My Healing Kitchen Journey

Hang on, I'm back! I know it's been quite some time since my last post, on World Arthritis Day, when I had made the decision to start Enbrel Injections. I needed some time to figure things out before I updated all of you. I did the injections for 3 weeks. Those were 3 weeks spent on the couch feeling nauseous, tired with painful horrible swollen injection sights on my legs.  So, I stopped!

As I have said quite often, there has to be a better way than pharmaceuticals. Hippocrates said "Let food be your medicine."  In the past I have lived by that saying. I feel like I gave up on my eating plan too soon. Maybe....maybe not. Maybe I needed 3 weeks of misery as a reminder that I still believed in Hippocrates mission. 

I was sick, depressed, and without hope. A good friend of mine had recently been diagnosed with RA and when medication failed to help her she found another solution.   An amazing book that she recommended to me has changed my life.  Rocked my world.  The Healing Kitchen by Alaena Haber and Sarah Ballantyne came to my rescue.  

The Healing Kitchen teaches the Auto Immune Protocol diet. It's hard you guys! Really hard! When you are a foodie like me and cannot eat and cook in a way that you find fulfilling, it's quite a challenge. Much discipline is required. The list of acceptable ingredients is limited. In the beginning I felt like I was cooking most of the day. But, with the healing and positive results I've seen, this plan is so worth it. I feel better than I have in years and my body is beginning to heal.

Back to talking about food though. I have discovered that life as I know is not over because I can't eat pasta, cake or cheese. Oh wow! I miss cheese! My cooking abilities have been stretched and what has come out of it is only positive. I don't feel too deprived when there are great things to eat such as: 

Scrumptious Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies

Chicken Kabobs with Garlic Roasted Veggies

 Bacon Wrapped Dates......seriously decadent! 

So you see, life moves on and I still get amazing delicious food that is healing my body. It's a big adjustment with quite the learning curve and I can finally say (on most days) that it's all good. What worked in the beginning of my auto immune journey does not work now. Whether it is hormonal changes or progression of the disease that caused this change I cannot say. But, several months into this new eating plan and happily, 24 pounds lighter, I can say with great confidence that the Auto Immune Protocol has most definitely changed my life. So thanks to the book and the ladies behind The Healing Kitchen, I can say once again, "Let food be your medicine."

P.S. I won't just leave you here. I will be sharing recipes and ideas to help you navigate the AIP lifestyle a little bit easier and hopefully with a little less frustration than I had in the beginning. We are in this together friend. 

An Honest Look at Autoimmune Disease on World Arthritis Day

Today seems an appropriate day for me to add a blog post.  It is World Arthritis Day and I have Rheumatoid Arthritis which is an autoimmune disease.

 

An autoimmune disorder occurs when the immune system begins attacking cells and destroying healthy tissue.  There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases.  Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Osteo-Arthritis are well known autoimmune diseases.  Chronic inflammation plays a large role in these types of arthritis and may lead to irreversible damage if not controlled. 

 

Not all inflammation is bad.  Bodies need some inflammation to fight viruses, infections and help repair itself.  The problem comes when there is too much inflammation leading to pain, swelling, and damage.  It is imperative to get the inflammation under control right away to prevent future damage to joints and organs.   In the past I have been able to control many of these symptoms with an anti-inflammatory diet.  Not so much anymore. 

 

 

I have looked back at this blog noticing the changes in my body and life because of my disease. What started out as an anti-inflammatory eating blog that would control my RA is now changing.  Of course, isn't that the way of life?  Always changing. 

 

In the beginning I could eat whole grain pasta, bread and cereal.                    Now I cannot. In the beginning I could enjoy cheese, sour cream, and yogurt.                    Now I cannot. In the beginning I could bake and enjoy the sugary delicious treats.                   Now I cannot. Most things that I eat cause pain and swelling to the point that I am unable to function.  

 

Once upon a time I believed the way I ate could help heal all who suffered an auto-immune disease.  I wanted to share it with the world.  Time and pain are such great teachers.  

 

I am not sure what caused these changes and I'm not happy about it.  Two weeks ago I made the decision to start Enbrel Injections.  My decision has been frowned upon by many (not all) of my natural and holistic friends.  I understand their concern.  I have the same concern.  The choice I faced was to watch and feel my body crippling before my eyes or start the injections and pray they would work, with minimal side effects.  I've missed out on so many moments because of pain and am ready to get back to the business of life.  

 

 

So, on this World Arthritis Day, if you or someone you knows suffers with chronic pain, stiffness, or sickness, think seriously about it.  Now may be the time to see a doctor and get some relief.  Please don't wait until your symptoms cripple you.  Go now.    

Stepping up my game for healthy changes

Now that December is here, I am reflecting on my health journey over the past year. 2015 started out fairly strong. However, by spring I began noticing more pain throughout my body.

When summer arrived, it was full of fun in the sun......

.....but my inflammation raged out of control, causing joint damage. So, July 5th I reluctantly added the prescription drug Leflunomide to my morning routine with the hope of preventing further joint damage and ending my chronic pain.  Those of you who know me and follow my blog understand what a huge decision this was for me.  I live my life around nutritional healing. "Let food be thy medicine" has become my mantra. I felt like such a failure and wept while taking the first pill.

The first couple of weeks on the medication seemed to go OK, but then I began having horrible stomach pain and other gastrointestinal issues (I will spare you the details).  The pain became increasingly worse as the days went by.  I finally called my RA doc and he advised me to stop the meds immediately.  It has been 4 months since I stopped and am still having issues. Apparently this drug takes quite some time to get out of your system.

After this experience, I am more determined than ever to continue my healing path through nutrition. Obviously, it is time to step up my game so that I am able to enjoy the many adventures left with my best friend, the love of my life.

I have been reading about Paleo, Whole 30, and other gut healing books.  What I am learning from these books is that auto immune disease may begin in an unhealthy gut.  It is time to give that some serious consideration.  I am also noticing an intolerance to gluten since the medication episode.  I have never had problems with gluten before so this has me stumped.  Never the less, I am avoiding gluten at the moment and seem to feel much better.  I really really really miss my breads and pastas. My waistline on the other hand is not missing them at all :)

Since I love to cook and create delicious healthy recipes, eating a Paleo diet has been discouraging creatively and left me feeling blah about mealtime.  Recently, I shared my struggle with a friend of mine and she sent me home with several Paleo cookbooks that inspired me.  I feel excited about cooking again.  I guess Paleo doesn't have to be boring after all.  I am now looking forward to trying fun new dishes that can potentially heal my body as well.

Getting through the holiday's will be challenging with all of the wonderful treats. I would love to hear your favorite Paleo or gluten-free recipes and tips!

Time for a nutritional reset to calm inflammation!

Occasionally I can tell that my body needs a little extra cleanse from inflammation.  I have been eating to calm inflammation long enough that I know my body and the signals it sends me when it needs a little repair.

The best way for me to accomplish this is by doing a bit of a twist on the popular Leek Soup cleanse.  I thought I would share it with you so you also can enjoy the benefits.

I start my day as usual with my morning Anti-inflammatory Berry Smoothie.

While I'm enjoying my smoothie I prepare 3 large leeks.

First cut off the top of the leeks at the point where the leek starts turning a darker green.

Then cut the bottoms off and slice the leeks in to about 1/2 inch slices.

 Separate the slices of leeks and place in a colander and rinse well.  I do this because leeks tend to collect dirt between the layers and this method gets all the dirt out.

Now this is the  part that you may not see on other Leek Soup recipes.  Place the washed leeks into a large pot and drizzle with oil.  I use olive or avocado oil.

Saute the leeks until browning begins.  This is carmelization, and it makes a world of difference in the flavor of the broth and leeks. If I am going to do this type of a cleanse, by golly, I will add as much flavor as I can.

After the leeks begin browning add 2 cups of hot water and start scraping all the brown goodness of the sides and bottom of the pot.  Add 4 additional cups of hot water and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.  I cover the pot with a vented lid so that I don't lose much liquid.

 After the leeks are finished cooking, strain the leeks and broth over a bowl so that you save all the broth.  Then put the leeks in another bowl.  This is your meal and snacks for the next 1 1/2 days.  Aww...come on it's not that bad and it makes such a great difference in how I feel.

 

I usually start around lunchtime with 1/2 cup of broth.  Then a couple hours later 1/2 cup of leeks. They taste better if you squirt a little lemon juice over them and sprinkle with just a touch of salt and pepper.  A couple hours later 1/2 cup of broth and you just keep alternating throughout the day.

I also drink a lot of water during the day and flavor with mint or muddled fruit.  Yes...I'm truly all about flavor :)  Herbal tea is something I enjoy during this cleanse as well.

On day 2 I start with my smoothie and at lunch do the same routine as the previous day.  The only difference is at the end of the 2nd day I enjoy a d dinner of grilled salmon and a side of broccoli.  The cleanse is complete and I always feel so much better :)

A Time of Self-Reflection

It has been a while since I have written a post.  In fact, I have had so much going on within my body and mind that I just don't know where or how to begin.  So, I guess I will start from the top!

I had a flare.  I was miserable and in quite a bit of pain for a couple of weeks.  While in my flare, I engaged in self-reflection. This is what I learned:

I get hurt easily and working out with others at a gym is not an option for me.  I try to keep up with the pace of those in the class and I always, always, always end up in physical therapy and stop exercising. Because of my disease it takes me a very long time to heal.

Yoga works for me.  I have given myself permission to slow down and care for my body gently.  6 days ago I began doing a 30 minute yoga video every single morning.  It's hard.  There is nothing easy about it, but, it gently stretches and strengthens my body.  I already feel a positive difference in this short amount of time.

Weights aren't so bad.  I am also using free weights to work on my biceps, triceps, chest and back.

Crunches, well I still don't like those, but I am doing them every morning.

Cycling is the aerobic exercise for me.  It's fun, gentle, and social.

Walking is also gentle.  Having a small dog who enjoys going for walks keeps me inspired.

From time to time, especially when my joints are visibly swollen and I'm hurting, fatigued and feel sick all over, I question my decisions.  It is in those painful times that my disease becomes very real to me.  I question my choice to trust nutrition rather than pharmaceuticals.  In this recent time of reflection I have realized that for now I am doing the right thing and will trust my decision to heal my body with nutrition. Flares happen even when taking meds, so I won't base my decision on my recent flare.  If there ever comes a time when nutrition alone doesn't help me, I will definitely add a medication to prevent the crippling effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis.  But, for now I'm at peace with where I am on my journey.

Resolutions of an RA Warrior!

As long as life continues and the calendar moves from one year to the next, I will feel like I'm getting a fresh start.  A second chance. Leaving one year behind to move forward into the next is a time of deep contemplation. A time of reflecting on what was done well the previous year and what can be done better in the new year.

2013 was a year of realizing how destructive and serious my disease is.  I am still recovering from an extensive foot surgery.  Recovery has been tough. Even tougher though, is realizing this foot surgery could have been avoided if I had been true to myself more often when making food choices. Since I choose to treat my disease with nutrition rather than drugs, food is serious business for me.

My resolutions/goals for 2014 :

I will continue on the healthy path I started on several years ago.  

I will continue educating myself with the best nutritional and holistic approaches to fight auto-immune disease. I will become more disciplined and not slip into poor food choices. 

I will exercise on a regular basis including stretching/yoga, strength training, and cardio.  

I thank God for leading me down this natural path of healing.  This year I will honor Him by doing my very best to stay on that path and will also stay true to myself in the choices I make.

Happy New Year and may there be many blessings to you in 2014!

The Biggest Challenge Yet!

Summer is beginning with some great changes.  I accepted a part time position last July and it truly affected every area of my life.  I did love the job, but it did not fit into the lifestyle that we were wanting at this stage of life.  After much prayer and discussion with my husband, last week was the end of my short career.

A great deciding factor to quit the job was the fact that I need to have foot surgery and the company I worked for was not able to grant me the time off when it was needed. Everyday I worked, the pain increased.  RA was attacking my body with quite a bit of inflammation and it did this to my foot.

As the inflammation caused the toes to spread apart the capillaries and cartilage tore causing my toe joint to pop out.  If you are thinking "ouch," you are almost correct.  It is actually more like "OUCH!!!" The surgery to correct this problem is quite painful with bone cutting and pin placement involved.  ICK!

My Rheumatologist, who is always trying to get me to add another DMARD (Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drug,  feels that the answer to the inflammation problem is for me to begin taking Arava.  The way the drug works is that it blocks the formation of DNA, preventing cells from developing, especially in the immune system. Not good! I want my DNA to keep forming DNA.

Once again, after much prayer, and talking with my husband, friends, and family, I have decided against the drug.  My personal challenge is to attack this inflammation the only way I am comfortable with, through nutrition.  My hope and prayer is that when the inflammation calms down, my foot will heal without the need for surgery.  It is a big reach, but I am pretty determined.

Now that I am back to my homemaker roots, I have the time to take better care of myself and my disease.  I have time once again to be a better friend, mom, and wife.  I am so thankful and feel extremely blessed that we are at a place in life that allowed me the freedom to stay home. 

I am beginning with the basics in anti-inflammatory eating starting right here.  This is my biggest challenge yet, trying to avoid surgery by turning to nutrition rather than medications.  I have seen miraculous changes over the years in my healing through nutrition and I cannot imagine that it would fail me now. Only time will tell :)

Good news to report

Since my last post, I have been as good as gold!  My healthy eating habits and exercise are primary in my life once again.  The thing is, when I eat an anti-inflammatory diet my inflammation calms down and I lead a very normal  and pain free life.  My diet is absolutely delicious as I love Mediterranean food, which tends to be very anti-inflammatory.  I get to eat delicious and whole foods.  Avocado, olives, whole grain breads and pastries, whole wheat pasta, salmon, almonds, fruit and vegetables.  The list goes on and on. 

The tray you see above in the picture is an appetizer platter I made to take to Super Bowl Sunday.  I always try to have something available at parties that I know I can eat.  This platter has Kalamata olives, green olives, baby tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with feta cheese.  Grapes are lining the side of the tray.  It was a big hit with everyone. 

Yesterday, my husband and I decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants, Bardenay's.  This place is super trendy,  they have their own distillery where they make gin, rum, and vodka.  It has that hip and happening warehouse feel with comfortable and gorgeous seating.  On a warm day you can sit outside and overlook the water.  Simply fantastic.

 Bardenay's offers a Mediterranean platter that is divine.  It comes with freshly baked pita bread wedges, 2 types of olive tapenade, hummus, sliced and marinated onions, cucumber, and kalamata olives.  A glass of red wine from their extensive wine list compliments this meal perfectly. The platter of food is large so we split the meal. 

One of my downfalls in the past has been blowing my diet when dining out.  We enjoy a lot of friends and family who all love going out to eat.  My goal is to continue finding anti-inflammatory dishes at restaurants.  They are there if you look past the burgers, fries, and deep fried appetizers. The key is willpower and a strong desire to stay pain free. As you know, I am working diligently on both of those areas.

Each day that goes by, I count my successes with eating properly to heal my body and making sure to fit in daily exercise.  So far it has been a great week! 

Why oh why oh why oh WHY?

Strange title but it will all make sense as you read this post.  Why, when I absolutely, positively know better, would I choose to make inflammatory food choices.  Here is how it went down:

I let the Reuben sandwich and fries on St. Patrick's Day woo me. 

 Last week I let the garlic mashed potatoes side dish tempt me and I caved. 

I allowed the giant cupcake at an adorable little bakery to become my appetizer while waiting for a sandwich on white flour focaccia bread. 

I won't bore you with any more details.  I think you get the picture.  Since the list of my poor food choices goes on and on, it is no wonder that I have been in pain.  I am undisciplined and weak where food is concerned.  However:

I won't give up.

I know how to turn this around.

Here I go.....

Today, I have spent time stocking my refrigerator with my arsenal of anti-inflammatory foods.  I seem to do a lot better if I can see great choices in front of me that are ready to eat.  I have both green and kalamata olives, plenty of avocado, mango, salad fixings, and much more.  I am making a menu plan that will keep me on track and help calm inflammation in my body. This will also help us to resist the temptation to dine out on a whim, where I generally make unhealthy choices. 

I began by putting a cleansing drink in the refrigerator that will keep me hydrated.  I cut up a few delicious Meyer Lemons and added them into a pitcher with water.

Next I made a batch of my Sun dried Tomato Hummus.  This is a favorite of both my husband and myself.  It can be a quick snack as a dip for veggies or whole grain crackers.  It can also be spread on sandwiches and in sandwich wraps or pitas. 

I also whipped up a couple of batches of Salmon Croquettes to keep in the refrigerator.  They can be frozen if you are not going to eat them in a few days.  I enjoy having the croquettes with sliced avocado and kalamata olives on the side.  It is a super charged Omega 3 meal. 

Tonight I will be putting Steel Cut Oats in the crock pot for breakfast tomorrow.  After cooking the oats I add flax meal, cinnamon, and a touch of pure maple syrup. 

It is sometimes hard to realize that I absolutely must give up many foods I enjoy.  However, being pain free without having to take extra medications for Rheumatoid Arthritis, makes the journey worthwhile.   I wish you a healthy and pain-free week :)

My true confession of 2011

My blog is long overdue for a post (2 1/2 months overdue), so today is the day. I will start by being painfully honest.  I had a very rough summer and fall in 2011, with only myself to blame.  I quit eating the way I need to in order to stay inflammation free.  I indulged in saturated fatty foods, processed foods and sugary treats. By fall, my body could no longer cope.  I had so much pain I could barely walk up and down our stairs.  Tasks so simple as turning a door knob, squeezing a shampoo bottle, opening a jar, using a can opener had become impossible.  Sleep would beckon me, but my body would scream in pain and not allow the sweet slumber that I so desperately needed. I stopped exercising and put on 10 extra pounds in a very short time.  I felt hopeless.  I came really close to giving in to my doctor and allowing him to set me up for self injections of Rheumatoid Arthritis medications.  Deep inside though, my conviction to eat right was resurfacing at the thought of having the awful side effects of new meds.  Since an anti-inflammatory diet works for me, it is a pretty obvious choice, diet instead of medication is the healthiest option.

In October, I began eating an anti-inflammatory diet again.  I quit processed food, sugar, saturated fats, white flour.  Instead of mindless eating, I began fueling my body again with foods that calm inflammation.  I took my own advice and  practiced what I preached.  It took over two months to calm the inflammation in my body. I am finally feeling great again.  I have been able to exercise and as of yesterday have lost 10 pounds. 

I would like to say, "lesson learned."  I truly hope that I don't give in again and eat food that hurts me. I am ashamed that my self-discipline becomes so weak that I eat wrong.  For now though, the pain and suffering I went through is fresh in mind and I have a very strong resolve!  So, here is to a happy and healthy 2012!

A scrumptious day the anti-inflammatory way!

Eating an anti-inflammatory diet is a fun challenge for me in the kitchen.  I enjoy changing recipes and experimenting with spices and ingredients that take a dish to the anti-inflammatory side.  Sometimes its a win and sometimes....well not so much.

Here is a day full of "wins."

For breakfast I started out with Natures Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola cereal with a heaping tablespoon of vanilla yogurt.  This is a bowl full of inflammation fighting goodness.

For lunch I whipped up the Inflammation Fighting Tuna Salad.  Delicious! 

Dinner actually made me giddy.  I haven't been this excited about a meal in a while.  This is Moroccan Inspired Chicken Thighs.  It is absolutely amazing over basmati rice.  The cinnamon, ginger, and cumin are all super inflammation fighters and the flavors complimented this dish perfectly.



Eating an anti-inflammatory diet is obviously filled with delicious meals throughout each and every day.  No need to be sad about eating this way when you can enjoy scrumptious days like this one!





Mediterranean Quinoa Salad: Anniversary getaway in Leavenworth, WA

My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this past weekend.  A favorite destination point of ours is Leavenworth, WA.  It is a Bavarian town tucked away in the mountains.  It is beautiful and the German food is delicious.  So we packed up our pop up trailer and our Schnoodle Sparky,

and headed to Leavenworth.  We had a beautiful camping spot right on the Icicle River. 

Look at our view from the trailer window.  The river at night was so gorgeous that I couldn't sleep.  I just kept looking at it in awe.  

We hiked and golfed and ate, ate, and oh ya....we ate some more.  I knew ahead of time that I would not be eating very anti-inflammatory and would probably suffer just a little bit.  Once a year, for great German schnitzel and spaetzle with mushroom gravy, it's worth it!.  Since I eat pretty good most of the time I don't have a lot of pain when I stray from my anti-inflammatory diet, but I did have some by the time we returned home.   So, naturally I hopped right back into eating great.  I started with some amazing cherries that we purchased on our way home at a fruit stand.  They are so very anti-inflammatory and do a great job at calming down inflammation.


Then I whipped up some salmon croquettes and quinoa salad.

 

The salmon, of course, is full of omega 3's which calm inflammation, plus I add flax seed.  The quinoa salad has a lemon vinaigrette made with olive oil and kalamata olives.  Both of those are very anti-inflammatory.  I was asked about the inflammation factor of quinoa and I honestly do not know.  Quinoa is packed with iron and protein and is so good for you that I have included it in my diet.  The olive oil, olives and salmon definitely add so much anti-inflammatory action in this meal that you do not need to worry about Quinoa.  Just enjoy the meal and the benefits. 

Here is the recipe for my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad:

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup basic vinaigrette

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup kalamata olive, pitted and sliced

Add the Quinoa and salt to the water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and turn down to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes.  Take off of the the heat and let set for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix.  Refrigerate. 

This is actually good hot or cold .  I like it better cold and it keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator.

Anti-inflammatory eating is my way of life!

I have had some questions recently about my diet.  It is wonderful and delicious and the only thing I really feel deprived of is Ho Ho's.  Really!  I love those horrible little things.  So I thought I would explain my way of eating a little more in depth. 

When I talk about eating an anti-inflammatory diet, I mean every meal and every snack every day.  If I am not faithful to this way of eating, in time I begin to experience pain and inflammation.  Each meal is filled with foods that calm inflammation in my body.  Not every ingredient I use is anti-inflammatory but I do make sure that the majority are and that the each meal has a strong anti-inflammation factor.  What that means is that all foods have IF (Inflammatory Factor)  Ratings:

Some food is way off the charts and totally inflammatory.  I avoid those foods.
(Ex.  pretzels, safflower oil, coconut oil, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, white pasta)

Some food is way off the charts the other direction and totally anti-inflammatory.  I eat those foods. 
(Ex.  salmon, olive oil, coconut oil, olives, garlic, chili powder, avocado, dry roasted almonds)

When foods are slightly inflammatory, I pair them with spices and other foods that bring the meal over to the anti-inflammatory side so that it has a calming effect on the inflammation in my body.  Since RA is known to cause an abundance of inflammation I attack it right back with these wonderful foods and that keeps my body running normal. 

The Inflammation Free Diet Plan is written by Monica Reinagel, and an excellent resource for finding out the IF Rating on food.  It is packed full of recipes and great information to help in maintaining an anti-inflammatory diet. I refer to it constantly. 

Since there are so many wonderful food choices that lower inflammation, I still eat absolutely delicious meals.  Thankfully I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen which helps me in maintaining my diet.  I will keep looking for and posting great recipes that meet the anti-inflammatory criteria.  If you have any great recipes that fit....please share!

Happy Memorial Day....enjoy a yummy and healthy bbq!

Happy Memorial Day!  It has been a great weekend and we even had a little bit of sunshine.  We took advantage of that and worked out in the yard.  My husband made me another raised garden....for a total of three now.  As you can see my seedlings are still alive and well :)

And....our apple trees are blossoming out!

More importantly though...I am still on track with my anti-inflammatory eating.  I want to share with you a perfect and easy breakfast cereal that I had this morning. It is Organic Flax Plus cereal and I highly recommend it since it has anti-inflammatory Omega 3's and lots of fiber.   

For dinner I will be making Summer Salmon Barbecue.  It is super easy and full of Omega 3's and inflammation fighting ingredients.  So enjoy your Memorial Day without giving up on delicious food!  

Inflammation fighting tuna salad

I hired a personal trainer last week to finally kick start my motivation.  So far it is working very well.  I love having my own personal "Jillian" to keep me on track!  One of the things that personal trainers do is assess your diet and also your caloric intake.  I eat high calorie Omega 3 foods to keep my body free from excess inflammation and I cannot waiver on that.  Having said that, I will admit that I eat alot of food and should back off some on my portion sizes.  I decided to give up some carbs today at lunch time and have a tuna salad instead of a tuna sandwich.  It was delicious and filling and I honestly didn't even miss the bread.  The olives, tuna, avocado and olive oil are all fantastic inflammation fighters. So enjoy this meal knowing that you are doing your body a world of good!

Omega 3 Salad

4 Kalamata olives

4 large green olives

1/2 of a small avocado cut into bite sized pieces

1 1/2 cups of organic spring lettuce mix

1/2 can of Tuna or Salmon

1 baby dill pickle, diced

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Place the lettuce on a plate
Mix the Tuna or Salmon with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the diced baby dill then place on top of the lettuce in a mound
Add the olives and avocado around the sides of the lettuce
Drizzle the Balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the top to season as desired.
Enjoy!

Eating for strength and healing

Q'emlin Park

A few weeks ago,  my town celebrated Arbor Day by teaching area fifth graders about Forest Ecology.  I volunteered to help and went on a couple of hour long hikes to chaperone the kids and get some exercise.  The hike was awesome, up and down very rocky terrain, hills, and trails.  The next morning I woke up marveling at the fact that last fall I could not have done that.  My body was in too much pain from RA.  I am so thankful to a God that gives us the ability to help our bodies heal and feel strong through the nourishment he has provided. 

I have been asked many times about my diet and what exactly I eat that makes such a difference in my health so I am going to share that with you over the next several days in great detail. I began this blog to share with others what proper nutrition can do to improve your quality of life. Part of that means that I need to be open and honest with you not only about my success but my failures as well. So here it goes!  Recently I have been eating alot of sugar.  When I say alot of sugar what I really mean is ALOT of sugar.  Along with those sugary foods come alot of bad fats as well.  I was beginning to feel the inflammation and slight pain in my ankles, hips, and especially feet. Thankfully, I am very aware of my body and the warning signs and changed my ways by eating healthy again and the pain and inflammation are gone. 

Whether you suffer from an auto-immune disorder, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure (the list goes on and on) an anti-inflammatory diet can make a difference in your life.  I am not promising that you will be able to get off of your medications as I did, but you will notice a great difference in how you feel.  It takes time, commitment and patience.  When I first changed my diet it took at least two months before I noticed a dramatic difference.  So be patient and enjoy the delicious food that you can eat while getting healthy and hopefully pain free.  As a reminder, the recipes on this blog are anti-inflammatory.....so enjoy!

Follow up appointment

This morning, while visiting other blogs and catching up on the news of my fellow bloggers, it occurred to me that I have not followed up on the February 1st visit to my Rheumatologist.  In my post, Just Get Moving, I had shared with you that due to returning back to my bad eating habits, I was in a great deal of physical pain.  My doctor was not at all on board with my view of treating my RA through diet and wanted me to inject myself weekly with an RA treatment.  I absolutely did not want to add another medication with the many side effects, so we made a deal that I would eat right and return to him on February 1st to show the results.  Of course, any challenge is quite motivating to me, so once again I completely overhauled my diet. 

I am very pleased to say that I am pain free once again.  My doctor was absolutely in shock and thanked me for showing him that nutrition can make a huge difference in healing.  It is quite a challenge to eat for healing and sometimes I fail.  As long as I remain true to eating correctly the majority of the time, I feel great. 

There is one thing that is so very important in nutritional healing where RA is concerned.  People talk to me about the changes they have made and yet they do not notice a big difference.  The problem is that they make a few dietary changes, but still hang on to some of the old eating habits.  It has to be all or nothing.  If you truly desire healing you can not just dip your toe into the water and expect results.  You must jump in all the way.  For instance, let's say that you switch to whole grains and make a fantastic oatmeal cookie recipe that has whole wheat flour for added fiber, plus cinnamon and ginger that are anti-inflammatory.  Those are wonderful choices!  However, if you use shortening or margarine in the same recipe you are sabotaging your efforts because those are both very inflammatory. 

Look through your cupboards, pantry, refrigerator.  What do you see?  If it is processed, full of omega 6 fats, white flour, white sugar, or if you simply cannot pronounce or recognize the ingredients on the label....don't eat it.  Eating whole foods that nourish and strengthen your body can be delicious.  God created our bodies and gave us the food to nourish it.  Man has processed and changed the food so much that our bodies are breaking down.  If you want to make changes and feel alone and need encouragement, please feel free to contact me.  I am definitely not an expert but I am on a lifelong journey to wellness. 

I am closing this post with a quote I have used before from Kevin R. Stone, MD, "The way you live directly affects your joints.  The healthier your lifestyle, the healthier your joints."

Just get moving!

Photo by:  Mat Hayward/Photoxpress.com

I had my Rheumatology appointment this past week.  My doctor has strongly suggested that I start taking a medication for RA that will prevent symptoms. I definitely do not want to do this!  So, he and I made a deal and I have an appointment on February 1st with him to follow up on this deal.  From now until then my homework is:

• Research three different medications that he would like me to choose from. 
• Eat to prevent inflammation.  I believe so strongly in eating to prevent symptoms that I am remaining dedicated (again) to show him that it truly works for me. I honestly don't know why I even stray from eating correctly when it increases my quality of life.
• Exercise!  Oh me oh my!  I do not even like that word.  I have made so many great excuses to not go to the gym.  Time to just get moving! 

So, the deal is....I will not take medication if I can put my body back in remission through diet and exercise by February 1st.  He may not be on board totally, or at all, but he will at least acknowledge the positive change.  I know that I can do this and I am excited to share the progress that will hopefully be of encouragement to others as well.

In closing this post I want to share a quote by Kevin R. Stone, MD, "The way you live directly affects your joints.  The healthier your lifestyle, the healthier your joints."  I know this to be true and his words are an inspiration to me as I hope they are to you.

Discipline

Why is it so hard to stay on track with healthy eating? My body feels so strong and healthy with no inflammation when I eat properly. I manage to do really great for a while and then suddenly I have company or travel somewhere. Those two things are almost like a get out of jail free card for me. In my mind there is some sick rationalization saying "go ahead....you are celebrating life. Enjoy your travels, companions, and good times with lots of food. You can get back on track right after this". Due to that line of thinking I have more pain and stomach aches than I care to admit. Does that change my behavior? Naturally it should, but, NO...absolutely not. Where is the discipline in all of this? Having said all of this I should let you know.....we are having company tonight!

Changes

When I decided to change my diet, it had to be a whole hearted, one hundred percent committment. I have talked to people who have said that changing their diet did not work for them. I found out that they only cut out a couple of things and were still in pain. That just does not work. I went through my cupboards and cleared out all oils that were high in omega 6 (inflammatory fats) white flour, white sugar, processed foods. To my diet, I added generous amounts of salmon, whole grain, fruits, and vegetables. I also added good Omega 3 fatty foods such as avocado, olives, flaxseed, and whole wheat pasta with added Omega 3's.

For me, sacrificing flavor and delicious satisfying meals was not an option. In my family food is not just fuel for survival,but an event. We love to eat and food is the focus of every family gathering.

I have been creating delicious and nutritious anti-inflammatory recipes.
There are so many ways to add foods that fight inflammation to your daily diet. It is my hope to share these ideas with you as I learn and develop more recipes.

One very simple idea is adding some ginger to your first cup of coffee in the morning. Ginger in an anti-inflammatory. I notice about a half an hour after my coffee that my fingers are less stiff and I feel much better. Great way to start my day.