Some quality Annie time

Lance and I work full time, so Annie is alone about 8 hours out of the day on week days. Weekends are a totally different story. Lance runs her before work, I play fetch with her and walk her again before work, and then we try to fill up the evening with Annie friendly activities. Usually we go to the dog park 2-3 times during the week, but last week we weren't very good about it. Thursday Lance came home to trashed plants, half eaten video game covers, and shredded piddle pads. We went to PetCo and purchased a large x-pen that gates off the tv area and all the wires she can get to, and we got some bitter spray to keep her off the plants. We also went to another pet store and the dog park to wear her out, and she had a great time with a little dachshund named Fiona.




Annie can be a bit neurotic at times and we're working through her issues. We got home today and a John Grisham novel was shredded, but otherwise it seems she stuck to her many, many toys. We have about 4 kongs now we hide around the house plus her other toys. Spoiled doggy! Lance is taking her to basic manners, and once she progresses a little more we can get her started with Agility...or we may start that a little early just to give her more to do.

People at the dog park who had Jack Russells thought she may be part that, so the new Annie mixture theory is CorgiXChihuahuaXJack RussellXGoat.

Comfort

Yesterday was a rough day for me. Detox symptoms were really heavy, it was hard to get out of the house for my high-pressure 8 AM meeting because my stomach is torn up, and things just weren't going smoothly at work. It's hard to keep it together and "bring your A-Game" when everything hurts and my brain feels a little fuzzy.

By the time I got home, I was ready to spend some "woe-is-me" time with the dog. And if I may whine just a little more, Annie has developed a new phobia of leashes and harnesses. It's getting harder to get her on a leash, and I have no idea why...we use a harness, so it's not bugging her trachea. We don't yank her around. It's a mystery, but it's one that's really frustrating. I need to pray for patience. Lots of it.

I was in the mood for some comfort food, so I cheated on the "raw" part of vegan a little last night. I sauteed some onions and garlic in a sauce pan in some olive oil, wilted some spinach over it, and blended that with some basic macadamia nut "cheese." SO YUMMY! I had that with cauliflower and celery. I needed something a little decadent. I was feeling a little sorry for myself because my diet is so restricted. It's peach season (my favorite!) and I can't have any :"(
Today went a little better. I'm still at one super shot of Adya Clarity, and today I took it a little later in the day, which seemed to help a little. Warning: TMI. My stools have been really sickly sweet , which doesn't make any sense because I'm not eating carbohydrates. I wonder if the detoxing is working and this is just one of the symptoms? I just don't know. That and I have a new intolerance to coconut. I wasn't drinking the water, just had some pulp. That was part of what got me down - my list of viable foods is shrinking.

There are things to be thankful for and I need to remind myself of that. I am in pretty good spirits about things usually, but every once in a while it gets overwhelming and I kind of spiral downwards for a few days.

Things to be thankful of:
Doggies with big ears

An awesome husband

A fuzzy friend to keep me
company on the couch (or on my feet while I'm typing)



And a Cute Nephew!!

Amaranth Pancakes with Apple Rum Sauce

It's been a busy 24 hours in our household, culinarily speaking.

Yesterday I bought Lance some Braeburn apples. Braeburns, in my opinion, are really best for baking. Fujis, some Pink Ladies, Delicious, and even the Granny Smith are great for eating raw, Fujis being my favorite. Most pink ladies, braeburns, and a few other varieties really lend best to baking as they tend to have that slightly mealy texture, and baking or rendering them really intensifies their flavor. I'm personally allergic to apples, so used to substitute recipes with pears, and would recommend cutting way back on the sugar and sticking to a nice hard red pear or D'anjou.

Amaranth Sorghum Pancakes
1 c. amaranth flour
3/4 c. sorghum flour
1/2 c.+ tapioca flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. agave
4 TB olive oil
1/2-3/4 cup water
2 tsp coconut vinegar (or ACV)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional - you don't really need it for this recipe, but will if using other toppings)
1-2 TB Coconut Oil depending on frying pan size

Combine the dry ingredients thoroughly, then start adding the wet ingredients, leaving the vinegar for last. Coat the frying pan with olive oil and drop circles of the batter into the pan. As bubbles form in the pancakes and the edges start to solidify, flip the pancakes over.

Lance is underweight, so I tend to go a little heavy on the coconut oil.

Apple Rum Sauce
4 Braeburn or similar apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of ginger
1/8-1/4 cup water
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 ounce rum
1/4 c. raw turbinado sugar + 3-4 TB agave

Put the diced apples in a small sauce pan with a small amount of water. Apples are mostly water, so they will cook down nicely with very little help. Add the spices. Once the apples start to soften and they come to a steady simmer, add the other ingredients. Cook until it comes to a thick apple-sauce consistency. You should no longer have big chunks of apple - they should cook down quickly.

Vegan Gluten Free Banana Muffins

We had a few bananas that Lance hadn't gotten to yet, so I decided to do a little baking for him. I am 100% raw vegan and on top of that, on a very strict version - Gabriel Cousen's Phase 1. I'm on the diet to help me detox and deal with candida. Lance, however, only has diet restrictions pertaining to allergies. I eat my foods and Lance often has a different meal. He isn't used to cooking sides and substantial meals that aren't processed and ready to go, so I'm doing as much as I can. He's 5'11 and an active athlete. Because he's not very experienced at eating the volume required with a non-processed diet, he's down to 140 pounds (YIKES). He still has a lot of energy and feels good, but I'm trying to get more calories into him however I can.

Fast food and processed baked goods have a lot of calories in smaller servings, so it is an adjustment. Lance noticed that he doesn't get as full as long on the same portion sizes he was having before. He runs around 9 miles+ a day, so he needs a lot of calories. I try to sneak in vegan foods whenever I can because at this point I feel like I know more about how they will fill him up. Also, I hope someday down the road I can sneak in some vegan baked goods into my own diet ;) My nephew has a plethora of allergies and seems to prefer vegan (he can't have dairy or eggs, so that limits ingredients to vegan for baking regardless).

I want to express my thanks to Flying Apron for publishing their recipes. This is not one of their recipes, but I used a really great technique established by them. Using a teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon or two of coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar makes a huge difference to the texture of gluten free baked goods without eggs. I had tried vegan powdered egg replacers, but it really wasn't boosting the texture enough. The chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda creates much fluffier batter. It's important to do this right before cooking.

Banana Muffins
2-3 ripe bananas, mushed
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup agave
1/4 cup raw turbinado sugar
1.5 cup brown rice flour
1 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1--2 tsp coconut vinegar (can replace with apple cider vinegar)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

I mashed the bananas and added the wet ingredients (minus vinegar) and sugar. In a separate bowl I combined all the dry ingredients, then worked in the wet ingredients. After I had my muffin liners ready to go, I added the vinegar and stirred vigorously. I filled the muffin liners 3/4 of the way expecting the muffins not to rise, but they actually did thanks to the Flying Apron technique. Lance enjoyed them warm out of the oven with a little coconut oil. They made the place smell great.

For those of you interested in gluten free baked goods in the Seattle, WA area, I highly recommend the Flying Apron and Chaco Canyon. The Flying Apron has frosting that is to die for, and Chaco Canyon is fabulous about working with people with allergies. Both are 99% vegan (although milk is available at both establishments for lattes).

Introducing Annie and Lead and Thallium progress

About three weeks ago, Lance and I attended an adoption "carnival" of sorts at a PetSmart in Woodinville. The "kill" shelters across the state brought the animals that were near the end of the line and not getting much interest. I'm sorry to say several of them had major issues, and I didn't feel all of the shelter volunteers were being 100% honest. We looked at a small poodle (I'm not a poodle fan, but she seemed sweet in her kennel and I'm more about personality over reputation) and the rep assured us she was great with kids. Fortunately her paperwork revealed that she had been turned in because she disliked small children, and she nearly took poor Champ's face off, so that was that. Another Boxer was there that was extremely dog aggressive. There were a couple 6 month pups that were so terrified they would only lay in little puddles on the pavement. We looked at a lab and decided she was so big and high energy that she would do better with someone who had more time and children to keep her busy. We made it through the line without finding a dog with the personality we were looking for (independent but interested in people and good with other dogs) and I was just turning to Lance to tell him, "Maybe next time" when my Mom said, "Hey! Have you looked at her? She looks adorable!" And there was "Sheba", a funny looking little thing with huge corgi ears, a terrier coat, and a curly tail. She looks like she's made up of spare parts, which makes her adorable and she's very sweet. I bent down to say "Hello", she crawled in my lap very gently, and that was it.

I have learned so much in the past 3 weeks. I was glad I waited out the line for the free vet consultation put on by Banfield Vets (they were fantastic and actually picked up dogs themselves to bring to the function that were scheduled to be put down the day before). Annie's "scratch" that she came into the shelter with turned out to be ringworm. Ringworm is not a worm, but it's a highly contagious fungus. It's the same stuff that causes athlete's foot, yellow nails, and of course can be spread to humans and cats (cats especially) very easily. We were given a highly toxic topical anti-fungal. The vet offered an internal dose of anti-fungal but felt it wreaked havoc on the immune system - so I instantly liked the vet.

While we were waiting in the waiting room, it seemed like a lot of those dogs got some really great homes. The lab we looked at went home with a grandma that was home all day and her grandkids and daughter were going to help with training (it was more the kids' dog, but she had a buddy all day that could throw balls for her in a giant backyard). The shy puppies went to nice families, and looked pretty comfortable being held by the kids. Lots of other dogs were sitting next to full "welcome home" shopping carts and smiling owners. I wasn't as hopeful for the boxer. It's really important to neuter male dogs that show tendencies of being very dominant at a younger age. Once dogs learn dog aggressive behavior, it's one of the hardest things to turn around. It takes years of work to be well-behaved on a leash near other dogs, and hopefully the owner will consult a reputable trainer.

Little Annie became quite clingy right away and would whine whenever I left her sight on the first day. This is a huge warning sign for separation anxiety. The first day of work, we weren't sure of her housebreaking status, so we put pee pads down our huge hallway and kitchen and gated them off from the rest of the house. We stuffed kongs with yummy treats, left the TV on, and did several false starts leaving the house after ignoring her for 20 minutes. She cried and cried when we left. Annie is an agile jumper, and by the time we came home she was sleeping on our rocking chair and poop and pee decorated the living room. We noticed that she was extremely fearful of relieving herself in front of us, so she held her urine and poop for hours upon hours. The first Sunday we had her, she would not urinate for more than 12 hours after we got her, despite eating and drinking.

The first night in the bedroom loose, she urinated twice, so it was time to get a wire crate for the bedroom. This is when things started turning around. She took well to the crate and couldn't go to the bathroom, so she went for the first time in front of us and got lots of praise. She stopped going in the house. It's like she had been housebroken before, but had been in the pound for a while and needed more structure. We fed her on a strict schedule. The first couple of days she would take a mouthful of food and walk off being used to the pound leaving the bowl, and was confused when we removed the bowl after five minutes. Now she wolfs down her meals twice a day on schedule and gets a potty walk 20 minutes later. She has become a great running partner for Lance. He runs her every morning before work - the guy is dedicated and gets up by 5:30 every day to make sure she gets her exercise.

The separation anxiety was a big hurdle for us. We purchased a second set of baby gates to double up in the entry ways. One day Lance put one of the bottom gates too high off the ground, Annie saw a window, and dug her way out of the kitchen! A 4" strip of carpet ended up in heaps in the kitchen, and I was so confused when I got home that day when I opened the door and there sat Annie. That did away with the baby gates. I figured the less change during the day, the better. She had proven she wouldn't pee or poop in the house anymore (but we left pads in previously used areas that were cleaned with Nature's Miracle - love that stuff).

I started ignoring Annie completely and having Lance feed, brush, and do some simple obedience work with her. It may sound a little mean, but it worked like a charm. She started realizing that I was not the center of the universe and she was not the center of mine, and started laying in her bed out of sight when I prepared meals in the kitchen. Remember, she was screaming whenever I left her sight in days before this, so it was a huge win. It took another week for her to willingly go running with Lance without him dragging her away from me the first two blocks. She's alternating staring at me type and wandering around the house, and she enjoys playing with toys on her own when we can't entertain her.

My vet recommended last week that I purchase a Dog Appeasing Pheremone (D.A.P.) system for the house, and she mentioned it worked for a lot of her clients. I love my regular vet - she practices chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy, and other natural medicines in addition to being a good surgeon. She is on Mercer Island. The D.A.P. system seems to have helped in addition to sticking to a strict schedule. We run, feed, walk, turn on the tv, put down the treats, and say "Be a good girl" at the same times every day before we leave. She has not let out a peep all week when I leave, and by the time Friday rolled around, she didn't even look up and was completely relaxed, enjoying her cream cheese and liver kong, as I told her I was leaving.

Annie is a terrier in a lot of ways and will resource guard with other dogs and is protective of certain areas of the house, so we are working on that behavior now. Lance is starting their first obedience class today - I have trained dogs and shown them in the past, so it made the most sense for him to work with her. I've already snuck in some obedience time and she's got a reliable sit, is getting down, knows touch, and has a good start with watch. I am excited to try agility and therapy dog work with her down the line. She is so fabulous and gentle with people - I think she would really love that job.

The ringworm has been successfully treated with oregano oil diluted in olive oil after 3 weeks of diligent treatment. The hair has grown back, but we are still dosing the area once a day to every other day. We started at 3 times a day and scrubbed the area with a little antibacterial soap prior to putting on the oil with a q-tip. It's important to really dilute the oregano oil sufficiently as it will burn if you don't. I didn't dilute it quite enough one day and she ended up scratching the area, so there's a tiny scab now. We were fortunate in that it has not spread to anyone/thing else. I was terrified when a friend with cats came over, but it looks like it was cleared up by then.

As soon as I can figure out how to post a hilarious video of her at the dog park, I will...

I have to admit, I was hesitant to get a dog because I was afraid of exactly what we got - a dog with separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is VERY common among shelter dogs because they are traumatized by the shelter environment (amongst other things). I feel very fortunate that I have a background with the issue and we caught it early enough for me to start establishing healthy relationship boundaries with her and sticking to a schedule is crucial. She has been a fun distraction from dealing with health and food issues.

I have been taking Adya Clarity to help me with heavy metal detox. I have to say it has helped me greatly in adjusting to a phase 1 diet. The first time I tried phase 1, I failed miserably because of how severe the detox symptoms were. Back in April/May, I just crashed. This time around, I have very mild symptoms by comparison, and it has been possible for me to stick to the diet. I'll admit that I am so tempted to stray whenever I go to Chaco Canyon, look at our fruit bowl at home, or walk by the peaches at the grocery store, but I've been working really hard and staying strong! I have added some brown rice protein supplement that is very low carbohydrate because I had to kick out hemp. My company was acquired and the purchasing company is requiring drug tests. I'm not sure if it's part urban legend, but I confirmed with some medical studies on Pubmed.com that large consumption of hemp seeds can lead to a false positive for THC on drug screening. It's a huge bummer because my favorite newly discovered dressing is Rosemary Garlic Hemp dressing. My best creation yet:

Rosemary Garlic Hemp Dressing
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4-1/3 cup water
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 tsp crushed rosemary
1/2 lemon juiced
hefty pinch of salt

yum yum yum - good with any romaine/lettuce based salad.

I was trying to up my dosage to two Clarity super shots, and Monday morning I started urinating blood. It was the strangest thing. I didn't have any bladder infection symptoms, but my mid back had been bugging me for a while and I had been nauseous. I ended up going to the ER for testing, but by the time I got there, the blood was not very visible any more and came back at light/trace amounts. It hasn't happened again, so I am just going to keep my fingers crossed that it was a fluke. My doctor was a little worried that the detox would be hard on my kidneys, so we'll see. I cut back the Adya Clarity to every other day for a couple days and now I'm back to once a day. I'll wait a little longer to up it to twice a day.

I've been feeling better the past couple of days and have had energy to go to the dog park and do other fun stuff after work. It is the encouragement I need to stick to this diet. It is boring for me - I can't do the nightshades, flax, hemp, or a few other key ingredients, so it's salads and soups. In the mornings I have a chia pudding or will mix almond butter with protein powder - which is actually pretty good.

Chia Pudding
1 heaping tsp cacao
1 tsp maca
3 g l-glutamine
probiotics
digestive enzymes
big pinch of stevia
1/2 cup chia
sufficient water to create a pudding texture (about 2-3 times the amount of chia).

Protein Almond Morning "Cookie"
1 heaping TB brown rice protein
2 heaping TB almond butter
3 g l-glutamine
probiotics
digestive enzymes
big pinch stevia
around 1/2 tsp cinnamon
sprinkle of nutmeg
a little ginger
Stir Thoroughly

Coping with Allergies (vegan and non-vegan content)

Stopping by a fast food restaurant or picking something up from the deli in your business building is usually an easy way to go, but with a little planning ahead, bringing your own meals to work can be quick and easy. I've found that cheating on my diet at all is never worth the consequences, but not everyone feels the same. There are also people who are intimidated by the thought of having to fix every meal. Some meals are easier than others to prepare ahead of time. Being raw vegan has made meal preparation extremely fast, but for those who eat a cooked diet and are looking to improve their diet but keep their schedule, there are things you can do.

My husband recently found out he had several allergies, and I don't think either one of us realized how much he ate out for lunch or how little fruits and vegetables were in his diet. Lance is not vegan, nor does he have interest in being vegan. He is open to vegan meals, and is interested in eating well, especially to improve his running performance. Fortunately, I have plenty of experience with living with allergies and eating a whole food diet. I will give you some simple tips to make life easier.

Make More Than You Need For Dinner

More volume means more leftovers, which are easy to heat up at work the next day. If you have to cook dinner, make sure to make more than you know you will eat in a sitting and set that aside for work the next day (or two!). Ideally, on a rotation diet you do not want to eat the same thing more than once every four days. I've found a rotation diet is very difficult to follow when working full time and managing projects on the side. An easy solution is to freeze your leftovers and rotate them at work as well. To be honest, I tend to fudge a bit on the rotation diet, eat my fill of something, and then not eat it for a stretch of time.

Dinner tends to be the time I put the most effort into my meals. It's when I like to experiment with recipes and try new and complex things. It's nice to make enough for a few days, especially when the recipe is delicious and I can look forward to enjoying the food again.

The Crock Pot Is Your Friend

Nothing is easier than throwing a bunch of ingredients in the crock pot to cook overnight. Lance enjoys waking up the next morning to a house filled with the aroma of savory ingredients cooked to tender perfection. It's very easy to make enough for a few days lunch plus frozen meals down the road.

A crock pot meal does not have to be fancy to be delicious. Here are a few variations:

Meat and Earthy Vegetables
3 carrots cut into thirds
4-5 celery ribs, cut into thirds
1/2 a large onion or one smaller onion, quartered
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 mid size beef roast or 1 chicken, quartered
1.5 cup grain (quinoa, rice, or millet)
several cups of water 3/4 over the meat
If you use Chicken, sage, thyme, and tarragon are all great additions. If you use beef, you really don't need much in the way of herbs, but parsley and thyme are good.

Eastern Meat with Sweet Potato
Lamb Roast or Pork
1 Sweet Potato cut into steak fry sized pieces
1 onion, rough chopped
4 cloves garlic
pinch clove (ground)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
big pinch red pepper
1.5 cup grain (quinoa, millet, amaranth, or rice)
Plenty of Water

Delicious Meat with Pear
Rabbit, Pork, or Venison
3 Pears or Apples
1 Onion Sliced
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1.5 cup grain (quinoa, rice)

Jambalaya
This recipe is a bit more labor intensive because I do not use tomatoes in the can. they are so bad for you.
Boil 5 good sized tomatoes or more after putting an "X" shaped cut on the bottom. They only need to boil for about 30 seconds before the skins begin to peel back, which is the goal. After the skins begin to peel, put the tomatoes in ice water to shock them. Peel the tomatoes and throw them in the crock pot.
Seed 1 poblano pepper, or jalapeno if you like it hot. Finely Chop and throw in the crock pot.
1.5 cup rice
1 lb Shrimp, tails off
1 lb spicy Italian Sausage (soy, gluten, and dairy free), sliced
1 bell pepper, yellow or red
2 TB parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
2 diced carrots
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
Plenty of Water


Warm Congii (vegan)
1 cup rice, millet, or quinoa
5 cups water
1 grated sweet potato
1 grated parsnip
1 tsp salt
fresh grated ginger to taste
Enjoy with umeboshi to taste after cooked.


Put the crock pot on low for 8 hours. I have a crock pot that stays on "Warm" until I turn it off. It's fantastic.

Keep Plenty of Snacks At Work

We always make the worst food choices when we are hungry! I know that is the time I cave into what sounds or smells good without regard to how I will feel later. Keeping plenty of fruit and nuts on hand helps! If you want to have energy bars, stick to the bars with the fewest ingredients. Larabars are amongst my favorite - they usually have around 4 ingredients max. They have dates, which are high in glucose and calories, and nuts, which are high in protein, minerals, and calories. Fruit is easy to have on hand, and several fruits keep well on the desk. Bananas are a quick source of energy with minimal mess.

If you have a food dehydrator, you can make your own vegetable chips, dried fruit, and nuts.

My Favorite Nuts
Almonds (soaked), pistachios, or similar mild tasting nut
Enough olive oil to lightly coat them (if you have a pump mister, that would be ideal)
1/2 a lemon, juiced
load on the garlic powder and rosemary
salt

Dehydrate until crunchy

Need to fix a Quick Lunch Before Work?

I've found I can make my own instant soups! Salads are also a fast fix. Keep kalamata and black olives on hand, dried seaweeds, and greens to make soups and salads on days that you don't feel like putting in much effort or don't have leftovers from the day before.

Easy Miso Soup
1 TB soy free miso (I prefer Adzuki Bean Miso)
1-2 TB wakame (dry)
1/2 Daikon diced
1 green onion, finely chopped on the bias
1 carrot, peeled and diced

Put these ingredients in a large bowl before work. I put the vegetables in a large bowl and bring my jar of miso, and then combine them with hot water just before eating. The wakame re-hydrates and expands, creating a more filling and mineral rich meal.

Easy Asian Inspired Soup
1/2 Lemon Juiced
1 TB olive oil
pinch red pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 baby bok choy, rough chopped
1/2 daikon, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 broccolini or broccoli raab, rough chopped
Let the ingredients marinate all day in the fridge and then add hot water and enjoy before lunch.


Easy Romaine Salad
2 heads Romaine
1 small cucumber, diced
1 cup peas
1/4 onion (or less) chopped finely
hand full kalamata onions

Hemp Dressing
1/4 cup hemp seeds
big pinch salt
1/2 clove garlic
1/3+ tsp crushed rosemary
water to get to smooth texture

No Chicken Salad
4 ribs celery, chopped
1/4 onion or less, chopped
1 cup peas
1 small cucumber, diced
hand full of cilantro, rough chopped

"Mayo"
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 clove garlic
1/4 tsp ginger
2 pinches cumin
1 pinch cayenne
1/2 lemon, juiced
water to create texture

Taste and adjust Mayo spices and stir in with No Chicken Salad. Add grapes and walnuts for more texture.

(See raw vegan recipe section for more salads and dressings)
Eat (or Drink) a Big Breakfast

Having enough protein first thing in the morning will help you keep your head throughout the day. I love having chia pudding now that I am on a low glycemic diet. Smoothies are a great way to get nuts and fruit in the morning as you are heading out the door.

(See my smoothie section for more recipes)

Don't Worry About Eating Too Much

When changing your diet from one of convenience, it's important to remember that you are getting better quality food without the cheap calories. Simple carbohydrates that abound in white, bleached baked goods, high fructose corn syrup, and chemicals that "help" preserve food (and does who knows what to us) are eliminated and your body can concentrate on nutrient rich foods. Since those cheap calories are gone and you are giving yourself better quality foods, the fat content goes down, as do the cheap carbs. You will find yourself losing that extra weight, and having to eat a little more volume to make up for it. It takes some time to adjust, so don't worry if you are snacking more. It's normal!

Bon Apetit. You don't have to sacrifice taste or enjoyment when you give up the foods that are making you sick!

Please let me know if there are foods you are craving that you haven't found alternatives for. I love a creative challenge!

Lead and Thallium

Things have been busy in the last month. I've been trying to keep up with work. My stomach hasn't been 100%. It's gotten to the point that I cannot have fruit or foods with sugars without feeling like I'm being stabbed in my lower left abdomen. It's very frustrating. I took a full course of Nystatin and still was not able to tolerate fruit.

I decided to go back to a phase 1 diet as much as possible. I'm now on a phase 1 diet without exceptions. I asked my doctor to test me for heavy metals, and he happily agreed. Yesterday I got my results back. I have high levels of lead and thallium. Lead is pretty easily explained. I've lived in old buildings and my family used a well. The thallium is a little harder to explain. It was banned in most products in the US in the 1970's because it was a very effective poison. It's odorless, tasteless, and dissolves easily. I've never had a heart stress test or MRI, the medical procedures that the metal is still used in. I suppose it could be used in the high tech industry and I could have been exposed some other way, but I really wonder why or how it happened.

My doctor is concerned about me taking chelation drugs because he's not sure if my kidneys will hold up well. He is completely supportive of me taking Adya Clarity, a precurser to zeolites. I'm doing one "super shot" per day and will work up to two. Detox symptoms haven't been too bad. I've felt a little flu like off and on. No bad headaches so far. I feel like I'll be ready to move up to two doses in a week or two. I'm tired, but I feel like we're finally getting to the cause. It's exciting to think so many of my symptoms can be explained and I might be able to gain a lot of my health back.

It took a while to kick a lot of the sweet cravings. I've been eating a lot of salads and soups and am thinking I need to widen the repertoire.

Rosemary Garlic Hemp Dressing
1/3 cup hemp
1/2 clove garlic
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp basil
1 TB olive oil