GAPS Progress

I have decided to keep a log of my progress with the GAPS diet and how I am feeling. Maybe not so interesting to you, but it will help to keep me motivated and organized with all of this.

Just to add to the mix, I have also started taking B-complex vitamins. I am already taking a probiotic once a day, calcium, vitamin D, multivitamins and fish oil.

Day 1: One slice sprouted grain bread. Not on GAPS, but eaten prior to commitment. Coffee with non-dairy creamer and honey. Canned chicken noodle soup. (also eaten before commitment) hummus and vegetables for lunch. Pork and turnip greens for dinner. Guacamole with veggies for evening snack.

Feeling: I slept very long and well last night. Felt baseline tired. Better than the complete exhaustion I have been feeling.

Day 2: Coffee with creamer and honey. Black beans with seasonings and olive oil. Banana Lunch - asparagus with seasoning, almonds. Oranges. Dinner - hubby loves me! He made a fantastic salad with turkey and swiss cheese, and lots of veggies and a fermented dressing! YUM.

Feeling: DS woke up hungry just after 4am. Went back to sleep with him from about 6am-7:30am. Tired from that. But not feeling miserable. Doing well with diet today. A little bit of energy/enthusiasm. A little. But that's an improvement!

Day 3: Coffee with milk today (ran out of creamer) I hate milk, so I only used a little. I also dislike this honey, bleh. Great way to wean. (ha) Breakfast - left over fabulous salad from last night. Delicious and filling. Mid-morning snack - almonds. Lunch - swiss cheese slices, yogurt (just read that this is contraindicated, whoops), one taste of peanut butter before I realized it had fillers that aren't ok), red grapes. Snack - grapes, cheddar cheese. Dinner - Hubby made GAPS friendly chili. YUM. Feels good to feel full after dinner. I seem to have trouble achieving that during the day now.

Feeling: Started off pretty well. My spirits seem to be rising. I'm actually thinking of some fun stuff we could do today instead of dreading the day. Not bounding with enthusiasm, but not hating my fate, either. Progress. Day filled with friends = fun and good spirits all around. I'm starting to get that hungry feeling that comes with any diet. I hate that. But hubby is bringing home more nuts and nibbles. Hope it helps. Bonus: the kids eat more healthy snacks as a result of this diet. Getting weird periodic BO every day for the last 3 or 4 days. It happened once before several days ago. Doesn't seem to be due to heat or anxiety. Part of my imbalance. Embarrassing. Comes and goes seemingly randomly.

Day 4: Breakfast - Coffee, canned chicken (supposed to be fresh or frozen,,,,babysteps!) with celery and a little fermented dressing, almonds, melon. Lunch - seasoned white navy beans and canned beets (supposed to be fresh or frozen, oh well) A small square of cheese, unknown type. I am full, and so happy to be!

Feeling: Hungry. Tired today, but a more normal SAHP tired. DS has been sleeping restlessly. He has a tendency to not want to eat at dinner time, so he wakes up hungry during the very early morning. Hubby really pushed him to eat last night, so he slept better, but was up before 7am after conking out a little early after having no nap yesterday. Feeling that I need a break from the kids. =( Feeling quite a bit better after eating lunch. I am full, and my mood is a bit better. Still don't feel like tackling the world, but I'm WILLING to. Ended up spending hours outside at a park, which was great. Need to do more of that. Still very tired coming home, but pleased with the day. BO again... weird. But the bloating I was getting after eating anything before GAPS has not returned at all.

Day 5: Breakfast - coffee, small amount of scrambled eggs. Seasoned navy beans with cheddar cheese. Lunch - swiss cheese (quite a bit), almonds Dinner - take-out BBQ. I ate various meats and collard greens.

Feeling: Sluggish start. DD not feeling well. Another day inside. Sighs. I am feeling very grateful for my husband. He has been so helpful with this diet! He is cooking GAPS friendly meals for me every night. Yesterday I mentioned to him that I am feeling conflicted about whether to stick with the diet on our vacation next week or not. He responded immediately that there would be many options for me, and that if it would help, he would follow the diet with me as well. Wow! I really went from feeling like I might forget the diet for the week, to feeling regained confidence that I should stick with it. Thank you hubby! =) Spent the afternoon in the house while DD watched tv, then fell asleep. Feeling content.

Day 6: Breakfast - Coffee w/creamer and honey, navy beans, cheddar cheese, fermented dressing. Some banana. Content. Lunch - Subway sub without the bread! Basically a salad, with turkey, cheese, and tons of veggies, including hot peppers. Yummy. Didn't use dressing. Snack - swiss cheese Very full. Dinner - King crab! with butter. asparagus

Feeling: Frenzied. Kids are very needy this a.m. Crisis cleaning for DD's guest. Tired, even after conking out very early with the kids. Pretty good day. Needy DD, but happy with a play date. Got out for an hour by myself - most lovely. I think I'm gaining weight!

Day 7: Breakfast - Coffee (read the GAPS foods list a little more carefully yesterday and realized that coffee is on the list!!! It's supposed to be weak, but hey, it's on there!!! So it's only the creamer that is a no-no.) Seasoned navy beans with cheddar cheese. Lunch - more beans, canned chicken, a little fermented dressing. It was at lunch today that I started to add hubby's bone broth (beef) to my food. I tried drinking it but didn't prefer it that way. Snack - bananas and peanut butter. Dinner - a huge pile of string beans, corn with butter, salad with cheese added and fermented dressing. Bone broth in there, too. Just getting small amounts now. I'll have to get used to it. It's good, just bland. Better mixed in. Evening snack - melon

Feeling: Not bad. I actually got up before the rest of the family and had a few (very few, but I'll take it!) minutes to myself. I hate Mondays in general, and always start the week off with a deep sigh, but all things considered, I feel pretty good. Spend the morning at the park. Kids were happy - me too. Home to watch a movie, put the kids in the tub, and basically hung out. Pretty content. Mood has been unusually positive today. (for lately. I am a positive person, just not lately.)

Day 8: Breakfast - coffee, a coupla pistachios, chick peas (can I have that? Shoot...I think not maybe. Only had one bite) Nope, threw it out! Try again. Nuts, cheese. Blah. Lunch - lettuce mix, swiss cheese, bone broth, fermented dressing. Tired of the dressing flavor now. Need a break from it. Very surprising how full I am after one bowl of salad with no veggies added! I was hungry, too. The fullness was more like bloating, which lasted a while, then went away. Weird! Snack - popcorn with butter and salt Dinner - Chicken Tangene (chicken, onion, olive oil, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, olives, pepper) polenta (just looked on the foods list for corn, I"m not supposed to be eating it! I've been eating corn on the cob, popcorn and now polenta. SHOOT! =( lentils, (beef stock, curry powder) Very good, filling meal. Wish I'd realized about the corn.

Feeling: Tired, blah. Kids being basically good, but resistant to getting out. Annoying. Got out, kids happy. I felt better being out, too. Kids were very good at grocery store. Kinda blah, but doing ok. Afternoon inside, which is ok. Slowly getting things done. Tired. We ended up spending the afternoon in. The kids watched a lot of tv. Still kinda tired.

Day 9: Breakfast - coffee. Seasoned lentils. Lunch - canned chicken, seasoned lentils, bone broth, hot sauce. Hated it, threw most of it out. Pineapple. Snack - swiss cheese, celery with peanut butter.

Feeling: Tired. I had trouble falling asleep, which is very unusual for me these days! Weird. Also, lots of my "symptoms" presenting this morning. Itchy scalp, bloated feeling after supplements, carpal tunnel flare up. Into the afternoon, tired and bored of the summer (non) routine. Kids, too. Went out for a bit. Stomach so empty it hurt. Had a snack upon return. Stomach bloated and uncomfortable, don't feel full. Not a happy body today. Not a happy mood today, either.

Day 10: Breakfast - Coffee, banana, swiss cheese. Lunch - seasoned black beans (not on good foods list OR bad foods list, so I'm eatin' 'em!) kiwi, seasoned asparagus. A bit of pear. Left over coffee from this a.m. Happy with my lunch. Snack - swiss cheese, peanut butter Dinner - salad with veggies and dressing. Peanut butter. Blah. Tired of this diet.

Feeling: Worn down, the usual. But getting excited for our trip. Nice to feel excited about anything. Belly has been feeling a little weird. Hungry, then overly full after I eat. Not enjoying that aspect of this. But I feed myself better at some meals than others, too. Mood is fair - pretty good. Evening - a little irritable, just want to be home. Getting annoyed with the diet. Unsatisfied.

Day 11: Breakfast - left-over salad. Lunch - canned chicken with onion, pepper and peas. Good.

Feeling: Mixed. I slept long last night. I'm always tired and I am today. Lots to do today...feeling excited for trip but I HATE packing. Ok with diet today so far. While the weird random body odor has seemed to stay away for a day or two, I am getting hot flashes! Could it be? Or is it PMS? Sighs.

I quit the diet. I miss carbs. I don't feel any more awake or any less symptomatic, and I'm going on a cruise in two days, and I don't want to be on a diet while cruising. If I really felt it was making any kind of difference, I would be motivated, but I don't, and I want to enjoy myself while on vacation. If that seems like a cop-out, I'm sorry. But I feel good about it. The only difference I felt was the addition of hunger pangs to all of my other *stuff* and that sucked. Anyhow, that's the deal. Cheers! (raising my NON-GAPS bottle-o-booze!!)

GAPS Diet - Healing Myself Through Food

I am putting myself on the GAPS diet.

For those unfamiliar, here is the LINK to the GAPSdiet page. In a nutshell, it's a diet designed for those with digestive issues, and it is supposed to "heal" the gut, so that over time, a person is able to tolerate foods that they cannot currently.

I am using it for other reasons. I have become so worn down that I find I cannot enjoy myself. I have little energy, little enthusiasm. I have a rash on my scalp that I am unable to get rid of. I have body odor for no reason. I could easily fall asleep at just about any time of the day, including just after waking up in the morning-even after a "good" night's sleep. I have been feeling bloated often, typically after eating, even if it's a small amount.

And that just ain't me. I miss feeling good! I want to wake up psyched every day. I want it back!

I believe we can make ourselves feel better as long as we have some clue as to how to get there. For some reason, obvious things can be so hard to achieve. Exercise makes us feel better. Duh. Do I exercise? Hardly. Eating garbage will likely make us feel like garbage. Do I eat garbage? I do. Staying inside all day can make us feel down and unmotivated. Do I spend a lot of time inside? I do! It's hard to change!!

But feeling like this stinks, and so I am motivated. My only indulgence over the last two days has been my morning coffee, which includes non-dairy creamer and honey. Yes, badbadbad, but it's a process. (I know, I always say that, but c'mon, I can't deal with a diet change and caffeine withdrawal all at once - I will fail!) Other than my coffee and one slice of sprouted-grain bread yesterday morning (before I had decided to commit to this,) I have eaten only what is on the Recommended Foods list on the GAPS diet website. And by some miracle, I actually feel full and satisfied. At least at the moment. I hate diets. Make no mistake! I am always hungry, which I hate. But the one thing I like about the GAPS diet is that there is a long list of foods that are ok. It's much easier to refer to that than to try to eliminate one or two things from my diet, such as gluten or milk.

So here goes nothing. I feel that I can only go up from here! I will blog my progress, for anyone interested. And for motivation.

And I am most fortunate (as I do not like to cook) that hubby really enjoys cooking, and is enthusiastic about making bone broths, which are strongly recommended for this diet.

Wish me luck.

Adrenal Fatigue

I have been searching for the reason(s) that I am so tired, some times down, and have a general lack of energy. One concept keeps popping up: Adrenal Fatigue.

This concept was first suggested to me by a couple of the members of the Holistic Moms Network. In a nutshell, the idea is that being a stay-home parent and being "on" ALL the time puts a tremendous amount of strain on the adrenal glands. Meeting the demands of every member of the family, plus all of the other responsibilities that come along with the job basically puts the body in "alert" mode all the time, with little time to recharge. Over time, the adrenals basically burn out. One of women that I communicated with about this from HMN blogged about her experience HERE. It pretty closely explains where I am.

Then today I did a Google search with this in the search box: "exhausted, down, no energy." One of the results was a website which caught my eye. It is called NaturalNews.com and the article is called: The hidden dangers of caffeine: How coffee causes exhaustion, fatigue and addiction It basically says exactly the same thing, only the culprit is caffeine. Caffeine causes ups and downs (we all know this, we drink it for that up!!) and when the "down" comes, often time we reach for more coffee or other stimulant to bring us back up. The result is the same, the body is given that fightfightfight signal constantly. Eventually the adrenal glands get fatigued and worn out. 

Both of these situations cause exhaustion, fatigue, lack of energy, depression, and so forth. 

And so, here I am, a stay-home parent who is "on" all the time, and who has been drinking coffee every morning (and sometimes afternoon) for years. Such an easy thing to test. Reduce the caffeine and find ways to unwind. Ok, so it's not easy. But it's something I can try on my own, and it could make a huge difference. 

Along with the B-complex vitamins I just got! ;)

Essential Oils - Illness Caused By The Oils

For months, I have been trying to figure out what causes me to feel so lousy while I am home.

When in or near my kitchen, I sneeze. And sneeze and sneeze. And get congested. And my ears get plugged up. Sometimes my throat gets scratchy. And I get (minor) headaches. And terrible sinus pressure. Something in this kitchen is incompatible with me!

So over the last several months, I have gradually tried to figure out what is causing the problem. I move slowly, as I'm a stay-home mom with two young kids. Other things are prioritized, most of the time! Anyhow, I have tried to figure out what the newer items are in my environment. Those include soap nuts (maybe a year now?), and essential oils (several months.) My friend suggested that the multiple computer components and printer in the kitchen may be "outgassing" and causing some of the problem. We also got two cats. (about 2 months ago)

Soap nuts: I did a trial of testing the soap nuts some months ago. I removed them from the house, and for a couple of months, used other methods for cleaning our clothes. I still sneezed. I brought them back into the house.

Computer components: I removed everything from the kitchen but my lap top.

Cats: The cats are everywhere in our house except for the bedroom. While I wouldn't doubt that they contribute to my sneezles, I don't seem to have the problem upstairs. Just around the kitchen.

Essential Oils: Sighs. When I'm near my bag that held the EOs, I sneeze. But I so wanted it to be something else that I testing every other thing first. But facts are facts. When I apply certain EOs to myself or my kids, I sneeze. And sneeze. And sneeze.

Last week we went on vacation. Upon our departure I was feeling so lousy that I really looked forward to a week outside of our house, and the much desired return to feeling healthy that I hoped that would bring. I left feeling sinusy, exhausted ALL the time, and depressed. I was also premenstrual, but I hadn't felt that crummy, even premenstrual, in years. I felt AWFUL. So off we went. For most of the week, I cycled through periods of feeling exhausted. I was MOODY. I never felt the internal thrill that comes with going on vacation. Going to the beach was a burden, not a joy. What the heck was wrong with me??

I realized pretty quickly that I had brought my problem with me on vacation. At least in part. I finally took the bag that contained my EOs out to the car. And the soap nuts that I had brought went out, too. It didn't do enough to help the vacation at that point, but as soon as I returned home, I took all of the oils from my bag and from the shelf in my kitchen, and closed them up tight in a plastic container. I stuck them in the laundry room.

And I'm feeling much better. MUCH better. Yes, I do sneeze a bit when I first come downstairs in the morning. I chalk that up, probably, to cat hair. But my nose is not congested. My sinuses aren't swollen. I have no headache, no sore throat, and my mood is much better! I'm still waiting a day or two to see if the bouts of exhaustion settle down. But so far, so good. I'm always tired. That comes with the territory. But it had gotten to the point where I was having trouble functioning.

EOs are as different as the plants they come from, so I know, of course, that I am not allergic to all of them. I own, currently, somewhere between 10-15 different oils. That's 10-15 different plant extracts I have brought in to my home in a very concentrated form. Wow, how's that for an allergy test? Total submersion. So I guess the next step is to try them out one at a time. Now I know there are some that cause me to sneeze immediately. Bergamot, for one. And that is most unfortunate, as I credit Bergamot oil for helping me to wean off of steroid creams in my battle against eczema. I also believe Lavender causes the sneezles for me. But I'll know for sure over the coming weeks as I test them.

But boy am I glad to be feeling better. Phew.

Hostage

My daughter is 5. She has undiagnosed (except by me) generalized anxiety disorder. And that's ok. But it's challenging.

One aspect of this is that transitions are challenging for her. This has always been true. The way this manifests itself these days is for her to put up tremendous opposition to moving on to the next "event." An example of this: This morning I suggested to her that we take her little brother to the library for the parent/child program. Keep in mind she has been to this program many times, and always enjoys it. And once she's there, she doesn't want to leave. And so! But regardless of this fact, she stated that she didn't want to go. As a general rule, if either of my kids really doesn't want to go out, I don't push it. We all have days where we just don't feel like facing things. But usually, they are pretty enthusiastic about heading out to have a good time. So armed with all of this knowledge, I pushed. I told her that I felt that it was good for her brother, who really enjoys being there. I reminded her that she always enjoys it, too. Etcetcetc. She stated over an over again, for an hour that she didn't want to go. So I gave her the option of staying home. With someone else. Another part of her anxiety is that she is very reluctant to stay with anyone other than me, and that includes her father a lot of the time. (SIGHS!) So of course she said no to that idea. She stated that someone else should take her brother, while I stayed home with her. Now I am real with my daughter - may more so than I should be. I informed her that I did not plan to be stuck at home all of the time because she doesn't want to go out and doesn't want to stay with someone else. (I am irritated by this point, even though it's practically a daily discussion) I inform her that she has a choice of either coming with us to the program, or staying home with someone else. And I feel good about giving her options. It makes me feel that I am not forcing her to go somewhere she doesn't want to go, that the final decision IS hers.

In any event, after trying to convince her brother that he didn't want to go (he did) she reluctantly came along. But here's the next phase of her anxiety. She is afraid to go anywhere because she's afraid she'll need to use the bathroom on the way. This is something we are working on, but it is very frustrating for all, and adds to the angst that is every outing we go on. So I do as I always do, inform her that we're leaving, and encourage her to use the bathroom. And as always, she informs me that she'll go "right before we leave." And as always I then inform her that we are heading out the door. So she goes. Then she jumps into a discussion about how she just knows she has to go again, and on and on and on. And go into my part of the discussion, which is to remind her that she just went, and that she has successfully managed car rides before this one, etcetcetc. She is actually on a reward system for this one. But that's another post.

So at long last we are all in the car, and on our way. With bathroom breaks sandwiching the program, we do actually get there, and as predicted, both kids have a good time, and darling daughter doesn't want to leave. But it is a reward of sorts for me, who is then off the hook for having "made" her go in the first place. She genuinely seems surprised, once we're out, that she is having such a good time and is happy.

But it's work. And I get tired of it. And I know it's not her fault. I know she would rather not have these issues. And I feel for her. But I feel, sometimes, too often, that I am held hostage by her anxiety issues. I rarely get out of the house or do anything without the children. When I do, I worry about getting home before too much time has gone by. And I am envious, sometimes, of the other parents who go out with other adults. On a consistent basis. Hubby and I very rarely have time together without the kids. And that's hard on us.

But I remind myself of how lucky I am. How very lucky. And we move forward. And it's all ok.

Natural Yeast Infection Remedies

I recently gave a shout out to the Holistic Moms Network email loop regarding natural remedies and comfort measures for feminine yeast issues. As is always the case, I was and am overwhelmed and thrilled with the number and depth of the replies I have received. I know that many out there could benefit from this information, so I would like to share it. This is information only. I have yet to try most of them out.

+ Yogurt. Several replies I received from the group suggested plain yogurt containing live cultures as a cure and soothing measure. Use as a "wash." Can combine with baking soda. Here's one source of info: LINK

+Take Probiotics. Mentioned several times. High quality probiotic recommended. If taking one and getting infections, try changing to a different probiotic. One suggested a more "potent" brand with more "strains."

+ Baking Soda. Unclear as to how this is used. Can be drying - use sparingly. Can combine with yogurt for external wash.

+ Vinegar. Mentioned a couple of times. Dilute as it can sting. One suggested apple cider vinegar specifically. This is allegedly helpful if the issue is bacterial. Can be used in the bath.

+ Alkaline Water. (Water with lemon) Aren't lemons acidic?? Anyhow, this was suggested. I also read that keeping the body slightly alkaline helps, as acidity can cause all sorts of issues. I would suggest doing an internet search on ways to achieve this. There are diets out there that promote this concept.

+ Hydrogen Peroxide. Dilute as it can sting. Increase H2o2 as conditions improve. Use internally.

+Stay Away From: Simple sugars (mentioned by several people) and citrus. White sugar, flour, rice, any refined sugars.

+ Body Ecology Diet. Suggested if the issue is ongoing. Internet search will bring up info. on this diet. I have read some about it.

+ Understand What You Are Dealing With. Is it bacteria or yeast? They can present in the same way.

+ Sachromyces. Apparently this is a yeast that eats other yeasts. It came highly recommended by one person, who says it can be bought in health food stores. I will do more research on this and report back.

+ Tea Tree Essential Oil. I have read different accounts of how to use tea tree. Some say a few drops on a tampon works. Others say it must be diluted with a carrier oil first, then applied to the tampon. One woman from the list says that tea tree worked for her again and again, but then she developed tea tree resistant strains.

+ Diva Cup. Yeast infections are allegedly a common issue with users of the Diva Cup.

+ Vitamin D. One woman suggested that deficiency in vitamin D can contribute to yeast infections.

+ Men. Men can get yeast infections also. If a woman is getting them, her man may be, too.

+ Garlic. I've read accounts of it being used both on the inside and eaten for benefits. On the inside, either place a clove whole or minced into some cheese cloth and insert. I'll need to look up the length of time it stays. I don't recall. But one person suggested overnight. Don't forget some dental floss or something to tie it and for easy removal.

+ Milk Thistle Glycerite/ Dandelion Glycerite. I have no idea, at this point, what these are, but they are allegedly good liver support. It seems that conventional medications for yeast infections can be hard on the liver.

+ Honey. Messy, this one! Plan to bathe afterwards. External.

I will be doing some more research in this area, but this is what I have at this point. I hope it's helpful. If any of you would like more info in any particular area, let me know. I'm happy to start there. Here is a neat website with a number of different  natural approaches to curing/managing yeast infections: LINK

Tupelo Honey

For a while, I was a client at the Natural Health Improvement Center in Glens Falls, New York. While I decided at the time that it was not for me (I didn't feel that detoxing while I was raising two little ones, including one who is still nursing was the best plan for me!) I did take some information with me that I have found to be at least somewhat valuable. One thing that was suggested was reducing the amount of sugar in our diets. Never bad advice, I thought about when I consume sugar during my day. The first and most obvious place was first thing in the morning, in my daily cuppa joe. Though I didn't think for a second that I would really replace sugar with honey in my coffee. For one thing, I don't especially like honey! And for another, no one messes with Mama's coffee! But I bought it anyway...what the hell! I bought it while visiting in NJ, and left it there by accident. Or maybe because I really didn't want it? Who knows. But no kidding, I visited another time and forgot it again. Just recently I was there again, and this time I managed to get the stuff home. So this morning, I gave it a try. And it wasn't bad. Not at all! In fact, I rather like it. I didn't use much, and it gives my coffee a sweetness, but not a yucky sweetness, that sugar can sometimes do. Hm. So, trial one, the most important, and it's a hit! Now I have to do some research to convince myself that it's actually better sugar. But in the meantime, here's some info. on Tupelo honey: LINK

Here is the first website I checked out regarding honey vs. sugar in our diets. It does make for some interesting reading: LINK

Here's another one. This one is obviously pro-honey: LINK

Ok, I have to update here. It has been six days since I started to put honey in my coffee instead of sugar. I have not gone back. Not once. Ok once, but it was by accident and I was annoyed at myself! I much prefer the honey in my coffee. There are two reasons. One, the honey has a slightly less sweet flavor, which I prefer. The other, and even more important to me, is that the honey mixes evenly into the coffee. I have always hated when the last sip of my coffee is gooey with undissolved sugar. Regardless of how much I stirred it, it seemed to be sickeningly sweet at the bottom. And I like drinking it all! But yuk. So I love that the last sip of coffee with honey tastes like the first sip. =) And, I've converted my husband!! =)