The Energy to Thrive

Life begets life.  Energy begets energy.  

It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.

-  Sarah Bernhardt -

Energy highs and lows are the norm for humans.

But for those people operating with autoimmune diseases, it can feel as if the dial is constantly turned to low.

Prior to my celiac diagnosis, energy was a difficult thing to muster. Most afternoons were spent sleeping for hours at a time, with intense headaches, stomach and joint pains, numbed by some form of painkiller. Exercise was an intense chore which left me feeling more broken rather than more energy-filled. 

Cutting out the foods I was allergic to was like an energy awakening. Suddenly, exercise became something to look forward to (imagine that!)

I read a book recently which made a big impact. 

It was one of those impulse airport bookshop grabs just prior to a flight that you can't imagine never having read. It's called: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.

Filled with epic adventure and pure inspiration, the book brings across the thrill of rediscovering what it should be like for every human who has the physical capacity for movement to run (and actually enjoy it...injury free). Minimalist running or barefoot running is another strong topic of debate in the book, which for anyone who has ever had an injury caused by running is something which might peak your interest. 

Inspired by the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico's Copper Canyons, whose culture is built around running long distances in remote locations wearing leather sandals, the book also delves into the scientific aspects of running and running shoes. For instance, have all the advances in running shoe technology really led to injury-free running? For many people with expensive running shoes that control pronation, give arch support and have enough cushioning for your heel striking gait to feel like you're running on clouds (but who still sit with shin splints or foot fractures), the answer is a resounding: "NO!"

I've been pondering this for a few months now, using myself as a guinea pig of sorts. Over the years of starting and stopping running, most often due to shin or knee complaints; upping the weekly mileage has mostly been in new running shoes.  You know, the ones you pay a whole lot of money for to prevent those injuries.

Well, for the past couple of months or so of running, I've been using old running shoes. The ones you're supposed to retire on the advice of running magazines because their cushioning isn't so great anymore, and the support has worn down. You know, the ones that are now supposed to be causing you injuries.

The verdict?

Not a knee or shin complaint in sight.

The premise of minimalist running is simple.

Take away the running shoes designed to alter your foot's natural way of hitting the ground during motion, bring back the feedback your foot should be getting from the ground which allows you to land more carefully, and what you get is a stronger foot and an adapted natural shock absorption system (i.e. your legs) that eventually self-corrects posture and alignment, allowing you to run injury free.

The way a child would run barefoot across a field out of sheer joy.

It's an interesting premise, I think.

So buoyed by months of running happily in old shoes, and a sale on at the Cape Union Mart, Simeon and I came home yesterday excitedly clutching our Merrell barefoot collection shoes.

Now before you scoff, since barefoot running should indeed be free and shoeless, would you relish your foot being cut up by a rusty aluminium can or smeared in dog poop? Me neither.

Thus, barefoot shoes a la Vibram five fingers or the like.

Notice the differences in design from a regular running shoe in terms of slope and cushioning?

Merrell Women's Barefoot Collection: Pace Glove in Dark Shadow

Merrell Men's Barefoot Collection: Trail Glove in Black/Molten Lava

Donning our shoes for the first time, we set out on our evening run marvelling at how much of the ground we suddenly felt and how differently our feet were landing to adjust to that fact. It was the first time while running through the veld that I didn't almost twist my ankle, and I realised it was because I was stepping more carefully over the rocky paths because I could feel the ground! 

Another interesting fact is how much lighter the shoes are versus regular running shoes. Your feet literally feel less heavy to pick up.

Are we hooked?

Definitely!

We'll be interspersing the use of these shoes with our old running shoes, allowing our feet/calves/legs/posture time to adapt gracefully to the landing modifications required. For as Benjamin Franklin said: Energy and persistance alter all things.

To read more about minimalist running online, I recommend the following Running Times article as a starting point: Much ado about minimalism

And in closing, for those of your who have ever not felt quite right after eating a meal (or, let's face it, just felt anywhere close to crappy for days on end after eating certain foods), please do your self a favour and get tested for allergies. Your life will thank you!

Restaurant Review: Fresh Earth Food Store

Since moving back to Pretoria from my beloved Cape Town, I have been silently mourning the lack of freely available gluten-free fare. In fact, most restaurants seem to think you are swearing at them when you enquire about the gluten-free status of menu items.

As fate would have it, I could've heard the heavens open up to hear old Will S. singing: "Sigh no more, lad(y), sigh no more...And be you blithe and bonny, converting all your sounds of woe into, 'Hey, nonny, nonny'", on the happy day I perchance stumbled across the website for Fresh Earth.

Situated in Komatie Road, Emmarentia; this health food store/bakery/eatery is a coeliac sufferer's dream come true. All suitable menu items are coded (gf) to offer peace of mind when ordering, and bakery items are labelled with a full list of ingredients when perusing the display cabinet.


The menu is diverse, offering breakfast options, salads, hot meals, burgers, sandwiches, smoothies, fresh juices, a variety of beverages and sweet treats. Temptation for trying a variety of menu items dictated that we conquer this corner of Emmarentia two Saturdays in a row. Below is the resulting photographic feast:

Frittata (gf)

Oven baked omelette filled with pesto roasted vegeatbles, saute tofu, goats feta and mozarella cheese.

This was delicately flavoured with a good balance of toppings. Vegetables were roasted to perfection, while the amount and varieties of cheeses used were not overpowering.

Avocado Pizza

Spinach, avocado and mozarella cheese (on a gluten-free base).

Base was crisp (a bit too crisp in places). Topping was, according to my hubby, "Simple yet tasty."

Pesto Pizza
Basil pesto, spinach, olives, Italian tofu, tomatoes, oregano and mozarella cheese (on a gluten-free base).

This topping managed to amalgamate a profusion of tastes, with none being singularly over-reaching. The basil pesto was sufficiently bouyant to make its presence known, while the Italian tofu was a little taste of vegan yum.

Tramazzini

Roast veggies, olives and mozarella cheese (served with a side salad) (non-gf)

While I can't vouch for the taste, my mom did take her leftover pita slices home with her, which is a testament of its own I suspect.

Chocolate Cake (gf)

Ah, the cake...my favourite part :-) Moist and dense without being overly sweet. The cocoa is what comes through here, which is exactly what a fan of 70%+ dark chocolate Lindt is wild about. Big thumbs up.

The Carrot Cake (gf) was also exceptionally good. We bought this as a take home version at R45 for a decent sized log cake. Ingredients are listed as: Rice flour; pineapple; carrots; oil; sugar; eggs; pecan nuts; cream cheese and spices. The topping adds a subdued lemon zesty zing, which balances out the sweetness of this extremely moist cake to perfection.

Since price and value-for-money are relative concepts, I can only offer that for two people (breakfast x 2, beverages x 3 rounds, cake x 2), the outing came to R240, while for three people (breakfast x 3, beverages x 2 rounds, cake x 3), the total was R340. Make of that what you will. A full menu with prices is available on the Fresh Earth website.

Having graduated from The Prue Leith College of Food and Wine in 2001 (now known as Prue Leith Chefs Academy), excellence in service was a mainstay in my training. As such, the make or break point of most restaurant outings for me is the service. Fresh Earth strikes a good balance here - friendly waitrons (fast, efficient, knowledgeable about their product, and attentive without being overly so...thank you Michael and Tryphina), impeccably polite manager (kudos to you, David) and smiling cashier (shine on, Rebecca!)

As with any production, the stage plays a part in making a lasting impression. The outdoor setting is lovely, with wooden tables under an awning, flanked by wheat grass and a red tractor (which seems to give most kids something to happily clamber about on, while having the odd side-effect of making my IT-ish husband want to refurbish old VW combis). The interior shop is well-stocked and lends itself to the element of 'browsiness', which I like.



In an otherwise stellar review, I have only two minor gripes. One, the bathroom arrangements are cramped, noisy due to the extractor fan, malodorous due to the trash cans and somewhat lacking in privacy should someone look out of their windows in the surrounding block of flats. Two, the indoor seating area. This space is cramped and lacks a good supply of fresh air, which isn't helped by the patroness using this area as a space for a rather loud Saturday morning business meeting at the adjoining table. That's it, end of complaints.

In summary, was the food good? Yes. Was the service good? Yes. Was the setting good? Mostly - outside is lovely. Would I go there again? A resounding, yes!

I offer up a hale and hearty high five to this quirky little gem :-)