Yes, I am still alive! Today I am productive, but doing nearly everything EXCEPT those things that urgently need doing. But still, productive. There are many blogs “in the works”, never fear! But for today, just a few thoughts:

Top 3 problems I have right now:

1. I need more sleep!
2. I am overworked and struggling to get it all done (well) and keep myself healthy…
3. I spend too much time alone studying and not enough time loving and being loved.

Top 6 blessings I have right now:
1. Those few, special, amazing friends & family who accept me and put up with my spasmodic time and energy availability!
2. I finally live in a peaceful, private space that is 100% my own.
3. I live in a city/country that is safe, clean, peaceful, accepting, supportive, vibrant, and fun!
4. I am fortunate enough to have access to loans and government support to pursue my education.
5. I am healthy, able to walk/see/hear and otherwise free to go and do whatever I want whenever I want.
6. I get to spend every day doing what I am most passionate about and learning what I am most interested in…

As long as my blessings double my problems, things are OK.

So just a few days into the GenoType Diet and I’m making some changes…

I have started making my fruit smoothies without bananas (so sad!) and so far I am using pineapple chunks, mango (using up what’s in my freezer), raspberries, and blueberries (see mango). I add to this 1 tablespoon of lecithin and then cover it all with a combo of prune juice (see mango), peach juice, and water. This actually tastes pretty great, and I am looking forward to using up all the prune juice and getting to some cranberry… But I still do miss bananas and avocados… Any ideas for something to put in there to give a creamier texture? I might try cottage cheese, but I will have to work into dairy slowly…

Yesterday I tried pomelo for the first time and it was alright. It is a really big citrus fruit with a very thick peel that was hard to get off. It tasted mild but still sour. I didn’t love it, but it was not bad, so I will definitely eat some more… In the afternoon I stopped by a tea shop and bought two types of Yerba Mate tea, one of which is called “Mate chino” which has cocoa in it! It smells like chocolate cake and kind of tastes like hot cocoa. Yum… I also bought some Green Tea Kombucha by Yogi Tea. For dinner I ordered Indian takeout of lamb tikka and basmati rice, which was already one of my favourite meals, but has now gone from neutral for an O nonsecretor to Superfood status for this Gatherer! For dessert I made my Walnutty Chocolate recipe.

I’m still working on figuring the vegetable part of this plan. I have tried green beans (which were great) and eaten up all the carrots left in my fridge. For dinner tonight I think I will make a salad with spinach, red pepper, and celery. When I grocery shop for next week I will also buy some okra and likely some salad mix or romaine lettuce.

Here is a link to the ricotta cheesecake recipe I mentioned in my last blog. I haven’t made it yet, but I think I could substitute for the sugar and flour to make it compliant. Enjoy!

A glimpse into my brain as I read and learn about The GenoType Diet...

27 Dec 2007:

Spent much of that day wondering when my book would arrive. Amazon said it would ship on the 27th and arrive between December 31st and January 2nd. I was at my dad’s house for the holidays and was worried that the book wouldn’t arrive before I left on the 31st! I considered just going out to buy one down the street, but was instructed by my father to just be patient (probably the most common thing he has said to me in my life!).

28 Dec 2007:

Book arrived! Yay Amazon! Spent rest of day flipping, reading, and measuring furiously. Couldn’t figure out if my ring fingers were longer or shorter than my index fingers! Measured obsessively with a variety of tools, techniques, and eyeballs. I don’t look like a Gatherer, but then what am I? Although, the emotional “highs and lows” part is spot-on… Experienced minor identity crisis.

29 Dec 2007:

Continued to measure obsessively. My father (Explorer) got very annoyed with me, but then also became obsessed with my fingers. Began to understand that if I was having this much trouble telling the difference, my ring finger is clearly NOT longer…genius! This means I’m a Gatherer. Read food lists for Gatherer and compared to Explorer (my next most likely type) and decided I should be pleased I’m a Gatherer because I far prefer these lists!

30 Dec 2007:

Whoo hoo! CHOCOLATE, walnuts, almonds, ghee, quinoa, basmati rice, onions, peppers, celery, pineapple, raspberries, cranberries, eggs, turkey, bison, lamb, okra, are all superfoods! Did I mention CHOCOLATE? Boo hoo! Red wine doesn’t have a black dot. Discovered recipe for ricotta cheesecake made with tons of superfoods – I can have CHEESECAKE?

31 Dec 2007:

Insisted on reading the Gatherer and Explorer food lists out loud to my father in the car on the way to Toronto. Scintillating reading for me, not so much for him… Grocery shopping. So confused! No kale, broccoli, bananas, blueberries, mangos, carrots… Where are my staples? Bought spinach, green beans, pineapple, raspberries, a pomelo (coolest looking fruit ever), celery, bison burgers, turkey, walnuts, almonds (covered in beneficial CHOCOLATE), flaxseed, eggs. Not so hard.

1 Jan 2007:

Kukicha tea is a superfood! I have a pomelo in my kitchen! Chocolate! Eggs, eggs, eggs… I have a lot of black cherry, prune, mango, and peach juices to drink over the next few months…

Overall, I am really pleased to be a Gatherer and excited about my food lists. I will never forget the good times I shared with some of my favourite O-non foods, like bananas, blueberries, carrots, kale, and broccoli and I will definitely keep in touch. But on the whole I am thrilled to keep many of my faves and gain lots of delicious new foods that were previously restricted!

First, I would like to point out that for the first time in the history of my blog, I have a music selection to share: Superwoman by Alicia Keys. Perfect music to study to...

So, last I wrote, I was trying to decide whether I should get my own apartment… Well, I did and I am very pleased with this decision.

The last time I was looking, I found one particular building that I really liked. I ultimately decided to move to a shared house closer to school, but I still fantasized about having my own apartment and when I did I saw myself living in that special building. Well, lo and behold, there was an apartment available in that building again this time around! I saw it, liked it, still loved the building (and superintendent), but was hoping for something a bit cheaper (remember that I am a poor student). So, I took a leap and offered them a lower monthly rent than they were asking and feverishly used The Secret for 5 days while I waited to hear their response. I was ecstatic when they actually accepted my offer!

I moved in just over a week ago and have already been playing in the kitchen a bit with some new toys. First, I decided to NOT buy a microwave and instead I bought (actually, it was free using Airmiles) a toaster over/convection oven. I’m still getting accustomed to taking a bit longer to heat some things, but I am very glad to be rid of the microwave. I still use one at school to reheat my lunch, but at least there isn’t one in my home anymore. Second, I bought a crockpot (also with Airmiles – best way to use these that I can think of!) which I haven’t tried out yet. I plan to make some chilli or something soon.

I like routine and I am very busy with school and work most of the time, so it is really easy for me to fall into a rut (a comfortable rut, but still a rut) in regards to my diet and end up eating the same things all the time. Back in the summer I bought a box of red quinoa and it has been sitting in my cupboard since. Last night I made some and it was great! It is made the same way as rice, although I used vegetable broth rather than water and it gave it a great extra taste. Although a plant, quinoa is unique in that it is a “complete” protein source (unlike any other plant protein I can think of). This means that it contains all 20 amino acids considered “essential, that is that can’t be synthesized by the human body. It can be very hard to get all essential amino acids from plant foods alone (hence the nutritional troubles that some vegetarians can face when they aren’t diligent about diet), while animal protein contains all essential amino acids and far more protein to boot. Also, after first eating okra in India (or as they called it, “lady fingers”), I bought some and sautéed it in ghee with a little salt and pepper and it was great! Beneficial for all types except ABs and B secretors, but avoid for none, okra is a great vegetable to try if you have never had it!

Having my own kitchen, all to myself makes it easier for me to cook new things and make big messes, but there is also another reason I am trying to cook more and try new foods that I will write about in my next blog…

Hi blogophiles, I am still here! I just haven’t had a burning need to write a blog in awhile. However, lots of stuff has/is happening in life, so I thought I’d share a quick update.

After returning from India at the end of June, I nearly immediately went back to work part-time at my previous workplace (huge consumer packaged goods company). I was added support to a project team under a lot of pressure and tight deadlines. Needless to say that while there were many great aspects of going back (seeing old friends, making good money, new and different mental challenges), I am still so happy that I decided to leave that career and start at CCNM. I have never regretted that decision and being back in my old environment (but being a different me), I am so much happier with my life now.

In July I began working a weekly shift in the clinic at school giving massage and hydrotherapy treatments to fulfill a class requirement. This was my first time in clinic and there was a lot to learn. On my first shift I had an “outside” patient (ie: someone who isn’t a student) and I worked hard to get the room and myself fully prepared before she arrived. It wasn’t until I was in the middle of taking her vitals that I realized I had forgotten sheets for the massage table… Over my 7 week rotation I got much better and less nervous, thankfully!

And that brings us to the present… School is great so far, but busy of course. Second year is a whole lot different than first year, and ultimately more stimulating and rewarding I think. We get to apply what we learned last year, rather than just stick strictly to memorization and textbook information. I’ve also become a bit more involved at school this year (yoga club, knitting club, environment week, qigong classes) and starting this month will be taking an extra course in classical homeopathy one weekend per month. I am still working part-time, both at the health food store and for NAP doing a few different things. It is so cool to be able to get paid to combine the skills I’m learning in my new career with what I loved most about my old career!

The last piece of news is that it looks like I am going to be moving before the end of the year. And, I am back in the same situation I wrote about in this blog. Except that option 1 is not an option. I am not going to be living in residence again! This time round, it seems more likely that I will choose to get my own place. Like many of you know, this is something I have wanted for many years, but I have not yet been willing to spend so much money. This time I think I am willing to take that leap, plus my financial situation is much better at this point in my 4 year program than I expected it to be. What’s a few (actually several) thousands of dollars more of debt anyway? I’ll let you know how it all turns out.