Day 13: Isn’t food cool?

Morning Weigh-in: 166.4 lbs (exactly the same as yesterday)

Last night at dinner we started talking about beets and we couldn’t remember what their health benefits were. We both knew they had significant ones, but the specifics were a bit fuzzy. So I looked them up (isn’t Google cool?). Not only are beets a powerhouse of all kinds of vitamins and minerals, including iron, they also are known to cleanse the blood. Beets have been used in the treatment of blood cancers. I think that is super rad.

There are tons of superfoods that do cool stuff like that. And most of them do it when they’re in their natural form. Not when they’ve been processed down into some powder that’s added to other processed foods. 

Trying new foods is a big part of the Ultimate Reset. During this three- week journey (which I am almost 2/3 done with), I’ve been sent to several grocery stores searching for things like mirin, tahini, miso paste, tempeh, kabocha squash, various greens, amino acids, millet, fennel bulbs, kale (I know it’s not hard to find, but I hadn’t tried it), Japanese cucumber, nori sheets and more. A few items I couldn’t find and had to use substitutes – butternut instead of kabocha squash; regular cucumber for Japanese. 

Some foods I tried and won’t be eating again – tempeh, nori. Others I will be incorporating in my diet more often – tahini, miso, millet, kale, beets. 

Of course, there have also been many other brand new foods to me that I have added into my diet  as a result of my food sensitivities: quinoa, almond and coconut milks, brown rice pasta, masa harina, almond meal, oat flour, almond butter, dry roasted edamame and brussel sprouts. I’ve rediscovered foods that I’ve neglected in past years like cashews and raw almonds, hummus, fresh blueberries, a variety of beans, avocados  and brown rice. 

Cutting out so many processed foods I’ve also discovered new herbs and spices while also reducing my salt intake greatly. Cilantro, coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, red and yellow curry powders, fresh garlic, dill, red pepper, shallots, lime juice, coconut and sesame oils are all seasoning staples in my pantry now. 

I'm really enjoying learning more about foods and hope to be able to continue this journey even after this chapter.