Living Healthfully: Welcome to Puberty {again}

I couldn't button my size four pants.

And, in the midst of a hectic-Tuesday morning, I promptly had a mini-meltdown, tears of hot frustration running down my face, there in front of my bedroom mirror.

All of this, I'd cried, would be much easier to swallow if my body were pregnant, growing out of my jeans for the sake of growing new life and crying tears of emotional roller-coaster pregnancy hormones instead of just ones of crazy highs and lows.

But I knew better. I knew I wasn't expecting.

In my moment of meltdown, I text messaged Kerry, an integrative medicine doctor who has recently begun working with me on a genetic, biochemical level and nutritional level, and explained the situation.

To which she replied, "Welcome to puberty ... again."

I groaned.

Then I cried.

And then I laughed.

Because actually that's actually much closer to what I'm feeling these days -- like I'm a teenager in the throes of life changes rather than an expecting mother.

I guess I should back up a bit because I've been extremely quiet about my health and what's been happening the past few months.

I haven't shared lately about my health or about Kerry for a few reasons; I've been to so many doctors, all of whom have helped, yes, but none who seem to have ever completely gotten down to root of what's going on inside my body that has been causing such imbalances.

Have I been battling a gut yeast overgrowth? Yes.

Are my hormone levels really out of balance? Double yes.

Was my body detoxing? Yes to that, too.

But all summer long I've had this persistent and lingering feeling buried deep in my gut that there were other issues underlying -- mostly, I felt like something wasn't right at a deeper level. I mean, I've been having neurological problems that affect my balance and my speech and a smattering of other functions, too, and one can only detox for so long and attribute such abnormalities to the detoxing process before something has to give ... before the body has to brought back into a state of symbiosis.

I walked into Kerry's office at the end of August hope swelling in my heart; I knew her as the doctor people turn to when they've seen every specialist, the doctor who turns stage four cancer patients around.

But for as much hope as I felt, just as much confusion and skepticism ran rampant. I think I sweat through our entire 1.5 hour session.

When I left her office? I could barely fathom all of it really.

But, too, when I left her office, I felt like she could. She really seemed to understand what was happening inside my body {as best as a human mind can understand.}.

I mean, despite Kerry being really, really smart {she is a former trauma surgeon and a biochemist who focuses on genetic expression, nutrition and how the body functions at a cellular level and who has written a diagnostic program with MIT to help her read bodies at such levels, so you know, just your average everyday genius}, she has a gift for explaining complex, detailed things in a way that is sort of graspable.
Sort of.

The terms auto-immune disease, hormonal imbalance, neurological chaos and genetic mutations were all part of the conversation.

But also part of our conversation were her bold words of promise.

"Ninety days," she told us. "You should feel like a new person by then."

I left there hopeful but if I'm going to be honest one thought lingered long beyond the rest.

"Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you." Psalm 25: 20-21

Now here I am at 30 days with that same lingering hope in the Lord, but also hope that perhaps she was right -- that He had given her insights to help me really heal.

My energy returned, headaches mostly gone, digestion completely restored, food sensitivities mostly resolved, most of the neurological senses improved vastly, I really do feel different.

This second puberty stuff? It's a sign that my body is deep healing and rebalancing {though I wish I could do that while wearing size four jeans! Demin and bras are expensive!}

And I don't know -- maybe the vast emotions, the unbuttoned pants, the ever-evolving bra size really are signs that I am a women expecting; it's just that right now it's not the kind of expecting that ends with a new life wrapped in the bundle of a baby.

Rather, it's the kind that seems to be more of a rebirth of vibrancy, a rebirth of who I was and who I am and who I'm fast becoming both heart and body, mind and spirit.

He says He makes all things new

in His time

and maybe this time

His time

is finally my time

to be the molded shaped clay to which He's been busy giving new shape

in more ways than one.

Linking with Kelli today for the Healthy Mom Series she's hosting.

Living Healthfully: A Mirage in the Desert

Editor's Note November 2012: If you are looking for information on restoring your digestive system, please know that The Body Ecology Diet helped me, but it didn't completely restore my health. My body actually stalled out on the the diet, and I needed to go off it to heal other parts of my body. You can read about my last steps in healing by clicking here. 

At first it was so very much about arriving at destination deep dish pizza.

If I could just make it to the point of indulgence without suffering from a debilitating stomach ache and nausea in the aftermath of such a feast, I'd have successfully arrived at the end of my super-restrictive dieting. 

My eyes were set on a finish line of Lou Malnati's and a piece of Baklava by my January 2013 birthday. 

But at the start of 15 weeks{!!}on the Body Ecology Diet*, which has been aimed at restoring my inner body ecology and recovering my health from a candida overgrowth in my gut, it's becoming clearer now that the finish line I'd set eyes on was a mirage. 

Not an insanely delusional mirage like that of shack taking the shape of a well in the middle of the desert; it's been much more like that of an actual well taking the shape of an actual well ... but one that bears only still, stagnant water.

The kind of mirage that looked so good and so refreshing in the distance but dips its bucket into bitter, smelly water ... 

That's where I find myself at the completion of 14 weeks of eating only vegetables, eggs, protein, good fats and no sugar; I am approaching the well that looked so promising -- my GI tract having been healed graciously by God, in part through this way of fresh and whole eating -- and finding I could dip my bucket in ... but why would I want to?

As I'm approaching the well, there's some sort of off-stench wafting through the air, a screaming, halting warning to bypass. 

I don't dare drink it because I'm realizing this isn't the finish line. 

Though I couldn't see it until I got nice and close to the well, there's actually this fresh spring-fed river flowing just a few miles beyond it.

And destination deep dish pizza just doesn't hold a candle to fresh, whole foods anymore, to health. 

Instead of craving cheese and crust, I'm finding myself craving the foods that make me feel how the healthiness I've felt while eating what I've considered to be desert manna:

Energized, healthy, light, satisfied. 

I just don't want to lose that. 

Now that my body seems to have overcome a good portion of the gut flora imbalance and defeated a good deal of the bad candida, I only want to grow stronger and stronger.

I don't want to take steps back toward the heaviness, the bloating, the stomach pain, the brain fog, the irritability, the intense cravings; it just doesn't seem worth it for a slice of deep dish anymore. Or a piece of coffee cake on a special morning. Or even an occasional frozen cup of sweet java and cream. 

And taking that step back ward actually seems like it would be a welcoming invitation to have to walk through that desert of painful detoxing again; I don't want to relive the hives, the night-sweats, the chills, the exhaustion, the stomach pain, the anxiety, the tightness in my chest and the weakness in my bones. 

This way of eating, this desert manna diet, isn't just a diet aimed at merely sustaining energy and fixing an impaired digestive system; this way of eating is more a lifestyle geared at healing the whole body.

I believe this is how we were intended to eat -- food grown from the soil, unaltered and whole -- food harvested from growing healthy animals in the wide-open space of pasture. 

I'm trading in the dirty well water for the fresh-running river and praising God for the revelation of a promised land overflowing with honey. 

Because I'm just not willing to settle any more for a mirage being my destination point. 

{It's such a huge praise to bring news of such healing! Though I'm not at 100 percent, by the grace of God I am worlds away from where I began in the beginning of January. 

Would you offer praise on my behalf for his goodness in healing my body? And would you also pray for wisdom and discernment as I very {epicly} slowly add back in some of the whole, fresh foods that have a bit of sugar content during these coming weeks? I'll be doing quite a bit of listening to my body to make sure the candida that remains isn't being fed by the new additions of things like Granny Smith Apples and plain Greek Yogurt.}

*I have been following the Body Ecology Diet along with some additional protocol {and food restrictions from the experts at The Candida Diet forum.

November Simple Swap: The Skinny on Fats and Body Fat

**This month's winner is Stephanie!** We all want to live healthier, more intentional lives, but sometimes it seems overwhelming and daunting to take even small steps toward our ideals because there are so many steps before us.


Simple Swap was born out of a desire and passion to encourage other women on journeys toward living healthier, more inspired, intentional lifestyles through implementing one simple swap per month. 


Each swap will:
1. Take 30 minutes or less to accomplish
2. Be inexpensive to implement or boast overall, long-haul {health} savings 
3. Focus on improving health/eco-friendliness, being good stewards of our resources and/or fostering a creative and intentional life.

Some weeks, all three will be accomplished in 30 minutes or less!

The beautiful and creative Robin from Diet Coke on the Rocks will make the Simple Swap first each month so as to show ease and perhaps sometimes another way to implement a Simple Swap. Check out Robin's November Simple Swap for more ideas!

*****

Be it fat in food or fat on our bodies, we often feel like we must flee from fat as fast as our legs can carry us.

But what if by eating fat we could actually reduce our body fat and maintain a healthy composition while improving our health?

Largely, we've been conditioned and educated to view fat as the enemy, particularly when it's nestled inside our food or beneath our skin.

And while I agree wholeheartedly that we must be vigilant about maintaining a healthy amount of body fat, I think we've been sorely miseducated on how to go about doing so.

In the past, if a label held promises of being low fat, I assumed naively so, that it was healthier than the other options that contained the full amount of fat. I'm pretty sure I thought that all fat was bad and was probably the culprit for making me fat.

In reality, that's no more true than any other outrageous generalization.

Eating the right fat can actually help our bodies shed unwanted fat cells.

Instead of slicing fats from our diet we should be consciously working on making healthy fats part of our meals. But how do we know the difference between the two?

Trans fats {hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated} = never! 

Saturated fats {coconut oil and animal products like cheese, yogurt, butter) = diligent moderation 

Mono and poly unsaturated fats {nuts, fish, avocado and olive oil; I don't recommend using any other oils} = healthy servings a few times per day

{Read more about dissecting fats at the Mayo Clinic}

Aside from helping promote healthy Body Mass Index levels and weight loss, the consumption of good fats like those found in avocado, olive oil, fish and coconut oil also aid in health by decreasing inflammation {like allergies, arthritis, heart disease} in the body while helping maintain insulin levels, regulate blood sugar and decrease the risk of coronary heart disease.

The list goes on and on, but I think you get the point I'm trying to make:

Switching out our unhealthy fats to healthier ones promote wellness, weight loss and prevent disease {and preserves the money you'd use caring for such disease}.

Here are a few ways you can Simple Swap the unhealthy fats for healthier ones:

Mango Chicken Chili

* Replace a few red-meat centered meals every week with a fish or bean entrees like black-bean tacos, mango chicken chili or hummus veggie wraps.

*Use ground turkey for burgers or spaghetti instead of ground beef. 

* Use hummus or avocado on sandwiches instead of using cheese 

* Replace butter with coconut oil in all baking recipes like muffins, cakes, slow-cooker baked apple pie oatmeal, pizza crust, bread, flat bread and toast

Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal

Briefly, I want to land on the last point: Coconut oil is our all-purpose fat of choice because not only because it tastes good but also because actually has been shown to improve immune system function.

We use it in all of the aforementioned baked goods and recipes and we've found it actually enhances the flakiness of pizza crust, the fluffiness of muffins and the consistency of the oatmeal and because coconut oil is one of the only oils that can withstand such high temperatures without losing its antiodidants.

Carrot Cupcakes with Coconut Oil

I was skeptical at first because I didn't really want all of my recipes to have a hint of coconut, but to my surprise nothing has had that coco-nutty flavor. And for someone who just cannot stomach dairy, coconut oil is a recipe saver!

With Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching, I would love if you would share a recipe you've Simply Swapped out the unhealthy fats for the healthier ones using coconut oil.





Of course, you can swap out any unhealthy fat for a healthier one and share your findings to be eligible to win a really wonderful addition to your kitchen.

As an incentive to make the Simple Swap, I asked my absolute favorite coconut oil maker, Nutiva, to sponsor November's Simple Swap and giveaway one jar of high-quality, super healthy and really yummy coconut oil. 

And Nutiva happily obliged!



So let's do this! Let's make this holiday season {and our bodies} much healthier by Simple Swapping out the unhealthy fats for healthier ones.

{No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to all U.S. residents who are 18 years and older. The winner will be selected randomly Dec. 1, 2011 from the link up pool.Nutiva is only providing the giveaway item; I have not been compensated in any way or gifted with any product to talk about Nutiva}


This post is linked with The Green Resource at A Delightful Home, Sorta Crunchy, The Greenbacks Gal and Live Renewed.

Share the Love: Lawry's Summer Cooking Project

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! CONGRATULATIONS TO LENAE!
Let me tell you -- I didn't know the meaning of delicious until I nearly drowned myself a few weeks ago in a fabulous {and healthy} bowl of watermelon gazpacho infused with peppers, cucumbers and topped with sweet, seasoned shrimp and ripened avocados.

While I'm no stranger to experimenting in the kitchen, I never would have thought those ingredients would combine so well, creating such a cool, flavorful feast. But that's the fun thing about cooking with a group of friends -- ideas grow and flourish and make something seemingly everyday -- like watermelon in the summer -- to something extraordinary like watermelon gazpacho.

Along with Melissa, Michelle and Vanessa, I was commissioned by The Motherhood and the folks at Lawry's Seasonings to execute a Summer Cooking Project.



Our group's challenge included creating a three-course unique, delicious meal themed around Vacation Food while using Lawry's Seasonings in each dish.

My mind first went to all of the fresh produce and ingredients available locally -- grilling corn, marinating steaks and picking ripe tomatoes from the vine to create a classic Midwestern vacation meal. Our group instead decided to cruise on over to the Mediterenean coast for inspiration while using our Lawry's seasonings: the classic seasoning salt, the balsamic marinade and the seasoning salt marinade.

While we were preparing to make our unique foodfare with flares of flavor from our favorite Mediterranean destinations, I discovered that our local produce -- including tomatoes, watermelon, peppers, onions and cucumbers -- actually are similar to that of which is grown in the Mediterranean region.

So though our watermelon and veggies were grown locally here in the country nestled just outside of suburbia, our watermelon gazpacho and shrimp sprinkled with Lawry's Seasoning Salt blew my taste buds all the way from present day in suburbia back to time spent near the mediterrenean coast.

Our final menu nicely incorporated locally grown produce with tastes of the Mediterrenean:

* Tomato and Mozzarella Salad dressed with Lawry’s Balsamic Marinade {prepared separately by Cherise and Paula}

* Watermelon Gazpacho Topped with Avocado and Sweet Jumbo Shrimp Seasoned with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

* Lawry's Balsamic Marinated Chicken Kebabs with Peach Chutney and Grilled Pineapple

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad dressed with Lawry's Balsamic Marinade



Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 7-8 minutes

Number of servings: 3-6 adults

Ingredients:

6 Basil Leaves
One Fresh Mozzarella Ball
About 25 Cherry Tomatoes
Pasta Noodles
Small Red Onion
Lawry’s Original Balsamic Herb

Directions:

1. Cook pasta noodles and let cool (or rinse with cold water to cool off if you are in a hurry.)
2. Chop basil leaves, red onion and mozzarella.
3. Toss everything together and stir in about 1/2 cup of Lawry’s Balsamic Herb

Watermelon Gazpacho Topped with Avocado and Sweet Jump Shrimp Seasons with Lawry's Seasoned Salt:



{adapted from an Eating Well recipe}

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Number of servings: 8

Ingredients

1 Medium Seedless or Seeded Watermelon, Finely Diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 avocados, coarsely chopped
3/4 pound of large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 TBSPS of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
Salt and Pepper to your Taste
Instructions



1. Mix watermelon, cucumber, bell pepper, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil in a large bowl.
2. Measure 3 cups of the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree. Transfer to another large bowl. Puree another 3 cups and add to the bowl.
3. Taste the soup and salt as desired.
4. Top with the remaining diced mixture and the avocado.
5. Season the shrimp with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt.
6. Thread onto skewers. Cook on direct heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.
7. Remove the shrimp from the skewers and arrange them prettily around the soup.
8.Serve chilled.

Lawry's Balsamic Marinated Chicken Kebabs with Peach Chutney and Grilled Pineapple


Ingredients

3 Chicken Breasts, Cut into 2 inch cubes
1 cup of Lawry’s Balsamic Marinade
1 Pineapple, peeled and cored, and cut into 2 inch cubes
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Number of servings: 6

Instructions

1. Wash and cut the chicken into 2 inch cubes, removing most fast and the tenderloins.
2. Place chicken in a bowl and cover with the marinade overnight.
3.Preheat your grill with one direct heat zone and one cooler indirect heat zone.
4. Soak bamboo skewers in water for an hour.
5. Peel, core, and cut the pineapple into 2 inch cubes.
6. Thread the chicken onto skewers.
7. On separate skewers, to maintain even cooking, thread the pineapple. Mixed fruit and meat skewers may look prettier but they don’t cook as evenly or safely.
8. Cook the chicken first on indirect heat, 5-6 minutes on each side.
9. Cook the pineapple second, also on indirect heat, 2 minutes max on each side to have it caramelize but not burn.
10. Serve immediately, or place in the fridge to serve cold.
{The peach chutney is intended to be a dipping sauce served on the side.}

Vanessa's Peach Chutney:

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Number of servings: 4

Ingredients

2 fresh Peaches, peeled and diced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 TBSP of white wine vinegar
2 TBSPs of brown sugar
1 TBSP of balsamic
1 TSP of olive oil
Instructions

1. Chop the peaches, shallots, and onion.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the shallots and onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the peaches, lemon juice and zest, sugar, and vinegars. Stir well. Lower heat to medium low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chutney has come together and is a little brown.
4. Will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days after preparation.

Alas, as the summer wanes and the days slowly morph into fall, I know we won't be heading out on any more exotic vacations, but we'll definitely be creating this Mediterrenean-inspired cuisine one last time -- a bit of vacation in our own backyard from foods grown near our backyard and infused with tastes that will take us back to our travels.

Want one last summer vacation hurrah without leaving your home?
Our friends at Lawry's offered to send one of my friends here a package of all the seasonings we used in our recipe:

*Balsamic Marinade
*Lawry's Classic Seasoning Salt
*Seasoning Salt Marinade.

Simply leave a comment, if you'd like to be entered into the drawing {tell me where you'd LOVE to vacation simply because of the food maybe?}.

EXTENDED: I'll randomly pick a winner Friday, August 19. Happy cooking!

I was commissioned by The Motherhood and Lawry's Seasonings to participate in this Summer Cooking Project. Lawry's gifted our group members with the aforementioned box of seasonings and paid for our ingredients. I was compensated to participate in the challenge and write about my experience.

Living Healthfully: My Favorite Food Power Combinations

During my last Living Healthfully post, in which I shared how I switched my allegiances to my health and body instead of allowing cravings to take precedence, I mentioned how focusing on incorporating power combinations into my day actually helped me reach my 16.2 pound weight loss goal during the Curves 90-Day Challenge.

Because power combinations are not often discussed, it piqued quite a bit of interest, so today I'm sharing my top-three favorite power combinations that helped me stick to the 90-Day Challenge and meet my goals.

Happy Friday!

Important to note, many of these combinations are found in the Curves Weight Management Plan book, and the Curves Weight Management Plan has been researched and found to be scientifically effective and sound by researchers at Baylor University and Texas A&M University. Of course, this video was my own explanation of power combinations, and it shouldn't be viewed as words directly from Curves International. And, I'm not a doctor {as you know}. I think that covers all my bases. :)