One year, how my life has changed.

Well, it’s been a year.  My life has changed dramatically.

Long story short…

I have been getting migraines since 8^th grade.  At that point – after a summer in bed—we realized that corn syrup was a major trigger.  So, in a huge learning process  (I wasn’t good at it until my jr. year of college) I learned to avoid corn syrup and that seemed to help greatly. 

As the years went on, the migraines started coming back more, as did some hormonal issues.  I was having to take off work, and take meds that were upwards of $30 a pill.  Not fun. One day while I was out with a migraine, I decided I had enough.  I researched first, a simple detox- nothing with weird liquids, but one with whole foods. I had a suspicion that foods were a main factor.  I also have a tendency to react to chemicals.  I know there are many chemicals in foods, so I thought that I would give it a try.

I followed the diet I chose very closely for 2 months.  My migraines ceased almost immediately – Feb 18^th, 2013.   By March, my asthma was hardly noticeable. The hormonal issues that I was experiencing all but disappeared.  After two months, I added one major thing back in for a month at a time to see if I could notice a difference.   I noticed the dairy really impacted my hormones; organic dairy did not seem to affect me as much.  I also noticed I felt much better overall when I did not eat wheat.  I believe that corn is the major factor in my migraines and asthma.  As a side effect, I also lost about 50 lbs.  Crazy.

My short answer when people ask what I don’t eat is – wheat, soy, corn, dairy, and sugar.

I make almost everything from scratch.  Probably the best way to start is with what I started with- a list! 

I also try to eat organic as much as possible.  It’s hard because it’s pricy, but for me the benefits are very important. 

I order coconut oil/peanut butter/oats/coconut/gluten free flour mix/gf pizza mix from vitacost.com (if you order through this link you can get $10 off https://www.vitacostrewards.com/hzlpFsT )

I have a dropbox folder of files of different recipes that I make now that I would be happy to share , just email me your address. Some recipes in the folder are from others as well, so the limitations, substitutions vary.

I followed the approved foods from this book.  http://www.thewellnesswaystore.com/img/cms/detoxification_book.pdf  I didn’t buy it, but I just looked at the approved food choices.  I did not follow the regiment exactly but pretty close.

I try to at least buy organic from this list http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214

Pretty much my diet consisted of:

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Spinach

Peppers

Asparagus

Green Beans

Avocado

Cucumber

Zucchini

Sweet Potatoes

Quinoa

Brown Rice

Black Beans

Eggs

Salmon- wild caught

Wild Caught Fish

Tuna- wild caught

Chicken/Turkey – minimal

I eat minimal beef- try to get a better cut/brand – I buy from a farmer

Nuts/Seeds – lots!

Granny Smith Apples (lowest apple sugar content)

Berries

Lemons/Limes

I eat organic/GMO free as much as possible.  I know that I am very affected by chemicals.

For cooking I used coconut oil/olive oil instead of butter

Raw Honey/Agave instead of sugar

I use sea salt or just garlic powder or oregano, pepper or other spices just a bit.

Foods to Avoid

Grains (especially corn or wheat)

Pork

Processed foods

Shellfish

Vegetable oil

Hydrogenated oils

Sugar

Margarine

Fake sugars

Salt

White potatoes

Soy

Food Ideas

I eat rice noodles (from the Asian section) or quinoa noodles (usually in the gluten free section but more expensive).

I use coconut cream/milk for any cream substitute in cooking.  From the can (found in the Asian aisle) for more cream, from a carton if I just need the milk

For a sweet treat, I put a banana, frozen fruit, and coconut milk/cream, a touch of honey and vanilla in a blender and blend well, and then freeze in small containers for a sweet/ice cream type treat.

Spaghetti squash can be used in place of spaghetti noodles! 

I eat bean chips in place of tortilla chips.  Beanitos – restaurant white bean chips are in my local Woodmans.  For a chip like Doritos I order from www.beanfields.com 

I eat lots of roasted veggies, fried up. 

I use tapioca flour in place of corn starch or flour as a thickener or chia seeds (whole or ground up)

If I want to bread chicken or fish for frying I use brown rice flour- it is AMAZING! 

I use honey completely as a sugar replacement.

I pretty much do not eat any processed foods besides the bean chips.  Tho “Vans” crackers are nice sometimes.

My homemade granola bar recipe is one of my favorite.  I also make my own Russian dressing.  Both of these are in my dropbox folder.

When I go out to eat, I usually order a salad and have oil and vinegar as the dressing. Or I order a burger or chicken without the bun- sometimes they will wrap it in lettuce.  Fish is tough out to eat because it usually is fried in butter or breaded. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as everything goes, but it gives a good picture.

Please email me if you have questions or want more information on what I did.  It's not a miracle cure, but it helped me.  I am more than willing to share what I have learned to help others.