For all those who haven't any health concerns or weight issues and continue to eat the Standard American Diet (cooked meat, potatoes and veggies, dairy, caffeine, refined sugars and flours), then God bless you. You need not read any further.
For all the rest, here's the deal. I'm in a slump. We've been pretty faithful to the mostly raw diet (75% or more) since Lent, but have fallen off the wagon somewhat. It's been about two weeks going where my energy is not where it was before. Mind you, lack of intentional exercise and our teething toddler not sleeping through the night may certainly be factors. However, you know when you just aren't at your best? Yeah, that's me right now.
I really started to notice the funk after last Friday when we ate out at a breakfast joint. I happily went to town on a veggie omelet, banana pancakes, home fries and rye toast. I felt satisfied and okay for the rest of the day and we hit the smoothies again the following morning. But then the rest of the weekend seemed to stack up where we were eating more and more cooked food.
For some, this is no big deal. On Sunday, however, I started getting a strange rash around my jaw line on up around my ears. And it itched. First thing people think is "allergy," right? And I think it was. It's subsided, but I can't help but think it had to do with something I ate . . .or what I haven't normally been eating.
If it continues, I will certainly see a doctor.
But herein lies other issues: I could be wrong, but it seems cooked/processed food, caffeine and refined sugars affect other things like my mood and ability to think more clearly (deeper swings and longer time periods of being able to catch it), joints (after eating that cooked Black Bean Chili tonight, my neck and hands started to get crampy), and energy (it does nothing to improve it compared to the raw diet).
Actually, my husband said he noticed some intestinal pains after dinner tonight, too. So it's apparent that utilizing canned food and cooking it will temporarily satiate us, (I mean, the chili tasted good!) but it does not offer much in the way of overall well-being. I mean, science, nutrition and experience seem to constantly teach us this... I guess we needed another lesson. I wonder if I should take down the recipe!?
But if you recall I was feeling tired even before the allergic reaction and joint pain. I might have to consult a doctor and/or naturopath anyway. Our diet definitely needs to return to mostly raw, however, I'd like to find out if this period of fatigue is just my body's natural cycle of healing (as cells take time and energy to regenerate) or if there might be an intervention needed. I've been paying attention to our iron and Vitamin B12 intake which, when deficient, signals fatigue symptoms, but perhaps I need a lesson on food pairing for better absorption.
The other issue is this: medical doctors typically do not endorse or have much to say about diet and disease connections, and naturopaths are not covered by insurance. Humpf. So I'm at a crossroads. I think I'll look to see if there are any integrative physicians in the area. Any other suggestions?
On a different note, I've ordered some marine phytoplankton, that should be here by Saturday. This stuff is supposed to be 'da bomb' as a super whole food. Also, I'm running a 5K this weekend, too. Hopefully these changes will elicit some healthful results!
Here's hoping it's just a case of teething toddler and lazy bones.
To be continued . . .
For all the rest, here's the deal. I'm in a slump. We've been pretty faithful to the mostly raw diet (75% or more) since Lent, but have fallen off the wagon somewhat. It's been about two weeks going where my energy is not where it was before. Mind you, lack of intentional exercise and our teething toddler not sleeping through the night may certainly be factors. However, you know when you just aren't at your best? Yeah, that's me right now. I really started to notice the funk after last Friday when we ate out at a breakfast joint. I happily went to town on a veggie omelet, banana pancakes, home fries and rye toast. I felt satisfied and okay for the rest of the day and we hit the smoothies again the following morning. But then the rest of the weekend seemed to stack up where we were eating more and more cooked food.
For some, this is no big deal. On Sunday, however, I started getting a strange rash around my jaw line on up around my ears. And it itched. First thing people think is "allergy," right? And I think it was. It's subsided, but I can't help but think it had to do with something I ate . . .or what I haven't normally been eating.
If it continues, I will certainly see a doctor.
But herein lies other issues: I could be wrong, but it seems cooked/processed food, caffeine and refined sugars affect other things like my mood and ability to think more clearly (deeper swings and longer time periods of being able to catch it), joints (after eating that cooked Black Bean Chili tonight, my neck and hands started to get crampy), and energy (it does nothing to improve it compared to the raw diet).
Actually, my husband said he noticed some intestinal pains after dinner tonight, too. So it's apparent that utilizing canned food and cooking it will temporarily satiate us, (I mean, the chili tasted good!) but it does not offer much in the way of overall well-being. I mean, science, nutrition and experience seem to constantly teach us this... I guess we needed another lesson. I wonder if I should take down the recipe!?
But if you recall I was feeling tired even before the allergic reaction and joint pain. I might have to consult a doctor and/or naturopath anyway. Our diet definitely needs to return to mostly raw, however, I'd like to find out if this period of fatigue is just my body's natural cycle of healing (as cells take time and energy to regenerate) or if there might be an intervention needed. I've been paying attention to our iron and Vitamin B12 intake which, when deficient, signals fatigue symptoms, but perhaps I need a lesson on food pairing for better absorption.
The other issue is this: medical doctors typically do not endorse or have much to say about diet and disease connections, and naturopaths are not covered by insurance. Humpf. So I'm at a crossroads. I think I'll look to see if there are any integrative physicians in the area. Any other suggestions?
On a different note, I've ordered some marine phytoplankton, that should be here by Saturday. This stuff is supposed to be 'da bomb' as a super whole food. Also, I'm running a 5K this weekend, too. Hopefully these changes will elicit some healthful results!
Here's hoping it's just a case of teething toddler and lazy bones.
To be continued . . .
I've been thinking about talking to the church about changing us over to an insurance plan with an HSA (health savings account). Basically, as it has been explained to me, you just get a really high deductible catastrophic insurance plan and the rest of the money goes into a savings account that you use to pay for whatever medical needs you have. Everyone I talk to that has it seems to love it. My understanding is that it saves the church money, and you can use the money at any health practitioner that you want. I'm pretty sure that would cover natural-paths.
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