21 Day Sugar Detox- 4 Days Strong

On Monday I started a 21 day sugar detox and I wish I could say it is no big deal. This is hard!!!!!
I was okay on day 1 but day 2-4 were not so easy. I was eating fruit daily and allowing myself dark chocolate just about every day. While I never gained weight from eating this way, I wasn't losing anymore weight either. I decided that I have 23 days to work on my beach body before our OBX trip and I wanted to feel good. I know what you are thinking- you eat Paleo so you aren't eating sugar anyway. Right but I this is cutting out way more:

• No Sweeteners (even natural)- Honey, Agave Nectar, Maple Syrup, Raw Cane Sugar
• No Fruits
• No Dairy

I am trying to teach my body not to depend on sugar as a meal replacement or a quick snack when I am hungry. We should be filling our meals with vegetables and proteins. When I was eating it daily I noticed that I was always hungry and always needed to eat. I felt bloated and was having some image hiccups because of the bloating.

So here I am at the last few moments of day 4. This was the worst day so far and I am praying tomorrow is better. Today I was on edge from about 2pm-8pm. I was short tempered, easily irritated, tired, under my eyes got real dark, I was tired, cold and honestly just wanted to cry.
I am not sure if this was solely detox related or if the other factors in my life played into this (menstruation, last few days of school before summer, etc...) either way, it was not a good day and I have a headache.
I came home made a yummy Chicken, balsamic red peppers and onions Flat bread for Brandon and I. Then I packed our lunches and once I was able to finally sit down, I noticed my mood change a little.

I am proud that I have made it 4 whole days but I am really praying it gets easier because I do notice less bloating and my stomach has a little more definition. I was able to keep my size 4 Capri's on despite being that time of the month! I am not very motivated to workout but I have been playing a lot with my kids- running, playground, monkey bars and pull up bars. When I come home though, I want to cook, pack my meals for Lunch and then go to bed. Watching Brandon cut up a delicious pineapple tonight in the kitchen was not very helpful but he looked like he was enjoying it and I couldn't bring myself to be grumpy with him.

In need of prayers and encouragement- 17 days to go!!!!

I will post some meals after my first week is complete.

First day or Spring Break

After months of teaching a nice week at home with little plans is so appreciated! I took my time today to begin planning out my vegetable, herb and flower gardens. Brandon and I have re-done (at least touched) every room in our house and now we want to take the focus to the outside. We've done a little to it but mostly just maintenance. With our new eating habits, we use a lot of herbs and eat a ton of fruits and veggies so we decided that we have enough space in our back yard, why not build a garden. This is a huge task but one that we both feel we could accomplish. I have been composting since we moved in, we have nurtured several roses, trees and plants back to life in our previous un-kept yard, we feel like we can handle it.
In order to get have a proper garden, I took some pages from my parents and decided to get Brandon to make me a raised garden beds. While the box is easy to build, filling it is a little bit more difficult when you are on your own. So my day looked like this:

my future meals!

1. Clearing weeds and leveling the ground in the garden.
2. Drawing out and researching veggies, herbs and fruits Northern Virginia can grow and the seasons to plant.
3. Getting a truck load of dirt from the local nursery.
4. Shoveling out the truck load of dirt by myself (my poor back)! 
5. Lining the 16ft x 6 ft box with newspaper (on a windy day- eeek)
6. Piling screened top soil  on top of the newspaper.
7. Break time for a pedicure with my friend Margaret
8. Back home to eat some sweet potato chips, drink some water, a couple strawberries and back to work!
9. Finished leveling the dirt and then I added  a layer or leaves. (This acts as a natural compost layer like hay or straw)
10. Started adding a layer of compost from my very own compost pile. I have been composting for 3 years and it  paid off today. I have the most beautiful dark soil full of worms! Big fat worms. It is so healthy and I can't wait to see how my veggies grow in this stuff. I never thought I would be so excited about worms (Gross) but this saves a lot of money and it make me feel good that I was able to make great compost (another wonderful thing my mom and dad taught me!) 
11. My back was getting sore so I decided to stop working on my garden so I didn't get rushed and do it improperly. 
12. I cleaned up all of the supplies in the back yard and finished black paper lining under the maple tree and fixing up the rock barrier. Filled it with dirt and it is finished! 
13. I weeded my current flower beds and chatted with a neighbor about swapping some plants :)                                                                                                           

When we first bought the house

Brandon built a box

Newspaper layer

Dirt layer and then a leaf layer

Look at that compost!! Wish the worms showed up in pictures

While I was working in the yard I was able to meet some new neighbors, chat with some that I had already known, share my work with some of them and hear a great story about paying it forward. So happy to be where I am and I am thrilled with the progress of my first day on spring break. Now it is time for my hot pink toes to take a rest and eat some dinner! 

Bloating, Achy, Gassy Feeling and How to Troubleshoot!

I have been really into learning about the foods we eat, why we eat them and how they help or hurt our bodies. I've noticed a lot of the foods that Brandon and I have cut out have helped my stomach to feel better. I used to get stomach cramps, feeling of being bloated and let's not even talk about Brandon's gas ;) 
As most people who eat Paleo know, everyone does it differently. What works for  one persons body, does not work for the other. I can't handle too much cheese or dairy but Brandon is okay with it. We consider Brandon- Primal and I consider myself Paleo. Paleo and Primal also look different to each person.

• Swiss Paleo (Primal- consume dairy)
• Slow Carbers (consume beans)
• Athletes (consume starches)

So how do you know which one is right for you? Troubleshooting!!!!
I listened to the Paleo Summit last week and I tuned into a session by Dr. Allison Siebecker
She talked about IBS and even people who eat right, still struggle with IBS. If you want to know if you have IBS, get straight to the answer and get tested. Your doctors might only give you the basic Colonoscopy. But research your issues and ask for some of these specific tests. 

• Breath test- Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) lactose/ fructose intolerance
• Endoscopy- will test for Reflux and GERD or Celiac disease
• Heidelberg test- tests the amount of stomach acid when a meal is consumed
• Gluten sensitivity testing
• Cross Re-activity testing, colonoscopy- helps rule out Chron's and Cancers
• Stool testing- tests for parasites and yeast overgrowth in the colon.

Okay now that we know how to get tested- let's learn a little about our body and how it functions: 

Small Intestine:                              

SIBO- Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth-84% of people with IBS have SIBO. It damages the small intestine, bacteria destroy disaccharide(lactose, sucrose, maltose) enzymes lining the small intestine and this  creates inability to properly process disaccharides.

Properly Process Disaccharides- “when we don’t have these disaccharide enzymes, the carbs we eat can’t finish being digested. The bacteria EAT those improperly digested disaccharides. They are food for them! They eat the sugars and then they make GAS!”

Large Intestine:                                

Gas causes IBS symptoms: bloating, constipation, diarrhea, pain, visceral hypersensitivity.

Constipation: Decrease in fiber because of lack of grains, slow down the transition, soluble fiber feeds bacteria, insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool. You need to increase in fiber with veggies, nuts and seeds

What do we do to avoid these symptoms in our intestines? 

Low Carb diets:

GAPS diet, Low FODMAP diet, Paleo, Primal, Slow Carb,  You need to troubleshoot your digestive track and see what the main cause of your symptoms is. 

Trouble shoot constipation:

Issues: Can't got to the bathroom, Cramps, Bloating, Gas

Troubleshoot: Try taking Magnesium- 1000mg before bed. The Magnesium will draw water into colon via osmosis.

*Adjust dosage appropriately

Fat Digestion:

Symptoms: nausea, feeling overly full

 Troubleshoot: Increase fats slowly to avoid symptoms

Slow Carb Troubleshooting:

Issues: Beans and sweet potatoes contain starch, starch breaks down maltrose and isomaltrose (disaccharides), bacteria consumes disaccharides, beans contain prebiotics that feed bacteria.

Troubleshoot: Fix beans by soaking overnight prior to cooking, beans and tubers are high in soluble fiber(bacteria food)

Specific Carb Diet Troubleshooting:

Avoid if IBS- Potato, sweet potato, yap, parsnip, turnip. These tend to bind you up!

Try: Rutabaga, Beets, Carrots, Celery, Squash. These tend to be more tolerable! 

Troubleshooting veggies:

Veggies can be troublesome for those with IBS.

 Troubleshoot: Peel, de-seed, and cook them. Don’t eat raw veggies if you have digestive problems.

 Identify tolerable veggies by paying attention to your body after eating them, if you notice symptoms.

Trouble shooting Fruits:

Fruits contain high levels of sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohol tolerance depends on the person (figure out what works for you- I personally get very gassy when I eat too much fruit!)

Troubleshoot: Peel, de-seed and stew fruits. Eat in moderation (especially if you are trying to lose weight). Pay attention to your body and note how you feel after the different types of fruit.

Troubleshooting nuts and seeds-

Veggies, Fruits and nuts all contain prebiotics (non digestible food ingredients) 

Troubleshoot: Eat nuts and seeds raw, dry roasted, soaked over night, remove skin, cook with Blanched Almond flour, Coconut butter/ oil

Avoid- nuts soaked in Vegetable oil, Canola oil, and Peanut oil.

IBS friends-Coconut can be troublesome, use in moderation and note how your body feels after eating. 

In general Eat all things in moderation, try about 4 oz of seeds/nuts a day.

Okay that is enough for you to get started. In part two, I will share Dairy, Sweeteners and an overall idea of our diets. I hope this is as helpful to you as it was to me! Happy Troubleshooting.

Skewers and Cookies- Sounds like a party to me

Brandon’s boss got to spend some time at the Biggest loser resort in California where she learned about exercise and eating habits that fit her lifestyle. She was so excited to come back and share her experience with Brandon. We are so lucky to have her encouraging us- she was so kind and gave us the Biggest Loser cookbook edition 1 and 2. I have been browsing through and turning a few recipes into ones that fit our meal plan.

Tonight we were hosting some friends and needed a quick meal while we cleaned the house and prepared for our guests. I thought this sounded like a great night for some Meat on a stick and I happened to have all the ingredients for this easy recipe. They take 25 minutes to prepare, cook and clean. And you can walk around and munch on them while you multi~ task!!! These would also be great appetizers for a get together with friends. I can’t wait to try them on the grill in the spring/ summer.  Along with tonight’s quick dinner, I managed to try a new cookie recipe to share with my friends. The cookies were a huge hit among friends who eat like we do and friends who eat “SAD” (Standard American Diet). These were our favorite cookies by far. I used the same batter and turned them into cookie bars- the cookie bars were good but the regular cookies were better. It is amazing how the same batter tastes so different in just a different baking method. (must perfect cookie bar) This recipe is a variation of bakergal.

Sweet and Savory Skewers

Ingredients:

5 Skewers

1 pineapple

½ Red pepper and ½ Green Pepper

¼ Red Onion

2 Chicken Breasts

Cherry Tomatoes

1tsp Sea Salt

1tsp Black Pepper

1 TBS Balsamic Vinagarette

Process:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Chop each ingredient into chunky biteable pieces (About a 1in. by 1 in. piece)
• Assemble Skewers by starting with chicken and then add the other ingredients to your liking. Place them in a baking tray and sprinkle with Salt, Pepper and Balsamic.
• Bake for 20-25 min (until Chicken is finished).
• You could also grill on medium heat for 20 min. (rotate skewers every 5 minutes)

Brandon doesn’t like peppers, onions or tomato so his was just chicken and pineapple. When doing this recipe, I would marinate the chicken in some salt or maybe a little garlic and rosemary. Without the vegetables- he thought the chicken didn’t have enough kick compared to the sweet from the pineapple. While he still loved them, I could tell he wanted his chicken seasoned more.

When using all of the vegetables- you do not need to season your chicken because all of the flavors blend so well together. YUM!

Primal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

 

Ingredients:

 

1 ¼ C. Almond meal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 C. raw honey

2 TBS. Grass fed butter (original recipe calls for Macadamia nut oil but I didn't have that handy)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 C. Dark Chocolate chips. (the darker the chip the less sweet it will taste. If you are Primal- you should try for a 72% or higher dark chocolate)

Process:

·         Heat oven to 325.

·         Mix almond flour, salt, and baking soda well. In a small bowl, mix agave nectar, butter/ oil, and vanilla. Combine wet and dry ingredients, mixing well. Add dark chocolate chips. Batter is very sticky and should be thick enough that you can roll a small ball between your palms and set it on the cookie sheet without it drooping or losing shape.

·         Make small balls of cookie dough and space them evenly on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the cookies down as flat as possible with the palm of your hand.  The cookies will not spread out on their own.

·         Bake about 6 minutes. Watch closely and remove when the edges start to brown.  Place on rack to cool.

·         Cookie bar option-  Line 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper. Spread batter thinly across pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes until top is lightly browned. DO not over-cook and check them every 4 minutes. (If you are paleo/primal- these are great. If you are not use to the dark chocolate- they may not be sweet enough for you.)

What do I do when.. Q&A time.

Our Fridge  prepared for lunches and Breakfasts for the next day

I have had some great feedback from my previous blogs. I have also had a lot of questions from people trying to eat healthier. Here are a few of the questions with some of my advice. Before you read this- go to Costco and invest in TUPPERWARE. I hope you find some answers to any questions you had. If not, ask me questions and I will do my best to answer them.  

1.) If I buy veggies and fruits and just throw them in a drawer- I tend to forget about them and they go bad before I can salvage them for a meal. Do I have to grocery shop every day for fresh veggies?

I have gotten into the routine of washing it all, cutting it, packaging it for lunches or putting it with the other foods that I am going to make a meal with. This is my OCD showing but it is a great way to make sure I don't waist great food. This only takes about 30 minutes once you've got your Tupperware/baggies and routine set in place.

2.) I eat more fruit because it is small and it seems more easily accessible. How can I get more vegetables in my diet?

In an attempt to eat less fruit, I decided to cut and package veggies, pre- cook and package veggies and keep them more accessible than my fruits. I have been grabbing the carrots, tomatoes and celery over the pineapple and strawberries.

3.) Lunch is HARD to do because I work, what do you do for lunch?

My best advice here is- make extra! I always make extra pieces of chicken or extra meat for leftovers. I throw it on a salad or with some steam fresh veggies and it is a perfect lunch. Another great idea is to make some soup on Sunday and pre-package it into Tupperware for the week. Most soups can be frozen and saved for later in the week.

4.) What Can I do for Breakfast besides Eggs?

Eggs can raise your cholesterol so I have been told to eat no more than 6 a week. Other options are muffins- check out some of the muffins on the blog, Meat (sausage, bacon, ham, leftover steaks etc.) and sweet potato hash, fruit with some nuts and seeds or pancakes (we have had pancakes leftover from dinner and they are fine reheated in the morning.)

5.) How do you work all day, come home, exercise and prepare meals?

I have an amazing husband who helps me, motivates me and encourages me daily. He will jump in and cook meals if he is home first. We have an I cook, you clean system. We generally help prepare the menu's, grocery shop and organize our meals together. I prepare our lunches and get the coffee set up the night before. I pre-make a lot of the meals on Sundays. Because I eat healthy, I have more energy and (a lot of days Brandon begs me to go run off my energy). I think the keys here are: Preparation and a partner who encourages you or joins in your healthier lifestyle with you(it doesn't have to be a spouse, it could be a friend- I have a friend who does Sunday cook day with her daughter and then they package the meals and distribute for the week).

Eating healthy can work for you and to stay consistent, you have to stay organized. If you go to your fridge and there isn't any food, you will devour anything you can find. There have been days where I walk in and will literally eat whatever is in front of me. On my prepared days, it is veggies or fruit but on my unprepared days it is chocolate or less healthy items.

What are your healthy tips for others? What do you do that helps you to eat veggies over fruits or chocolates?



Creation Diet is the new Paleo!

My Friend was doing an Esther Bible study and thought today's was interesting.  Esther 2:9~ says the girls were given "Special foods". She is currently doing the Beth Moore study on Esther and this is what  Beth Moore says about the foods they were eating and why:

"In all probability the "special foods"..involved fattening the girls up.  What a refreshing thought!....Esther and her royal cohorts were under royal command to eat!  The fattening foods they were served, however, were probably not the Persian version of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  Since they were intended to enhance beauty, their meals were probably rich in olive oil and the tables spread with assortments of nuts and higher density fruits and vegetables like our bananas, avocados, and yams."

Since we have decided to eat Paleo, I have felt really uncomfortable with all of the sites and books we are reading to learn more about the foods we should eat, why we should eat them and the science behind it. Paleo: is shortened from "paleolithic era". The times of cavemen millions of years ago. As a christian, I do not believe the world has been around for millions of years. I don't believe in Evolution. I hate that the way we eat is associated with Evolution because people assume that we are somehow going to become Evolutionists. - I JUST WANT TO EAT NATURAL!!! I am a creationist and I am a firm believer in God creating the heavens and the earth and I don't believe the world has been around for millions of years.
 I don't want to get into a biblical discussion on a food blog but if you are interested in my theories- read the Bible or check out Ken Ham.  He is the best because he compares and contrast Creation and Evolution and gives wonderful insight to both theories. I remember reading his book when I was younger- Answers in Genesis and even had the privilege of seeing him speak. 

I would prefer to call the way that I eat the CREATION diet! 

So here are a few Bible verses that I feel align with how we are currently eating. I am going to try to transform our "PALEO" diet to my own version of "Creationist diet". What would Adam and Eve eat? What was in the Garden of Eden? What was at the last supper? What did God  provide for his people when they needed healing and new life? 

Let's start with my personal Favorite: 

• Daniel 1:12-17~"Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.  Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see."  So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.  So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

The rest of these I got from Robert Kolar's site

• Song of Solomon 2:5~ Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love
• 1 Samuel 30:12 ~  part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.
• Deuteronomy 14:9~Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales.
• Luke 24:42-43~They gave him a piece of broiled fish. And he took it and ate it in their presence.
• Numbers 11:5~We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost--also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.
• Deuteronomy 8:8~a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey;
• Matthew 23:23~"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
• Luke 11:42~"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone

• Genesis 1:11~Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.
• Genesis 1:29~Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

Flour from this bible was not the typical WHITE processed flour that we can buy today- it was made by the people from Manna or grains. When eating "CREATION" style- we use almonds, coconut, flax and other naturally produced flours for baking. This means that we do eat bread- it may not be the bread that America is used to but it is a bread and I think it would probably be more like the bread that they ate in the Bible.

• Numbers 11:7 -9~The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. 8) The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. 9) When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

• John 19:29-30~A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30) When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
• 1 Samuel 14:27~But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
• 2 Samuel 17:29~honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows' milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, "The people have become hungry and tired and thirsty in the desert."
• Genesis 43:11~Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift--a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.
• Genesis 9:3~Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."

I am going to continue my research and align my eating from a biblical standpoint. But God gave us Fish, Meat, Fruits, Nuts, Vegetables and Water to be healthy. From now on I will be trying my hardest to refer to my eating as the "Creation diet" rather than the Paleo diet. What are your thoughts? What else can you tell me about Foods in the Bible? What are your favorite Food Bible verses?