Day 2, and Why I Do Paleo

In conversations with friends, there have been lots of questions about the specifics of this fast. What does “paleo” really mean (other than eating a bunch of meat like a caveman) and why subject myself to something so restrictive? And why only liquids on Wednesdays?

So let me try to explain some of that here.

I’m not going to go into how the paleo diet helps to heal/manage autoimmune disease. There’s a lot of resources out there that explain it well. In my opinion, one of the best available is The Paleo Approach by Sarah Ballantyne. Here’s a link to the kindle edition where you can “try a sample” and see what I’m talking about. http://www.amazon.com/The-Paleo-Approach-Reverse-Autoimmune-ebook/dp/B00I44JHTE

From my own experience and working with an integrative doctor on my healing process, I know that my body has a hard time processing toxins. I know that the proteins in wheat and dairy can cross react with the molecular structure (or whatever) of my own cells and confuse my overzealous immune system. I know that my body is sensitive to fluctuations in blood sugar, and this is exacerbated when I consume caffeine. And even though I rarely experience digestive discomfort, I know the root of my most serious health concerns lies in what’s happening in my belly.

Paleo helps alleviate these issues. Consuming only liquids during the day on Wednesdays will give my digestive system even more of a break so healing can take place more quickly. But this part has spiritual implications as well. The idea is that in denying physical desires, and focusing on things of the spirit, one can weaken the flesh (sinful nature) and strengthen the spirit. I believe this concept can easily be taken too far, and I don’t believe that fasting brings anyone closer to God. But I think it’s a helpful tool to use as I work on growing more mature in my faith.

I don’t intend to get too deep into the prayer part on this blog, but I can tell you, on day 2 of this fast, God is already making moves on my heart. He’s digging into my perceptions of my role as a mom, and drawing some pretty interesting correlations between my relationship with my daughter and His relationship with me. Heavy stuff, but so, so good.

I also do not intend to post every morsel of food that I put in my mouth (as I have in the past). It’s time consuming and unnecessary. But I do want to show a realistic view of how to execute a healing diet, and keep myself accountable, so I’ll post as many of those meals as I can. I’m making very little effort on presentation these days, so the food may not be pretty, but it’ll be paleo.

For example, breakfast… 2 eggs fried in uncured bacon grease over raw, fermented sauerkraut, with bananas and a chai latte (with almond milk). Nothing fancy there. But it’s quick, and it works.

This soup, however, is pretty impressive. It doesn’t look like much. But it’s freakin’ delicious. And gets even better over time as it sits in the fridge- kinda like chili. It’s a Thai-ish chicken noodle soup.

Sauté onions, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil at the bottom of a soup pot. Pour in some coconut aminos (paleo version of soy sauce) and fish sauce (Red Boat brand is good). Then add chicken stock, carrots, celery, and chicken. After a while, add coconut milk and tons of fresh herbs- whatever you’ve got. I used cilantro, thyme, basil, oregano, and rosemary. When you’ve got about 20 minutes left of cooking time, add a bag of kelp noodles. They’re super nutritious and are a perfect grain free noodle option in any Asian-inspired dish. In the last 5 min, add lime juice, zest, and my secret, unnecessary, but super delicious ingredient- a drop or 2 of lemongrass essential oil (therapeutic grade, like Young Living). While I’m sure any medicinal qualities of the oil were probably cooked out, it really gave the soup a fresh, unique flavor.

I only ate 2 official meals today, but probably consumed about 700 calories in Justin’s Maple Almond Butter. By the spoonful. Right out of the jar. That stuff is ridiculous.

Hello, again.

It’s been nearly a week since my last post. And that’s after posting daily for almost 5 months. I apologize for dropping off the face of the blog-earth. Here’s what’s been going on.

My father suffered a stroke on Sunday. He’s improving, but has been in ICU all week.

I met with my integrative doc on Monday to discuss tapering off of prednisone. He said now is not the time, being in the midst of a stressful family situation. He said to call him when things settle down and I could start tapering by 2mg per week.

Then yesterday (Thursday) I started feeling like my throat was closing up on me. Got really hard to swallow anything and I had a fever (103) during the night. Saw my family doc this morning, who gave me a steroid injection and told me to double up on my prednisone dosage for the next week. I’m also taking a liquid antibiotic. I have to go back in to see him tomorrow if the fever doesn’t go away. At this point, just trying to stay out of the ER. We can NOT afford that.

In the past week, aside from a small scoop of hospital potato salad (which I don’t know what was in it), I’ve stuck to my eating plan, thanks to family and friends who know what I’m supposed to eat and have helped provide me with that.

Quick photo of something my good friend (a trained chef who develops recipes for magazines!) whipped up from random ingredients in my kitchen. Gluten free noodles, über delicious sauce, and a bit of goat cheese on top.

Now, though, I’m basically on organic chicken broth and hot tea with honey. It takes all day to drink 8 ounces because it’s so painful and causes me to choke. And until this passes, I won’t be able to be there for my mom and dad while he’s in the hospital.

I’m so disappointed and confused at this turn of events. I really thought I was turning a corner on this disease and was going to start tapering off this horrid medication. For some reason, God had other plans. And instead I’m doubling the medication on top of a high dose injection.

Last Sunday morning, my family went to church together, and it was a healing service. We went up to the altar and prayed- mostly for me and my mom (she has had some serious health issues recently). I felt like God told me I was healed. Then Sunday afternoon, my dad goes to the ER for an infection in his leg, and ends up having a brain bleed while he’s there (thank God that he was able to get immediate treatment!) And now I’m not too far off where I was when I had to be hospitalized back in January. So, I’m confused. Is this a test? I want to trust God. I do trust God. And I know that His timing is perfect and I am not to rely on my own understanding. And for whatever reason, all that has happened to us this week is for good. I do trust that. I just don’t know what to do to get through it. My faith feels a little shaky for the first time since all this started 6 months ago. I’m finding that I don’t know how to pray through this. I know God knows what I need, what my family needs. I always ask for His comfort and guidance. I guess now I just settle in, keep praying, keep listening for his guidance, and try to be obedient.

Sunday

Physically, feeling about the same as yesterday. Emotionally, feeling much better. Amazing service at church today. Feel recharged and ready to keep fighting.

Also came across this statement in my devotional from Joyce Meyer: “It has been said that fear is the opposite of faith, and that is true. We can’t live in faith and fear at the same time. Fear paralyzes us and keeps us from receiving God’s promises. It keeps us from stepping out and obeying what God has called us to do.”

I’ve definitely been dealing with a little bit of fear lately. Fear that this is as well as I’m ever going to get. Fear that I’ll never be able to contribute financially again. Fear that if I push myself too hard, I’ll end up back in the hospital. I’m afraid to make commitments because of the fear of getting sick and not being able to keep them. But each of these fears is completely irrelevant in God’s bigger plan for my life. They just don’t matter. And allowing myself to focus on them just holds me back.

Breakfast was homemade granola (gluten free oats, walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, coconut oil, honey, and maple syrup) and blueberries with almond milk. And a green juice (kale, celery, fennel, apple, cucumbers).

Lunch was leftover chicken soup (the last of it 😦 ) and more of the same green juice.

Dinner was tuna salad. Canned, chunk light tuna (lower mercury than albacore) with raw sauerkraut, soy-free vegenaise, and organic Dijon mustard. I desperately wanted to put this on a big bed of leafy greens, but knew I wouldn’t be able to eat them. Need a few more days of healing for my tongue to tackle raw leaves.

My version of a milkshake. This juice tastes incredibly sweet to me, so it’s a perfect dessert/sweet treat. I should try blending it with frozen strawberries! That would be sooo good! It’s 3 beets, one HUGE carrot, a sweet potato, and a big chunk of ginger. Adding an apple would’ve made it even sweeter, but it didn’t need it.

I’ve been struggling to get in my samento and banderol treatments. They’re the herbal tinctures I take to treat Lyme. They have to be taken on an empty stomach, at least 15 minutes apart from each other, and at least 15 minutes before eating a meal. This is easy to do in the morning, but I’m supposed to do it twice a day, and I forget to time it correctly. I’ve usually just eaten or am sitting down to eat when I think of it. I’ve also been trying to take L-glutamine to heal my leaky gut, but it also has to be taken on an empty stomach. I know it’s possible to get all these supplements in during the day, I just need a better system for taking them correctly. I did get in 2 servings of L-glutamine today. Mixed it in pomegranate juice. That’s motivation to remember to take it- it’s the only way I’d allow myself such a sweet, processed juice.

Took my end-of-day probiotics with a few watermelon slices. I’m currently taking 3 high potency probiotic capsules and 3 probiotic HSO (homeostatic soil organisms) tablets. Since I’m still taking nystatin and other herbal antifungals (grapeseed extract, oregano oil) during the day (even though it doesn’t appear to be working) I can only take the probiotics before bed. The antifungals would kill off the probiotics before they got a chance to colonize.

Saturday

So, I guess this qualifies as a set back. Not feeling well again today. Exhausted and not thinking straight. Lip is swollen around a lesion, tongue doesn’t seem any worse, but its definitely swollen, and there is clearly thrush lining up behind that lesion. My cheek isn’t swollen anymore, but the offending area inside my mouth is still sensitive and sticks out a bit, so it’s difficult to avoid biting it when I eat. I’m tired, and emotional, and frustrated. I thought I was mentally prepared if I got sick again. And I’m not THAT sick. It’s just disappointing to have a setback.

I couldn’t think straight to put a proper breakfast together, so I just had gf cinnamon raisin toast with organic butter and a cup of warm almond milk with stevia a pie spices. Took me a long time to eat it, but I did finish it all.

Was super excited to juice these golden beets I got during my last trip to Whole Foods. Never had golden beets before.

Juiced them with the greens, so the color’s not real pretty.

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And… it made me throw up. Several minutes after I drank the juice, I got nauseas and vomited every bit of what I drank. Not sure if my body’s just way out of whack today, if there was something wrong with the beets and my body was doing a good job of protecting me from it, or if I just will never be able to eat golden beets. I drank part of a club soda and some peppermint tea (from the garden) and was feeling significantly better within an hour or so.

Ate leftover cabbage and marinara with daiya cheese for lunch. It was good, but hard to eat, so I only ate about half before giving up.

I also ate another piece of raw vegan cheesecake with strawberries.

My doctor asked about sugar cravings at my last visit. I never thought of that as a symptom of anything being wrong, I just figured I’ve always had a sweet tooth, and that’s just something I’ll always want. But I think he saw it as a sign that I still had a lot of fungus in my system. I don’t know, but I’ve definitely been craving it these last few days. And it’s almost like an addiction-craving.

My cheesecake satisfied the craving, but I’m wondering if the agave in it is actually feeding the candida in my system and if I should not be eating it.

Obviously needing some encouragement today, and my daily devotional delivered. From Joyce Meyer, titled Let the Storm Subside.

“I have faced so many storms in my life, some like the quick afternoon storms that are common in the summertime and some that seemed like category four hurricanes!

If I have learned anything about weathering those storms, it has been that they don’t last forever, and I don’t need to make major decisions in the midst of them.

Thoughts and feelings run wild in the midst of crises, but those are exactly the times we need to be careful about making decisions. I often say to myself, “Let emotions subside before you decide.”

We must remain calm and discipline ourselves to focus on doing what we can do and trust God to do what we can’t do.
Instead of drowning in worry and fear, get in touch with God, who sees past the storm and orchestrates the big picture.

He makes sure everything that needs to happen in our lives happens at the right time, moves at the appropriate speed, and causes us to arrive safely at the destinations He has planned for us.

Prayer Starter: God, I know that I can’t control everything, so I will do what I can and trust You to do what I can’t do. The storms of life do not control me. I trust Your plans for me.”

Just what I needed to hear.

I ended up taking a pain pill tonight (hydrocodone/acetaminophen). Hated to take it since I’m generally trying to get OFF prescription meds, but it works VERY well and really helped me get through dinner, and my daughter’s bedtime routine.

Dinner was leftovers. Stuffed cabbage and steamed broccoli. I split the broccoli with baby girl, and only ate one of the cabbage rolls, but I was able to take all my supplements and meds.

Praying for a healing night’s rest and progress in the right direction when I wake up. Regardless, it will be the “right” direction, because it’s in God’s hands and I’ve done all I know to do at this point.

Saturday

GF cinnamon raisin toast with organic butter, grapes, and chamomile tea.

Well, this isn’t a devotional, but I’m categorizing it as such because this song has given me so much encouragement in the past, particularly in the past four months. So I just thought I’d share.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=WFY2Hdh7cvA&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWFY2Hdh7cvA

Lunch was refried beans on a corn tortilla with tomatoes, avocado, and culantro. Apparently, cilantro has chelating properties (helps rid your body of toxic heavy metals) so I’m wondering if culantro does the same thing. They taste so similar.

Red beet elixir. So sweet and yummy.

I’m going to attempt raw cheesecake in the near future. These are my crusts. Brazil nuts, medjool dates, coconut oil, pie spices, pinch of salt. All blended up in the food processor and pressed into these mini springform pans. I’m pretty sure this would be indistinguishable from your typical graham cracker crust. It’s even better because it won’t get soggy when you add moist ingredients.

And the alkalizing green juice of the day. Gotta have at least one!

Snacks…

And dinner.

Sunday’s Breakfast

Woke up not feeling great. Tongue feels too big for my mouth and thrush seems to be coming back. Several lesions starting and I feel slightly congested. I don’t feel THAT bad, and will probably function as normal today, but all these things make me worry for where I may be headed in the next few days, and I had lots of plans this week.

My morning devotional (through Joyce Meyer) was very helpful in adjusting my attitude. So I want to share it.

“Through Christ Who Strengthens You

Philippians 4:13 is a very popular scripture that is often quoted out of context. It says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That doesn’t mean you can just do anything you decide to do because you want to do it. Paul was talking specifically about how he was able, through the power of Christ, to be content no matter what his circumstances were.

I do believe that, by God’s grace, we can do whatever we need to do in life. I think that’s a mindset we need to have. There’s nothing that’s too much for you if you’re trusting God. You can handle whatever comes your way because God promises that He’ll never put more on us than we can bear and deal with.

So keep a positive attitude no matter where you are right now, no matter what’s going on in your life. Cheer up, God is on your side. Stop being upset about things you can’t do anything about.

God wants you to know that He has an individual plan for your life, and He wants you to accept His unique plan for you and not compare your plan with anybody else’s. You have to trust God knows more about what you need and what you can handle than you do. After all, He knows you better than you know yourself!

Prayer Starter: Lord, like Paul, I want my contentment to come from You, not my circumstances. Show me every day that Your plan for me is perfect and that I don’t need to worry.”

That’s it. Good stuff. I feel like I’m ready to tackle the day, now. Gonna try to clear my sinuses with the neti pot, do some dry brushing, take a shower, and break out the Nystatin. Then fuel myself with a good breakfast.

Gluten free muesli with unsweetened almond milk. Was pretty painful, but I ate every last bite.