Category Archives: Elimination Diet

    Categories Diet, Elimination Diet, flare up, food allergies, food sensitivities, Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    IBS Flare ups

    IBS can be triggeres by stress, anxiety and food sensitivity. My flare up this week is one in a trail of many. I have had issues since Valentine’s day. Learning your body and understanding the impact stress and food plays on your digestion is important. My body is calling for a cleanse. I have been having pain on the right side under my rib for weeks sporadicly. I don’t have a gallbladder which the typical reason for this pain. My chronic digestive issues helped me learn exactly what I need to do to change the game. I am ready for a full dietary cleanse to detox my liver. I know with my history cleansing helps detox the body, remove stones, sludge and inflammation in the liver ducts. Trust me I don’t love cleansing. But feeling better is always my priority. I am currently on the oatmeal diet with Kombucha. It’s the only thing that I tolerate when my stomach looks like I’m 6 months pregnant. This phase lasts a few days. Then I move onto vegan diet for the rest of the week. The final part is a liquid diet and epson salt cleanse. That is the hardest part. But you feel fabulous after. I know that my body is changing and new foods are becoming a problem. Steak is not my friend anymore. I wake up with sharp pains after I eat red meat. This cleanse will help me eliminate toxins and begin introducing foods back into my routine. The process is slow but critical to identify food sensitivities. This will help me identify other vegetables, fruits and proteins that cause symptoms. I’m on a journey to heal my body and it takes time to reverse the damage that occurs over our lifetime. Knowledge is power and learning your body is crucial to wellness.

    Categories Diet, Elimination Diet, food allergies, food sensitivities, Health

    Diane Friendly

    Diane Friendly is a funny topic.  Its often not what are you allergic too, its what can you eat.  Over the years, my diet has changed periodically corresponding to symptoms and health status.  Food sensitivities and food allergies have increased over the years in the world.  I believe its because foods are just not as pure and simple as they used to be.  More chemicals, GMOs, additives, sweeteners and corn syrup is added to everything that makes food undigestible and essentially poison to some people.  People always ask me: How do you eat? What are you allergic too? How do you eat out?  My answer is I read menus, look at ingredients and ask questions.  My main allergies are corn, gluten, apples, black pepper and white pepper.  There are more but these are the most common allergies to mention. These are the foods I look out for everyday.  I usually try to keep my orders simple. I don’t mix too many food variables because that will cause me more symptoms.  For example, if I have eaten an entree before, I might try a new appetizer but if I am trying a new entree, I won’t order an appetizer.  The simple fact is if you tummy is sensitive, like mine, it is better to keep it simple. Let your body digest one plate at a time.  Society today pushes, appetizer, entree and dessert but many times the mixture of so many variables is the issue.  If you eat all of these things and you get an upset stomach, your body just can’t digest the food and it sticks around and causes symptoms.  I used to eat dessert all the time but now, I don’t crave it and I won’t eat it until my meal has digested.  I don’t need to add more sugar into my body while I am digesting my meal, it simply makes digestion slower.  The easiest foods for me to order are usually a protein and a vegetable.  I don’t usually eat rice because the only rice I can eat is jasmine or brown.  The fact about rice is it is filled with starch and some has more starch than others, which I can’t digest.  Vegetables and salad are usually not seasoned, which makes it a good side dish.  But there are variables because I can’t eat all vegetables or salad, which means sometimes I won’t know until the food arrives.  The protein that is usually not pre-seasoned is fish, for some reason beef and chicken usually are seasoned with pepper.  I can tell you sometimes its not easy, I can go to a restaurant and not find one item I can eat.  This happens in restaurants that have pre-seasoned everything.  I have also had times that I order, say all my allergies, and still have a reaction.  My reaction is immediate, gas, bloating and indigestion.  The reaction can last hours or days.  I can tell you the side effects are not worth the delight of eating foods I know I love but can’t digest.  The suffering used to be daily, and I refuse to live that way.  So, I take charge of my diet and keep snacks with me.  I speak up for myself, I read everything, I find the best option on the menu and go with it.  If I have a party to go to, I take an appetizer, snacks, alcohol or whatever I might need.  The simple fact is that I can’t be sure that the events will be able to accommodate me, so I advocate for myself and stay prepared.  The key to my success is eliminating and avoiding the foods that are harmful.  Advocating for myself and keeping snacks handy helps me stay healthy and avoid symptoms.  Do you have digestive issues? Do you eat and feel exhausted after?  Do you get bloated and look pregnant?  Do you have reflux?  These are all signs that some foods are harmful for you.  I can help identify the foods to eliminate and make a plan that is right for you.  Give me a call the Consultation is Free.

    Categories Advice, Anxiety, Autism, autoimmune, autoimmune crisis, brain disorders, Diabetes, Diet, Elimination Diet, Fibromyalgia, Inflammation, Thyroid, Weight Loss

    Why Can’t I Lose Any Weight?

    Weight loss can be a constant struggle for both women and men.  There are a variety of variables that can impact weight loss.  It is important to identify the issues that might be impacting you, specifically.  Most individuals that seek assistance from Health Coach or professional to assist in identify your obstacles and create a plan that is right for you.  I’m writing this post because I have 2 clients that are currently facing this struggle and I am developing an individualized plan for each them.  Let’s discuss the most common obstacles to weight loss.

    Lack of Sleep – sleep quality and quantity impacts health and weight loss.  It is double edged sword because high stress impacts sleep which then impacts stress, weight loss and other health factors.  Research shows that even small sleep alterations can increase cortisol levels and create insulin resistance.  Lack of sleep is associated with a variety of health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, mood disorders and depression.

    Poor nutrient intake – nutritious foods are essential for a healthy body.  It is more important than you think to eat fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins and nuts.  A diet high in nutritious foods that focuses on anti-inflammatory meals helps promote weight loss. Its important to avoid processed foods, granola bars, cereals and bread because they are filed with empty calories and create inflammation in the body.  A diet high in healthy fats, protein and healthy carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables revs up the metabolisms and gears you up for a healthier lifestyle. Check out my presentation on You-Tube to see what harmful ingredients can be impacting your gut, brain and causing your weight gain.

    Inflammation– inflammatory foods, like those in the video I shared, create a slow and constant inflammatory response that disturbs our body in many ways.  The biggest problem with inflammation is that it is invisible, if people could actually see the damage inflammatory foods cause at the cellular level, they wouldn’t eat the foods that cause it (See video if you haven’t yet).  Inflammatory foods are foreign invaders to our bodies and it responds with systemic inflammation.  The cycle continues and inflammation multiplies, leading to a multitude of diseases anemia, autism, Alzheimer’s, carpel tunnel, gallbladder disease, GERD, autoimmune leaky gut, fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s, psoriasis, Crohn’s, celiac disease and many more… (The purple diseases are some of my personal conditions related to chronic stress and inflammation).  Some symptoms of inflammation are tired, fatigues, sleepy, brain fog, attention issues, upset stomach, bloating, achy joins and muscle pain. These are signs your body is going through inflammation and its time for an anti-inflammatory elimination diet to identify your food triggers.  Now, let’s talk specifically about inflammation and weight loss.  Inflammation impacts a hormone that regulates fat in the body.  The hormone called Leptin, controls your metabolism and appetite.  Healthy people get the message from leptin, causing their bodies to suppress appetite and speed up the metabolism, thus burning fat.  Chronic inflammation impairs the bodies ability to receive the message from leptin to suppress your appetite, causing you to eat more and gain weight.  As you can see inflammation can be a vicious cycle, the good new is you don’t have to tackle it alone.  Back to ways to fight the chronic inflammatory response. The best way is to identify your inflammatory trigger foods, develop a diet and supplementation plan that will help build up your digestive tract, immune system and reduce the inflammation. Ask me how?

    Chronic stress– stress is the biggest obstacle to weight loss and everyone has stress on a daily basis. We are faced with highly stressful fast paced lives, and stress is not going anywhere.  Stress in the body causes a flight or fight response which impacts your cortisol and adrenaline hormones.  This is a normal response but our bodies are faced with it too rapidly and frequently.  This response elevates cortisol levels, which can cause weight gain.  These continuous state of chronic stress impacts the immune system, lowers good gut bacteria and places individuals at risk for infection and autoimmune disease.  Unfortunately, after 20 years of age our bodies lose the ability to properly fight stress at a cellular level.  The simple fact is that our bodies no longer produce the antioxidant enzymes that help the body heal and recover from stress, thus it accumulates daily throughout our adult lives.  The only true way to impact this stress daily is by fighting back with nutrigenomics.  Ask me more?

    Toxic overload– We are exposed to harmful toxins and chemicals throughout our lives.  These toxins are in the water, food, hosehold cleaning products, lotions, cosmetics, paint, candles, plastic containers and much more.  Even items that seem healthy can be filled with harmful chemicals, like toothpaste, bread and shampoo.  These toxins can create inflammation and hormonal imbalances in the body.  This also impacts the bodies Leptin response and created inflammation in the body.  These toxic levels can stop your bodies weight loss even with exercise and healthy diet.

    Estrogen Imbalance– More estrogen than progesterone can play a role in weight gain.  Estrogen dominance causes increased cravings and decreased metabolism.  The most common cravings are sugary foods, if this is the case and you can’t control your cravings, estrogen might by the culprit.  Increased cravings, more calories and slow metabolisms promote weight gain.  You can try to attack the inflammation in your body with an elimination plant to see if the cravings improve.

    Low testosterone – It is well known that testosterone levels drop with age.  This drop causes increased body fate, heart disease, insulin resistance and cancer.  Interestingly, obesity can also cause testosterone to drop.  The most visible sign of low-testosterone is belly fat and difficulty loosing weight.  So if this sounds like you, its time to attack that inflammation and fight back.

    Insulin imbalance – Insulin resistance occurs when the body is not able to absorb extra blood glucose and keeps generating more from the food you eat.  The liver convert the glucose into fat and its a vicious cycle.  Inability to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels creases excess belly fat and difficulty with weight loss.  Processed foods, which we discussed earlier cause insulin resistance, inflammation, chronic stress, etc.  It is important to find someone that will support you in your journey.  Someone that can help you identify the foods that are harmful for you and develop a plan to fight back.

    Losing weight can be a difficult journey but it is possible.  The most important part is finding your particular challenges or obstacles and creating a plan with a Health Coach to tackle them.  If you feel stressed or overwhelmed by all the information and possibilities, let me help you develop a plan that you can stick too.  Some of these obstacles may require medications or supplements specific for that condition. If you are not able to resolve these issues with diet modification and supplementation, you may need medical attention, so make an appointment with your physician.

    Categories Advice, Antioxidants, autoimmune, autoimmune crisis, Chronic Pain, Elimination Diet, Health, Lupus, Stop Bloat

    Case Study: Lupus

     

    Case Study: Lupus

    Author: Diane Vich

    Key words: Lupus, Brain Fog, Chronic Pain, Inflammation & Bloating

    Introduction:

    Vera Boss is a mom of four. She has been suffering from chronic pain, digestive issues and brain fog for many years now.  She is frustrated with western medicine because none of the treatments and medications have helped her.  She has seen a vicious cycle of new prescriptions and side effects. Her symptoms progressively got worse after each child. Her youngest is now 1 year old and she is so exhausted she just feels like she is not able to keep up with her.  Her digestive issues and bloating have become severe and now it happens 3-5 times a week.  Her headaches are also getting worse.  She is desperate to find a natural alternative.

    Case Presentation

    Vera is looking for alternative treatments. She has noticed her health has progressively gotten worse after each child.  She wants to be there for her family and enjoy her life.  It is important to her that she regain her energy and feel better.  She was diagnosed with Lupus 6 months ago.   She has chronic pain throughout her body.  The symptoms that are really bothering her the worst are the bloating, inflammation and stomach pains.  She has headaches 5 times a week and they last the entire day, sometimes more.  Her joint pains are 10/10.  She reports her bloating makes her look pregnant and its very painful (8/10).  She is exhausted every day and needs coffee to stay awake.  She sometimes drinks 5 glasses of coffee and feels it doesn’t even work very well.  She often needs naps in the afternoon before she can cook dinner and play with the kids.

    Management

    • Lupus is an autoimmune disorder where the body begins to fight itself.  Lupus like a multitude of conditions is caused by oxidative stress and inflammation.  Some symptoms are fatigue, chronic pain, headaches, memory issues and joint pain.
    • Chronic Pain is caused by inflammation of the tissue causing tenderness and discomfort. In people with chronic pain the pain accumulates over time and the level of pain gets worse.

    Treatment

    • Supplementation/Dosage: (2) Nrf2, (2) Nrf1, Omega, essential oils, Brain food supplement and (3) Probiotic.  Essential oils for pain and digestion.
    • Diet: High in low-sugar fruits, gluten free, high in green vegetables, beans, organ meats, bison, fish, shrimp, eggs and turkey (rare carbohydrate like cereal, cakes and dessert).  No sugar or iodized salt.  No inflammatory vegetables or fruits.  No processed foods.  Sea salt and spices to taste.
    • Coaching: Recommended for 4-6 months to help with symptoms management.
    • Motivation Statement:  I speak up for myself freely and easily.  I claim my own power and advocate for myself.  I love myself.  I am free and safe to be the person I want to be.

    Discussion

    A multitude of diseases (200+) are linked to oxidative stress and inflammation.  Oxidative stress is an imbalance between antioxidants and Free radicals.  Patients with weight gain and inability to lose weight have high levels of free radicals in the body.  They cause damage to the body on a daily basis.  The body has poor capability of creating antioxidants like glutathione, catalase and SOD.  These antioxidants are the only way to fight free radicals, so as they decline illness, disease and decline progressively continues through life.  By enabling the body to produce antioxidants and remove toxins, they client will reduce inflammation, bloating and fat build up to promote weight loss.  Lupus, digestive issues and chronic pain are all impacted by the increased inflammation throughout the body.  It is essential to provide the body with nutrients that will help it fight back on a daily basis.

    Outcome

    1 month: Vera has started the detox and supplementation plan.  She is enjoying the detox soup and meal plan, specially because it has stopped the bloat.  She is also happy she lost 8 pounds, her goal was to feel healthier and the weight loss makes her happy.  She noticed that her headaches and joint pains were worse during first 2 weeks of detox.  She reached out for some coaching to relieve her symptoms.  She knew the pain and symptoms were expected and she was glad that she had a support system to help her manage them.

    • Coaching Session: Vera reached out to have a tension buster session to help target her pain sites.  She chose to have the session at her pool to start incorporating some gentle activities several times a week.  This was important to her because she want to be able to enjoy fun activities with the kids without feeling exhausted and in pain.  She noticed she felt relief and better circulation after her pool session.  She committed to perform these activities at lest 4 days a week.  She also enjoyed the essential oils and simple stretching to relieve her pain.
    • Coaching Session : Elimination plan: Vera experienced some digestive issues, body pains and headaches on the cheat days, she asked the coach for some digestion relief suggestions. The coach added an elimination plan to determine her food sensitivities.  She was able to identify her sensitivity “white rice and gluten free bread.”  Her symptoms improved and she realized the importance of keeping track of her diet to identify food triggers.  She was happy that she had the essential oils and natural remedies to help her if new symptoms arouse.

    2 month:  Vera is happy with her progress.  She has avoided her food sensitivities and has seen big differences in her symptoms.  She happily lost another 5 pounds.  She contacted her coach 2 times during the last month to get support with food sensitivities, she identified two new foods “corn and apples”.  She felt confident that she had the tools to deal with her symptoms and knew the coach was there to support her.

    • Coaching Session: Vera was very happy with her progress, her pain was 6/10 and improving every day. She realized the stretching and exercise helped improve her pain significantly. After her afternoon stretch routine her pain was 4/10.  She started using the exercise 5 times a week.  Elimination plan: She is glad she has essential oils and natural remedies that she can keep with her all the time.  Through her food trigger journal and coaching she was able to identify several foods to avoid.  She realized it was important to track her symptoms.  She plans on signing up for 4 months of coaching to help her to continue to monitor her food sensitivities and expand her diet plan further.

    4 months: (After 4 months of coaching)

    • Coaching Session: Vera successfully incorporated all the strategies for an additional 4 months coaching.  She felt like a new woman.  She had lost a total of 20 pounds.  Her energy and memory was better.  She used the brain food supplement much less now.  She felt energetic and ready for anything every day.  Her pain was 3/10 and relieved with exercise and stretching.  She started to incorporate stretching into her daily routine and noticed big changes.  After stretching and hydration her pain decreased to 1/10.  She started to use 10 minutes stretches twice a day.  Her headaches were almost gone, she only had a few a month.  She noticed the headaches usually came with her food sensitivities and loved using the essential oils to stop the pain.  Elimination plan: She continued her food journal to monitor food sensitivities.  She identified several additional food triggers.  She is thankful she learned to identify and treat her food sensitivities naturally.  The elimination pain helped reduce her joint pains, digestive issues and headaches.  She finally felt like she was able to be an active mom with her kids.  She was happy that she had learned how to take care of herself.
    Categories Biohacking, Detox, Diet, Elimination Diet, flare up, Health, Inflammation, Weight Loss

    Case Study: Weight Loss & Inflammation

    Case Study: Weight Loss

    Author: Diane Vich

    Key words: Weight loss, Inflammation & Bloating

    Introduction:

    Lourdes Mogal is a mom of two. She has tried countless diets and her weight will not come off. She has a big vacation coming up and would like to shed some weight before the trip.  She is frustrated that diets are not working for her. She also has some digestive issues and bloating with certain foods.  She is motivated and ready to start her plan right away, the clock is ticking.

    Case Presentation

    Lourdes does not have time to incorporate exercise yet but really wants to establish a healthier eating plan.  She wants to lose 15-20 pounds in the next 2 months.  She is highly motivated and ready to start her detox plan.

    Management

    • Weight gain and inability to lose weight is caused by oxidative stress, inflammation, cortisol levels and insulin resistance in the body, impacting the body’s ability to burn fat lose weight. The treatment plan will provide a diet that will enable to diet to reduce sugar and inflammation build up, promote detox, remove fluid buildup in lymphatic system and promote weight loss.

    Treatment

    • Supplementation/Dosage: (2) Nrf2, (2) fat burners twice a day, essential oils and (3) Probiotic.
    • Diet: High in low sugar fruits, gluten free, high in green vegetables, beans, organ meats, bison, fish, shrimp, eggs and turkey (rare carbohydrate like cereal, cakes and dessert).  No sugar or iodized salt.  No inflammatory vegetables or fruits.  No processed foods.  Sea salt and spices to taste.
      Coaching: 2 months of coaching recommended
    • Motivation statement: My thinking is peaceful, calm and centered. I am ready to take on the obstacles before me.

    Discussion

    A multitude of diseases (200+) are linked to oxidative stress and inflammation.  Oxidative stress is an imbalance between antioxidants and Free radicals.  Patients with weight gain and inability to lose weight have high levels of free radicals in the body.  They cause damage to the body on a daily basis.  The body has poor capability of creating antioxidants like glutathione, catalase and SOD.  These antioxidants are the only way to fight free radicals, so as they decline illness, disease and decline progressively continues through life.  By enabling the body to produce antioxidants and remove toxins, they client will reduce inflammation, bloating and fat build up to promote weight loss.

    Outcome

    1 month: Lourdes has started the detox plan.  She is enjoying the detox soup and meals.  She is motivated to lose weight for her trip.  She noticed that she experienced some bloating after a few meals.  She reached out for some coaching to relieve her symptoms.

    • Coaching Session: Lourdes health goal is to lose weight for her trip.  This will improve her ability to feel better about herself and be happy in her own skin.  This was desperately important to her because she has been sad and depressed that she has not been able to lose weight.  All of these things were important to her because she will be happier, and motivated to enjoy her life.  She decided the diet and treatment plan is going to help her achieve her goals.  Elimination plan: After her digestive issues, she asked the coach for some digestion relief suggestions. The coach added essential oils for digestion and an elimination plan to determine her food sensitivities.  She was able to identify “tomato and black pepper sensitivity.”  Her symptoms improved and she realized the importance of keeping these ingredients out of her meals.  She was happy that she had the essential oils and tips to help her if new problems arouse.  Craving support: She will continue to call in weekly for support and to deal with temptations and cravings.  She knows that she has trouble dealing with temptation at parties and asked her coach if she could reach out during these times for a little motivation.

    2 month:  Lourdes was so motivated to the plan that she did not even use any of her cheat days.  She did not want to eat any carbs because she really wanted to reach her goal quickly. She contacted her coach 3 times during the last month to get support during times of temptation and some food sensitivities.  She felt confident that she had the tools to deal with her temptations and she kept on the diet even at parties.  She lost 20 pounds.

    • Coaching Session: Lourdes was happy with her progress. She did realize the support was important and wanted to continue with a Maintenance plan after her vacation.  Elimination plan: She is glad she has essential oils and natural remedies that she can keep with her all the time.  Through her food trigger journal and coaching she was able to identify some additional foods to avoid.  She realized raspberries and mixed fancy green salad caused her symptoms.  She plans on signing up for 6 months of coaching to help her incorporate some paleo recipes in her routine, to keep her satisfied and meet her desire for some desserts.  She signed up for some shopping, easy workout sessions and cooking lessons. Lourdes really wanted to learn to make healthier desserts and snacks, in order to maintain her weight loss.

    6 months: (After 6 months of coaching)

    • Coaching Session: Lourdes successfully incorporated all the strategies for the 6 months of her coaching.  She felt energized and happy.  Elimination plan: She continued her food journal to monitor food sensitivities.  She identified two more triggers during her maintenance plan.  She identified apples and watermelons were trigger foods.  She is glad that she has the tools to identify, treat and deal with her food sensitivities.  She was able to participate in yoga and exercise regularly.  She truly enjoyed the quick exercise tips because she was able to do them wherever she was to ensure she was active.  She loved the shopping session because she truly understood how to read food labels, buy foods that were right for her body and eat for her blood type.  The cooking lessons helped her learn the benefits of using a variety of herbs to enhance food flavors and enjoy her healthy eating habits.  Lourdes felt excited and ready for new challenges. She maintained her weight loss and successfully incorporated all the strategies she learned for the 6 months.
    Categories Advice, Antioxidants, Diet, Elimination Diet, fatigue, flare up, pain

    I have Fibromyalgia. It doesn’t have me.

    I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia many years ago. Doctors tried a multitude of medications and injections. Nothing helped with the pain. I suffered from chronic pain and fatigue my entire life. Over the years, I have adapted my diet by identifying food triggers. I use my elimination diet and flare up diet to control my symptoms. I eliminated many foods that caused symptoms several years ago, like diary, gluten, sugar and processed foods. My symptoms continued even though they slightly improved. In 2017, everything changed for the better. I started taking little yellow pill after my friend showed me the ABC Primetime news report. I can’t claim that this is a cure, treat, mitigate or prevent disease but I can tell you the root cause of disease is oxidative stress.  I researched and saw the published studies on this natural supplement and finally had hope again.  I knew that the damage my body had experienced over the years due to my poor diet was going to take time to heal.  I was patient taking it daily and slowly the pain and fatigue started to improve.  The first thing I noticed was I woke up with energy ready to start my day.  I used to drag all day long feeling exhausted and coffee didn’t help.  Now, I woke up and felt rested.  Then as the months past my tight muscles started to relax and my pain practically disappeared.  Unbelievable right?  Wrong, it is totally true, I used to live with pain 7/10 or 8/10 daily.  After 3 months it was controlled at 3/10 but I still had some neuropathy on the right side of my body.  Basically my right arm and leg were numb.  On the 4th month something miraculous happened, the pain and neuropathy subsided.  At this point, I new I had to share with my mom.  My mom has the same medical history and symptoms as me, so I knew it would help her.   She felt much better too after 4 months on the product. We both switched to the Vitality stack when it came out in October to incorporate omega+ and Probio into the daily routine.  I still had some flare ups related to my diet and eventually increased Protandim Nrf2 to twice a day.  My condition tends to trap lymphatic fluid on the right side of my body, which worsens with diet triggers and repetitive movements.  Twice a day Protandim and Vitality Stack did the trick.  At this point, i decided to focus on diet and learn my body more.  I developed personalized stretching and relaxation techniques.  I also focused on zoning in on diet changed to identify triggers.  Still to this day, I find foods that trigger symptoms but the constant unbearable pain is gone.  I also have energy and happiness every day.  A recent food trigger was white jasmine rice, I usually don’t eat rice in the evening and if I do I hadn’t noticed this symptom.  I ate rice and beans for lunch and 30 minutes later, I felt really sleepy and started yawning.  That was when I realized it was the rice.  It happened again today after eating snap pea chips which have rice inside them.  It is not extreme tiredness like before but I know that if I accumulate these types of food in my system everything gets worse.  Food triggers and diet modifications help me control my symptoms and maintain my energy level.  Are you suffering from pain or fatigue?  Diet is a good place to start.  Though it did not resolve all my issues it definitely helps keep me in check.  Another important thing to remember with Fibromyalgia is movement makes a body good.  If you stay in one spot, sleeping or resting too long, pain with come.  You need to keep active, exercise and stretch.  The tissues actually get backed up with fluids and pain increases.  I know how bad this can be.  Every time I have had surgery, which is a lot, bed rest made my pain worse.  You begin aching in places you never ached before.  I can help you develop stretching and relaxation techniques, elimination diet and more, just ask and you shall receive.  Any questions?

    Categories Advice, autoimmune, autoimmune crisis, Elimination Diet, Fibromyalgia

    Autoimmune Crisis

    Autoimmune diseases are difficult to control and often a lifelong journey.  I suffered from Autoimmune illness for 39 years.  I experienced chronic pain, migraines, memory issues and digestive problems, since childhood.  I constantly suffered from chronic pain to the right side of my body and daily stomach issues.  Finally in 2017 I found my answer.  I knew my body was missing key nutritional elements due to my poor absorption of nutrients from IBS and gastric surgery.  Over the years, I have connected my symptoms to diet by identifying foods that triggered my symptoms.  Some of these foods are: corn products, processed foods, nitrates, nitrites, certain wines, many fruits, some vegetables, carbohydrates and products with gluten.  The truth is autoimmune issues are a lifelong journey and it is important to adapt your diet as new symptoms arise.  Our bodies tell us through symptoms that certain foods are not good for us.  Each individual is unique and elimination diets need to be geared to them. Elimination is a gradual process and needs to be tweaked periodically as symptoms arise.  I actually had an autoimmune crisis yesterday.  I ate take out which I have eaten before but symptoms were vague and I had not isolated the exact trigger.  When I had eaten this gluten free sweet and sour chicken before I had gotten a headache the next day.  This time was different.  I had eaten the same meal two days in a row.  Well guess what, my crappy feeling returned.  After I finished the second meal, my brain became foggy, I got sleepy, my chronic pain and numbness all returned.  By the time I realized it, it was time to fight back and make a not of this new food item.  Last night my arm pain was 9/10, my arm was numb, all my muscles down my arm were tight and tense and I was super sleepy all day.  I thankfully, have learned how to deal with my crisis and remove symptoms in 1 or 2 days.  This is only possible because I have been using the little yellow pill combo pack for 1 year now.  My body is equipped to fight the inflammation on a daily basis, thus removing the effects of these toxic foods.  I also have some unique tricks and tips to reduce the symptoms during an active crisis, which I offer to my clients through their healing process.  I am here to provide my unique knowledge and experience to help others overcome their autoimmune crisis.  Gladly, my arm is great today, no numbness or pain, no sleepiness or brain fog.  I have a free autoimmune survey and consultation.  I can’t claim that this is a cure, treat, mitigate or prevent disease but I can tell you the root cause of disease is oxidative stress.  Let me know how I can help you.

    Categories Advice, Detox, Diet, Elimination Diet, Stop Bloat

    5 Foods to Fit into that Special Dress

    No one likes a diet, it feels like torture sometimes.  I live a healthy lifestyle and usually eat a variety of fruits and vegetables but life always gets in the way.  Sometimes you feel a little bloated or heavy which impacts your self esteem.  I know how it feels when you are bloated and retaining fluids, it is hard to fit into that special outfit.  It can creep up on you suddenly.  There are some foods that trigger inflammation in people.  Each individual is unique and needs to learn their own body and sensitivities in order to stop the vicious cycle.  Sugar and carbohydrates are a big culprit of this dilemma women face regularly.  Our bodies were not created to eat so much sugar and carbohydrates.  The processed foods we eat are filled with chemicals, preservatives and sugar.  These foods are harder to digest and create inflammation in the body.  Inflammation equals bloating and fluid retention.  Many people struggle to lose weight and the fact is they are eating foods that are not ideal for their own body.  I can help you find those foods and empower you to embrace the difference it makes.  But this is a simple challenge to fit into a dress, right.  So, lets get to business.

    There is a way to quickly combat the bloat and detox your body to fit into that little black dress.

    1. Drinking ginger and lemon water every day. Ginger and lemon help remove toxins, promote urination and detox the body.
    2. Add berries to your morning smoothie.
    3. Season your food with Garlic, Rosemary and Turmeric. or Drink turmeric and chamomile tea.
    4. Eat cucumber with your meals.
    5. Eat some celery and almond butter for a snack.

    Detox Ginger Water

    2 ginger root cut into pieces

    4 lemons squeezed

    Stevia or Honey to taste

    Directions:

    Blend the ginger, lemon juice and honey with water. Fill the blender with water.  Pour the contents into a pitcher, add more water and let it sit overnight.  Strain the liquid in the morning and pour ½ cup into a glass. Add ½ cup of water and enjoy.

    The ginger water will help detox your body.  Ginger helps with digestion, nausea, cold symptoms, inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular issues, arthritis, pain, menstrual disorders and much more.

    So now you are ready to add some healthy foods into your routine to fight the bloat. Don’t forget the processed foods will counter effect your efforts. So stay away from processed food and liquor for now.  The day of the event enjoy yourself in that Sexy little dress.

    Now that you have reduced inflammation with those powerful anti-inflammatory agents.  Let’s reduce the inflammatory foods.  There are 5 highly inflammatory foods.  And these are the foods most commonly given by doctors for patients with recurrent health issues, digestive issues, joint pain and swelling, etc.

    1. Corn- many products have genetically modified corn and corn derivatives.  Read labels and avoid corn fillers.
    2. Sugar- all processed foods have added sugar.  And there is too much sugar in everything we eat.  Minimize or eliminate your sugar intake.
    3. Wheat – contains harmful additives, it is genetically modified and contains gluten.  All these are inflammatory in nature.  If you are feeing bloated, swollen or achy, try eliminating wheat and notice the impact day by day. (When I ate wheat flour pizza, I would gain 10 pounds for 2 weeks, had bloating, digestive issues, joint pain and achiness).
    4. Gluten – an ingredient in grain products, bread, baked goods and processed foods.  It is an ingredient in all wheat products.  And many people are sensitive to both gluten and wheat.  It is also important to minimize your use of gluten free baked goods for the first 30 to 90 days.   And then follow the 80/20 rule.  Indulge in your gluten free treat 20% of the time.  They do contain sugar which we already know is inflammatory.
    5. Preservatives, Additives and enriched grains.  Processed foods are filled with chemicals that are hard to digest.  Sometimes our bodies aren’t able to digest them at all.  So, limit or avoid these as much as possible.  By organic brown rice rather than enriched grains, which contained added vitamins that you may not be able to process.  And during busy times read labels and buy granola bars with minimal ingredients and no additives. If you don’t understand an ingredient, then don’t buy it.  Example: Nut-thins- Rice flour, almonds, potato starch, safflower oil and sea salt. A great choice with ingredients you already know.

    If you combine the elimination foods with a homemade tea, juice shot or water you will notice weight loss, decreased swelling and improved physical symptoms.  My recent favorite is my weekly Detox tea. I boil up this tea on Monday, then store it in little jars.  And warm them up daily.  Drink on am empty stomach before breakfast.