A New Experiment

Yeah, yeah, yeah, me and my experiments ...

I went to the doctor today. He says that these mood swings I'm having are perfectly normal for someone who has had a brain injury and to just expect them and deal with them. Lovely. See, I've been ornerier than a mama bear in the middle of the winter who was just awakened for the eighth time by her fighting cubs. My nerves have been really close to the surface and controlling my outbursts ... hasn't been going so well. So I guess I get to just plan on feeling like I have the world's worst PMS for a little while yet.

But as to the rest of me, I am better. Not enough to leap on a treadmill or go on a marathon run with Brent, but I'm able to walk around a bit better. I even went to the grocery store today without hurting myself, so progress is made.

Now, on to the experiment.

Foods in the lettuce family contain silica, and silica is excellent for helping injured tissues to heal. I firmly believe that we are all entitled to inspiration as to what our bodies need, and while pondering it today, I had the impression that I need to consume a large quantity of salad. I got to thinking about it. I have always loved going to salad bars. I like sprinkling beets and kidney beans and all sorts of fun little extras on my salad. I realized that I honestly could eat a nice big salad every day if it had some fun little veggies in it to keep it from being boring. In fact, I could eat two, and that's what my body wants.

So, for the entire month of April, here is my experiment:

Every day, I will eat a salad for lunch and another for dinner. I went to the store today and got a ton of fun little things to throw in there - cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, pepper jack cheese, croutons, beets, kidney beans, pineapple tidbits, toasted almonds, and fat free dressing. I also got some tuna and some chicken, and eggs. I can vary what goes into the salad and control the protein content, etc, by adding meat and eggs. Then I can do a grain for breakfast, or a slice of whole wheat toast with my salad, if I feel the need.

I'm actually really excited about this. Eating salads is a great way to lose weight and get nutrients, and by adding in the protein, etc, I'm not going to starve like you do on most salad diets - in fact, a nice little salad can fill me up. I have struggled for a long time with getting enough vegetables, and there are times where I go for three or four days without eating any produce at all.

The point here is:

To give my body a ton of silica so it has the ingredients it needs to mend my tissues

To give my body a ton of nutrients so I can start to heal from years of neglecting myself

To increase my appreciation for healthy foods

To eat less junk food and more high-nutrition food

I do imagine there will be an occasional treat here and there ... I'm not a saint by any means and I know that my willpower needs a shot in the arm. But this is an eating experiment I can live with. At the end of the month, I'll evaluate and see how I'm doing. Of course, during such times as the Storymaker conference, when I'm not in charge of what I'm eating, I'll need to waggle a little, but I really, really think this will help me get headed in the direction I want to head in.