(May 13, 2011)
I've been reading more of The Candida Cure and I'm at the section of the two-pronged strategy. So I'm finally at a part where I'm going to get the skinny on how to go about curing Jeannette. So the goal of treating candidiasis is to kill fungus and eradicate excess yeast. I got the answer to my biggest question. Will she ever get rid of the Candida? The answer was "NO!" The body never fully rids itself of yeast, but the answer is how to get the levels balanced. The first strategy is to take a antifungal supplement to kill the yeast overgrowth. The second is to modify the diet to starve off the excess yeast.
Today Jeannette had an appointment to get another urine culture done. This one was to be done through the alternative medical doctor. She had brown rice cereal for breakfast. I didn't give her the multi-vitamin today because of the urine culture being done. I didn't want it to be tainted. I don't remember what I had packed her for lunch today. But when she got home from school, she had a yogurt with her probiotic.
I got a call later and was told that Jeannette indeed did have a urinary tract infection and she was going to be put on another antibiotic. Great! Another antibiotic. I don't get it. I'm completely perplexed. I feel like I've been doing all I can with this diet and eliminating certain foods and her exposure to the water and she gets a UTI? Now, this is the longest she's been, but still? So now I have no clue what to do or how to move forward or how to handle this?
Thankfully, she can take this antibiotic along with the diflucan. But because of that, she needs to increase the amount of probiotics that she's currently taking. Instead of once a day, she needs to take it 2-3 times a day. For dinner, I made her the brown rice pasta with her special marinara sauce. She hasn't had the pasta in awhile and because it's high in carbs, I try not to give it to her too often. For dessert, she had a piece of her special fudge.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Week 5 - Day 5
(May 12, 2011)
Today was going to be somewhat challenging as my daughters class went to the zoo. We started out today with brown rice cereal for breakfast. I was able to get her the multi-vitamin and a few other supplements before school. For lunch I packed her 2 rice cakes with soy nut butter and a chocolate coconut milk. For snack I packed her some popcorn and dehydrated apple slices.
We got to the zoo and we weren't even there for an hour when Jeannette said she was starving. She woofed down the popcorn and complained that she was still hungry. I knew I didn't have a bunch of food, and I couldn't buy food, so I had to drag out the food I had for her. It was only 10:30am and she wanted lunch. I tried to distract her by going to a few different exhibits. At 11:45am, I couldn't hold her off any longer. We found a place to sit and had lunch. She seemed to be content. We were to meet back at the buses at 12:45pm and I made sure she had a snack before she got on the bus. All she had left was the apples, so she ate some of that.
When we got back to school, she had an after school activity and I completely forgot to pack a snack for her. When I picked her up afterwards, I asked her what they had for snack. She said they had watermelon, but she didn't have any. She doesn't like watermelon.
For dinner, the kids had leftover waffles that I had frozen from last weekend, along with some uncured bacon. I was able to get Jeannette to eat at least a yogurt with the probiotic in it. I ended up giving her the supplemental shake later as she was full from dinner. The shake was her dessert.
Today was going to be somewhat challenging as my daughters class went to the zoo. We started out today with brown rice cereal for breakfast. I was able to get her the multi-vitamin and a few other supplements before school. For lunch I packed her 2 rice cakes with soy nut butter and a chocolate coconut milk. For snack I packed her some popcorn and dehydrated apple slices.
We got to the zoo and we weren't even there for an hour when Jeannette said she was starving. She woofed down the popcorn and complained that she was still hungry. I knew I didn't have a bunch of food, and I couldn't buy food, so I had to drag out the food I had for her. It was only 10:30am and she wanted lunch. I tried to distract her by going to a few different exhibits. At 11:45am, I couldn't hold her off any longer. We found a place to sit and had lunch. She seemed to be content. We were to meet back at the buses at 12:45pm and I made sure she had a snack before she got on the bus. All she had left was the apples, so she ate some of that.
When we got back to school, she had an after school activity and I completely forgot to pack a snack for her. When I picked her up afterwards, I asked her what they had for snack. She said they had watermelon, but she didn't have any. She doesn't like watermelon.
For dinner, the kids had leftover waffles that I had frozen from last weekend, along with some uncured bacon. I was able to get Jeannette to eat at least a yogurt with the probiotic in it. I ended up giving her the supplemental shake later as she was full from dinner. The shake was her dessert.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Week 5 - Day 4
(May 11, 2011)
I woke up this morning still trying to get a handle on the situation with Jeannette's recent infection. I was so upset and frustrated last night and after a good night's sleep I still believe whole heartily that we are moving in the right direction of a healthy lifestyle. I can't let one infection get the better of me or Jeannette. I have to look at it that she hasn't had an infection since February. This is probably the longest that she's gone in 3 years without having an infection. That has to be encouraging. Right?
For breakfast this morning, Jeannette had brown rice cereal. Again! For lunch I packed her cinnamon/stevia toast, strawberries and chocolate coconut milk. This is getting really boring and extremely annoying. We're now into week 5 and she's still eating the same things every day. For snack, she had popcorn and a rice cake. Again, she should have had soy nut or almond butter on it, but didn't. Today I put Miralax in her water bottle for while she's at school.
Today was dance class after school, so I had to get a snack for the road. I grabbed her a bag of organic cheerios and dehydrated apples. She likes them and they are low in sugar, so I can't see the problem with them, but I'm sure they are not considered appropriate for this diet.
For dinner tonight, Jeannette had her chicken from last night. I gave her some ketchup and parmesan cheese to dip it in. She had her supplemental shake and tonight I put in the chlorella which turned the shake a funky brown. She wasn't happy, but she drank it anyway. I tried to get her to eat a yogurt, but she wouldn't. She did have her vitamin C and digestive enzyme, but missed her second dose of the mult-vitamin. She did have her antibiotic of diflucan though. these supplements are just a nightmare. It's so hard trying to get her to take them and to figure out how to give them to her in what and when. It's no wonder why I created a spreadsheet to keep tract of it all.
I woke up this morning still trying to get a handle on the situation with Jeannette's recent infection. I was so upset and frustrated last night and after a good night's sleep I still believe whole heartily that we are moving in the right direction of a healthy lifestyle. I can't let one infection get the better of me or Jeannette. I have to look at it that she hasn't had an infection since February. This is probably the longest that she's gone in 3 years without having an infection. That has to be encouraging. Right?
For breakfast this morning, Jeannette had brown rice cereal. Again! For lunch I packed her cinnamon/stevia toast, strawberries and chocolate coconut milk. This is getting really boring and extremely annoying. We're now into week 5 and she's still eating the same things every day. For snack, she had popcorn and a rice cake. Again, she should have had soy nut or almond butter on it, but didn't. Today I put Miralax in her water bottle for while she's at school.
Today was dance class after school, so I had to get a snack for the road. I grabbed her a bag of organic cheerios and dehydrated apples. She likes them and they are low in sugar, so I can't see the problem with them, but I'm sure they are not considered appropriate for this diet.
For dinner tonight, Jeannette had her chicken from last night. I gave her some ketchup and parmesan cheese to dip it in. She had her supplemental shake and tonight I put in the chlorella which turned the shake a funky brown. She wasn't happy, but she drank it anyway. I tried to get her to eat a yogurt, but she wouldn't. She did have her vitamin C and digestive enzyme, but missed her second dose of the mult-vitamin. She did have her antibiotic of diflucan though. these supplements are just a nightmare. It's so hard trying to get her to take them and to figure out how to give them to her in what and when. It's no wonder why I created a spreadsheet to keep tract of it all.
Week 5 - Day 3
(May 10, 2011)
Every organ and system in our bodies is interlinked. If one organ becomes compromised, another organ will take over and try to compensate. If you have leaky gut, that compromises your bloodstream with toxins. The toxins compromise the immune system and that leads to other chronic ailments. The key is to keep the toxins moving out faster than they accumulate so the body stays balanced and healthy. -The Candida Cure, Ann Boroch
Jeannette was slow moving this morning. She was complaining of a tummy ache. She never complains of tummy aches. That concerned me. She had brown rice cereal for breakfast. I never did give her the multi-vitamin as her tummy was hurting. For lunch I packed her 2 rice cakes with soy nut butter and some strawberries and water.
I had forgotten that Jeannette had her annual physical today. I ended up picking her up at school and she had to eat her lunch in the car. They weighed her and she was down a pound. That concerned me. I had a feeling that once she started this diet that she would loose weight. She's so tiny as it is. I remember the nutritionist saying that a high protein diet should increase her weight. I'm not finding that to be the case, but then again, look at what she's eating. She's not getting a significant amount of protein that she should be. They also did a urine culture and determined that she had an urinary tract infection. Huh? I was upset and bothered by that. We've been working on this low carb, now no yeast, no sugar diet and she still gets a UTI? I don't get it. The one thing that she did stop taking was the U-tract/mannose. She was off that for about 5 days. I figured she had been symptom free for awhile and that she didn't need that anymore. I guess I was wrong. She was put on another antibiotic to treat the infection. Round and round I go....again! Now she needs to up her probiotic to 2-3 times a day while on the antibiotic, yet she's still taking the diflucan. I was told by the doctors office that the two could be taken at the same time.
What was also somewhat bothersome was that her pediatrician wasn't aware of this Candida diet. She wasn't surprised that yeast was found by this other doctor, but she wanted to hear more about the Candida diet. She was concerned about Jeannette's caloric intake with her being on this diet. She asked if she was eating pasta and I told her that because pasta is so high in carbs, that I'd rather her eat a bowl of strawberries than pasta. She didn't really seem to be on the same page as me in regards to that. I truly believe that this diet or change of eating is going to be beneficial for the entire family. Lastly, I explained to her that she is still constipated and that I've been using a more natural supplement instead of the Miralax. I explained that although the tru fiber is supposed to be gentler on the body, I'm not finding it nearly as effective as the Miralax. When the doctor examined Jeannette, she didn't feel any blockage in the stomach, so she wasn't sure where the tummy ache would be coming from.
I left the doctor's office feeling frustrated and perplexed. How can all this, that we've been doing, still not be helping her? How is it that she got another UTI? I was feeling so encouraged and had such high hopes that we were going down the right path. Now this. I just don't know what to make of it. I'm so confused. Jeannette was still complaining of a tummy ache when we left the office and she didn't want to go back to school, so I just took her home.
After finally getting in touch with the alternative medical doctor, I was told to put her back on the U-tract. I decided to now go back to using the Miralax instead of the tru fiber. I obviously don't want to just throw it away, so I'll probably alternate the two every other day.
After school, my son and his grandmother made chocolate chip cookies. My son loves my mother-in-laws cookies and asked to bake them with her. How could she refuse? Well, Jeannette got really upset by that because she knew that she wasn't going to be able to eat any of them. She said it herself. "That's not fair." It wasn't fair, but it wasn't fair to not allow Jarod to do this activity with his grandmother. Jeannette gave Mimi the cold shoulder, but after a little while, she got over it. I did feel bad. I'm constantly searching for the right dessert for her. I want her to be able to have something every once in awhile.
For dinner, we went out to dinner at Not Your Average Joe's. My in laws wanted to treat us to dinner on their last night visiting with us. This place caters to families and has a gluten free menu. I ordered Jeannette grilled chicken with green beans. This restaurant also serves the best bread with garlic/olive oil dipping sauce. Jeannette was begging to have a piece of it. At this point, I was still reeling from today's doctors appointment and just said, "fine! Go ahead!" What difference does it make? She's going to get another infection, this obviously isn't working, so eat whatever you want.
Every organ and system in our bodies is interlinked. If one organ becomes compromised, another organ will take over and try to compensate. If you have leaky gut, that compromises your bloodstream with toxins. The toxins compromise the immune system and that leads to other chronic ailments. The key is to keep the toxins moving out faster than they accumulate so the body stays balanced and healthy. -The Candida Cure, Ann Boroch
Jeannette was slow moving this morning. She was complaining of a tummy ache. She never complains of tummy aches. That concerned me. She had brown rice cereal for breakfast. I never did give her the multi-vitamin as her tummy was hurting. For lunch I packed her 2 rice cakes with soy nut butter and some strawberries and water.
I had forgotten that Jeannette had her annual physical today. I ended up picking her up at school and she had to eat her lunch in the car. They weighed her and she was down a pound. That concerned me. I had a feeling that once she started this diet that she would loose weight. She's so tiny as it is. I remember the nutritionist saying that a high protein diet should increase her weight. I'm not finding that to be the case, but then again, look at what she's eating. She's not getting a significant amount of protein that she should be. They also did a urine culture and determined that she had an urinary tract infection. Huh? I was upset and bothered by that. We've been working on this low carb, now no yeast, no sugar diet and she still gets a UTI? I don't get it. The one thing that she did stop taking was the U-tract/mannose. She was off that for about 5 days. I figured she had been symptom free for awhile and that she didn't need that anymore. I guess I was wrong. She was put on another antibiotic to treat the infection. Round and round I go....again! Now she needs to up her probiotic to 2-3 times a day while on the antibiotic, yet she's still taking the diflucan. I was told by the doctors office that the two could be taken at the same time.
What was also somewhat bothersome was that her pediatrician wasn't aware of this Candida diet. She wasn't surprised that yeast was found by this other doctor, but she wanted to hear more about the Candida diet. She was concerned about Jeannette's caloric intake with her being on this diet. She asked if she was eating pasta and I told her that because pasta is so high in carbs, that I'd rather her eat a bowl of strawberries than pasta. She didn't really seem to be on the same page as me in regards to that. I truly believe that this diet or change of eating is going to be beneficial for the entire family. Lastly, I explained to her that she is still constipated and that I've been using a more natural supplement instead of the Miralax. I explained that although the tru fiber is supposed to be gentler on the body, I'm not finding it nearly as effective as the Miralax. When the doctor examined Jeannette, she didn't feel any blockage in the stomach, so she wasn't sure where the tummy ache would be coming from.
I left the doctor's office feeling frustrated and perplexed. How can all this, that we've been doing, still not be helping her? How is it that she got another UTI? I was feeling so encouraged and had such high hopes that we were going down the right path. Now this. I just don't know what to make of it. I'm so confused. Jeannette was still complaining of a tummy ache when we left the office and she didn't want to go back to school, so I just took her home.
After finally getting in touch with the alternative medical doctor, I was told to put her back on the U-tract. I decided to now go back to using the Miralax instead of the tru fiber. I obviously don't want to just throw it away, so I'll probably alternate the two every other day.
After school, my son and his grandmother made chocolate chip cookies. My son loves my mother-in-laws cookies and asked to bake them with her. How could she refuse? Well, Jeannette got really upset by that because she knew that she wasn't going to be able to eat any of them. She said it herself. "That's not fair." It wasn't fair, but it wasn't fair to not allow Jarod to do this activity with his grandmother. Jeannette gave Mimi the cold shoulder, but after a little while, she got over it. I did feel bad. I'm constantly searching for the right dessert for her. I want her to be able to have something every once in awhile.
For dinner, we went out to dinner at Not Your Average Joe's. My in laws wanted to treat us to dinner on their last night visiting with us. This place caters to families and has a gluten free menu. I ordered Jeannette grilled chicken with green beans. This restaurant also serves the best bread with garlic/olive oil dipping sauce. Jeannette was begging to have a piece of it. At this point, I was still reeling from today's doctors appointment and just said, "fine! Go ahead!" What difference does it make? She's going to get another infection, this obviously isn't working, so eat whatever you want.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Week 5 - Day 2 Elimination
(May 9, 2011)
Did you know that daily elimination is essential, and two to three movements a day are even better? I've always wondered how long it takes to digest food. The optimal transit time from mouth to elimination is 24 hours. This nation is suffering from an epidemic of constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and colitis. The main cause is inadequate water and fiber intake. When grains are refined, both minerals and fiber are stripped away, robbing the body of nourishment and the assistance the fiber provides in cleaning the colon walls. If your bowels are backed up, the GI tract must focus more on getting rid of waste than absorbing nutrients, which sets the stage for malnutrition. The other thing is that elimination problems also cause autotoxicity. Constipation can also make the pH level in the large intestine more alkaline, creating a breeding environment in which yeast, parasites, bacteria, and viruses thrive. - The Candida Cure, Ann Boroch.
I believe this is what has happened to my daughter. Today I don't have much to report about her. She had cinnamon rolls with her non-dairy butter and 1 slice of bacon. I think I have hit the end of the cinnamon roll ride. She commented today that she didn't like the brown part towards the center of the roll. For lunch she had brown rice and strawberries. For dinner she had leftover crab, her supplemental shake and coconut ice cream for dessert. Her snacks were dried apples and apple yogurt with her probiotic. I tried to make her some oatmeal, but it came out mealy and it wasn't mushed together. I tried to add some maple syrup to sweeten it a bit, but that didn't seem to help. She didn't like it.
Did you know that daily elimination is essential, and two to three movements a day are even better? I've always wondered how long it takes to digest food. The optimal transit time from mouth to elimination is 24 hours. This nation is suffering from an epidemic of constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and colitis. The main cause is inadequate water and fiber intake. When grains are refined, both minerals and fiber are stripped away, robbing the body of nourishment and the assistance the fiber provides in cleaning the colon walls. If your bowels are backed up, the GI tract must focus more on getting rid of waste than absorbing nutrients, which sets the stage for malnutrition. The other thing is that elimination problems also cause autotoxicity. Constipation can also make the pH level in the large intestine more alkaline, creating a breeding environment in which yeast, parasites, bacteria, and viruses thrive. - The Candida Cure, Ann Boroch.
I believe this is what has happened to my daughter. Today I don't have much to report about her. She had cinnamon rolls with her non-dairy butter and 1 slice of bacon. I think I have hit the end of the cinnamon roll ride. She commented today that she didn't like the brown part towards the center of the roll. For lunch she had brown rice and strawberries. For dinner she had leftover crab, her supplemental shake and coconut ice cream for dessert. Her snacks were dried apples and apple yogurt with her probiotic. I tried to make her some oatmeal, but it came out mealy and it wasn't mushed together. I tried to add some maple syrup to sweeten it a bit, but that didn't seem to help. She didn't like it.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Happy Mother's Day - May 8, 2011
Happy Mother's Day to me!!!!
We're moving into week 5. We've gotten through one month. I never thought we'd get this far. It's been a challenging month with many ups and downs. I've gotten more cognizant while at the grocery store as to what I'm buying. Now I read the labels on everything, whereas before I didn't care. I just bought it. I still buy things every once in a while that I shouldn't, but cut me some slack. A girl has to have a chip every now an then. Those dang O's chips!
For breakfast today, my husband made waffles and bacon. Thanks to my mother-in-law, she found a waffle/pancake mix that is gluten free and appears to be okay for her. It's called Maple Grove Farms. I got it at Target. I was totally psyched! I was also told that syrup would be okay for her in small doses. I couldn't believe that because it's extremely high in sugar. But if you buy pure maple syrup, it would be okay. Again, in small doses. The mix for Jeannette had a fruity smell to it. They looked about just as good as our regular/processed waffles that we all had. She was in heaven. She ate 3 small waffles, 3 slices of uncured, nitrate free, organic bacon and some strawberries. This was the breakfast of champions for her!
To celebrate Mother's Day, we had a fantastic meal. We had flank steak, parmesan potatoes, asparagus, baked green beans, and salad with lettuce from our garden. Because the kids don't eat steak, we got them some snow crab legs. I was reading, after-the-fact, in The Candida Cure, that crabs and shrimp should be avoided. Because they are bottom feeders, they are particularly high in contaminants. They absorb higher concentrations of chemicals and mercury. She says that once a month would be okay. They loved the crab. For dessert my father made her something special. He had made an apple pie for the rest of us, so to go along with that theme, he took a granny smith apple, peeled it, and cored it. He sprinkled cinnamon/truvia down the core and all around it and baked it until it started to bubble. It looked yummy. Alas, she tried it and didn't like it. I tried it and thought it was pretty tasty. I saved it anyway for her to try again.
We're moving into week 5. We've gotten through one month. I never thought we'd get this far. It's been a challenging month with many ups and downs. I've gotten more cognizant while at the grocery store as to what I'm buying. Now I read the labels on everything, whereas before I didn't care. I just bought it. I still buy things every once in a while that I shouldn't, but cut me some slack. A girl has to have a chip every now an then. Those dang O's chips!
For breakfast today, my husband made waffles and bacon. Thanks to my mother-in-law, she found a waffle/pancake mix that is gluten free and appears to be okay for her. It's called Maple Grove Farms. I got it at Target. I was totally psyched! I was also told that syrup would be okay for her in small doses. I couldn't believe that because it's extremely high in sugar. But if you buy pure maple syrup, it would be okay. Again, in small doses. The mix for Jeannette had a fruity smell to it. They looked about just as good as our regular/processed waffles that we all had. She was in heaven. She ate 3 small waffles, 3 slices of uncured, nitrate free, organic bacon and some strawberries. This was the breakfast of champions for her!
To celebrate Mother's Day, we had a fantastic meal. We had flank steak, parmesan potatoes, asparagus, baked green beans, and salad with lettuce from our garden. Because the kids don't eat steak, we got them some snow crab legs. I was reading, after-the-fact, in The Candida Cure, that crabs and shrimp should be avoided. Because they are bottom feeders, they are particularly high in contaminants. They absorb higher concentrations of chemicals and mercury. She says that once a month would be okay. They loved the crab. For dessert my father made her something special. He had made an apple pie for the rest of us, so to go along with that theme, he took a granny smith apple, peeled it, and cored it. He sprinkled cinnamon/truvia down the core and all around it and baked it until it started to bubble. It looked yummy. Alas, she tried it and didn't like it. I tried it and thought it was pretty tasty. I saved it anyway for her to try again.
Week 4 - Day 7 Malabsorption and Dysbiosis the unwelcome inhabitants
(May 7, 2011)
The main causes of malabsorption are maldigestion and microbial overgrowth. Common symptoms are fatigue, thinning hair, dry skin, depression, susceptibility to bruising, unexplainable weight loss, constipation or diarrhea. My daughter fits into this category. She's got dry skin, she's chronically constipated, and she's lethargic. I never would have put the two together.
Dysbiosis is caused by poor diet and a few other things such as the overuse of antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and heavy metal toxins, and more. When these unhealthy microorganism take over the gut, the immune system is put under constant stress to defend the body from these infections. What I didn't know is that intestinal dysbiosis is a contributing cause in rheumatoid arthritis, MS, vitamin B deficiency, chronic fatigue, cystic acne, the early stages of colon and breast cancers, eczema, food allergies, irritable bowl syndrome, and the list goes on. - The Candida Cure, Ann Boroch
This makes sense to a certain extent with my daughter. She's had over use of antibiotics, she has a vitamin B deficiency, a zinc deficiency and constipation. Her preliminary heavy metal toxic screen showed elevated levels of certain things. This was also another contributing factor. One doesn't think that all these heavy metals could be in your system. We just don't think about it, but they're there; hiding.
Today I headed back to Wegman's to buy some more items to experiment with. I spent another $150! Ouch! This sure is a costly venture.
The main causes of malabsorption are maldigestion and microbial overgrowth. Common symptoms are fatigue, thinning hair, dry skin, depression, susceptibility to bruising, unexplainable weight loss, constipation or diarrhea. My daughter fits into this category. She's got dry skin, she's chronically constipated, and she's lethargic. I never would have put the two together.
Dysbiosis is caused by poor diet and a few other things such as the overuse of antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and heavy metal toxins, and more. When these unhealthy microorganism take over the gut, the immune system is put under constant stress to defend the body from these infections. What I didn't know is that intestinal dysbiosis is a contributing cause in rheumatoid arthritis, MS, vitamin B deficiency, chronic fatigue, cystic acne, the early stages of colon and breast cancers, eczema, food allergies, irritable bowl syndrome, and the list goes on. - The Candida Cure, Ann Boroch
This makes sense to a certain extent with my daughter. She's had over use of antibiotics, she has a vitamin B deficiency, a zinc deficiency and constipation. Her preliminary heavy metal toxic screen showed elevated levels of certain things. This was also another contributing factor. One doesn't think that all these heavy metals could be in your system. We just don't think about it, but they're there; hiding.
Today I headed back to Wegman's to buy some more items to experiment with. I spent another $150! Ouch! This sure is a costly venture.
Week 4 - Day 6
(May 6, 2011)
Today it's about Enzyme's. Enzyme deficiencies are a major contributor to maldigestion. Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts to ignite chemical reactions in the body. Although the body makes enzymes, it must use those enzymes in food for optimal health. Most enzymes are destroyed in foods that are processed, refined, or cooked at very high temperatures. Raw or lightly steamed foods are rich in enzymes.
When enzymes are lacking, the pancreas takes on a greater responsibility. The pancreas produces insulin, the hormone that maintains blood sugar levels. So diets loaded with refined carbs, sugar and processed foods, overwork the pancreas and weaken its performance, thus making us more susceptible to yeast overgrowth, hypoglycemia and diabetes.
That's why in the gluten free aisle of the grocery store I'm noticing raw foods. I had no idea what raw foods were. I've seen raw honey and raw butter (I think). I actually bought raw honey for a couple of the recipes that I've made.
I have to say that I'm so proud of Jeannette and how she is handling all of this. I keep looking at some of these foods and just can't believe how hard it must be for her. Again, she's still not eating as many green foods as she should. That's my problem. I don't even know how to prepare half these things to make them interesting and fun. That's one reason why she's not getting them. I must admit, I'm intimidated by vegetables. Can you believe that? A vegetable is intimidating me. Now I love fruits. I have no problem with the fruit family. I just wish she could eat more fruits besides berries. Although certain fruits contain high amounts of natural sugar, they still provide phytonutrients and lots of vitamins and minerals.
Humans are creatures of habit. We are pushed against the wall when it comes to change, and this is whole way of eating is a huge change. I also haven't found a fantastic web-site that gives me a lot of information on recipes. I know there has to be one out there somewhere. This book, The Candida Cure, has really helped me understand the body and understand how foods help and hurt your body. I've learned so much in reading this book the past few days. I'd have to say, after reading this, that 3/4 of the food on today's market is total and utter crap. The amount of processed foods out there is appalling.
Tonight I was talking to my husband about how we all need to be participating better. We've done pretty good, but we could do better. For example; this protein shake that Jeannette has to take. I told my husband that we all should be drinking this. But you know what? I'm afraid to try it. It's so completely hypocritical of me to sit there and tell my daughter that she HAS to drink this, when I can't even stomach the smell and looks of it. How wrong is that? I keep going back to what Michael, the nutritionist said to me. He said that kids can change their palates and adapt at a young age. By the time they're 18 years old, it's too late. Now is the time to start them on healthy eating. There are only 10% of people that can really make this change when they're adults. Now I see why it's such a low percentage. Can I become one of the 10% that changes my ways?
Today it's about Enzyme's. Enzyme deficiencies are a major contributor to maldigestion. Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts to ignite chemical reactions in the body. Although the body makes enzymes, it must use those enzymes in food for optimal health. Most enzymes are destroyed in foods that are processed, refined, or cooked at very high temperatures. Raw or lightly steamed foods are rich in enzymes.
When enzymes are lacking, the pancreas takes on a greater responsibility. The pancreas produces insulin, the hormone that maintains blood sugar levels. So diets loaded with refined carbs, sugar and processed foods, overwork the pancreas and weaken its performance, thus making us more susceptible to yeast overgrowth, hypoglycemia and diabetes.
That's why in the gluten free aisle of the grocery store I'm noticing raw foods. I had no idea what raw foods were. I've seen raw honey and raw butter (I think). I actually bought raw honey for a couple of the recipes that I've made.
I have to say that I'm so proud of Jeannette and how she is handling all of this. I keep looking at some of these foods and just can't believe how hard it must be for her. Again, she's still not eating as many green foods as she should. That's my problem. I don't even know how to prepare half these things to make them interesting and fun. That's one reason why she's not getting them. I must admit, I'm intimidated by vegetables. Can you believe that? A vegetable is intimidating me. Now I love fruits. I have no problem with the fruit family. I just wish she could eat more fruits besides berries. Although certain fruits contain high amounts of natural sugar, they still provide phytonutrients and lots of vitamins and minerals.
Humans are creatures of habit. We are pushed against the wall when it comes to change, and this is whole way of eating is a huge change. I also haven't found a fantastic web-site that gives me a lot of information on recipes. I know there has to be one out there somewhere. This book, The Candida Cure, has really helped me understand the body and understand how foods help and hurt your body. I've learned so much in reading this book the past few days. I'd have to say, after reading this, that 3/4 of the food on today's market is total and utter crap. The amount of processed foods out there is appalling.
Tonight I was talking to my husband about how we all need to be participating better. We've done pretty good, but we could do better. For example; this protein shake that Jeannette has to take. I told my husband that we all should be drinking this. But you know what? I'm afraid to try it. It's so completely hypocritical of me to sit there and tell my daughter that she HAS to drink this, when I can't even stomach the smell and looks of it. How wrong is that? I keep going back to what Michael, the nutritionist said to me. He said that kids can change their palates and adapt at a young age. By the time they're 18 years old, it's too late. Now is the time to start them on healthy eating. There are only 10% of people that can really make this change when they're adults. Now I see why it's such a low percentage. Can I become one of the 10% that changes my ways?
Week 4 - Day 5
(May 5, 2011)
This morning I was rereading some notes that the nutritionist gave me. It said that rice cakes were acceptable, but because it's a simple carb it shouldn't be eaten plain. It should be eaten with nut butter, cheese or butter. I've been giving her these rice cakes like crazy because it was one thing she would eat. I didn't now about the simple carbs. See, that's what you have to be careful about. You might find something that appears to be acceptable, but when you delve into this deeper and deeper, those acceptable items turn into the unacceptable. Thank goodness, by accident, I occasionally put some soy nut butter (non gmo) on the rice cakes. I'm still getting conflicting information on cheese. Some books say yes, and some say no.
For breakfast this morning, Jeannette had 4 cinnamon rolls and a slice of turkey bacon. I didn't give her the mulit-vitamin this morning because of the diflucan she's now taking. The label specifically states that no medication should be taken within 2 hours of taking the multi-vitamin. Ugh!! It's so hard to keep up with all the rules.
I can't remember if I mentioned this before because it's hard to keep track on a daily basis, but I've had to create a spreadsheet for us to follow. We list the supplement, then the days of the week. Each day has 3 tabs to indicate breakfast, after school, and dinner. When she takes the supplement, we make sure to put a check mark next to the time of day, so that if one of us isn't around, then they'll know what's left to give her. It's worked out so far.
For todays lunch, she had brown rice pasta, parmesan cheese, strawberries, and chocolate coconut milk. For snack at school she had popcorn and a rice cake. After school Jeannette had her yogurt with the probiotic. Today after school, my son had a birthday party to go to. When we went to pick him up, they were in the middle of eating birthday cake. She was upset about it because she knew that she couldn't eat the cake. She sat on my lap and almost cried. It broke my heart. When we came home, my son went down the street to play with this birthday boy. After dinner, they were going to be making smores and Jarod asked if it was okay if he went. I allowed it, but that stirred up some jealousy from Jeannette. She was upset that she couldn't have smores. So to compensate, I told her we would make up our own version here. After dinner, which was leftover chinese food. I made sure she tried everything again. She ate a few pieces of chicken, tried the broccoli and still didn't like it, brown rice and the supplement shake.
I also have to get over the mentality that my kids will starve. They won't starve. I just have to control myself as well to not buy the chips and crackers and junk. Chips are my downfall along with chocolate. Jarod likes chips as much as I do, and the best chips are those that end in o's: cheetos, doritos, tostitos, fritos. Yumm-o! I know all these changes are for the best. I know it's not going to happen overnight, and it makes it harder for me because I'm so impatient. I like instantaneous results.
The other problem is that we still have all this other food in the house. I have a hard time just throwing it away, so I've been eating it. Yuck!! So what did I do? I sent all the foods that Jeannette can't eat anymore to my adopted family in Mississippi. I sent them mac n cheese, soups, crackers, cookies, graham crackers, chocolate bars, m&m's, and more. This mom has a family of 5 to feed and I'd rather them get it then it go into a landfill. It's kind of a double standard though. If these foods aren't good enough for us, why would they be good enough for them? Well, Jeannette can't eat any of the ingredients listed on any of these foods. It's like treating this as if she has a food allergy. The adopted family doesn't have any allergies.
To end the evening, while my son was down at the neighbors house, I put together a scoop of coconut milk ice cream (non-dairy), crushed up the sugar free/low carb chocolate bar (Doctor's carbRite Diet SugarFree Bar) and sprinkled that on top of the ice cream. That was our version of a smore. Her face just beamed when she ate it. She was happy.
This morning I was rereading some notes that the nutritionist gave me. It said that rice cakes were acceptable, but because it's a simple carb it shouldn't be eaten plain. It should be eaten with nut butter, cheese or butter. I've been giving her these rice cakes like crazy because it was one thing she would eat. I didn't now about the simple carbs. See, that's what you have to be careful about. You might find something that appears to be acceptable, but when you delve into this deeper and deeper, those acceptable items turn into the unacceptable. Thank goodness, by accident, I occasionally put some soy nut butter (non gmo) on the rice cakes. I'm still getting conflicting information on cheese. Some books say yes, and some say no.
For breakfast this morning, Jeannette had 4 cinnamon rolls and a slice of turkey bacon. I didn't give her the mulit-vitamin this morning because of the diflucan she's now taking. The label specifically states that no medication should be taken within 2 hours of taking the multi-vitamin. Ugh!! It's so hard to keep up with all the rules.
I can't remember if I mentioned this before because it's hard to keep track on a daily basis, but I've had to create a spreadsheet for us to follow. We list the supplement, then the days of the week. Each day has 3 tabs to indicate breakfast, after school, and dinner. When she takes the supplement, we make sure to put a check mark next to the time of day, so that if one of us isn't around, then they'll know what's left to give her. It's worked out so far.
For todays lunch, she had brown rice pasta, parmesan cheese, strawberries, and chocolate coconut milk. For snack at school she had popcorn and a rice cake. After school Jeannette had her yogurt with the probiotic. Today after school, my son had a birthday party to go to. When we went to pick him up, they were in the middle of eating birthday cake. She was upset about it because she knew that she couldn't eat the cake. She sat on my lap and almost cried. It broke my heart. When we came home, my son went down the street to play with this birthday boy. After dinner, they were going to be making smores and Jarod asked if it was okay if he went. I allowed it, but that stirred up some jealousy from Jeannette. She was upset that she couldn't have smores. So to compensate, I told her we would make up our own version here. After dinner, which was leftover chinese food. I made sure she tried everything again. She ate a few pieces of chicken, tried the broccoli and still didn't like it, brown rice and the supplement shake.
I also have to get over the mentality that my kids will starve. They won't starve. I just have to control myself as well to not buy the chips and crackers and junk. Chips are my downfall along with chocolate. Jarod likes chips as much as I do, and the best chips are those that end in o's: cheetos, doritos, tostitos, fritos. Yumm-o! I know all these changes are for the best. I know it's not going to happen overnight, and it makes it harder for me because I'm so impatient. I like instantaneous results.
The other problem is that we still have all this other food in the house. I have a hard time just throwing it away, so I've been eating it. Yuck!! So what did I do? I sent all the foods that Jeannette can't eat anymore to my adopted family in Mississippi. I sent them mac n cheese, soups, crackers, cookies, graham crackers, chocolate bars, m&m's, and more. This mom has a family of 5 to feed and I'd rather them get it then it go into a landfill. It's kind of a double standard though. If these foods aren't good enough for us, why would they be good enough for them? Well, Jeannette can't eat any of the ingredients listed on any of these foods. It's like treating this as if she has a food allergy. The adopted family doesn't have any allergies.
To end the evening, while my son was down at the neighbors house, I put together a scoop of coconut milk ice cream (non-dairy), crushed up the sugar free/low carb chocolate bar (Doctor's carbRite Diet SugarFree Bar) and sprinkled that on top of the ice cream. That was our version of a smore. Her face just beamed when she ate it. She was happy.
Week 4 - Day 4
(May 4, 2011)
Did you know that when food goes undigested, the particles create toxic byproducts that irritate the intestinal wall? The toxins can then cross the mucosal lining, where they enter into the bloodstream. In addition, the undigested food particles produce fermentation, which fuels fungal overgrowth and the proliferation of bacteria and parasites. - The Candida Cure, Ann Boroch
I never really thought about digestion before. I really take the human body for granted. It's this machine with all these intricate parts that rely on one another to keep you healthy. I just ate what I wanted, did care what it was and let my body do the rest. Little did I realize, the food that goes into my body, makes a HUGE difference. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sitting back and eating hamburgers, steaks and pasta all the time. I do put some healthy fruits and vegetables into my system. I do it because I know those are good for me. But I'm so much more aware of why those fruits and vegetables are so good for my body. When I read about how the body digests the food and what those foods do to the body, really puts things into perspective for me. It makes me want my family to eat better and start taking better care of ourselves.
Breakfast was brown rice cereal. She's taking this liquid multi-vitamin and she's supposed to drink 8 oz of water afterwards. It's so hard to get her to drink the water. She's so pokey in the morning as it is, this just adds to it. She's still taking the vitamin C tablets, but I'm now finding them in random places. I'll hand them to her to take and she'll lay them down on the coffee table, on her car seat in the car, in the bathroom lying on the sink. I gather she isn't liking these to much. Maybe she's getting tired of the flavor.
For lunch today I packed 2 rice cakes with soy nut butter, some carob chips in case she wanted to sprinkle them on top, strawberries, and chocolate coconut milk. For snack she had dried apples and another rice cake. I'm just excited that I can add strawberries back into her diet. While she was at school, I made another batch of the Chebe cinnamon rolls. I also made another batch of the homemade crackers but this time I used cinnamon and truvia instead of the salt. When she got home, she tried the crackers. She said she liked them alright, but didn't want anymore than the one she ate. Hmmm! She instead had a yogurt with her probiotic in it.
Tonight for dinner I made a recipe from Sheryl Crow's new cookbook. It's Pecan-crusted trout with edamame succotash (recipe below). I didn't have trout, so I used tilapia and it worked just fine. I also switched the all-purpose flour and used brown rice flour. Instead of the milk, I used soy milk. Instead of canola oil, I used olive oil. We made a salad with lettuce picked from our garden. I love fresh lettuce. It's so much better than store bought. The kids tried the salad, but again, they didn't like it. Both kids tried the fish too. My son said he didn't like it and politely excused himself from the table. Jeannette tried it and was sort of wishy washy about it. She said the fish was good, but she only liked the pieces that had all the breading on it.
I still had brownies that I made from awhile ago and told her that I was going to throw them away. I told her that I would make her a new batch. She said she wanted to try one more before I threw them away. I said that she had to finish her fish if she wanted the brownie. She said that she would eat 7 bites because that's how old she is. Sounded fair to me. While she was finishing her 5th bite, I asked if she liked it. She gave me a thumbs up and said she like it. I was so excited I could hardly stand it. Then I asked her again, do you really like it, or are you just saying that." She said, "I don't really like it. I jsut said I liked it so I could eat my brownie." Well at least she's honest. It couldn't have been all that bad if she ate all those pieces. She did get her brownie which made her happy. I still threw the rest away. She finished up by having her supplement shake.
Pecan-crusted trout with edamame succotash - Sheryl Crow
For the trout:
1/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour (used brown rice flour)
1/2 t garlic powder
1 large egg
1 1/2 T milk (used soy milk)
1 C chopped pecans
4 4-5oz. skin-on trout fillets
2 T canola oil, preferably expeller-pressed
For the edamame succotash:
2 t canola oil, preferably expeller-pressed
1/4 C diced red bell pepper
1/4 C diced red onion
2 t chopped garlic
1 C roasted corn
1 C frozen shelled edamame
2 T cooked, chopped nitrate-free smart bacon or organic bacon
1/4 C dry white wine
1/4 C seeded and diced fresh Roma tomatoes
1 T soy butter or unsalted butter (used non-dairy butter - Earth's balance)
1 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 F
For the trout:
In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, seasoning, and garlic powder. In a second dish, whisk together the egg and milk. Put the pecans in a third dish or plate.
Coat the side of a fillet without the skin with the flour and then with the egg wash. Press it gently into the pecans to coat thoroughly. Repeat with the remaining trout fillets, so that all 4 are coated on the side without skin.
In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat and when hot, sear the trout, skin side up, for 2 minutes. Turn the fish fillets gently with a spatula and sear the skin side for 2 minutes onger. Transfer the fillets to a lightly oiled baking sheet or shallow pan and bake for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
For the edamame succotash:
In a large saute pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. When hot, saute the bell pepper, onion, and garlic until softened, 3-4 minutes. stir in the corn, edamame, and bacon and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.
Pour the wine into the pan and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom to loosen any sticking vegetables. Add the tomatoes and cook until warmed through. Add the butter and let it melt. Stir in the parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 4
Expeller pressed canola oil is oil that has been pressed mechanically. According to amazingfoodcompany.com, expeller pressed oil is pressed from the seed using a combination of heat and friction. This is an ideal alternative to using chemical solvents to extract oil. It allows for a healthier result with no solvent remaining in the finished product.
Did you know that when food goes undigested, the particles create toxic byproducts that irritate the intestinal wall? The toxins can then cross the mucosal lining, where they enter into the bloodstream. In addition, the undigested food particles produce fermentation, which fuels fungal overgrowth and the proliferation of bacteria and parasites. - The Candida Cure, Ann Boroch
I never really thought about digestion before. I really take the human body for granted. It's this machine with all these intricate parts that rely on one another to keep you healthy. I just ate what I wanted, did care what it was and let my body do the rest. Little did I realize, the food that goes into my body, makes a HUGE difference. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sitting back and eating hamburgers, steaks and pasta all the time. I do put some healthy fruits and vegetables into my system. I do it because I know those are good for me. But I'm so much more aware of why those fruits and vegetables are so good for my body. When I read about how the body digests the food and what those foods do to the body, really puts things into perspective for me. It makes me want my family to eat better and start taking better care of ourselves.
Breakfast was brown rice cereal. She's taking this liquid multi-vitamin and she's supposed to drink 8 oz of water afterwards. It's so hard to get her to drink the water. She's so pokey in the morning as it is, this just adds to it. She's still taking the vitamin C tablets, but I'm now finding them in random places. I'll hand them to her to take and she'll lay them down on the coffee table, on her car seat in the car, in the bathroom lying on the sink. I gather she isn't liking these to much. Maybe she's getting tired of the flavor.
For lunch today I packed 2 rice cakes with soy nut butter, some carob chips in case she wanted to sprinkle them on top, strawberries, and chocolate coconut milk. For snack she had dried apples and another rice cake. I'm just excited that I can add strawberries back into her diet. While she was at school, I made another batch of the Chebe cinnamon rolls. I also made another batch of the homemade crackers but this time I used cinnamon and truvia instead of the salt. When she got home, she tried the crackers. She said she liked them alright, but didn't want anymore than the one she ate. Hmmm! She instead had a yogurt with her probiotic in it.
Tonight for dinner I made a recipe from Sheryl Crow's new cookbook. It's Pecan-crusted trout with edamame succotash (recipe below). I didn't have trout, so I used tilapia and it worked just fine. I also switched the all-purpose flour and used brown rice flour. Instead of the milk, I used soy milk. Instead of canola oil, I used olive oil. We made a salad with lettuce picked from our garden. I love fresh lettuce. It's so much better than store bought. The kids tried the salad, but again, they didn't like it. Both kids tried the fish too. My son said he didn't like it and politely excused himself from the table. Jeannette tried it and was sort of wishy washy about it. She said the fish was good, but she only liked the pieces that had all the breading on it.
I still had brownies that I made from awhile ago and told her that I was going to throw them away. I told her that I would make her a new batch. She said she wanted to try one more before I threw them away. I said that she had to finish her fish if she wanted the brownie. She said that she would eat 7 bites because that's how old she is. Sounded fair to me. While she was finishing her 5th bite, I asked if she liked it. She gave me a thumbs up and said she like it. I was so excited I could hardly stand it. Then I asked her again, do you really like it, or are you just saying that." She said, "I don't really like it. I jsut said I liked it so I could eat my brownie." Well at least she's honest. It couldn't have been all that bad if she ate all those pieces. She did get her brownie which made her happy. I still threw the rest away. She finished up by having her supplement shake.
Pecan-crusted trout with edamame succotash - Sheryl Crow
For the trout:
1/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour (used brown rice flour)
1/2 t garlic powder
1 large egg
1 1/2 T milk (used soy milk)
1 C chopped pecans
4 4-5oz. skin-on trout fillets
2 T canola oil, preferably expeller-pressed
For the edamame succotash:
2 t canola oil, preferably expeller-pressed
1/4 C diced red bell pepper
1/4 C diced red onion
2 t chopped garlic
1 C roasted corn
1 C frozen shelled edamame
2 T cooked, chopped nitrate-free smart bacon or organic bacon
1/4 C dry white wine
1/4 C seeded and diced fresh Roma tomatoes
1 T soy butter or unsalted butter (used non-dairy butter - Earth's balance)
1 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 F
For the trout:
In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, seasoning, and garlic powder. In a second dish, whisk together the egg and milk. Put the pecans in a third dish or plate.
Coat the side of a fillet without the skin with the flour and then with the egg wash. Press it gently into the pecans to coat thoroughly. Repeat with the remaining trout fillets, so that all 4 are coated on the side without skin.
In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat and when hot, sear the trout, skin side up, for 2 minutes. Turn the fish fillets gently with a spatula and sear the skin side for 2 minutes onger. Transfer the fillets to a lightly oiled baking sheet or shallow pan and bake for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
For the edamame succotash:
In a large saute pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. When hot, saute the bell pepper, onion, and garlic until softened, 3-4 minutes. stir in the corn, edamame, and bacon and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.
Pour the wine into the pan and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom to loosen any sticking vegetables. Add the tomatoes and cook until warmed through. Add the butter and let it melt. Stir in the parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 4
Expeller pressed canola oil is oil that has been pressed mechanically. According to amazingfoodcompany.com, expeller pressed oil is pressed from the seed using a combination of heat and friction. This is an ideal alternative to using chemical solvents to extract oil. It allows for a healthier result with no solvent remaining in the finished product.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Week 4 - Day 3
(May 3, 2011)
Based on Ann Boroch's book, The Candida Cure, she says that the digestive system is the most overlooked system in the body. Did you know that 75% of the immune systems's cells are produced in the digestive tract? I did not. And that "an imbalance in the system - comprised of the mouth, salivary glands, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and small and large intestines - is responsible for the onset of the majority of health condiyions and chronic progressive diseases plaguing Americans?" I did not. It goes on to say that "scientists tell us that there are ten times more bacterial cells living inside the gastrointestinal tract, the stomach, and intestines than there are human cells in the entire body."
"A balanced ecosystem in the GI tract has a ratio of 85% healthy microorganisms to 15% unhealthy ones." Diets based on non nutritional foods filled with chemicals and preservatives upset this ratio and can "create maldigestion, malabsorption, intestinal dysbiosis, and elimination problems." What's more bothersome is that they also affect other systems of the body, including the immune system. No wonder why my daughter is always getting sick. Her immune system is completely compromised. It's that vicious cycle.
I'm not even going to type what I made for my daughter for food today. It's just the same old thing. It's getting so old. I'm so over it!!! Does she seem to care? No. The repetitiveness of the food doesn't seem to bother her as much as it bothers me. Tonight for dinner I picked up some Chinese Food. My son seems to love egg drop soup lately. I got chicken and broccoli and egg drop soup. I made her try everything. She liked the soup okay. She didn't like the chicken or the broccoli, but ate 2 small pieces of the chicken. Whop de do. She was still hungry, so I just have her some more of the leftover meatloaf from the other night. We ran out of the homemade ketchup, so I reverted back to the original. Although it doesn't have the high fructose corn syrup, it still has sugar. I just made sure that she didn't have too much of it. As usual, she had her supplemental shake. I don't know how she can drink that.
Based on Ann Boroch's book, The Candida Cure, she says that the digestive system is the most overlooked system in the body. Did you know that 75% of the immune systems's cells are produced in the digestive tract? I did not. And that "an imbalance in the system - comprised of the mouth, salivary glands, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and small and large intestines - is responsible for the onset of the majority of health condiyions and chronic progressive diseases plaguing Americans?" I did not. It goes on to say that "scientists tell us that there are ten times more bacterial cells living inside the gastrointestinal tract, the stomach, and intestines than there are human cells in the entire body."
"A balanced ecosystem in the GI tract has a ratio of 85% healthy microorganisms to 15% unhealthy ones." Diets based on non nutritional foods filled with chemicals and preservatives upset this ratio and can "create maldigestion, malabsorption, intestinal dysbiosis, and elimination problems." What's more bothersome is that they also affect other systems of the body, including the immune system. No wonder why my daughter is always getting sick. Her immune system is completely compromised. It's that vicious cycle.
I'm not even going to type what I made for my daughter for food today. It's just the same old thing. It's getting so old. I'm so over it!!! Does she seem to care? No. The repetitiveness of the food doesn't seem to bother her as much as it bothers me. Tonight for dinner I picked up some Chinese Food. My son seems to love egg drop soup lately. I got chicken and broccoli and egg drop soup. I made her try everything. She liked the soup okay. She didn't like the chicken or the broccoli, but ate 2 small pieces of the chicken. Whop de do. She was still hungry, so I just have her some more of the leftover meatloaf from the other night. We ran out of the homemade ketchup, so I reverted back to the original. Although it doesn't have the high fructose corn syrup, it still has sugar. I just made sure that she didn't have too much of it. As usual, she had her supplemental shake. I don't know how she can drink that.
Week 4 - Day 2
(May 2, 2011)
I've been reading The Candida Cure book and really getting a wealth of information from it. It's so fascinating yet educational at the same time. One thing that struck me today when reading was how naive the medical community is in regards to intestinal and systemic candidiasis as a health condition. That's a broad statement, but it took me 5 doctors to finally find one that even did a urine yeast culture. When I went to the pediatricians office for Jeannette's physical, the doctor said she wasn't surprised considering the amount of antibiotics she'd been on. Well, if she wasn't surprised, then why didn't she take that into consideration a long time ago and save my family a lot of heartache? I'm not saying that the Candida is the end all diagnosis to my daughters problems, but it sure would have been nice to have found out awhile ago.
I also came upon the section of the book where it provides a list of questions to determine if it's a possibility that I could have Candida. I'm afraid to answer the questions as I'm quite sure I know the outcome. Some weird symptoms that I've had would lead me to believe that I could have it too. Now this questionnaire won't provide and automatic yes or no. "This questionnaire, developed by William G. Crook, M.D, lists factors in our medical history that promote the growth of Candida albicans as well as symptoms commonly found in individuals with yeast-connected illness."
This morning Jeannette's breakfast consisted of brown rice cereal and the leftover smoothie from yesterday. For lunch I packed her cinnamon toast/truvia, strawberries, and chocolate coconut milk. For snack she had 2 rice cakes. Are we seeing a pattern here? The same thing after 4 weeks. This is so ridiculous. I need help!!!!! When Jeannette came home today, I decided to give her the yogurt with the probiotic in it then. I thought this would be another way to get in another dose of her probiotic. The second dose I can put in her shake. The nutritionist said that she should be taking the probiotic at least twice daily while she's on the Diflucan. Again, the yogurt is not the first choice, but I'm working with what I can do right now.
For dinner, she had leftover meatloaf, leftover strawberries from lunch which she never finished and her shake. Tonight I put in chlorella, tru fiber, probiotic, and all the rest of the supplements she's taking. The color was a disgusting brownish color because of the chlorella, but she still drank it. The chlorella is supposed to detoxify your body, boost your immune system and increase your energy. The tru fiber is an alternative to the miralax and is supposed to help with her constipation. We'll see.
Tonight something funny happened to Jeannette. Prior to dinner my husband was doing a tick check of her head. Now that it's getting nice outside and the kids are out playing more, and the fact that Loudoun County ranks the highest for lyme's disease, I didn't want to take any chances. Anyway, her scalp was pink in several spots. It wasn't in one spot, but there were random dots of pink throughout her scalp. I kept thinking that this could be an allergic reaction to one of the supplements that we're giving her. I was starting to freak out a bit. I kept thinking that we're going to have to take her off of the supplements and then reintroduce them to her one at a time to see if he body reacts. I wasn't going to be surprised of this if it was the case considering all that she is taking. Well, she showered and sure enough the pink spots were gone. We asked her about it prior to her showering and she just clammed up and didn't say anything, so we had nothing to go on. We finally got the true story. Her and a friend were upstairs playing in her mother's bathroom when they found a can of colored hair spray. They decided to take it upon themselves to spray paint their hair pink. When the father found out what they had done, they tried to wash it out themselves. Jeannette missed a few spots. I got a big laugh out of it once I found out the true story, but here I was panicking because I thought it was all these medications. You just never know!
I've been reading The Candida Cure book and really getting a wealth of information from it. It's so fascinating yet educational at the same time. One thing that struck me today when reading was how naive the medical community is in regards to intestinal and systemic candidiasis as a health condition. That's a broad statement, but it took me 5 doctors to finally find one that even did a urine yeast culture. When I went to the pediatricians office for Jeannette's physical, the doctor said she wasn't surprised considering the amount of antibiotics she'd been on. Well, if she wasn't surprised, then why didn't she take that into consideration a long time ago and save my family a lot of heartache? I'm not saying that the Candida is the end all diagnosis to my daughters problems, but it sure would have been nice to have found out awhile ago.
I also came upon the section of the book where it provides a list of questions to determine if it's a possibility that I could have Candida. I'm afraid to answer the questions as I'm quite sure I know the outcome. Some weird symptoms that I've had would lead me to believe that I could have it too. Now this questionnaire won't provide and automatic yes or no. "This questionnaire, developed by William G. Crook, M.D, lists factors in our medical history that promote the growth of Candida albicans as well as symptoms commonly found in individuals with yeast-connected illness."
This morning Jeannette's breakfast consisted of brown rice cereal and the leftover smoothie from yesterday. For lunch I packed her cinnamon toast/truvia, strawberries, and chocolate coconut milk. For snack she had 2 rice cakes. Are we seeing a pattern here? The same thing after 4 weeks. This is so ridiculous. I need help!!!!! When Jeannette came home today, I decided to give her the yogurt with the probiotic in it then. I thought this would be another way to get in another dose of her probiotic. The second dose I can put in her shake. The nutritionist said that she should be taking the probiotic at least twice daily while she's on the Diflucan. Again, the yogurt is not the first choice, but I'm working with what I can do right now.
For dinner, she had leftover meatloaf, leftover strawberries from lunch which she never finished and her shake. Tonight I put in chlorella, tru fiber, probiotic, and all the rest of the supplements she's taking. The color was a disgusting brownish color because of the chlorella, but she still drank it. The chlorella is supposed to detoxify your body, boost your immune system and increase your energy. The tru fiber is an alternative to the miralax and is supposed to help with her constipation. We'll see.
Tonight something funny happened to Jeannette. Prior to dinner my husband was doing a tick check of her head. Now that it's getting nice outside and the kids are out playing more, and the fact that Loudoun County ranks the highest for lyme's disease, I didn't want to take any chances. Anyway, her scalp was pink in several spots. It wasn't in one spot, but there were random dots of pink throughout her scalp. I kept thinking that this could be an allergic reaction to one of the supplements that we're giving her. I was starting to freak out a bit. I kept thinking that we're going to have to take her off of the supplements and then reintroduce them to her one at a time to see if he body reacts. I wasn't going to be surprised of this if it was the case considering all that she is taking. Well, she showered and sure enough the pink spots were gone. We asked her about it prior to her showering and she just clammed up and didn't say anything, so we had nothing to go on. We finally got the true story. Her and a friend were upstairs playing in her mother's bathroom when they found a can of colored hair spray. They decided to take it upon themselves to spray paint their hair pink. When the father found out what they had done, they tried to wash it out themselves. Jeannette missed a few spots. I got a big laugh out of it once I found out the true story, but here I was panicking because I thought it was all these medications. You just never know!
Week 4 - Day 1
(May 1, 2011)
What are mycotoxins? "Mycotoxins are neurotoxins that destroy and decompose tissues and organs." They are so powerful that they damage and destroy neurons, are carcinogenic, and more. These yeast toxins confuse body systems. "One of the major toxins produced from Candida is acetaldehyde, which is transformed by the liver into ethanol, creating feelings of intoxication, brain fog, vertigo, and a loss of equilibrium." - The Candida Cure, Ann Boroch
This morning, Jeannette had brown rice cereal and turkey bacon. I'd never made turkey bacon before, but read that it's supposed to be healthier. It doesn't cook up as much as regular bacon and it's a little tougher to eat. It's a little chewier too. She didn't seem to mind though.
I attempted to make a lemon cake today. I found this recipe on-line. It was called delectable lemon cake. It was not so delectable. It was really lemony and it tasted like cardboard. I ended up throwing the whole thing away. Why does everything that is yeast free have to taste so bland? I had high hopes for this cake. I really wanted something that she could enjoy that would satisfy the sweet tooth. I just don't think that exists on this diet. The mommy guilt was kicking in because I feel like I'm depriving her. I have to get past that mentality. She is fine, she's doing fine, and she will be fine. This is all for the better. I have to keep telling myself that.
For lunch, we made scrambled eggs and omelets. I was told that eggs should be eaten every 3 - 4 days. She also had some turkey bacon from this morning. I also made her a strawberry smoothie. I wanted to reintroduce strawberries back into her diet. She's been on this for 3 full weeks now, going into our 4th week. I've read different things. Some books say fruit can be introduced after 2 weeks and other books say after 4 weeks. So I went in between. So in the smoothie I put strawberries, kale, tru fiber powder, hemp milk, and greek strawberry yogurt. When she started to drink it she said, "what are those green things in there?" I just smiled and asked her to try it. She said, "I'm not going to try it until you tell me what those green things are." I said, "I'm not going to tell you until you try it." She took a sip and I told her that it was kale. She was skeptical at first, but after a few sips she said she liked it. She then says to me, "Are the green things the secret?" I said yes. She had seen me put it into one of my son's smoothies. I'm trying every way I can to get in some "green" foods that are high on the nutrient density chart. And if this is one way to sneak it in, then so be it.
Tonight I made quinoa meatloaf. It was another recipe I found on-line. I also made mashed cauliflower, a salad, and sliced cucumbers. She tried everything and didn't like any of it. She made a mess of the meatloaf by pushing around the pieces into her homemade ketchup. Dinner was a complete failure. I thought the meatloaf was edible, but a little too heavy on the herbs. I'll have to try a different recipe.
What are mycotoxins? "Mycotoxins are neurotoxins that destroy and decompose tissues and organs." They are so powerful that they damage and destroy neurons, are carcinogenic, and more. These yeast toxins confuse body systems. "One of the major toxins produced from Candida is acetaldehyde, which is transformed by the liver into ethanol, creating feelings of intoxication, brain fog, vertigo, and a loss of equilibrium." - The Candida Cure, Ann Boroch
This morning, Jeannette had brown rice cereal and turkey bacon. I'd never made turkey bacon before, but read that it's supposed to be healthier. It doesn't cook up as much as regular bacon and it's a little tougher to eat. It's a little chewier too. She didn't seem to mind though.
I attempted to make a lemon cake today. I found this recipe on-line. It was called delectable lemon cake. It was not so delectable. It was really lemony and it tasted like cardboard. I ended up throwing the whole thing away. Why does everything that is yeast free have to taste so bland? I had high hopes for this cake. I really wanted something that she could enjoy that would satisfy the sweet tooth. I just don't think that exists on this diet. The mommy guilt was kicking in because I feel like I'm depriving her. I have to get past that mentality. She is fine, she's doing fine, and she will be fine. This is all for the better. I have to keep telling myself that.
For lunch, we made scrambled eggs and omelets. I was told that eggs should be eaten every 3 - 4 days. She also had some turkey bacon from this morning. I also made her a strawberry smoothie. I wanted to reintroduce strawberries back into her diet. She's been on this for 3 full weeks now, going into our 4th week. I've read different things. Some books say fruit can be introduced after 2 weeks and other books say after 4 weeks. So I went in between. So in the smoothie I put strawberries, kale, tru fiber powder, hemp milk, and greek strawberry yogurt. When she started to drink it she said, "what are those green things in there?" I just smiled and asked her to try it. She said, "I'm not going to try it until you tell me what those green things are." I said, "I'm not going to tell you until you try it." She took a sip and I told her that it was kale. She was skeptical at first, but after a few sips she said she liked it. She then says to me, "Are the green things the secret?" I said yes. She had seen me put it into one of my son's smoothies. I'm trying every way I can to get in some "green" foods that are high on the nutrient density chart. And if this is one way to sneak it in, then so be it.
Tonight I made quinoa meatloaf. It was another recipe I found on-line. I also made mashed cauliflower, a salad, and sliced cucumbers. She tried everything and didn't like any of it. She made a mess of the meatloaf by pushing around the pieces into her homemade ketchup. Dinner was a complete failure. I thought the meatloaf was edible, but a little too heavy on the herbs. I'll have to try a different recipe.
Week 3 - Day 7
(Apr. 30, 2011)
It only takes one dose of antibiotics to raise your yeast and create imbalance in your body. This is where the vicious cycle occurs.
Infection - antibiotic - wipes out good and bad bacteria - candida multiplies - yeast mycotoxins take over the body as yeast multiplies - weakens the immune system - back to Infection.
Even though antibiotics to save thousands of lives, the fact is, Americans use too many antibiotics. We have overprescribed medications and now the overuse has created "super germs" that are resistant to common antibiotics, so germs that could once be killed off have now become life threatening.
"The Candida Cure" - by Ann Boroch
This is what has happened over and over again with my daughter. It's a vicious cycle that her body is have a hard time breaking.
We started out with breakfast with cinnamon rolls. Jeannette was going over to a girlfriends house after an activity so I had to get her lunch and snacks ready. Actually, I was asked by the mom if she could take the girls to McDonald's for lunch after their game and I had to tell her that Jeannette is on a very restrictive diet and that she won't be able to eat McDonald's. I explained to her that Jeannette has this yeast overgrowth, possibly due to the amount of antibiotics that she's been exposed to for the past 3 years. She said she totally understood and that she herself has certain food limitations and has to be very careful with what she eats. She was very familiar with the Candida diet. She followed it for awhile and is not following a gluten-free diet. She said that on the rare occasion that she does have something very sugary, she doesn't feel very well 24-48 hours afterwards.
I was surprised and relieved at the same time to find someone who completely understands where I'm coming from. It's amazing what you'll learn if you just talk to people about it. I gained a great bit of information from this woman today. She gave me great snack ideas and she even created a new way to eat Jeannette's rice cakes to make it more fun. I get so caught up in all of this, that I loose sight of fun. What is that? Because this diet certainly hasn't been fun.
So while Jeannette was at her friends house, I packed her some rice cakes, soy nut butter, chocolate coconut milk, popcorn and carob chips. To make her rice cakes more fun, she spread the soy nut butter on the cake and then she sprinkled the carob chips on top of it. Jeannette loved it!
For dinner the kids had brown rice pasta with non-dairy butter and parmesan cheese. She also had a yogurt with the probiotic. They made popcorn later. My son, who really has been very supportive, helped make her popcorn and used her non-dairy butter.
It only takes one dose of antibiotics to raise your yeast and create imbalance in your body. This is where the vicious cycle occurs.
Infection - antibiotic - wipes out good and bad bacteria - candida multiplies - yeast mycotoxins take over the body as yeast multiplies - weakens the immune system - back to Infection.
Even though antibiotics to save thousands of lives, the fact is, Americans use too many antibiotics. We have overprescribed medications and now the overuse has created "super germs" that are resistant to common antibiotics, so germs that could once be killed off have now become life threatening.
"The Candida Cure" - by Ann Boroch
This is what has happened over and over again with my daughter. It's a vicious cycle that her body is have a hard time breaking.
We started out with breakfast with cinnamon rolls. Jeannette was going over to a girlfriends house after an activity so I had to get her lunch and snacks ready. Actually, I was asked by the mom if she could take the girls to McDonald's for lunch after their game and I had to tell her that Jeannette is on a very restrictive diet and that she won't be able to eat McDonald's. I explained to her that Jeannette has this yeast overgrowth, possibly due to the amount of antibiotics that she's been exposed to for the past 3 years. She said she totally understood and that she herself has certain food limitations and has to be very careful with what she eats. She was very familiar with the Candida diet. She followed it for awhile and is not following a gluten-free diet. She said that on the rare occasion that she does have something very sugary, she doesn't feel very well 24-48 hours afterwards.
I was surprised and relieved at the same time to find someone who completely understands where I'm coming from. It's amazing what you'll learn if you just talk to people about it. I gained a great bit of information from this woman today. She gave me great snack ideas and she even created a new way to eat Jeannette's rice cakes to make it more fun. I get so caught up in all of this, that I loose sight of fun. What is that? Because this diet certainly hasn't been fun.
So while Jeannette was at her friends house, I packed her some rice cakes, soy nut butter, chocolate coconut milk, popcorn and carob chips. To make her rice cakes more fun, she spread the soy nut butter on the cake and then she sprinkled the carob chips on top of it. Jeannette loved it!
For dinner the kids had brown rice pasta with non-dairy butter and parmesan cheese. She also had a yogurt with the probiotic. They made popcorn later. My son, who really has been very supportive, helped make her popcorn and used her non-dairy butter.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Week 3 - Day 6
(Apr. 29, 2011)
Today the world watched The Royal Wedding. It was such a momentous occasion.
This morning for breakfast, I wish I could have done something British like scones or something, but alas, I could not. So we did our standard breakfast of cinnamon rolls. For lunch I made her cinnamon toast with truvia, 1 slice of bacon, and chocolate coconut milk. I was telling Jeannette this morning before she left for school that soon we'll be able to reintroduce fruit back into her diet. I told her that she'll be able to eat strawberries and raspberries again. She said, "no thank you." I looked at her and asked, "why not thank you? Don't you want to eat those again? You liked them before and that will allow you more variety." She said, "No. I don't want them." I said, "why, because you like what you're eating now?" She said, "Yes!" Wow! That shocked me. I couldn't believe it. Here I was getting excited about having more variety in her diet and being able to have more options, and she doesn't even really care. I guess I have to take that as a good thing.
Today on the way home from work, I was listening to another one of my favorite podcasts, The Meal Makeover Mom's. They take unhealthy meals and make them family friendly, yet healthy. Since I've been on this new road of healthy eating, I find their blog and podcasts to be extremely helpful. They are both registered dietitians with two kids and really have some yummy meal ideas that I can't wait to try. Today's podcast they were interviewing a woman who has dedicated her life to helping kids eat healthier. She has a web-site called Super Kids Nutrition. There are activities on the site that are educational and teach you and your kids about nutritious eating and making nutrition fun. The subject of today's podcast was "Eating the Rainbow." How does one do that? It's simple. You try eating a variety of colors that provide healthy foods to your kids. The importance of eating a colorful diet comes from all the different phytochemicals that provide additional benefits outside of your antioxidants and we all need those different colors because they act in different ways. These phytochemicals can help "fight" off viruses and bacterias. They help keep us at a healthy weight.
Another fun thing on her web-site are the super crew kids. They are cartoon characters kids who help motivate kids to eat a colorful diet. For example; Penny gets her power from purple foods. When she eats these foods she can run at super speeds. Abigail gets her super powers when she eats all sorts of colors from fruits and vegetables. When she eats carrots, she can see around corners. Blueberries can make her super smart. The educational tools on the site are also very helpful. They teach kids math and science and even teachers can incorporate these tools into their daily curriculum while teaching kids proper nutrition. It really is a great web-site for kids of all ages. I highly recommend it to be checked out.
I forgot, along with all the other supplements that Jeannette is taking, she started taking a liquid multi-vitamin today. What's complicated about this one is that there are so many instructions on how to take it. I has to be taken twice a day. It has to be before breakfast, 1/2 capful, and then afterwards it has to be followed 8 oz. of non-chlorinated, spring water. After it's taken, no OTC medicines can be taken within 2 hours of taking this. Then in the evening, it needs to be taken before 6pm. How in the heck am I supposed to administer this with everything else she is taking? The one advantage to this multi-vitamin is that it doesn't have all those artificial flavorings. It's better for her than the generic multi-vitmain from Target or even the Flinstone vitamins for that matter. It's called IntraKid. The second thing I started her on was Chlorella. Chlorella is another way to help with the detoxification process. It helps boost immunity, energy, focus, and improves digestion, relieves constipation, etc. I would like to think this could help with her constipation as well as help eliminate the mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium that is found in her system. Chlorella was also recommended because the nutritionist felt it was a more natural solution instead of the miralax I was using before. The only way I could think of incorporating it into her diet was to include it in her shake. So tonight, I put it in the shake. Boy! It turned the shake a horrible brownish color. It looked disgusting. I give her a lot of credit to even drink something like that. She didn't even say a word. She took a sip and asked if there was more chocolate in it and I lied and said yes. I figured that would explain the more brownish color? She said, "it's good. Better than the one daddy made last night." Phew!!!
Today the world watched The Royal Wedding. It was such a momentous occasion.
This morning for breakfast, I wish I could have done something British like scones or something, but alas, I could not. So we did our standard breakfast of cinnamon rolls. For lunch I made her cinnamon toast with truvia, 1 slice of bacon, and chocolate coconut milk. I was telling Jeannette this morning before she left for school that soon we'll be able to reintroduce fruit back into her diet. I told her that she'll be able to eat strawberries and raspberries again. She said, "no thank you." I looked at her and asked, "why not thank you? Don't you want to eat those again? You liked them before and that will allow you more variety." She said, "No. I don't want them." I said, "why, because you like what you're eating now?" She said, "Yes!" Wow! That shocked me. I couldn't believe it. Here I was getting excited about having more variety in her diet and being able to have more options, and she doesn't even really care. I guess I have to take that as a good thing.
Today on the way home from work, I was listening to another one of my favorite podcasts, The Meal Makeover Mom's. They take unhealthy meals and make them family friendly, yet healthy. Since I've been on this new road of healthy eating, I find their blog and podcasts to be extremely helpful. They are both registered dietitians with two kids and really have some yummy meal ideas that I can't wait to try. Today's podcast they were interviewing a woman who has dedicated her life to helping kids eat healthier. She has a web-site called Super Kids Nutrition. There are activities on the site that are educational and teach you and your kids about nutritious eating and making nutrition fun. The subject of today's podcast was "Eating the Rainbow." How does one do that? It's simple. You try eating a variety of colors that provide healthy foods to your kids. The importance of eating a colorful diet comes from all the different phytochemicals that provide additional benefits outside of your antioxidants and we all need those different colors because they act in different ways. These phytochemicals can help "fight" off viruses and bacterias. They help keep us at a healthy weight.
Another fun thing on her web-site are the super crew kids. They are cartoon characters kids who help motivate kids to eat a colorful diet. For example; Penny gets her power from purple foods. When she eats these foods she can run at super speeds. Abigail gets her super powers when she eats all sorts of colors from fruits and vegetables. When she eats carrots, she can see around corners. Blueberries can make her super smart. The educational tools on the site are also very helpful. They teach kids math and science and even teachers can incorporate these tools into their daily curriculum while teaching kids proper nutrition. It really is a great web-site for kids of all ages. I highly recommend it to be checked out.
I forgot, along with all the other supplements that Jeannette is taking, she started taking a liquid multi-vitamin today. What's complicated about this one is that there are so many instructions on how to take it. I has to be taken twice a day. It has to be before breakfast, 1/2 capful, and then afterwards it has to be followed 8 oz. of non-chlorinated, spring water. After it's taken, no OTC medicines can be taken within 2 hours of taking this. Then in the evening, it needs to be taken before 6pm. How in the heck am I supposed to administer this with everything else she is taking? The one advantage to this multi-vitamin is that it doesn't have all those artificial flavorings. It's better for her than the generic multi-vitmain from Target or even the Flinstone vitamins for that matter. It's called IntraKid. The second thing I started her on was Chlorella. Chlorella is another way to help with the detoxification process. It helps boost immunity, energy, focus, and improves digestion, relieves constipation, etc. I would like to think this could help with her constipation as well as help eliminate the mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium that is found in her system. Chlorella was also recommended because the nutritionist felt it was a more natural solution instead of the miralax I was using before. The only way I could think of incorporating it into her diet was to include it in her shake. So tonight, I put it in the shake. Boy! It turned the shake a horrible brownish color. It looked disgusting. I give her a lot of credit to even drink something like that. She didn't even say a word. She took a sip and asked if there was more chocolate in it and I lied and said yes. I figured that would explain the more brownish color? She said, "it's good. Better than the one daddy made last night." Phew!!!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Week 3 - Day 5
(Apr. 28, 2011)
We had HUGE rains today. Our community was completely flooded. I know this doesn't have anything to do with my daughters diet, but water in my community is a really big issue.
This morning, she had brown rice cereal; plain. For lunch I packed her brown rice and chocolate coconut milk. It's a pathetic lunch, but that's all I got. For her snack she had a rice cake and those dehydrated apples. I feel so bad for her. I know in m mind that this is the best thing for her, but it's so hard. The thing is, is it really that bad? No, because her lunches before would consist of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread, pretzels or chips and jell-o or pudding and some cookies. It's the typical 'brown bag' lunch in American schools these days.
Speaking of brown bag lunches, I was listening to this blog the other day, the manic mommies (which I LOVE. If you're a mom, you must start listening). They got onto the topic of school lunches and what the typical lunch consists of. The Chicago Little Village Academy banned lunches brought from home. I guess they were noticing that the foods that were actually being sent from home were worse than those that the schools actually served. It has caused quite a controversy.
Anyway, now Jeannette's eating brown rice and rice cakes with soy nut butter (Non GMO). When we grow up on the American diet for so long, it becomes the norm. It's hard to change the mindset of healthy eating and knowing what truly is good for us. Humans are creatures of habit, and it takes awhile to change those habits and in this case, for the better.
Today, one of my neighbors and I got to talking. She is also making some serious changes to her families eating habits. We both agree that these changes that we're making are going to be for the better in the long term. We could potentially be extending the lives of our families just a little longer. We have really learned a lot and have educated ourselves and have made a lifestyle difference for ourselves and our families for healthy and better living.
We had HUGE rains today. Our community was completely flooded. I know this doesn't have anything to do with my daughters diet, but water in my community is a really big issue.
This morning, she had brown rice cereal; plain. For lunch I packed her brown rice and chocolate coconut milk. It's a pathetic lunch, but that's all I got. For her snack she had a rice cake and those dehydrated apples. I feel so bad for her. I know in m mind that this is the best thing for her, but it's so hard. The thing is, is it really that bad? No, because her lunches before would consist of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread, pretzels or chips and jell-o or pudding and some cookies. It's the typical 'brown bag' lunch in American schools these days.
Speaking of brown bag lunches, I was listening to this blog the other day, the manic mommies (which I LOVE. If you're a mom, you must start listening). They got onto the topic of school lunches and what the typical lunch consists of. The Chicago Little Village Academy banned lunches brought from home. I guess they were noticing that the foods that were actually being sent from home were worse than those that the schools actually served. It has caused quite a controversy.
Anyway, now Jeannette's eating brown rice and rice cakes with soy nut butter (Non GMO). When we grow up on the American diet for so long, it becomes the norm. It's hard to change the mindset of healthy eating and knowing what truly is good for us. Humans are creatures of habit, and it takes awhile to change those habits and in this case, for the better.
Today, one of my neighbors and I got to talking. She is also making some serious changes to her families eating habits. We both agree that these changes that we're making are going to be for the better in the long term. We could potentially be extending the lives of our families just a little longer. We have really learned a lot and have educated ourselves and have made a lifestyle difference for ourselves and our families for healthy and better living.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Week 3 - Day 4
(Apr. 27, 2011)
What causes an overgrowth of Candida? The major causes are antibiotics, steroids, birth control, poor diet, heavy metals, alcohol overuse, recreational drugs, stress and several others. I could think of 3 of these that fit her profile: overuse of antibiotics, poor diet and heavy metals. She's had so many urinary tract infections in the past 3 years that she's been on so many antibiotics. Her poor diet hasn't helped and because of the environment that we live in, it's no surprise there are heavy metals. We live on a golf course, next to a buffalo and diary farm, and also next to a medical facility where their effluent is dispersed into one of our streams.
"Yeast overgrowth thrives in the presence of diets high in refined sugars, refined carbohydrates, diary products, alcohol, processed foods... The fungus doesn't care whether the increased sugar in your body is due to eating a candy bar or having an episode of extreme stress; it will use the sugar as fuel to reproduce itself." - The Candida Cure book
Boy, breakfast is getting pretty predictable. She had cinnamon rolls again. For lunch she had brown rice w/ non-dairy butter, and a mini container of soy nut butter with her probiotic mixed in. Yesterday she had plain soy nut butter, so why not give it to her with the probiotic mixed in. Considering she's supposed to be getting the probiotic 2-3 times a day while on the diflucan, I have to find any way I can. Unfortunately, she didn't eat it, so that was a waste. For snack I packed popcorn and a rice cake. Boring, once again. Today after school, Jeannette came home with her water bottle full. I've had this discussion with her multiple times as to how important it is to drink her water. I would even love it if she would fill it up 2 times while at school. Part of her constipation is due to lack of hydration. So I bribed her. I asked her what she wanted the most as an incentive to get her to drink the water and bring me home an empty water bottle. She said, "100 cents. No $100 dollars." I said, I couldn't do the $100, but I could manage the $1. It was a deal.
For dinner tonight, Jeannette had the leftover homemade pizza, a yogurt with the probiotic, and her supplemental shake.
What causes an overgrowth of Candida? The major causes are antibiotics, steroids, birth control, poor diet, heavy metals, alcohol overuse, recreational drugs, stress and several others. I could think of 3 of these that fit her profile: overuse of antibiotics, poor diet and heavy metals. She's had so many urinary tract infections in the past 3 years that she's been on so many antibiotics. Her poor diet hasn't helped and because of the environment that we live in, it's no surprise there are heavy metals. We live on a golf course, next to a buffalo and diary farm, and also next to a medical facility where their effluent is dispersed into one of our streams.
"Yeast overgrowth thrives in the presence of diets high in refined sugars, refined carbohydrates, diary products, alcohol, processed foods... The fungus doesn't care whether the increased sugar in your body is due to eating a candy bar or having an episode of extreme stress; it will use the sugar as fuel to reproduce itself." - The Candida Cure book
Boy, breakfast is getting pretty predictable. She had cinnamon rolls again. For lunch she had brown rice w/ non-dairy butter, and a mini container of soy nut butter with her probiotic mixed in. Yesterday she had plain soy nut butter, so why not give it to her with the probiotic mixed in. Considering she's supposed to be getting the probiotic 2-3 times a day while on the diflucan, I have to find any way I can. Unfortunately, she didn't eat it, so that was a waste. For snack I packed popcorn and a rice cake. Boring, once again. Today after school, Jeannette came home with her water bottle full. I've had this discussion with her multiple times as to how important it is to drink her water. I would even love it if she would fill it up 2 times while at school. Part of her constipation is due to lack of hydration. So I bribed her. I asked her what she wanted the most as an incentive to get her to drink the water and bring me home an empty water bottle. She said, "100 cents. No $100 dollars." I said, I couldn't do the $100, but I could manage the $1. It was a deal.
For dinner tonight, Jeannette had the leftover homemade pizza, a yogurt with the probiotic, and her supplemental shake.
Week 3 - Day 3
(Apr. 26, 2011)
I got my book today, called The Candida Cure by Ann Boroch. I really like this book. It has been such a wealth of information. As the days go by, I will try to reference some information from her book that I found to be educational and helpful to me.
I guess the first question is: What is Candida? "Candida albicans is a harmless yeast, a type of fungus, that lives naturally in everyone's body...Unfortunately, this harmless yeast can overgrow and turn into an opportunistic pathogen." "Candida overgrowth and its by-products, mycotoxins, can attack any organ or system in your body." If not treated properly it can become quite dangerous and at times, even deadly. When I read that, I got quite nervous and started to take this yeast overgrowth issue very seriously. When death could potentially be an outcome, as a mother, it is now my mission to do anything and everything I can to not let that happen. Whatever it takes at whatever the cost.
Today the kids were up before I was. My son was so cute. He helped Jeannette get her breakfast. He took out 3 cinnamon rolls, warmed them in the microwave for her and then buttered them. I have to say, that through all of this, Jarod has been super supportive of his little sister. He doesn't ask to eat candy or sweets in front of her and respects the fact that she can only eat certain things. To show Jarod that we really appreciate all his efforts and support, my husband will take him out to dinner and the two of them can then spend some quality time together. We let him pick the place and pick his meal.
For lunch today, I packed Jeannette rice cakes with soy nut butter, watermelon, and chocolate coconut milk. She never did end up eating the watermelon. For snack after school, she wanted just soy nut butter, so I gave her a couple spoonfuls. Tonight I made tacos for dinner. I usually make tacos with one of those mixes. Let's face it, those mixes are pretty good and very convenient. Unfortunately, they contain ingredients that Jeannette can't eat. Forever ago, I used to make homemade tacos, so I went back to the basics. It really was very easy (recipe below). I found organic corn chips that she can eat. The beef was organic and she doesn't eat the cheese so I didn't have to worry about that. She did eat the tacos, but simplistically. She creates her own mini taco on each individual chip. She takes a chip, puts a few pieces of beef on the chip, and that's her taco.
Taco's
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey (organic 90% lean)
1/2 C chopped onions
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 t chili powder
3/4 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
Brown beef and drain excess fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serves: 10 tacos
I got my book today, called The Candida Cure by Ann Boroch. I really like this book. It has been such a wealth of information. As the days go by, I will try to reference some information from her book that I found to be educational and helpful to me.
I guess the first question is: What is Candida? "Candida albicans is a harmless yeast, a type of fungus, that lives naturally in everyone's body...Unfortunately, this harmless yeast can overgrow and turn into an opportunistic pathogen." "Candida overgrowth and its by-products, mycotoxins, can attack any organ or system in your body." If not treated properly it can become quite dangerous and at times, even deadly. When I read that, I got quite nervous and started to take this yeast overgrowth issue very seriously. When death could potentially be an outcome, as a mother, it is now my mission to do anything and everything I can to not let that happen. Whatever it takes at whatever the cost.
Today the kids were up before I was. My son was so cute. He helped Jeannette get her breakfast. He took out 3 cinnamon rolls, warmed them in the microwave for her and then buttered them. I have to say, that through all of this, Jarod has been super supportive of his little sister. He doesn't ask to eat candy or sweets in front of her and respects the fact that she can only eat certain things. To show Jarod that we really appreciate all his efforts and support, my husband will take him out to dinner and the two of them can then spend some quality time together. We let him pick the place and pick his meal.
For lunch today, I packed Jeannette rice cakes with soy nut butter, watermelon, and chocolate coconut milk. She never did end up eating the watermelon. For snack after school, she wanted just soy nut butter, so I gave her a couple spoonfuls. Tonight I made tacos for dinner. I usually make tacos with one of those mixes. Let's face it, those mixes are pretty good and very convenient. Unfortunately, they contain ingredients that Jeannette can't eat. Forever ago, I used to make homemade tacos, so I went back to the basics. It really was very easy (recipe below). I found organic corn chips that she can eat. The beef was organic and she doesn't eat the cheese so I didn't have to worry about that. She did eat the tacos, but simplistically. She creates her own mini taco on each individual chip. She takes a chip, puts a few pieces of beef on the chip, and that's her taco.
Taco's
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey (organic 90% lean)
1/2 C chopped onions
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 t chili powder
3/4 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
Brown beef and drain excess fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serves: 10 tacos
Week 3 - Day 2
(April 25, 2011)
Kids headed back to school today. Another week of struggling as to what to give Jeannette for lunch and snacks. Breakfast was cinnamon rolls and lunch was cinnamon toast/stevia, sugar free jell-o and chocolate coconut milk. She ended up not eating the jell-o, which she probably shouldn't have had in the first place. I was desperate!!!! For her snacks, she had popcorn and a rice cake.
Today Jeannette had soccer practice and she did amazing. She was really participating and getting involved and being a little more aggressive than usual. Before she would linger back and not run as much and just looked tired all the time, but today it was like she had a bolt of energy. After practice, her coach told her she must have eaten her Wheaties today. Jeannette had no clue what Wheaties were. I had to explain to her that it's a cereal that's advertised to provide you with all the nutrients and energy that you'd need to play hard.
For dinner I made organic pork medallions with a strawberry sauce (recipe below). To make it edible for Jeannette, I didn't have gluten free bread crumbs, so we used panko crumbs which were lower in carbs. Instead of buying a pork loin, I ended up buying individual boneless pork chops. By accident my husband cut up the pork chops into bite site nuggets. She ate quite a bit of the nuggets minus the strawberry sauce and even went back for seconds. I have to admit, even though he made a mistake, they turned out really good, especially for kids. Kids just like nuggets. Jeannette didn't use the strawberry sauce, but she dipped the nuggets into her homemade ketchup that my husband made. She, of course, had her supplement smoothie. Tonight I left out the protein powder, but not sure why I did that. Then after dinner I read that pork is supposed to be off limits. There it happens again. In one book I read that pork is off limits, but somewhere else it says that organic pork is okay in small doses. It all goes back to doing your best and trying to work with what you have. That's all I can do. If I can find something that she likes, then I'm going to stick with it. She doesn't like much, so when I find something, it's like striking gold!!
Pork Medallions with Garlic-Strawberry Sauce
1 pork tenderloin (1 lb), cut into 1/2-in. slices
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour ( we used brown rice flour which is okay for Candida dieters)
2 eggs, beaten (organic)
2/3 C seasoned bread crumbs (we used panko b/c it had a better crunch, but there is gluten free crumbs)
1/2 C butter, divided (unsalted)
2 C fresh strawberries
1 t minced garlic
1/4 cup hot water
1 t chicken bouillon granules
Sliced fresh strawberries, optional
Flatten pork to 1/4 inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip pork in the flour, eggs, then bread crumbs.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook pork in 1/4 cup butter until juices run clear: remove and keep warm.
Meanwhile, place strawberries in a food processor. Cover and process until blended; set aside
In the same skillet, saute garlic in remaining butter. Add the pureed strawberries, water and bouillon; heat through. Serve pork with sauce. Garnish with sliced strawberries if desired.
Yield: 4 servings
recipe gotten from Simple & Delicious magazine
Kids headed back to school today. Another week of struggling as to what to give Jeannette for lunch and snacks. Breakfast was cinnamon rolls and lunch was cinnamon toast/stevia, sugar free jell-o and chocolate coconut milk. She ended up not eating the jell-o, which she probably shouldn't have had in the first place. I was desperate!!!! For her snacks, she had popcorn and a rice cake.
Today Jeannette had soccer practice and she did amazing. She was really participating and getting involved and being a little more aggressive than usual. Before she would linger back and not run as much and just looked tired all the time, but today it was like she had a bolt of energy. After practice, her coach told her she must have eaten her Wheaties today. Jeannette had no clue what Wheaties were. I had to explain to her that it's a cereal that's advertised to provide you with all the nutrients and energy that you'd need to play hard.
For dinner I made organic pork medallions with a strawberry sauce (recipe below). To make it edible for Jeannette, I didn't have gluten free bread crumbs, so we used panko crumbs which were lower in carbs. Instead of buying a pork loin, I ended up buying individual boneless pork chops. By accident my husband cut up the pork chops into bite site nuggets. She ate quite a bit of the nuggets minus the strawberry sauce and even went back for seconds. I have to admit, even though he made a mistake, they turned out really good, especially for kids. Kids just like nuggets. Jeannette didn't use the strawberry sauce, but she dipped the nuggets into her homemade ketchup that my husband made. She, of course, had her supplement smoothie. Tonight I left out the protein powder, but not sure why I did that. Then after dinner I read that pork is supposed to be off limits. There it happens again. In one book I read that pork is off limits, but somewhere else it says that organic pork is okay in small doses. It all goes back to doing your best and trying to work with what you have. That's all I can do. If I can find something that she likes, then I'm going to stick with it. She doesn't like much, so when I find something, it's like striking gold!!
Pork Medallions with Garlic-Strawberry Sauce
1 pork tenderloin (1 lb), cut into 1/2-in. slices
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour ( we used brown rice flour which is okay for Candida dieters)
2 eggs, beaten (organic)
2/3 C seasoned bread crumbs (we used panko b/c it had a better crunch, but there is gluten free crumbs)
1/2 C butter, divided (unsalted)
2 C fresh strawberries
1 t minced garlic
1/4 cup hot water
1 t chicken bouillon granules
Sliced fresh strawberries, optional
Flatten pork to 1/4 inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip pork in the flour, eggs, then bread crumbs.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook pork in 1/4 cup butter until juices run clear: remove and keep warm.
Meanwhile, place strawberries in a food processor. Cover and process until blended; set aside
In the same skillet, saute garlic in remaining butter. Add the pureed strawberries, water and bouillon; heat through. Serve pork with sauce. Garnish with sliced strawberries if desired.
Yield: 4 servings
recipe gotten from Simple & Delicious magazine
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Week 3 - Day 1
(Apr. 24, 2011)
Today was Easter Sunday!!!! I thought today would be a hard day for Jeannette because Easter is usually associated with tons of candy. My neighbors and us were getting together to do a multi-family Easter Egg hunt in our back yards (thanks to the "Easter Bunny" hiding all the eggs the night before). Thankfully for us, there are other kids in my neighborhood that have food allergies so we were careful to fill the plastic Easter Eggs with other goodies beside chocolate, peeps, and jelly beans. Most of the plastic eggs were filled with erasers, stickers, bouncy balls, money, tatoos, and silly bandz. One has to get creative when sugary foods can't be given. It was almost a blessing to not have to have all that candy in the house because it's not only the kids that eat it; it's mommy!!!!
We tried to make this day as special as we could considering Jeannette's restrictions. Instead of the typical ham that we eat, my dad got snow crabs for the kids. Jeannette shouldn't be eating ham based on what I read, so we went with seafood. We also had asparagus, green beans and potatoes. I made sure the kids tried the greens, but alas, they didn't like them. I have to keep trying. Right? As for the crab legs, I'm not even sure she was supposed to eat those, but it was a special occasion so we went with it. Because we were eating at my parents house, I had to make sure to bring a bunch of things with us. I had to bring all her supplements to make her shake, non-dairy butter for dipping the crab into, her special dessert, and snacks. It's a lot of work to organize all her food when leaving the confines of your own home. We were just heading to my parents house. Just think what it would be like if we were going away for a weekend. Yikes!!! In the end, I forgot her dessert and forgot some of her snacks, so we had to make due with what we had. For dessert for the rest of us, I had made angel food cake with strawberries. Because I had forgotten Jeannette's special dessert, I allowed her to have a very tiny portion of the angel food cake and some strawberries. I know that the strawberries weren't allowed yet, let alone the cake, but the mommy guilt kicked in. I didn't feel so horrible considering it was fruit. It could have been chocolate cake.
Today was Easter Sunday!!!! I thought today would be a hard day for Jeannette because Easter is usually associated with tons of candy. My neighbors and us were getting together to do a multi-family Easter Egg hunt in our back yards (thanks to the "Easter Bunny" hiding all the eggs the night before). Thankfully for us, there are other kids in my neighborhood that have food allergies so we were careful to fill the plastic Easter Eggs with other goodies beside chocolate, peeps, and jelly beans. Most of the plastic eggs were filled with erasers, stickers, bouncy balls, money, tatoos, and silly bandz. One has to get creative when sugary foods can't be given. It was almost a blessing to not have to have all that candy in the house because it's not only the kids that eat it; it's mommy!!!!
We tried to make this day as special as we could considering Jeannette's restrictions. Instead of the typical ham that we eat, my dad got snow crabs for the kids. Jeannette shouldn't be eating ham based on what I read, so we went with seafood. We also had asparagus, green beans and potatoes. I made sure the kids tried the greens, but alas, they didn't like them. I have to keep trying. Right? As for the crab legs, I'm not even sure she was supposed to eat those, but it was a special occasion so we went with it. Because we were eating at my parents house, I had to make sure to bring a bunch of things with us. I had to bring all her supplements to make her shake, non-dairy butter for dipping the crab into, her special dessert, and snacks. It's a lot of work to organize all her food when leaving the confines of your own home. We were just heading to my parents house. Just think what it would be like if we were going away for a weekend. Yikes!!! In the end, I forgot her dessert and forgot some of her snacks, so we had to make due with what we had. For dessert for the rest of us, I had made angel food cake with strawberries. Because I had forgotten Jeannette's special dessert, I allowed her to have a very tiny portion of the angel food cake and some strawberries. I know that the strawberries weren't allowed yet, let alone the cake, but the mommy guilt kicked in. I didn't feel so horrible considering it was fruit. It could have been chocolate cake.
Week 2 - Day 7
(Apr. 23, 2011)
I checked out the book "The Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook" by Jeanne Marie. I spent most of the day reading through this book to help me get a better understanding of this diet and what other things I could be doing for my daughter. I definitely know how she got the Candida. It came from the over abuse of antibiotics that she was put on due to her constant urinary tract infections that she was getting over the course of 3 years. If you combine the over use of antibiotics with her high carbohydrate diet, she was already at high risk for a yeast overgrowth. I just didn't know anything about. The one thing that still stumps me is how a doctor can determine how she has a yeast overgrowth. In everything that I've read, there really isn't a precise test that determines yeast. It's a conclusion based off of many tests and questionnaires and human habits.
Within this book I discovered so many more things. Candida can be linked back to Autism, ADHD, breast cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and many more. It really is all linked to diet. Yes, there are other factors, but diet really has the end all answers to all health related issues. If the American diet wasn't so carb, fat based, maybe this nation wouldn't be ranked as being such an obese nation.
I'm sure I will have many more references to this book in future postings.
I don't really remember what she had to eat today, but I did make a homemade pizza for her for dinner. I used that Chebe pizza mix and instead of using full dairy, I had bought that "fake dairy" cheese. It was like rubber. I couldn't handle the full rubber, so I mixed the dairy and non-dairy cheese together to make it a little more tolerable. It wasn't so bad this way.
I checked out the book "The Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook" by Jeanne Marie. I spent most of the day reading through this book to help me get a better understanding of this diet and what other things I could be doing for my daughter. I definitely know how she got the Candida. It came from the over abuse of antibiotics that she was put on due to her constant urinary tract infections that she was getting over the course of 3 years. If you combine the over use of antibiotics with her high carbohydrate diet, she was already at high risk for a yeast overgrowth. I just didn't know anything about. The one thing that still stumps me is how a doctor can determine how she has a yeast overgrowth. In everything that I've read, there really isn't a precise test that determines yeast. It's a conclusion based off of many tests and questionnaires and human habits.
Within this book I discovered so many more things. Candida can be linked back to Autism, ADHD, breast cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and many more. It really is all linked to diet. Yes, there are other factors, but diet really has the end all answers to all health related issues. If the American diet wasn't so carb, fat based, maybe this nation wouldn't be ranked as being such an obese nation.
I'm sure I will have many more references to this book in future postings.
I don't really remember what she had to eat today, but I did make a homemade pizza for her for dinner. I used that Chebe pizza mix and instead of using full dairy, I had bought that "fake dairy" cheese. It was like rubber. I couldn't handle the full rubber, so I mixed the dairy and non-dairy cheese together to make it a little more tolerable. It wasn't so bad this way.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Week 2 - Day 6
(Apr. 22, 2011)
Breakfast is just more of the same: cinnamon rolls with non-diary butter. She had the U-tract/Mannose dissolved into the water. I'm just excited that I can put the U-tract powder into the water. It's one less thing that has to go into her supplemental shake.
Today was kind of a bust. I can't remember anything that I did for her today. I don't remember what she had for lunch and I don't remember what she had for dinner. I'm sure it wasn't very exciting due to the fact that she' keeps eating the same ol' things. I do know she had her supplemental shake.
Breakfast is just more of the same: cinnamon rolls with non-diary butter. She had the U-tract/Mannose dissolved into the water. I'm just excited that I can put the U-tract powder into the water. It's one less thing that has to go into her supplemental shake.
Today was kind of a bust. I can't remember anything that I did for her today. I don't remember what she had for lunch and I don't remember what she had for dinner. I'm sure it wasn't very exciting due to the fact that she' keeps eating the same ol' things. I do know she had her supplemental shake.
Week 2 - Day 5
(Apr. 21, 2011)
Jeannette ate 3 of the cinnamon rolls that I made earlier in the week. When I asked her how they were, she said, "these are SO GOOD!!'. It's no kale or spinach, but it's at least something she can eat. She had water with the U-tract/Mannose powder along with her vitamin C and digestive enzyme. She now has 2 chewables: vitamin C and a digestive enzyme. She has to have these 3 times a day, after every meal.
My husband took our daughter out for lunch to spend some quality time together. Where they went, he specially requested for some scrambled eggs and bacon. They were able to accommodate her and that was refreshing. I've never had to deal with eating out and specially requesting for something to be prepared. As this was the first time, I was impressed. I can't say that it will be that easy as we continue to eat out. I guess it will depend on the establishment.
For dinner tonight, I made the kids brown rice pasta with butter. It wasn't an exciting meal and it's not something that she is supposed to eat a lot of. The brown rice pasta is an alternative to the pasta, but it's still high in carbs (44g per serving). I have to be careful not to use that too often. The carbs do end up converting to sugar!! She had her yogurt with the probiotic and her supplemental smoothie (it's new name).
Jeannette ate 3 of the cinnamon rolls that I made earlier in the week. When I asked her how they were, she said, "these are SO GOOD!!'. It's no kale or spinach, but it's at least something she can eat. She had water with the U-tract/Mannose powder along with her vitamin C and digestive enzyme. She now has 2 chewables: vitamin C and a digestive enzyme. She has to have these 3 times a day, after every meal.
My husband took our daughter out for lunch to spend some quality time together. Where they went, he specially requested for some scrambled eggs and bacon. They were able to accommodate her and that was refreshing. I've never had to deal with eating out and specially requesting for something to be prepared. As this was the first time, I was impressed. I can't say that it will be that easy as we continue to eat out. I guess it will depend on the establishment.
For dinner tonight, I made the kids brown rice pasta with butter. It wasn't an exciting meal and it's not something that she is supposed to eat a lot of. The brown rice pasta is an alternative to the pasta, but it's still high in carbs (44g per serving). I have to be careful not to use that too often. The carbs do end up converting to sugar!! She had her yogurt with the probiotic and her supplemental smoothie (it's new name).
Week 2 - Day 4
(Apr. 20, 2011)
I took my daughter shopping today to celebrate her birthday. She had the standard breakfast; cinnamon/truiva toast. Because we were headed to the mall, I knew she wasn't going to be able to eat anything there, so I had to pack her some food. I brought her 2 rice cakes with soy nut butter, and unsweetened applesauce. I got some chinese food hoping that they'd have some brown rice, which they didn't. Mall chinese food is just disgusting. The rice was the only thing that was edible. Although it was white rice, I still gave some to her. She was starving.
I was on a mission today to find a air popcorn popper. Because she can't eat the microwave kind and organic popcorn is supposed to be okay, I wanted a decent popcorn popper. The other 2 poppers we bought were a bust. After our shopping, I took her bowling. While we were there, she was getting hungry. Unfortunately, there is completely nothing at a bowling alley that she can eat. All the food there is fried and definitely unhealthy. It really makes it challenging to take her out to go do things where food is involved. I have to really plan ahead and pack extra snacks and food to cover her hunger pains. For a child that is normally used to eating every couple of hours, where she ate crackers, goldfish, and junk, she really doesn't have much to pick from now.
I know the kids weren't excited about it, but they had leftover chicken nuggets for dinner. I read that she isn't supposed to eat regular ketchup, so my husband made her a homemade version.
Homemade Ketchup:
Tomato paste, garlic powder, onion powder, salt/pepper and some lemon juice.
Just mix to a smooth consistency.
It was a little thick. She didn't seem to mind too much. She was able to stir the nuggets around in the ketchup and got a little taste. I think at this point she was just so hungry she would eat anything. I made her the carob smoothie to go with it. I included almond milk, scoop of carob powder, scoop of coconut milk ice cream, and all her supplements (ambrotrose, iodine, vitamin A/B and probiotic) with some crushed ice. It's the closest thing I've found to a chocolate smoothie I can come up with.
I took my daughter shopping today to celebrate her birthday. She had the standard breakfast; cinnamon/truiva toast. Because we were headed to the mall, I knew she wasn't going to be able to eat anything there, so I had to pack her some food. I brought her 2 rice cakes with soy nut butter, and unsweetened applesauce. I got some chinese food hoping that they'd have some brown rice, which they didn't. Mall chinese food is just disgusting. The rice was the only thing that was edible. Although it was white rice, I still gave some to her. She was starving.
I was on a mission today to find a air popcorn popper. Because she can't eat the microwave kind and organic popcorn is supposed to be okay, I wanted a decent popcorn popper. The other 2 poppers we bought were a bust. After our shopping, I took her bowling. While we were there, she was getting hungry. Unfortunately, there is completely nothing at a bowling alley that she can eat. All the food there is fried and definitely unhealthy. It really makes it challenging to take her out to go do things where food is involved. I have to really plan ahead and pack extra snacks and food to cover her hunger pains. For a child that is normally used to eating every couple of hours, where she ate crackers, goldfish, and junk, she really doesn't have much to pick from now.
I know the kids weren't excited about it, but they had leftover chicken nuggets for dinner. I read that she isn't supposed to eat regular ketchup, so my husband made her a homemade version.
Homemade Ketchup:
Tomato paste, garlic powder, onion powder, salt/pepper and some lemon juice.
Just mix to a smooth consistency.
It was a little thick. She didn't seem to mind too much. She was able to stir the nuggets around in the ketchup and got a little taste. I think at this point she was just so hungry she would eat anything. I made her the carob smoothie to go with it. I included almond milk, scoop of carob powder, scoop of coconut milk ice cream, and all her supplements (ambrotrose, iodine, vitamin A/B and probiotic) with some crushed ice. It's the closest thing I've found to a chocolate smoothie I can come up with.
Week 2 - Day 3
(Apr. 19, 2011)
For breakfast, she had cinnamon/truvia toast with water. Today I started to put in the U-tract/Mannose medicine in her water. I wasn't sure if it would dissolve, but it did. Then I wasn't sure if she would drink it, but she did; with no complaints. Before she went over, we made a batch of the cinnamon rolls for her. I found these cinnamon rolls made by Chebe at Wegman's. It's a pre-made mix and all that needs to be added is applesauce, eggs, oil and milk. I used unsweetened applesauce, an organic egg and soy milk. Instead of using cinnamon and sugar, I used truvia as the sugar substitute. After they were baked, she tried them with her non-dairy butter (Earth's Balance) and said they were good. She also had a couple pieces of uncured bacon.
Today, Jeannette had a playdate with a school mate, so I had to pack a few snacks for her. I packed her some popcorn, rice cakes and crackers. When I picked her, she had eaten everything except for the crackers. For dinner tonight we had leftovers. The kids had the leftover brown rice pasta with the homemade marinara sauce. I wasn't sure if they'd eat it, but they did and Jeannette had a second bowl. I probably shouldn't have had her have the second bowl, but she was starving. I made her a chocolate smoothie with all her supplements in there. This is what her smoothie consists of:
plain almond milk
scoop of carob powder
ambrotrose, Vitamin B, Vitamin A, and Iodine.
I added some crushed ice, and a small scoop of coconut milk ice cream.
I mixed it with the magic bullet
Jeannette said she really liked it. Now if I could only get the protein powder in there to make it taste better. I'm going to have to figure out how to doctor that up. The smoothie without the protein powder makes the smoothie better, but once that's added, she's not a big fan. I just spent $50 on that large protein bucket so she has to use it. For dessert, she tried the brownies with the fudge on top and she gave me a thumbs up and said it was really good. As she was eating it, she kept giving the thumbs up and telling me it was so yummy! Yeah! I found something! It's still not green leafy vegetables, but I'm just excited that I found something she likes. I also know that it shouldn't be something that she eats all the time, but at least it's a dessert to satisfy the "sweet cravings" without the sugar. I still would like to come up with some other things to try to make for her. I really need to just start buying more green foods and experiment with them. I have to admit that I'm the road block when it comes to this diet. I admit that I don't eat a lot of green vegetables, hence I don't buy them, so I don't cook them. Now there are vegetables that I do like, but most of them are the starchy ones. I just have to say I was impressed with myself for even trying the sauteed veggies that my husband made a few nights ago. That was a stretch for me. I also bought an artichoke at Wegman's the other day to see what creative things I could make with that.
For breakfast, she had cinnamon/truvia toast with water. Today I started to put in the U-tract/Mannose medicine in her water. I wasn't sure if it would dissolve, but it did. Then I wasn't sure if she would drink it, but she did; with no complaints. Before she went over, we made a batch of the cinnamon rolls for her. I found these cinnamon rolls made by Chebe at Wegman's. It's a pre-made mix and all that needs to be added is applesauce, eggs, oil and milk. I used unsweetened applesauce, an organic egg and soy milk. Instead of using cinnamon and sugar, I used truvia as the sugar substitute. After they were baked, she tried them with her non-dairy butter (Earth's Balance) and said they were good. She also had a couple pieces of uncured bacon.
Today, Jeannette had a playdate with a school mate, so I had to pack a few snacks for her. I packed her some popcorn, rice cakes and crackers. When I picked her, she had eaten everything except for the crackers. For dinner tonight we had leftovers. The kids had the leftover brown rice pasta with the homemade marinara sauce. I wasn't sure if they'd eat it, but they did and Jeannette had a second bowl. I probably shouldn't have had her have the second bowl, but she was starving. I made her a chocolate smoothie with all her supplements in there. This is what her smoothie consists of:
plain almond milk
scoop of carob powder
ambrotrose, Vitamin B, Vitamin A, and Iodine.
I added some crushed ice, and a small scoop of coconut milk ice cream.
I mixed it with the magic bullet
Jeannette said she really liked it. Now if I could only get the protein powder in there to make it taste better. I'm going to have to figure out how to doctor that up. The smoothie without the protein powder makes the smoothie better, but once that's added, she's not a big fan. I just spent $50 on that large protein bucket so she has to use it. For dessert, she tried the brownies with the fudge on top and she gave me a thumbs up and said it was really good. As she was eating it, she kept giving the thumbs up and telling me it was so yummy! Yeah! I found something! It's still not green leafy vegetables, but I'm just excited that I found something she likes. I also know that it shouldn't be something that she eats all the time, but at least it's a dessert to satisfy the "sweet cravings" without the sugar. I still would like to come up with some other things to try to make for her. I really need to just start buying more green foods and experiment with them. I have to admit that I'm the road block when it comes to this diet. I admit that I don't eat a lot of green vegetables, hence I don't buy them, so I don't cook them. Now there are vegetables that I do like, but most of them are the starchy ones. I just have to say I was impressed with myself for even trying the sauteed veggies that my husband made a few nights ago. That was a stretch for me. I also bought an artichoke at Wegman's the other day to see what creative things I could make with that.
2nd Week
(April 18, 2011)
Today she ate two pieces of cinnamon/truvia toast w/ water. One of my girlfriends came over today so our kids could play together. Her kids have various allergies to foods so it was nice to get some first hand advice and to get some ideas on what kinds of snacks and meals I can make for her.
For dinner tonight I made homemade chicken nuggets. This recipe called for quinoa flour for the breading. It was pretty easy. Just take some organic chicken breasts and cut them up into bite size pieces. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Beat one egg and place in bowl. In separate bowl, place ground quinoa flour, some garlic and herbs of choice for taste. Take the chicken bits, and mix in egg and then dip in the quinoa flour. Place in hot oil until chicken is cooked and golden brown. I liked the chicken nuggets. They didn't taste any different than any other nuggets. They were actually better. Jeannette didn't love them, but she ate them anyway. She had her yogurt w/ the probiotic. The nutritionist said that she should be having the probiotic 2-3 times a day, but that's hard to do. I don't have much to mix the probiotic in. Tonight instead of giving her chocolate coconut or almond milk, I made my own. I was trying to put in a few of her pills and added carob powder, but it got all lumpy and the pills weren't mixing well. I pulled out my magic bullet blender, added a little ice and, viola, I had a smoothie. Jeannette said it was pretty good.
I spoke with my sister tonight. I was telling her that I was having a hard time finding things for her to eat, and again, she told me that if I can find 5 or 6 things that she'll eat, just continue to rotate them throughout the week. After the kids went to bed, I made Jeannette some more fudge. I poured it on top of the brownies that I made earlier in the week. It made the brownies a little more edible. I also made her some homemade lemonade with Xylitol instead of sugar. It was a little too watered down, but I thought it would be okay for her.
Today she ate two pieces of cinnamon/truvia toast w/ water. One of my girlfriends came over today so our kids could play together. Her kids have various allergies to foods so it was nice to get some first hand advice and to get some ideas on what kinds of snacks and meals I can make for her.
For dinner tonight I made homemade chicken nuggets. This recipe called for quinoa flour for the breading. It was pretty easy. Just take some organic chicken breasts and cut them up into bite size pieces. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Beat one egg and place in bowl. In separate bowl, place ground quinoa flour, some garlic and herbs of choice for taste. Take the chicken bits, and mix in egg and then dip in the quinoa flour. Place in hot oil until chicken is cooked and golden brown. I liked the chicken nuggets. They didn't taste any different than any other nuggets. They were actually better. Jeannette didn't love them, but she ate them anyway. She had her yogurt w/ the probiotic. The nutritionist said that she should be having the probiotic 2-3 times a day, but that's hard to do. I don't have much to mix the probiotic in. Tonight instead of giving her chocolate coconut or almond milk, I made my own. I was trying to put in a few of her pills and added carob powder, but it got all lumpy and the pills weren't mixing well. I pulled out my magic bullet blender, added a little ice and, viola, I had a smoothie. Jeannette said it was pretty good.
I spoke with my sister tonight. I was telling her that I was having a hard time finding things for her to eat, and again, she told me that if I can find 5 or 6 things that she'll eat, just continue to rotate them throughout the week. After the kids went to bed, I made Jeannette some more fudge. I poured it on top of the brownies that I made earlier in the week. It made the brownies a little more edible. I also made her some homemade lemonade with Xylitol instead of sugar. It was a little too watered down, but I thought it would be okay for her.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Day 8 - One Week Down!!!!
My dad made bacon and eggs for the kids for breakfast. She had cinnamon/truvia toast for lunch. Again, nothing too exciting. The kids ended up eating the soup again for dinner, but not without some whining and complaining. They ate about a half a bowl full. Better than the night before, but still not enough to make it substantial.
So what are my thoughts after one week? It's only been a week? Ugh!!! This is so hard! I've definitely made some mistakes and I expected that to happen. I'm still learning and researching and finding out new things every day. I'm constantly trying to find things for her to eat and try. I'm constantly thinking about what I can make her, where I can find some good information on Candida for kids and I'm always thinking about how we're going to get through the next day. The supplemental shakes seem to be working out. I don't really like giving her everything in one lump dose, but it's the only way I can right now.
Her shakes currently consist of: almond milk, scoop of carob powder, 1/4 scoop of protein powder, drop of Vitamin A, capsule broken open of Vit. B, capsule broken open of Iodine, Ambrotose, and probiotic when I remember. What are these all for?
Protein powder - obviously she is not getting enough protein w/ her current diet, so I need to supplement her elsewhere
Ambrotose - helps the body produce optimal functioning glycoproteins (glycoproteins act as protective agents and lubricants-found in blood and the digestive tract)
Vitamin A - preserves healthy skin, essential for proper development of bones and teeth, and for vision
Vitamin B - essential for the production of energy
Iodine (Thyrocare) - support in thyroid hormones, maintains healthy cellular metabolism (her thyroid was slightly elevated)
On top of all the supplements and the vitamins she is taking diflucan to help eliminate the yeast. And because it's an antibiotic, she has to increase her dosage of probiotics to 2-3 times daily. She's hardly eating anything as it is. How am I supposed to get that into her? I also haven't started giving her the liquid multi-vitamin. It has so many restrictions in when it can be taken, that I haven't figured out how and when to give it to her. Lastly, she is taking zinc.
Zinc - low zinc is due to poor diet, malnutrition, growth failure (her labs came back indicating low levels of zinc)
I have to say that Jeannette has been a trooper. I honestly think she is handling this much better than I am. Her happy, go lucky personality is what makes her able to handle all this. If this was my son having to go through this, it would be a totally different experience. This isn't to say that my son shouldn't be eliminating the high carb foods as well, but between the two of them, Jeannette is the one most likely to experiment with food with less complaints. This has been a learning experience for Jarod as well and he has been extremely supportive of his baby sister. That's all I can ask for right now. I'm proud of both of them.
So what are my thoughts after one week? It's only been a week? Ugh!!! This is so hard! I've definitely made some mistakes and I expected that to happen. I'm still learning and researching and finding out new things every day. I'm constantly trying to find things for her to eat and try. I'm constantly thinking about what I can make her, where I can find some good information on Candida for kids and I'm always thinking about how we're going to get through the next day. The supplemental shakes seem to be working out. I don't really like giving her everything in one lump dose, but it's the only way I can right now.
Her shakes currently consist of: almond milk, scoop of carob powder, 1/4 scoop of protein powder, drop of Vitamin A, capsule broken open of Vit. B, capsule broken open of Iodine, Ambrotose, and probiotic when I remember. What are these all for?
Protein powder - obviously she is not getting enough protein w/ her current diet, so I need to supplement her elsewhere
Ambrotose - helps the body produce optimal functioning glycoproteins (glycoproteins act as protective agents and lubricants-found in blood and the digestive tract)
Vitamin A - preserves healthy skin, essential for proper development of bones and teeth, and for vision
Vitamin B - essential for the production of energy
Iodine (Thyrocare) - support in thyroid hormones, maintains healthy cellular metabolism (her thyroid was slightly elevated)
On top of all the supplements and the vitamins she is taking diflucan to help eliminate the yeast. And because it's an antibiotic, she has to increase her dosage of probiotics to 2-3 times daily. She's hardly eating anything as it is. How am I supposed to get that into her? I also haven't started giving her the liquid multi-vitamin. It has so many restrictions in when it can be taken, that I haven't figured out how and when to give it to her. Lastly, she is taking zinc.
Zinc - low zinc is due to poor diet, malnutrition, growth failure (her labs came back indicating low levels of zinc)
I have to say that Jeannette has been a trooper. I honestly think she is handling this much better than I am. Her happy, go lucky personality is what makes her able to handle all this. If this was my son having to go through this, it would be a totally different experience. This isn't to say that my son shouldn't be eliminating the high carb foods as well, but between the two of them, Jeannette is the one most likely to experiment with food with less complaints. This has been a learning experience for Jarod as well and he has been extremely supportive of his baby sister. That's all I can ask for right now. I'm proud of both of them.
Day 7
Day 7 - April 17, 2011
We're now on day 7 and things are pretty boring in regards to meals. It's the same thing over and over again. I don't feel like I'm making much progress in the form of expanding her palate. For breakfast this morning she had cinnamon toast/truvia. It pains me that she's not having more than that. At least if I could have her eat a fruit, it would be something, but I know that she shouldn't be eating that right now. It's only been a week and I'm getting impatient.
The kids were staying at my parents for the evening, so I had bring a bunch of food with me and then I had to sit down with my father to go over all the supplements and how to prepare her shake. I got Jeannette some lunch: 2 rice cakes. That's even more pathetic than what she had for breakfast.
God Bless my father. What a gem. He took it upon himself to go to Trader Joe's to buy some things to try to make with Jeannette. he bought organic chicken broth, quinoa, brown rice pasta, 2 protein shakes, rotisserie chicken and uncured bacon. He got an idea to make chicken noodle soup for dinner and he wanted Jeannette to help prepare it. I had to double check the ingredients on everything, and the only thing that was questionable was the protein shake. It had artificial sweeteners, but we used it anyway. Before I left, I made her a shake. She tried it and didn't like it too much, but worked her way through it like a champ. So, Jeannette and my dad got to work on making the soup. When it came time to eat dinner, it wasn't a big hit. Jeannette wasn't too thrilled, and Jarod was even less thrilled. Dad said that they ate maybe a soup ladle full. That's it. Dad did say it was a little bland, but my kids eat bland food all the time, so why should this be any different?
I really was grateful for the effort that dad was making and was so appreciative of all his efforts. I knew he didn't have to do all that means so much to me. I know that parents will do anything for their kids, but they will do above and beyond when it comes to their grandkids and my parents are no exception. They will do anything for their grandkids. I'm so lucky to have them!!!
We're now on day 7 and things are pretty boring in regards to meals. It's the same thing over and over again. I don't feel like I'm making much progress in the form of expanding her palate. For breakfast this morning she had cinnamon toast/truvia. It pains me that she's not having more than that. At least if I could have her eat a fruit, it would be something, but I know that she shouldn't be eating that right now. It's only been a week and I'm getting impatient.
The kids were staying at my parents for the evening, so I had bring a bunch of food with me and then I had to sit down with my father to go over all the supplements and how to prepare her shake. I got Jeannette some lunch: 2 rice cakes. That's even more pathetic than what she had for breakfast.
God Bless my father. What a gem. He took it upon himself to go to Trader Joe's to buy some things to try to make with Jeannette. he bought organic chicken broth, quinoa, brown rice pasta, 2 protein shakes, rotisserie chicken and uncured bacon. He got an idea to make chicken noodle soup for dinner and he wanted Jeannette to help prepare it. I had to double check the ingredients on everything, and the only thing that was questionable was the protein shake. It had artificial sweeteners, but we used it anyway. Before I left, I made her a shake. She tried it and didn't like it too much, but worked her way through it like a champ. So, Jeannette and my dad got to work on making the soup. When it came time to eat dinner, it wasn't a big hit. Jeannette wasn't too thrilled, and Jarod was even less thrilled. Dad said that they ate maybe a soup ladle full. That's it. Dad did say it was a little bland, but my kids eat bland food all the time, so why should this be any different?
I really was grateful for the effort that dad was making and was so appreciative of all his efforts. I knew he didn't have to do all that means so much to me. I know that parents will do anything for their kids, but they will do above and beyond when it comes to their grandkids and my parents are no exception. They will do anything for their grandkids. I'm so lucky to have them!!!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Day 6
Day 6 - April 16, 2011
For breakfast this morning Jeannette had the brown rice cereal, plain and a couple pieces of uncured bacon. She decided she didn’t want any sort of milk on her cereal. She had her vitamin C and digestive enzyme before she was off to school. For her lunch I packed raspberries, cinnamon/truvia toast, sugar free jell-o, and chocolate coconut milk. I know she shouldn’t have the jell-o or the raspberries, but I'm running out of ideas. It's only day 6 and I'm running out of ideas. After school, she had popcorn and a protein shake. I'm starting to feel like the protein shake is the only way to get the supplements into her. My concern is that it's a lot to put into one shake. But Michael said that if that's the only I can get them in her, then so be it.
For dinner tonight, my husband made dinner. He made grilled tilapia with the Mary Gone Crackers as a breading. He stir-fried some green and red peppers with onions and potatoes. Although Jeannette can't have the potatoes, she was able to eat everything else? Did she? Not really. We made them try everything and they both didn't like the vegetables or the fish. I was really proud of my son Jarod. He has a sensitive food palate and when it comes to trying new foods, especially foods that he thinks he won't like, he has the most amazing gag reflex I've ever seen. After minutes upon minutes of cajoling and bribing and begging, he finally takes a bite. But after chewing for 10 seconds and deciding he doesn't like it, he gags and then throws up his food. It makes meal time so enjoyable!!! BUT tonight, he didn't gag OR throw up. I was so proud of him. Now, he didn't like anything that he had, but at least we got through the meal without having to clean up any vomit. That's an accomplishment!!!
After dinner, we headed over to my neighbors house for a neighborhood gathering. They had ordered dinner from a local Italian restaurant and talk about a complicated order. Almost everything they ordered had to either be gluten free, dairy free or sugar free. There were several gluten free pizzas, a salad that only included lettuce with no dressing (because of the sugar), and cheese-less pizza with just sauce. The standard pizza orders aren't what they used to be. Special orders have now become the norm. The more and more I research and shop and talk to others, gluten free, dairy free and sugar free are becoming more and more prominent.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Conversation with the Nutritionist - part 3
I asked him where he does his shopping. He goes to a organic food mart. I told him that I have a Wegman’s, and 2 health food stores. I then asked about what happens after the Candida diet? Does she then go to a gluten free diet? Michael then asked about her blood type and if I knew what it was. There is a concept of Eat Right for Your Blood Type. Some people will eat right for their blood type and thrive, others it won’t have an effect. It’s always something to consider. It’s something that might work for her after the Candida diet is over. I also expressed my concern as to the cost of this food and how I’m supposed to feed her these foods if I can’t afford it. He said I would have to do the best I can. You have to make certain sacrifices. I explained that I’ve been switching over to Organics for awhile now; organic meats, and milk. He then remembered about something he read in regards to milk. They just tested the milk and it’s 300% higher than the safety levels for radiation b/c of what happened in Japan. So they’re saying that we should stay away from dairy. However, eating a raw food diet can be pretty affordable. You can steam veggies. The worst thing you can do is use your microwave. Just throw it away. Don’t even use it. There are some veggies that are better steamed than raw, like broccoli. Broccoli has a very strong cellulose membrane. When you steam it, it softens it and allows you to absorb more nutrients from it. Coleslaw would be a great thing for her to eat. He’s spouting out all the ingredients that go into coleslaw and I’m just thinking in my head, she won’t eat ANY of that.
I moved on and asked about reintroducing foods back in. He said I’ll have to do it little by little. In backtracking in regards to the coleslaw, I told him that my kids will not eat that. He said that over time they will eat this stuff and love it. I laughed and said that he just doesn’t know my kids. He said that kids are going to fight for what they like and for what tastes good. My kids haven’t been eating healthy and now that she’s going through this, I should feed all my kids this new food b/c they’ll all benefit from it. I then explained to him that I have a child that vomits his food and if he’s ever dealt w/ kids like him and he said yes that he has. Most of the time he disguises the foods and that’s what I’m going to have to do. I’m going to have to disguise these foods and not even tell him. In the end what’s going to make them healthy is eating foods high on the nutrition density chart. I asked about popcorn, and he said that it’s okay, but use organic. I asked about eventually the organic cane syrup, brown rice syrup? He said the best sweetener is raw honey and also maple syrup b/c it has a lot of minerals in it. Pure maple syrup is fine. Eventually she can go back to those sugars and if she doesn’t have a reaction to them, then she’ll be fine. These sweeteners have more to them then just the fact that their sweet and that’s what you want.
He said the body is starving to minerals, trace minerals, vitamins, amino acids. With these things, it allows the body to make new cells. If we’re not getting these raw materials in the body, how are we supposed to make new cells? That’s what equals health. When you loose that ability to make new cells is when you start going downhill. What you need to make new cells are the raw materials, especially in growing kids. They need the protein. The human body doesn’t like protein, it likes amino acids. The body takes the proteins and breaks it down into amino acids, and now it uses those to build and detoxify the body. He’s concerned that she’s not digesting her food properly. That’s why I need to monitor her stools. It’s one thing to eat the rights foods, it’s another for your body to assimilate them. The way to assimilate them is 1. you make enough hydrochloric acid to break down the protein. 2. The keim goes into the intestines and signals the gall bladder to release bile. 3. The bile drops and meets the acid keim (the explosion - that’s digestions). Now you have a cloil suspension where the nutrients can go into the blood, go to the liver, be activated and taken to the cell. The question is, is it working for Jeannette properly? Based on my mom’s recollection of Jeannette’s stool at the appointment, she might have problems with elimination. She might be a bit impacted if she’s having a thin stool like that. Mom noticed that her stomach was slightly distended one night. Michael says that’s an indication that she’s not digesting her food. To him, it sounds like the food is sitting in her stomach fermenting, creating endotoxins, and not breaking down the foods. There are 2 ways to address that. 1. vtain hydrochloride which makes stomach acid. But for her, he thinks it’s safer to just go w/ the enzymes.
Michael says that another thing that is going to help w/ her digestion is probiotics, true fiber, and eating foods that are high in fiber. We, as American’s don’t get enough green leafy veggies in our bodies and greens are very alkalizing. There is an acid/alkaline chart that he’s going to send me that outlines which foods are acid forming and those that are alkaline. The diet should consist of 1/3 acid forming and 2/3 alkaline forming foods. That’s important.
One of the keys to health is Vitamin D, which most people are deficient. It’s b/c of the sugar. The sugar doesn’t allow the body to make Vit. D. Those that are eating a very sugarfied diet have very low levels of Vit. D. Iodine is extremely important. That’s gotten from sea vegetables and seafood. I asked about crab/shrimp and he said that he would recommend to avoid those b/c unfortunately the waters aren’t clean. He recommends wild caught salmon, sardines, any small fish (tilapia - wild caught). I then questioned him on the contradiction of polluted oceans, but eat only wild caught fish. It just doesn’t make sense. He agreed. See Mercury bioaccumulates in nature. He used the example of smaller fish being eaten by larger fish and so on. The smallest fish has eaten the algae which contains mercury, the larger fish comes along and eats the smaller fish, and then over time, the largest fish has eaten all these smaller fish on and on that have 100x’s the amount of mercury. By the time you get to Tuna, it’s like 1000 times loaded w/ mercury. He also recommended that if you have amalgam fillings that they be immediately removed. My mom asked about grapes and they are completely out. They are way too high in sugar and they also have mold.
One of the keys to health is Vitamin D, which most people are deficient. It’s b/c of the sugar. The sugar doesn’t allow the body to make Vit. D. Those that are eating a very sugarfied diet have very low levels of Vit. D. Iodine is extremely important. That’s gotten from sea vegetables and seafood. I asked about crab/shrimp and he said that he would recommend to avoid those b/c unfortunately the waters aren’t clean. He recommends wild caught salmon, sardines, any small fish (tilapia - wild caught). I then questioned him on the contradiction of polluted oceans, but eat only wild caught fish. It just doesn’t make sense. He agreed. See Mercury bioaccumulates in nature. He used the example of smaller fish being eaten by larger fish and so on. The smallest fish has eaten the algae which contains mercury, the larger fish comes along and eats the smaller fish, and then over time, the largest fish has eaten all these smaller fish on and on that have 100x’s the amount of mercury. By the time you get to Tuna, it’s like 1000 times loaded w/ mercury. He also recommended that if you have amalgam fillings that they be immediately removed. My mom asked about grapes and they are completely out. They are way too high in sugar and they also have mold.
We talked about where to buy food and he mentioned how to look for organic foods. If the numbers on the produce start w/ a 4, it’s conventional. If they start w/ a 9, they’re organic. It’s important to eat organic b/c the herbicides, pesticides, fungicides are a real burden on the liver, immune system, and the digestive system. The liver has a lot of work that it’s trying to accomplish. If you keep adding to your system all these chemicals, the liver is now having to focus on removing those from your body and then it ignores other important issues that your body is also battling. The liver is really taxed out as it is.
Michael then talked about the asyra machine where he can run a test on Jeannette and he then comes up w/ a homeopathic remedy specifically geared towards her body to rebalance all the things that are energetically out of balance. Homeopathic remedies are energy signatures.
I then explained to Michael that I won’t be able to extreme detox her right off the bat. I’ll have to wean her down to the detox stage. There is now way that I could do it otherwise. She wouldn’t eat. Michael says that I just think that. I have to open my mind. I have a fear of her not eating. I’m compromising. I’d rather her eat something then nothing. I have to realize that as long as her body is getting the sugar, it’s going to be all the harder to eliminate the Candida. But w/in reason, I want to give her some of the things that she enjoys. He gives me the same old signature saying, “if she’s hungry, she’s going to eat, even if she doesn’t like it.” See, we create the fear that if she doesn’t eat, she’s going to starve, but he guarantees that if she skips one meal, the next meal she’ll be eating whatever I put in front of her; within reason. He obviously doesn’t know my kids. I also asked about dairy. He said that I should wait on the dairy for now. Maybe try a coconut yogurt w/o sugar. I’m going to have to recondition her palate to eat w/o sugar and it’s not going to be easy. If I have to do it in stages, that’s fine. I can use Stevia/Xylitol for now. He also said to make my own clarified butter.
In conclusion, he said that building health is doing most things that effect your physiology, things that benefit your body. For now, these are the foods that I need to focus on: veggies, protein. No fruits, but when they do get reintroduced, only the berries. The grains will be quinoa, millet, amaranth, and buckwheat (gluten free grains). And when dairy gets reintroduced, I need to use raw dairy which is made from non pasteurized milk. Why raw dairy? B/c when you eat pasteurized milk, you alter the structure of protein. People that are lactose intolerant can actually eat raw dairy. They’re lactose intolerant to the bad milk that we’re drinking. I asked about soy milk and he said the best is hemp milk. He recommends to stay away from the soy products b/c of the estrogen in them. Even if they’re organic, still stay away from them. The best forms of soy is fermented soy. Buy tempe soy. It’s not as harmful for us. Soy can also effect the thyroid. My last question was about brown rice pasta. That product is for people that are really gluten intolerant. It’s not made for people that are on the Candida diet. It’s a better option, then a gluten pasta. The wheat is just so bad nowadays. It’s been hybrodized. Traditionally wheat used to be okay, but now w/ all the genetic engineering, it’s not good for us. All flour has been processed. I just want to stick w/ the grains.
I expressed my concern about how to get all these supplements into her when she can’t eat anything that I was originally giving them to her in. He suggested a protein shake/smoothie and said that I could put everything in there. So I bought a big canister of the vegan protein powder that was chocolate flavored to hopefully make it go down easier. When I got back to mom and dad’s I made one for her, but it was funky. I put too much water in it along w/ too much ice and w/ their super powered blender it blent it too much and it separated. She had some of it and didn’t like it, but drank some anyway. She was starving. Mom tried to give her some celery w/ hummus, but she didn’t like that either. Mom gave her a few crackers to tide her over. Mom had to go back to work and I wanted to run over to Whole Foods to see what else I could find for Jeannette to eat. I bought a bunch of things based on my conversation w/ Michael, the nutritionist. One thing he recommended was Hemp Milk. He said to stay away from Soy products due to the GMO’s and estrogen that is in Soy. So I bought some Hemp milk. I bought some pure maple syrup, which I know she can’t have now in stage one, but he said she would be able to have it in moderation in the later stages when other foods get reintroduced. I also bought some more crackers and hummus. I thought that if she dipped the crackers into something it might taste a little better.
On our ride home, I was trying to talk to Jeannette about our appointment w/ the nutritionist and how he was trying to help us figure out what the appropriate things were that she could eat. She said she was tired, but she wouldn’t fall asleep b/c she wanted to make sure that she got to eat her brown rice when she got home. She asked some questions and asked if she was going to have to be on this diet forever and I tried to explain to her that this wasn’t a diet, but a lifestyle change and not just for her, but for the entire family. I talked to her about how these foods, that we’ll be eating, will make her better and that the foods that she was eating was making her more sick. The new foods will help her go to the bathroom and be able to take a poop w/o it being painful. That all these new foods will make us all feel better and more healthy. I explained that it was going to be tough for us and that we’ll have to try a bunch of new things that we might not like at first but, we’ll learn to like them. It’s going to be a change for all of us.
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