Tips from Tosca's Talk

Hey peeps:

So, I know I was light on details with regards to things Tosca talked about at her seminar last week - but there's a method to my madness and I wanted to try most of them out before I went and typed them out for you here. Remember this blog is not a scientific blog, and I am just sharing my experiences and opinions. If you want cold hard facts, I will do my best to point you in the right direction to find them - but if you need/want more information that is not found here, you should research this stuff and see what works for you!

Apple Cider Vinegar
The number one successful tip that Tosca shared was the magic of Apple Cider Vinegar! Tosca had us do a simple test on ourselves (that's too complicated to type out here - just know that the majority of us failed it - for lack of a better term) to see if we had enough acid in our bellies to fully and properly digest our food - which most of us did not - so Tosca suggested that before every meal we drink 2 tbs of pure apple cider vinegar in some really cold water (to make it go down more easily). To sum it up, you hopefully already know that you need stomach acid to break down your food so that it can go through your digestive system which absorbs all the yummy nutrients (and fat) and then it can go out as waste. If you do not have enough stomach acid to do this process properly, food can sit in your belly and fester (and now we'll be getting kinda gross) and basically rot there until you eventually manage to pass it through your system as waste...and of course your body will store the fat, but won't necessarily get all of the nutrients it needs from the food. Apparently, after Elvis was autopsied, 65 pounds of waste was found in his system! BARF!

Still being gross here...I am a pretty regular girl - my sister laughs at my 'like clockwork' system - but maybe that's just because she is jealous? Some people do not have regular bowel movements and are actually walking around constipated most of the time...and some people don't even go #2 on a regular basis, never mind everyday!!!!Apparently, even though I feel pretty good about my bathroom habits, I could use a little help too - and what amazing help it was!

For the last week, I tested out the Apple Cider Vinegar trick and downed 2 tbs in a (super tall) glass of cold water (someone I know just downed the vinegar as a shot!) before my largest/heaviest meal of the day - lunch- and let me just tell you - the digestive benefits of this were IMMEDIATE. And I'm not saying that there were any laxative effects or anything, I am saying I felt that my entire digestive system was "ON"! It's now known as my SUPER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM! Wow! I really liked these results so for the next week, I am going to try to do a shot before EVERY meal! :)I'll let you know how that goes!

Flax Flax Flax Flax - oh and coconut oil
So, you may already know that I love flax (and so does Tosca) I put flax on my yogurt and cereal and I love it. Flax works as nature's scrub brush, and basically is like brushing your teeth, except, you're brushing your digestive tract clean...I like how it tastes and I like how easy it is to put into things. You have to freshly grind the seeds in order to reap the most benefit from them - even though you can buy already ground seeds (which you will sort of get the benefit from) you don't get any benefit from consuming the seed whole because your digestive system can't break it down...go and get some flax today! You can also plop some in your smoothies - which I don't do because I don't like a whole bunch of floaties in my drinks and I like my smoothies velvety smooth.

Coconut oil - I love this stuff. I have been using it in place of butter or margarine in recipes religiously for about a year now. I also use it in place of olive oil when I am cooking. It's light, and has a high tolerance for heat (unlike olive oil) and it's good for you - a vegetable source for good fat - and there's virtually no flavour to it. Even if I am doing an asian stirfry, I will use coconut oil with a little bit of sesame oil (for flavour). Tosca eats a couple of teaspoons a day so that she gets her daily dose of good fats. I am good with just using it in cooking...I tasted it, and there is no a very high chance that I will ever just eat it off a spoon for any reason at all - for good fat I will just continue eating my nuts and nut butters....you can also use this oil as a moisturizer for your skin and hair...it's so clean!

Wet Water

Yes, we all know water is already wet, but did you know that due to 'stuff' in our water supply, we may not be reaping the hydration benefits of all that we are drinking? Tosca already advises we get at least 3 litres of water into our bodies per day - let me tell you that is no small feat! I drink alllllll day long and I usually do get 3 litres in, but I'm a thirsty girl and my body is used to that amount of water! I remember back when I first started reading Tosca's book, at the time I was getting 2 litres in - maybe- and when I started to push for 3 - my visits to the ladies room were quite a bit more frequent! Now my system is used to that amount of water, so I was surprised to hear that my body may not be as hydrated as I think it is. To make water wet (so it will stick to your insides and hydrate those cells) take a 1 litre bottle of water and plop in 2 tbs of lemon juice and a small pinch of salt and enjoy. Now I already have my lemon water in the afternoon to help my liver, so I haven't really done this new wet water thing everyday, but I have tried it, and have found that it at least makes the water taste fresher and cleaner. I will keep on with this tip and will let you know how it goes!

SUGAR IS A DRUG
I think we all know this in the back of our minds, and of course it's mentioned in Tosca's books already, but lately she is REALLY freaking out about this. Sugar is a drug - and my dear friends, I am an addict. I am not ashamed. Admitting it is the first step. In my attempt to get back on the Clean Eating Diet, I have been avoiding sugar like it is the plague. When I get a sweet craving I mow down on some mandarins or cherries like they were candy (which, in the fruit world, they definitely are in my opinion!) Funny thing, at the seminar, they handed out samples of clean peanut butter 'back pack kisses' (I have the recipe card and can scan and send it it you want) and they were TOO SWEET for me! Imagine! And I don't think there was even 1 drop of sugar or honey in them! It was all dried fruit & peanut butter (natural pb of course). I liked the idea of them though, and I am going to see how I can modify the recipe to make them less sweet - like maybe use dried raisins and cranberries instead of whatever they used.

It's kind of funny how your body gets used to something. A good example? Peanut Butter - ever since I was a kid, I had regular old peanut butter - you know - the one with all the sugar and salt and emulsifiers and whatever else - and when I was switching to clean eating I was definitely NOT in love with natural nut butters - ugh! They were gross...but NOW, I love them! And I can't stomach regular peanut butter AT ALL....now THAT is gross to me....blah! My favorite snack in the world is apple slices dipped in natural peanut butter...mmmmm maybe I'll go have some of that now :)