So I got diagnosed with celiac disease, and I'm not surprised, not after reading about the symptoms of celiac disease (there are a ton) and its connection with type 1. I'm fine - no gluten, no biggie.
Then I start reading "Wheat Belly" by William Davis, and I'm now thinking "wheat is the devil for you and me regardless of autoimmune diseases present" and "this sucks." I mean he even suggests I eat dinner food FOR BREAKFAST. What kind of world does this guy live in; it's supposed to be the other way around! Salad for breakfast? Gross. I don't even remember the last time I had a bowl of cereal, but I do like peanut butter toast now and again. OK, I'm allowed to continue eating my eggs or plain Greek yogurt sweetened with honey, so I suppose I've got that going for me. In all seriousness though, gluten might be the toxin causing any one of your ailments from joint pain, gas, migraines, exhaustion, irritability, fat belly, or any other unpleasant body problem. You might want to check it out.
Now I'm at this mild panic-confusion stage. Do I throw out all of my gluten contaminated foods like peanut butter and condiments, perfect wood cutting board, and wooden kitchen utensils in one fell swoop? Or do I slowly eliminate gluten contamination bits at a time? Do I insist Anna and Bryan go gluten free in order to keep the evil that is gluten out of their bodies and our home? How many new recipes will I have to try to find things that make us all happy? What will I do when I go to our families' houses where every kitchen surface is potentially dusted in gluten? So many questions. This post from Gluten-Free Girl is beautifully written and helpful, but I still feel lost.
I suppose in the spirit of gratitude that is important to my every day well being, I'm thankful to know about my celiac disease so I can improve my overall health. I can be thankful that there are blogs and books a-plenty to help me figure out this new normal. I can be thankful we started on a real food diet about a year ago so many changes won't be too drastic. Just don't expect me to have dinner on the table at 6:00 AM next week.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
You Can Call Me Autoimmune Girl
I collect autoimmune diseases. I don't want to collect autoimmune diseases, but my genes dictate it to be so. As of today at 3:30 I'm up to my 4th autoimmune disease. Lucky me.
What is an autoimmune disease, you ask? Look here for an easy to understand definition. Autoimmune diseases can be triggered after such things as illness, stress, and pregnancy among other bodily changes. Having one autoimmune disease increases the chances of having another.
So what are my big four?
1. Type 1/ juvenile diabetes. I was a freshman in college and almost 19. I was eating like a horse and losing weight. My skin was dry. I was sick to my stomach every morning, and I threw up several times. If I wasn't drinking, I was dying of thirst. I woke up several times a night to pee. Since my mom is a nurse she told me to check my blood sugar on a diabetic boy in the dorm's BG (blood glucose) monitor. It was 526. Normal BG is 80-120; I'm lucky I wasn't in a coma. I went to the hospital, got diagnosed, cried, and learned more about my body and the food I eat than I really wanted to know.
My pancreas no longer makes insulin so I have to give it to myself through my insulin pump. . I change my pump injection site every three days, count carbohydrates, and eat a diet with heathy foods. I also check my BG at least 4 times a day.
2. Hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed about 6 months after the diabetes because the two often go hand-in-hand. I didn't have any symptoms that I remember. Typical symptoms often include chronic fatigue, weight gain, and hair loss. I take a pill to give my body the hormone my thyroid no longer makes.
3. Meniere's Disease. I think I was around 24 when I got a diagnosis. I have extreme vertigo -usually after eating foods on my "no" list. My symptoms changed over the years. It started with the room spinning in all directions during the middle of the night and then puking. I would then lie by the toilet for the next day because any movement would cause more vomiting. Recently the attacks have been very minor, but still scary. The room just spins or tilts for about 5 seconds. I tried a few in-office procedures to help with the vertigo, but they didn't cure it. Vertigo is very unpleasant and very scary so I try to avoid it at all costs. I found that eliminating Splenda and chocolate from my diet and reducing my salt intake made the biggest changes in the frequency of attacks. I also refrain from caffeine, nutra-sweet, and alcohol.
4. Celiac Disease. My newest diagnosis, and one more disease that makes me eliminate my most favorite foods. Apparently gluten (found in wheat, rye, and barley) is damaging the lining of my small intestine. I don't have any intestinal issues like many people with celiac disease. My biggest symptoms are inability to lose weight despite diet and exercise changes and frequent tiredness. Having type 1 diabetes and hypothyroidism made my chances of having celiac disease go up.
I'm not happy about this diagnosis, but I am happy to have a possible reason as to why I can't lose weight. I will be eliminating gluten from my diet, but not until I have one last Magee's caramel doughnut or maybe a Spalding doughnut or maybe Pazzo's pizza...the list goes on. I hope my dietary changes help me to get down to a better weight for my body and the dark circles under my eyes lighten up a little.
I have four good reasons to keep working on a real food diet, that's for sure.
What is an autoimmune disease, you ask? Look here for an easy to understand definition. Autoimmune diseases can be triggered after such things as illness, stress, and pregnancy among other bodily changes. Having one autoimmune disease increases the chances of having another.
So what are my big four?
1. Type 1/ juvenile diabetes. I was a freshman in college and almost 19. I was eating like a horse and losing weight. My skin was dry. I was sick to my stomach every morning, and I threw up several times. If I wasn't drinking, I was dying of thirst. I woke up several times a night to pee. Since my mom is a nurse she told me to check my blood sugar on a diabetic boy in the dorm's BG (blood glucose) monitor. It was 526. Normal BG is 80-120; I'm lucky I wasn't in a coma. I went to the hospital, got diagnosed, cried, and learned more about my body and the food I eat than I really wanted to know.
My pancreas no longer makes insulin so I have to give it to myself through my insulin pump. . I change my pump injection site every three days, count carbohydrates, and eat a diet with heathy foods. I also check my BG at least 4 times a day.
2. Hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed about 6 months after the diabetes because the two often go hand-in-hand. I didn't have any symptoms that I remember. Typical symptoms often include chronic fatigue, weight gain, and hair loss. I take a pill to give my body the hormone my thyroid no longer makes.
3. Meniere's Disease. I think I was around 24 when I got a diagnosis. I have extreme vertigo -usually after eating foods on my "no" list. My symptoms changed over the years. It started with the room spinning in all directions during the middle of the night and then puking. I would then lie by the toilet for the next day because any movement would cause more vomiting. Recently the attacks have been very minor, but still scary. The room just spins or tilts for about 5 seconds. I tried a few in-office procedures to help with the vertigo, but they didn't cure it. Vertigo is very unpleasant and very scary so I try to avoid it at all costs. I found that eliminating Splenda and chocolate from my diet and reducing my salt intake made the biggest changes in the frequency of attacks. I also refrain from caffeine, nutra-sweet, and alcohol.
4. Celiac Disease. My newest diagnosis, and one more disease that makes me eliminate my most favorite foods. Apparently gluten (found in wheat, rye, and barley) is damaging the lining of my small intestine. I don't have any intestinal issues like many people with celiac disease. My biggest symptoms are inability to lose weight despite diet and exercise changes and frequent tiredness. Having type 1 diabetes and hypothyroidism made my chances of having celiac disease go up.
I'm not happy about this diagnosis, but I am happy to have a possible reason as to why I can't lose weight. I will be eliminating gluten from my diet, but not until I have one last Magee's caramel doughnut or maybe a Spalding doughnut or maybe Pazzo's pizza...the list goes on. I hope my dietary changes help me to get down to a better weight for my body and the dark circles under my eyes lighten up a little.
I have four good reasons to keep working on a real food diet, that's for sure.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Summer Favorites
Now that summer's coming to an end (waaaaaa) and I've been a blog slacker, I'll catch up on sharing some of my favorite recipes we've tried. Our favorite tried and true recipes are always Tex-Mex it seems so read on Tex-Mex fans.
Through the awesomeness that is Pinterest, I accidentally stumbled upon this blog, Eighty-Twenty. It's written with the belief that 80% of the food we eat should be real, nutritious, and good for you and the other 20% of what we eat should be the fun stuff that tastes yummy. I think this is a realistic way to eat real food so you don't feel deprived. However I would stay away from all things highly processed which means if you want the cookies - you should make them from scratch in your very own kitchen. She's got a lot of recipes I'm interested in trying, but we started with these Mexican Stuffed Peppers, and they were really good. In the future, I would cut the brown sugar down by at least 1 Tbl and maybe add a few dashes of Sriracha to give a little sweet and spicy flavor (the recipe as is is on the sweet side).
A Couple Cooks is another favorite blog. We are a breakfast-for-dinner kind of family, so mix eggs with salsa and tortillas and we've got a winner with Scrambled Egg Tacos With Heirloom Tomato Salsa! This was a really easy and quick dinner plus I was able to use some tomatoes from my CSA box to make the salsa.
I made the granola recipe on 100 Days of Real Food and it was good, but I really wanted something that was a bar instead of crumbles. So back to my good friend, Pinterest. I pinned several bars to try that had real food ingredients and used some of the ingredients from the 1st batch of granola (oats, raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, sliced raw almonds). I've only made one recipe so far, but I really like it because it uses natural peanut butter (mmmmmm). Grab-and-Go Granola Bars were easy to make and make a perfect healthy snack. I used whole wheat flour instead of wheat germ and grape seed oil instead of flax oil because that's what I had on hand.
A few things I have on my list to try in the coming months: pastured eggs (from free roaming chickens), grass-fed beef, and PB2 (my sister-in-law's recommendation).
Here's to mindful eating!
Through the awesomeness that is Pinterest, I accidentally stumbled upon this blog, Eighty-Twenty. It's written with the belief that 80% of the food we eat should be real, nutritious, and good for you and the other 20% of what we eat should be the fun stuff that tastes yummy. I think this is a realistic way to eat real food so you don't feel deprived. However I would stay away from all things highly processed which means if you want the cookies - you should make them from scratch in your very own kitchen. She's got a lot of recipes I'm interested in trying, but we started with these Mexican Stuffed Peppers, and they were really good. In the future, I would cut the brown sugar down by at least 1 Tbl and maybe add a few dashes of Sriracha to give a little sweet and spicy flavor (the recipe as is is on the sweet side).
A Couple Cooks is another favorite blog. We are a breakfast-for-dinner kind of family, so mix eggs with salsa and tortillas and we've got a winner with Scrambled Egg Tacos With Heirloom Tomato Salsa! This was a really easy and quick dinner plus I was able to use some tomatoes from my CSA box to make the salsa.
I made the granola recipe on 100 Days of Real Food and it was good, but I really wanted something that was a bar instead of crumbles. So back to my good friend, Pinterest. I pinned several bars to try that had real food ingredients and used some of the ingredients from the 1st batch of granola (oats, raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, sliced raw almonds). I've only made one recipe so far, but I really like it because it uses natural peanut butter (mmmmmm). Grab-and-Go Granola Bars were easy to make and make a perfect healthy snack. I used whole wheat flour instead of wheat germ and grape seed oil instead of flax oil because that's what I had on hand.
A few things I have on my list to try in the coming months: pastured eggs (from free roaming chickens), grass-fed beef, and PB2 (my sister-in-law's recommendation).
Here's to mindful eating!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
I'm Still Here
What have I been up to?
Well, I have...
Well, I have...
- finished up the school year and all of the things that go with moving grades and classrooms
- been reading, reading, and more reading
- done fun summer stuff with Anna (swimming, playing, watching too much TV)
- started watching HBO series (Girls and Game of Thrones) because we changed to Direct TV and get all the movie channels for free for 3 months
- gone shopping
- kept up with my exercise
- picked paint colors and looked at countertops for our kitchen (our house needs an update)
- learned to sew (kind of)
- tried some new recipes!
Because this blog is about the food we are eating I'll fill you in on some of the things we've tried recently. I feel as though I've eaten my weight in salad this past month. The CSA box is filled with all things green. Anna changes her mind about salad weekly, Bryan isn't a fan of salad (he hates dressing), and I don't like wasting, so the lettuce all falls on my plate, literally. I've had some really good-for-you and tastes delicious salads this month that you may enjoy.
This Strawberry, Quinoa, and Chopped Spinach Salad from Cookie and Kate is my FAVORITE salad with a few changes (in red). I ate this almost everyday for lunch during the month of May. It's pretty to look at, is fresh and healthy, and filling to get you through the day.
Dressing ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon real maple syrup (I know $16 for syrup feels extravagant, but it is really light and sweet and so much better for you.)
- 1 teaspoon shallot, finely chopped (I left this out)
Salad ingredients:
- 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, warmed (I never warmed the quinoa) I made the quinoa on Sunday, and used it all week.
- 2 to 3 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled (I am not a fan of goat cheese, so I used feta)
- black pepper and sea salt, to taste (I left these out)
- 2/3 cup strawberries, chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons pecan pieces (I used walnuts, and I did not toast them)
Instructions:
- Cook the quinoa: Note that 1 cup of dry quinoa yields over 3 cups cooked quinoa. Rinse the quinoa well in a mesh colander, then combine the rinsed quinoa with twice as much water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed, remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
- Make the dressing: In a small jar, combine the ingredients listed below. Either use a fork to whisk the ingredients well or screw a lid on the jar and give it a few good shakes. Taste the dressing and adjust the flavors if necessary (add vinegar for a more tart dressing, or maple syrup for a sweeter dressing). Set the dressing aside.
- Toast the pecans: In a small pan over medium heat, toast your pecan pieces until they are fragrant and golden (stir often). This should take around five minutes.
- In a bowl, mix together 3/4 cup or more of warm quinoa with the goat cheese, salt and pepper. Mix in the strawberries and spinach, drizzle with as much dressing as desired, and mix well. Top with pecan pieces. Enjoy!
Note: Quinoa is gluten free, so this is a gluten-free dish!
The second salad is just a mix of things I have in the refrigerator using the same dressing as above (it is really yummy). I just use what I need for one person. Since the asparagus and sweet potatoes taste best when warm, I usually save this for a night that we have to fend for ourselves.
Salad ingredients:
- mix of salad greens and spinach
- asparagus
- sweet potatoes
- quinoa
- feta cheese
- walnuts
Instructions:
- Roast asparagus and sweet potatoes. I chop the sweet potatoes into bite size pieces first. Then toss the asparagus and sweet potatoes with olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet. Roast the asparagus for 10 minutes and the sweet potatoes for 20-25 minutes at 400 on the upper 1/3 rack of the oven.
- Cook the quinoa according to the package.
- Mix the salad greens and other ingredients, top with dressing, and enjoy.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Satisfying Vegetable Dinner
Several years ago I heard of CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, but when I looked into it we were already half through the summer so it was kind of pointless. I guess it just sat in my brain until I started this whole food stuff. Eating real food means most of your plate should be vegetables with a little whole grains, legumes, or even a small portion of meat alongside if you want. Basically it's the very opposite of what your plate probably looks like. The best way to get your vegetables so they are fresh, organic, and grown close to home (besides growing them yourself) is to get them from farmers' market or from a CSA. I like the farmers' market for the food and the people, but I have to make sure I go and bring cash so it's not certain that I always get my fresh veggies for the week. With the CSA, I bought a regular share in March to be delivered to my pick up spot once a week May - October (depending on the growing season). The box has whatever is fresh on the farm that week and forces us to be more adventurous with our food.
We got our second CSA box on Wednesday which included: the sweetest little strawberries, kale, salad greens, asparagus, sweet potatoes, bok choy, and radishes. Since I've never eaten kale or bok choy I got out the cook books and blogs looking for the best recipes. The library has tons of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks to borrow so that's where I go for cookbooks. My first stop for blogs are the ones listed on the right. I found a perfect recipe for the kale, asparagus, and radishes on A Couple Cooks so I made it for dinner tonight. Even though there are a lot of components, it was very easy to make. I especially liked her preparation of the quinoa. I liked mine with all of the ingredients (minus the radishes) mixed together in a bowl. It was good for healthy food, you know it wasn't amazing like a piece of cheesecake or a piece of pizza, but I know my body was a whole lot happier processing it. Bryan ate it (minus the radishes and dressing) and thought it was edible but not great; he would have preferred a cheeseburger. Anna ate a little of everything which was good because she's not always interested in things that are green; I think that's a 5 year old thing. She especially liked the dressing. The other benefit of healthy, vegetable heavy, real food is you easily follow one of The Food Rules: eat so you're satisfied, but not stuffed. I felt satisfied after eating Our Daily Bowl. So for those reasons, I would make this dish again. This was the first time we've ever had kale, so I'm open to trying other preparations.
We got our second CSA box on Wednesday which included: the sweetest little strawberries, kale, salad greens, asparagus, sweet potatoes, bok choy, and radishes. Since I've never eaten kale or bok choy I got out the cook books and blogs looking for the best recipes. The library has tons of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks to borrow so that's where I go for cookbooks. My first stop for blogs are the ones listed on the right. I found a perfect recipe for the kale, asparagus, and radishes on A Couple Cooks so I made it for dinner tonight. Even though there are a lot of components, it was very easy to make. I especially liked her preparation of the quinoa. I liked mine with all of the ingredients (minus the radishes) mixed together in a bowl. It was good for healthy food, you know it wasn't amazing like a piece of cheesecake or a piece of pizza, but I know my body was a whole lot happier processing it. Bryan ate it (minus the radishes and dressing) and thought it was edible but not great; he would have preferred a cheeseburger. Anna ate a little of everything which was good because she's not always interested in things that are green; I think that's a 5 year old thing. She especially liked the dressing. The other benefit of healthy, vegetable heavy, real food is you easily follow one of The Food Rules: eat so you're satisfied, but not stuffed. I felt satisfied after eating Our Daily Bowl. So for those reasons, I would make this dish again. This was the first time we've ever had kale, so I'm open to trying other preparations.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Good Reads and a Few Rules
Sorting through all of the real food/plant based diet/green living information I find on blogs, in books, and in food documentaries is very overwhelming. I just try to go with what is common sense and with what I can do to change things little by little. It's hard to know where to start; personally I suggest starting with 100 Days of Real Food online, Michael Pollan's books, and Food Inc. in movie documentaries.
100 Days of Real Food
- Real food recipes
- tips on living a real food life
- eye opening info on the bad stuff we routinely put in our bodies
- lunch ideas
I've read two of Michael Pollan's books, In Defense of Food and Food Rules, and I would recommend both - but for different reasons.
In Defense of Food
- scientific at times
- journalist writing about why our food culture is the way it is
- why we should reject a Western Diet
- why we should reject a Western Diet
- good info, but very dense
- basic rules to live by when choosing food: eat food, not too much, mostly plants
Food Rules ***I suggest reading this first***
- breaks the three rules down into simple wise sayings from different cultures
- easy to read
- easy to commit favorite ideas to memory
- it's kind of funny, but then sad but true
- quick and easy read to get you in the real food mindset
My favorite rules:
1. If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you're not hungry.
2. Don't eat anything with ingredients a third grader can't pronounce.
3. It's not food if it comes through your car window (ha ha)
4. Stop when you are satisfied, not stuffed.
And about 60 more.
Food Inc.
This documentary is all about the business of food. It will gross you out and make you think twice about what types of meat you choose to eat. It didn't make me a vegan, but it does make me think about my meat and the poor fat chickens that are so super sized they can't even stand up. Bryan fights me on how much and what types of meat we should buy (same old stuff or paying extra for pastured meat, and I give in to buying the same old stuff) so I'm trying to watch more documentaries with him so we have it in our heads and make the leafy green choice over the once living choice.
For encouragemnt: Make the changes step-by-step (oh baby). Stay away from the teachers' lounge during Teacher Appreciation Week (ok, that one is really for me). Keep exercising even if it seems fruitless (that one is for me too).
For encouragemnt: Make the changes step-by-step (oh baby). Stay away from the teachers' lounge during Teacher Appreciation Week (ok, that one is really for me). Keep exercising even if it seems fruitless (that one is for me too).
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Taco Night!
Everyone loves Taco Night, right? I've mentioned that Tex-Mex is my favorite type of food so I usually make tacos once every month or so. Our tacos have evolved over the years, and thanks to Simply Scratch I've made one more real food change!
Here's our latest and greatest taco recipe:
Taco ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 can black beans - drained (I use Meijer organic back beans)
- 1/2 small onion - diced
- 1 recipe for homemade taco seasoning
- 2/3 cup water
- tortillas (I use Old El Paso Stand n' Stuff corn shells)
Toppings:
- Mexican shredded cheese blend
- homemade salsa/pico de gallo
- 10 Roma tomatoes diced (with seeds and filling discarded)
- 1/2 small onion diced
- handful of cilantro chopped
- juice from half a lime
- salt as needed
- mix together and refrigerate
- may need to be drained before using
Steps:
- brown turkey in a large skillet
- add onions and black beans once turkey is cooked
- add taco seasoning and water
- cook on med-high for about 5 minutes (or as desired)
- cook shells as directed
- top as you like
- enjoy your "beef smilies" (Friends, anyone?)
Even if you have your taco night just the way you like it, but you are still using the taco seasoning from the package you might want to try the seasoning link above. It was really delicious and we couldn't tell a difference between that and the package which was our problem with other homemade taco seasongs. Give it a try and Happy Taco Night!
Here's our latest and greatest taco recipe:
Taco ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 can black beans - drained (I use Meijer organic back beans)
- 1/2 small onion - diced
- 1 recipe for homemade taco seasoning
- 2/3 cup water
- tortillas (I use Old El Paso Stand n' Stuff corn shells)
Toppings:
- Mexican shredded cheese blend
- homemade salsa/pico de gallo
- 10 Roma tomatoes diced (with seeds and filling discarded)
- 1/2 small onion diced
- handful of cilantro chopped
- juice from half a lime
- salt as needed
- mix together and refrigerate
- may need to be drained before using
Steps:
- brown turkey in a large skillet
- add onions and black beans once turkey is cooked
- add taco seasoning and water
- cook on med-high for about 5 minutes (or as desired)
- cook shells as directed
- top as you like
- enjoy your "beef smilies" (Friends, anyone?)
Even if you have your taco night just the way you like it, but you are still using the taco seasoning from the package you might want to try the seasoning link above. It was really delicious and we couldn't tell a difference between that and the package which was our problem with other homemade taco seasongs. Give it a try and Happy Taco Night!
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