Confession Time

Confession Is Good For The Soul

Confession is good for the soul or so I have always heard.  When I decided to become a Nutritarian, I publicly announced it on Facebook and  I provided updates often as I was losing weight.  It really gave me accountability and helped in my journey of changing the way I eat.  Not only did I lose weight, but my health improved.  My psoriasis that I have had since I was 14 cleared up.  The aches and pains were gone.  Before when I woke up in the morning,  I could barely walk because the bottom of my feet hurt so bad.  I was sleeping with a CPAP machine which I hated with a passion.  I was on blood pressure medicine, suffered from irregular heartbeat, andworst of all I had a C-Reactive protein score that was super high.  All of that cleared up and my blood work became perfect.  I lost 30 pounds. I was still 20 pounds short of where I should be.  I went in to maintenance mode long before I should have. I still ate only nutritarian food that kept me healthy, but I was no longer losing weight. 

Five years later and my blood work is still good for now, but I am sure that will soon change  Here comes the confession: this past year I have let too much SAD (Standard American Diet) food into my life.  I still eat healthier than most Americans, but not good enough to maintain my health where I had it before.  Most people can’t see what food does to them.  Eating poorly  makes you  feel bad and in some cases actually it can kill you.  I guess maybe I am lucky that my body lets me know pretty quickly that I am not eating completely the way I should.  I had been psoriasis free for over 4 years, but now it is back;  first on my scalp, then my elbows, and now I have places on my legs.  With that also comes aches and pains. I knew that I was slipping back at times to my old eating habits.  I went to Dr. Fuhrman’s health get away in July and before I went I did the 10 in 20.  That is Dr. Fuhrman’s program to lose 10 pounds in 20 days.  I lost 12 pounds and was feeling great. 10 of those were what I had gained back.  It was shocking how that was happening all over again.  A couple of pounds here and then another couple until it was 10 pounds.  The conference helped.  Old habits are so hard to break even after over 4 years of healthy eating.  I fell back into my old habits again.   Food is like alcohol to an alcoholic. My addiction will never go away.  I enjoy the nutritarian food I eat and fully believe that it is the only way to eat.  It is so frustrating  to let the foods I know are bad tocreep back in.  I am not  an overeater.  It is what I eat.  It’s not a problem every day.  It happens most often when I am out of town and on special occasions.  

If you think you can do this part time, good luck.  It does not work that way for me.  My body shows me I can’t eat healthy on a part-time basis.  Some people say they will start after the holidays.  That’s good, but why wait.  It is never easy.  There is always something that makes it hard to follow.  There is always that feeling of I can eat what I want just this one time.  There is always someone’s birthday party.  There is always that vacation.  

I began this journey 5 years ago this past October.  I even went through Thanksgiving and Christmas and lost weight that year.  Now, I could wait until January to start,but my body says "NO."  My psoriasis has gotten so much worse in just the last couple of weeks.  So, I have decided to get back on track today. I will eat only the foods that feed my body the way it should be fed.   My goal is to lose the other 20 pounds I still need to lose.  But, what is most important to me is to see this psoriasis clear up again.  I am publicly announcing again that I am back 100%on the Nutritarian diet.  If you don’t see me provide an update on how I am doing, please ask.  It really does help to have people hold you accountable..  If I am quiet, it means I am not doing well.

Merry Christmas and wishing you a healthy New Year!

Food for Thought:

Drugs that are given to treat psoriasis, I will eat my way to health, thank you!

• Retinoids. Related to vitamin A, this group of drugs may reduce the production of skin cells if you have severe psoriasis that doesn't respond to other therapies. Signs and symptoms usually return once therapy is discontinued, however. Side effects may include lip inflammation and hair loss. And because retinoids such as acitretin (Soriatane) can cause severe birth defects, women must avoid pregnancy for at least three years after taking the medication.
• Methotrexate. Taken orally, methotrexate helps psoriasis by decreasing the production of skin cells and suppressing inflammation. It may also slow the progression of psoriatic arthritis in some people. Methotrexate is generally well-tolerated in low doses but may cause upset stomach, loss of appetite and fatigue. When used for long periods, it can cause a number of serious side effects, including severe liver damage and decreased production of red and white blood cells and platelets.
• Cyclosporine. Cyclosporine suppresses the immune system and is similar to methotrexate in effectiveness. Like other immunosuppressant drugs, cyclosporine increases your risk of infection and other health problems, including cancer. Cyclosporine also makes you more susceptible to kidney problems and high blood pressure — the risk increases with higher dosages and long-term therapy.
• Drugs that alter the immune system (biologics). Several immunomodulator drugs are approved for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis. They include etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira) and ustekinumab (Stelara). These drugs are given by intravenous infusion, intramuscular injection or subcutaneous injection and are usually used for people who have failed to respond to traditional therapy or who have associated psoriatic arthritis. Biologics work by blocking interactions between certain immune system cells and particular inflammatory pathways. Although they're derived from natural sources rather than chemical ones, they must be used with caution because they have strong effects on the immune system and may permit life-threatening infections. In particular, people taking these treatments must be screened for tuberculosis.

Recipe for the day:

Raspberry Blueberry Walnut Chocolate Chip

Blueberry

Strawberry Walnut Chocolate Chip

Best Muffins Ever  

Makes 6 muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup mashed banana (Very Ripe)
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, uncooked
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray large muffin tin with non-stick spray.
Mash banana until smooth.
Add banana, oats, beaten egg, baking powder and vanilla to a bowl.
Stir until just combined.
Stir in blueberries.
Fill muffin tins with batter. I fill to the top, these muffins do not rise very much.
Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then decrease oven temperature to 375 and continue baking for 12 more minutes.
Allow muffins to cool slightly in muffin tin a few minutes. Removing them while hot will likely cause the muffins to break apart as they are very moist.

I have made these with strawberries, raspberries, and I add a few dark chocolate chips and walnuts.  My favorite is the blueberry, walnut, chocolate chip.

They make a great dessert too as well as for breakfast.  They freeze well but that is only when I make several batches because with one batch there are none left to freeze.