My Typical Daily Meals

Timing of Eating – Natural Body Cycle:

It is best to eat in accordance to the body’s metabolic cycle.  The body has 3 different metabolic periods which cycle every 24 hrs:

1. Elimination and maintenance period: From 4am to noon the cells are dumping waste products, and manufacturing and/or repairing cells.  Choose foods for breakfast that allow your body to continue the process of elimination and maintenance, like green juices, fruit smoothies and fresh fruit.
2. Digestive period: From noon to 8pm the body’s metabolism is geared towards digestion.  When the body is in digestion mode it requires a lot of energy to complete it’s job, so it only makes sense to eat your biggest meal of the day around this time.  The earlier the time frame, the better (the Ayurvedic system of medicine says the time of optimal digestive power is 10 am to 3 pm).  I personally eat my biggest meal between 2pm and 6pm, and drink my nightly green drink by 8pm.
3. Assimilation period: From 8pm to 4am the body is mobilizing nutrients and directing them to the cells.  That’s why it’s best to eat our biggest meal of the day before 8pm, but if you do get hungry again make sure to eat something simple: a handful of raw, unsalted (organic and soaked/sprouted when possible) nuts or seeds, a green drink or a very light salad.  Eating lighter at this time frame shouldn’t disrupt the digestive system too much, and the body can still concentrate on assimilation.

Eating in compliance with these three metabolic periods will afford more efficient digestion, assimilation, cleansing and maintenance of the cells and therefore proper healing can occur!
Here are my typical daily meals:

I personally eat and promote a vegan diet as the best diet for healing. Many of my clients have noticed how much better they feel on a whole food plant based diet that they have no desire for animal protein at all!  Their gut health is better, their skin feels softer and more hydrated and they sleep better. Healing comes from the inside out, and giving our bodies enzyme rich, electric foods like plants will give us all the nourishment to repair not just from eczema, but any disease! 

Check out more meal inspiration with my “What I Eat in a Day” Series!

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Morning:

First thing in the morning I will take my probiotics with a little bit of water, it’s best to take them on an empty stomach so it can do its magic by itself.  Next I do 20 minutes of oil pulling with coconut oil (this is great to pull out the toxins from your lymphatic system… sometimes I do this every other day).  I think it’s great to drink copious amounts of water early in the morning to flush out the system (along with lots of water throughout the day in between meals), so I’ll usually consume about 32 ounces of water to rehydrate.  Then I drink some warm water with a little bit of turmeric paste and lemon which is amazing at putting the body in an alkaline state, and waking up the internal organs, which further helps the elimination and maintenance period.

About 10 min after, I will then have some fresh fruit and make a smoothie. I like to enjoy melon these days first as it is super hydrating and the easiest fruit to digest. These smoothies can vary but here’s one of my “go to” smoothies:

1. Golden Turmeric Smoothie – 1/2-1 tsp turmeric paste (or 1/2″-1″ knob of fresh turmeric), 1/2″-1″ knob of fresh ginger, Anywhere from 3-5 frozen bananas, 1/2 cup of frozen papaya, 1/2 cup of frozen mango, and fresh coconut water or filtered water.*make sure to add a few dashes of black pepper to activate the curcumin in the turmeric. 

This smoothie is pretty amazing because of all of the health benefits:

Turmeric = anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, cancer fighting and great for overall healing.

Ginger = great for digestion, anti-inflammatory & full of antioxidants.

Banana = potassium, high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, mangnese (great for bone health).

Mango = fiber, vitamin A, folic acid.

Papaya = vitamin C, potassium, beta-carotene, lycopene and it has wonderful digestive enzymes.

Coconut Water = full of electrolytes, antioxidants, is antimicrobial and has cytokinins (a plant hormone that has an anti-aging effect on human cells).

Afternoon “linner”:

I call this “linner” because it’s like eating dinner during lunch time; I like to eat my biggest meal early in the day, at least from 2 pm to 6pm.  According to the Ayurvedic system of medicine, the time of optimal digestive power is 10 am to 3 pm.  Eating your biggest meal at least between 12 pm and 6 pm is going to support the digestive process and not overwork it.  You also do not want to drink too much water during meals, since water dilutes the acid concentration in the stomach and makes it harder for the stomach to break down proteins.

Sometimes, I will drink a glass of water with about a spoonful of apple cider vinegar about 20 minutes before this meal. This drink helps to aid the body in the digestion process.

Here are a few of my favourite dishes that I typically eat for “linner”:

I usually have a massive salad, to make sure I get great raw nutrients in my body and something cooked like a sweet potato, brown rice & veggies and beans, curries, soup etc. the possibilities are endless!

-A massive salad of kale, spinach, arugula, red cabbage, broccoli sprouts, beets, diced red onion, cucumber, chopped tempeh, soaked pumpkin and sunflower seeds, kalamata olives, pine nuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds, cooked red lentils, 1 whole or half a chopped avocado (an avocado a day keeps the dry skin away!) and sometimes I throw some sauerkraut in there.  My dressings vary, but this one is one of my faves: ground turmeric, coriander, ginger, cumin, tamari and a little bit of pepper, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, minced garlic and chopped cilantro with tahini. Another fave is tahini with apple cider vinegar, brown mustard, a dash of turmeric and a little maple syrup.  (My salads will vary, but these are a few examples).

Make sure to use the highest quality of organically grown produce available… you don’t want to eat super healthy veggies flooded with pesticides and chemicals.  The Environmental Working Group has a great list of the produce with the highest pesticide level (these need to be bought organically) and produce with the least amount of pesticides that you can kind of getting away with buying conventionally.

*I usually always have a salad daily, it’s a great way to get creative in the kitchen and come up with new flavours and get your raw greens and veggies in!

-Avocado toast!  When I eat wheat bread I make sure its organic sprouted bread.  Just lightly toast some sprouted bread like Ezekiel 4:9 bread (sprouted bread is best because it has been baked at a low temperature and still has great nutrients and enzymes) and slather it with 1 whole avocado, sprinkle a little Himalayan pink salt or tamari and pepper and your in heaven, so simple and so delicious!  You can add tomato, olives, cilantro etc as well.

-Mashed sweet potatoes with coconut cream, coconut milk and a little bit of tamari and pepper & some veggies.

-Soup!  I love me some soup, another way to get really creative in the kitchen.  My soups will vary, but some I usually do are a lentil soup with veggies, or a miso soup with wakame seaweed, chopped tempeh, a dash of tamari and veggies.

-Brown rice or quinoa and veggies.

-Sautéed seasoned tempeh and a salad.

-Sprouted tortilla chips and guacamole.

**I have lately been following a high carb low fat vegan diet where I keep 80% of my calories from carbs 10% of my calories from protein and 10% of my calories from fat so 80/10/10. I try to avoid oils and only consume the fat in its whole food form ex. avocado instead of avocado oil or coconut meat instead of coconut oil etc. this way I get the fiber and nutrients that is otherwise extracted out with the pil.

It’s good to follow a food combing system when eating, this helps your digestive system to have it working at it’s highest potential.  I like to take digestive enzymes with my meals to help break down the foods to make them even more easily assimilated.

Protein + Vegetables = Yes!

example: tempeh and veggies, or lentils with veggies

Starch + Vegetable = Yes!

example: Brown rice with lightly coco oil stir fried veggies, avocado on sprouted bread, sweet potato with veggies

You want to eat your proteins and carbohydrates separately. The reason is because amylase, the enzyme that digests starch, needs an alkaline environment. Protease, which breaks down the protein, requires an acidic environment. Mixing proteins and starchy carbohydrates such as meat and potatoes in the same meal results in poor digestion of both. But eating protein and starches separately allows both enzymes to function optimally.  *Again, taking digestive enzymes will help with this process.

Food combining perfectly explained 😉

Eat in abundance of whole nutrient dense foods!  Fruits, Veggies, Nuts, Seeds, Grains Galore!

Night Time Green Drink:

It’s important to make sure you get a green drink in every night, this gives the body a great shot of nutrients to help with assimilation while you sleep.  You will also experience great elimination in the morning because of this drink.  You want to drink this on an empty stomach typically 2-3 hours after eating a meal (I shoot for around 8 pm, making it the last thing I consume), and if you are still hungry, allow at least one hour after drinking the juice to have solid food (very light snacks like raw, unsalted, organic soaked/sprouted nuts and seeds, or a light salad, because it is later in the evening).  You also want to drink this alone, without solid food; eating something with your juice overloads the digestive system and defeats the purpose of drinking it.  It’s best if you use organic ingredients, to insure that you are getting the purest, most non-toxic foods for your body to heal.  You should drink this slowly and also swish it around in your mouth.  This allows the saliva to mix with the juice, for better assimilation.  Lastly, it’s best to drink it once you make it.  It is possible to store it in a tight mason jar filled to the top in the refrigerator, but it still loses vital enzymes and nutrients minutes after it’s made and the longer it sits.

Here’s what I typically put in my green drink:

*You can use a juicer or a high speed blender.  I use a high speed blender, it’s just as good as a juicer and you get the benefits of keeping the fiber from the foods intact. (my measurements are based on using a high speed blender, if using a juicer you will use more).

Celery = (1 stalk) a natural diuretic, aids in the elimination of carbon dioxide from the body, is full of fiber and has vitamin A, C and calcium.

Parsley – (small handful) full of vitamins A and C and it has iron.  Parsley is also a diuretic and has laxative properties.  *cool fact… chew on some parsley after a meal as a natural breath freshener!

Carrots – (1 medium size) has vitamin A, K and C.  Carrots also have potassium and fiber.  Make sure when you add them to your drink you don’t cut the top part off (leave the hat part, but discard the green shoots).  Most of the phytochemicals are located there which are vital in the treatment of severe illnesses.

Cilantro – (small handful) high in vitamin K (supports the growth of strong bones).  Has the ability to remove mercury, lead, cadmium and other heavy metals from the body.

Kale – (1-2 leaves)  super nutrient rich veggie packed with calcium, antioxidants, carotenoids, lutein (antioxidant essential for skin health), vitamin A, C and K.

Spinach – (1 handful) full of calcium, manganese, folate, antioxidants, fiber, protein and vitamins K and A.

Cucumber – (1/2) a great diuretic (helps remove excess fluids from the body because it promotes urination) and is excellent as a blood cleanser.  Cucumber also has vitamin A and C, magnesium and potassium.

Apple – (1 to sweeten your juice) has vitamin A and C, folate, fiber, iron, potassium and phosphorous.

Turmeric – (1/2 – 1″ knob) potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and cancer fighting food!  Pretty much amazing for overall healing.

Ginger – (1/2 – 1″ knob) great for digestion, anti-inflammatory & full of antioxidants.

Hemp Seeds – (1/2 tablespoon) packed with protein, amazing for skin health (due to it’s high content of omgea 3 and 6 essential fatty acids), great source of fiber, calcium, thiamine, iron, niacin, riboflavin, phosphorous and amino acids.

Ground Flax Seeds – (1/2 tablespoon) high in fiber, rich in lignans and omega 3’s (helps reduce inflammation), antioxidants, vitamin B6, folate, thiamin, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, copper and manganese. (make sure it’s ground so that your body can fully absorb all the nutrients).

Snacks:

1. Fresh or dehydrated fruits (make sure the dehydrated fruits are just that, no added sugars or preservatives).
2. Freshly cut up vegetables like cucumber, celery or carrots.
3. Sprouted, no salt tortilla chips and hummus.
4. Unsalted nuts or seeds (soaked is even better).

**some info cred goes to:

http://eczema-natural-healing.com/index.html