Swimming Like a Champ

I swim 25 laps at least three times a week normally. During the past few weeks, I've usually only made it to the pool once. On Sunday, I swam 21 laps (that's continuous, no breaks). I discovered I had a cheering section once I had showered and changed. A sixty-five-year-old woman and her husband were walking the indoor track which is on the floor above the pool. The walkers can see the pool from one part of the track. Anyway, she and her husband were impressed, assuring themselves that I must be in excellent shape. (I'm not, in my own opinion.) She has had both knees replaced and needed encouragement to switch from walking to swimming.

Okay, back to my point ... I swam 21 laps on Sunday. Last night I swam 30!! I could have gone on and on, if it weren't for a slight discomfort in my right shoulder ( I had done strength training the night before.) I am attributing the increase in stamina to the switch to raw foods. When I got home, I still had lots of energy; I never felt sleepy. I just finally turned out the light around 11:45 pm., just because. This is really great!!

Raw Food - Progress Report

Are you wondering how I'm doing? Well, just great. I've lost 2.2 pounds since Friday morning and I don't have any cravings, yet, oddly enough.

What do I eat? Well, so far, I usually have a green smoothie for breakfast (more later on that), then for the rest of the day I eat salads, fruit, mock tuna or live burgers (more later on that, too) as a sandwich with raw soup or packed in a tomato. I've only drank tea and water so far except for a wine cooler Saturday night.

I don't miss coffee or meat. This is really too good to be true.

Oh, as far as the stiffness I was experiencing...I haven't had a bit of problems. No stiffness at all!!! I haven't taken an anti-inflammatory since last Friday.

I'm spending a lot of time reading recipe books right now and I am excited about trying new recipes. As soon as my daughter sends me her hand-me-down digital camera, I be able to take some pics of my creations. Stay tuned.

Going Raw

I've been experiencing stiffness in my knees and then all over for the last three months. In September, my knees felt like they did when I tore my meniscus a few years ago. Something was whacked.

At the time, I had been taking some herbal supplements (prescribed by a naturopathic doctor about one month before onset of the symptoms), so I stopped and concentrated on supplements for joints. The condition improved, so I started the herbal supplements again. It really is a long story so I'll just cut to the chase.

My naturopathic doctor interpreted one of my blood test as indicating kidney damage; my GP repeated the test and said I'm fine. He ordered me to stop taking the herbal supplements to which at this point I was in total agreement. I suspect the supplements contributed to what's going on in my body.

Anyway, I'm still experiencing stiffness so after some thought, I've decided to switch to raw foods. I've read a lot about it and believe I can relieve this stiffness by changing my blood pH through this diet change. I will be experimenting with different recipes and will share those that I think are delish. Here's one, so far.

Mock Tuna Salad

For the salad:
3 cups of soaked raw sunflower seeds, ground in a food processor
3 to 4 stalks celery, diced
1/2 bunch scallions, diced
2 tablespoons dulse flakes
1/4 cup dried dill

For the dressing:
1 1/2 cups Thai coconut water
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups raw macadamia nuts, cashews, pine nuts, or a combination
1/2 cup stone-ground mustard

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the salad ingredients and toss to mix.
In a high-speed blender, combine all of the dressing ingredients and blend thoroughly. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss to mix well and serve.

Serves 4.

Notes: Soak the sunflower seeds in water for 2 to 4 hours. Drain and dry.
Dulse is a sea vegetable and can be found at Good Foods Co-op.
I didn't have any scallions and used a little diced onion instead.
I think scallions will be better.
I made half of this recipe using half of the garlic; I would use less garlic
next time. I used cashews for the dressing. It is absolutely delish.
I used coconut milk since I didn't find any coconut water.
And finally, even though I like dill I did not and would not use as much as
the recipe recommends.

I had this on a bed of salad greens and sliced tomato for lunch. Excellent.
At another time, I made a sandwich. It was as good as tuna salad for me.