Wednesday, June 9, 2010

My Weekend Lesson!

After 5 years on the Maker's Diet, you would think that I knew better!  I had quite an adventure (not a fun one!) this weekend and had to share with you all.  On Friday night, a gracious and much appreciated friend volunteered to babysit our boys after they went to bed, so my husband and I could go on a much needed night out.  "Let's go to that organic restaurant downtown for dessert," my husband said.  So off we went, thrilled to be out together sans the little ones, as much as we love them!

 When we got to the restaurant, we were seated outside, and the waitress brought out the dessert tray.  Normally, I do not eat any desserts out of my own home, no matter how tempting they look.  But, since it was an organic restaurant (although we'd never eaten there before together) I thought I would be in the clear.  However, I should have known better!  Just because products can be "organic", does not mean they are not refined!  I should have questioned the waitress further to find just how refined their organic dessert ingredients were.  I would have saved myself quite the painful experience.

We decided on a peanut butter chocolate piece of cake.  I took one bite, and knew it was not a dessert made with organic, sprouted, or at least whole grain flour, and Rapadura instead of sugar.  And it didn't even taste good.  The peanut butter topping was insanely sweet, the cake too chocolate-ey, and just overall tasted like something one would buy at Safeway.

I believe I took one more bite after that initial one, and decided my initial evaluation was correct! I put down my fork and drank water instead.  After we left, we walked around a beautiful, open shopping center.  The night was gorgeous and everyone was dressed in their summer finest, but I just wanted to go home.  My stomach, which was fine when I left home, was now feeling like a dead weight had been transported directly under my rib cage.  I so wanted to enjoy this special time with my husband, but all I could think about was how badly my stomach hurt.

Finally, we got home, and I kept guzzling water, and prepared for bed.  I took some of Garden of Life's phenomenal digestive enzymes, called Omega Zymes. (I don't know where I'd be without these!)  I took 4 of them and went to bed, figuring that with only two bites, and the digestive enzymes, I'd be fine by the morning.

Boy was I wrong.  I couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour or so when I awoke with gut wrenching pain. I felt like I was being stabbed directly under my left rib.  I took some more water and several more Omega-Zymes, but it wasn't going away.  Then, I started getting that awful feeling in my stomach and throat, when you just know you'd better hurry up and get to the bathroom.

I'll spare you the lovely details, but the short story is that I spent most of the night vomiting, and in such awful stomach pain that most normal people would probably have woken up their spouses, and gone to the hospital.  (I'm still working on achieving the status of normal!) 

The next day, my stomach still hurt, all day, until Monday morning.  I couldn't believe all that I went through, all for a cake that didn't even taste good!

So the moral of the story is: if you eat very healthily the overwhelming majority of the time, spare yourself the trouble and don't cheat.  You'll probably get sick. (Even if it's "organic"!)  If I had eaten at another organic restaurant near our home, which serves organic, unrefined sugar and organic whole grain flours in its desserts, I would have been fine.  But my body absolutely rejected the refined stuff, albeit organic! 

And the second moral of the story is: if your diet is so "healthy", you might want to ask yourself why it doesn't react immediately when you eat things like trans-fat and chemical laden McDonald's, refined sugar and flour desserts, pastries, and bagels,(or coffee drinks), or pesticide laden fruits and veggies. 

Just something to think about.

I hope you all had a better weekend than I did!

9 comments:

camille said...

Wow! What an experience. And only after 2 bites. Just proves that even a tiny bit of food is still huge compared to the size of the bodies cells. Your body must of thought "major sugar/white flour overload" I'm only 10 days into the Maker's Diet and will remember your experience. Thanks for the warning! I can hardly wait to share this info. with my husband who thinks it's strange when my body has reacted to processed foods. It's so obvious they are unhealthy when our bodies react like that. Thanks again!

akdbaker said...

So sorry! Not fun! Hope you feel better today!

I received the Cookbook this week! I'm the one looking for a Birthday Cake for my one year old. Have you made the Spice Cake or Carrot Cake in Sally's Cook book? Just wanted to know if you liked it before I got all the ingredients. ha;) Thanks!

Catherine Slezinger said...

Camille, thanks for your comment! I definitely agree with you that each bit of food is huge compared to our cells. Congratulations on being 10 days into the Maker's Diet! (The first two weeks are the hardest!) Stick with it, it's more than worth it. Something to think about: all our bodies react to processed foods, it's just a question of when, and how badly they end up reacting. Good for you that you are starting this journey of the Maker's Diet now!

Catherine Slezinger said...

Hi Kellye! That's great you received the cookbook! You will love the recipes! I haven't tried the spice cake or carrot cake, but everything I've made in the cookbook has been delicious. Whatever you end up making, let me know how it turns out! :)

akdbaker said...

I will let ya'll know how the cake turns out! I'm also going to make the ice cream!

Question...when can I give Quirt (one year old) the kid probiotics? And how? Do you give your kids the probiotics?

Thanks and hope you are well again!

Catherine said...

Hi Kellye! I'm excited to hear how your cake turns out. I'll have to try it if you like it! :)

I give both kids the Primal Defense Kid's probiotics- Nathaniel, our 2 year old, gets them mixed in his milk, and Micah, our 6 month old, gets them either straight from my finger, in an expressed bottle of milk, or mixed in some raw yogurt. I have been giving them to him since he was about 2 months old. I would have started Nathaniel that early too, but Garden of Life wasn't making it back then. :) Hope that helps!

akdbaker said...

So...hum...how much do you give your little one? Just a smidge? Just wondering how much to give Quirt.

Thanks!
Kellye

Catherine said...

Kellye, the serving sizes on the package say 1/4 tspn, although it also says you can give 1/2 tspn. if desired. I give our 7 month old 1/4 tspn and our 2 year old 1/2 tspn. :)

akdbaker said...

Thank you Catherine!
AND....I made the carrot cake from Sally's cookbook for Quirt's b-day! YUMMY!!!!! I made it the day before and iced it. I put the cake in the refridge to stiffen the icing a little. I kept it in there overnight and was going to get it out a hour or so before the party. I was kinda scared that the cake wouldn't be any good. Ya know...didn't have time to make it ahead of time to try it first. I got my husband to try a bite of it from the corner....he loved it! He said to keep it in the fridge until the party! Plus...the flavor of the pineapple and coconut went thru the cake and was way better the next day! I also made the vanilla ice cream. It didn't mix well in my ice cream freezer. I'm suspecting the maple syrup got thick before it froze and kinda messed it up. So...I'm going to try the same recipe with the Rapadura sugar instead this weekend. If anyone has a good recipe...let me know! I'll keep you posted on any other recipes I try! I want to try the bread starter and the other cakes! Oh...the spelt flour with the yogurt and the sour cream left out overnight was soooo cool! It's like it fermented! Sorry...I'm rambling! Anyway...you have to try it! Have a great day!