Life can be challenging in many different ways and each and every one of us is challenged on a daily basis in some shape or form. Some will take the easy way out and others will put the head down, bum up and power on through. Since I have been unwell I have taken the latter approach and I have fought this disease every step of the way. As previously mentioned, my arthritis medications aren't working as well as they should be, my body is resisting them, my arthritis deteriorating and remission has been slipping further from my grasp. I am frustrated and sick and tired of being sick and tired! To kick the arthritis to the curb I started my whole 30 challenge yesterday and here I am on day 2 still alive! Who would have thought it! No sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, white potato, alcohol or preservatives and I am surviving. Ok, I don't exactly feel a million bucks right about now. Yesterday there was a mild headache late in the day and today I have been struck down with persistent nausea. My brain is sending me messages that 1 small coke would fix the nausea. Yes Ladies and Gents, I am in the grips of sugar withdrawal.
I didn't enter this challenge with blinkers on. I always knew that I would feel worse before I felt better and that is why I took a few days to prepare. I wrote out a menu and then a shopping list. I removed, gave away or hid the no no foods. Shopping was the hardest part of it. There are contaminates in what feels like all of our foods. Finding an all natural curry powder was hard but finding a curry paste was even harder. In the end I gave up on the curry paste and opted to make one instead.
On day 1 of my whole 30 challenge I was at yet another hospital review. This time I got some good news mixed with the not so fabulous. All of my scans are clear of cancer and I don't have to go through any further imaging. This was the best news I have had this year. I can say with 100 % confidence that I am clear of cancer. Then came the blood results which remain abnormal and can't quite be explained at the moment. Next week I have further blood tests to try and figure out what is happening. I can deal with whatever they throw at me, it's not cancer after all! So I started my whole 30 with fantastic news and it has motivated me even more.
Have you done a whole 30? Would you do one? What holds you back?
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Neglected blog and a plan for change
My poor blog has been neglected in the past year, but I am back and planning to use it more.
Life took over in the past year and not always through good things happening. My health deteriorated and saw me admitted to hospital multiple times for swollen mouth. Also I was readmitted a lot with severe headaches that had struck suddenly and left me holding my head and screaming. On one occasion I was also covered in a horrible rash and viral meningitis was suspected. I had to suffer a horrible lumbar puncture - 4 stabs - which in the end they abandoned because they couldn't get it in the correct spot. Then it was discovered that I had an impacted tooth embedded in jaw bone and partly in my sinus, so I had surgical removal of that. One of my specialists believes that the infection surround that tooth was what was causing my swollen mouth and severe headaches. I am now 3 weeks post op and have not had a migraine or swollen mouth. Fingers crossed that this continues. I wish that was all that had happened to me, however, I was also admitted with an inflamed and swollen left arm. We all thought it was cellulitis which is an infection of the skin and needs IV antibiotics. Unfortunately I didn't respond to the antibiotics and my arm got worse, an ultra sound was ordered and it was discovered that I had 3 clots in my arm. The reason for this is not known and it is very rare. The doctors are worried that I have a malignancy and so now I am going through multiple tests and scans searching for any sign of cancer. So far I am clear but the tests aren't yet complete.
You would think that all of that was my rock bottom, but it wasn't. My rock bottom was sitting in my Immunologists office on Thursday in severe joint pain and on some pretty strong painkillers. He told me that he believed my big powerful medications were no longer keeping my arthritis at bay. My joints are continuing to deteriorate. I'm 31, that was not something that I wanted to hear, it was not something I was prepared for. But I refuse to accept it as my reality. So I am taking matters into my own hands.
In recent years I have flirted with paleo, I would follow it a few months, feel better and then give in to cravings. I never lost any weight on it thanks to always being on steroids, and so I would say that there was no point in following paleo as it didn't take any weight off me and I was still in pain and needing medication. The truth is that I never stuck with it long enough to really see a difference. I was never 100% paleo and so my body was always having some inflammatory foods. With all of that in mind I have decided to embark on a 'Whole30' challenge. This means that I will have no sugar, dairy, grains, white potato, legumes, alcohol, msg, carrageenan or sulphites for 30 days. Yup, I too was wondering what the heck I was going to eat!
I didn't want to jump headlong into whole30 half prepared and only half focused. Therefore I have spent the last couple of days reading up on it and planning my menu. The idea is that you have 3 meals and no snacks. There is a list of compliant food and if it isn't on the list then it is a no. You weigh at the beginning of the month, do measurements if you chose to and a before picture. Then you do not weigh yourself again until after you have completed your whole 30. Should you consume anything not on the allowed list, then you must start right back at the beginning again! The idea is that you remove foods which can have an inflammatory effect on your body (in my case flares my arthritis) and the 30 days gives your body time to heal and reset it's immune system.
My whole30 begins tomorrow. Keep checking back for my progress and feel free to join me. It is free and you can only benefit from it. It is only 30 days!
Life took over in the past year and not always through good things happening. My health deteriorated and saw me admitted to hospital multiple times for swollen mouth. Also I was readmitted a lot with severe headaches that had struck suddenly and left me holding my head and screaming. On one occasion I was also covered in a horrible rash and viral meningitis was suspected. I had to suffer a horrible lumbar puncture - 4 stabs - which in the end they abandoned because they couldn't get it in the correct spot. Then it was discovered that I had an impacted tooth embedded in jaw bone and partly in my sinus, so I had surgical removal of that. One of my specialists believes that the infection surround that tooth was what was causing my swollen mouth and severe headaches. I am now 3 weeks post op and have not had a migraine or swollen mouth. Fingers crossed that this continues. I wish that was all that had happened to me, however, I was also admitted with an inflamed and swollen left arm. We all thought it was cellulitis which is an infection of the skin and needs IV antibiotics. Unfortunately I didn't respond to the antibiotics and my arm got worse, an ultra sound was ordered and it was discovered that I had 3 clots in my arm. The reason for this is not known and it is very rare. The doctors are worried that I have a malignancy and so now I am going through multiple tests and scans searching for any sign of cancer. So far I am clear but the tests aren't yet complete.
You would think that all of that was my rock bottom, but it wasn't. My rock bottom was sitting in my Immunologists office on Thursday in severe joint pain and on some pretty strong painkillers. He told me that he believed my big powerful medications were no longer keeping my arthritis at bay. My joints are continuing to deteriorate. I'm 31, that was not something that I wanted to hear, it was not something I was prepared for. But I refuse to accept it as my reality. So I am taking matters into my own hands.
In recent years I have flirted with paleo, I would follow it a few months, feel better and then give in to cravings. I never lost any weight on it thanks to always being on steroids, and so I would say that there was no point in following paleo as it didn't take any weight off me and I was still in pain and needing medication. The truth is that I never stuck with it long enough to really see a difference. I was never 100% paleo and so my body was always having some inflammatory foods. With all of that in mind I have decided to embark on a 'Whole30' challenge. This means that I will have no sugar, dairy, grains, white potato, legumes, alcohol, msg, carrageenan or sulphites for 30 days. Yup, I too was wondering what the heck I was going to eat!
I didn't want to jump headlong into whole30 half prepared and only half focused. Therefore I have spent the last couple of days reading up on it and planning my menu. The idea is that you have 3 meals and no snacks. There is a list of compliant food and if it isn't on the list then it is a no. You weigh at the beginning of the month, do measurements if you chose to and a before picture. Then you do not weigh yourself again until after you have completed your whole 30. Should you consume anything not on the allowed list, then you must start right back at the beginning again! The idea is that you remove foods which can have an inflammatory effect on your body (in my case flares my arthritis) and the 30 days gives your body time to heal and reset it's immune system.
My whole30 begins tomorrow. Keep checking back for my progress and feel free to join me. It is free and you can only benefit from it. It is only 30 days!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
You are what you eat
The phrase "You are what you eat" has been doing the rounds for years. I for one thought I knew what this meant. If you eat fatty sugary foods you gain weight, if you eat lean protein and vegetables you will be lean. There is no doubt about it these are true facts.
However since embarking on a paleo lifestyle I am learning that there is even more to the statement "you are what you eat" than I first thought. When I first switched to paleo I thought I was doing the right thing by eating fresh protein like beef, lamb etc. I thought that all protein was equal, well apart from the fat content of various cuts. I have since learned that I was wrong. There is a difference between grass and grain fed meats. At first my perception was that grass versus grain fed was just something nicer for the animal. As a former vegetarian I started to lean more towards grass fed meat as I have visions of a happy healthy animal roaming a field and enjoying fresh grass. This is true but I have since learned that there is a lot more to the grass versus grain story.
Not only am I what I eat but the cow is what it eats! Stick with me a moment it will become clear. My whole motivation for changing to a paleo lifestyle was to avoid grains and processed foods as they were causing an inflammatory response in my body. If a cow is what it eats and it is predominantly eating grain products, will this then impact on it's meat? The short answer is Yes. A cow has 4 stomachs to aid with it's digestion of grass, not the processed grain that it is fed to fatten it up. We humans need to consume essentially fats which we get from places like meat. If cows are being fattened up with the wrong foods does this impact on the meat we eat and what does that mean?
Omega 3 and Omega 6 are fats that we need for survival and our bodies do not produce them. Omega 3 provides strong anti inflammatory properties which means it plays a role in preventing arthritis, asthma etc. It is also essential for heart health and for brain function and development. Omega 6 is beneficial for cell growth and for use in the nervous system. It is worth mentioning though that too much Omega 6 is serious and can cause massive inflammation, obesity, heart disease and diabetes to name a few conditions. Omega 6 overdose is often called the silent killer.
In the western world we have the balance of omega 3 and 6 the wrong way. The ratio in the Western World is believed to be 15:1 (omega 6/omega 3) when the optimal ratio is 3:1. This imbalance without question contributes to the number of diseases in the western world.
It has been proven that cows fed grain products including corn and soy have much less omega 3 in their meat and more omega 6. Whereas grassfed animals have the correct omega 3/6 balance. Therefore by consuming grainfed meats even while eating a paleo diet I was not in fact helping my autoimmunity. I was continuing to feed the inflammatory process with incorrect ratio's of omega 3/6. I have since switched to grass fed meat. I am also finding it more tender and flavourful.
Here are some more interesting facts about grass fed meat.
There is no doubt about it, grassfed meat is more expensive but the question I put to you is What Price is your health?
However since embarking on a paleo lifestyle I am learning that there is even more to the statement "you are what you eat" than I first thought. When I first switched to paleo I thought I was doing the right thing by eating fresh protein like beef, lamb etc. I thought that all protein was equal, well apart from the fat content of various cuts. I have since learned that I was wrong. There is a difference between grass and grain fed meats. At first my perception was that grass versus grain fed was just something nicer for the animal. As a former vegetarian I started to lean more towards grass fed meat as I have visions of a happy healthy animal roaming a field and enjoying fresh grass. This is true but I have since learned that there is a lot more to the grass versus grain story.
Not only am I what I eat but the cow is what it eats! Stick with me a moment it will become clear. My whole motivation for changing to a paleo lifestyle was to avoid grains and processed foods as they were causing an inflammatory response in my body. If a cow is what it eats and it is predominantly eating grain products, will this then impact on it's meat? The short answer is Yes. A cow has 4 stomachs to aid with it's digestion of grass, not the processed grain that it is fed to fatten it up. We humans need to consume essentially fats which we get from places like meat. If cows are being fattened up with the wrong foods does this impact on the meat we eat and what does that mean?
Omega 3 and Omega 6 are fats that we need for survival and our bodies do not produce them. Omega 3 provides strong anti inflammatory properties which means it plays a role in preventing arthritis, asthma etc. It is also essential for heart health and for brain function and development. Omega 6 is beneficial for cell growth and for use in the nervous system. It is worth mentioning though that too much Omega 6 is serious and can cause massive inflammation, obesity, heart disease and diabetes to name a few conditions. Omega 6 overdose is often called the silent killer.
In the western world we have the balance of omega 3 and 6 the wrong way. The ratio in the Western World is believed to be 15:1 (omega 6/omega 3) when the optimal ratio is 3:1. This imbalance without question contributes to the number of diseases in the western world.
It has been proven that cows fed grain products including corn and soy have much less omega 3 in their meat and more omega 6. Whereas grassfed animals have the correct omega 3/6 balance. Therefore by consuming grainfed meats even while eating a paleo diet I was not in fact helping my autoimmunity. I was continuing to feed the inflammatory process with incorrect ratio's of omega 3/6. I have since switched to grass fed meat. I am also finding it more tender and flavourful.
Here are some more interesting facts about grass fed meat.
There is no doubt about it, grassfed meat is more expensive but the question I put to you is What Price is your health?
Monday, August 26, 2013
Favourite items in the kitchen
I have neglected my blog and my readers recently and for that I apologise. I had technology dramas the last couple of weeks and my trusty laptop had to be sent off to the the "geek hospital" to be resuscitated. Luckily the crew at Geeks to You were able to revive it and return it to me with haste.
I kept busy and stocked my freezer up with as many paleo meals and snacks as possible. This was to help keep me on the paleo bandwagon and allow me to get as much sleep as possible between shifts. I am pleased to report that this is working. I returned to work a few days ago and things are going smoothly.
I am very excited because I am starting to see improvements in my energy levels and I have lost 5 kgs since going paleo. I'm even contemplating a return to the gym! I have to be careful that I don't become too obsessed with the gym. In the past when trying to lose weight and get healthy I have literally become obsessed with how many hours I can do in the gym, and how many thousands of calories I can burn each day. I then backed that up with eating very little. Essentially I was breeding an eating disorder. I do not plan on going back down that route, it was extremely unhealthy and very unhelpful in regards to my long term health. So this time it is all about positivity, current and long term health and remembering that it is not a race to get to goal weight. It MUST be sustainable.
Ive been keeping the postman busy recently and getting a few things from online shops. I received the "Against All Grain" cookbook by Danielle Walker and love it. The food is clean, easy to make, filling and nourishing. I highly recommend you all check it out. Her website is also fabulous and has some recipes to try.
I am also trying MCT oil which is supposed to help with energy levels, absorption of fat soluble vitamins and help boost the immune system. I will take it for a few weeks before I report back about how I am feeling.
And finally I bought a spirooli to make my vegetables into beautiful spirals. I am already in love with this machine. It is easy to use and for someone like me with arthritis that is a big plus. Also the vegetables are turned into spirals quickly and I am all for quick when preparing food. I served Tomcat zuchetti bolognaise for dinner and he loved it.
Do you have any favourite cookbooks? or kitchen gadgets that you just can't live without? Let me know in the comments.
I kept busy and stocked my freezer up with as many paleo meals and snacks as possible. This was to help keep me on the paleo bandwagon and allow me to get as much sleep as possible between shifts. I am pleased to report that this is working. I returned to work a few days ago and things are going smoothly.
I am very excited because I am starting to see improvements in my energy levels and I have lost 5 kgs since going paleo. I'm even contemplating a return to the gym! I have to be careful that I don't become too obsessed with the gym. In the past when trying to lose weight and get healthy I have literally become obsessed with how many hours I can do in the gym, and how many thousands of calories I can burn each day. I then backed that up with eating very little. Essentially I was breeding an eating disorder. I do not plan on going back down that route, it was extremely unhealthy and very unhelpful in regards to my long term health. So this time it is all about positivity, current and long term health and remembering that it is not a race to get to goal weight. It MUST be sustainable.
Ive been keeping the postman busy recently and getting a few things from online shops. I received the "Against All Grain" cookbook by Danielle Walker and love it. The food is clean, easy to make, filling and nourishing. I highly recommend you all check it out. Her website is also fabulous and has some recipes to try.
I am also trying MCT oil which is supposed to help with energy levels, absorption of fat soluble vitamins and help boost the immune system. I will take it for a few weeks before I report back about how I am feeling.
And finally I bought a spirooli to make my vegetables into beautiful spirals. I am already in love with this machine. It is easy to use and for someone like me with arthritis that is a big plus. Also the vegetables are turned into spirals quickly and I am all for quick when preparing food. I served Tomcat zuchetti bolognaise for dinner and he loved it.
Do you have any favourite cookbooks? or kitchen gadgets that you just can't live without? Let me know in the comments.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Road Trip
This morning I am typing this post as hubby drives us out of Port Macquarie NSW enroute to Sydney. Yesterday we spent 8 hours in the car, today is to be 5-6 hours. Being organised with food before leaving has really helped. I have been able to snack on ham, veggie sticks and for lunch we stopped and I bought a pre mixed salad from woolies. Unfortunately I made the mistake of eating the salad dressing and I suspect it contained gluten. This morning I have some hives on my face and left arm. It relieves me that I made all my gluten, grain and dairy free 'breads' to bring with me.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Travelling and Paleo lifestyle
How has your week been?
Mine has been filled with work and cooking. Meal prep is getting easier and faster but I have a whole new hurdle on the paleo eating front to get over.
Good news is that i survived my first night shift since switching to this lifestyle. Lots of protein definately helped keep hunger at bay. Plus who doesn't like eggs for breakfast in the morning, post night shift they tasted pretty amazing.
I also got to catch up with my Immunologist for the first time in a month. He was very pleased with my progress, I still get hives but it's now only once a day instead of all day and I have had no more facial, throat or mouth swelling. My blood results are improving and I have been taken off one medication, this excited me no end.
Tomcat has noticed that my energy levels seem to be improving. Instead of wanting to go to bed each night at 6pm and actually sleeping until my alarm at 0530, I have been able to sit down, regroup and then continue on. I think that means that I am winning this battle.
My biggest hurdle is this coming week. I leave Brisbane tomorrow to drive to South of Sydney to catch up with my in laws. We will stop over in central NSW to give us a break from the driving. It is a 13 hour non stop drive for those who aren't in Australia I haven't been faced with being away from home, eating out or staying at other peoples homes since starting my paleo lifestyle. I have tried to prepare as much as possible and this evening have made my paleo bread and a pumpkin paleo bread. We will have an esky in the car to keep it fresh until I can freeze each portion at my in laws house. Ive also stock up on ham and chicken, veggies etc for me to munch on in the car while travelling. I don't think service stations etc will be able to cater for my needs.
To be honest my biggest worry is explaining my new lifestyle choices to my in laws. For those who don't react to gluten, grains and dairy it would be extremely hard to understand. However they know what I have been through with my health in the last 6.5 years and they have been supportive. My response is going to be that if they want grandchildren then this is how they can support me. I think they will be on board with that. Time will tell...
Have a great week.
Mine has been filled with work and cooking. Meal prep is getting easier and faster but I have a whole new hurdle on the paleo eating front to get over.
Good news is that i survived my first night shift since switching to this lifestyle. Lots of protein definately helped keep hunger at bay. Plus who doesn't like eggs for breakfast in the morning, post night shift they tasted pretty amazing.
I also got to catch up with my Immunologist for the first time in a month. He was very pleased with my progress, I still get hives but it's now only once a day instead of all day and I have had no more facial, throat or mouth swelling. My blood results are improving and I have been taken off one medication, this excited me no end.
Tomcat has noticed that my energy levels seem to be improving. Instead of wanting to go to bed each night at 6pm and actually sleeping until my alarm at 0530, I have been able to sit down, regroup and then continue on. I think that means that I am winning this battle.
My biggest hurdle is this coming week. I leave Brisbane tomorrow to drive to South of Sydney to catch up with my in laws. We will stop over in central NSW to give us a break from the driving. It is a 13 hour non stop drive for those who aren't in Australia I haven't been faced with being away from home, eating out or staying at other peoples homes since starting my paleo lifestyle. I have tried to prepare as much as possible and this evening have made my paleo bread and a pumpkin paleo bread. We will have an esky in the car to keep it fresh until I can freeze each portion at my in laws house. Ive also stock up on ham and chicken, veggies etc for me to munch on in the car while travelling. I don't think service stations etc will be able to cater for my needs.
To be honest my biggest worry is explaining my new lifestyle choices to my in laws. For those who don't react to gluten, grains and dairy it would be extremely hard to understand. However they know what I have been through with my health in the last 6.5 years and they have been supportive. My response is going to be that if they want grandchildren then this is how they can support me. I think they will be on board with that. Time will tell...
Have a great week.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Paleo while working
How has your week been?
I returned to work on Wed and was met with a heavy work load, teaching high school teens about trauma and coping with having to get up at 0530! Ugh that is seriously a horrible time of the day. I am pleased to announce however that I survived the alarm clock, work and eating paleo whilst at work. If there is a place that my new 'diet' would fail it would be work. I had to be incredibly organised and everything was frozen in portions at the start of the week for me to pull out the night before.
I have noticed that I am much less bloated, water retention in my hands and arms is slowly easing. I am however still very tired and still getting the odd patches of hives. It is still very early days into my paleo experiment though so I am not worried.
I am thrilled to have found a yummy and filling paleo 'bread'. You can see the recipe here. It is gluten, grain, dairy and yeast free. I have been having a slice of this with hard boiled eggs in the morning. It is incredibly filling. Nothing worse than feeling starved.
Tonight is my first test of a social situation and being the only paleo person there. Luckily it is at my place so I am very much in control of what is available. I always put crisps, dips etc out for everyone when they arrive. I am still going to do this, I am not so horrible that I will inflict my new way of eating on everyone else. I have some prawns and prosciutto for me to nibble on and I am also a fan of asparagus and prosciutto. Then we are having roast chicken, roast veggies, sweet potato for me and normal roast spuds for everyone else. For dessert I am going to make an apple and strawberry crumble which is completely paleo. Fingers crossed it is yummy.
I don't feel too deprived and I always feel satisfied after a meal. Let's hope that lasts and I continue to notice changes to how I look and feel.
I returned to work on Wed and was met with a heavy work load, teaching high school teens about trauma and coping with having to get up at 0530! Ugh that is seriously a horrible time of the day. I am pleased to announce however that I survived the alarm clock, work and eating paleo whilst at work. If there is a place that my new 'diet' would fail it would be work. I had to be incredibly organised and everything was frozen in portions at the start of the week for me to pull out the night before.
I have noticed that I am much less bloated, water retention in my hands and arms is slowly easing. I am however still very tired and still getting the odd patches of hives. It is still very early days into my paleo experiment though so I am not worried.
I am thrilled to have found a yummy and filling paleo 'bread'. You can see the recipe here. It is gluten, grain, dairy and yeast free. I have been having a slice of this with hard boiled eggs in the morning. It is incredibly filling. Nothing worse than feeling starved.
Tonight is my first test of a social situation and being the only paleo person there. Luckily it is at my place so I am very much in control of what is available. I always put crisps, dips etc out for everyone when they arrive. I am still going to do this, I am not so horrible that I will inflict my new way of eating on everyone else. I have some prawns and prosciutto for me to nibble on and I am also a fan of asparagus and prosciutto. Then we are having roast chicken, roast veggies, sweet potato for me and normal roast spuds for everyone else. For dessert I am going to make an apple and strawberry crumble which is completely paleo. Fingers crossed it is yummy.
I don't feel too deprived and I always feel satisfied after a meal. Let's hope that lasts and I continue to notice changes to how I look and feel.
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