Delicious Morning Breakfast by Marisa

All food is organic and from Whole Foods

String 1 zuchinni in the food spiral maker or just into small pieces

Cut up some cabbage into small pieces

Get some fresh herbs from Whole Foods

Put zuchinni & cabbage & fresh herbs in a pan and add a cup of water, a dash of olive oil and a dash of salt,  cover/simmer until cooked

Pull out the fresh herbs if they are on a stick

Slide mixture over so half the pan is clear and add some ripped up sliced organic turkey (you can use sliced deli sandwich meat) and warm it a bit on the clear pan side then mix it all together

Add in some organic egg whites, I use the kind in a carton.

Mix all together on low heat, the egg whites cook up fast.

Add some sliced greek olives

Add some acacado

Mix all together so the avacado becomes a little creamy and covers everything. 

Eat!!! It's so good & super gentle on your tum tum. 

Gluten free/Dairy Free/Sugar Free/Yeast Free

A really good guide to stomach pain

Kale Chips, Oven Roasted Asparagus, Zucchini Chips

Today I made Kale Chips, Oven Roasted Asparagus & Zucchini Chips. I had no idea how easy or delicious these tasty treats were. I have a new appreciation for my oven!

Here is the SUPER plain & easy Kale Chip recipe I used:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Kale-Chips/Detail.aspx

Plain Zucchini chips, cut up zucchini into thin slices, drizzle w/ olive oil & a little sea salt 425°  for 30 minutes

Plain oven roasted Asparagus, drizzle w/ olive oil & a little sea salt: Bake at 350° for 10 minutes

Love it! 

 

NO NUTS

Yesterday when I was at Target buying garbage bags, I found myself starving. So while in the checkout lane I grabbed a small-ish bag of cashews & a bag of almonds. I have not consumed nuts really since January 2013 when my nutritionist took me off of them. But I was in a naughty mood and wanted to test my luck!

Once I started I couldn't stop. They were sooooooo delicious and satisfying. But an hour later, I was MISERABLE. My stomach was on FIRE/burning.

Note to self: Nuts = PAIN

Saying goodbye to fruit for awhile..

When you get diagnosed with Acid Reflux one of the first things the doctor tells you is no acidic fruit and no coffee. I was SERIOUSLY/clinically depressed by this news. I love fruit. It's what I had been living on since January but I ended up eating too much of it and hurt my poor stomach.

Another reason for me to get off fruit right now is to starve Candida/Yeast which I believe is also causing trouble in my gut & sinuses.

I'm also supposed to stop eating starchy foods + (high sugar/starchy veggies like carrots)

Some interesting links:

AWESOME:

http://dietdessertndogs.com/candida-faq-2/

http://www.jacobteitelbaum.com/health_articles_f-n_2/Infections-candida_eliminating_yeast_fungal_overgrowth.html

http://www.fourhourbody.net/forbidden-fruit-dont-eat-fruit-on-the-four-hour-body-diet/

Gentle Horchata (Warm Rice Milk with Stevia & Cinnamon)

This morning I tried a new drink & so far- so good with my level of stomach comfort. I was nervous about using cinnamon but I just sprinkled in a dash..

What you need:
Rice Dream Milk - Plain (no sugar, gluten, dairy OR carrageenan (see post on this)
Stevia Drops (I just bought these and I LOVE THEM!)
Cinnamon

Add rice dream to mug, add a few stevia drops, stir, top with cinnamon, microwave, drink!

DELICIOUS!

Soy. The next food to eliminate?

I love soy milk. I love edamame. I hate that I keep hearing that soy is bad for me. I don't really want to chance it & I can easily live w/out it. Here are some articles I've found:

http://www.refinery29.com/is-soy-bad-for-you

http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2013/02/01/soy-milk-is-bad-for-you/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/soy-healthy_n_1823052.html

Most articles say it can cause cancer, problems with your thyroid and infertility.

If you have any thoughts on soy, let me know.

xo,
Marisa

Carrageenan Elimination

Discovery: Carrageenan - the next thing to eliminate.

Both of the non-dairy creamers I just tried since going dairy free (Coconut & Soy Creamers from Whole Foods) have an ingredient called Carrageenan that is reported to cause an inflamed gastrointestinal tract.

Here's a link on what that is:
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-carrageenan.htm#slideshow 

Also- this link is awesome and tells you what brands do and don't have carrageenan:
http://www.cornucopia.org/2012/05/shopping-guide-to-avoiding-organic-foods-with-carrageenan/

I'm going to try rice milk (Rice Dream) w/out carrageenan next.

I also just discovered that the soy milk creamer I bought had pure cane sugar in it. Reading ingredient labels is a new thing for me. Shocking to know how many products out there have sugar, milk or other non-obvious ingredients in them.

What I ate today 5/14/13

Breakfast: Grilled Atlantic Salmon (from Whole Foods) & berries (black, blue + raspberries) I'm trying to get off fruit because it causes candida.. so I just finished the fruit in my house.

Lunch: Grilled lemon herb chicken breast with olive oil, salt and pepper. + 4 or 5 steamed baby artichokes w/ olive oil drizzle + sea salt.

Snack: Cucumber slices, no skin. A little salt. 1/2 a cucumber.

Dinner: The rest of the salmon, carrot mash (see recipe below) and a whole small avacado w/ salt.

+ An apple cider vinegar ginger tea drink (see recipe below)

NO COFFEE. It's hard but worth it for no pain.

So far, so good.

Marisa

Hot Apple Cider Vinegar Ginger Tea

Ok - so my friend Marcelle from South Africa introduced me to Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar drinks sometime last year and I loved the odd taste. Thank God because turns out Apple Cider Vinegar is a wonder food! It can help ease heartburn/acid reflux. I was spending $3 a pop on a drink downstairs at Whole Foods (I live above a Whole Foods, yes- I am blessed). I was curious if I could try to make my own to save $ & decided to try this drink hot (since I'm trying not to drink caffeine/coffee).

Here's what I just tried today! It ruled!

Step 1: Boil Some Water
Step 2: Add in a little Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar

Step 3: Add in some stevia leaf for sweetness
Step 4: Add in a Ginger Aid Tea bag (I used Traditional Medicinals)

Enjoy the soothing relief you get as you sip this drink! 

xo, Marisa

Steamed instead of raw

If you have GERD/acid reflux, try steaming your veggies instead of eating them raw! It makes all the difference in my comfort level.

Stuff I've tried so far:

- Steamed huge artichokes
- Steamed baby artichokes
- Steamed baby carrots

It's really exciting. I just turned 33 and am just now learning how to cook/eat properly for my body. Awesome.

xo,
Mar

Restricted diet much?

In January 2013 I started a new lifestyle diet with a nutritionist. I finally got off processed sugar, starches (bread/rice) and ate a lot of lean meats and protein. Tons of kale salad. TONS OF FRUIT & VEGGIES & COFFEE. To the point where I was diagnosed with GERD/acid reflux as of last month (April 2013).

After a lot blood work and acid reducing pills, I tested positive for Celiac (Gluten allergy May 2013). My new doc also thinks it's best if I get off sugar and dairy due to yeast & a likely intolerance to lactose/casein (May 2013). Restricted much? I choose to see it as a challenge and I'm going to blog about what works for me and what sucks.

If any of you have dietary restrictions I feel your pain :::virtual hug::: Hopefully this food diary will give you some hope. I'm just doing the best I can to stay healthy, happy & stomach pain free.

xo,
Marisa

Cinnamon Coconut Carrot Mash

Last night I tried to eat raw carrots. BIG MISTAKE.  Super hard on my system. I was up all night in pain. I did not want to throw my baby carrots out so I tried steaming them in a bath of cinnamon and stevia leaf. Since I'm not eating sugar,  I wanted something sweet and satisfying. They were AMAZING.

Step 1: Boil some water in a large pot, add some salt, cinnamon & stevia leaf (make sure you have a lid) as much/sweet as you want.
Step 2: When the water comes to a boil, dump in your bag of raw baby carrots.
Step 3: Cover and steam on medium heat for about 20 minutes.
BONUS: Makes the house smell super yummy!
Step 4: When they are soft enough to mash with a fork put them in a bowl and mash them up. Add a little bit of Coconut Milk creamer (I had some left over). Then add a sprinkle more of stevia, cinnamon  & salt!

ENJOY!
So so so good & easy on your precious digestive system.
xo,
Marisa


**JUST DISCOVERED YOU CAN DRINK THE BROTH THAT'S LEFT OVER! It's delicious!