Staying True 2 U
Posted: March 22, 2012 Filed under: Food Intolerances, START HERE, Thoughts | Tags: animal protein, Dr. Fuhrman, Dr. Neal Barnard, Food, Food intolerances, food pyramid, high nutrient, Meatless Monday, Nutrition, Veggies, Dressings and Sauces, whole food Leave a comment »On the way home from being “officially” diagnosed with numerous food intolerances, my husband asked me what kind of diet would I follow if I could eat anything I wanted; no food was off-limits. I pondered the question for a few minutes and not only was he surprised by my conclusion but I was as well.
After ten years of researching nutrition on my own and now, after almost a full year of classes, I think I would pretty much eat the same way I do now. Why, you ask? The easiest way to answer this question is because I focus on high nutrient/ whole food so I don’t have to count calories, fat grams, how much protein, carbohydrates or keep a food journal. Okay, so maybe I sound lazy, but eating shouldn’t be a chore and until you start eating real food that’s exactly what it’s going to be.
I’ve taken many courses and I have struggled with a couple of their “theories”. For example, I’ve actually stayed up a few nights disturbed by the fact that any class or program would promote eating animal meat three times a day. It’s just careless and I feel these programs are only saying what the average American wants to hear. You may (or may not) be able to lose weight this way, but are you going to be healthy in the long run? I can only advise people on the same theory I would advise my own children with.
So for those of you that are wondering what I do eat on a daily basis, please follow the link below. I posted this October 2011 and it has pretty much stayed the same although I may eat even more veggies now.
http://devitamin.com/2011/10/24/all-i-do-is-eat/
Dr. Fuhrman’s food pyramid is the closest example of how my husband and I eat everyday.
Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. Fuhrman are two of my favorite health experts that I follow on a regular basis. I would definitely advise Dr. Fuhrman’s book “Eat to Live.”
Remember: “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.”-Michael Pollan
Poison Control Part 2
Posted: March 9, 2012 Filed under: Food Intolerances, Thoughts | Tags: Black Beans, essential formula, Food intolerances, Fruit, probiotic, Sick, Vegetables, water 2 Comments »Did you read my post yesterday on how I purposely made myself sick? If not, you can catch up by following this link.
http://devitamin.com/2012/03/08/poison-control/
Whether you couldn’t take the temptation of a forbidden food or you accidentally ate something you shouldn’t have; you are going to want to eliminate those toxins as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, it can take up to a month to fully detox but I’ve found a way to make myself feel better within 1-2 days depending how bad the situation is.
This is for people who already eat a “clean” diet and who are used of eating a lot of vegetables. Vegetables and fruit are very healing for me but for someone who is not used of all the fiber, it could make you feel worse.
Next Day Remedy
- 8 ounces of distilled or filtered water upon waking.
- I make sure I take my probiotic: http://www.essentialformulas.com/efi.cgim?template=products_probiotics
- An hour later, I slowly sip 8 ounces of this smoothie: http://devitamin.com/2012/02/05/my-breakfast-smoothie/
- An hour later, I start slowly drinking 16 ounces of distilled or filtered water.
- Two hours later (around lunch time), I start slowly sipping another 8 ounces of the smoothie.
- An hour later, I slowly drink around 8 ounces of water. If hungry, drink more. I’m usually full from all the liquid by now.
- Around 3 p.m. I will drink another 8 ounces of smoothie. Definitely drink more if you are hungry. You are basically drinking the 40-ounce smoothie over the course of the day.
- Dinnertime. Here is where I make a decision depending on how I am feeling. If I’m still not feeling well, I will continue drinking the rest of the smoothie but if I feel really good, I will eat a light meal such as: http://devitamin.com/2012/01/04/black-bean-wrap/
- After dinner, I usually stop drinking a lot of liquids so that I am not up all night using the bathroom. If I feel good and I’m hungry, I’ll eat a few blue chips and a little hummus.
- Repeat the next day if necessary.
*Get as much rest as possible.
*Go to the bathroom as needed. Do not hold it in.
Having food intolerances is challenging to say the least and no-one can be perfect 100% of the time, so don’t beat yourself up if you cave into temptation every now and then or if you accidentally eat something you shouldn’t have. It happens to the best of us. :)
Be well!
Poison Control
Posted: March 8, 2012 Filed under: Food Intolerances, Thoughts | Tags: Food intolerances, Health, healthy-living, ill, Nutrition, Nutrition Coach, romance tonight, Sick 3 Comments »Tuesday evening I made myself sick. Seriously, I consciously made myself ill.
Let me quickly explain why I would do such a crazy thing.
As most of you know, I suffer from major food intolerances but what you may not know is that I am also intolerant to medicine, alcohol and I have mysterious swelling on/around my left rib.
Just to be safe, I’ve had numerous test and lab work done to make sure I don’t have cancer or an infection. My family doctor referred me to a GI specialist to confirm her findings.
As long as I follow a very strict diet, I feel great! Well, I didn’t want to feel great when I saw the specialist because then I wouldn’t be able to explain my exact symptoms. See how my mind works?
I understand that by eating something that I’m intolerant to on Tuesday isn’t necessarily going to show it’s ugly head on Wednesday (it could actually take anywhere from a couple of hours to a month) but I did know that my stomach area would swell and from there it would bring back all the bad memories from when I didn’t have my intolerances under control.
Cut to a thin crust (not gluten-free), sausage (remember, I haven’t ate meat since May 2011), cheese (I’m dairy and lactose intolerant) with mushrooms and peppers (hey, I needed some veggies) pizza.
Yep, I ate 3.5 BIG pieces! Below are my notes of how I felt afterwards. Those of you that have food intolerances will know exactly what I’m talking about and those of you that are not aware that you have intolerances may recognize some symptoms.
6:00 p.m.-Ate pizza
9:00 p.m.-Starting to feel heartburn, some acid and the dreaded “lump” feeling in my throat.
10:30 p.m.- Sorry honey, no romance tonight. Who could possibly be in the “mood” when you feel bloated? Is this why so many Americans have problems in the “bedroom”? Maybe, I’m on to something. Vitamin De: Wellness Coach/Sex therapist.
11:30-Holy Moly, I’m thirsty! Would you like a little pizza with your salt? How much sodium content do you think is in/on a pizza?
1:15 a.m.- I’m still wide-awake most likely because of the heartburn. I’ve propped my head up on an extra pillow but it doesn’t seem to be working. I’m starting to feel a little nauseated now.
2:00 a.m.-I’m guessing I may have fallen asleep. It wasn’t a good sleep. I was restless. My body was pissed off at me and I can’t say I blame it.
7:30 a.m.-I woke up to swollen hands and face. Not drastic, but enough to where I was uncomfortable. I’m retaining water and it’s not a pretty site.
Rest of the day- I have no energy. I have a slight headache and nausea. My problem “stomach” area swelled like I hoped for and it is tender. All I can do is pray that I don’t get worse.
6:30 p.m.-The doctor calls me into his office, ask me a bunch of questions, goes over all my test and lab results, examines my abdomen and then informs me that I have…
MAJOR FOOD INTOLERANCES.
All the way home my husband tried to convince me that it wasn’t a waste of time to poison myself and to see a specialist only to find out what I already knew.
On a serious note, although having major food intolerances is challenging, I know my diagnosis could have been so much worse. I feel very fortunate and I will continue to concentrate on what I can eat (not what I can’t eat) and I will continue studying and re-searching nutrition so that I can help myself and most importantly, help other’s.
Tomorrow, I will post my “next day remedy” for when you have eaten something you are intolerant to. It really seems to speed up the detox period.
Have a great day! :)
Cheater
Posted: February 7, 2012 Filed under: Food Intolerances, Thoughts | Tags: Dark chocolate, Diet, Food intolerances, kettle chips, Treats 4 Comments »One question I get asked on occasion is if I ever cheat on my “diet”. I don’t really like the word “diet” because it sounds like I’m only eating this way for a certain amount of time, which is not the case. I initially started eating healthy to cure myself of numerous aliments I was suffering from, and now it’s basically out of habit.
So I guess the question people are asking me is do I ever stray from the way I usually eat? I do every once in a while and I pay a very high price for it. Just this past weekend, we attended a Valentine’s party and I decided to sample some dishes and treats that I normally stay away from. Being intolerant and not allergic (to a lot of different) food, I don’t feel the effects immediately which can lead me to believe (for that moment) it’s okay to try a little.
Within 24 hours, I become ill and it takes me a couple of months to forget how horrible I felt after eating those forbidden foods. Anyway, I will give myself a little credit and say that I’m getting better and better at staying away from what I know I’m intolerant to, even during parties and special occasions. Gold star for me! 
*I try to focus on how everything we put in our bodies has an effect on how we feel and function. That makes it a lot easier to choose healthy food.
I do have some special treats that I can eat (safely) and try to limit them for Friday or Saturday night or special occasions.
MY TREATS
Kettle Chips (I really like the un-salted but my husband doesn’t so sometimes we have to compromise)
http://www.kettlefoods.co.uk/our-hand-cooked-chips/kettle-chips/flavour/lightly-salted/
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate (My friend and I were in Florida (at a Ghirardelli store) this past summer and came across their Dark Chocolate Sea Salt bar and holy moly, I was in heaven!)
http://www.ghirardelli.com/products/chocbars_intense_seasalt.aspx
One dessert I love and treat myself to on special occasions is:
http://devitamin.com/2011/10/29/no-bake-rice-krispy-bars/
My husband and I also like to get Sushi on the weekend but sometimes we can’t wait, so we end up getting it on a Wednesday every now and then as well.
We like the salmon or avocado rolls depending on if we want fish or not. I have a question for you Sushi lovers…Have any of you come across brown rice sushi rolls?
I don’t think we can get them here, but I’m very interested in finding out how popular they are back home in the States.
What are your treat foods?
Start Fresh 30 day plan
Posted: January 1, 2012 Filed under: Detox, Food Intolerances | Tags: Brown Rice, Detox, Fresh Start, Fruit, Lose Weight, New Year diet, Quinoa, Vegetables 6 Comments »HAPPY NEW YEAR!
*As promised, I’m posting the 30 day plan (I followed this past summer) again.
I wouldn’t necessarily call this a “diet” since I’ve incorporated most of the plan into the way I eat on a daily basis.
By eliminating the “junk” I was able to figure out what food I was intolerant to and from there, I significantly improved my health. As an extra bonus, I lost weight without ever starving myself. In fact, I felt like I was constantly eating. I do not count calories or anything else for that matter and I don’t limit my portion sizes and you will see why in a minute.
I created this plan for myself after reading a million (okay, I may be exaggerating a little) books and taking the information that I felt was the best and combining it into one program. Most of you know; I like simple and quick approaches to almost everything I do in life.
*IMPORTANT INFO: As you know, I am not a doctor so I can only tell you what I did and what worked for me. If you decide to try my own plan and you have any medical conditions, I urge you to talk to your doctor first. I was taking blood pressure medicine before I started this and if I didn’t monitor my BP, I would have never known that I needed to go off the meds. My blood pressure dropped that much.
MY NOTES
1. I followed this plan (no cheating) for 30 days.
2. If you need to have a warm meal save it for dinner. Try to eat as much raw food as possible.
3. Awkward subject but needs to be addressed especially for those of you that work outside the home. You are going to have to go number 1 & 2 (as we called it growing up) more than usual so just be aware of where closest bathrooms are located. The more you go, the more you are flushing out and eliminating the toxins.
4. Finish eating 12 hours before you wake up in the morning. That gives your body long enough to detox throughout the night. Example: If you wake up at 7 every morning than quit eating at 7 the evening before.
5. After 30 days I gradually added healthy fats to my diet (example: olive oil and nuts) and I can tolerate fish, so I added that back a couple of days a week. Pay attention to the food you add back into your diet and see how it makes you feel. For those of you that are trying to figure out if you are intolerant to a certain food category (ex: dairy) add back one food a week, that way you will know which food is the trouble maker.
6. Physical Activity: Walk 30-45 minutes a day at least 3x’s a week. Be careful not to overexert yourself while you are eating this way.
7. You can’t keep eating and drinking the same things you have always been and think you are ever going to feel better or lose weight. You’re not. I seriously despised vegetables but until I made them the main staple in my diet, I couldn’t lose a pound and felt absolutely horrible for years. Even now, I can totally tell when I’m not eating enough raw food.
8. I always wait at least one hour after a meal before I start drinking water.
9. The month of January, I will try to post-easy recipes that you can make while you are eating this way.
10. First, I’ll tell you what food I eliminated and then I’ll tell you what I added to my diet.
ELIMINATE (threw it all out for 30 days)
Meat (including fish)
All dairy products (butter, milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.)
Margarine
Oils*
Salad dressings
Table salt
Fried foods
Soy
Cookies, cakes, pie, ice cream, candy
Chips and most crackers*
Nuts including nut butter and nut milks
Alcohol
Sweeteners
*Looking through my notes, I came across two exceptions that I made and it worked out well for me. I would eat a little hummus, which does have some oil in it. I would also eat a handful of Mary’s Gone Crackers, which are really mostly seeds.
FOOD I ATE
Quinoa, brown or wild Rice
Corn tortilla
Veggies (LOTS!)
Avocado (only a couple a week)
Potatoes (Especially sweet potatoes)
Beans
Popcorn (unsalted, unbuttered, mini portion)
Seeds (be aware of the sodium in them)
Fruit
Rice Milk
Decaffeinated, unsweetened tea
2 ounces of 70% or higher cocoa dark chocolate a day
UNLIMITED FOOD (ate as much as I wanted)
All types of lettuce
Spinach
Celery
Onions
Carrots
Garlic
Broccoli
Peas
Cauliflower
Cabbage
*Always eat fruit on an empty stomach
Pineapple
Oranges
Apples
Grapefruit
Brown and wild rice (I saved it for dinner)
Beans (black, kidney, ect)
Herbs and Spices (watch the sodium)
SALAD TOPPINGS
Salsa
Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Lemon
Lime
QUICK EXAMPLE OF DAILY MENU
Upon waking: 8-12 ounces of hot water with lemon. It’s very important that you drink this to help detox your body. If you don’t have time in the morning, at least drink one bottle of water!
Breakfast: Green light smoothie (link below) Yes, you drink it all!
http://devitamin.com/2011/10/23/the-green-light/
One hour later: At least 8-12 ounces of water
Snack (if needed): Handful of seeds or maybe some cut up veggies
Lunch: HUGE salad with all the veggies you love! Eat as much salad and veggies as you can and don’t forget to treat yourself with a little piece of dark chocolate.
One hour later: At least 8-12 ounces of water
Snack: A handful of red peppers with humus.
Dinner: Start with a veggie (at least 2 different one’s) than add a grain or other starch (quinoa, rice, potato). Include beans! Again, go ahead and treat yourself with a little piece of dark chocolate.
One-hour later- At least 8-12 ounces of water
Snack (if needed): Blueberry, banana and rice milk smoothie (8oz).
POSSIBLE DETOX SYMPTOMS (usually only last a few days)
Dizziness (I did experience this for a few days and found that drinking more water helped)
Fatigue (I had the complete opposite happen. I had WAY more energy!)
Nausea (Did not experience this)
Headache (Again the opposite happened, the headaches I was experiencing before I started eating this way, disappeared.)
My husband and I are starting this again on Jan 2nd 2012.
If you take away one thing (after 30 days), I hope it’s that you realize (if you haven’t already) how important it is to consume a lot of vegetables in your daily diet.
Here’s to good health in the New Year! CHEERS!
Start Fresh 30 Day Plan
Posted: December 18, 2011 Filed under: Detox, Food Intolerances | Tags: Detox, Diet, Food intolerances, New Year detox, New Year diet, Rice milk, Smoothie, Vegetables, Weight loss 3 Comments »The New Year is approaching and I’ve had a lot of request to post the detox diet I did this past summer. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a “diet” since I’ve incorporated most of the plan into the way I eat on a daily basis.
By eliminating the “junk” I was able to figure out what food I was intolerant to and from there, I significantly improved my health. As an extra bonus, I lost weight without ever starving myself. In fact, I felt like I was constantly eating. I do not count calories or anything else for that matter and I don’t limit my portion sizes and you will see why in a minute.
I created this plan for myself after reading a million (okay, I may be exaggerating a little) books and taking the information that I felt was the best and combining it into one program. Most of you know; I like simple and quick approaches to almost everything I do in life.
*IMPORTANT INFO: As you know, I am not a doctor so I can only tell you what I did and what worked for me. If you decide to try my own plan and you have any medical conditions, I urge you to talk to your doctor first. I was taking blood pressure medicine before I started this and if I didn’t monitor my BP, I would have never known that I needed to go off the meds. My blood pressure dropped that much.
MY NOTES
1. I followed this plan (no cheating) for 30 days.
2. If you need to have a warm meal save it for dinner. Try to eat as much raw food as possible.
3. Awkward subject but needs to be addressed especially for those of you that work outside the home. You are going to have to go number 1 & 2 (as we called it growing up) more than usual so just be aware of where closest bathrooms are located. The more you go, the more you are flushing out and eliminating the toxins.
4. Finish eating 12 hours before you wake up in the morning. That gives your body long enough to detox throughout the night. Example: If you wake up at 7 every morning than quit eating at 7 the evening before.
5. After 30 days I gradually added healthy fats to my diet (example: olive oil and nuts) and I can tolerate fish, so I added that back a couple of days a week. Pay attention to the food you add back into your diet and see how it makes you feel. For those of you that are trying to figure out if you are intolerant to a certain food category (ex: dairy) add back one food a week, that way you will know which food is the trouble maker.
6. Physical Activity: Walk 30-45 minutes a day at least 3x’s a week. Be careful not to overexert yourself while you are eating this way.
7. You can’t keep eating and drinking the same things you have always been and think you are ever going to feel better or lose weight. You’re not. I seriously despised vegetables but until I made them the main staple in my diet, I couldn’t lose a pound and felt absolutely horrible for years. Even now, I can totally tell when I’m not eating enough raw food.
8. I always wait at least one hour after a meal before I start drinking water.
9. The month of January, I will try to post-easy recipes that you can make while you are eating this way.
10. First, I’ll tell you what food I eliminated and then I’ll tell you what I added to my diet.
ELIMINATE (threw it all out for 30 days)
Meat (including fish)
All dairy products (butter, milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.)
Margarine
Oils*
Salad dressings
Table salt
Fried foods
Soy
Cookies, cakes, pie, ice cream, candy
Chips and most crackers*
Nuts including nut butter and nut milks
Alcohol
Sweeteners
*Looking through my notes, I came across two exceptions that I made and it worked out well for me. I would eat a little hummus, which does have some oil in it. I would also eat a handful of Mary’s Gone Crackers, which are really mostly seeds.
FOOD I ATE
Quinoa, brown or wild Rice
Corn tortilla
Veggies (LOTS!)
Potatoes (Especially sweet potatoes)
Beans
Seeds (be aware of the sodium in them)
Fruit
Rice Milk
Decaffeinated, unsweetened tea
2 ounces of 70% or higher cocoa dark chocolate a day
UNLIMITED FOOD (ate as much as I wanted)
All types of lettuce
Spinach
Celery
Onions
Carrots
Garlic
Broccoli
Peas
Cauliflower
Cabbage
*Always eat fruit on an empty stomach
Pineapple
Oranges
Apples
Grapefruit
Brown and wild rice (I saved it for dinner)
Beans (black, kidney, ect)
Herbs and Spices (watch the sodium)
SALAD TOPPINGS
Salsa
Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Lemon
Lime
QUICK EXAMPLE OF DAILY MENU
Upon waking: 8-12 ounces of hot water with lemon. It’s very important that you drink this to help detox your body. If you don’t have time in the morning, at least drink one bottle of water!
Breakfast: Green light smoothie (link below) Yes, you drink it all!
http://devitamin.com/2011/10/23/the-green-light/
One hour later: At least 8-12 ounces of water
Snack (if needed): Handful of seeds or maybe some cut up veggies
Lunch: HUGE salad with all the veggies you love! Eat as much salad and veggies as you can and don’t forget to treat yourself with a little piece of dark chocolate.
One hour later: At least 8-12 ounces of water
Snack: A handful of red peppers with humus.
Dinner: Start with a veggie (at least 2 different one’s) than add a grain or other starch (quinoa, rice, potato). Include beans! Again, go ahead and treat yourself with a little piece of dark chocolate.
One-hour later- At least 8-12 ounces of water
Snack (if needed): Blueberry, banana and rice milk smoothie (8oz).
POSSIBLE DETOX SYMPTOMS (usually only last a few days)
Dizziness (I did experience this for a few days and found that drinking more water helped)
Fatigue (I had the complete opposite happen. I had WAY more energy!)
Nausea (Did not experience this)
Headache (Again the opposite happened, the headaches I was experiencing before I started eating this way, disappeared.)
My husband and I are starting this again on Jan 2nd 2012. I’ll post this twice before that day so those of you that want to follow along with us, can start preparing. If you take away one thing (after 30 days), I hope it’s that you realize (if you haven’t already) how important it is to consume a lot of vegetables in your diet.
Here’s to good health in the New Year! CHEERS!
Say Cheese please
Posted: December 15, 2011 Filed under: "Cheese", Food Intolerances | Tags: Cashews, Cheese, Dairy free, Garlic, Lactose-free, Nut Cheese, Recipe, Vitamix Leave a comment »I’m lactose and dairy intolerant so the thought of eating cheese is quite frightening. UNTIL NOW! I found this awesome recipe in the Vitamix recipe book that was included with my new Vitamix. It’s so creamy and taste scrumptious. Who would have thought you can make “cheese” out of cashews?
*When I share Vitamix recipes, I’m going to use the instructions they provide, so you will have to adjust them to the type of blender you use (if it’s not a Viatmix). Switching your speed from low to high.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours
1/2 to 3/4 cups of purified water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup green onions
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients , except onions, into blender in order listed and secure lid
Select Variable 1
Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to high
Blend for 30-40 seconds, using the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades (blended pretty well without doing this)
Stop machine, remove lid and add onions. Secure lid and select Variable 3
Turn machine on and off to add onions to mixture
After I made this cheese without any lactose or dairy involved, I moved on to their nacho cheese recipe. After I revise it a little, I will post it as well. Stay tuned. :)
*Slightly revised recipe from Vitamix live fresh recipes
YAY, for Ice Cream!
Posted: December 8, 2011 Filed under: Dessert, Food Intolerances, Least Amount of Ingredients Recipes | Tags: Cherries, Dairy free, Ice cream, Lactose-free, Vegan, Vitamix 1 Comment »I’ve known for years, that I am lactose and dairy intolerant but it took me until this year to take it seriously. I was “known” for my love of ice cream and I actually felt like I lost a part of my identity when I gave it up for good. Recently, I came across the recipe below and I can now say, I am complete….once again.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Almond Milk
1 cup thawed frozen sweet Cherries
3 frozen peeled Banana’s
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
Place all ingredients in blender in order listed.
If you have a Vitamix, select Variable 1 otherwise, start on low.
Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.
Blend for 30-60 seconds.
Serve immediately.
Revised version from Vitamix
I don’t wanna make dinner tonight…
Posted: November 9, 2011 Filed under: Food Intolerances, Least Amount of Ingredients Recipes, My own recipe creations | Tags: Gluten free, Pasta, Quick recipe 6 Comments »Quick meals for people with food allergies or food intolerances can be a little tricky. Below is one meal that I fall back on when I notice it’s 5:00 pm and I forgot to plan dinner. In our house, this meal is kind of like going to a (drive through) fast food restaurant. :)
Food Allergies: Food allergies are the body’s abnormal responses to harmless foods; the reactions are caused by the immune system’s reaction to some food proteins. -Medical-dictionary
Food Intolerances: An adverse reaction to specific foods, seen in 10% of the population, which are often chronic and may cause severe illness. –Medical-dictionary
(I’m so lucky to be in that 10%) Yes, total sarcasm. :)
Ingredients
Organic Pasta Sauce
*Our favorite is Organic Ville, which is gluten-free. My husband loves it even though he’s able to eat gluten.
Wild Pink Salmon 5oz pouch-drained (Skinless & boneless)
*I use Bumble Bee. I can tolerate fish, so I eat it a couple of times a week.
Organic Pasta
*I use Organic Ancient Brand Quinoa Harvest, which is gluten-free. Again, my husband can’t even tell the difference. For those of you who can tolerate gluten, I recommend whole wheat pasta.
1. Once sauce starts heating up, add salmon and heat thoroughly.
2. Prepare pasta according to directions.
3. Serve sauce over pasta.
WHALLA! Or is it WALLA?
-Before I knew I was intolerant to gluten, I remember feeling so sick (acid reflux, heart-burn and stomach-aches) every time I ate pasta or pasta sauce and that was even if I took meds to prevent it. Those days are behind me now that I stay away from gluten.
“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” – Federico Fellini
Where do you get your protein?
Posted: November 4, 2011 Filed under: Food Intolerances | Tags: Protein 6 Comments »Where do I get my protein, is a question I’m asked frequently since I only eat fish once or twice a week. Although, I would love to say I eat this way because I’m against animal cruelty, I would be lying. The fact is I’m intolerant to most animal-based food. Don’t get me wrong, I am against the cruelty of animals but I had to save myself first.
I do remember the days when I thought the only way you can get protein was from an animal-based diet until I discovered the human body can obtain all the essential amino acids from plant-based proteins.
*There are 20 different amino acids. Amino acids are linked together to form small chains of amino acids. These chains link together to form proteins. Of the 20 amino acids, 11 can be synthesized in the body. That leaves nine amino acids that you need to get directly from your diet. Those nine amino acids are called “essential amino acids.”-About.com
Most Americans ate (and still eat) twice as much protein than needed, which led to an increase in cancer, obesity and heart disease over the past 50 years.
A variety of grains, beans and vegetables contain enough protein for the human body to function properly.
Benefits of plant-based protein
Easy to digest
Alkaline-forming
Low in saturated fat
Promotes healthy body weight
Doesn’t take extra energy to digest like animal-based protein (Very important for people who suffer from fatigue throughout the day)
Better for the environment
Free of antibiotics, growth hormones and steroids, found in farmed animal protein
You can find plant-based proteins in:
Nuts and seeds
Legumes
Whole grains
Pseudo grains (don’t contain gluten)
-Amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, wild rice)
Vegetables
My favorite plant-based proteins
Hemp protein
Flaxseed
Almonds
Black beans
Peas
Quinoa (Keen-wa) *SUPERFOOD!
Brown rice
Spinach
So, if you find yourself wanting to cut back on meat, I would start by eating a couple of meatless meals a week. You don’t have to worry as long as you are incorporating the above list of foods. Most of us grew up eating meat at every meal, so it takes a little time to get used to but after a while it comes naturally. Trust me, I was a total meat and potato girl!
You may have noticed that I don’t talk about being a vegetarian or vegan, that’s because I don’t consider myself one. I eat healthy food that my body can tolerate. The body reacts differently for everyone (when it comes to food) so I’m not going to push just one way of getting healthy. I’m not a doctor or a dietician so I can only tell you what I would do if I were experiencing your health issues.
With that said, I highly suggest NOT eating meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, 7 days a week. But you already know that, right? :)
TGIF!
