My Health - Part Three - Step One of My Plan
On July 1st I came down with the flu. On July 4th, I woke up feeling much better but could not get enough air to speak in full sentences while sitting down; walking was possible only a few steps at a time; walking and talking at the same time was entirely out of the question. After a visit to the Emergency Room at the hospital, I came home, sat on the sofa with my laptop and read. I read for four days. Armed with a great deal of information and convinced I had found the root of my health issues, I formed a plan to be phased in during the month of July. This month, I am stepping things up . . .
On Friday I had a telephone appointment with my Naturopath since it is a four-hour drive each way to her office. She has been treating me off and on since 2007, after my mystery rash triggered by food allergies began in June of 2006. She saved my life. I cannot say enough about her! She taught me that when a patient presents with environmental allergies, food allergies, asthma, ezcema, psoriasis, etc. the liver is unable to function normally in ridding the body of toxins. Her plan to restore the health of my liver is very similar to what I need to do to restore the health of my adrenal glands.
As to be expected, there was a certain amount of disagreement between practitioners whose articles I read but much of it was in agreement with most Naturopaths and with Traditional Chinese Medicine--which I grew up hearing about all my life. In combination with what Dr. Kira has taught me over the years--and using my own instincts based on personal history-- I realized that I know exactly how to make a start on the long road to recovery.
- You are what you eat. - The first, most obvious and easily implemented change is the diet. I say "easily" but what I mean is, because I am so desperately lacking in energy and quality of life, it is relatively easy to make the necessary drastic changes. I read about all sorts of diets--gluten-free, gluten- and casein-free, raw, anti-inflammatory, paleolithic, macrobiotic, vegetarian, vegan, Mediterranean--even fruitarian!
Whenever possible, I will eat organic, free range, grass-fed, and spray-free foods--and will especially make every effort to never consume GMO foods. The way I eat will most closely resemble an anti-inflammatory diet and will focus on treating the liver and adrenal glands. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine and every Naturopath I've consulted, health problems stem from a poorly functioning liver. Luckily, what I need to do for my liver should improve my adrenal glands.
The adrenal glands benefit from regular meal times; I aim for 8 a.m, noon and 6 p.m. The liver enjoys simple meals of foods cooked plainly; a small amount of protein, a small amount of whole grains, and a generous amount of cooked vegetables, especially leafy ones. This involves a great deal of cooking from scratch and plenty of planning and prep; this will not be a change for me, I have almost always done so.
Proteins include lean chicken, turkey, and fish (tuna, sardines, white fish but, for me, no salmon--it caused my first allergic reaction in 2005). Carbs include whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal) and seeds which are commonly accepted as grains (quinoa and amaranth). Veggies comprise at least half of my diet. They include mostly leafy types (spinach, kale, chard, and my favourite, Chinese veggies--Chinese brocoli, bok choy, sui choy) and all are best served cooked.
Usually I heat up a pan hot enough to almost make oil smoke. Using a silicon brush, I spread a small amount of canola oil on the pan, sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt then add and quickly stir fry the vegetables. The small amount of hot oil does not add much fat, the stir frying carmelizes the vegetables, giving it flavour without adding other ingredients. Meanwhile I have a kettle of boiling water at the ready, then splash a little boiling water in the bottom of the pan, quickly put the lid on and steam the vegetables just until tender, retaining the flavour and nutrients.
In the future, I would prefer to grow as many of the greens as possible. This not only saves money and is more convenient, but it is nearly impossible to find my favourite vegetables grown organically--Chinese brocoli, bok choy, snow peas, sugar snaps, etc. Since I will fare better eating cooked rather than raw veggies, I will limit them to the summer months and even then, not as daily staple. Even cucumbers are considered a "cooling food" in Traditional Chinese Medicine, more terminology from my childhood. Every food is on a scale of "warming" and "cooling" foods; the ideal is to achieve a balance for optimal health.
We already decided we wanted to keep a few chickens next year, for eggs, even though I must limit the consumption of eggs; they are hard on the liver, especially hard cooked yolks. I told hubby I'd like to raise more chickens as well as turkeys as we used to do, for meat. Store bought free range chicken and turkey is delicious but I've never bought any that could compare to the ones we raised ourselves. We have even considered raising our own lamb as we have the space, but . . . baby steps! We have access to free range grass fed beef and my husband likes to hunt. I love moose but it's hard to get hunting tags for them these days though. Venison and grouse would be more readily accessible here.
- Caffeine - Even drinking one single cup daily of my precious coffee is like putting on boxing gloves and beating the daylights out of my adrenal glands. I knew this when I started adding coffee back into my life--oh, heavenly day! Had I understood just how terribly compromised my adrenal glands were, I doubt I would have done so. The good news is that when I had the flu at the beginning of the month, nothing tasted good, not even that first glorious sip of coffee. Three mornings in a row, I drank only one sip. I had a pounding caffeine withdrawal headache by then but I realized this would be the best time to give up caffeine and have been off it since. *sniff*
- Gluten - For now there is a tiny bit of gluten in my diet as my daily breakfast is organic whole rolled oats that I have to cook from scratch each morning. Once my current stock is depleted, I will buy gluten-free oatmeal, however, there will be some gluten in my diet in rarely consumed foods such as soy sauce. These days I hardly ever bake, I don't tend to buy baked goods, I don't crave bread very much--unless I bake it! Then I want to get the butter and homemade jam out! A good reason to not bake bread. ;-)
- Sugar - I know for a fact that sugar creates a craving cycle--the more you eat it, the more you want it--but isn't it delicious!? This was surprisingly easy for me to give up as I actually crave salt more than sugar--a typical symptom of adrenal fatigue. I say "avoid" rather than "eliminate" because I will eat my fresh home-grown fruit that is ripening--in reasonable quantities. When I first eliminated sugar I felt deprived so I made a little treat of Greek yogurt flavoured with honey. Since I have more or less eliminated yogurt, I have some fruit but with a few almonds; the protein regulates the sugar.
- Alcohol - Eliminating alcohol is not an issue for me. I love a drink now and then socially; the only time I ever "needed" a drink is when my mother or sister "drove" me to it. My mother has passed away and soon I will no longer have to deal with my sister (once our mother's house sells). Months can go by without thinking about a drink so, again, this is not a hardship for me.
- Dairy - Giving up dairy is also not a huge problem. Luckily, I do not nor have ever enjoyed drinking milk. I always said that I am not a calf! That said, I used to add it to my coffee, the occasion bowl of cereal and once in a while, in cooking or baking. I might miss cheese now and then, I do love yogurt, and then there's ice cream, mmm! Enjoying any of those foods are not worth my health. I always knew that dairy was mucus producing but I did not understand the connection between dairy products and asthma. I now have a strong incentive to eliminate it entirely. Whether it is an allergy to milk or whether dairy products produce mucus, if the lungs accumulate more mucus than can be expelled, the result is an asthma attack. Since I am adjusting to my new eating plan, I have fewer cravings for my yogurt and have probably already weaned myself of it.
- Nightshade vegetables - *sigh* This category of vegetables include tomatoes, potatoes, peppers (sweet and hot), and eggplant. I have never much cared for eggplant but I love, love, love tomatoes, potatoes and peppers, especially from my garden! This group of vegetables is known to cause inflammation in the body. This would aggravate my arthritis as well as my psoriasis. The food plan I am more or less following is an anti-inflammatory diet so it makes sense that these delicious favourites are on my "no" list. *big sigh*
- Water - Plenty of water flushes toxins from the body and keeps me hydrated. This is something I struggled with most of my life. I was chronically dehydrated until I began drinking plenty of water--with plenty of ice--back in 2007. Click here for the whole story of my chest pains. When I experience tightness in my chest now, I recognize that it is my body's signal that I am dehydrated, but this is rare now.
Upon rising, I drink a litre of water as I make my breakfast. By 3 p.m. I usually have had another three litres of water, then I slow down, drinking only as I feel thirsty. I drink before and after meals, rarely with a meal. The only change is that I now drink room temperature water--yes, I gave up my precious ice too. :-(
How's that for a tremendous start?
On Friday I had a telephone appointment with my Naturopath since it is a four-hour drive each way to her office. She has been treating me off and on since 2007, after my mystery rash triggered by food allergies began in June of 2006. She saved my life. I cannot say enough about her! She taught me that when a patient presents with environmental allergies, food allergies, asthma, ezcema, psoriasis, etc. the liver is unable to function normally in ridding the body of toxins. Her plan to restore the health of my liver is very similar to what I need to do to restore the health of my adrenal glands.
As to be expected, there was a certain amount of disagreement between practitioners whose articles I read but much of it was in agreement with most Naturopaths and with Traditional Chinese Medicine--which I grew up hearing about all my life. In combination with what Dr. Kira has taught me over the years--and using my own instincts based on personal history-- I realized that I know exactly how to make a start on the long road to recovery.
- You are what you eat. - The first, most obvious and easily implemented change is the diet. I say "easily" but what I mean is, because I am so desperately lacking in energy and quality of life, it is relatively easy to make the necessary drastic changes. I read about all sorts of diets--gluten-free, gluten- and casein-free, raw, anti-inflammatory, paleolithic, macrobiotic, vegetarian, vegan, Mediterranean--even fruitarian!
Whenever possible, I will eat organic, free range, grass-fed, and spray-free foods--and will especially make every effort to never consume GMO foods. The way I eat will most closely resemble an anti-inflammatory diet and will focus on treating the liver and adrenal glands. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine and every Naturopath I've consulted, health problems stem from a poorly functioning liver. Luckily, what I need to do for my liver should improve my adrenal glands.
The adrenal glands benefit from regular meal times; I aim for 8 a.m, noon and 6 p.m. The liver enjoys simple meals of foods cooked plainly; a small amount of protein, a small amount of whole grains, and a generous amount of cooked vegetables, especially leafy ones. This involves a great deal of cooking from scratch and plenty of planning and prep; this will not be a change for me, I have almost always done so.
Proteins include lean chicken, turkey, and fish (tuna, sardines, white fish but, for me, no salmon--it caused my first allergic reaction in 2005). Carbs include whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal) and seeds which are commonly accepted as grains (quinoa and amaranth). Veggies comprise at least half of my diet. They include mostly leafy types (spinach, kale, chard, and my favourite, Chinese veggies--Chinese brocoli, bok choy, sui choy) and all are best served cooked.
Usually I heat up a pan hot enough to almost make oil smoke. Using a silicon brush, I spread a small amount of canola oil on the pan, sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt then add and quickly stir fry the vegetables. The small amount of hot oil does not add much fat, the stir frying carmelizes the vegetables, giving it flavour without adding other ingredients. Meanwhile I have a kettle of boiling water at the ready, then splash a little boiling water in the bottom of the pan, quickly put the lid on and steam the vegetables just until tender, retaining the flavour and nutrients.
In the future, I would prefer to grow as many of the greens as possible. This not only saves money and is more convenient, but it is nearly impossible to find my favourite vegetables grown organically--Chinese brocoli, bok choy, snow peas, sugar snaps, etc. Since I will fare better eating cooked rather than raw veggies, I will limit them to the summer months and even then, not as daily staple. Even cucumbers are considered a "cooling food" in Traditional Chinese Medicine, more terminology from my childhood. Every food is on a scale of "warming" and "cooling" foods; the ideal is to achieve a balance for optimal health.
We already decided we wanted to keep a few chickens next year, for eggs, even though I must limit the consumption of eggs; they are hard on the liver, especially hard cooked yolks. I told hubby I'd like to raise more chickens as well as turkeys as we used to do, for meat. Store bought free range chicken and turkey is delicious but I've never bought any that could compare to the ones we raised ourselves. We have even considered raising our own lamb as we have the space, but . . . baby steps! We have access to free range grass fed beef and my husband likes to hunt. I love moose but it's hard to get hunting tags for them these days though. Venison and grouse would be more readily accessible here.
- Caffeine - Even drinking one single cup daily of my precious coffee is like putting on boxing gloves and beating the daylights out of my adrenal glands. I knew this when I started adding coffee back into my life--oh, heavenly day! Had I understood just how terribly compromised my adrenal glands were, I doubt I would have done so. The good news is that when I had the flu at the beginning of the month, nothing tasted good, not even that first glorious sip of coffee. Three mornings in a row, I drank only one sip. I had a pounding caffeine withdrawal headache by then but I realized this would be the best time to give up caffeine and have been off it since. *sniff*
- Gluten - For now there is a tiny bit of gluten in my diet as my daily breakfast is organic whole rolled oats that I have to cook from scratch each morning. Once my current stock is depleted, I will buy gluten-free oatmeal, however, there will be some gluten in my diet in rarely consumed foods such as soy sauce. These days I hardly ever bake, I don't tend to buy baked goods, I don't crave bread very much--unless I bake it! Then I want to get the butter and homemade jam out! A good reason to not bake bread. ;-)
- Sugar - I know for a fact that sugar creates a craving cycle--the more you eat it, the more you want it--but isn't it delicious!? This was surprisingly easy for me to give up as I actually crave salt more than sugar--a typical symptom of adrenal fatigue. I say "avoid" rather than "eliminate" because I will eat my fresh home-grown fruit that is ripening--in reasonable quantities. When I first eliminated sugar I felt deprived so I made a little treat of Greek yogurt flavoured with honey. Since I have more or less eliminated yogurt, I have some fruit but with a few almonds; the protein regulates the sugar.
- Alcohol - Eliminating alcohol is not an issue for me. I love a drink now and then socially; the only time I ever "needed" a drink is when my mother or sister "drove" me to it. My mother has passed away and soon I will no longer have to deal with my sister (once our mother's house sells). Months can go by without thinking about a drink so, again, this is not a hardship for me.
- Dairy - Giving up dairy is also not a huge problem. Luckily, I do not nor have ever enjoyed drinking milk. I always said that I am not a calf! That said, I used to add it to my coffee, the occasion bowl of cereal and once in a while, in cooking or baking. I might miss cheese now and then, I do love yogurt, and then there's ice cream, mmm! Enjoying any of those foods are not worth my health. I always knew that dairy was mucus producing but I did not understand the connection between dairy products and asthma. I now have a strong incentive to eliminate it entirely. Whether it is an allergy to milk or whether dairy products produce mucus, if the lungs accumulate more mucus than can be expelled, the result is an asthma attack. Since I am adjusting to my new eating plan, I have fewer cravings for my yogurt and have probably already weaned myself of it.
- Nightshade vegetables - *sigh* This category of vegetables include tomatoes, potatoes, peppers (sweet and hot), and eggplant. I have never much cared for eggplant but I love, love, love tomatoes, potatoes and peppers, especially from my garden! This group of vegetables is known to cause inflammation in the body. This would aggravate my arthritis as well as my psoriasis. The food plan I am more or less following is an anti-inflammatory diet so it makes sense that these delicious favourites are on my "no" list. *big sigh*
- Water - Plenty of water flushes toxins from the body and keeps me hydrated. This is something I struggled with most of my life. I was chronically dehydrated until I began drinking plenty of water--with plenty of ice--back in 2007. Click here for the whole story of my chest pains. When I experience tightness in my chest now, I recognize that it is my body's signal that I am dehydrated, but this is rare now.
Upon rising, I drink a litre of water as I make my breakfast. By 3 p.m. I usually have had another three litres of water, then I slow down, drinking only as I feel thirsty. I drink before and after meals, rarely with a meal. The only change is that I now drink room temperature water--yes, I gave up my precious ice too. :-(
How's that for a tremendous start?