Earthing

What is earthing? Up until a few years ago I didn't really know. Another word for it is grounding. I've been on this health journey for about 2 years now and never really understood the importance of earthing until now. 

Earthing or grounding is when you put your bare feet or skin in contact with the earth. Free electrons are taken up in the body and could be considered the biggest antioxidants and help with inflammation and disease. Our body is made of mostly water and minerals and the earth is a great channel for them to flow through. It can help with chronic inflammation, reduce pain and doesn't matter what age, gender, race or state of health. Everyone will benefit from it. You can sit, stand, lay or walk on the grass, sand, dirt or even plain concrete.  But will not work on surfaces such as wood, carpet, ashphalt, sealed or painted concrete and vinyl as these surfaces are not conductive surfaces.

Earthing is not something new. It's just something that we haven't done in so many years. Our new modern day with technology and our fast paced lives, majority of people do not even go outside unless it's to walk to their car or the mail box. Years and years ago we didn't have the high rate of chronic disease and inflammation that we do now because hours were spent outside. Sometimes the floor was the bed. Children played barefoot in the tall grass. It was a much different time then now and it doesn't mean that we have to go back to living like Little House on the Prairie. But we do have to recognize the role nature plays in our lives and how beneficial it is to our health.

Earthing is very easy in the warm months. You just walk outside in your backyard barefoot and boom your earthing. But what about now when we are just knocking on winter's door. There are earthing products out there that can help you earth/ground when you can't get direct contact with the earth. If you visit earthing.com or earthing.ca depending on where you live there is a whole line of earthing products. I was very fortunate to have someone give me an earthing band and tried for the first time this week and man does it every help! I've been suffering from chronic pain in my neck and spine for years. I am waiting for an osteopath appointment in December but this came just at the right time. I wore the band while I slept and I woke up with no stiffness or minimal soreness in my neck. It reduced the pain by about 80%. This will be a great tool to get me through to my appointment where she will correct some vertebraes that I've found are misaligned. 

The first image below is the earthing band that I was talking about. Just plug the prong into the ground part of your outlet and put on your ankle or wrist while sleeping, reading. The second image is the earthing starter kit which comes with earthing pads, sheet, bands, a tester etc... Some of the products are a bit pricey but after trying the bands it's worth the investment. To start the band kit below is selling for about $40-50 dollars for 2 and comes with 2 connector wires and a tester. That's a really good price to start and see if this works for you. Give it a try!

Join me on Facebook for daily posts and updates from myself and other members in the Journey to Health Group! 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882339178570419/

Blue Light From Our Electronics

In today's day and age it is pretty hard to get away from blue light as everywhere we turn there is some form of it but this post is focusing on electronics. It is said that you should stop the use of electronics at least 2 hours before bed. But reality is not everyone can do that and I know for myself there are many things I do on my electronics at night. There are things we can do to reduce our exposure as to not disrupt our circadian rhythm.  I know my phone has a blue light filter app. I always have that turned on as well as I keep my screen brightness really low. To go even further than this you can install other filters such as Twilight on your tablet and phone. You can adjust the settings and times you want the filter to turn on and the background on your phone will turn an orange/red hue during those times. Pretty cool feature for those who can't escape using electronics before bed. For those looking for app filters for your laptop, computer or tv you can download f.lux. You can still have screen time not expose yourself to blue light and not disrupt your sleep. Try them out! :)

Join me on Facebook for daily posts and updates from myself and other members in the Journey to Health Group! 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882339178570419/

Adrenal Fatigue - Part 5 - Food

Hey guys, it's been a few weeks since Part 4 was posted. I am still battling adrenal fatigue myself so I needed some time to recoop. So let's dive right into this post.  We talked in earlier posts that your adrenal glands regulate so many things in the body, it would take too long to describe every single one but one thing is cortisol. Cortisol helps the body keep blood sugar levels where they should be. That is why when you suffer from adrenal fatigue, it is important not to skip meals, eat on the same schedule and to eat foods that are lower on the glycemic index. If you eat something that is high on this index, your adrenal will need to regulate sugar to compensate. But if you suffer from adrenal fatigue, it won't be able to do it's job properly.  You could in time develop diabetes or insulin resistance if your adrenal fatigue is not addressed. I know a few months ago I was becoming insulin resistant. I would start to shake if I didn't eat every two hours because me adrenal glands were completely exhausted and just couldn't regulate sugar if I didn't eat frequently. AIP diet worked wonders for me but I do have some auto immune diseases so that diet is a bit extreme for most. But best thing is to eat whole plant based food with some good quality meat. 

Some might find, like I did that when you have adrenal fatigue that there are some food that you become sensitive to. Keeping a food journal and tracking what you ate and how you feel is the best way to pin point some foods you might want to avoid while you recover. For me it was oatmeal. That stuff would make me so lethargic for 2 days but I never suspected it until I kept a food journal. Found out in this book that people with adrenal fatigue seem to have issues with gluten and grain so is best to avoid them which I have for about 5 months now and feel much better than I did.

When you suffer from adrenal fatigue it is also the worst time to make bad food choices. Your body is already taxed and eating poorly will just make matters worse. It is also best to have fat or protein along side a starchy carb to slow down the process of converting your food into glucose. It will give you steady energy and keep you fuller longer.

Craving salt and being thirsty are both symptoms of adrenal fatigue. Adding salt to your diet can help with this. The book suggested that you could add 1/4 tsp of salt to a cup of water first thing in the morning, but I just started adding salt to all my food. I'm not a doctor so if you have issues with sodium please consult a doctor before doing this. I just know this did help me as well and was suffering from salt cravings and being thirsty all the time and that has completely went away.

Those are just some small tips to help out. I didn't want to go into detail on the actual food lists because I have found out from experience and research that nobody can give you a set list and say 100% that it will work. There are foods on the list that I can't tolerate and should be good for you and others that should be avoided that don't create any symptoms. There is no cookie cutter answer and everyone's body is different. Do what you feel is best and what makes you feel optimal. Keep track of days you are happy, moody, lethargic or energetic. You will find your food weakness when you start listening to your body and not the cravings. 

If you find that you need a nap, take a nap. If you feel like you need a break, take a break. We are so hard on ourselves and that needs to stop. When I clean now sometimes I need a few breaks and it sounds ridiculous. I need a break from washing floors and doing dishes. Really?! But it's true and I don't put that kind of pressure on myself anymore and am slowly getting back to myself. You got this and just when you feel like throwing in the towel, hold on because something amazing is just around the corner ! :)

Join me on Facebook for daily posts and updates from myself and other members in the Journey to Health Group! 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882339178570419/

Adrenal Fatigue - Part 4 - Relaxation Response Exercises

In yesterday's post I quickly touched on how carving some time out for yourself is important especially when it comes to unwinding and relaxing which is sometimes really hard to do at home. There is a to do list that never ends and if you are anything like me, even when your sitting down your mind is going a hundred miles a minute. Your thinking of the kids bedtime, lunches for tomorrow, bills that are due, laundry that needs to get done, the grocery list. It's really hard to turn that switch off but you can if you try. This is where relaxation response comes into play. When you learn relaxation exercises you can adapt to stressful situations and can move away from sympathetic or fight or flight mode and towards parasympathetic which is the rest and digest mode.

 

Dealing with Hashimotos and the long list of other issues over the past 9 years, anxiety and heart palpitations would be triggered by a number of things throughout the day that would throw me off my game. I am more conscious of when I need to slow down, take a break, do some deep breathing, reset and then get back to what I was doing when I feel more calm.   That is the point of relaxation response exercises, pushing that reset button. Here is a list of some of the exercises mentioned in the book and I have personally used a few for years.

1) Belly-breathing: Put aside 10 minutes of uninterrupted time. Sit or lie down on a surface that fully supports your entire body. I prefer to lay down. Place your hands on your abdomen and close your eyes. As you inhale, inflate your stomach and not your chest. You will feel your belly move against your hands. I was doing belly breathing wrong all this time. I kept inflating my chest! |LOL Continue breathing through your nose and for about 5 minutes.

2) Slowing down your breathing: Whenever you notice that you are getting tense or need a break check on your breathing. Try slowly it down concentrating more on exhalation rather than inhalation. This a technique that I use at work when I feel anxiety starting to come on.

3) Counting your exhalations: Find a quiet spot and start belly breathing. This time count down from 5 to 1 with every exhalation and continue for about 5 minutes. 

4) Repeating a mantra or affirmation: This is the use of repeated phrases or sounds for prayer or meditation. There are many advanced techniques you can use but for beginners like myself you can simply choose a word or phrase that is calming to you like "relax", "peace" or even "I feel my body healing". Sit in a quiet place for about 15-20 minutes and repeat your words or phrases to yourself silently or out loud while breathing slow and deep. You will find that your mind wanders when you first start to do it. I know when I started I would say my phrases in my head and than start thinking about work or the kids and had to regroup myself.  Look squirrel! LOL But doing this twice a day you can really train yourself to focus on healing and relaxation.  

5) Progressive relaxation: This one was kind of harder to explain to I found a picture on-line. The idea is to tighten up your muscles for about 10 seconds and then relaxing, starting from your head down to your toes until you have done this with every part of your body.

6) The quiet pond: Everyone can agree that sitting beside a pond can be so relaxing away from modern day life and the loudness and chaos. Find the quiet pond in your life which doesn't necessarily have to be a pond. It could be a bench in your favourite forest, or the swing in your backyard. Whatever is the quiet pond in your life, go there for a few minutes everyday and around the same time everyday.

Along with your planned relaxation exercises, do some unplanned ones. If possible take some time off from work to rest. It doesn't have to be expensive to be relaxing, vacation or staycation, doesn't matter. Don't miss out on your sleep and try to keep a positive attitude.  Laughter is the best medicine and when you laugh "stress decreases and all mechanisms in your body relax".  Using some of these exercises daily will ensure you are doing all that you can to keep your body in the parasympathetic state where it should be and help you recover from your adrenal fatigue.

Join me on Facebook for daily posts and updates from myself and other members in the Journey to Health Group! 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882339178570419/

Adrenal Fatigue - Part 3 - I have adrenal fatigue, now what?

Finding out that you have adrenal fatigue is actually good news because it only means that once you start taking the right steps the only way  you can go is up! Sometimes the road to recovery can be long and I know this first hand. I started my journey 4 months ago and still have my days where I just need to relax and do nothing. Those are the days that Netflix and me become one! LOL I will go through some things in your life that you can work on to get closer to feeling better. 

First thing that you can do is change your lifestyle.  If you suffer from adrenal fatigue there is something in your life that needs to be changed. You just have to sit down and think of all the elements in your life that could be causing you stress. Examples that it gives in the book are: chemicalized water (there is enough fluoride in water to suppress a normal thyroid), financial pressures, emotional outlet, surgeries, unhappy at work/home, prescription/non prescription drugs, chronic pain, overwork, sickness, junk food, soft drinks, tobacco, lack of fresh air, alcohol, coffee and the list goes on. You have to take a step back and look at the big picture and really be honest with yourself and think of all the things that could be contributing to your decline in health. 

For me I now know looking back on the last 9 years, my health problems started with stress and just snow balled from there because my stress triggers were never addressed. I had 2 pregnancies back to back that were stressful because we were having issues financially and I never got to relax and enjoy my babies. I went back to work after 6 months with my first and 4 months after the second. In between those 2 pregnancies it always seemed like when we got ahead one of us would be laid off or unexpected bills came our way. It was like trying to go up stream without a paddle. Right after I had my second child is when everything went down hill. I was having all kinds of issues. Sciatic nerve, gall bladder removal, umbilical hernia, diagnose with hypothyroidism, cysts on my ovaries, 2 miscarriages, anemia, endometrial ablation due to severe menstruation (uterus was burned to slow down my periods as I couldn't reproduce my blood fast enough month to month), 2 failed root canals that were re-done twice and this January had one of those teeth extracted from an infection from a routine dental visit. Once I turned to alternative medicine I paid out of pocket to get more answers and found out that I have Hashimotos, celiac, SIBO, leaky gut, helicobacter pylori, methylation issues, digestion issues, adrenal fatigue and a few other issues. That is what 9 years of unresolved stress and unchanged lifestyle changes have done to me. 

If you want things to change in your life, you have to change and I know this from experience. Nobody is going to come to your door and give you the EASY button from Staples to push. You have to take the reins in your life and do what needs to be done, the first steps are always the hardest. I always thought that I was eating healthy but know now that was far from true. I was eating all the wrong things and in the wrong ratios. I started digging into research and now know much more about health and what I should be eating to benefit myself. There is no cookie cutter diet as everyone is different. We have different personalities, different blood types, different goals. There is no fix all diet and you have to look at the whole picture.  The short version of this is do the things in your life that make you feel good physically and emotionally, try to drop the rest if you can.  There will be things in your life that you just can't change but you can change how you react to them. Remove the negative talk in your head as positive thoughts attract positive people or situations just like negative talk attract negative. 

Next thing to work on is to make sure that you are taking time for yourself everyday to relax or unwind. Making sure that you sleep enough is key. The book indicates that you should be in bed before 11pm every night before your second wind hits. I know this first hand, as I try to start and get myself ready for bed by 10pm. If not, those are the nights that I have trouble sleeping or staying asleep. If possible, stay asleep until past 9am. For me this is not possible because I work Mon-Fri but I do this on the weekends. Apparently there is "something magical about the restorative power of sleep between 7-9am in the morning for people with adrenal fatigue." I can say that those times where I wake up and go back to bed until around 9am are the best naps I ever have and feel most refreshed. If you are waking up in the middle of the night, this might be due to your adrenal glands not able to keep your glucose high enough to get through the night. 

If you feel like you need a break during the day, the best thing to do is lay down for someone with adrenal fatigue. Sitting down is not enough and you will feel much more restored after laying down for 15-3o minutes. I nap most days after work to get my second wind and get through house hold chores. 

Exercise is something else that will help you recover but it needs to be the right kind. You cannot push yourself too fast as you will just burn yourself out even more. I did this a few weeks ago. I was starting to feel much better and started running between 5-10km a day and within 3 weeks I was so tired I had to stop. The best exercises for someone with adrenal fatigue are a combination of aerobics (builds stamina), anaerobics (builds strength) and flexibility (increase range of motion). I found an image on-line to show examples of each type of exercise to start incorporating into your daily routine. 

 

Lose the term "No pain, no gain". That is so far from true when dealing with adrenal fatigue. Listen to your body and when you need a break, take it.

I think that is quite a bit of information for today. We've talked about lifestyle changes in this post so the next post will concentrate on changes that should be made to your diet.  

Join me on Facebook for daily posts and updates from myself and other members in the Journey to Health Group! 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882339178570419/

Adrenal Fatigue - Part 2 - Do I have adrenal fatigue?

Now that you know what adrenal fatigue is and its causes/symptoms, question is do you have it? The author of this book has a website and a questionnaire available to anyone who thinks they might have it. See the link below if you think you might have adrenal fatigue.

http://adrenalfatigue.org/take-the-adrenal-fatigue-questionnaire/

I did the quiz directly from the book. Since I am seeing a naturopath and functional medicine doctor, I did a before and now quiz to show the difference. Results were that I had severe adrenal fatigue before and now I have milder adrenal fatigue but it's still there. So your recovery will not always be short. I've been at it for 4 months and still have my days where nothing happens but Netflix and PJs. LOL

Best way to truly find out if you have adrenal fatigue is to seek professional help but there are some tests mentioned in the book and on his site that you can do at home to give you some indications of adrenal fatigue. I was able to do some digging on-line to find an image that had all 3 tests mentioned in the book in one image. See below.

Now that you have some indication that you might have adrenal fatigue, you can take this information to your doctor. Although I wouldn't get too excited there. Adrenal fatigue is not a term that is widely used by everyone in the Western medicine community. I never heard it until I turned to alternative medicine myself and when I confronted my family doctor about adrenal fatigue, she looked at me like I was crazy or talking fairy tales again like I mentioned in Part 1. The reason for this is explained in this book as well. 

You can apply a bell curve to many situations and this is one of them. This bell curve shows the normal bell curve for adrenal fatigue. Anyone that falls within the normal or even weak ranges of this bell curve are considered to be normal. Only those patients that fall in the very high or very low are considered an issue. But at those points it's a disease. Some with extremely low ranges now have Addison's disease and someone in the high ranges now have Cushing's disease. So what this chart is showing is that you have to have a disease to be considered on most doctor's radar which is insane to me!! They should be catching this as it happens and as you are complaining about changes in energy and other symptoms. 

There is an example in the book that describes a patients results which was at a normal range but dropped in between the weak level range. But because this is still within range they were not considered as having an issue. Even a drop like that is huge when dealing with adrenal fatigue. It means there is something wrong and if not addressed you will end up with Addison's or Cushing's disease depending on which end of the spectrum you are heading towards.

My advice from personal experience is that if your family doctor doesn't listen, find another doctor or better yet turn to alternative medicine. In alternative medicine they will treat your body as a whole system and know that when you are not at your optimal functionality that something is wrong. They will know what tests to run and what adrenal fatigue even means.  Sometimes you have to take your health in your own hands which I have done as well. I have been through many doctors over the last 9 years to get answers and I finally have 3 doctors that are in my corner helping me get better everyday. It took a while to find them but was worth the wait. I hope that you find yours. 

I think that is quite a bit of information for today's post. My next post will be addressing lifestyle changes and habits that you can incorporate in your life to prevente complete burnout from happening again. Knowing the signs is key! We just need to start listening to our bodies and not our egos. That's a hard one, as I was guilty of that for many years. Until next time have a great Sunday my journey peeps! :) 

Join me on Facebook for daily posts and updates from myself and other members in the Journey to Health Group! 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882339178570419/

Adrenal Fatigue - Part 1 - What is adrenal fatigue?

I finished reading the book 'Adrenal Fatigue. The 21st Century Stress Syndrome' by a naturopathic doctor named James L. Wilson. There was so much good information in this book that is normally not available or even known about in the regular medical community that I felt that I had to share. There was far too much information to include in one single post so I will dedicate a few days to sharing all the information that I learned in this book because at some point or another everyone will experience some form of adrenal fatigue and knowing the signs is key to preventing fatigue and complete burn out. So here goes, Adrenal Fatigue Part 1. :)

Adrenal fatigue, what does it even mean? Well you have 2 adrenal glands that are about the size of a walnut that sit at the top of your kidneys. The role of these glands is essentially to help you handle stress and survive. It is much more complex than that but I am trying to keep it simple and it would take forever to describe every single function and hormone that depends on these little guys. It's quite impressive actually! Your body depends on these glands to function properly for energy, endurance and survival. Have you ever been stuck in a traffic jam and someone in the lane beside you cuts you off. You feel that anger and rage instantly coursing through your body and you feel your face get flush and your ready to jump out of your skin in attack mode? Your adrenal glands are responsible for that. 

Let's break this down. There are 2 states that your body can be in, sympathetic state which is your 'fight or flight' mode and parasympathetic state which is your' 'rest and digest' mode. Your body should be in the 'rest and digest' state the majority of the time to allow for proper digestion and function/synchroinicty of all of your systems. Now 'fight or flight' mode comes into play when there is a stress in front of you that you need to tackle. Since the beginning of time, 'fight or flight' would be a means of survival. Imagine thousands of years ago that you are traveling with your group or pack on foot, then you come across a wild animal that starts to charge at you. Your adrenal glands will surge adrenaline through your body. This is where the 'super human strength' suddenly appears. Your start to breath faster and oxygen is sent to all the vital organs while blood flow going to the intestines is shut down. Your body does not care that you have food to digest, it's main purpose is survival!

Now fast forward to today, we don't live in jungles, need to hunt for survival but our bodies have not adapted to that and a stress such as a traffic jam will produce the same response as if a lion jumped out of nowhere and was standing right in front of you ready for attack.  Your body doesn't know the difference because it senses the same response and reacts. Where the problem lies is that modern day is much more stressful than it used to be. We have families that need dual incomes to survive, mothers who can't afford to take full maternity leave after having a child, the cost of living is just too expensive, guilt of working so much to support your family, having to come home from a full day of work and jump into home life mode of supper, dishes, homework, being the chauffeur for sports. From the moment we get up to the second we rest our heads to go to bed, the majority of us are in constant GO mode, fight or flight. Well as mentioned before you need to be a the rest and digest mode so that you can properly digest your food and wind down. Being constantly stressed means that you are not properly digesting your food and will start to have a ripple effect to your other systems.

When you are constantly in fight or flight mode this causes stress on the adrenal glands and can lead to adrenal fatigue when not addressed. Once you have suffered adrenal fatigue for a period of time you can develop other conditions like infections, allergies or auto immune disorders. I know this first hand. I had never heard of adrenal fatigue before and had been suffering for years with conditions I had never heard of. I have Hashimotos, celiac, adrenal fatigue, helicobacter pylori, SIBO, low estrogen, low testosterone, methylation issues, digestion issues and the list goes on. All because I didn't know the signs and now have to address and try to reverse 9 years of stress my body was under.  I am currently working with a naturopath and functional medicine doctor and I couldn't be happier because my family doctor was of no help and completely dismissed alternative medicine as a fairy tale and that I would need pills to address my issues. No....but thanks for playing! LOL

Some factors that might cause you stress in your life can be death of a loved one, repeated stress, emotional stress, over exertion, lack of sleep, poor eating habits, sugar and white flour,  lack of exercise, prescription or non-prescription drugs, fear, job loss, divorce, financial pressure, lack or relaxation, negative attitude and toxins. There are so many more but these are the most common ones. 

Signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue are: 
-difficulty getting up in the morning (still suffering from this one myself lol)
-still fatigued after sleep
-craving salt or salty foods (this was huge one for me but didn't know it at the time) -lethargic
-more energy needed to do simple daily tasks
-decreased sex drive
-unable to handle stress like you used to
-takes longer to get over an illness
-light-headed when standing up quickly (I had this pretty bad for a while)
-mild depression
-symptoms increase if you skip a meal (yes! I got HANGRY and shaky)
-brain fog
-memory slipping
-less tolerant
-less productive
-don't fully wake up til about 10am, hit a wall around 3 or 4pm then feel better after supper. (For me I used to feel tired all day, crash around 2-3pm and then at 9pm it was like a flip switched and I would be cleaning the house late at night)

I know that was a lot of information to cover but that was just scratching the surface. Later this week I will talk about how to get properly diagnosed, the struggle with getting a diagnosis, simple tests that you can do at home, and what you can do on your own while you wait or seek professional help. 

 

Join me on Facebook for access to daily posts and updates from myself and other group members. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882339178570419/

Health Challenge - Intro to the AIP Diet (Auto Immune Protocol)

I'm in quite a few support groups on Facebook sharing my story/success and learning from other members as well. Had a few requests from members to learn about AIP. Sharing with all my journey peeps what the AIP diet entails and is recommended for anyone that has health issues. Your health begins in your gut and if you have health issues it means your problems started in your gut where your immune system is. This diet allows your gut to heal by eliminating trigger foods and reintroducing at a later time. It's not 100% fool proof as I've found I still have issues with foods that are allowed like green apples and carrots because they are higher in sugar and my SIBO says nom nom nom. Lol But I haven't had a severe flare up in months and only get cramps and discomfort when I haven't prepared the food myself and not sure what the food  contains. The first week on this diet I dropped 3 lbs and continued at that pace for 3 weeks and then lost 1 lb steady for weeks until I plateaued at 27 lbs lost. I'm  on a new protocol to address other issues and seems like I'm dropping weight again.  I am doing nothing extra except for my morning walks because frankly I'm still not there energy wise. I tried running for 3 weeks but that relationship ended quickly because I was still suffering from adrenal fatigue even though I was feeling much better. But I actually wasn't better and still have a ways to go. I have been sick for years that I couldn't remember what 100% feeling better feels like and I pushed it too soon. If you don't have any major health issues you can adapt a Paleo version of AIP. I promise it will help in some way if you stick to it and change your thinking from "live to eat" to "eat to live". I challenge you to try it for a few weeks and see if you don't see any changes.  Warning that you may feel sick or light headed at first as your body gets used to not being fed so many carbs and processed foods but it won't last. Idea is clean eating. High veggies and lower fruits and meats. You don't realize how much food you consume that is processed until you go to make something and realize you can't use it. Very eye opening! The image shows a 30 day minimum elimination timeline but for those with severe flares or digestion issues I would suggest doing it for at least 3 months. You can do it!

 

 

Join my Journey to Health - Back to the Basics group on Facebook for daily posts and updates.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882339178570419/?ref=bookmarks

 

Avocado Brownies

In my search to find new and different dessert recipes I came across this one on-line and had to try it out. I don't have a sweet tooth but this was really good. I did reduce the amount of sweetener for my taste. See recipe below. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dark chocolate
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup avocado (2 large or 4 small)
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 cup honey (I put a bit over a 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

I melted my dark chocolate over the stove and then just put everything in my food processor to make a nice puree. I poured this in a glass 8 x 8 pan and bake at 350°F for about 35-45 minutes. I was quite surprised and how moist it was and very tasty. It was just the right sweetness for me and family approved. Give it a try, they are gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly.

Join my group on Facebook to see daily posts and recipes.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/882339178570419/?ref=br_rs

Nitrates and Nitrites

Since going on the AIP diet (Auto Immune Protocol Diet) I've been looking for nitrite free items that I can eat. In general you should avoid processed meat no matter what your health condition but I am really a sucker for cooking my family breakfast on a Sunday that includes bacon, eggs, some AIP friendly pancakes and some fruit topping. 

I found 2 brands that they now sell at the grocery store called Free From and Naturally. Both claim to be nitrite free and Free From also claims that their animals are grass fed and free from antibiotics. This is great but doesn't mean this should be a staple in your household. I did some more digging into the whole nitrate/nitrite debate and nitrate naturally occurs in fruits and vegetables as well. There is a bit of chemistry difference between the two, one less oxygen atom. ( Nitrate = NO3, Nitrite = NO2)

Nitrates in general are harmless and actually do a lot of good in your body. They can relax blood vessels, which relieves chest pain. Vegetables such as celery, leafy greens, beets, parsley, cabbage are some that contain the most but all plants contain nitrate.  But when they convert to a nitrite that's where the problems can arise. "When nitrates hit the tongue, bacteria in the mouth of the enzymes in the body turn the nitrates into nitrites. Nitrites can be good when they form nitric oxide, but then they form nitrosamines, it can have a negative effect and may be where cancer-causing cells occur".  Meaning they are carcenogenic. That was a direct quote from Dr. Axe site as I found him to explain it the best.

Nitrites are needed in the curing process to prevent bacteria growth and keep the meat nice and pink. The problem lies when it hits the pan, frying at high temperatures can increase the potential of nitrosamines which are bad and even the chemical reaction when it hits and acidic stomach. Also the amount of nitrates that you would find in processed is much higher than what you would find when eating a fruit or a vegetable. 

Best thing to do is choose a fruit or vegetable first. If you really want to buy processed meat look for ones that are free from nitrate/nitrite to decrease how much you are ingesting. Make them occasionally rather than making them part of your daily life. Having processed meat on a daily basis is not good and will cause some health problems for you at some point. This includes anything that is cured, salted, smoked and have added preservatives like lunch meat, hot dogs, sausages, bacon and ham. I think I cried a little at the ham at bacon. Not gonna lie! LOL But you owe it to your health and your family to know that everything that you put in your mouth will have an outcome. Make it a good one! :)

Join my group on Facebook for daily posts and updates:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882339178570419/

Summer Salad Recipe

Here is a new salad that I created for dinner last night. Romanian lettuce, bunch of parsley, radishes, strawberries, chopped brussel sprouts, lemon juice from one lemon. Then topped off with a vinaigrette I buy at Gyros and more in town. Really good! Try your own variation at home and get creative. I'm realizing that fruits in a salad are actually really good and introduce a whole new flavour to my food. :)

Join my Journey to Health - Back to the Basics group on Facebook for more daily posts on workouts, recipes, my journey with Hashimotos and posts from other members as well. :)

Oven Chicken with Veggies

Here is a recipe that I created in my kitchen yesterday. I sliced up 2 sweet potatoes with 1 white potato (for my daughter who doesn't like sweet potatoes), head of broccoli, 2 cans of water chestnuts, 4 carrots, a container of mushrooms, 1 red onion, whole head of garlic, 1 bunch of cilantro and 1 package of boneless skinless chicken breast. I pre-heated my oven at 450°F. As a sauce I put about 1 cup of olive oil, zest from 2 limes and used the juice from the lime after zest was grated, about 1 tsp salt and pinch of pepper. I covered this mixture over top of everything and mixed until coated nicely. Put the timer on the over for 25 minutes and voilà, dinner! This made 2 large batches. Not all the cookware was in the picture but I had the large glass dish in the picture with a medium and small one for each batch. If you take out the white potatoes this is an AIP friendly dish. I left those aside for my daughter when scooping  my plate. :)

For more daily recipes and posts please join my Facebook group Journey to Health - Back to the Basics. 

GI Map Testing

I've done my ultrasound and EBV testing for my functional medicine physician. Today....another one getting sent out. GI map test all done and ready to send to the USA for testing. This will test my stool and if there are any bad bugs in my gut. Your gut is your immune system and when it's sick...your sick.  Another piece to the puzzle checked off the to do list. Just love how the stool catcher looks like a French fry tray. LOL!! Cost is about $385 US but lucky I have 50% coverage through my work benefits as this test is not covered under Canadian OHIP. You could file it as a medical expense on your taxes. That's what I'm going to try next tax year and see what they will cover. It's all worth it to find out what is going on in my body.  When one system is out your entire body is affected which is why I love functional medicine and naturopathy. They acknowledge this and don't just look at one area of concern. It's the entire picture. :)

DIY Cleaners Part 2

So a few weeks ago I posted some ways to make cleaners out of citrus peels, herbs, spices and vinegar. This was an alternative to essential oils just because I like to try different things. :) I've let these bad boys sit since then and yesterday I opened the lemon rosemary, filtered through a coffee filter and into a spray bottle with distilled water. Smells amazing and works great. There was also orange cinnamon clove and lime thyme. You can use them with just the peels alone but those were the recipes that I found on-line to try. Experiment and find a favourite. :)

Tick Removal

Here is a link to a tick remover that was posted on Wellness Mama blog on facebook. My daughter had a tick on her side last weekend when going on our bike ride. I found out that putting oils or soap on them while in your skin can aggravate them and make them regurgitate their stomach fluids into your skin making you more at risk for lyme disease. Also there is a right and wrong way to pull them out. I used tweezers and luckily it was just on the surface but this contraption looks easy to use. There are essential oils you can use as a deterrent like lemongrass or eucalyptus. But shouldn't be put on the actual tick once on you or your pets. Check the links below and can be bought on amazon for around $9 plus shipping. :)

video link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIoCTWYJsvo

to buy: https://www.amazon.ca/Tick-Twister-5926-Pro/dp/B010NU1V1I/ref=dp_ob_title_pet

The Truth About Cancer

Ty Bollinger who made the document series Quest for the Cure and Truth About Vaccines has started a 9 day documentary series that started last night on the Truth About Cancer. I get the links e-mailed to my inbox every night but if you google "The Truth About Cancer| on YouTube the entire series is available. Worth a watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqJAzQe7_0g&list=PL_WKlaR99nthRInEnaJHRyaHVtkYTXz_H

The Bad Bugs in Your Gut

Anyone who follows my blog or group on facebook knows that I am constantly doing research on food and health. I am almost done the book Eat Dirt by Dr. Josh Axe and had to share something that I came across in it that I found so interesting. We've all heard that our gut should be comprised of good bacteria but sometimes bad bacteria can take over which causes what is now known as leaky gut. There was a small paragraph sectioned off in this book that gave a little description of this and I wanted to share it with you.

"  HOW PATHOGENIC BUGS CHANGE OUR BEHAVIOUR - All microbes learn, grow, adapt - and these adaptations actually have a hand in controlling our behavior. One thing they have the biggest control over is our food cravings. Bacteria help themselves survive by influencing us to choose foods that feature the particular nutrients they grow best on, rather than just taking whatever comes along. Some bacteria love fat, others love sugar. The bacteria are able to manipulate our feelings and cravings by changing neural signals along the vagus nerve. In this way, our gut bacteria literally teach us what to eat - they're able to alter our taste receptors, release toxins that make us feel bad, and reward us with chemicals that make us feel good - all in the service or their own survival and population growth."

That just hit me like lightning. How many times have I grabbed for something that I didn't really need but wanted to badly and then felt so good after taking a bite. Little rascals! I'll tell you that paragraph really hit me and made me realize that our body will give us all the signs when it needs help but are we actually listening to what we want to hear or what we need to hear. I'm listening now girl....message received. :)

Uses for Peppermint Oil

This essential oil is a staple in my house but in my research I found there are much more uses to this wonderful oil than I thought. Here are a list of uses for this great oil listed by Dr. Axe:

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I've been gluten free for about 2 months now but man do I ever miss pizza! Cauliflower is a great alternative for things like potatoes, rice and you guessed it.....pizza dough. I was skeptical at first but tried it and it taste so good. Here is the recipe and some pictures of when I made this at home myself.

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1/2 cup mozzarella
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

I was making 2 larger pizzas so I tripled this recipe. Bowl some water on the stove and drop the cauliflower in for a few minutes. Then throw the heated cauliflower into your processor to make it like a dough. To get the water out you put the cauliflower into a dish towel and wring out as much of the water as you can. I found out after making this that I could of skipped this step and just grated the raw cauliflower. DARN! But the pictures and recipe I am posting are the way I made it so that's what I will show you.

Once you've squeezed out as much water as you can add the rest of the ingredients to the cauliflower dough as well as you can. Then simply spread over your cooking sheet and press the corners to create nice edges. Put the cauliflower dough into you pre-heated over at 500°F for 15 minutes to cook the crust. Then take the dough out and cover with your favourite toppings and put back in the over for another 5-7 minutes to cook. Presto, cauliflower pizza! Nothing beats the taste of authentic homemade pizza, but I have to admit this is a tasty alternative. :)

Avocado Pudding

Since going gluten free I've been trying to find different options for dessert. Tried making avocado pudding and it turned out pretty good. Please do not try this thinking that it will be as sweet and on the same scale as pudding. Keep an open mind when trying this and remember that you've removed all the gluten and dairy and substituted sugar with agave. Here is the recipe:

2 avocados
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 almond milk
agave syrup to taste
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract

This is a tweak to some recipes that I have found on-line. I think that next time that I make it I will reduce the cocoa powder because it is a bit overpowering for my taste but still a success and will satisfy a sweet craving. Give it a try! :)

Natural Deodorants

A few years ago when I changed all my hygiene products to natural I was able to use many easy things around the house for deodorant. Alcohol swabs, coconut oil or baking soda. Well since my thyroid level are so off right now these are just not cutting it. When your body if off, so is its ability to do what it's supposed to. Your body doesn't give off odours when you are healthy and balanced. Within reason of course...you still need to bathe everyday and be clean lol Here are some deodorants I have tried from Pure Nature. They both work well but the one in pink and white is stronger. It's pricey but it lasts forever. I'm still working on both of them and I've had them for months. Much safer than other deodorants that might container harmful chemicals. Look out for Aluminum, Parabens, propylene glycol, phthalates and triclosan. Your skin is your largest organ and when putting these on your skin, your body is absorbing all these chemicals. There are other options even if you don't want to use alcohol or the other home items. Read the label!

                               

DIY Citrus Cleaners

I've been using vinegar and citrus essential oil to clean my house for a few years but never made cleaner with citrus peel. That's where the cleaning and degreasing power is at!! So this was my morning experiment. Found 3 different cleaners online. 1) orange peel cinnamon sticks and whole cloves 2) lemon peel vanilla extract and rosemary 3) lime peel and thyme.  Fill jars with vinegar and let sit for about 2 weeks. Then filter and add to your cleaner spray bottles at a ratio of 50/50 vinegar concentrate and distilled water. Use distilled water and not tap water as the impurities in tap water can create mold in the solution if not used within a certain amount of time. I can't wait to see what they smell like in 2 weeks. Keep you posted. :)