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.

A Challenging Flare

Part of me hoped weaning off prednisone would lead to a newly balanced system that minimized my flares. Not so fast. Getting off prednisone was a huge accomplishment, but I’ve still got a mountain of healing to do before I’ll experience remission.

The small oral lesions that I mentioned in my last post turned out to be a bigger problem than I originally anticipated. Located on the bottom of my tongue (one on each side) they developed into nickel/quarter sized lesions, along with a few smaller ones scattered throughout my mouth and a mess of thrush on top of my tongue. By Thursday evening, I could no longer eat solid foods. By Friday, even pudding was impossible to eat. Because my tongue is so swollen, I can’t chew food without biting into my tongue. And because it takes up so much room in my mouth (and hurts) it’s not functioning the way it should in terms of helping to move food to the back of my mouth and helping me swallow. So everything needs to be puréed smoothly, and then thinned out with enough liquid so that it flushes easily to the back of my throat and can be swallowed. Add to all of this the attempt to stay AIP compliant (which, obviously becomes a secondary concern at this point) and the fact that I haven’t been to the grocery store in a while and do not have the energy to go now, and daily nourishment becomes a pretty ginormous challenge.

It’s been 5 days since it got too bad to eat. I’ve lost some weight (down to 115, at 5′ 7″, wayyyy too skinny for me). But I can tell things are healing and it won’t be long before I’ll be able to eat normally again. In the meantime, this is what I’ve been surviving on:

Puréed soup. It doesn’t look like much, but was really delicious (and super nutritious) for me, considering my condition. It had rich bone broth (which I’ve been drinking constantly on it own as well, every day) carrots, onions, celery, garlic, ginger, and rosemary. All blended up and then thinned out with more bone broth until it was a consistency I could handle. I drank the whole bowl and most of the big mug pictured. Even drinking is a messy, painful, and time consuming venture, but I know I got a lot of nutrition out of this one. Plus, my sickness has no impact on my hunger. I’m starving, and I can feel it. It’s just a matter of getting nourishment past the “zombie tongue”.

This was a puréed can of “lite” pears. So it does contain some sugar, as in the processed white stuff they use in conventional canning. This was a can leftover from back before I was as conscious about it as I am now, but since we were out of applesauce, I was glad to have it. It also expired yesterday, so it needed to be eaten or thrown out. (When a canned good expires, you know it’s probably time to go. It was likely purchased in, say, 2009?) Anyway, I blended it up, juices and all, and sprinkled on some cinnamon. Really yummy.

As things are healing, I’m able to tolerate slightly denser food. This is a very ripe banana mixed with a tablespoon of coconut butter for extra fat. It was really delicious, but really painful to eat.

And this morning I was able to eat guacamole quite easily. I got some fresh parsley from the garden, and zested in some lime (no juice, as that would be EXTREMELY painful- I’d probably pass out!) and thinned it out with some coconut kefir.

I’m excited that I’ll probably be able to eat some thicker consistencies today. Definitely going to do some smoothies and puddings. And I think I’ll be eating solids by tomorrow. Yay!

The other thing that has been really hard about this particular flare is that it has made talking extremely difficult and painful. My 3-year-old is a big talker and has lots of questions, which I have not been able to respond to for days. If she needs discipline, I cannot discipline her. Giving her direction involves snapping my fingers, pointing, and hoping she figures out what I’m telling her to do. Thank goodness I’ve had LOADS of support from my husband and mother-in-law this week, and they have taken care of all her needs, leaving me free to rest and heal and figure out what to feed myself. I’m very grateful. Without their help, I would not be healing as quickly as I am.

I should be back to normal in a few days, but I thought it was important to document some of what I’m going through right now. I’m hopeful for the day this kind of thing will be far in my past. But for now, this is my life. And it’s just something I have to go through. I’m ok with that.

Taking on Full Autoimmune Paleo Protocol and dealing with a possible Herxheimer reaction

Feeling pretty good on this fourth day without prednisone. I have a few lesions, nothing major. But I do have quite a bit of thrush, which is odd. It’s nearly covering my entire tongue. This usually doesn’t happen unless I’m having a bad flare. The thrush on its own isn’t painful, just annoying. And I’m thinking it may be a reaction to detox, since I’ve been really strict on AIP the last few days. The last time I experienced thrush like this (without a bad flare) was when I did a 3 day juice cleanse. “Fuzzy tongue” is a pretty common side effect of detoxing. I think it has something to do with toxins released as bad bacteria and yeasts in the body die off. I’m surprised that this would happen to me, since AIP isn’t a huge jump from what I was already eating. But I guess it’s possible that nuts, seeds, eggs, and nightshades really were wrecking havoc in my system. I hope that’s the case, because it would mean I’ve found another big piece of the puzzle. Nuts, seeds, and eggs were also the mediums through which I ingested quite a bit of sugar (dates/honey) in the form of grain-free baked goods and (my favorite treat ever) date/nut “cookie dough” balls. Those changes may be starving the baddies in my gut of the sugar they thrive on. That would elicit some die-off, and might help explain the thrush.

I’ve gone full-AIP now. So in addition to the typical Paleo restrictions (no grains, legumes, or dairy) I’ve also eliminated nuts, seeds, eggs, and nightshades (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers). So what I DO eat is lots of fruit and vegetables, grass-fed beef, organic chicken (I don’t have access to pastured chicken right now), humanely raised pork, all with no nitrates/nitrites or preservatives, and now I CAN’T eat any pre-seasoned sausages, hot dogs, jerky, or deli meats since they almost always use spices derived from nightshades (like paprika). I am also eating lots of fish. I found some great BPA free and wild caught canned tuna and salmon. Plus, to avoid losing weight on this diet, I’m including lots of healthy fats: extra virgin coconut oil, ghee, extra virgin olive oil (not for cooking, though- olive oil deteriorates quickly at high temps and becomes inflammatory and toxic). I’m hoping to work in some healthy animal fats from good sources (like lard) for cooking, but I haven’t tracked down those sources yet. And I’m not about to use conventional lard from the grocery store. Yuk!

PUMPKIN SOUP with COCONUT SOUR CREAM
I blended a can of organic, BPA free pumpkin purée with some homemade bone broth (chicken stock) and a clove of garlic, in the vita-mix for about 7 minutes until it got hot. Super easy. The coconut sour cream is actually homemade coconut yogurt, but the taste works perfectly for this. I mixed the coconut cream from 3 refrigerated cans of organic coconut milk with a powdered kefir starter and left it in my oven with the light on for 24 hours. The oven is off during this process, but the light creates enough heat to facilitate the culturing activity of the probiotics. Once it’s refrigerated again, it’s thick, creamy, and tangy, and LOADED with probiotics. Blended with something sweet, it tastes like yogurt. On something savory, it tastes like sour cream. Either way, it’s delicious.

That same coconut sour cream/yogurt worked beautifully in this tuna salad. I also mixed in some raw sauerkraut, making this dish a probiotic powerhouse. I would’ve loved to add some olives, but my daughter has decided that she doesn’t like them and we were sharing.

These are allergy-free breakfast cookies from the Against All Grain cookbook. Bananas, applesauce, dates, coconut flour, plus dried fruits and spices. Good stuff.

Applegate beef slices wrapped around my homemade fermented carrot sticks. Yum! And more probiotics! Now that I’m thinking about all the probiotics I’ve been eating, that could be another explanation for the Herxheimer (die-off) symptoms. Hopefully the good guys are crowding out the bad guys in my belly.

Smoothie time! A banana, coconut milk (leftover from all that coconut cream), frozen blueberries, and 2 huge handfuls of spinach. Alongside some Applegate turkey slices, it makes for a satisfying AIP breakfast.

The turkey slices do contain carrageenan, which weirds me out. But it’s certainly healthier than most other super-convenient protein options, and it doesn’t contain any nightshade spices, so I’m not going to worry about it for now.

Entertaining (mostly) Grain Free

Had a wonderful time catching up with our old friends (and watching our toddlers get to know each other- so cute!) We ate every meal here at the house during their visit, and the only time I spent in the kitchen (about 20 minutes) involved making this AMAZING grain free bread. (Click here for the recipe from Against All Grain). I misread the recipe and used tablespoons instead of teaspoons for the vinegar. I actually think it turned out even better. Gave it almost a sourdough flavor. We (four adults and two toddlers) ate the entire loaf in one sitting. I served it smothered in grass-fed butter alongside a roasted beet salad with citrus vinaigrette and organic chicken soup- all of which had been made ahead of time and just had to be warmed up and plated. I had a frosty glass of pomegranate kombucha with mine.

Our friends supplied the steaks for dinner, which the boys grilled while I warmed up the pre-baked sweet potatoes and sautéed the sprouts mixture I’d put together ahead of time. Dinner was on the table in 15 minutes. I love being prepared.

Dessert was not grain free. I made and froze this dish before I made the switch. Though I’m pretty sure it would be easily converted to grain free. I’ll have to try it soon. Anyway, it was a pear/peach cobbler made with brown rice flour (so it IS gluten free at least) and sweetened with honey. I adjusted my Granny’s old peach cobbler recipe to eliminate the refined sugars and wheat flour. Topped it off with coconut whip cream (the delicious white stuff from the top of a refrigerated can of coconut milk, then mixed with vanilla extract and agave). Mmmmmmm. So good.

Friday

Scrambled eggs with spinach, goat cheese, and avocado.

Smoothie time! Waited too long to post and now I don’t remember what I put in it. I think bananas, cherries, carob, maca, and dates.

Alkalizing greens: kale, cucumber, yellow pepper, apples.

Leftover moqueca (Brazilian fish stew).

Spinach, cranberries, and goat cheese in orange vinaigrette.

Carrot-beet juice. Nice nutrient boost before bed. TMI side note- I no longer experience beeturia (red/pink urine and/or poo after consuming beets). I’d read somewhere that beeturia was a sign of weak digestion, but figured that might be bogus since pretty much everyone gets it when they eat beets or drink beet juice. Yet, I’ve noticed in the last couple of weeks that beets no longer have that effect. I’d love to think this means I’ve made improvements in my digestive system. I’ll take it as a sign I’m moving in the right direction. Not much matters if I keep flaring and I I can’t get off prednisone, but I’ll take a small win where I can get it. (And I’m not currently flaring, so… Yay- Big Win!)

Monday

Feelin’ good! I’m on a roll! 🙂

My poor husband is sick again, though. And I’m out of most of my good essential oils to try to treat him naturally, so off to the doctor we go for x-rays and antibiotics. (He’s pretty much banned me from putting peppermint oil on him anyway- apparently I overdid it last time and he’s traumatized.)

Here’s breakfast. Leftovers from yesterday’s cookout.

Lunch was leftover blanched collard wraps with kale salad and sunflower pâté inside.

Snacked on dark chocolate and drank goat’s milk (pasteurized) for the first time today. I’m still searching for a good source of the raw stuff, but figured I’d try this first. Also snacked on leftover raw vegan cookies from yesterday.

Made this super healing soup for the hubs. Organic whole chicken, garlic, ginger, carrots, onions, celery, turnip root, Himalayan salt, pepper, herbs from the garden, splash of red wine vinegar and filtered water to cover everything. Cooked it on the stovetop until the chicken starts to fall apart. I hate dealing with chicken bones, but they’re a really important part of what makes this soup so healing. The vinegar helps extract minerals from the bones, fortifying the soup. Once it cools, the more gelatinous, the better.

I did have some fluctuations in energy today. Got really worn out between doctor/x-rays/bloodwork trips. But it didn’t take long to recharge after getting home and eating some good, nutritious food. Husband seems to be feeling better, too. And we get an impromptu date night at the house tonight (thanks, Mom and Dad!) Much needed.

Thursday

Woke up with a pretty swollen lip and tongue. We’re having tropical storm weather. Totally matches my mood and general health today: dreary.

Buckwheat cinnamon rolls for breakfast. With sweet potato “cream cheese” frosting. And a mug of ginger tea. That cheers me up a bit.

Lunch was leftover and frozen baked spaghetti (gluten free-of course) with grassfed meat sauce.

Juiced 2 of those ginormous carrots from the farmer’s market, and a chunk of ginger.

Snacked on watermelon.

And an alkalizing green juice. Kale, fennel (has natural TNF inhibitors), cucumbers, an apple, and I squeezed in lemon juice at the end. Yum!

Sent the husband to the grocery store for a whole organic chicken because I was craving comfort food. Perfect chicken soup. So healing when you add a little vinegar to the water- helps extract minerals from the bones and makes the soup much more nutritious than a soup made with store bought broth. Plus the combination of carrots, onions, garlic, celery, and fresh herbs from the garden. And Himalayan sea salt and pepper. So simple. So delicious.

So, this is the first significant flare I’ve had since starting the elimination diet. I’ve had lesions, but no fatigue. The fatigue set in yesterday afternoon, and it’s still here. I napped for over an hour this morning in my daughter’s bed while she played around me. And I fell asleep again during her actual nap time. This is after a good 8-9 hours of sleep last night. I haven’t had any major achy-ness with this one. The lesions aren’t even that bad. The one on my lip is swollen and ugly, but it doesn’t interfere much with eating, so it’s not a big deal. The one on my tongue is more of a problem, but as long as I eat on the other side of my mouth, I’m good. I do have a few “sore spots” that are uncomfortable while eating, but don’t seem like true lesions. All-in-all, the fatigue is the most debilitating with this one.

I’m really starting to think my flares may be linked to hormonal changes in my body. It would make sense, since the disease manifested its first symptoms when I was pregnant. I also think the worst flares are sometimes linked to my “cycle” if ya know what I mean. Though that is hard to track since I have an IUD and don’t have a normal period. Also, I used to have horrible night sweats regularly, but haven’t had them at all for a while. Just had my first one (though really minor- didn’t even have to change my clothes) the night before last.

I was doing so well with the elimination diet (no gluten, no soy, no eggs, no dairy, no corn) until now. I did eat crackers with dairy (butter flavor or fat or something) in them a few days ago. Not sure if that triggered the immune response, or if my body’s been fighting off this pathogen that got my family sick last week, and just finally got confused (or worn out) and started attacking my healthy “self” cells. Or if I made a mistake somewhere in my diet that triggered this inflammation.

Either way, just gotta push through and keep building a stronger foundation for good health.

Friday

Waffles and apples for breakfast. Actually made the recipe correctly this time. Topped it with ghee and honey.

Lunch was an open faced black bean burger with tomato and sprouts, roasted beets, and fermented carrots and cauliflower. Second successful ferment. Woo-hoo! Made four jars of this stuff. When I get the dysbiosis in my gut under control, eating these on a regular basis should help maintain all the work I’ve done. They’re loaded with natural probiotics.

Had two spoonfuls of cashew butter and honey before working out. And had a glass of L-glutamine and a teaspoon of coconut sugar in water post-workout. Did P90X Legs and Back, and Ab Ripper. Felt good. Will probably be sore in the next couple of days.

Pumpkin smoothie snack time! Just canned pumpkin, frozen bananas, 5 prunes, vanilla, and pie spice.

And leftover fish soup for dinner. Topped with smashed avocado. Perfect.

Still have some odd lesion-action going on my lower lip, but it’s minor. And I’m doing great otherwise. Still seem to have avoided the plague that hit my daughter and gave my husband pneumonia. Not sure if I’m in the clear yet, but so far so good.

Thursday

Woke up with a slightly swollen lip this morning. Not sure if its a reaction to the tiny bit of dairy I had yesterday or something else. I’d had a few very small lesions already, and the swelling is because one of them got worse overnight. All the other lesions (5 of them) are still barely noticeable.

Another weird symptom I noticed this morning is a rash around several mosquito bites on my legs. One of the rashes is pretty big, but none of them hurt or itch at all. Usually, when a bite or injury (any kind of “trauma” that triggers the immune system) is turning into a skin lesion, there’s a lot of itching, and it eventually forms a white crater at the site of the bite, which takes a long time (several months) to heal and always leaves a scar. It doesn’t seem like that is what’s happening here, but I feel like my immune system is still doing something wonky with these bites.

On to today’s food… Breakfast was a homemade granola recipe from the Immune System Recovery Plan’s chapter on Healing the Gut. GF oats, shredded unsweetened coconut, Brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, honey, coconut nectar, coconut oil, maple syrup, raisins, banana chips, and lots of cinnamon and ginger. This was so easy to make. I’ll definitely try to keep this jar filled with homemade granola at all times. Should last a while, and will be such a quick, easy breakfast on busy days. Can’t wait to make coconut kefir to go with it.

Lunch was leftover gf spaghetti with pastured meat sauce. And topped with daiya cheese.

Dinner is a Brazilian fish stew called Moqueca. Could also be called coconut-lime fish soup. Here’s a link to the recipe I looked at, but didn’t exactly follow. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/moqueca_-_brazilian_fish_stew/

I used culantro instead of cilantro, and added red potatoes and a cup of rice, among other things. It ended up being a coconutty cross between chowder and Puerto Rican asopao. Delicious.

Side note about the fish I used, Swai. It’s a type of catfish, which doesn’t have scales. I’m noting this, because I’ve been reading The Maker’s Diet, which mostly suggests what I’m doing already. But one of the distinctions of this diet is that it restricts foods considered biblically unclean. The idea is that our Maker knows how our bodies are meant to function and has given us clear direction on how to stay healthy. Among the foods that are restricted: pork, shellfish, fish without scales (such as my swai). These animals apparently eat indiscriminately, and are sort of the cleaner-uppers of nature, so their flesh is “unclean” and not fit for human consumption.

The swai had been in our freezer for months. I’d purchased it a while back, long before reading the Maker’s Diet. I also have some shrimp in my freezer that I may or may not eat eventually. But moving forward, I’m going to try not to purchase “unclean” foods. I need all the help I can get to get well, and who better to rely on than the Great Physician?

Served it with a spinach and fennel salad with roasted beets and orange vinaigrette.

I’ve been reading that fennel contains a compound that acts as a TNF (tumor necrosis factor) inhibitor. Not really sure what that is, but I know it’s common for Behcet’s patients to be prescribed TNF blocker medications. So I figure it can’t hurt to get more fennel in my diet. I put this one through my spiralizer to get that thin, circular cut.

Tuesday

Tried to make a double batch of waffles this morning, but apparently brain wasn’t completely functioning- I doubled all the ingredients except the almond milk, and didn’t notice until after I’d already scooped the extremely thick batter into the waffle maker. Soooo, it only made one batch. But, amazingly, they were still very tasty. Not sure how that worked out.

Picnic in the park for lunch. Sandwiches (black bean hummus, roasted red peppers, spinach, sauerkraut), grapes, watermelon slices, and sweets/beets chips. And iced mullein tea.

Dinner was leftover chicken soup. Still so delicious.

Early in the afternoon, I was feeling pretty tired. Actually fell asleep in the car on the way to the park (I wasn’t driving!) I’ve got several teensy tiny lesions cropping up, and I was feeling a twinge at the back of my throat and some slight congestion, signaling that I’ve probably caught what’s been plaguing my daughter and husband all weekend.

So I bumped up my fluid intake to try to flush things out, took an Epsom salt bath, put a few drops of therapeutic grade frankincense oil under my tongue, sprayed an air freshener/disinfectant made with thieves oil throughout the house (boosts immunity and kills germs), and put Young Living’s Purification Oil blend on the soles of my feet. As I lay down for the night, I feel really good. The twinge in my throat is gone. I don’t feel exhausted, just ready for sleep. And the lesions seem like they will be minor and heal quickly. I am feeling so grateful for so many things right now. Grateful that I was well enough to enjoy a day out with my family (and that my husband and daughter were well enough, too- and that I was able to nurse them through their recent illnesses with NO toxic medications whatsoever). Grateful that I was well enough this evening to read to my daughter. That doesn’t sound like much, but it can be painful to talk with lesions in your mouth, so nighttime reading had become a rare thing for a while. Instead, we were using “read to me” books on my phone from ABCmouse (LOVE technology!) But it’s so much more engaging to read actual books and she gets to hear MY voice telling the story.

And just grateful that I am here with my family. The sister of an old friend was hospitalized around the same time I was back in January. Her condition was much more serious than mine, but I identified with her experience, having just gone through something similar myself. She got better and was released, but had to go back a couple of weeks ago, and had been on a ventilator and fighting for her life until her heart gave out this morning. She was just a few years older than me, and her youngest child is the same age as my daughter.

I sometimes forget how serious and scary my hospital experience was. It’s not something I can dwell on. I get caught up in day to day life and forget how fleeting it (life) can be. Even with my health issues, I think, “I’m young, I’m doing all the right things (that I know of)… I’m still sort of invincible.” The loss of my friend’s sister is a reminder to actively cherish the life I have right now. It’s not perfect. I have struggles. But it’s wonderful. And it’s mine.

Monday

Still playing nurse today, though much less so. Baby girl is 100% better. Husband is much better, but still feels a bit feverish now and then. Gotta keep working on him. But he’s been up and about today, out working on the pool and poking around in the garage. And he’s playing his video games again. That’s how bad it was- he didn’t even have the energy to fire up the playstation (and he’s a BIG gamer). So he’s definitely getting back to normal, but not there yet. Still giving them both vitamin C supplements, though not as frequently. Using lots of thieves oil. Did a modified raindrop massage for the hubs when he started feeling feverish again, plus peppermint on his scalp and feet to soothe the pain and fever. Seemed to work, because that’s when he got up and started working outside. Maybe he was trying to escape my remedies. Lol. Also continuing thieves oil and honey mixtures periodically and have been giving him frankincense oil in a capsule diluted with grapeseed oil.

I… am feeling fabulous. Little bit of frankincense under the tongue morning and night, plus added vitamin C to my usual supplements, and so far so good. Knock on wood.

Breakfast: reheated delicious buckwheat cinnamon rolls with sweet potato “cream cheese” icing.

Lunch was leftover chicken soup and salad with black beans and sauerkraut.

A couple of hours after lunch, I had a 16 oz glass of grape juice with L-glutamine powder. The juice was way too sweet, but I felt I needed a boost. L-glutamine is helpful in repairing a leaky gut, which I’m pretty sure I have. I’m having trouble taking this supplement on a regular basis because it has to be taken on an empty stomach, as do the samento and banderol that I take for Lyme. And none of them can be taken together. So there’s not many opportunities to get them all in. For now, the Lyme herbs are the priority, but I’ll take the L-glutamine when I get the chance.

Did a little P90X today (Chest and back, plus ab ripper). Averaging 10 push-ups per set (from knees) and pull-ups (with a jump to the bar) where I used to do 15. That’s alright. I’ll get back to where I used to be and then some. Got baby girl some little 2 pound pink dumbbells so she’ll stop trying to pick up my 8 pounders. Didn’t work. She still wants mine. And she adds a whole new level to the ab ripper. Crunchy frog and fifer scissors are not easy while being straddled by a hysterically giggling toddler.

Post-workout smoothie and treat. Ate 6 squares (half a serving) of the chocolate. (Baby girl ate the other 2 squares in the photo.) The smoothie has kale, strawberries, banana, hemp protein powder, vanilla extract, coconut oil, and almond milk.

And dinner was black bean burgers (recipe from the Immune System Recovery Plan- in the Support Your Liver/Detox section). You can’t really see the burgers in this photo. I actually ended up making them slider size, because my batter was too moist and full size patties wouldn’t hold together. Maybe because I used homemade beans that were a bit over cooked. Put three sliders on homemade gf egg free “everyday sandwich bread” with tomatoes, sprouts, and greens tossed in garlicky homemade dressing. Served with sweets and beets chips. Great mix of flavors.

Saturday

I went to bed last night with a barely noticeable headache. I figured I was just tired and it would be gone by morning. When I woke up this morning, it was throbbing so bad it made me nauseas. This was the worst headache I’ve had since I resolved to not take painkillers, and I really didn’t know if I’d make it through this one without having to take something. With all the work I’ve done toward detox and building my immune system in my gut, knowing medications like Advil/Tylenol are detrimental to that process is a big deterrent, but it HURT! I had to do something.

So I guzzled 16 oz of water. Then 32 oz of coconut water. Then took an Epsom salt bath with baking soda and essential oils (wintergreen, clove, helichrysum). I was feeling mildly better after the bath. No longer nauseas, but still in a lot of pain and very tired. My two-year old snuggled up on the couch with me and watched tv while I napped. Again, felt marginally better when I woke up. But not great. At this point the headache was sort of coming and going. If I was very still or laying down, I couldn’t feel it. But if I stood up or tried to do anything (particularly if it involved bending over) the pain came shooting back.

I ate these.

And drank more water. And slathered helichrysum oil over my neck and shoulders. By 1pm, my headache was completely gone, my energy was back, and I felt fantastic. 100 %. Good thing, too, because I was going to have a lot of nursing to do in the evening…

But first, lunch. Soy-free vegenaise, basil, yellow tomato, and roasted red pepper on homemade gf/egg free farmhouse seed bread. With black bean hummus and carrot sticks

And a smoothie. Kale, strawberries, 3 dates for sweetness, almond milk, sexy chocolate mix (cacao, carob, maca), 5 brazil nuts, and vanilla extract.

So, my husband came home early this evening from a work trip because he wasn’t feeling well and my daughter has had a very mild cough with slight congestion all week. And they both decided to have their sicknesses peak this evening.

As soon as I found out my husband was on his way home with a sore throat and feeling achy (aka fever), I started this soup. A whole organic chicken, onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, celery, splashes of white wine and apple cider vinegar, herbs from the garden (rosemary, thyme, sage, and basil), and 8 cups of water.

I’m pretty sure this soup is one of the top 5 most delicious things I’ve ever made. It was amazing.

But on to tonight’s nursing duties. As soon as my husband walked in the door, I made him get in an Epsom salt/baking soda bath with oils geared toward fighting infection and relieving pain (myrrh, eucalyptus, lemongrass, wintergreen, and clove) and made him use eucalyptus castile soap for washing. I gave him a mug of mullein tea and a spoonful of honey with a drop of thieves essential oil to soothe his throat and fight the infection at the source. Then gave him a foot, hand, and back massage attempting to follow the raindrop technique championed by Young Living Oils. The technique calls for the following oils: Valor (a blend), oregano, thyme, basil, wintergreen, marjoram, Aroma Siez (another blend, which I do not own, so I substituted helichrysum), and peppermint. I also put rosemary and helichrysum on his feet, and peppermint on his scalp and forehead to help with the fever.

When I was almost done with his massage, our daughter woke up from her nap. She was generally fussy (which is nothing new this week), but then started complaining about her right ear. She’s almost 3, and has never had an ear infection before. But it was very clear that her sinus funk had morphed into an ear infection. GREAT!

I rubbed her down with myrrh, eucalyptus, and helichrysum oils diluted in a carrier of grapeseed oil. And put thieves directly on the soles of her feet.

They both ate their soup.

And she drank two baby bottles of mullein tea before falling asleep.

I felt my headache coming back as soon as everybody else was asleep, so I forced myself to drink 32 oz of water before going to sleep myself. Problem solved! Oh- I also put 2 drops of therapeutic grade frankincense oil under my tongue to protect myself from whatever nastiness has invaded our family. And sprayed the whole house down with a thieves disinfectant concoction: clove, cinnamon, lemon, and rosemary oils with a bit of witch hazel and lots of filtered water in a spray bottle. It smells like Christmas around here.

Of course, after all those liquids baby girl consumed, her diaper couldn’t handle her overnight output, so we were up changing sheets at 4am, but it was obvious that she was feeling much better at this point. She was happy and not complaining about her ear at all. I put a few drops of apple cider vinegar in her ear anyway, to help fight the infection at the source. Gave her a bottle of almond milk laced with probiotics and put her back to sleep.

The husband woke up, too, and was obviously much improved. Was even talking about going back to work. Considering how sick and out of it he was a few hours ago, that’s just crazy talk. He needs to take at least one full day to rest.

But let me just say that I am utterly impressed with the power of essential oils, natural remedies, and food as medicine. The more I experiment with these things, the more I trust their efficacy. And I’m so happy to be able to do something for my sick family that supports their healing systems rather than being toxic to their bodies like conventional medicine. And I’m so grateful that I was physically well enough to care for them during this time. After 3 years of being the sick one, it’s nice to care for others for a change.

Wednesday

Cinnamon rolls!!! Fantastic recipe from Nourishing Meals. Made with buckwheat flour. No gluten, no eggs, no soy, no dairy, no processed sugar. Topped it with their recipe for “cream cheese” frosting, made with sweet potatoes, applesauce, coconut oil, arrowroot, maple syrup, and vanilla. Crazy delicious. I made a double batch of the frosting to freeze for later.

Smoothie time. Kale, strawberries, tart cherry juice, almond milk, banana, hemp protein, and some probiotics (sneaking them in for my toddler).

Threw the leftover meatballs in the leftover soup and added some frozen greens. Stretched to feed 3 adults and a toddler with more leftovers for tomorrow.

Veggie sushi rolls. Spiralized jicama, shredded carrots, and julienned yellow peppers with the homemade salad dressing I made a few days ago. The dressing was way too garlicky the first day, but it has mellowed out now. Still has a garlicky bite to it, but much better.

Amazing gluten free, egg free bread recipe in Nourishing Meals. Farmhouse Seed Bread. All the gf bread recipes I’ve encountered have included TONS of eggs, so I was really excited to try this one. It’s super hearty, and will work nicely as a sandwich bread.

Drank the whole thing. So thirsty. Haven’t been juicing since I’ve been out of juiceable produce and stalling a grocery trip by trying to eat through what we have on hand. I’ve really missed it and have inadvertently been consuming less liquid. Gotta be careful with that. Hydration (with the right kind of liquids) is important to maintaining an alkaline pH.

Tuesday

Leftover egg-free whole grain waffles for breakfast. With avocado, pear, and kiwi sprinkled with lime juice and hemp seeds.

Had a moment today between breakfast and lunch when I felt like my blood sugar suddenly plummeted and I got weak, shaky, and sweaty, and felt an urgent need to eat something. This used to happen to me all the time when I would wait too long to eat or tried to survive on caffeine and sugar (the career-focused years). But it’s been a while since I felt this way. I guess I may have waited to long to eat lunch, but I figured it was worth noting. Breakfast was really nutritious, so should have been very sustaining and kept my blood sugar on an even keel.

Anyway, GF burrito for lunch. It’s also soy, egg, dairy, and corn free. So it fits with my new super-restrictive elimination diet.

Lentil soup for dinner. Absolutely delicious. Used vegan bouillon cubes and umeboshi paste for saltiness, and added sage and rosemary from the garden. Plus the usual carrots, garlic, and onions.

And a quick gluten free dinner roll using a gf ap flour mix. I subbed in egg replacer. Definitely edible, but not super delicious.

Attempting fermented carrots and cauliflower today. Will check back in a week and see how they’re doing.

And a carbonated drink I had today. Not 100% sure how healthy it is. The ingredients seem good, aside from the vague “natural flavors” which could be anything.

Friday

Woke up feeling great again today. Until I started to pay attention to what’s going on in my mouth. Tongue is swollen, and upper lip is visibly swollen because of a lesion near the gum line. Thrush is still going strong, and there are lots of smaller lesions with the potential to become more problematic.

I’m obviously in the midst of a mild flare. But remember, I said I woke up feeling great today. Typically, when I’m flaring, it’s accompanied by extreme exhaustion and general discomfort/sensitivity that makes regular activities tiring and painful. I don’t have any of that today. I feel fantastic- as long as I’m not trying to eat or talk. So, though I’m flaring, I still see this as progress.

Breakfast was very difficult to eat and took foreverrrrr. GF cinnamon raisin toast with earth balance spread, orange/carrot juice, and dandelion root tea.

I don’t have much in the fridge for juicing, so I’m subbing in some wheatgrass for my usual green alkalizer today.

Walked 3.6 miles with baby girl in the stroller today. I was considering doing a body pump class at the gym, or doing the next P90X workout, but I figured today wasn’t a day to push myself, even though I feel good. It’s clear that something is “off” since my mouth is out of control. But being as consistent as possible with exercise is an important part of my treatment plan, so I felt like I had to do something.

Came home and had this leftover almost vegan Alfredo lasagna for lunch. It wasn’t too hard to eat.

Was still hungry, so supplemented lunch with this pouch of baby food. Along with juicing, this is the easiest way I know to get nutrients in my body when my mouth is all jacked up.

And snacked on these banana chips. Slightly painful to eat, but the sweetness of them motivated me to keep going. Enjoyed them with a cup of herbal orange tea.

Dinner is puréed roasted carrots with organic vegetable stock. Topped with sage from the garden. Dressing it up this way makes it seem less like baby food, and more like a gourmet soup. Though its basically just baby food.

My daughter has had a bit of a cough today. Seems like she picks something up every time I leave her in daycare at the gym or the nursery at church. She’s been to both this week. I gave her Similisan (a homeopathic remedy for kids) and made an essential oils concoction to rub on her chest and back: eucalyptus, myrrh, clove, and lavender oils in a carrier of coconut oil. I would’ve added peppermint and rosemary if she’d had a fever. And rubbed Young Living’s Theives oil blend on her feet. Haven’t heard a single cough all day. Will repeat this process tonight (coughs always rear their ugly heads when the sun goes down) and see how she does. Also, I’ve been sneaking a bit of probiotics in her bottle at night. (Breaking the capsules apart and giving her a little less than half.) That should help with boosting her immune function.

Tuesday

Tongue is slightly less swollen this morning. Lesions all still in the healing process- all seem to be on the way out rather than getting worse. And I just realized this morning that I cannot remember the last time I had bad night sweats. That’s pretty significant. Not sure what may have caused that change.

Breakfast was easy- warmed up the quiches I made yesterday, and sliced up a watermelon.

My husband is home, so I’m making his favorite for lunch- pizza. Though I’m sure he’d rather have a slice from our old neighborhood Italian joint in Queens than have this healthy version…

Got the crust recipe from “Nourishing Meals.”

Dry ingredients…

Wet ingredients…

Finished product…

Herbs from the garden that made it into the pizza- basil, oregano, rosemary.

I used a no salt added jarred marinara sauce. Dressed it up with herbs and himilayan salt and boosted the nutrition (and thickened it up) with carrot pulp leftover and frozen from juicing.

Roasted cauliflower, onions, and garlic and layered those on top of a layer of whole basil leaves. Then sprinkled daiya cheese over the top and finished it off with a bit more chopped basil and oregano.

Great flavor, though the texture of the crust was a bit cakey. I’d definitely make this again.

Love me some coconut water.

Alkalizing green juice.

Carrot juice.

Had a kombucha explosion in the car. Have GOT to try to make this stuff myself soon. Very soon.

Dinner was veggie sushi with spiralized jicama, red pepper, avocado, bragg’s liquid aminos, hemp seeds, and hemp oil. A simple salad and leftover miso soup (diluted and stretched with organic vegetable broth.)

Somebody is loving spiralized jicama. And apparently, miso soup is now her favorite food. She ate 3 bowls of it.

Monday

Ugh. I’m on a little bit of a roller coaster with this flare. Not too bad today, but definitely not feeling great. Had gf toast with butter before my doc appointment this morning. And a cup of green tea. Still dragging and not really thinking clearly. It’s hard to be patient with baby girl on day like this, but thankfully, she’s feeling mellow and giving me a break. Great behavior at the doctor’s office. And everyone loved her, as usual.

Came home and had this soup. And two eggs.

Not feeling good this afternoon, and it was either give up and stay on the couch all afternoon, or take a pain pill. I went with the pain pill. And within half an hour, I was fine. Finally got some stuff done around here.

And made this super delicious nori wrap. Used my new spiralizer for the first time on a jicama. Threw in some baked tofu, sesame oil, and dillweed. Soooo surprisingly good. I ate this one, wanted more, made another one, and scarfed that one down, too. The seaweed is not easy to eat with my tongue the way it is right now. And the initial bites were rough because of my lip. So you know it was good if I was motivated to push through and make the effort anyway. The jicama was raw and crisp, the tofu was peppery and creamy, the sesame and dill gave it great flavor. It felt clean and alkalizing. Just what I needed.

And a green juice to balance out my pH for the day, and maybe help my liver process that pain pill. It’s cucumber, celery, yellow bell pepper, kale, and lemon.

I’ve been taking strong, expensive probiotics every night before bed. The bottle says you can take up to 9 capsules per day, but suggests dividing them up and taking with meals. My doctor said that’s ridiculous because you don’t want the bacteria to be digested. If you eat it with food, your digestive juices are flowing and less of the bacteria will make it to the small intestine, which is where you want them to go and colonize. Taking them at night, just before bed, and at least 2 hours after dinner, gives them the optimal chance of getting where they need to go alive and ready to colonize. You also don’t want to take them at the same time as an antibiotic or antifungal medication, or those will just kill them off. Since I can’t take pills without food, I’ve started breaking open the capsules into water and drinking them. I’m up to 7 capsules at this point. Those little buggers better be colonizing.

Monday

Dejavu breakfast… exactly the same as yesterday. I really, really like bee pollen.

Also drank about 24 oz of lemon water to try to finish off this headache I’ve had since yesterday.

Lunch was frozen leftover shrimp stir fry with flax and cashews, and raw broccoli soup (microwaved, so no longer raw, I guess).

Also did quite a bit of juicing today. About 32 ounces of alkalizing greens.

My dad lost 10+ pounds during the 3 day juice cleanse, and he seems to be feeling revitalized and energized. Says he walks with less pain than he’s had in years. And, apparently, there was a dancing incident in the grocery store yesterday. At any rate, he’s hooked and wants more juice.

Dinner was a roasted beet salad… spinach greens, goat cheese, walnuts, avocado, and orange balsamic vinaigrette. It was prettier before I dug in, but I forgot and started eating before taking a picture.

And cookies my mom made based on a friend’s recipe (thanks Mrs. V!). Delicious.

And I attempted the flavored water that’s all over Facebook and Pinterest. Blackberry Sage. I think it needs to sit a bit longer. It was only slightly sage-y, and not at all blackberry-y.

Sunday

Breakfast was gf toast with coconut spread and sprinkled with bee pollen.

For lunch, I made a simple, classic, organic, chicken and vegetable soup with carrots, onions, garlic, celery, and seasoned with herbs from the garden (rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil) and himilayan sea salt. My daughter, parents, and I ate about half the pot, and I had a big crew coming over to eat soup for dinner, soooooo, I added more water, vegan bouillon, and some of the pulp from my green juices (kale, parsley, and celery) to stretch it and boost the nutrition.

The green juice also has cucumbers and lime, in addition to the kale, parsley, and celery I mentioned earlier. I drank three of these glasses. I think that would be close to 48 ounces of alkalizing goodness. Ahhhhhh.

This is coconut millet pudding. Almond milk, vanilla, agave, pie spice, millet, coconut flakes. Got the recipe from the millet package.

Topped each serving with vegan whipped cream (the fluffy top layer in a can of coconut milk) and a couple of blackberries. Sometimes I worry when presenting new, strange, healthy dishes to my family and friends. But the pan was completely cleared out. And this would be a great breakfast recipe as well.

Also made some vanilla chia pudding. It’s so easy, and so good.

1 cup almond milk
3 tbsp chia seeds
Vanilla and stevia to taste

Mix it up and let it sit in the fridge until the chia seeds gel up and it “sets”. I think that’s even easier than packaged pudding.

Ate 2 pieces of this ham to take my nighttime meds, since I forgot to take them at dinner.

Fighting off a headache tonight. Don’t think it’s due to dehydration, but I’m drinking more water anyway. Feels like it started in my shoulders, so I did about 30 minute of P90X Stretch to try to relieve tension. It felt really good to stretch, but didn’t get rid of the headache. Going to try to avoid it, but I might have to take something for it tonight. The pain is getting stronger and is right behind my eyeballs. I guess a couple of ibuprofen won’t be a big deal, considering the cocktail of pills I take every day anyway.

Update: I was able to fall asleep without having to take anything for the headache. I did use some frankincense essential oil on my wrists and temples while stretching. When I woke up the next morning, it was nearly gone.

Saturday

Still planning to drink all the usual juices today, but I’m going to eat normally as well. Decided to continue as before for now- including grains (except wheat) but moderating them a bit, and minimizing animal products, with the focus being on finding pastured, grass fed, organic products.

Breakfast was 16oz signature greens, gf toast with coconut spread, and fruit.

Lunch was 12oz ginger lemon aid, 12oz red beet elixir, and Kashi cereal with kefir.

My daughter’s art activity while I was juicing- she painted with leftover juice foam. This stuff is versatile! Nourishes our bodies and our creativity!

Got a massage today (thanks, Mom!) So I’m drinking LOTS of water to flush out any additional toxins that stirred up along with the detox. I feel great. One tiny lesion coming up as the last one fades away. I could totally go the rest of my life with one lesion at a time. Though it lets me know I’m not quite in balance yet.

Had 2 Larabars as a snack while health food shopping with my mom. Coconut cream pie and peanut butter chocolate.

Had frozen leftovers for dinner. I intended to eat all 3, sharing them with my daughter, but she didn’t eat much, so we didn’t eat the shrimp dish. Just the stir-fry and broccoli soup. Plus carrot cake juice and almond delight.

Made my first attempt at homemade toothpaste. Baking soda, xylitol, coconut oil, thieves oil, crushed up calcium/magnesium tablets, and a pinch of himilayan sea salt. From what I’ve read, this should do a good job of remineralizing our teeth. The coconut oil, xylitol, and thieves oil all have antifungal, antibacterial, or otherwise anti microbial properties. The baking soda and sea salt will polish, and the calcium/magnesium tablets and sea salt will remineralize. It tastes pretty good. I didn’t follow an exact recipe. I found a bunch of different recipes on Pinterest and kind of made up my own thing based off of those.

If we like this toothpaste and use it long term (never to buy conventional toothpaste again?) I’ll find a better container to keep it in. Possibly something that we can squeeze it out of. In the meantime, an old baby food jar will work.

It’s driving me nuts that I spelled thieves wrong on the label. In an exercise against my perfectionist tendencies, I’m purposefully not correcting it. I mean, who cares, right? We’ll see if I make it through the night without fixing it.

Had 2 squares of 70% chocolate and dried apple rings as a late night snack. I’ve had well over 64 oz of water today and I still feel thirsty. I normally have a hard time making myself drink water, so I’m glad it’s been easy today. Wonder if it has anything to do with the detox process and/or the massage. I hope it’s flushing out toxins! I want that crap outta my body!