I know I'm a bit of a health nut. Okay, maybe more than a bit. LOL But I've heard from a lot of my readers about Natalie's gluten problems. I knew there were a lot more out there who can't eat gluten besides me so it's been great to talk to you. People often ask me what I eat so I decided we'd talk health today. It's a subject near and dear to my heart.
Fifteen years ago I was a mess: fibromyalgia, allergic to everything under the sun, hair falling out, chronic fatigue. . . the list goes on and on. I decided I was going to take charge of my health. I found a naturopath and began reading everything I could get my hands on about health. I found out that fibromyalgia is caused by undertreated low thyroid. Allergies are based in the gut and our diets promote what is called leaky gut. The gut becomes permeable and allows larger molecules to pass through to the body and trigger a response. Celiacs is often a base problem with people. Candida is also the cause. I had both.
So here I am: healthy, happy and in my right mind. Well, some would question that last item! :) So how did I eat my way to health? Here's my prescription:
Fermented foods like kombucha, kefir, and naturally fermented sauerkraut (no vinegar) are super good for your gut. If you have allergies, get checked for candida and gluten. You can have a test run at www.enterlab.com.
I eat primal. People are always asking me what is the difference between primal and paleo. Primal allows dairy and paleo. You will only pry my heavy whipping cream for my coffee from my cold, dead fingers! :) So of course I chose primal! I eat no gluten. and lots of meat, vegetables, and some fruit. I've recently gone to no grains at all. I've been following a neurosurgeon in Nashville, Dr. Jack Kruse, since last summer. He advocates allowing at least 4-5 hours between meals to allow leptin signaling to be restored. I start off with a large protein breakfast and that lasts me until about 1. No grains at all. He's on a quest to eliminate disease and has helped a lot of people. Warning--he does talk a lot about evolution but just ignore that. When I first recommended him, Christian readers objected to his discussion of evolution, but even though most of us don't believe in evolution, his principles are sound for health.
I had my lab work done in January and the change was astounding. My hs-CRP dropped to .1 which is basically NO inflammation and my homocysteine level plummeted. I'd been working on both those numbers for years with no real success. For the first time my cholesterol went from a very unhealthy total of 130 to 200. My sugar level plummeted too. Cholesterol is not the bad guy, by the way. Your body needs it to make your hormones. The bad guy is inflammation that takes whatever cholesterol you have and uses it to pad your cells for protection. So I was delighted by those numbers. I feel great and have tons of energy!
I eat lots of fats. No fats are not the bad guy either. Unnatural fats are but natural fats are good for you. Your body needs them to function properly. My ratio in a day's food is about 65% fat. Here is a typical day's menu for me:
Breakfast: Mug of coffee with heavy whipping cream, 3 egg omelet cooked in coconut oil with steak, mushrooms, veggies, topped with avocado and pepper jack cheese. Serving of what we call cocoa crack. (coconut oil, cocoa, stevia and shredded coconut plus some nuts)
Small lunch: Pink Lady apple and tuna salad with melted cheese on top. More coffee with cream!
2nd meal: Large salmon patty, 1/2 sweet potato, asparagus or broccoli.
So that's my typical menu. I vary it with different fish or meat. I eat a lot of Mexican too like steak fajitas without the wrap. If I want dessert, I fix a mug cake (like a brownie) made from almond flour (pure ground up almonds) and it is yummy! But I have worked hard at breaking the sugar monster's hold on me. He might still have a finger on my arm, but most of the time I can resist him. Dark chocolate that has very little sugar is allowed too.
If you'd like more information on the primal lifestyle, I highly recommend Mark Sisson's books and his website.
I'm on a quest to get as many people healthy as I can. Read up on the paleo or primal lifestyle. You'll be amazed at the benefits! Natalie (from Smitten) would approve and so would I!
Labels: health, Jack Kruse, Mark Sisson, primal
I know I'm a bit of a health nut. Okay, maybe more than a bit. LOL But I've heard from a lot of my readers about Natalie's gluten problems. I knew there were a lot more out there who can't eat gluten besides me so it's been great to talk to you. People often ask me what I eat so I decided we'd talk health today. It's a subject near and dear to my heart. 
Delicious
8 Comments:
I'm forwarding this to my fm-ridden mommy who can't eat without a burning stomach!!
Great advice. I also think it's wise not to throw the baby out with the bath water (ie., because he believes in evolution does not mean he hasn't gleaned a few things being a neurosurgeon.) Since I'm such a big brain nut, I love seeing how everything is so related. If you haven't watched "I Am" the documentary on Tom Shadyac and how he came to discover his calling on earth, it's fabulous how we all are important to one another. I bring him up because he too has some crazy ideas mixed in with the genuine message.
I went to look at www.enterlab.com to get more info on the testing they do, and it took me to an IT site. Pretty sure they don't do allergy testing! Do you, perhaps, have a link? I'd love to get some quick, basic answers without the drawn-out drama to get an allergy consult.
Sorry I left out an s. It's www.enterolabs.com
My BF is hypersensitive to gluten. She gets very ill if she even eats peanut butter from a spoon that has touched bread - but she doesn't have celiac's. So be aware. Two thumbs up Colleen for the changes to a natural diet. Sometimes I think the only way to be 100% positive of what you're eating is to eat nothing pre-packaged.
I have been a fan of the Primal lifestyle and Mark Sisson for a couple of years. I am also a fan of Liz Wolf and her book Eat The Yolks. This is a Paleo approach but her expose of " conventional wisdom " and " big pharma " are remarkable. Thank you for your time and hard work. I am a believer also so I truly appreciate your prefacing with not advocating evolution. When I share with people about this life style of eating, I do the give the same speel. :)
P.S. LOVE the cocoa crack!!!! 😄 💚 oh my goodness!
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