read about my week of hell, also known as my liver's week of vacation!
I made a big rice cooker full of rice and two pots of beans (one black and one garbanzo). You'll notice that there isn't a whole lot of raw food going on here because I like cooked food thanks to years of being offered, "There is salad! Oh, and a veggie tray!" at carnists' functions. I have also given up salt and am, instead, using Bragg's Liquid Aminos and pure spices to season my food.
On day one (yesterday), this was the food intake:
Breakfast:
Red grapes
"Master Cleanse Lemonade" (fresh lemon juice, water, cayenne)
Lunch:
I'm a recipe girl, but somehow I threw this together and it turned out YUMMY:
sauteed baby bok choy, sauteed 1/2 purple onion, 2 slices of tofu (cubed), sesame seeds, 1/2 raw tomato, 1 cup brown rice, curry powder and red pepper flakes.
Dinner:
Black bean, sweet potato, corn, and onion mash over rice and a large green salad with raw veggies and oil & vinegar dressing.
Bedtime Snack:
More grapes!
My initial observations:
1) I wasn't very hungry throughout the course of the day but kept feeling driven to eat. This may have been because my cravings (sugar, beer) weren't in line with what I was eating so my brain may have been trying to get me to fill the void.
2) My meals were WAY faster to prep and I was surprised at how good they were.
3) I had the most WHACKED OUT dreams last night. Really weird stuff, but slept better than I normally do.
4) Even though I ate like a horse and consumed over 1500 calories of food (I normally take in around 1000-1200), I was down a pound this morning. Hmph?!
