Obviously, I like to post a lot of my food on Instagram. Following a strict diet can be hard, but I try to make it fun and I try to make it look good. And Tom's only requirement for what he eats is that it has to be delicious. The other major requirement for meals in our house is that it has to be FAST. In the mornings, my meals have to be grab-n-go. At lunch, I am either working or driving to my other school. And since my energy has been so low lately, dinners have to be super easy cause at the end of the day, I am just barely making it. Combine all this with food restrictions and it can be tough. Thankfully, we've gotten a system down that ensures we spend minimal time prepping food during the week, we stay on our food budget, and we are getting lots of healthy veggies, protein, and fat at each meal. Here's how we do it: 1. Flexible grocery list During the summer, I love to try new recipes and be adventurous in the kitchen. I'll make an exact grocery list with specific ingredients I need in order to make more complicated recipes. For a long time, I tried this approach during the school year and it got frustrating with AIP simply because shopping for specific recipes requires you to cook that recipe regardless of if you feel like it later on in the week. If I buy ingredients for a dish that takes 45 minutes and I plan to make it on Thursday night, but then Thursday rolls around and I have no energy, I'm going to be stressed about making that food. If I don't make the food, will it go to waste? And more importantly, what are we going to eat instead??! So, I started creating flexible grocery lists. Game changer. Not only does this take the pressure off me to cook certain meals on certain nights, BUT it has also helped save us money because we eat what's in season and what is on sale at the grocery store. Which definitely helps when you are trying to buy all organic. I go to the grocery store with an idea of what type of veggies I will buy, but when I see that collard greens are on sale and kale is not, guess what I'm buying? The collards. This isn't to say I go to the store without a plan. I have categories I plan to get, but then flexibility within those categories. So here's what my list might look like: 2. Lots of repetition (but only once)
There's a lot of info on why AIP'ers should rotate their food and not eat too much of the same thing. Even if you don't have food issues, it's great to get a lot of variety in your diet. However, cooking something different for every single meal is time consuming and not economical, especially if you are buying different ingredients for each dish. So what we do to get variety AND save time and money is we rotate ingredients each week instead of each day. For example, one week I'll make a huge batch of butternut squash for us to eat. We'll eat that as a side for dinner every night that week. But then the next week, I'll get sweet potatoes and that will be our side dish. We get variety, BUT I only have to cook once. Furthermore, I'm able to buy ingredients in bulk to save money. Which leads me to my third point... 3. Bulk Buys and Batch Cooking As you probably noted in my photo above, we shop at a few places. If you aren't shopping at Costco, I would suggest you check it out and see if they carry products you would use on a weekly basis. We used to have a Sam's membership, but then we realized that Costco actually carries much more organic produce. We buy our fruit, greens, and some veggies at Costco each week. Bananas, berries, salad mixes, avocados, AND some times they even carry those Paleo Hail Merry tarts! In addition, we buy our coconut oil there. It saves us about 10-15 bucks a week when we shop there. In addition, we buy our fish there-- sometimes we buy frozen salmon, sometimes canned salmon, and sometimes cod. The important thing is that they sell WILD CAUGHT fish, which is incredibly important. Then we buy our "single" items at Whole Foods. We shop at Whole Food primarily because they offer a wider variety of organic produce than HEB, however, if there are items we know are cheaper at HEB, we will sometimes swing by there as well (Did I mention that grocery shopping is pretty much the whole Saturday morning affair?) . At WF, we buy organic meats, organic produce not available at Costco, and a few products like salsa, epic bars, and dried ingredients from the bulk bins. Then, finally Sunday afternoon, I do some batch cooking. I start by roasting three trays of vegetables for side dishes. Sometimes I buy the pre-chopped veggies at Costco (score!). While my veggies are roasting, I assemble my salads for the week. After that, I make a ground beef or bison skillet-- I just throw some green veggies with onions, garlic, etc. in with the ground beef. All in all, it takes about 1.5-2 hours to make about 15-20 meals. After two hours I have the following: 1. All veggie sides for dinner 2. Lunch salads for the week 3. Breakfast wraps or hash for the week 4. 4-6 servings of dinners to get us through Monday-Friday Our dinner menu might end up looking something like this: Monday: Sweet potatoes with ground beef/veggie mixture Tuesday: Sweet potatoes with ground beef /veggie mixture Wednesday: Salmon with brussels sprouts and spinach Thursday: Roasted veggie bowl with ground beef on top Friday: Leftovers: whatever meat and veggies are left in the fridge! You can see, we eat a lot of vegetables, but a little bit of prep makes it easy and convenient for us to stick to a healthy diet, even on those days when I'm just not feeling it! It is possible and it is totally worth it:) If you are wanting to try batch cooking, just keep in mind planning is key BUT you can do it!
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When Tom and I first got married, we started each year with setting goals: spiritual, physical, financial, and personal goals.
My favorite goals were always the physical goals-- I've said before that I was a cardio junkie gym rat for the past two decades. Some years I accomplished my goals (run a sub 1:50 half marathon) and some years I didn't (my hatred of swimming got in the way of that triathlon). But this year was much different. For the past three months, I've been on a pretty intense regiment to fight an infection that my body has been battling for a while. In fact, the infection probably contributed a great deal to my autoimmune issues-- that coupled with genetics, environment, diet, and excessive stress (another post on that later). Recovering from this infection has been no joke. Imagine the feeling you get when you are about to be over the flu-- when your body is working the hardest to break that fever and you can't really get out of bed without feeling like you might fall through the floor. That's basically how I've felt for three whole months. Since that's the case, anything other than walking the dogs and gentle yoga have been out of the question. So I had to reassess my normal New Year's Goals to align with what I really need: rest. For my entire life, rest has been an afterthought, IF that. Rest days were overrated and sleep was whatever I could squeeze in. In fact, as I write this at 9:30 on a Sunday morning, I realize that these past few months are the ONLY time in my adult life when I did not wake up at the crack of dawn to go run 6 miles or go to the gym. These past few months are the ONLY time since junior high that I have consistently tried to get more than 7 hours of sleep. What a huge shift in mindset. I don't know why our culture has this mindset that if we aren't always DOING something, we are lazy bums. That if we aren't burning the candle on both ends, we will end up as failures. I know I've lived by that philosophy. I feel guilty if I am not being productive. If I am not working out each day. If I am not fully committed in my time. I fear taking time to rest because I am afraid I will become useless. But this is a problem. Not only did I wear myself into the ground, but ultimately this mindset reflects that I put my self-worth in what I can accomplish. What a horrible hamster wheel to be on. So this year, I decided my goals should be different. I wanted to focus not on what I could accomplish, but on becoming the person I want to be-- traits and character that have nothing to do with accomplishments. So here are a few goals I have for the new year: 1. Be patient. No surprise here. As the independent, wait-for-no-one, I'll-get-it-done-first-because-I'm-competent person I strived to be, I am so impatient. When walking with groups, I get annoyed at how slow everyone else is walking. Power walk IS my slow walk. But whew-- chronic illness has humbled me and at many times, physically limited me. It has also taught me to be patient with others and patient with myself. I used to make no apologies for being impatient. Now I realize that showing patience with others helps me slow down and reflect. It has also made me more patient with myself. 2. Value people, not feelings People with chronic illness know this-- it is hard to keep your cool when you don't feel well. When the room is spinning. When you are sleep deprived. When your muscles stop working. Feeling crappy can lead to me acting crappy far too quickly. Unfortunately, this can lead to me being short and rude with the people I care about this most. My goal for this year is that when I feel agitated or short fused, I stop and tell myself this: "How I feel right now is not more important than my love for _______. Do I want to communicate how I temporarily feel physically or do I want to convey how much I love this person in how I respond to him/her?" 3. Practice imperfection In my little hamster wheel of accomplishments, I often had the mentality that if I couldn't do something perfectly, I shouldn't do it. For example, if I couldn't go to the hardcore, 90 minute yoga class, I shouldn't do yoga. Or if I couldn't learn a new skill and completely master it, I just shouldn't attempt to learn it. Stupid, I know. Not only was that stupid, but it was a completely unnecessary source of stress. So my goal for this year is to stop aiming for perfect. That applies to every area of my life: the cleanliness of my house, my workout schedule, my finances, my to-do list, etc. My whole life has been about perfection. This year its going to be about "Eh. that'll do." These goals are totally different than any other year's. But they are what fits this time in my life and honestly, what I need the most. Here I am , almost a month into the New Year and I have to say these goals aren't something to accomplish in a month or even a year, but a lifelong practice in compassion. What about you? Did you set New Year's resolutions or goals? Have you kept them up or have they fallen by the wayside? (No judgement if they did. Adopt my policy if you only stuck to it for a week--Eh. That'll do.). I've been so remiss in writing, but now that school is out for the winter break, I'm hoping to post a few updates:)
Since this summer, my health has been SO up and down. Part of this was caused by a bad experience with a doctor who put me on some supplements that completely threw my sleep, heart rate, and hormones out of whack. I quickly fired him. Thankfully, I just started working with a two new practitioners and I absolutely love both of them. Together we are making progress, but it is slow. As I noted in this post, I've nailed down the diet aspect of healing, but it has become so clear to me that autoimmune remission is NOT just about what you eat. Healing has to be holistic; healing has to happen on an emotional and spiritual level as well. My focus the past several months has been on two things: getting quality sleep and extending compassion to myself. Two years ago I would have scornfully laughed at myself for giving such weight to two seemingly simple and "weak" concepts. Who needs sleep?? I would have thought. Self-compassion is for the feeble, would have been my retort. But now, I am learning they are key components to progressing in the healing process. Food and diet changes can only do so much. And speaking of healing on an emotional level, let me tell you (or perhaps as a fellow AIP'er you already know), the holidays with food allergies can be quite emotional. Cue the scene from this past Thanksgiving where I stormed out of my parents house in tears when I realized I had acccidentally used regular eggs instead of the organic, soy-free eggs I had needed in my Paleo Pumpkin Pie. Or the scene from last Christmas when I walked into my grandmother's house trying to hold it together because it was the first Christmas since my grandfather had passed and when I realized I wouldn't get to eat any of the Christmas cookies she had been making me the past 3 decades, I burst into tears in the bathroom. It already didn't feel like Christmas without my grandfather there to bless the food-- it was so unfair I couldn't even console myself with the familiar comfort of my grandmother's cookies. This holiday season, I'm not a rookie when it comes to facing a comforting, yet dangerous buffet full of nostalgic SAD food that would send me into a major flare. I've learned some recipes. But I've also learned some things I need to practice in order to focus on the joy of the holiday season. 1. Assess and address your stress Looking back at last Christmas, I was really crying in the bathroom because of my grandfather. But the cookies were just the last straw. So all my emotions got rolled into one. The holidays are emotional whether you are dealing with chronic illness or not. So it is really important to step back and discern where your emotions are coming from--assess. Here's why: if you are stressed because of difficult relatives or sad because of the loss of someone and you project that energy onto your food related issues, it adds to a negative perception of food. And we know it is important that we view food as agents of healing. In addition, you can't deal with the stress if you don't accurately assess where it is coming from. Yes, maybe you are upset because your mother-in-law insists it is safe if you "Just eat ONE bite" of gluten-filled stuffing, but try to separate your frustration with her from your anxiety over the stuffing. Once you've assessed, you need to address your stress. Take a step back. Maybe your relatives are insensitive. Maybe they make you feel horrible about not being able to eat everything. Or maybe they are well meaning and try to be supportive, but they don't know how. Regardless, that stress should be dealt with separately. Then consider your food-related stress. Maybe you are sad because you can't eat a favorite dish anymore. Maybe you are anxious because you are cooking all new AIP recipes for yourself/family. Recognize where your feelings are coming from to prevent family-related stress from compounding your food-related stress (even though sometimes one is fueling the other!!). 2. Reframe your feelings So you might be thinking, how the heck to I address those stresses at all, much less separately? The answer: reframe your feelings. As I mentioned earlier, I had an "egg-debacle" in which I stormed out of the house. That was due to using the wrong eggs, but it was also fueled by the fact that I was angry I was having to make so many dishes for a family gathering just to ensure I could eat something. I was having a pity party that I had to spend so much time cooking, even though I actually like cooking. Then I realized, I need to frame the situation this way: I have the opportunity to share something healthy with the people I love. Yes, it kind of sucks having to cook all this just so I can eat, but my food can help my body AND be my contribution to my family. What a blessed opportunity I have to share. For me, food used to be "the main event" at family gatherings. Whenever I'd arrive at my grandmother's house, I'd check out what was going on in the kitchen (and ya'll, it was always SO freaking good). So instead of mourning the fact that there's so much I can't eat, I should consider the new "main event" focusing on what is really important-- spending time with the people I love (which is honestly what it should have been in the first place). I get to make food the peripheral, and people the primary, which is actually how it should be. 3. Indulge your sweet tooth, not your fears This is really two pieces of advice. The first-- indulge your sweet tooth. Plan ahead. This year I made Christmas cookies for my students and I was so, so sad I couldn't taste any of them. I wanted to try some so badly and I am not usually tempted by SAD desserts. Instead, I made a run to the grocery store to get some NadaMoo ice cream and let myself have half a pint, guilt free. I don't do that every time I want to and it certainly shouldn't be a habit, but I recognized I needed a little self-compassion and that getting through all these holiday treats without eating even one was a challenge. With the NadaMoo, I don't feel like I am totally deprived and my cravings for the SAD desserts are mitigated. When it comes to food at family gatherings, plan delicious recipes for yourself ahead of time. This past Thanksgiving, I made some brussel sprouts with bacon jam for myself. BACON JAM. I didn't even care what else was at the buffet because BACON JAM. There was NO self-depravation there. The holidays are the time to indulge so plan SMARTLY for it. Secondly, don't indulge your fears. I am not saying to disregard your fears. They are VALID. I know what it is like when people disregard your fears or make you feel stupid for being so overly cautious about food choices. It is normal to have fear-related food when your body has seemingly betrayed you. When a spoonful of the wrong ingredient will flood your joints with swelling and pain. When cross contamination will give you two weeks of brain fog and send you running for the bathroom. When a simple cooking mistake gives you a debilitating migraine. So your fears are valid. But don't let them run the show. Be cautious and vigilant but not paranoid. This past Thanksgiving, all I could think about before we ate was what happens if someone mixes up the serving spoons-- they get themselves some stuffing and then reach for my AIP sweet potatoes? It was all I could think about until we ate. And guess what? There was no cross contamination. But in my head, the fear ran away with me. The fear triggered a stress response and STOLE 45 minutes of my focus. The "what if" fears damage our body's immune systems too, and sometimes fear can be just as detrimental as unsafe foods. 4. Look for ways to practice gratitude For many people, myself included, the holidays focus on food. As I have been preparing for the holidays this year, I've looked for ways to appreciate the other aspects of the holidays. I bought matching gift wrapping that is color coordinated and found joy in how beautiful my gifts look under my tree. I found a new Christmas wreath I love and every time I drive up to my house, I admire how it matches perfectly (you can see my OCD tendencies here:). But I also so thankful for the fact that as soon as my grandmother learned about my food allergies, she bought a big jar of coconut oil to use when she cooks for me. That simple act of consideration still brings tears to my eyes. Or the fact that my mom went to a different grocery store just to get special ingredients for me to cook with when I was at her house. For people with chronic illness, the holidays can be hard, but it is also a time to have gratitude for the gifts we have in others who are helping us in this journey and the grace and compassion we can extend to ourselves. Above: The salad I waited months to eat. Grilled romaine Caesar salad for Zeal. It's kind of become a game for me to see how many AIP-friendly places I can find when we are traveling now. My previous "Where to Eat" posts were on San Francisco and Dallas. Up today, I've got some recommendations for where to eat AIP/Paleo in Denver and Boulder. Any time we have the chance to go to Denver or Boulder, we jump at it. Not only are there so many amazing outdoor activities, there's no shortage of AIP/Paleo-friendly restaurants. It is so easy to eat out and my favorite restaurant in the world is in Boulder. I would eat there every single day if I could. For every single meal. That's how awesome it is. So for starters, here's my recommendations for eating out in Denver: Linger Linger was our favorite restaurant before I was following AIP/Paleo. The menu is based on street food from around the world; there are tapas-sized plates from the Middle East, Asia, South America, etc. While they don't have anything on the menu that is specifically AIP, they clearly mark each dish for dairy, eggs, and gluten. In addition, they are open to modifying dishes to fit allergy requests. The last time we were there, the waiter brought out their recipe binder that lists EVERY INGREDIENT IN EACH DISH! Sometimes at restaurants I get so nervous that perhaps there is an included ingredient that the waitstaff has overlooked. Not at Linger. You can check the ingredient list yourself. Even with the modifications, everything I've ever eaten here has been amazing. And even better, they have a dessert that is safe for me to eat: Taiwanese Snow Ice. I had never tried this before, but it is delicious. Kind of like eating sweet snow. They have at least two dairy-free flavors and they can top the snow ice with simple fruit and coconut flakes. For those who love dessert but can't ever order an AIP-safe dessert, it always makes me happy to know when I am at Linger I get to have my dessert. Tom knows to order his own snow cause at Linger, I don't share. Below: My coconut Taiwanese Snow Ice with pureed raspberries and my compressed watermelon-basil salad. City O City City O City is just cool. Effortlessly cool. But if you are just starting out on your healing journey and in the most restrictive phase of AIP, this might not be the place for you. They are very sensitive to people's allergies and all of the items on their menu are marked as vegan, gluten-free, or soy free, but none of their dishes are specifically for AIP'ers. You CAN eat here on strict AIP, but you might not have as many options as you would at my next recommendation. I am recommending it though because their salads are incredible AND if you are someone who can tolerate alternative gluten-free flours, they make their own "bread" products. They offer gluten-free chicken and waffles and have all sorts of creative combinations for gluten-free pizzas and pastas. If you are traveling with people who aren't AIP/Paleo, this restaurant is a great compromise because the food is delicious for everyone and the vibe, as I said, is just plain cool. Stop here for brunch, dinner, or happy hour-- they have inventive cocktails for those who imbibe and kombucha on tap for those who want to feel like they are imbibing. Zeal This is it. My mecca. If I could eat every meal at Zeal, I would. No trip to Colorado is complete without a visit to Zeal. In the entry way of this restaurant, they have Dr. Amy Myers' book, Dr. Perlmutter's books, AIP cookbooks! Everything on their menu is clearly labeled for dairy and animal products. The entire restaurant is gluten-free. The first time we visited Zeal, I teared up because there were so many options for me on the menu. I could order an appetizer, a salad, a soup, multiple entrees, and dessert-- Tom had to help me refrain from ordering about 15 things. Their meats are grass-fed, their veggies are organic, their chocolate is soy-lecithin free, let the angels rejoice!! Maybe you, like me, used to enjoy going to restaurants. It was a fun social reward where you could relax, enjoy good food and drink, and spend time connecting with others. Of course, on AIP, eating out now feels like you are navigating a landmine as you try to determine the waitstaff's ability to communicate clearly to the kitchen for fear of accidentally getting poisoned and thus spending the next few days incapacitated in bed. Now eating out is an anxiety-ridden Russian roulette game where you are embarrassed by how many times your waiter has to go ask the kitchen a question before you can actually order anything (if you can order at all). Fellow-AIP'ers, dining at Zeal is like the old days. You can sit down, order from a knowledgable waitstaff who will not silently judge you for special requests, and then rest easy, knowing you won't get "glutened." My favorite things to order include: the grilled romaine Caesar salad, the Build-Your-Own-Bowl with cauliflower rice, bone broth, grass-fed beef or bacon, avocado, and veggies, their fresh-pressed red juice (beets, carrots, apples, ginger), or any of their sandwiches in a collard wrap. They also have several AIP-friendly desserts. If you can handle chocolate, I recommend their flourless chocolate-date cake, but if chocolate is a problem for you, they have a light avocado creme brulee that makes me glad I don't have a blow-torch or I would be making it every day. There's a reason that when we land in the Denver airport, this place in Boulder is usually our first stop. Below: My build-your-own-bowl, Tom's ginger carrot soup, Tom's bison collard wrap-- he ate half of it before I had a chance to take a picture. Leaf
Leaf is across the street from Zeal, so in all honesty, I don't know why you would go to Leaf when you could just go to Zeal. But, in the rare case that you don't love Zeal as much as I do, Leaf is one of the most zen, calming restaurants I've been to. The food is actually vegan and most of it is raw; I recommend it because the kitchen and waitstaff are knowledgable about all ingredients used and also, where most ingredients are sourced from. Because they use a lot of nuts, you may need to ask for modifications on some dishes, but this place is perfect if you are looking for a light, fresh, and healthy dish. The ambiance of this place is another reason to visit-- there's tons of light and the minimalist decor feels just as balanced as each dish. If you can't find a dish that accommodates all of your allergies, just tell the waitstaff and the kitchen will make you something delicious according to your requests. If you are on AIP and worried about traveling because of the difficulty and fear that comes with eating out, the Denver/Boulder area is a great place to vacation. I've just listed my four favorite places here, but in addition, there are tons of fresh juice bars, healthy grocery chains, and ingredient-conscious restaurants. Plus, we know following an AIP lifestyle isn't just about food— we also have to manage stress, and the Denver/Boulder area has so many options for relaxing at a local spa, meditating in one the many yoga studios, or seeking some alone time on the beautiful trails in mountains and parks. I'm getting ready to go see a new functional medicine doctor next week and in preparation, I've been outlining the key turning points in my health journey, recounting when I first starting noticing autoimmune symptoms. As I went through the past 10-12 years of my health symptoms, I remembered my lifestyle habits that probably majorly contributed to my current problems. At the root of all these habits?
Stress. Furthermore, every major negative progression happened at a time of heightened stress. I've always been a type A perfectionist personality. Add to that major control freak. Add to that regimented work out schedule and vegan diet. I would wake up at 5 am to get my morning work out in, follow that with a large soy latte, 8-10 hours of a very rewarding, but stressful job where I had to be "on" all the time (difficult for this introvert), and then lots of afternoon sugar to pull me through the brain fog and fatigue that I usually felt before dinner. And of course, to reward myself for a long hard day, I'd look forward to even more sugar after dinner- daily dessert. My work outs were always long, hard cardio sessions and I prided myself on the fact that I never really needed more than 5-6 hours of sleep. When my to-do list started to overwhelm me, I would just internalize my stress and move on. "Just deal with it" was my mantra. Every time my husband and I moved homes, my lymphatic system would completely crash. I would have tremendous anxiety attacks. I would get achy joints (apart from the soreness of actually moving boxes). So now, we are moving once again. In addition, we are possibly going to be embarking on a major home renovation. And before we have even moved once piece of furniture, I felt it coming on-- the catastrophic effects of stress. For the past year and a half, I've been hyper-focused on nutrition and following AIP. I never really thought about modifying the way I dealt with stress. I overhauled my diet and tried to get an extra hour or two of sleep, but I completely ignored stress. However, as the upcoming move is on the horizon, I've realized I need to take a proactive approach to dealing with stress. I've been eating AIP and sleeping more, but my autoimmune symptoms are starting to flare and I know it is completely connected to the added stress!! So, here's some things I've already added to change the way I deal with stress: 1. Work outs As I've said before, in college and my early twenties, I did one kind of work out-- running. I love running and I spent a lot of time training for marathons and races. I haven't given up running, but now, I run maybe once a week and whereas my long runs were 10-12 miles and my minimum runs were 3 miles, NOW my runs are just 3-4 miles tops. Not only was just doing long cardio workouts bad for my adrenals, but it was horrible for my mechanics and overall fitness. It made me injury-prone, imbalanced, and sore. It has been a gradual progression, but my work outs are now much more well-rounded, balanced, AND effective. I am much more toned and thanks to AIP, my muscles recover much quicker. I try to move and do something 6 out of 7 days a week, BUT only 1 or 2 of those 6 "work outs" are actually strenuous. For example, two work outs might be restorative yoga, two work outs might be a long leisurely walk, one work out might be a HIIT workout, and then one 3 mile run. I also add variety to my work outs. I use Class Pass so I like to throw in a random class like Pilates, Pure Barre, or a TRX series. While the physical differences of my workouts are critical, what's equally important is that I decide what work out to do OR NOT DO based on how my body feels that day. Before, I would white-knuckle it through whatever work out or run I had planned. Now, I gauge my sleep, diet, and prior work outs to determine what I do each day. 2. Yoga Technically, you could count yoga under the category of working out, and when I do yoga, I count it as my workout for the day. However, as many yogis can attest, yoga is definitely about more than just stretching, flexibility, and balance. For years, I hated yoga. I tried to like it. I tried it once in high school. Then I tried it with three classes in my mid-twenties. And once more when we first moved to Dallas. I tried multiple types of yoga and different studios. To no avail. Yet, now my body craves yoga. I try to go to a class about once a week and then practice on my own 3-4 times a week when I am alone in my house. So what happened to help me transition from hating yoga to feeling a deep need for it? Persective. I used to go to yoga class looking for a work out and wanting to maximize the physical impact of the "time I was putting in." (See how the language I mentally used even indicates my attitude?). I would spend my time in class wondering if I was getting my heart rate up enough or counting down the minutes till the end of class. That whole Savasana thing? I hated it! But then in January, I forced myself to go to a yoga class at a time in my health journey when I was feeling pretty discouraged. I had just returned from an international trip and had eaten something that was cross-contaminated. I wasn't feeling very kindly toward my body. During those few early yoga classes, I realized I finally felt ready to love yoga. I had come to a place where I recognized I needed moments of slowing down, connecting with body, and taking stock of what was going on in my body. For so long I had felt so disconnected from my body, but the flow of yoga helped me feel like for the first time in a long time, my body was working in synchrony. Now, by the time I get to Savasana, I feel put back together. Now, when I feel anxiety creeping in, I take out my mat and schedule a quick 15 minutes for some yoga. It doesn't completely resolve my feelings, but I can tell it does help tremendously. 3. Essential Oils I am late to the essential oils game. Part of this is because the majority of what I know of essential oils is from the MLM that is plastered on people's social media accounts, which makes me automatically wary of anything being sold. [Here I feel like I need to address something with a side tangent so feel free to skip this paragraph. The majority of the things I've done to help my autoimmune issues are not FDA approved. They are not covered by insurance. And furthermore, no matter what anyone else says, every single person is going to react differently to different treatments. Therefore, it is incredibly important to approach every measure of attempted healing with a degree of caution and forethought. Doing your own research, taking stock of your own symptoms and health, and equipping yourself with as much knowledge as possible is your responsibility. You are the expert on your health.] Anyway, I became interested in essential oils when I heard a functional medicine doctor mention them on a podcast, but I still wasn't ready to try them out. Then, one day I was at my muscle therapist's (for a sports related injury--totally separate from AI stuff), and she asked if she could put an anti-inflammatory patch on my injury. I said yes and she put this white patch over my injury and sent me on my merry way. This was repeated several times and I realized every time she put this patch on, I felt an overwhelming calm for the remainder of the day. I could smell the patch, but I couldn't determine what it smelled like so after three or four times of me "sniffing" the patch to calm my anxiety, I asked her if I could see the packaging to find out what made this white patch help with my anxiety. Frankincense and myrrh. Straight up essential oils infused into this white patch. Those wise men in the Bible were on to something. I had inadvertently learned the power of essential oils and decided to take the plunge and invest in some. I did some research and ended up buying DoTerra, but I'm not a brand fanatic. Since using the oils, I've noticed some subtle differences in my quality of sleep and anxiety. I haven't gotten around to using them as cleaning supples (mainly cause I haven't cleaned my house since....well, a long time). But I'm sure once I switch over to all natural cleaners, they will come in handy. For now, I use a muscle recovery blend after work outs, lavender before going to bed, and frankincense throughout the day to help with my anxiety. 4. Detox Baths You may be picturing a "detox" bath as an Insta-perfection scene with a dimly lit bathroom, candles every where, a glass of wine at hand, and some Enya music playing softly in the background. While that scene may help with stress, that is not the type of detox bath I'm talking about here. Enter Pursoma bath packets. This ain't no bubble bath. The first time I used a packet, I was not prepared*. The directions say to have a lot of water nearby to drink before, during, and after you are in the bath. After the instructed 15 minutes in the tub, I was pretty sure I had taken some hallucination agents or something. I was sweating profusely, I had a slightly metallic taste in the back of my throat, and I felt like I was breaking a fever. TMI: Tom had to help me out of the tub and into bed, where wrapped in towels, I continued to sweat for another 20 minutes. I know this sounds so fun and you are totally sold. But after you continue to sweat, you get this slightly euphoric feeling and personally, I felt like I was floating. The detox baths help your body purge out any exogenous lurking toxins and afterwards, your mental clarity is unbelievable. When I have a flare, a detox bath can shorten the intensity and duration of the flare by aiding my body in detoxification. In addition, when I feel like I'm rundown and prone to having a flare, I can head it off by resting a little more and taking a detox bath. (*A word of caution about detox: Detox can actually be a detrimental thing if your body is not ready to handle detoxification. Or if you are too aggressive with a detox protocol, your body may not be able to handle the detox load and then those toxins you are trying to flush end up getting reabsorbed into your body. This can happen with baths, chelation, or infrared saunas. Talk to your functional medicine doctor about ways you can support the detox process-- you may need to look into taking supplements to assist your body in clearing toxins. In addition, I recommend researching how a herx reaction can actually set you back in your healing process. While it can be tempting to try all the solutions all at once, it is best to give your body the time it needs to heal one day and one step at a time.) 5. Acupuncture Finally, we get to my latest addition in the healing process. I went to an acupuncturist here in Austin on the recommendation of a friend who had found relief for her AI issues through acupuncture. At first, I was going to wait to visit this acupuncturist, but about a month before we moved, my anxiety hit an all time high and it seemed my autonomic nervous system was stuck in a vicious cycle. I was tense all the time and any little autoimmune symptom sent me into a hysterical frenzy of tears and depression. Since we were about to be doing a lot of traveling, I didn't want to be in this state on our vacation, so I booked three appointments with an acupuncturist. Honestly, how acupuncture works is still a mystery to me and I am one of those people who wants to know exactly how and why things work. But so far what I've noticed from acupuncture is that it helps me feel more balanced. I'm convinced that a lot of my issues are stemming from a brain imbalance-- one side keeps getting stronger and stronger and the other keeps taking a back seat. Going to acupuncture has helped resolve a lot of this. And while my anxiety is not completely gone, I don't feel myself prone to spiraling into thoughts of illogical fears as much as I was. That about sums it up. Integrating strategies to fight anxiety can be difficult-- sometimes more difficult than just making changes in our diet, but I've found it is a key component of having success on the path to reversing autoimmune symptoms. What strategies have you found helpful in fighting anxiety and stress to help your body in the healing process? Stay tuned-- later this week I'll be posting more travel guides on where to eat when you are AIP/Paleo and on the road. In the first few years of our marriage, we spent a lot of time in San Diego and then San Francisco for Tom's work. At the time, I wasn't following an AIP/Paleo diet. In fact, I was a vegan. But one of the best things about the Bay Area is the food. I wasn't disappointed as a vegan, and on our recent trip, I was determined to find places that wouldn't disappoint this AIP foodie. If you are in the Bay Area or planning a trip to the Bay Area, here's some great places to check out: 1. Pressed Juicery This wasn't the first place I went, but I have to list it first because you guys-- I hadn't had frozen yogurt in almost a year. Before I was AIP, I had fro-yo at least once a week. Sometimes, when Tom was out of town, I would have it for dinner. I freaking love fro-yo and there are about a million ingredients in the regular version that are in no way AIP-compliant. I love my homemade banana ice cream version, but it doesn't quite satisfy me. This place is just frozen fruit and ice, but because they use the industrial machines, the quality is amazing. Their chocolate nibs DO NOT HAVE SOY LECITHIN!! Is it pathetic that I almost cried when I asked about the soy lecithin and they said their chocolate was soy-free? Their other toppings include dried fruit, dried coconut, nuts, honey, and berries. I wish I could have visited this place more than once on my trip, especially because I ate my fro-yo bowl so quickly I forgot to take a picture of the glorious goodness. This place is a gem and if you are in the area, make sure you stop by (especially if you miss frozen yogurt as much as I do). 2. Belcampo This place is amazing! Five stars for Belcampo's. Located on Polk Street, this place is half butcher shop, half restaurant. At night, the butcher shop closes and the steak house is open for business. The best part about this place is that they source their meats from their own farm! I emailed ahead to make sure they could cook my meal with olive oil and accommodate my AIP requests and they delivered. I ordered the ribeye steak with a fried egg, asparagus, and roasted fingerling potatoes (I know potatoes aren't AIP, but I've never had a problem with them. For those that do have a problem with them, they are more than happy to swap another veggie for you). Tom ordered the burger and it looked absolutely delicious. The service was also five stars-worthy; the waitress double-checked with me about all of my allergies, let me know she had communicated with the kitchen, and then asked me again if everything looked ok once our meal came out. Confession: we had had appetizers earlier so I wasn't that hungry when my steak arrived. But it was so good that I ate the whole freaking thing. In the photo below, you can clearly see I got my game face on to tackle eating that whole thing. My brothers would be so proud. 3. Little Gem If you have to pick one place to go in San Fran, go to Belcampo's. Little Gem is a solid option though and even better, they also have a breakfast and lunch menu. The atmosphere here is much more casual than Belcampo's and it was a little less pricey than the steakhouse. They didn't have any dishes that were completely AIP-compliant, but because they use olive oil, they were able to accommodate me. I had a delicious pork dish. Tom had an asparagus, egg, and potato salad. 4. Heirloom Cafe
Finally, the one that got away. We had planned to go here for breakfast one morning, but it was too far away from where we staying. When I was doing research on where to eat for our trip, this place popped up over and over again. All the reviews I read from paleo reviewers gave this place a thumbs up for how they source their ingredients and their ability to make accommodations. If you are in the Bay Area, check this place out and let me know what you think. If all else fails, the Bay Area has a ton of farmer's markets with amazing NorCal produce AND there is a fresh-pressed juice bar on every corner to make sure you get your greens!
Are you starting out on AIP and worried about sticking to your diet while you travel this summer? This is a real concern for many people-- I know I worried about it a lot during my first year of AIP! When you've been cooking all your meals at home and suddenly have no kitchen available, it's natural to feel a little anxiety.
As much as I love traveling, I'm no jetsetter. But Tom and I do travel a lot internationally, within the US, and within Texas. In the past year or so, I was in Tuxtla twice, Cabo, Mexico City, Paris, California, Seattle, Austin every other month, Denver...I can't keep track. I've been all over Central and South America, a little bit of Europe, and most of the United States. And accommodations have ranged from "I can't believe they let me in a place this nice" to "Dear God, even though there aren't four solid walls around me, please don't let me get eaten by a wild jungle animal." So I have learned the value of being prepared as a traveler. When I started AIP about a year ago, it added a whole other level to having to be prepared. Traveling on AIP is not easy and it cannot be an afterthought. But it can be done. Here's what I have learned: 1. Meal Planning is Still Important If you've been meticulously meal planning or batch cooking to follow a strict AIP protocol, or even just Paleo, you know the value of planning out your week's meals in advance. You prevent a "hangry" emergency and strategize for nutrient density. Planning out the week's meals is even more important while you are traveling. This depends greatly on where you are traveling to. If you are traveling to a large city like Paris, Mexico City, or Washington D.C., thanks to the internet (what would we do without it!?), you can search for AIP/Paleo friendly places. Now, a Google search isn't going to render you a nice long list of Paleo restaurants in most cities, but you want to look for restaurants that are ethically and consciously sourcing their foods. If a restaurant is paying attention to their ingredients, they are most likely cooking dishes to order AND are aware of all of the ingredients that go into each dish. From a Google search, I like to look at the menu of a restaurant. If it is a restaurant that sources everything locally but every single dish is handmade pasta, its going to be a little difficult for me to find a dish to modify. I try to look for places with a strong focus on organic ingredients AND a veggie/meat-centric menu. After I have found a few restaurants, I give them a call. I ask the following questions: A. What Kind of Oils Do You Use? This is critical. If a restaurant has great ingredients that I can eat, but they cook absolutely everything in canola oil and there are no alternatives available, that is going to be a problem. If a restaurant has olive oil or coconut oil and can adjust the way they cook my food, then I have options. B. Can You Accommodating the Following Allergies? This may seem like a no-brainer, but not only does this question give you an idea if the restaurant will be willing to accommodate you, but in many cases, the staff will make a note so that when I do visit the restaurant, they are especially conscientious about preparing my dishes. In my Dallas restaurant guide, I talked about the fear of seeming high-maintenance and picky-- I realize asking for accommodations can be hard. But when you are dealing with an autoimmune disease, accommodations aren't about being picky-- it is the difference between feeling healthy and spending several days in bed crippled with pain. And no one wants to be on the sidelines during vacation!! 2. Grocery Stores and Markets Are Your Budget-Saving Best Friend If you've been AIP/Paleo for a while, you know it ain't cheap. And eating at accommodating restaurants is going to be way more costly than fast food or chain restaurants. This can be a budget buster! Eating out every single meal on vacation?! Eeek! Before you get to your destination, determine where the local supermarkets and outdoor markets are. Open air markets can be an amazing source of AIP-friendly, one ingredient goodness for a light breakfast or lunch. Are you in Latin America? Plantain chips, yuca fries, and dried mango? Yes, please. In Europe? Shaved meats, dried fruits, fresh seafood. Enough said. If you are in the US, eating at a Whole Foods or buying stuff at a supermarket is relatively safe. But if you are in another country, make sure you are using judgement in selecting what you eat from a market. If you are buying fresh produce, in many countries, you can also purchase a veggie wash. Make sure you use the wash with purified water back at your hotel room. In my next post, "Post Travel Tips with AIP," I'll go over supplements you can take to support gut health and protect yourself from parasites while you are abroad and once you return home. But be preventative in using caution when you select food from markets.
--fresh open air market in Mexico City
3. Keep an Emergency Stash Ok, it isn't really an "emergency" stash-- more like a "I love snacks" stash, if I'm honest. Thankfully, there are a plethora of AIP safe, travel-ready snack options. While you've carefully strategized your nice meals out, subsidized your breakfasts and lunches with grocery store buys, what happens if you get stuck in a place where there are no AIP options? Your flight gets delayed for seven hours at a crappy one terminal airport and the only restaurant available is a McDonalds (Dear God, I hope no such place exists). Packing options will keep you on track! Below is a list of my favorite AIP, travel-ready snacks: 1. Dang Toasted Coconut Chips 2. Plantain Chips 3. Dried Mango/Fruit 4. Epic bars 5. Canned Oysters 6. Crisp Apple chips 7. Barnanas
4. Learn the Language
Ok, the heading is a bit of an overstatement, but here's what I mean: if you are traveling to a country where English is not the primary language spoken, do you know the words for corn, soy, grains, and dairy? I'm not completely fluent in Spanish, but I know enough to explain all my allergies and concerns to a waiter. If you are traveling abroad and worried about communicating your food restrictions, plan ahead. If you have a basic grasp of the language, use this as an opportunity to learn and study more, specifically food-related words! If the thought of trying to communicate in a second language stresses you out and you are terrified you will make a mistake that will accidentally result in you getting poisoned by gluten, don't worry!! This website, Select Wisely, is here to take the guess work out of ordering-- for both you and your waiter. These cards explain food allergies-- plus you can order a standard card OR you can customize a card for your specific food restrictions. And best of all, these cards can be translated to over 60 languages! If the thought of trying to explain in German which nightshades you can and cannot eat gives you anxiety, this little card can be a lifesaver! That about wraps up it up, friends. Up next, tips for returning from traveling and protecting your gut while abroad and another city guide for where to eat AIP/Paleo while visiting...any guesses? Before we started the AIP diet, Tom and I ate out just once a week or once every other week. But on AIP, eating out was seemingly IMPOSSIBLE. First, imagine telling the waitstaff this: no grains, no soy, no dairy, no corn, no nuts, no eggs, no seeds, no spices that come from the nightshade, no cooking oils other than olive oil or coconut oil. It just doesn't work. Even nicer restaurants where they cook things to order might not use olive oil for their cooking. But cooking every single meal from scratch (and remember on AIP, you have to make a lot of your own sauces/dips) can be exhausting and sometimes, you need a celebratory or relaxing night out on the town. On nights where I was just too tired to cook, we would go to the Whole Foods salad bar, but that can get old pretty quickly and a girl can only eat so many salads-- and trust me, this girl loves her greens and salads so for me to say that you know we were eating there a lot. Fortunately, there are some places you can eat and follow a Paleo/AIP protocol if you are living in the DFW area. These places are not specifically Paleo or AIP compliant, but they are very open to making dietary accommodations and they are very particular about where they source their food from. Every time I've been to one of the restaurants, the waitstaff has been incredibly accommodating on checking with the ingredients in each dish for me. In some cases, the chef has even come out to clarify my accommodations and make sure the dish I want is safe for me. If you do go to one of these places or you venture to any other restaurants, here's a few tips for dining out on Paleo/AIP: 1. Call ahead! If you are going to a new restaurant, call ahead and ask them a few key questions. What kind of oils do they use? This is key because even if they have Paleo/AIP compliant meats, but they cook using rice bran oil (Chipotle-sad face), you can't eat it. You want to make sure a restaurant has olive oil or coconut oil available to cook your dishes to order. I always look at the menu and get an idea of what I will order so I can ask about specific dishes when I call the restaurant. 2. Bring your own condiments Corn and soy sneak their way into EVERYTHING, but especially sauces and dips. Think cornstarch, corn syrup, soy sauce, dextrose-- basically every kind of binder or thickening agent. If you bring your own dressing or sauce, you can be assured of all of the ingredients. I will say that the restaurants I've recommended here are very transparent about all ingredients-- even sauces and dips-- so you can ask to see the ingredient list yourself. When I go to these places, I don't worry about bringing my own stuff. Just bringing your sauces can open up many other restaurants as possible dining options. 3. Ask to speak to the manager or chef I know this sounds so high maintenance, and it is. I have apologized profusely to waitstaff before because I feel so terrible about making special requests. But here's the deal: asking for accommodations is not about me being persnickety. It's a matter of me being able to use my hands for the next two weeks. So when I have to explain my allergies, I just try to be as straightforward as possible. Oftentimes, the waitstaff will volunteer to send a manager over. This is where the restaurant recommendations below are handy-- these staff at these places are usually very educated about ingredients, allergies, and making substitutions. 4. No dessert There are only one or two places I've been in my travels (more on those places in future posts) that have truly AIP compliant desserts. We used to love ordering desserts to complete our dining out experience, but with so many places using refined sugars and dairy, it is very risky to order dessert at a restaurant. I get REALLY SAD WITHOUT DESSERT. So I have a plan: dessert at home. When I'm just on Paleo, I love Nadamoo ice cream. On AIP, I usually make myself a banana carob coconut cream milkshake (yes, friends, that is a thing and it is GOOD). Now on to the restaurants: True Foods Kitchen I first visited True Foods in Denver and was super excited to learn they were opening a restaurant here in Dallas. The menu is based on Dr. Andrew Weil's anti-inflammatory diet so they are very conscientious about ingredients and sourcing. Their food is fresh and delicious, but they don't have don't specifically cater to vegetarians, paleo, or AIP'ers. There are options for people with restrictions and for people who just like yummy food. But the most important aspect of True Foods is that they will make accommodations for you. I usually order the veggie crudite and then a salad with grilled chicken. If you are just trying to avoid gluten, they do have gluten free pizza and bread options. They also have some dairy free dessert options (although not Paleo or AIP friendly). Hgsplyco This is the Paleo place to be!! My only complaint is that they don't have grass fed beef (if they do, it isn't listed). My favorite appetizer is the hummus-- it comes with bacon chips (and veggies). If you can't find an entree that fits your needs, the veggie side dishes are delicious. I always over-order because I can't decide between the sweet potatoes, the brussels sprouts, the parsnips, or the cauliflower-cashew grits. And if you need something more substantial, you can use two veggies options to build a bowl. Add protein and guacamole or another sauce, and top with a fried egg. If I could eat at HG every night, I would. Like all other options listed, this place is super allergy friendly. The waitstaff has always been incredibly helpful and willing to check on dish ingredients for me. If there is an ingredient in a dish that I can't eat, they always suggest substitutions. As if the delicious food wasn't enough, this place offers some beautiful non-alcoholic AIP friendly drinks. One of the big things about Whole30 and AIP is no alcohol so if you are someone who enjoys a glass of wine on a Friday night when you go out (or two or three--hey, no judgement here), then you can definitely feel left out when it comes to treating yourself at a restaurant. If you want to be super healthy, order the Garden State--- a mixture of carrot, apple, lemon, and ginger. If you want something sweeter, The Finish Line-- a mixture of watermelon, pineapple, and honey-- will meet your criteria. (Sidenote on HG: this is not the place for a quiet, intimate conversation. The restaurant is located on lower Greenville and quite the Paleo/hipster/flannel-wearing/beard-sporting crowd. I think I counted no less than 12 J. Crew slim-fit checkered shirts in there one time. The roof top seating is beautiful, but loud. Honestly the evening scene is a little overwhelming for me now that I'm not 22, but if you can go on an off- hour, the food is worth it.) Mudhen Now for the newest addition to the Dallas Paleo scene, Mudhen. Having only been there once, my review is limited. What I can say is this: the ambience is to die for. It is located at the Dallas Farmers' Market. There is an expansive shaded patio with a view of downtown Dallas and tree lights and greenery surround the tables. For a cool spring evening, there is no better place to relax with a glass of kombucha (which they serve!). Unfortunately, this place uses rice bran oil for a lot of their cooking, but if you ask they can use olive oil or coconut oil. We ordered a few appetizers and I wanted the collard wraps, but the dressing had soy. No problem- the chef came out and asked if I was ok with a substitute AIP compliant sauce and she changed the dish for me. I also ordered the LocoMoco-- a grass fed burger over cauliflower rice with bacon and a fried egg. And I had some mashed parsnips and then half of what Tom ordered. From our trip (and who knows, this restaurant is still getting its grounding) the food is not as tasty as HG, but the menu is more expansive and the ambiance (in my opinion) is much better. If you are under the age of 21, you may not agree with me on this-- but that's because age brings wisdom, young'uns. yummy spread from Mudhen's dinner.
Anyway, that wraps up my top three places to eat in Dallas. I wish there were more places I could add here. Of course, you can always go to Whole Foods' prepared food bar and search for something on the fly, but they rotate dishes as well and as some of my more sensitive friends who follow AIP have found, cross-contamination is a big thing and it can cause symptoms to reappear. Another easy option is to visit somewhere like Hopdoddy's or The Twisted Root and order grassfed burgers without the buns. Steer clear of the fries though:( If you try any of these places, let me know what you think. And of course if you visit any of these places and need a foodie companion, definitely let me know! I'll be there with my homemade dressing!! Strength and Mini-meltdowns: Tips for life with autoimmunity and loving someone with autoimmunity4/26/2016 I'm standing at the salad bar at Whole Foods, staring down at the prepared foods, losing the battle to hold back my tears. I can feel the heat rising and splotchy tears start to fall. I stare straight down into my empty brown salad box as people walk around me. Just hold it together, I tell myself, desperately trying to think of anything that will distract me from more tears, anything to avoid people noticing that I am crying. But it is too late. A vault inside of me has cracked open and all of the emotion I've been holding on to floods out. My husband has noticed me and walks over to me.
I can barely whisper to him "They don't have my salad today." The one thing I can eat. They don't have it at Whole Foods today. Of course, this all seems very melodramatic. Sure, I could have bought all the ingredients and made my own salad. Sure, it is just a salad. Was I crying because I had planned to get my one "safe" salad and have a relaxing dinner on the Whole Foods patio with my husband and FOR ONCE not have to cook a meal from scratch? Yes. #firstworldproblems. Also, autoimmune disease problems. Fast forward one month later. I'm at lunch with a friend. I've ordered a grassfed burger, no bun and just veggies on top. It arrives with a sauce. I've explained all my allergies to my waiter who then assures me the sauce is totally grain, dairy, corn, and soy free. I take a bite of the burger and immediately taste soy. I want to enjoy my friend's company-- I'm here to spend time with her. And now I am completely distracted by the fact that I have just taken a bite of soy and I can't eat this. I wait for the waiter to return and explain the dilemma to him. He leaves to go to the kitchen to check if there is soy in the sauce. My friend has finished her meal. We wait. The manager finally comes over and apologizes. He offers to remake my food. At this point, we've been there a while. He kindly asks how he can remedy this. I am so embarrassed at the time this has distracted from our meal and at my own high maintenance requests. I burst into tears, further embarrassing myself. Again with the melodrama. Sure, I could have just reordered the meal. One waitress at a restaurant in Austin said it best, in my opinion. I had just told her my food restrictions. And in a completely kind, patient voice she said "Wow. That must be exhausting to have to look out for all those things all the time." And that's just it-- one single incident doesn't set me off crying. When my joints hurt one morning or I go a family function where there is nothing for me to eat, it really isn't a big deal. But add up all of the symptoms that I deal with, all of the unpredictabilities-- will I have energy to work out today AND cook dinner?-- will I have brain fog and get dizzy at work?-- will I need to plan ahead for a social function?-- will my friends pick a restaurant where I need to prepackage all my own food? It is exhausting. I'm already tired from having an autoimmune disorder and helping my body heal. Add the emotional of feeling like a constant hassle, a constant inconvenience, a constant sense of being abnormal, a constant fear of accidentally eating something that would cause my joints to swell and my hearing to fade. It is a daily struggle to remind myself that I am making progress, I am getting better, and I will heal. I have good days and bad days and then some days in which I think I'm doing good only to break down. One blessing is seeing the love of the people around me. My husband who is my eternal optimist and sees almost all of my breakdowns, my friends (especially my fellow AIP'ers) who have encouraged me in my transition, and my family members, especially my grandmother, who have adjusted some of their recipes to make sure I have something to eat at family gatherings. After one year of adjusting to autoimmunity, I've gotten a lot of practice at coping with the difficulties that come with it. Here's some things I've learned for those coping with autoimmune AND those helping people with autoimmune: 1. Looks can be deceiving. I can look totally normal. You may not notice my swollen joints. Or that I am feeling dizzy and disoriented. People with chronic illnesses like autoimmune can look just like they always have and yet, they might be in constant pain. You can't tell just by looking at them if it is a good day or a bad day. Just because someone seems ok, they may not be. This works both ways though-- I've learned that I can't assume people know I'm having an off day. In fact, people wouldn't know I'm sick unless I said something. So I can't get angry or upset with the people around me for not understanding when I haven't communicated how I feel. For me, I've had to accept that communicating my pain or struggle does not mean that I am a weak person. It is a way I can be fair with those in my life who love me and want to help me. 2. Every day is new. Some days, I can do a HIIT workout and blow everyone else in the gym out of the water. I can run 5 miles, do 100 squats, and then not be sore the next day. And then some days, I struggle to walk a mile and need a three hour nap in the afternoon. Some days, my inflammation is under control and I can eat a piece of chocolate. Some days, anything but broth, juice, and veggies is going to cause joint pain. I have to listen to my body and take it one day at a time. For those around me, they've learned they can't assume that just because I was totally healthy one day doesn't mean I'm in permanent remission. But this works both ways-- on rough days I have to remember that I am getting better, but remission is not a locked in cured state. I will always have to work towards healing and remaining healthy. Bad days aren't permanent death sentences and there is always hope for tomorrow. 3. Patience is your new favorite virtue I've been working on healing for almost a year now. I am not better. I've made a lot of improvements, but I'm not healed. I know people who have been on Autoimmune Protocol for several years and continue to heal, but are still dealing with health issues. I didn't get sick overnight and I can't expect my body to heal overnight. It will take years of recovery. Sometimes I think I'm doing so much better and then I have a flare. I want to give up. But then Tom reminds me of how much progress I have made. For people who are helping those with autoimmune, we desperately need your patience. It can be frustrating to be close to someone who is so unpredictable, physically and emotionally. Please remember, we didn't choose this. We need you to be long-suffering with us. Patience is needed to heal; patience is required when trying new treatments, adding new supplements, integrating new foods, and combating infections. I am so thankful that when I get frustrated with my progress or lack thereof, Tom reminds me of all the good things that have happened thus far on our path and that we need to enjoy the now. Real healing is not a quick fix. 4. I am not my disorder. As I said earlier, people with autoimmune disorders would not pick to deal with their ailments. I don't want to be a hassle. I don't want to have to order different foods or cause inconveniences at restaurants. I hate that I cost my husband so much in medical bills. I hate that sometimes I can't physically do all the things I want to accomplish in one day. I hate that I get brain fog or get dizzy sometimes. I hate that sometimes I lose my patience with the people I love the most because I am dealing with fear of the future. I don't want all of these things to become a part of me. In some ways, I feel like these adjustments have replaced so much of my personality and who I am. I can't put my head down and bulldoze my way through my problems based on sheer will power alone, like I want to. I have to take things in stride-- a practice that is completely against my personality. But... in some ways, dealing with autoimmunity has made me a stronger and more compassionate person. I have to fight to remind myself that I am still me, despite of my circumstances. I just hope and give thanks for the people in my life who see me for who I am really am and not what I am going through. So there you have it. I am sure years down the road, I'll have more to add to this list. And while this list might seem simple, these things were not easy lessons to accept-- they were accompanied by a lot of tears and a lot of inner battles, but also, a lot grace and acceptance, both towards myself and from other people in my life. Trust me when I say that my kitchen has done a complete 180. In the past 11 months, I've gone from a meat-free, vegan kitchen to a meat-centric, grain-free, dairy-free, corn-free, soy-free kitchen. Other than a few veggie-centered dishes, NONE of the recipes that we relied on on a regular basis met the qualifications to stay around in our new lifestyle. Thankfully, my husband has one dietary requirement: it has to be delicious. Here's a look at what our typical weeknight dinners used to look like: Monday: Baked sweet potatoes with black beans and salsa Tuesday: Soy glazed stir fry with brown rice Wednesday: Um....I'm trying to remember what I used to eat and honestly, I don't remember cause I don't miss it. Our current weeknight menu: Monday: Bacon, sweet potato, and kale hash with a fried egg and guacamole Tuesday: Crudite plate with jamon, oysters, dried fruit, smoked salmon wrapped around avocado Wednesday: Grass fed ground beef in marinara sauce over spiralized sweet potato noodles Thursday: Salmon filet with mango-avocado salsa and parsnip french fries Before I changed my eating habits, I would eat and then be hungry a few hours later. I could never understand those people who "accidentally" forgot to eat a meal. I was the person counting down the minutes until the next meal (and in some cases, adding an extra meal in to tide me over). BUT, I couldn't have made this transition on my own. These cookbooks saved me!! Not only are these books great resources for coming up with AIP/Paleo compliant recipes, but some of them also provide helpful information about autoimmune disorders and the science behind why an AIP diet can help. The Autoimmune Paleo Cook Book If I had to recommend ONE cook book, this is the one. The recipes are straight forward, clearly organized, and really, the most important part, is that EVERY.SINGLE.RECIPE is delicious. One of the hardest things about transitioning to AIP/Paleo is that almost every condiment has corn syrup, sugar, or soy. The sauces in this book are even better than "the originals." For example, the cherry-maple BBQ sauce is the best BBQ sauce I've ever tasted. The avocado crema sauce-- is it a dip or a sauce? The answer is both. The answer is put it on absolutely everything. An extra bonus is that the photos in this book are stunning, making you want to try all the recipes. The author, Mickey Trescott, runs the blog Autoimmune Paleo with Angie Alt, another incredible AIP expert to follow. Their blog makes me want to be BFFs with them. The Paleo Approach and The Paleo Approach Cookbook If there was an AIP/Paleo bible, these books would be it! In The Paleo Approach, Sarah Ballantyne goes into the nitty-gritty scientific explanation behind everything you could ever want to know about AIP. I mean, she delves into the molecular explanations of why it is important to avoid certain foods and how autoimmunity really works. I had so many questions when I transitioned over-- this book provides detailed reasoning for those who want to understand the why behind the AIP/Paleo diet. In the cook book, the recipes are clearly organized into categories and most of the recipes are really approachable and simple. The cook book also provides adjustments or modifications for people who are following FODMAPs, which I didn't do but I would imagine is incredibly helpful if you are trying to include that modification in your healing process. Dr. Ballantyne runs the website The Paleo Mom-- another great resource with recipes, podcasts, and articles. The Autoimmune Solution This book isn't really a cook book, although it does contain recipes. Dr. Myers walks through her own autoimmune issues with her thyroid and then dedicates the remaining chapters to methodically walking through how to combat autoimmunity in several different areas of your life. She does address food, but she also addresses heavy metals, mold toxicity, and environmental pollutants. She provides suggestions and resources for transitioning over to cleaner resources in all areas of your life. As I said, the book does have recipes, but there are no pictures and the recipes are very simple. She does include a meal plan and a strategy for batch cooking, which I find incredibly helpful for people who have never been big on cooking all their own meals (as most people must do when they are starting out on AIP). For me, I've always loved to cook and spending a lot of time in the kitchen is not a chore, but if you find yourself overwhelmed with the idea of eating every meal at home, this book gives you a game plan. Here's more info about Dr. Amy Myers. I love that she's from Austin, too! The Wahls Protocol
For me, this book isn't so much about the recipes, although Dr. Wahls does include recipes (no pictures though:( This book gave me a lot of hope during my worst moments. So much of having an autoimmune disorder is mentally fighting fear. You don't feel in control of your own body and sometimes symptoms seem inexplicable. It can be terrifying. Dr. Wahls herself was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis). Her disease had progressed to the point of her being wheel-chair bound and completely dependent on others. Yet, by nourishing her mitochondria with nutrient dense foods and the appropriate supplementations, she has reversed her MS to the point where she is able to ride 10+ miles on a bike!! This resource is incredibly informative when it comes to understanding how minerals and vitamins help our body repair itself and function properly. You can read more about Dr. Wahls here. Other cookbooks have been incredibly instrumental-- the Whole30 cookbook helped me start my transition last May. And in the past few months, some new AIP/Paleo cookbooks have come out, but with this being the part of the school year where most teachers develop an eye twitch due to what we call "May Madness" (which really lasts from spring break til the end of the year), I haven't had a chance to try any new books. Once summer gets here and I can try out some of my new cookbooks, I'll post a AIP/Paleo Cookbook review, Part II! |
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January 2017
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