health

I’m Still Alive (And Eating a Weird Diet)

April 10, 2017 by arfoodie 1 Comment

So, after deciding a while back that I wasn’t as interested in covering food news here anymore, I promptly got wrapped up in my other projects and left this poor old blog to rot. Which is a shame, because I really do still love to write, and I do still cook some nice stuff at home occasionally.

arfoodjobs.com, now three years in, is doing well. If you’re in the “business,” holla. We’ve even done a test run of a workforce training program, kind of a pre-culinary-school sort of thing, with great success. And to get some writing out, I’m also a new “Expert Columnist” (ha!) for Foodable, an online industry publication for foodservice folk. It’s quite the honor.

Meanwhile, all my old health issues continue to come and go. I only bring it up because the original purpose of this blog was to help others who might be in the same boat, encouraging you to cook as much as you can. It really does help.

The latest: Under the direction of a new (functional medicine, actual MD) doctor, I did TWO rounds of a 6-week or so elimination diet, with all kinds of supplements, probiotics, enzymes and the like. I cheated a bit on the first one so I felt that I should do it again.

It’s basically paleo with rice allowed, I guess. I felt pretty darn good while on it, but as I’m tapering off of the supplements and reintroducing things, I’ve felt pretty bad. So I may be on some form of this for the long haul. Sigh. The food is good, but darn it, I want cake and cheese and eggs and all the things. I’m holding out for Easter this time around, then back on the wagon.

Let me know if you’ve tried a special diet (paleo, GAPS, FODMAP, etc.) to combat your health issues, and how successful you were in sticking to it. I’m wondering if I can manage this long-term, especially being in the food business.

I’ll try to write occasionally with a recipe or two from the new “lifestyle.” We’ll see if it’s permanent.

3 Things I Learned from a 3-Day Juice Cleanse

January 7, 2014 by arfoodie 6 Comments

A glass of Joe Cross’ Mean Green juice, from last spring. Clearly I hadn’t taken down the sugar monster then, either (see background).

I’m not a huge fan of New Years resolutions. Setting unwieldy goals that will be forgotten by February seems like an awful way to start the first days of the calendar. That being said, last week seemed a peachy time to do a juice cleanse, if only to scrub away the cobwebs and funk built up by a holiday season full of heavy food, sweets and cured meats.

Then it appeared in my Facebook newsfeed: a three-day cleanse featuring juice, and a plan written by the people who brought you the Food Matters documentary film. They advertised a free set of recipes and plans for the three days, although the acquisition of which was confusing and I ended up buying the e-book version. This plan seemed better than others I’ve tried before (and failed — my brain freaks out without carbs); it included real food in the form of salads for lunch and a vegetable soup for dinner, with juices and teas in-between.

Here are some things I learned in the process:

1. Some cleanse is better than none at all.

I cheated. Big time.

I actually behaved and followed the plan most of the time. I drank my large glass of water first thing every morning. I actually enjoyed my alkaline veggie juice for breakfast each day (kale, celery, cucumber, parsley and lime), although I cheated a bit and added an apple a couple of times. The large salads at lunch were filling and delicious, even when the avocados I purchased for said salads were found to be too green to even cut open. And the veggie soup for dinner was awesome!

It was those few hours before bed on day two that my body went crazy.

After all day feeding my body a virtual IV drip of awesome, I fell headlong into a bag of marshmallows. Same on day three, followed by some cornbread (hey, it’s the last day, I’m done, right?) and a handful of candy corn. That carb/sugar addiction is some serious shiz.

With my cheats, I fully expected to not get a lot of benefit from the whole experience. Guilt-tripper health nuts will chastise you and say, “you might as well not have done the cleanse at all.” But, despite all my shortcomings, I am sitting here on day four awake and clear-headed when I’m usually shuffling back to bed for a nap. I lost some weight and I feel…well…clean. Proof enough for me.

2. Any step in the right direction is a good step.

Corollary: Your brain, not your stomach, is your biggest challenge.

I could have decided I was going to lose 20 pounds by spring, mapping out an elaborate diet and exercise plan. Nothing wrong with that. Except I won’t do it. I did a tiny, three-day baby step, and I didn’t even complete it properly. But I did something.

I got enough benefit to take a few more little steps, not even as drastic as those I did for three days, but still, something. Cut down on sugar (it tastes kinda gross now, anyway). Keep juicing, at least a few times a week. Cut way back on meat and eat more fresh vegetables.

As my brain was screaming for nighttime carbs, I became more aware of the brain-stomach connection. My hunger wasn’t from my stomach, it was from a chemical reaction in my brain…literally an addiction. Even when I failed to control it, I took a tiny step to recognize it for what it is. And if you ever watched G.I. Joe, you know that knowing is half the battle.

3. Juicing is pretty awesome.

If you’ve never tried it, I can highly recommend it.

I really like my refurb Breville Juice Fountain.

Don’t freak out when you see juicing evangelists like Joe Cross (of Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, a great documentary you should totally watch) going all-juice for 30 days or more at a time. Just try one glass, mostly veggies. I like Joe’s Mean Green recipe. Then go from there.

To rehash an earlier phrase, it’s like an IV of nutrients going right into your body, immediately ready for use. I was coming from a pretty rough place last week, with fatigue and brain fog. Before I was even done with the first glass, I could feel stuff happening, like an energy surge. You know, like you hope that third cup of coffee will do but doesn’t. Oh…and other things.

Ahem. Juicing will make you go.to.the.bathroom. With a quickness. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t even finish the glass first. It’s all good. Your body needs to get rid of, well, stuff. My husband joked that men would probably take pictures and share stories. It’s pretty remarkable, really.

So, as with most things in my life, I didn’t do the cleanse perfectly, but at least I did something. And that may be the biggest lesson learned of all.

That’s It, I’m Going (Mostly) Gluten-Free.

August 4, 2011 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

Bleh.

That’s how I’ve felt the past month or so. If you know me and you haven’t seen me, well, I’ve been piled in a lump at home.

With a history of chronic fatigue and muscle issues, I know good and well what the fix is. I’ve done it before.

D-I-E-T.

And I don’t mean the typical, weight-loss kind, although I could use that about now, too. I mean no wheat, sugar, corn or dairy. I completely cured myself about 10 years ago eating this way for a solid month, then eating reasonably close to it after that. At least, until I fell off the wagon in a decade-long slippery slope.

Such draconian measures sounded like a bit too much to attempt right this minute, so I started with gluten. One day this week, I just decided. Now. Okay, nnnnnnow.

The second night, I replaced gluten cravings with sugar and processed nonsense. I put everyone to bed and ran to Kroger that night, hungry for cheaty goodies I could have. The results:

This is what late-night, gluten-free binge shopping looks like.

For someone who generally tries to shun processed foods, this is friggin’ ridiculous.

But, those Betty Crocker gluten-free cupcakes were awfully good. Yes, they have a mix.

I’m embarrassed now that I bought all that stuff (minus the scratch-cooking necessities), but some of it was useful. I do plan to develop similar recipes from scratch, and now I know what standard to hold them against. And I do need some emergency goodies for when I’m desperate.

Why does your post title say “mostly,” you ask?

I don’t have Celiac disease, I’m just sensitive to gluten. So, I’ve not done as well about sticking to the program as I should. Within a week, I’ve already had a grilled cheese sandwich from McAlister’s and some pizza from the local dive. Both were due to poor planning when going out to eat with the family. Sounds like I need to make a list.

When I did this 10 years ago, I was really, really sick. I was so weak, I didn’t have the strength to cook like I do now, although I often get too tired to get completely cleaned up afterwards. Mostly, I ate short-grain brown rice, veggies, Braggs Aminos, and the occasional small portion of meat. Sometimes I made casseroles with legumes, veggies and whole grains. It worked.

I think this time around, Asian flavors will prevail. They generally work well with my planned diet (although I’m craving potstickers…wonder if I can make those wrappers gluten free?). I bought the goods to make sushi and I’ve almost got it down. (That’s for another post.)

The real test will be at the end of this month, when I travel to the International Food Blogger Conference in New Orleans. (Did I mention I won the contest from the previous post? Eeeek!) It will be food mecca, with lots of temptation, I’m sure. But they’re also going far out of their way to feed, teach, and inspire gluten-free folk, of which there are many in the food blogger world.

I know there’s more of you out there. Let’s help each other out. One of these days, I hope to cook for you. As I learn more, here’s to better health.