My thoughts on "How I Went From Wheelchair To Walking By Changing My Diet: Dr. Terry Wahls"

Click HERE to watch Dr. Terry Wahls tell her story


This is an amazing story. I hope that everyone here will take the time to listen. Her words are important, even if you happen to be one of the lucky ones without current physiological symptoms or chronic autoimmune disease (like Type 1 diabetes, celiac, MS, etc). What she explains about how our genotype is being changed by the choices we make every day made a big impact on me. I am not a doctor, so hearing what I believe to be true coming from someone with her depth of knowledge is especially powerful.

A few years ago my husband and I decided to take charge of our food choices and reduce the use of toxic chemicals in our home. We experienced amazing health benefits and I am thankful everyday that we were able to make the changes we did. It was not always easy to make such unpopular choices. The media often claims that  "gluten-free diets" and the "Paleo lifestyle" are fads, or worse, that they are harmful. If you knew me three years ago, you might reconsider. The lifestyle I lived before was killing me slowly, all the while convincing me that it was my own fault (for not exercising enough, for eating too much, for having bad genetics, etc). Now I eat real food, and not only feel satisfied (not starved), but I have energy to do any task I need to (and some to spare). If someone told me they were eating tree bark, bugs and dirt every day, and it improved their energy, health and wellness, I would be legitimately happy for them! So I wonder why anyone would criticize my food choices, considering the obvious positive effects I've seen. Still, it happens.

My favorite part of Dr. Wahls speech was her quote from Thomas Edison, “The physician of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patient in a proper diet, the care of the human frame and the cause and prevention of disease". Yet today, 100 years later, we keep creating more drugs and putting our efforts into covering symptoms rather than finding the root of our dysfunctions. When I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1986, the doctors told my parents that they would find a cure within 20 years. We are still looking, yet millions of dollars are being spent to research more drugs to add to the treatment regimen. Treatment is not a cure. It is my hope that one day I will see the paradigm shift that Thomas Edison foretold, but until then, we each have the power to make better choices.

Chicken and Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

Chicken and Cauliflower Fried “rice”

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp coconut oil or sesame oil, separated

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin strips

3 tbsp coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari soy sauce

2-3  large eggs beaten (we like a lot of eggs in our “rice”)

1 head cauliflower, grated or pulsed in a food processor

2-3 whole carrots, peeled and grated

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp of minced ginger (1/2 tsp powdered ginger)

1 bunch chopped green onions (slice white bottom half and separate from the green tops)

Directions:

Do all of your chopping first.  Cauliflower can be grated with the largest holes of the cheese grater or put small amounts into a food processor at a time, pulsing just to a large rice-like consistency. Don’t go too far or you will have mush!

Heat wok or skillet over medium-high heat with 1 Tablespoon coconut or sesame oil.

Sautee the chicken until cooked through. Remove from pan and drain chicken. 

Add the whites of the onions (NOT the greens) with the garlic and ginger and sautee until soft.

Add the carrots to the pan and sautee for 2-3 minutes to soften. 

Add the chicken and the cauliflower, coconut aminos (add salt to taste if using coconut aminos, no extra salt needed if using soy sauce). Cook until cauliflower is soft.

Push cauliflower/vegetables to one side of the wok/pan and add a little more sesame oil or coconut oil. Pour in the beaten eggs.

Lightly scramble the eggs briefly then mix into the cauliflower.

Add the green onion tops and toss. 

Dairy-free "Cream" of Broccoli Soup Recipe

This is a very simple recipe that I picked up last year. I was going to share the link to the original post but it has been taken down. Here is a link in case it does come back up one day http://www.intentionalconsumption.com/index.php/2011/01/07/cream-of-broccoli-soup/ but until then, I will copy it here from my recipe book. 

Paleo-Friendly "Cream" of Broccoli Soup

2 Tbs coconut oil (or grassfed butter)

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 quart chicken stock (I use homemade but you could use store-bought)

1-2 large heads of fresh broccoli, chopped partially steamed and divided

1 handful of shredded carrots 

1 cup coconut milk 

In a stock pot, heat coconut oil over med/low ehat. Sautee onions nad garlic until tender (a few minutes). Add half of the broccoli and the handful of carrot shreds. Let boil on low/simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn off heat and puree in a blender. Return to heat and add remaining broccoli and coconut milk. Let simmer for about a minute. That's it! Serves 4. 

Not-so-Mediterranean Chicken Recipe

As I've been sharing my family's meal plans and recipes on my facebook page, I thought it might be easier to post some of our original recipes here to the blog so they are easier to access and re-post.

Updated 6/10/14: This one is very special to me and while I was making it tonight my mind drifted back to when it was first created, and the evolution of the recipe from then until now. When J and I were first married, I was not a very good cook and truth-be-told, I'm not exactly five-star now, but I've come a long way from Lipton instant noodles and burnt chicken tenders :). I came up with the first version of this recipe to accompany my favorite side dish at the time: couscous. We used fat-free feta cheese and limited the oil to keep it low in calories too. Now, years have passed and our diet and lifestyle has changed. We love to incorporate healthy fats, so the feta cheese first went to full-fat and we stopped holding back on our olive oil. Our family does not tolerate gluten, so couscous is no longer being served at our table. But we did not give up on this family favorite! Instead, we swapped out the couscous for sauteed spinach. I recently gave up dairy for a nutrition challenge, so tonight we left off the feta cheese and enjoyed the meal just as much (though now it's not as "Mediterranean as it once was, hence the name change). It is so satisfying to have my old comfort foods, presented in a new way that fits with my family's lifestyle and dietary needs. I plan to do some more "makeovers" of family favorite recipes and I'd love to hear from you if you have any suggestions. What are some of your old family favorite recipes? How can you adapt them to be healthier and fit with your lifestyle?

Now onto the recipe! Enjoy!

Sara's Mediterranean Chicken

2-4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts

Feta cheese (optional)

Grape tomatoes

Fresh basil leaves

Fresh lemon juice

Fresh minced garlic

garlic powder/salt/pepper to taste

Sauteed Spinach as side dish

Pre-heat oven to 375 

slice tomatoes, chop fresh basil leaves and set aside

Pound Chicken Breasts to ½ to ¼  inch thick

Season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder

Heat skillet with olive oil to medium-high heat

Place seasoned chicken breast in the heated skillet

Squirt chicken with lemon juice on both sides while cooking

Sear chicken to light brown on both sides 1-2 minutes (do not cook through)

Reserve oil/drippings in pan to saute' the tomatoes

Place chicken on baking sheet lined with foil and set aside. Continue cooking the remaining chicken breasts and adding them to the baking sheet.

Saute' sliced grape tomatoes and fresh basil with minced garlic in same pan where chicken was seared, add additional oil if needed

Top chicken with tomato sautee mixture and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese

Bake at 380-400 for about 15 minutes, until chicken reaches 165* internal temperature.

Serve with garlic sauteed spinach or other side dish

Step Outside!

Today is a great day to step outside! We are experiencing a break from a long cold snap we've been dealing with this year and the sun even peeked out of the clouds for a bit today while I was out on my run! I also stepped outside of my comfort zone today and I'm taking a new direction with my fitness. 

My body will always be a work in progress, I am comfortable with that, but I feel like I've gotten to a point where my fitness feels stagnant, like I'm just maintaining, not changing or growing anymore. It was time to add something new, or maybe it's just something old, but in a new way. When I started exercising for weight loss back in 2009, my "strength training" was lifting 5 pound weights while following along with Jillian Michaels workout videos. It was challenging to me at the time and I saw changes as a result of those workouts. But I knew as my body progressed, that lifting 5 pound handweights was not going to cut it anymore. Last year I started experimenting with dumbbells and free weights but without direction, progress had been slow and I kept getting caught up in the mechanics of certain exercises while taking my time to learn proper form. None of this is a bad thing but the end goal is to see results and to be honest: the results are not coming fast enough.

I am trying a new direction, this time through Crossfit. Considering my lifestyle, it might be surprising to some that I've never tried it before now (as a mostly Paleo-eating, barefoot-running, hiking, rock climbing, outdoorsy fitness enthusiast) but I try to make my own way and not follow the crowd, so I was not sure I wanted to go in the expected direction. Now I wonder what took me so long. I have been involved in so many different kinds of fitness, and I think there is a time and place for them all to peacefully coexist. I may be getting into this style now, but it does not mean that running, cycling and other types of fitness are left behind. I'm just adding variety to my activities. The more, the merrier!

Sunday Meal Plan 2/16/2014

I have been posting about my weekly menu planning on my facebook page for the past month or so, and it's been so helpful in keeping my family on track! We have food sensitivities between the four of us including gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance and corn allergies, so eating out is not always a relief. Sometimes, it's a roll of the dice and we may pay for our indiscretion for days after. We have figured out a few places locally, where we can enjoy our meal without issue, but now we are trying to save those for once per week at most. Eating at home is a better plan for the budget too.

Here is my plan for this week:

Gingered Carrots with Mahi Mahi from Everyday Paleo
http://everydaypaleo.com/gingered-carrots-with-mahi-mahi/

Chicken Fried Cauliflower "Rice"

Mediterranean Chicken with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes

Bunless Burgers (it's been on the menu since last week but never made it to the table)

Chili or Soup from the freezer (we still have a lot to go through!)

Leftover pot roast and chicken from last week

We still have a few leftover meals in the fridge today from last week, so we are working our way through that and I don't want to make too many meals this week so I'm giving myself a break. That's one of the great benefits of being a month into this meal planning, I am still benefiting from meals that we made weeks ago thanks to the freezer!

What's on your menu this week? I challenge you to make a plan for your meals. I don't choose which day we will have them on a calendar because sometimes our plans change, but I go into my week with a plan so I have a better chance of success in making good food choices. Share your menu in the comments!

Yes, I can eat sugar!!! (though I may choose not to)

I have been living with autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes (I will refer to it as T1D most often) since I was 5 years old. There are many common misconceptions about T1D, especially due to another condition that shares its name: Type 2 Diabetes. Forget what you think you know about "diabetes" (regardless of type) and just allow me to tell you a few things I'd like you to know about T1D before we go any further. 

- There is no cure for T1D. I take insulin daily via an insulin pump, to enable my body to metabolize glucose in my blood from the food that I eat. Insulin is typically made by an organ called the pancreas, but my body had an autoimmune over-reaction as a result of a viral illness when I was a child, and the insulin-producing beta cells were attacked by my own immune system. No beta cells= no insulin. Taking cinnamon, okra, or some special diet pill advertised on the front of Reader's Digest will not cure me. Eating right and exercising will not bring my pancreas back to life. Insulin is a form of life support. I take it daily because without it, I would die. That is why finding the cure is so important to those of us with T1D. 

- Type 2 diabetes is a totally different condition. Honestly, I'm not an expert on what causes that type of insulin resistance, but I know that for SOME people diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, it can be put into remission with a healthy lifestyle, weight loss, diet changes and oral medication. I believe this is where the misconceptions about my form of T1D stem from. Then again, I know several Type 2 diabetics who have lost weight and changed their lifestyle but the underlying insulin resistance did not go away. Type 2 diabetes is often discussed in the media and sensationalized, while T1D does not seem to receive the same attention. 

- I CAN eat sugar! Yes, it is true :). Of course, I do have to take insulin when I eat anything that will affect my blood glucose level. Sugar is a carb. Fruit is a carb. Bread is a carb. Potato is a carb. Rice is a carb. All of these turn to glucose when metabolized by the body, and I would give insulin for all of them. In fact, I take insulin even without carb intake because the body requires a basal amount of insulin to function, regardless of carbohydrate consumption. Back when I was a child, we were taught that sugar itself, pure white sugar, was BAD. Yet somehow, professionals in diabetes care never focused on other types of carbohydrates until more recently. I remember as a kid, going to Dunkin Donuts. I was not allowed to have a plain chocolate frosted doughnut or a french cruller (what I really wanted) but I was given a blueberry muffin "because it's healthier for a diabetic." Have you ever seen a blueberry muffin from DD? It's pretty much the size of three doughnuts! From the current nutritional facts found on Dunkin's website, a chocolate frosted doughnut has 31 grams of carbohydrates, a French Cruller has only 17 grams of carbs (!!!) and the "healthy" blueberry muffins I was given contain 76 grams of carbohydrates. Seventy-six! As I said, back then we didn't count carbs, we didn't know any better. Somehow the frosting and pure "sugar" was thought to be worse for us than the huge crusty muffin without glaze. Nowadays, I generally choose to skip sugary treats as I have found that a diet with less simple carbohydrates, grains, and sugar is easier for me to manage with diabetes. But the point here is that I "can" consume sugar, in fact there are times when my glucose level drops too low due to intense activity with insufficient food or too much insulin (since I have to act as my own pancreas and there is a margin of human error when calculating food/activity/insulin). At those times, I am required to take in sugar. And if there is a choice between chocolate (my weakness!) and juice, you will catch me with the chocolate. Every time. :)

- I can do anything that a person without diabetes can do. Well, except produce insulin in my pancreas, apparently. But everything else, I can do with proper management of this chronic disease. I have run races from 5k up to the half-marathon distance, and last year I completed my first sprint triathlon. My experiences may not be extraordinary, but for me they are always a challenge! I just read an inspiring story during this year's Winter Olympic Games about a cross-country skiier named Chris Freeman who has T1D. He did not win the gold medal this year but if you know anything about cross-country skiing, you know that it is one of the most physically challenging endurance-based sports in the Winter Games and for a person with T1D to even compete was an amazing feat! The 2014 games were his 4th trip to the Olympics and though likely his last, he is further proof to the more than 3 million Americans living with T1D that we can do anything. 

I'm sure there will be more to come on that subject, but for now let's start there. I am always happy to answer questions in the comments, so post away! 

-S 

Hello World!

As you get to know me, I hope you will find inspiration, entertainment and laughter here. Many good things ahead! So glad to have you follow along on my journey.

-Fit Serendipity